A LITTLE LATER THAT MORNING
Alyssa sat in the limo next to Bree, Dan, and Trevor. She was still worried about Ashley but she couldn't let it bother her. After all, today was the first of the few days they would get to relax before they had to start rehearsing for the European tour and as a treat, they were all going to spend the day at Disney World. So, there was no reason why Alyssa should be letting Ashley's mood get to her. Besides, he had seemed to be himself again when they were getting ready to leave, so there wasn't really anything to worry about anymore. She sighed as she gazed out the window at the trees that were rolling by.
"Lissa?" Bree asked suddenly. Alyssa looked up at her. "Are you alright?" Trevor and Dan were watching her too. Both wore looks of concern on their faces. Alyssa nodded and offered the three of them a weak smile. Dan and Trevor looked at each other and it became clear to her that they didn't believe her.
"I'm fine you guys, really," she said in as best a cheerful voice as she could muster.
"No you're not," Dan replied. "You're still worried about Ashley, I can tell."
"There's nothing to worry about Lissy," Trevor added. "We told you, Ash always gets this way when people bring up the fact that he's so forgetful." He turned and glared at Dan who looked very confused. "Don't you look at me like you don't know what's up."
"Why are you glaring at me for? What did I do?" It was Bree who answered him.
"The guys are concerned that you seem to forget that Ashley's sensitive about that subject. They think you need to remember that more often." Dan sighed and turned to look out his own window, resting his head on his hand.
"Now look who's feeling down," Alyssa said. Dan turned and frowned at her but he didn't say anything. He sighed again, turning his attention back to the window. Alyssa looked at him sadly before returning her gaze to look back out her window. None of them spoke another word the whole ride there.
IN THE SECOND LIMO
Jacob was staring at Ashley who seemed to be engrossed in a book but he was quite sure if he really was. He knew Ashley often used a book to cover himself up when he was really lost in thought about something and Jacob was almost certain that this was the case this time too. He looked up at Erik who met his eyes at exactly the same moment. He could tell that Erik had been thinking the same thing he was. Sighing, Jacob gently pulled the book from Ashley's hands.
"Hey, I was reading that!" Ashley cried, a little annoyed at having his book taken away. "Give it back Jake," he added, holding his hand out for the book.
"Ash," Erik began and Ashley turned his head so that he was looking at Erik instead. "We know you weren't really reading that book." Ashley frowned at him. "It's also kind of obvious when you're holding the book upside down." Ashley turned to look back at Jacob who was still holding the book he had plucked from Ashley's hands. It was indeed, upside down. "If you don't want anyone to know that you're thinking and not reading," Erik went on, drawing Ashley's eyes back onto him, "Don't hold the book upside down. It's too obvious." Ashley looked down at the floor. He didn't say anything and this made Erik very worried. He glanced at Jacob who seemed to go from calm and collected to worried and pale in two seconds flat. Jacob's face had no color and Erik knew when that happened, it meant that he was either sick, or he was really worried about something. This time, it was the latter and the something was Ashley.
"Ash, come on," Jacob said, "What is wrong with you? You're usually over it by now. Don't tell me this time you've finally blown a fuse. We don't need our Ashley falling into a deep depression right now." Ashley looked back up at him and Jacob could see sadness in his eyes.
"I try Jake, I really do," he said, his voice cracking and Jacob could tell he was on the verge of tears. "But I can't help it, it's just something that I can't change. I don't know what to do anymore." I single tear slid down his cheek and Erik put a comforting arm around him. Jacob reached a hand up and started stroking Ashley's hair.
"Do worry Ash," he said, "We love you just the way you are. Everyone has their flaws, yours is just being forgetful. There's nothing wrong with that. You may always be that way but that's just one part of what makes you you Ash. If I woke up one morning to find that you were no longer forgetful, I'd probably lose it. This is how I know you and this is how I always want to know you. I wouldn't change the way you are for the world and I'm sure none of the other guys would either." He looked up at Erik when he said this and Erik shook his head. "You see, we love you just the way you are." Ashley looked at him, a hing of shock in his eyes. Although, they all thought of Jacob as the best friend, he had never heard him give such good advice before. Jacob wasn't really one for giving advice, he was more of a loner. He tended to want to do things on his own and didn't really like helping people all that much. That was one reason why it was so strange to him that the rest of the guys had dubbed him the best friend. He didn't see how the nickname fit him in any way since it was so unlike him. But now, Ashley was catching a glimpse of what really made Jacob such a good friend and he honestly believed in that moment that the nickname suited him perfectly.
TEN MINUTES LATER
The seven of them were now standing in front of the gates to Disney World where Mike C. had met up with them. He was holding seven very special passes that would allow them to get on any ride they wanted to go on without waiting in line. Of course he had let them know that they didn't have to use that privilege if they didn't want to which made them all relieved because none of them thought it was much of an experience if you didn't have to wait in line.
"Now remember," Mike C. was saying, "Try not to get yourselves noticed too much. You are here to have fun, not to be bombarded by fans." He gave them all a very stern expression. All of them nodded. Well, all accept Ashley, who wasn't even paying attention. He was staring off into the park beyond the front gates. "Ashley?" Mike C. said, snapping his fingers in front of Ashley's face.
"Huh?" Ashley responded, snapping back to attention and looking around at them all. "I'm sorry Mike, did you say something?" he asked. Mike C. sighed heavily and shook his head.
"What is going on with you today Ashley? You seem to be really out of it and you're usually so focused. Is something bothering you?" Ashley shook his head. Jacob, Dan, Trevor, and Erik all exchanged glances, but none more so than Jacob and Erik, both of which were getting more and more worried by the minute. It seemed Jacob's little pep talk hadn't done much to bring up Ashley's mood after all and they were afraid that it could have consequences. Not bothering to wait for answer, Mike C. went on. "Anyway, do have fun and try not to get to crazy." The seven of them nodded and he watched as they all disappeared into the park.
Once inside, the seven of them decided to split up and go their separate ways. Trevor, Bree, Alyssa, and Jacob went off in one direction, while Erik, Dan, and Ashley went off in another. They all agreed that they would meet up later for lunch and they wished each other fun. Ashley, however sitll didn't look as though he was going to have any fun at all and this made Jacob fret but he quickly told himself not to worry, today was supposed to be fun and Ash would probably loosen up some soon enough anyway. He had always loved Disney World. So, with one last worried glance back at him, Jacob put a smile on his face and walked off with Alyssa, Bree, and Trevor.
JACOB, ALYSSA, TREVOR, AND BREE
"So, what do we want to do first?" Alyssa asked as the four of them entered the magical kingdom. "I mean, there are so many worlds and so little time. I don't think we'll be able to hit them all."
"Well, that's why it's called Disney World," Jacob replied. "Each part of the park is designed to provide one whole day of fun, making it impossible to hit even so much at two parks in one day." He folded his arms across his chest and smirked at her.
"But that's why we always do a little bit in each park everytime we visit," Trevor chimed in. "That way, we see a little bit of everything and whatever we don't get to, we make a note to hit next time."
As it turned out, they had a blast at the animal kingdom. They learned a lot about different animals that they had never known before and Jacob was actually having a good time. However, he was pretty sure it was only because he was spending this time with Alyssa. To him, she seemed to make everything he did more fun. He had even consented to a few pictures here and there but only if she took it with him. That gave Trevor and Bree some laughs because all these pictures were of Jacob and Alyssa sticking there heads in holes to fill in the animal heads. Jacob even added to the fun by putting a goofy look on his face everytime they took one. This always made Alyssa laugh and so every picture had her with her mouth gaping open and her eyes shut which only made her laugh more. It was funny to see herself in fits of laughter in the pictures that they took.
Currently, the four of them were sitting on a bench drinking sodas and trying to figure out what to do next. Trevor had a map of the whole of Disney World as they had decided that they were ready to move on from the animal kingdom and go see something else. The other three were crowded around him on the bench trying to decide togther where they should go. It took them a while but they finally decided that they were going to go to Mickey's Starland next. The girls wanted to see the Disney characters and being the loving guys that they were Trevor and Jacob decided that they deserved to get what they wanted. So the four of them packed up the map, threw their empty cups away, and headed off for Mickey's Starland.
ERIK, DAN, AND ASHLEY
Meanwhile, Erik, Dan, and Ashley had just entered Tomorrow Land, having just come from Mickey's Starland themselves. Dan and Erik had decided to go there first because they knew that the Disney characters always put a smile on Ashley's face and they thought that it would make him feel better to see them. It seemed to have worked. Ashley was smiling and laughing, being his normal self as they headed for Tomorrow Land. However, as soon as they got there, he reverted. He was no longer smiling and laughing. Instead, he seemed to be sort of distant. Erik and Dan looked at each other with worried looks on their faces. Ashley went and sat on a bench, dropping his head to look at the ground. Dan and Erik took the opportunity to discuss what was going on with him.
"What are we going to do?" Dan asked. "He was happy while we were in Mickey's Starland, why all of a sudden has he reverted back to a depression?" Erik shook his head, not knowing what to say. He looked down at the ground for a moment, lost in thought. Finally, he looked back up at Dan.
"Well, I guess the only thing we can do is to keep doing Ash's favorite things. If he's doing stuff he loves to do here, he'll stay happy. Think about it, he was really happy to see all the Disney characters again and that kept him smiling the whole time we were in Mickey's Starland." He thought for a moment. "The best thing to so now is," he turned to look up at a large building, "Take him to go ride Space Mountain. It's his favorite ride in the whole of Disney World and if that doesn't cheer him up, I don't know what will." Dan sighed and nodded.
"I suppose you're right. It's the best chance we have." He looked over at Ashley, who was still staring at the ground. "Hey Ash!" he called. Ashley looked up at him. "How does a ride on Space Mountain sound?" A wide grin spread across Ashley's face and he jumped up from the bench.
"That sounds great!" he called back before turning and sprinting off in the direction of the ride. Dan and Erik looked at each other before hurrying after him.
"Hey Ash, wait for us!" Erik called out. Ashley stopped running and turned to look at them. He stood there with his arms folded across his chest, waiting impatiently for them to catch up. As soon as they did, he took off running again. Erik and Dan looked at each other again before breaking back into a run and racing to try and keep up with their friend.
When they finally reached the ride, Ashley was disappointed to see that as usual, the line was extremely long. However, today, he was in no mood to wait so he began pushing his way through the line trying to get to the front where he would show his special pass to the people in charge of running the ride. Worried that Ashley was being just a little bit selfish today as he had never wanted to cut before, Erik and Dan pushed their way through the line after him, ignoring all the rude glares and comments people made as they followed their friend all the way to the front of the line where he was stopped by an employee telling him he needed to go to the back of the line and wait his turn just like everyone else.
"It's alright," Dan told the employee as he held up the pass. "We all have one." The employee nodded in understanding and pointed them into two of the numbered lanes. Dan went into lane one and Erik took Ashley into lane two. Some girl was pointed to join Dan in lane one and she squealed when she realized who he was and that she would be riding with three members of one of the hottest music groups around.
Moments later, all four of them were climbing into the car, Dan and the girl in front, Erik and Ashley in back. Another employee checked to make sure the four of them were fastened securely into the car and then went back to check the harnesses of the people in the connecting car. When all seemed to be in order, the employee gave the green light and the ride operator pushed a button, causing the car to pull out of the loading dock and start its climb up the hill.
Ashley was grinning widely and Erik was looking at him with a relieved expression on his face. He hoped that Ashley would become his normal self for good again after this and if he didn't, well, he supposed that they could just keep going on Space Mountain over and over again.
The car reached it's peak at the top of the hill and began it's wild descent into the blackness that was the reason it was called Space Mountain. You couldn't see your own hand in front of you face in here, that's how dark it was. But that's what made the ride so exciting. Regardless of how many times you rode it, you never knew when you were going to drop because you couldn't see it coming.
As the ride wore on, Erik cheered and whooped. He could hear Dan in the front doing the same and the girl screaming her head off. He heard Ashley cheering for a while but at some point, his voice seemed to cut off abruptly. At the time, Erik didn't think much of it. The whooshing of the ride and the screaming of the passengers was very loud so he just figured, Ashley's voice had gotten lost in the sound.
Just as quick as it had begun, it was over and the car was pulling back into the loading dock. All of the passengers were cheering and clapping.
"Wooooo!" Erik cried, clapping his hands loudly. "That was great!" He heard Dan laugh in agreement as he watched him climb out of the car. "What about you Ash, do you think it was..." He was cut off abruptly when he turned to face where Ashley had been sitting. Ashley, was no where to be seen.
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