"HOWIEEEEEEEEE!!! Your phone is RINGING!!" Nick shouted.
"SHUT UP!" Kevin yelled from the back of the bus.
"Lo?" Howie picked up his phone.
"Hey Howie! It's Ella!"
"Oh hey! Why are you calling me? I mean...why are you calling me and not Nick or AJ?" He asked.
"Oh cuz I hung out with those two and never really got to talk to you. I thought I'd call and talk to you since I haven't really." She replied.
"That's sweet of you. What's goin on?" He asked.
"I'm just chillin in the hotel room. I leave in about an hour. After you guys left yesterday, I went shoppin then I leave today. What's goin on in the Backstreet Bus?"
"Not a damn thing. Nick and AJ are eating right now, Kevin and Brian are watching a movie and I just finished eating. We're on our way to Missouri."
"Of course Nick is eating...." Ella mumbled.
"Hey, I heard that you slept in Nicky's room. Somethin goin on there?" Howie asked.
"Nopers. I was watching a movie with Nick and AJ when AJ started talking dirty in his sleep so we made him leave then Nick fell asleep. So I went on the balcony and looked at the stars and Nick came out and we talked for a while. Then I was gonna go back to his room but he was all wouldn't you like to wake up next to a Backstreet Boy on your bday? So I stayed. Nothin happened at all. I mean I think all of you are very attractive and very sweet but I don't have the desire to hook up with any of ya'll." Ella stated.
"I didn't think anything happened but you never know with Nick. That's cool. At least we know you're not trying to get up on us!" Howie replied and walked to the fridge and grabbed a water.
"Who ya talkin to D?" AJ asked.
"Ella." He grinned and walked toward the back of the bus.
"ELLA!" Nick and AJ shouted and ran after Howie.
"I'm gonna go Ella! Nice talking to you and talk to you soon!" Howie exclaimed
"Alright D! Run fast! Bye!" Ella laughed and hung up. Howie turned off the phone and ran into the back of the bus.
"Why did you hang up?!" Nick whined.
"Guys, we're trying to watch a movie." Kevin complained.
"But he hung up the phone. We wanted to talk to Ella." AJ pouted.
"You hung up with Ella? I wanted to talk to her!" Brian whined too.
"I'm sorry! She'll call us later or something. She was leaving to go home." Howie threw his hands up.
"What's with you and Ella Nick? She slept in your room." Kevin wriggled his eyebrows and Nick rolled her eyes.
"Dude, I don't wanna be with Ella like that. She's cool. She and I just talked and I didn't wanna be alone and I told her to stay. No biggie."
"Why are you guys all hung up on this chick? I mean it's fucked up. You met her two days ago and it's like ya'll are best friends or something. Do you know how dangerous this could be? I mean she could be some psycho bitch or something." Kevin said. The response at first were four blank stares.
"Kev, you didn't see what happened did you?" Nick asked. Kevin shook his head.
"She made me cry Kev. She knew what I needed and she gave me that. Not sex, not drugs, not alcohol, she gave me comfort. Something that I'm used to giving. I'm supposed to make people happy but when I met her I wasn't up to it but I tried Kevin. I tried and she saw through me. You guys don't even notice half the time and this girl did. She saw how exhausted and tired and the pain. When we locked eyes, I felt her eyes search my soul. I think she felt what I was feeling. Ella doesn't want us to make her happy because we've already done that for her. She said she wanted to make us happy because we've made far too many people happy without any rewards. She wants to help me. And I think she can." AJ poured out.
"I...I didn't know J." Kevin stuttered.
"Well, now you do. Now what do you say we watch The Ladies Man?" AJ smiled. They all nodded and settled into the couch.