Chapter 10

"You must be tired from your trip," Caroline said. She seemed uncomfortable.

"Not really. I’ve been traveling for a while now, so I’m used to it," Maria said.

"Come upstairs to your room," Sarah said, pulling Maria up the stairs. Maria had no choice but to go. Sarah dragged Maria into her old room. It looked pretty much the same. A big bed was in the center with a yellow and white chenille bedspread. The walls were a bluish-gray color and the floor was hardwood with a small, round sectional rug of many colors in the middle. The closet was to the right of the door and a small dresser with a rectangular mirror over it was against the wall to the left. Two large windows that were opened looked out into the back yard and the sheer, off-white curtains were pulled aside to let some air into the room. A vase of freshly cut daisies was on the dresser. "Look," Sarah said with a mischievous grin. She closed the door to the room and Maria smiled when she saw a poster of O-Town on the back of it.

"What’s that for?" she asked.

"In case you get lonely for them," Sarah said, smiling. Maria laughed. "My friends can’t wait to meet you. I told them about your assignment and they’re all going crazy."

"They’re fans, I assume?" Maria asked. Sarah nodded.

"Are they ever," she said. "It’s pathetic."

"The guys are cool. And believe it or not, I’m actually liking their music, too," Maria said. "Where’s Joey? Is he home?" Sarah shook her head.

"He’s working, but he should be home soon. He’s teaching summer school and tutoring," Sarah told her.

"That’s good. I have some gifts for you, but they’re graduation gifts, so I think that I should wait," Maria said. Sarah shook her head.

"No, I want them now!" she said. Maria laughed and headed downstairs to her luggage. Caroline came in with a glass of soda for Maria.

"Thanks," she said, sipping the soda.

"Maria, what happened to your face?" Caroline asked, suddenly. Maria touched her cheek. ‘Leave it to my mom to notice the bruise, even with all of the makeup covering it,’ she thought.

"It’s a long story. I have some gifts for Sarah," she said, opening her suitcase. She took out a square clothing box and handed it to her. "That’s from O-Town. They wanted to get you something."

"They don’t even know me," Sarah said, but was smiling anyway. She opened the box and frowned as she took out their CD.

"They all autographed it for you," Maria said. "We both have to listen to it, actually. I haven’t even heard the album yet and I’ve been with them for almost two months." Sarah then took out a poster of the guys. "They autographed that, too. Each one wrote a personal message to you, so don’t go throwing it away." Sarah spread the poster out onto the floor and smiled as she started to read.

The first was Ashley’s: "Hey, Sarah! Congrats on graduating! You’re free! Good luck in the ‘real’ world---remember: all work and no play makes for a dull Sarah! HA! Take care, Ashley Angel." Sarah smiled up at Maria.

"He agonized over that," she said, rolling her eyes.

The next one Sarah read was Trevor’s: "Hi, baby! Congratulations! It’s time to par-tay, girlfriend, but do it responsibly (Maria’s watching me write this. Wink, wink.) Your future is bright. Don’t waste any talent that you have---go for it! Love and kisses, Trevor P." Maria smiled while she watched Sarah’s face as she read.

Erik’s was next: "Sarah, school’s out!!! Go party and party and party. Can I come? Just kidding. I wish you all the luck in the world with your future plans. Think positive and good things will happen! God bless, Erik-Michael Estrada."

The next one was Dan’s: "Hey, Sarah! Congratulations on your graduation. See, your hard work paid off and you’re outta there! Reach for the stars, sweetheart, and don’t let anyone stop you. If you have a gift, use it to your full potential. Good luck, Dan Miller." These heartfelt notes by five guys who didn’t even know her touched Sarah.

Jacob’s was last: "Sarah, follow your heart and follow your dreams. Don’t let anyone bring you down. If you know what you want, go after it and don’t let anyone keep you from doing what you want. It’s your life, live it to the fullest. Good luck and may God guide you on your new journey in the real world. Peace, Jacob Underwood."

"Interesting," Sarah said. "It’s actually pretty cool. They seem nice."

"I still don’t think that you should be traveling on a bus with five young men, Maria," Caroline said.

"Mom, Alex is there too, as is Dianna, a physical therapist," Maria said.

"Why do they need her?" Caroline asked.

"Jacob hurt his back, so she was brought in to help him," Maria replied.

Caroline looked at the poster. "I don’t like the looks of him," she said. Maria sighed. Of course she didn’t. The front door opened and closed and Maria smiled when she saw Joey come in. He picked her up and spun her around, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, stranger," he said. Maria laughed.

"Put me down," she told him. Where Maria and Sarah looked alike, Joey looked nothing like them. He had dark brown, slightly curly hair. He had brown eyes and wore wire-rimmed glasses. Joey was tall and athletic like Joseph, but more intellectual looking. He was very handsome, though. "You look great," she said after he had put her down.

"Thanks. You’re just as gorgeous as ever," Joey told her. Caroline retreated to the kitchen. Joey frowned. "Problems already." Maria rolled her eyes.

"Let’s not worry about that. Tell me about you," She said with a smile. Sarah got some Doritos and chips to snack on and the three of them sat around in the living room getting re-acquainted. Maria was glad to be home---at least for a couple of days.

St. Louis

"I love you so much," a young girl with braces said to Jacob as he signed her O-Town poster. He smiled at her.

"Thanks for coming to the show," he said. The girl moved on to Erik and told him how much she loved him too. The line seemed never ending. Ashley had held it up countless times hugging the fans. Cleve told him to stop, but he didn’t listen. Jacob’s back hurt and he fidgeted a little, trying to get comfortable. After another fifteen minutes, it was finally over. The Mikes led the guys backstage to the green room.

Dianna approached Jacob. "Are you okay?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, I’m just a little stiff. Probably from the bus ride," he said.

"I’ll work on your back after the show," she said. Jacob nodded and went into the other room to change into his performance clothes. Ashley followed him.

"It’s only three songs," he said, smiling. Jacob pulled his tee shirt over his head and grabbed his black tank top.

"I know, Ash," he said. Ashley didn’t know whether or not to discuss Maria with him. She had just left this morning, but Ashley thought that Jacob’s mood had more to do with what Mike had said to him about not getting involved with Maria personally than with her not being there. Deciding that it was safest to not say anything, Ashley changed and joined the others in order to get ready for their performance.

Connecticut

Maria had changed into a tee shirt and shorts. She stood by the windows in her bedroom and looked out at the water. It always looked so pretty late at night, especially with the full moon reflecting on it.

"Hey, ‘ria," Joey said, coming in and lying on the bed. Maria turned and smiled at her younger brother. She went over and closed the door.

"Hey, Joe," she said. He suddenly got a serious look on his face.

"Mom thinks that one of those guys in the band hit you," he said. Maria looked at him, a surprised look on her face.

"Really? Geoff never entered her mind?" she asked.

"That bastard hit you?" Joey asked, anger clouding his features.

"Relax. It was an accident. He actually cheated on me. Kathleen called and told me about it. Then, Geoff chased me down at dad’s place to try to force me to forgive him and everything went to hell. He fought with Jacob and hit me while he was trying to hit him," she said. "I broke up with Geoff the next day."

"Which one is Jacob?" Joey asked, looking over at the poster.

"The one with the dreads," Maria told him. She walked over to the poster and ran her fingers over his face.

"You’ve got something going with the guy, don’t you?" Joey asked, smirking at her. Maria turned toward him quickly.

"No. Not really, I mean, well, we kissed, but it wasn’t serious," she said. Joey smiled. He knew Maria too well and knew that she was lying.

"I don’t believe you," he said. "Is he cool?" Maria nodded.

"Very cool. He’s talented and very serious about his music. He’s a perfectionist and is passionate and dedicated where his career is concerned."

"He sounds like a male version of you," Joey said. Maria smiled. She went to her bag and took out her notebook.

"Here. Read these. I need some feedback on them anyway. These are profiles of each of the guys. They’re going to be side notes to the article. You know, like those little things that are put beside the article in the margin as extras?" Joey nodded and took the notebook. He stood up and turned to her.

"Let me know when you’re going to turn the bathroom into a darkroom, okay?" he asked. Maria smacked him on the arm. She grabbed his head and pulled it down to her level. After kissing him on the cheek, she pushed him toward the door.

"Goodnight," she said as she closed the door behind him. She looked again at Jacob’s picture. "Goodnight," she said softly. She frowned. "I’m talking to a picture. Okay, Maria, being home is already driving you crazy." She turned the lights off and went to bed.

St. Louis (after the show)

O-Town entered the dressing room, sweaty and still energized. Alex was sitting on the couch talking on her cell phone. She had a serious look on her face, so the guys didn’t bother her. Ever since she’d left him in such a hurry earlier, Erik had left her alone. The guys all went into the other room to change.

Dan was finished first. He returned to the main dressing area and noticed that Alex was still sitting on the couch, looking upset about something. She looked at him, so he went and sat down next to her. "Want to talk?" he asked. Alex sighed.

"Not really. It’s kinda personal…not to mention embarrassing," she said. Then she gave a small laugh. "Family problems."

"We’ve all had those kinds of problems. Hey, if you want to talk about it, then I’ll listen. You know, if you can’t talk to Erik, that is," he said. Alex smiled.

"Thanks, Dan," she said.

"Anytime," he said. He stood up and saw Erik coming out of the changing area. Erik frowned, but Dan smiled and went to pack up his stuff. Alex stood up, smiling at Erik.

"Great show," she said. "You guys did a really good job."

"Thanks. If there’s something wrong, you can talk to me," he said. Alex shook her head.

"I’m fine," she said as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Erik watched her leave the room. He didn’t believe her.

Connecticut (the next morning)

Someone knocking on the door woke Maria. She turned over and yawned. It was a cool June morning, but Maria had a feeling that it would warm up as the day wore on.

"Come in," she said. Her mother walked into the room. She was already dressed for the graduation ceremony, which wasn’t until noon.

"It’s ten o’clock. I thought that you’d be up," she said, standing stiffly by the dresser. Maria sat up.

"I’m a late sleeper. Did Sarah leave yet?"

"Yes, a half hour ago." Caroline stood looking at anything but Maria.

"What do you want, mom? I know that you didn’t come in here to discuss my sleeping habits," Maria said. Caroline sighed and looked at her hands.

"I don’t want Sarah to go and live with you," she said.

"Why not?"

"It’s not good for her to be on her own like that so soon after graduation."

"I’ll be there. She won’t be running wild on the streets of Orlando," Maria said as she got out of bed and searched through her things for the outfit that she intended to wear to the graduation.

"You have your work. What is Sarah supposed to do while you’re working?" Caroline asked, wringing her hands nervously.

"She’ll find something to do. Maybe Kyle will give her a job at the studio. Have a little faith for crying out loud," Maria said angrily.

"I don’t want to argue with you," Caroline said. Maria didn’t believe her.

"Go ahead. Ask about dad. I know that you want to, so I’ll save you the trouble. He’s fine. Marilyn’s fine. She’s six months pregnant, but she’s fine. There. I told you. Now dad doesn’t have to worry about you finding out," Maria said as she stalked out of the room and headed for the bathroom. Caroline closed her eyes tightly. Maria had been her favorite. Her firstborn. She was so talented and they had been so close. Then the divorce had happened and Caroline’s family had fallen apart. Maria had been forced to grow up too quickly and she now resented Caroline because of it. Tears pooled in Caroline’s eyes. She was losing Maria…if she hadn’t lost her already.

The graduation went slowly. Maria was happy for Sarah, though. She looked so happy to be done with high school. There was a small party afterwards. Sarah got a lot of checks and some of her friends came over, too. They hung on Maria, who talked about O-Town and nothing but O-Town with them. Maria even showed them some of the pictures that she had taken of the guys. In the middle of this, her cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"How’s it going?"

"Jacob? Why are you calling me?" Maria asked stupidly. She shouldn’t have said his name. The girls looked over with shocked looks on their faces, listening to every word.

"Um…to see how it’s going?" Jacob replied.

"I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to call," she said. "The graduation went well. Sarah loved her poster." Sarah came over and motioned for Maria to give her the phone. Sarah’s friends were right with her. "Sarah wants to talk to you. Oh, and you have a fan club here, too."

"Oh, God. I only want to talk to your sister," he said. Maria smiled.

"Okay. Here she is." Maria handed the phone to Sarah.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sarah. It’s Jacob. Congratulations on your graduation. How does it feel to be done with high school?" he asked. Sarah smiled nervously.

"Uh…it’s awesome," she said. Jacob could tell that she was nervous.

"I hear that you’re gonna be moving to Orlando. Are you excited?" he asked.

"Um…yeah. Totally. It’s so cool of Maria to let me live with her," Sarah said.

"Yeah, well, I feel kinda sorry for you in a way. Maria can be a real pain in the ass at times. But don’t tell her that I said that." Sarah laughed and looked at Maria, who frowned.

"I won’t. Thanks for the poster and the CD. It was really nice of you guys, seeing as you don’t even know me," she said.

"You’re very welcome. I actually hope that we’ll get to meet you. We’ll save you tickets for one of our upcoming Florida shows. How’s that?" Jacob asked.

"Well, I’m not really into pop music, but I’ll come," she said. Jacob laughed.

"Or you can always sell the tickets," he said.

"Never," Sarah said. Maria held out her hand, wanting the phone back. "Um…here’s Maria back. Thanks again, Jacob."

"You’re welcome. Have a great day," he said. Sarah handed the phone back to Maria. Sarah’s friends wanted to know what Jacob had said word for word.

"Well, you made her day, if not her friends’ day," Maria said, watching the girls giggling in a huddle across the room. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing much. How’re things with your mom?" Why did he care? Maria was confused. He was very good at confusing her lately.

"Uncomfortable. She doesn’t want Sarah to live with me, she thinks that one of you guys hit me, and she’s upset that Marilyn’s pregnant. I’ve pretty much ruined her life," Maria said with a small laugh.

"I’m sorry," Jacob told her.

"Susan called yesterday. Geoff went to the studio and told Kyle that…"

"I know," Jacob interrupted. "Walsh called Mike and he talked to me about it. Your boyfriend is still hanging on to you."

"I ended it with him, Jacob. I told you that," Maria said.

"But is it over?" he asked. Maria frowned at that. After a minute of silence, Jacob said, "I gotta go. I’ll see you in a couple of days."

"Yeah, okay. Bye," Maria said and hung up. He still thought that she was hung up on Geoff? Even after their encounter in the pool? Maria couldn’t seem to forget that. The way that he had kissed her…the way that he had made her feel had been amazing. She hadn’t felt like that…ever. So why were they both acting like it hadn’t been a big deal?

"Maria?" She turned to see Sarah and her friends staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"We want to know about all of the guys. But I like Jacob. Tell me about him," Sarah said, hopefully. Maria sighed. Great. Jacob had a new fan: her little sister.