"Hey, Jerry, over here!" Aaron cried from his table with the Backstreet Boys and his mom.
"Hi Aaron!" Jerry called, and ran over to him. She took the seat to the left of him, and the pair started talking excitedly about something. I wandered over to the table, happy that Jerry really had found a good friend.
"Morning Hallie," Jane greeted me with a smile.
"Heya Jane. You slept well?"
"Yeah, like a log!"
"Man, me too!"
"You wanna sit here with us?" Jane offered kindly.
"Oh, are you sure? I don’t wanna impose…"
"Hallie, you’re way too polite, just sit down with us!" Brian told me from across the table.
"Okay, okay, I’ll be rude next time. Thanks you guys." I sat down next to Jane. On her left was Aaron, I sat on her right, and on my right was Nick.
"Morning Hallie." Nick greeted me with a smile. Mack walked into the room then and sat next to Nick.
"Hi Nick, hey Hallie. How’re you guys doing?"
"I’m great, thanks bro’." I told Mack with a smile. "I think Jerry’s deep in conversation with Aaron right now." I smiled as I looked over at the friends, who were talking about their favourite animals and their pets.
"I have an iguana," Aaron was saying. "I did have two, but one killed the other."
"Oh, that’s too bad." Jerry replied. "It must be so cool to have an iguana! I just have a regular dog…a St. Bernard."
"I love St. Bernards…what’s it’s name?"
"Muffin." Jerry informed Aaron. Their conversation continued as I turned back to Nick and Mack, who were now talking about their favourite rock bands.
"There’re some great British bands around now." Nick was telling Mack. "There’s a band from Wales called the Stereophonics, they’re really good live."
"I’ve heard some of their music, it’s good. Do you have their album? I’ve been wanting to get it for some time."
"You mean ‘Word Gets Around’? Yeah, I have it. It’s great. I’ll copy it for you if you want." Nick offered kindly.
"Oh yeah, that’d be brilliant…" I just rolled my eyes and turned to Jane.
"They’re obviously finding enough to talk about!" I told Jane, laughing slightly.
"Yeah, I’m pleased that Nick can finally talk to someone else about his love of rock music. The guys get pretty tired of it after a while."
"Mack and his friends are all into that sorta music, Nick should get along with them all really well!"
"And you’re getting along with Nick too…that’s good. So many people who come on these tours have no talent, or are really snobby and all, it’s good for him and the other Backstreet Boys to meet some genuine people. Like your brother’s band, and B*Witched, and 5ive. They’re all good people. And then you and your sister…it’s all good stuff."
"Thanks. I was worried that Mack would be stuck for three months with people who’re just like Britney Spears…thinking they’re everything, you know? But the bands you just mentioned…and the Backstreet Boys…they’re good people, like you said."
Jane and I continued to chat for a while, then it was time to pack everything up in our rooms and head down to the buses. Aaron and Jerry wanted to play Nintendo together, so I agreed to pack Jerry’s things up for her while her and Aaron played in our room.
"Hello?" I answered the phone in the hotel.
"Hi Hallie, it’s Nick. I just wanted to know if you want me to come and collect Aaron while you finish packing up. I know little kids can be distracting."
"No, they’re okay here. I mean, if you’re bored, you’re more than welcome to come over and join in or whatever. But I’m sure you’re much too busy."
"Well actually, I am kinda bored. I’m all packed up, there’s nothing much to do around here. Would you mind if I came over?"
"No, of course not. I’m gonna order some snacks and drinks for the kids, you want me to order you anything?"
"Uh…yeah, could you just order me a regular coke?"
"Sure. Okay Nick, see you in a few." I ended the call, and asked the kids what they wanted to eat and drink. "Jerry, Aaron?" I called as I walked into the lounge. "What can I get you guys to eat and drink?"
"Pizza!" Jerry cried.
"Jerry, I meant a snack. We’re not having lunch for a while, honey." I laughed slightly.
"Oh yeah! Um…can I have a coke and some chips?" Jerry asked.
"Yeah, can I have the same please?" Aaron added.
"Sure. Coke and chips coming right up." I ordered three cokes, a diet coke, and several bags of chips. Nick arrived just ahead of the snacks.
He knocked on the door and Jerry leaped up to get it.
"It’s the food!" she cried. But on opening the door, she was very surprised to see Nick. "Hey…you’re not room service." she told him, frowning slightly. I went over to the door and scooped Jerry up in my arms, letting Nick through the door. I put her down and told her,
"You don’t need to be so rude, Jerry! Nick’s coming over for a while, the food will be here in a couple of minutes." A guy appeared at the door then, and I took the tray of chips and cokes from him, handing him a five dollar bill as a tip. Then I shut the door and put the tray down on the table in the lounge. "Okay, we’re all packed up, so we can do whatever we want for the next hour or so." I informed Aaron and Jerry. "Hey, Nick, have a seat." Nick sat down on the couch and Aaron and Jerry sat down on the soft carpet again. I handed them their drinks and chips, then I handed Nick his coke. I sat down next to him on the couch.
"How about a video games rally?" Nick suggested. "Me and Aaron versus you and Jerry. Aaron and Jerry play each other three times, then I play you three times, and we see which team has won most times."
"Or we could say it doesn’t matter if you win the game or not, it’s how many points you get. That way it’ll be a tougher competition." I added.
"Okay!" Aaron and Jerry told us in unison.
"We play first!" Jerry cried, and her and Aaron started to play. I cheered on Jerry, and Nick cheered on Aaron. It was a lot of fun…the guys versus the girls, the Stevens versus the Carters.
We played for just over an hour. I gathered together all the scores and added them together with the supervision of Aaron (to make sure I didn’t cheat!), and finally came up with a winner.
"Man, it was really close…but…the Carter boys won by just thirty-one points."
"YES!" Nick cried. He jumped up to celebrate his victory, Aaron doing the same.
"We’re the champions!" Aaron told us. Jerry was a little annoyed, but she’s not a bad loser.
"You played well, you guys." she told Aaron with a friendly smile, and shook his hand.
"At least you don’t hit me like Nick does when he loses." Aaron commented cheekily. Nick picked him and held him upside down by his ankles.
"I never hit you!" Nick laughed.
"Hey, watch it, I just had coke!" Aaron cried in a fit of giggles. Nick turned him the right way up and made a face at him, Aaron making a face back. Then Aaron flung his arms around Nick’s neck and Nick picked him up, walking around the room holding Aaron, shouting,
"WE’RE THE BEST AT NINTENDO IN THE WORLD…EVER!!!" Jerry and I just laughed at them.
"They’re crazy!" Jerry giggled.
"Totally gone!" I added. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"I’ll get it!" Jerry cried. It was AJ’s mom, Denise.
"Hi Jerry!" Denise said, with a friendly smile. Basically everyone on the tour knew who Jerry was by now. "Hey, Hallie…are Aaron and Nick in here?"
"Can’t you hear them?!" I asked her, laughing.
"Ha ha, oh yeah! We’ve gotta get going now, Hallie, can you make sure Nick and Aaron are all ready? And tell them to decide which bus they’re going on, okay? Thanks a million honey. Bye!" And with that, she left. She was obviously in a mad rush, trying to round everyone up.
"Nick!" I called, but he and Aaron were still doing their celebration lap around the console. "NICK!" I cried even louder, and this time he heard me.
"What?"
"Denise just stopped by, we’ve gotta make a move. She says you two have to decide which bus you’re travelling on."
"Oh yeah…Aaron, did you wanna go on the Backstreet bus? Or did you want me to go on your bus?"
"Nick, you and Aaron could come on the Kitsch bus, I know you wanted to talk about rock music some more with Mack and the guys."
"We can come on the Kitsch bus?!" Aaron asked excitedly.
"Yeah, sure!" Jerry chimed in.
"Great!" Aaron and Jerry were happy. "Nick, you coming on the Kitsch bus?"
"If that’s okay with Hallie."
"Sure it is! You can talk about the Stereo people, I can’t remember their name!"
"Stereophonics?"
"Yeah, that’s the one."
"Okay…thanks a lot."
So Nick and Aaron travelled on the Kitsch tour bus.
While Aaron and Jerry played on the Nintendo and Nick and the guys chatted about different rock music, I chatted with Lisa. I had one of the bottom bunks, Lisa had another one, and we had a bit of a girlie chat.
"So, how’re things with you and Jamie?" I asked her.
"Things are pretty good…I’m getting kinda pissed with some of the fans, but that’s not Jamie’s fault. They’re just kinda annoying at times. I heard you had an argument with Miss Spears?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Man, what was that about?"
"She was dissing Kitsch, so I stuck up for them. We kinda ended up fighting, and Mack and Nick had to wrestle us apart."
"Wow…they had to wrestle you apart?"
"Pretty much."
"Hallie, you’ve been on tour for like, a day, and already you’ve got enemies!" Lisa laughed.
"I know, I know, but I’m not gonna let some talent-less little slut diss my brother’s band and get away with it!" I protested.
"So, you’re spending quite a lot of time with Nick…you’re good friends with him?"
"I haven’t known him for twenty-four hours yet!" I laughed. "But yeah, hopefully we will become good friends." I smiled at Lisa and she smiled back.
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