Chapter 12

"Man, I don’t know! Believe me, I didn’t encourage Sarah’s attention. And Maria’s attention I want, so it’s not my fault," Jacob said again. Trevor sighed.

"I guess you’re right. Can I help it if I’m jealous?" Trevor asked with a hurt look on his face. He looked at Jacob. "Man, we’re tight. We’re like brothers, but when you were mean to Maria on the bus today…" He shook his head. "I know the five of us made a pact to never physically hurt each other, but I wanted to pound the shit out of you. You slept with her, Jake. How could you treat her like that? And now you’re kissing her again? I don’t get it."

"Dude, I don’t either. I don’t want a relationship again right now, but I want Maria. I really do and it’s freaking me out a little. I don’t know, maybe things will change when she leaves. We’ll never see each other and she’ll probably forget," Jacob walked over to the window and looked out. Trevor actually felt sorry for him.

"Jake, I’m sorry for the situation you’re in. I know that you’d never ‘be’ with someone like you were with Maria and not have it mean anything."

"And I’m sorry that you’re hurting because of me and Maria, but Trevor, I feel a connection with her that I never had with Janie. Maria’s like me. We like the same things and we feel the same, passionate way about our work and we’re both talented. She’s someone that I can talk to about stuff and I know immediately that she understands."

"Do you love her?" Trevor asked. Jacob frowned. Love? He hadn’t even known her that long. Jacob just continued to look out the window. Trevor figured that he wasn’t going to get an answer, so he left the room.

"Sarah, wait!" Maria yelled. Sarah stopped, but didn’t turn around. She had run out the back and was on a sidewalk between the house and a basketball court. "Sarah, let me explain," Maria told her when she had finally caught up with her.

"You have a boyfriend. What about Geoff? Have you really gotten over him so quickly?" Sarah asked, still not turning around and looking at Maria.

"We broke up over a month ago," Maria said.

"And what? Jacob was there to ease your pain? You’re probably just using him," Sarah said as she wiped her eyes. Maria grabbed Sarah’s shoulders and turned her around to face her.

"No, I’m not. Jacob and I, we’ve been attracted to each other for a while now and we just recently…got together, but it’s not what you think."

"What do I think? I think that I really like Jacob, but you probably think it’s just a crush. I also think that it’s not fair how you always win. You get whatever you want and I get shit!" Sarah spat. Maria frowned.

"You’re a spoiled brat, Sarah." Sarah backed out of Maria’s grip. "It’s true. I did everything for you growing up. I practically raised you and what did I get from you? Attitude and defiance. That’s what. And you’re still doing it now. You cry that you can’t live at home, so what happens? I invite you to come live with me for crying out loud! Live with me, not just visit, but live with me and you’re saying that you get nothing? You are an ungrateful little brat and I will not take any more of your disrespect, do you understand? If you live with me, you will listen to me and do as I say or I’ll ship your ungrateful ass back to Connecticut! I’m sorry if you like Jacob, but I do too. I have practically been living with him since April and we have become close. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but live with it because I’m not going to stop being with him because it makes you unhappy. Call it selfish, but that’s the way it is. Now, stop acting like a pain in the ass! Grow up, Sarah. You’re not in high school anymore." Maria turned around and headed back into the house. Sarah wiped the tears that continued to fall from her eyes and walked slowly to the basketball court where she sat on the ground and leaned against the support of the basketball net.

"Your cab is here," Dan said to Dianna. Dianna got her luggage together and Dan helped her carry it to the cab. When everything was loaded, Dianna turned to Dan.

"Thank you, Dan. I really had fun. It was an interesting trip," she said with a smile. Dan laughed.

"It sure was. I hope this isn’t the last time we see each other," he told her.

"Dianna!" They both turned when Jacob came running out of the house. "Were you gonna leave without saying ‘goodbye?’" he asked, hugging Dianna. She smiled when he let her go.

"Of course not. Take care of your back. Remember, don’t overdo it and do those exercises I showed you if you feel any pain," she instructed.

"Yes, ma’am," Jacob said. Dianna sighed.

"Well, guys, I gotta go. Good luck and I’m sure we’ll meet up again," she said. Dan hugged her lightly and she then got into the cab. Dan and Jacob watched as it drove away. Dan looked at Jacob.

"I saw Sarah freaking out. What happened?" he asked. Jacob shook his head.

"She saw me kissing Maria and freaked out. Dude, I didn’t want Sarah to like me, she just does," he said.

"You poor thing."

"I know. I’m irresistible. So, sue me," Jacob said, smiling. Dan pulled him back towards the house. "I don’t want to go back in there," Jacob protested, dragging his feet. Dan laughed as he continued to pull Jacob’s arm.

"Come on, you have to face your admirers. They’re fighting over you. You should be there," Dan said.

"I don’t want to be there," Jacob told him, but allowed Dan to pull him back into the house anyway.

"I like the flag," Alex said, looking at a huge American flag that hung on Erik’s bedroom wall.

"Thanks," Erik said as he took clothes from his bag and just threw it wherever.

"You’re such a slob," Alex remarked. "Clothes are to be taken care of and treated with respect. Believe me, I know about these things. I’m a professional." Erik smiled.

"I know. I have so many clothes, though. It’s okay, they don’t get upset." Alex rolled her eyes. She picked up a shirt that Erik threw on the floor.

"If I was this shirt, I’d wanna hurt you right now," she said. Erik smiled as the shirt hit him in the face.

"Ouch. This shirt fights dirty," he joked, pulling it off of him. He then became somewhat serious. "You can hang out as long as you want, or as long as you want to avoid your family."

"Can I stay forever, then?" Alex asked. Erik smiled.

"I wish, but no. We’re not slowing down just because we’re home. I know that Jacob wants to start writing and we have rehearsals and practices and some personal appearances coming up."

"Where will you be ‘appearing’?" Alex asked.

"I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask Dan. He, like, knows all of that stuff. His brain is like a daily planner. He’s way too responsible to be in this group," Erik said. Alex laughed. Then, she sighed.

"Well, I assume Carlos is home."

"Does your family live in Orlando?" Erik asked.

"Yeah. My parents and my younger brother, Miguel, live about ten minutes from my apartment. I guess Carlos is living with them now. I have to talk to my mother. I don’t call them much."

"I noticed that. Were things bad growing up?" he asked. Alex didn’t want to discuss her childhood right now. She shrugged.

"I don’t want to get into it right now. We were close and drifted apart, especially after Carlos’ trouble with the law. My mother freaked out, while my father and Miguel supported Carlos. I, of course, pulled a disappearing act, so who knows what’s gonna happen. I’ll probably find out soon, though." Erik walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.

"If you need to talk, you call me, okay? I may not be available all the time, but if you leave a message, I’ll call you back. I promise," he said. Alex smiled and hugged him tighter. She was grateful for Erik’s support and hoped that he meant what he said.

"I don’t want to go," she said softly. Erik pulled back and kissed her tenderly. Alex deepened the kiss and they lay on the bed, on the clothes that were scattered there, kissing. Neither one wanted to let go.

Emily was walking through the hallway to the loft, her guitar slung over her shoulder. She had stayed at the park longer than she had planned, but it had been relaxing and Emily had just lost track of the time. She stopped when she saw the flowers. The hallway outside of Maria’s loft was filled with flowers. She turned when a delivery guy came up behind her, carrying yet more flower arrangements.

"Excuse me," he said. Emily moved aside.

"Um…are all of those for this address?" she asked as she approached the door. He nodded.

"You live here?" he asked.

"My cousin does. I’m just visiting, kind of. Here, let me open the door." Emily unlocked the door and went inside. She turned on some lights and went to help the delivery guy bring the flowers inside.

"This…" the guy looked at the card on the arrangement he was carrying. "…Geoff must’ve done something bad, huh?" he asked Emily. Emily placed an arrangement on the coffee table in the sitting room and nodded.

"Pretty bad," she said. "And I don’t think flowers will make her forgive him." The guy laughed.

"Oh, so they’re not for you?" he asked. Emily shook her head. "Well, maybe your cousin will share." Emily laughed and helped the guy bring the remaining arrangements into the loft. After he’d left, she stood there shaking her head. Geoff was desperate…very desperate.

Kevin entered his and Geoff’s apartment. He saw Geoff sitting on the couch, drinking a beer and staring into space.

"Dude, the place doesn’t look like a greenhouse anymore," Kevin said, smiling. Geoff didn’t acknowledge him. "Oh, come on. Lighten up, will you? Have you heard from Maria?" Geoff shook his head.

"What about Kathleen. Since you guys are so close now, has she said anything?"

"Just that she’s going to see her tonight. And you better stay away," Kevin told him. Geoff looked at him.

"I love her, Kev. Why did it take me sleeping with some whore to realize that? And now Maria hates me. Do you think that she’ll ever forgive me?" Kevin sat down beside Geoff.

"I honestly don’t know. Give her some time. Don’t bug her, it will only make things worse," he said.

"What about the flowers. Was that a bad idea?" Geoff asked. Kevin shrugged.

"It couldn’t hurt. As long as you’re not there to see her in person," he said. Geoff took a drink and sighed.

"I will want to see her eventually, though. I want her back, Kevin, and I plan on getting her back. She’ll forgive me. It will take time, but it will happen."

"What are you doing?" Ashley asked Sarah, who was still leaning against the basketball net support. Only now, it was dark, except for the lights shining from the house.

"Sitting," she said. Ashley smiled and reached out his hands. Sarah grabbed them and he pulled her up.

"You know, it would be easier if you had a crush on, say, me," Ashley told her. "Jacob’s too moody and unpredictable. I’m fun and always happy." He gave her a goofy smile to show her how happy he really was. Sarah tried to hide a smile, but couldn’t. "See! I knew I could make you smile!"

"Stop it, Ashley," Sarah said. Ashley led her back to the house.

"I’m sorry that you’re hurt," he said. Sarah shrugged.

"It’s no big deal. I should’ve realized that something was going on between them. Their picture was in Popstar! last month. There were pictures of them dancing and they looked more than friendly. I didn’t want to think that anything was going on because Maria had Geoff. Or so I thought," she said.

"Yeah, well, nothing was going on back then. It happened later. Not so long ago, actually," Ashley told her. He didn’t want to go into too many details. He’d let Maria handle that. They walked into a room that looked like a combination sitting room/dining room. There was a couch and a TV, while over a little, in the corner of the room, was a long table with high-backed chairs and huge candleholders in the middle of it. Ashley and Sarah sat down on the couch. "So, you’re not interested? I mean I am the heartthrob of the group…" Ashley said.

Jacob watched Maria pacing a hole in the carpeting of his room. He lay on his bed listening to her venting about her sister. ‘What a way to spend our ‘final’ hours together,’ he thought, ruefully.

"She has no respect for me whatsoever and I refuse to put up with it if she’s living in my loft!" Maria said, anger flashing in her eyes.

"You haven’t even spent one night together in your place, yet. Do you think you’ll kill her before tomorrow night?" Jacob asked.

"It’s entirely possible!" Maria answered. Jacob smiled. Maria stopped pacing. She looked at her watch, and then at Jacob. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, sitting sideways, so that she could see him. "Will you keep in touch?" she asked. Jacob sat up. He ran a hand over the bandanna on his head and nodded.

"If you want me to. I don’t know how much time I’ll have, but I’ll try," he said. Maria looked at the bedspread and sighed.

"Can I have your cell number? Susan had them, but I’m not sure if she got rid of them or not," she said. Jacob nodded and went to write down the number. He handed it to her and sat back down on the bed beside her.

"Just call whenever. Like I said, my time is limited," he told her. Maria nodded.

"This is hard, Jacob. I thought that if I pretended like last night didn’t really mean anything, it would be easier to say goodbye, but I guess not. Because last night meant something and I don’t want to not see you." Jacob pulled Maria to him and held her. Maria wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes tightly. Erik and Alex then appeared at the door.

"Maria, we should get going," Alex said softly. Maria nodded against Jacob, but didn’t make a move to leave. Jacob pushed her gently away and she opened her eyes and looked at him. He smiled.

"You can take my picture anytime," he said. Maria laughed. She leaned in and kissed him passionately. Erik nudged Alex and she pushed him playfully. Jacob and Maria reluctantly pulled apart and got off of the bed. Jacob picked up something that was on his dresser. "Do you want this back?" he asked. It was the guitar drawing from oh, so long ago. Maria shook her head, smiling.

"No, you keep it," she said. Jacob nodded and placed it back down on his dresser. The four of them then left Jacob’s room. Sarah was waiting at the front door with Ashley, Trevor and Dan by her side. She barely glanced at Maria.

"Well, guys, I’ll see you whenever," Maria said as she hugged first Erik, and then Dan, and Ashley. She smiled at Trevor. He pulled her into a hug.

"Take care, Maria," he said. She pulled back, smirked and kissed him hard on the mouth. Jacob tried not to laugh at the look on Trevor’s face when Maria let him go.

"Just something to remember me by," she said, winking. Jacob pulled her aside. Sarah kept her eyes on them.

"You’ll call?" Maria asked him. Jacob shrugged.

"I can’t promise you anything. I’m sorry, that’s the way our schedule is. I’m lucky if I get to call my mom once a month," he said. Maria nodded.

"I understand. Well, good luck writing for your album and…well, I guess this is goodbye." Jacob hugged her. He didn’t care if everyone was watching. He didn’t want Maria to go. Jacob smiled. "What?" she asked, when she saw him smiling.

"I just remember that I hated the idea of you coming on the tour with us, and now I don’t want you to go," he said. "My plan was to ignore you the whole time. You make it very hard to ignore you, though." Maria touched his cheek lightly.

"My plan was to hook up with a member of a boy band that I had originally despised," she said, smirking.

"Well, at least one of our plans worked," Jacob told her. Maria laughed.

"I was kidding, but yeah, it worked well. I’m out one asshole boyfriend and I’ve gained…you," she said. Jacob nodded. He slowly lowered his head to hers and kissed her tenderly. Maria savored his kiss, knowing that it would probably be a long time before she got to kiss him again…if ever. "Don’t forget me," she said when he pulled away.

"I don’t think that’s possible," he said, softly. They backed away from each other. Sarah had left already and was waiting by the Jeep. Alex and Erik were hugging tightly on the sidewalk. The other guys were standing, waiting for Maria to leave. Holding Jacob’s hand, she walked out of the house.

"Hey, guys, don’t forget to get the issue of the magazine with my article and all of your drop-dead gorgeous pictures in it," Maria told them.

"Are you kidding? We wouldn’t miss it," Ashley said, smiling. Maria unlocked her Jeep and Sarah climbed in. She looked at Jacob.

"Take care," he said. Sarah nodded, again on the verge of tears. Jacob felt badly, but what could he do? Alex kissed Erik, who didn’t want to let her go. Fighting tears herself, she finally freed herself from him and climbed into the Jeep.

"Bye," Maria said. She kissed Jacob on the cheek and got behind the wheel. Jacob closed the door. She started the Jeep and backed out of the driveway. The guys watched as the Jeep sped away. Jacob swallowed hard. Ashley put his arm over his band mate’s shoulders.

"We’ll see her again. She said that she wanted to consult with us about some pictures," he said. Jacob nodded. He knew that, but he still had a sinking feeling that the more time that passed that they didn’t see each other, the farther apart they would grow until she forgot about him and labeled him a ‘summer fling.’ Jacob turned and walked quickly back to the house. The others followed him, Erik looking just as depressed as Jacob. The tour was over. Life goes on. But where would things go from here?

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