“Well that was a great concert. I can’t believe I fell off the stage. That was so embarrassing,” Scott said, pouting.

“Oh my god, you fell off the stage?” Kate said, walking over to him with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, want to kiss it make it better?” He asked. He should just quit while he’s ahead.

“Don’t count on it, Scott,” She said with a laugh.

“Hey Clint, let me see your face, how is it doing?” Kate came over to me and inspected my face.

“It’s feeling better. Healing pretty quickly,” I said, smiling. Both musical groups were sitting in the main backstage, resting a bit before having to leave. Olivia and Natalia were on the couch, arguing about the sets. Sara was standing in back, working on a song. Bob was staring at her as Becca and Dave talked to him. Scott was getting huffy because Kate was paying attention to me instead of him.

“Well, just keep putting ice on it, that’s all the advice I have for you,” She said, smiling.

“That’s good advice nonetheless,” I said, putting on the charm. I had no real interest in Kate, I just like to see Scott squirm, it’s hilarious.

“Yeah, well. Ok,” Kate said, looking at me funny.

“Next concert, I get to pick out the songs we do. I can’t stand some of those songs,” Natalia said, picking up an orange from the fruit basket on the table and biting into the rind.

“Fine, we can compromise. Besides, next concert isn’t for a few days. Don’t worry,” Liv said, eating a banana. Is that what it looked like when she...

“Clint, come over here!” Becca said, waving me over. Bob was out of his ‘Sara, Sara, Sara’ trance long enough to acknowledge my appearance.

“Don’t you think that Bob should cut his hair?” She asked me. Cut his hair? Um, no.

“Well, it’s up to him,” I said. “I think it’s marvelous, simply sexy, but it gets in the way sometimes, doesn’t it? I mean, long hair gets in the way with me,” Becca said, putting her own hair back with an elastic.

Bob gave me a look like he wanted to change the subject. I took the hint. “Oh, so what do you guys want to do tonight? There are many clubs we could go to, or we could go out to dinner, go shopping. Whatever you’d like,” I said to Becca.

“Hmm, I think I’d like to go shopping. I heard from Natalia there are a lot of great places to shop at in Camden Market,” She said. Dave’s eyes glossed over like he was in a coma.

“Well, that sounds great. I’ll talk to the guys, see if they want to do that too,” I said, kicking Dave in the shins to snap out of it.

“Ow! Oh yeah. Um, Camden Market. That’d be great,” He said, rubbing his leg.

“Great! We can leave from here, is that ok?” Becca asked. He nodded and went off to go talk to Scott.

I went over to Liv and Nati. “Hey do you guys want to go to Camden Market with us?” I asked them.

“Well, I don’t really think I want to go,” Nati said. But didn’t she tell Rebecca to go? Whatever.

“Oh, ok. How about you Liv?” I asked her. Maybe she’s gonna forgive me this time.

“No, that’s ok,” Liv said, face blank of emotion. Ok, is she not going cause I am, or is she not going because she has other plans?

I left them and went over to where Scott and Kate were flirting. Are they getting back together? I wouldn’t doubt it.

“Hey, we’re gonna go out to Camden Market with Bob and Becca. No one else really wants to go. Are you gonna come?” He asked me.

“Yeah, I guess so. When are you leaving?” I asked.

“Like, right now. We want to get out soon so we have enough time,” He said.

“Oh, well, I was gonna hang around here for a while. Why don’t you guys go and I’ll meet up with you or something,” I said. They probably want to be alone.

“Oh, ok then. We’ll see you later. Bye,” Scott took Kate’s hand and they left out the back door. Bob and Becca left after them. Sara watched them leave together and seemed to get quieter than usual.

“Hey, Sara,” Nati looked over the side of the couch. She noticed the anger piling up in Sara and she turned back around on the couch.

“Liv, you wanna go back to the hotel now? Since we can’t go anywhere?” Natalia said. Liv nodded.

“I think I’m gonna go home now too. I’ll join you,” I said. I grabbed my bags and motioned to Dave to come on. Liv left the backstage and went to the outside.

“I’ll be right out Liv, I’m just gonna get her,” Nati said, motioning to Sara. She whispered something to her and they got up to get their stuff.

“Are you trying to get Liv back?” Dave asked me as we were walking to the outside.

“Trying to. I think she’s cooled down a bit. I might try talking to her later,” I said. I crossed my fingers.

“ACHHHHHHHH!” Olivia screamed as a shady guy was pulling her by the arm to his pick-up truck. Olivia was trying to break free but wasn’t getting far.

“What the fuck?!” I spit out. I threw down my bag and ran up to them.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” I shouted to the guy.

“I came to meet her, just like I said I would. Don’t get in my way,” The man said. He looked about thirty. This must be the stalker.

Olivia opened her mouth to scream but the man clamped a hand over her mouth and threw her in his pick up truck.

“Let her go! She’s not yours!” I screamed as I punched the guy in the stomach and tried to get him away from the truck. He doubled over in pain and I kicked him as he hunched over. I stood ready for him.

“Olivia! Get out of the car!” I shouted. She was frozen in fear and managed to pull herself out. She ran over to where Natalia and Sara stood in shock.

The man regained composure and balled up his fist. “You should have minded your own business little boy!” He shouted as his right fist came at my already blackened eye. I fell backwards onto the pavement. He kicked me with his steel-tipped boot. I tried to get up but he kicked me again in the ribs. It hurt to breathe and I could barely see.

“CLINT!” Olivia shrieked. I touched my eye briefly but I had to get up quickly. I got ready to defend myself again. The man pulled something from his coat pocket and whipped it out.

“What the...” I spat out as he revealed a knife. He jabbed at me twice but missed. He tried again and I jumped out of the way just in time.

Dave came up behind the shady man with a wood board in his hands. I shook my head to try to get Dave out of this. If he gets hurt, it’s gonna be my fault. I already doubt I’ll get out alive.

Dave smacked the guy in the back with the board. The guy gasped for breath as Dave pushed him into the wall and kicked the knife away from him. He fell unconscious to the ground.

Olivia rushed over to me and put her arms around me. I tried not to wince from the pain. “Oh my god, Clint. Are you ok?” She looked up to me with tears streaming from her face.

“I’ll go get Frank,” Sara said and she rushed inside. Natalia came over to me and hugged me. “Are you ok? I can’t believe you did that,” She said.

I glanced over to Dave. He was still holding the wooden beam. “Hey, Dave. Thank you so much. You saved my life,” I said. He came over sheepishly.

“It was nothing. You would have done the same for me,” He said as he hugged me tightly. I owed him my life.

“Clint!” Dad rushed out of the building with Sara close behind him. He came over to me and looked at my injuries. “The police have been called. I’m going to have to take you to the hospital. Where are you hurt?”

“I’ve got a black eye and I think I broke my rib,” I said, looking down at my chest. “It hurts to breathe.”

“Oh god, why couldn’t have you been more careful? I shouldn’t have left you alone. Come on; let’s get you back inside. Why don’t you guys go inside? I’ll stay here with this man in case he wakes up,” Dad said, ushering us all back in to the backstage.

“Here, lay down on the couch Clint,” Natalia cleared it off and put a pillow behind my head. Olivia was crying very hard and Sara was trying to calm her down.

“Olivia,” I said. She lifted her head and came over beside me, still crying. “Clint, I’m so sorry. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for me. It’s all my fault. Please forgive me.”

“Please, Olivia, if I didn’t do something, he was going to take you away. I had to save you. Don’t be sorry,” I said, trying to calm her. It only made her cry more.

“Oh, I’m so sorry for everything. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I’ll never forgive myself,” She became hysterical with tears. Sara pulled her away from me and slapped herself across the face. Olivia seemed to calm down a bit. I grabbed her hand and pulled her down close to me.

“It’s not your fault. I don’t want you thinking that. You didn’t make me help you; I wanted to do it. I had to save you,” I said, looking into her glossy eyes. She stifled a sob and looked at me. I lifted my head to kiss her.

“Clint? Are you in here?” Dad came in and interrupted us. “Come on, the ambulance is here. The police are outside. I need you guys to answer questions for them.”

“Wait! Can I please come with you to the hospital?” Olivia asked. Frank nodded.

“I should come too, in case Liv flips out again,” Natalia said, helping me up from the couch and walking me to the back door.

“Ok, me and Dave will stay and answer questions. We’ll meet you at the hospital later. Clint, I hope you get better. Bye!” Sara said as I was helped up into the ambulance. Natalia and Liv got in after me and sat down.

“Oh, Clint,” Olivia sobbed. She gripped my hand tightly and Natalia gave her a tissue.

“I need you to be strong for me, ok? Stop crying. I’ll be alright,” I said to her. She smiled and the ambulance began to drive away from the mass of people, police, and reporters.

BOB

“How about this one?” I asked Rebecca. We were looking for places to stop and eat. “I took Sara here. They have good fish and chips, but she doesn’t like seafood,” I said.

“I like seafood. So that’s good you are taking me now,” Becca said, smiling. She took my hand and led me in the restaurant. That was the place that Sara stopped to tie her shoe. And over there, she kissed me. We sat at a table in the back, two tables down from where Sara and I sat, away from the crowds.

The waitress came over to us and took our orders. I sat there silent, thinking about what Sara was doing at that moment.

“Tell me what you are thinking,” Rebecca said, putting her hand over mine.

“Oh, just stuff,” I said, smiling. She pushed her hair out of her face and her eyes sparkled at me. I couldn’t help thinking of Sara, even though I was there with Becca.

“Want to know what I am thinking about?” She said in a breathy voice. Is she ok? Maybe she just lost her voice from the concert.

“Sure,” I said. She took off her jacket and placed it on her chair. She turned back around to me and smiled, showing off her glittering teeth.

“This,” she said, and she bent over the table to me. She kissed my lips, but I couldn’t do anything back. I pulled away from her.

“I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my mouth. She looked at me confused. “I just can’t do it. I still love Sara.”

“But you aren’t with her anymore. It’s ok Bob. You’re free. You can do what you feel,” She said as she tried to kiss me again. I leaned back away from her lips. “I might not have her love, but she still has my heart.” I said, trying to understand why Rebecca would be doing this. I felt so foolish. This is exactly what Clint and Scott told me was going to happen.

“I’m sorry. I have to go, will you be ok here? I just, I need to get out into the air. I’ll see you back at the hotel,” I got up from the table and left the restaurant.

KATE

“Let’s sit down for a second, ok? I’m getting tired,” I said to Scott. We were in one of many parks. He took my hand and we sat down on a bench overlooking a little pond.

“Do you want to go home soon?” He said, putting an arm around me. I put my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. I fell asleep quickly and began to dream about walking through a garden with Scott.

“Kate? Kate are you asleep?” Scott shook me gently and I opened my eyes.

“You interrupted my dream. And it was a good dream too,” I said, giggling. He rolled his eyes and laughed. We looked out at the view over the pond.

“You know the last time we were looking at a pond I wanted to kiss you so badly, but you stopped me.” Scott said, not looking down at me. I felt so bad about the past few weeks. So many horrible things had happened that I never meant to happen.

“You can still kiss me if you want to. I won’t try to stop you,” I said, smiling at him. He looked down at me and nodded.

“I think I will,” He said. He bent his head down to mine and kissed me with such passion. It had built up over all that time that we were apart. I put my hand behind his head and ran my fingers through his hair. It had been so long since I had kissed him, I almost had forgotten what it was like.

He pulled back from the kiss and looked at me tenderly. “Come on, you’re falling asleep on me. Let’s get back to the hotel.”

“Ok,” I smiled and we got up and left the park. We had to go through Camden Market to get to the hotel, and I was hoping the noises wouldn’t wake me up.

“Hey,” Scott said. He pointed to a restaurant next to us. Inside was Rebecca, sitting by herself in the back.

“Where’s Bob?” I asked. Scott shrugged. “I think I should go in and see if she’s ok,” I said.

“Ok, I’ll be right here,” He said as I went inside. I was hoping Bob wasn’t there. I had a few things to say to Rebecca anyway.

“Hey Becca. Why are you here all alone?” I asked her.

“Ugh, Bob left me here. He got all flustered after I tried to kiss him,” She said grumbling.

“Why would you try to kiss him?” I asked. Was she trying to push him and Sara farther apart?

“Oh! It’s all his fault. If he would only have forgotten all about that slut Sara, then maybe he could have been with me. But no! He had to pull this ‘I still love her’ bit and now I’m stranded here all alone eating shitty fish and chips that I don’t even like! Ugh! He just makes me so mad!” Becca said, getting angry. I stared at her wide-eyed.

“You tried to break up Sara and Bob didn’t you!” I managed to get out without strangling her.

“Well, they were already separated anyway. Somebody had to do it,” She said, slumping back in her chair and folding her arms.

“You bitch! I can’t believe you! She was ready to get back together with him, but she just needed some time!” I said, anger building up.

“Look who you are calling bitch! Hey, she had her chance! She lost him, she could have gotten back together with him,” Becca said, giving me a look.

“Damn you! I can’t believe you Rebecca! You had no business breaking them up! And after you said all that mean stuff to Dave about Natalia!” I tried to restrain myself from kicking her ass.

“She deserved it. Dave told me the stuff she did. The girl had it coming to her. She’s a cock-tease and a bitch. She doesn’t deserve someone like Dave. And Sara doesn’t deserve Bob either!” Rebecca said, standing up and putting her face inches from mine. I slapped Rebecca hard across the face. She fell backwards into the chair and tears started to form in her eyes.

“That’s for being who you are,” I said. Scott raced in from the outside.

“Kate! Anger management!” He said, pushing me aside to help Rebecca up.

“Scott! Go to hell!” I shouted back to him.

NATALIA

“Where are they? Did they tell you where they were going to be? Did they say they were taking telephones with them? Why didn’t they clear it with me first? They know they shouldn’t have left alone without telling me,” Frank rambled on while pacing the floor. Clint was in and out of the x-ray room quickly and now he was just resting in a hospital room. Sara was in the bathroom with Olivia, trying to wash her face. My job was to keep Clint from falling asleep. The doctors said he might have a concussion.

Clint’s eyes were drooping. “No! Wake up Clint! You can’t call asleep. If you fall asleep, you might never wake up and that wouldn’t be a good thing,” I said.

“Oh, well that’s encouraging, Natalia,” Frank said. His brow was furrowed and he looked very worried. I would be too if I couldn’t find three of my singers and some random girl.

“Nati, how am I supposed to stay awake? I’m so tired. It’s like one am. Just let me sleep a few minutes. Then I’ll wake right up,” Clint said.

“No, not even a few minutes. It’s not safe. Try to stay awake. Please? Do it for Olivia,” I said, hoping that would work.

“Ok, I’ll do it for Olivia,” He said. He smiled at me and put his bed up some more so he was sitting up. “How come you are so good to me?” he asked.

“Because I think of you as my brother. Someone has to keep you awake,” I said, smiling. He laughed, but it only made him cough from the pain.

“Ok, calm down. Don’t laugh. You need to get better so you can sing again,” I said, getting him a glass of water. He drank it and put the glass on the table next to him.

“Where is Olivia? Can I see her?” He asked. I nodded. Anything to keep him from falling asleep.

“Sara? How is Olivia doing?” I asked through the bathroom door.

“She’s better now,” Sara said, cracking the door.

“Good, cause Clint wants to talk to her,” I said. Sara shook her head.

“That might not be such a good idea,” She said. I don’t want to think about why.

“Ok, why?” I asked. “Because she might start crying again if she sees him. I just got her to stop crying. I made her think of Jonathan Jackson,” Sara said with a laugh.

“Well, I think it might keep Clint awake if he talks to her,” I said to Sara. “Liv, do you think you are up for talking to Clint? He wants to see you,” I said to her. She nodded her head and I took her to Clint’s bedside. She breathed deeply and smiled at him.

“Are you doing better now?” He asked her. She laughed. “Forget about me, how are you doing? Does it still hurt?”

“A little, but it’s going away slowly,” He said. “Where’s Dave?”

“He’s down in the cafeteria. He was a little hungry. He’s getting us all some food,” She told him. He nodded.

“In our most desperate hour, Dave has to go get food,” I said, grumbling. Olivia gave me a look and went back to talking to Clint. A little while later Dave came back and we had a late late late dinner. Then the telephone rang.

“Oh! Shoot!” Frank said as he quickly put down his sandwich and turned on his telephone. “Hello?” He said nervously. There was a lull as he talked to the other side of the telephone.

“Where have you been? Why didn’t you call? Well while you were gone, Clint got in an accident. No. It’s too long of a story to tell you now, but where are you? Yes, good, ok. Well, we’re probably gonna be here for—at the hospital! Yes, we’re gonna be here for a little while longer. Everyone is there? Ok, good. Go to sleep. I’ll deal with you in the morning. Good night,” Frank turned off his phone and looked at us.

“Bob went back to the hotel and went to sleep before he noticed his message. That was Scott. Him, Rebecca, and Kate just got in. They are going to sleep. We should be home in a little while. Sheila had gone out looking for them and she is coming soon to pick you four up,” Frank said, sitting back down to each his sandwich.

“Frank? Can I stay here with Clint?” Olivia asked.

He shook his head. “No, you need your sleep. It’s been a long long day. You are going to go back with them,” Frank said.

I knew he was going to say that. I threw away my wrapper and walked around the room. It seemed very quiet. I looked over at Clint. His eyes were closed.

“NO! Wake up Clint! Wake up!” I screeched as I ran over to him and shook him. His eyes didn’t open.

“Is he a deep sleeper?” Olivia asked as tears began to stream down her face again. Sara took her back into the bathroom. Dave went to the other side of the bed to try to wake him up.

“Clint! No Clint, damn it wake up!” I said, screaming almost in his ears. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.

“Gotcha!” He said, grinning. Dave got red in the face. “Clint! Damn you! I can’t believe you did that! That was so not funny!” he said, gathering his jacket and leaving the room.

“Hey, come back. It was just a joke,” Clint said. I gave him a look and took my jacket too.

“Come on Liv, Sara. Sheila’s here, we gotta leave,” I said. They opened the door and Liv rushed to Clint.

“Oh, you’re ok. Good. Well I’ll see you tomorrow,” She said, kissing him quickly on the lips. She grabbed her jacket and we all left the hospital.