"Where have you been?"

"Not now, Nick."

"AJ you missed practice twice today. You do realize that this concert is gonna be on national television right."

"NOT NOW NICK!"

"Jesus, did Kierstan forget to give you a kiss good-bye this morning or what?"

AJ grabbed Nick's shirt and slammed him hard against the wall. "I said NOT NOW. Do I need to repeat myself again for you Nick? NOT NOW DAMMIT!!"

Nick only stared at his friend and shook his head.

AJ let him go and walked out of the room, punching the door hard before leaving. Nick stood speechless for a minute before Brian walked in the room. "What the hell is AJ's problem?"

"Huh?"

"I just passed him in the hall and he almost bit my head off before I could even say anything."

"I dunno man, but someone's gotta calm him down before the show tonight. He just fuckin slammed me against the wall."

Brian couldn't help but laugh. "And that is unusual because why?"

"Bri, I'm serious man. I asked him where he had been and he just flipped out."

"Where's Kierstan?"

"I dunno. But some words of advice...don't ask AJ."

"I was walking around backstage with Lyndsay..."

"Lyndsay?"

"Yeah, Kevin's girlfriend. Anyway, she saw someone she knew and went to talk to them. So, I turned the corner and AJ was standing there talking to some girl. And I just assumed it was a fan ya know. But then, he was looking at her...like...like the way he used to look at me when we first met ya know."

Vivian snickered, "yeah, you mean the same way he looks at you now."

"But they were standing so close. And...God, Viv. She...he...she touched his face so softly and, I thought I was gonna throw up. She said, she...she told him she loved him. And I'm like..."uh AJ?" And he just looked at me. He looked at me and he kissed her."

"Whoa!"

"Yeah, and so I just ran away. I couldn't stand it. But I ran into Nick. And he asked me where I was going but I was crying ya know. And he looked up and he saw AJ. And AJ was still kissing that girl."

Kierstan shook her head trying to rid herself of the image embedded into her mind. "And Nick started yelling at AJ. He was like, "AJ! What the HELL are you doing?" But he just kept kissing her. It was horrible Viv."

"AJ, AJ...hey come on, man. I know your in there. AJ...open the door already."

AJ slowly got out of the chair and walked to the door. He opened it to Kevin and just walked back to his chair, leaving the door open.

"You aight man?"

"No."

"What's going on? You look like hell."

Almost laughing AJ answered, "Ya know man, I really wish I knew. But I have no clue. She just walked in here, broke up with me and left. That's it. No explanation, nothing. She just left. And she won't talk to me, she won't listen to me, hell, I can barely get her to look at me."

There was a long silence while Kevin sat in astonishment. That was the last thing he expected to hear from his friend.

"Kierstan broke up with you? But...I mean...is that even...damn. She didn't even tell you why?" "Yeah she told me why alright. She looked me straight in the eyes and she told me she didn't love me."

"Well, she's lying. I mean, you know that right?"

"Yeah."

"I don't want to sound like an asshole here man, but, are you gonna be alright for the show tonight?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"Did you get Brian to talk to her? I mean ya know, they're pretty close"

"I don't think Brian even knows. And besides that she's not even talking to Viv, so she's not gonna talk to Brian either."

"You wanna do it tonight? The song I mean. She hasn't heard it yet right?"

AJ could only nod, he knew that if he said anything else he would start to cry. Kevin could see that AJ needed to be alone and got up to leave the room.

"You'll get her back man. You'll see."

"I can't believe you Kierstan. You broke up with him because of that?"

"It was just so..."

"It was just a DREAM Kierstan. Nothing more."

"No, it was more. It was like a premonition or something."

"Give me a break girl. It was a DREAM! That's it. You know AJ would never do that."

Kierstan shook her head. "Viv you don't understand."

"Well, your right about that much. I don't understand. I don't understand how you could end two and a half years of perfection over a dream. I don't understand why you can't even talk to him about it. And I sure as hell don't understand why your torturing not only yourself, but him too over something so trivial. What I do understand is that you have lost your mind. And I also understand that you better go running back to him right now and tell him how utterly stupid you were, plead insanity, whatever. But you, my friend, need to be committed if you give this man up over a damn DREAM you had."

"I can't"

"Like hell!"

"No, I mean. He has the show, in...15 minutes."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I really wonder about you girl. Seriously, I mean come on. You've got everyone all torn up over a dream. Now come on before we miss the concert." The girls made their way into the den and flipped the channel to the station. Vivian went and got some cookies from the kitchen and plopped down beside Kierstan on the couch. "God woman, you look like hell. I hope you at least plan on taking a shower before you go over there tonight."

"I'm not gonna go Viv."

"Oh hush up. You are and that's all there is to it."

"Viv..."

"Sssh, it's time."