I sat in the back of the bus, trying to collect my thoughts. What was I going to do? Olivia had absolutely no feelings for me whatsoever. She was never going to feel the same way about me that I feel about her. I thought about her day and night. I can’t get her out of my mind. So I’m sitting here in the back of the bus, far away from everyone else. I’m just sitting here trying to think about what I am going to do.

I heard a knocking at the door. “Who is it?” I asked.

“It’s Olivia. Can I come in?” she said, almost sounding upset.

I hurriedly tried to put away the song I was writing about her. “Sure, come on in,” I said trying to sound cool.

Olivia bolted in the room and shut the door behind her. She looked like she was going to cry. "What is the matter?” I asked her. If Olivia needed someone to talk to, I’d be happy to help her.

“It’s your dumbass brother Scott. I feel like I’m never gonna get through to him. I need your help. What can I do?” she asked me with her big brown eyes almost ready to overflow with tears.

What was I supposed to say? The girl I have the strongest feelings about wants my help in getting another guy. I can’t do this. I can’t possibly try to help her.

She sat down next to me and laid her head on my shoulder. “Sometimes I feel like he’s just never going to even know how I feel, let alone do something.”

I couldn’t take it. I had to get out. This was too much. If I stayed one second longer, I was going to go crazy. I couldn’t let Olivia see me breakdown. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I got up from where I was sitting. I got up and headed to the door.

“Wait! What’s the matter?” she asked me, on the verge of hysterics.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t take it anymore.” I had to say something, I had to tell her how I feel. This was as good a time as any.

“What are you talking about?” she whispered to me, a tear falling down her face.

“I can’t take it anymore. Have you ever listened to yourself? Have you ever heard the words that leave your mouth? Have you ever thought of someone other than yourself for a second?” I began to raise my voice. Olivia just stared at me silently.

“You, of all people, should know how it feels to want someone, to want to be with someone, to need them, but know you’re never going to get them. It hurts. But it hurts even more when you are reminded day after day of how you are never going to have them, not even in your dreams.” I blurted it out. I didn’t think, I didn’t care anymore. I just couldn’t let it fester inside me anymore until I tore apart.

Olivia still didn’t say a word. “What I’m trying to say, is that I know I’m never going to have you. I’m never going to have you because you’ve already given your heart and soul to Scott, whether he wants it or not. And you know that’s not fair. Because you have my heart and soul, whether you like it or not too, and it’s not doing me any good to see you get so hurt, because it just hurts me even more.”

Olivia opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “If life is so short, why won’t you let me love you, before we run out of time? If love is so strong, why won’t you take the chance before our time has gone?” I sang to her. I got down on my knees in front of her and hugged her.

“Don’t cry. I’m sorry for yelling at you. It just hurts so much and I couldn’t stand the hurt anymore.” I kissed her forehead, then leaned back and looked into her eyes.

“I’m so sorry I never thought to think. I’ve been so self absorbed.” Her first words since I began my speech. She bent her head to the side and kissed me. I was shocked. I didn’t think she would have the guts to do it. I kissed her back. We ended up just staying in each other’s arms for a while. I think she understood me now.

BOB

Sara sat down at the table. “Hey Bob, could you get me a drink?” she smiled sweetly.

“Of course I could, sweetie. Why not?” I answered her even sweeter.

Sara looked at me with suspicion but didn’t ask anymore questions. I poured her a tall glass of orange juice, and put in some ice. I put in a fake ice cube with a fake bug in it.

“Thanks.” Said Sara. “I’m so thirsty.” Sara took a big gulp of orange juice, but then stopped halfway and stared into his glass with a shocked look on her face. She spit the juice back into the glass and tossed it into the sink, gagging.

“What’s the matter?” I said innocently.

“There was a bug in an ice cube! It was tainted orange juice.” she said, spitting in the sink.

I cracked up. I was laughing so hard. Sara glared at me. “You put it in there! That’s sick! I’m gonna get you back, just wait.” Sara walked out of the room.

I laughed until tears streamed down my face. Oh, that was a good joke.

Scott walked into the kitchen. “Did it work, Bob?”

“Oh yeah, it was classic,” I answered.

“So what else is on the list of pranks?” He asked me.

“Vibrator in Dave’s cooking things, Vaseline on the toilet, tell Liv Jon Jackson called,” I told him.

“Those should be sweet,” Scott said.

CLINT

Olivia and I sat on the bed, just holding each other in our arms. Olivia had begun to cry, but I had stopped her tears soon. I smoothed back her hair from her face and kissed her reddened eyes. She looked up at me and blinked.

“I’m sorry I never realized how you felt about me. I was so selfish and I never thought of anyone else. I’m glad you told me.” She whispered in my ear.

I ran my fingers across her lips to quiet her. She didn’t have to explain anything. It didn’t matter to me. I didn’t want to hear any excuses for things she did or didn’t do.

I pulled her gently toward me and let my mouth hungrily seek hers once more. I wanted nothing more than to let my soul take over from there, but my conscience told me that we were both in situations too vulnerable.

She ran her graceful fingers through my hair and pulled back. Olivia looked so much younger, so vulnerable. I thought of all the things that Scott had done to ignore her and push her away. I kissed her again, longer than before, a soul glow kiss.

“Olivia!” the door suddenly opened and Scott popped out of the hallway. We both jumped and Olivia jumped up. “Oh, sorry for interrupting,” said Scott with a smile. “ But your phone was ringing, and I got a message for you. You might want to come out here so I can tell you.”

I looked at Olivia in the light from the hallway. She looked so embarrassed. She slowly walked out to the hallway with her head down. She glanced back at me quickly before she left the room.

CLINT

Olivia slowly walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table with her head down. Scott gave me a wink and I began to tell her the story we devised.

“We heard your phone ringing, and we couldn’t find you, so we just decided to pick it up and take a message for you. We turned on the phone and when we answered it, Jonathan Jackson was on the other line.” I said with a straight face.

Olivia lifted her head quickly and looked at us with a shocked face. “Are you kidding me? Are you sure it was him?” She managed to get out in a hoarse voice.

“That’s what the voice said. So we took the message, he just wanted to talk to you and see how you were doing, when you were getting to the next venue. He said he was going to call later for you.” Scott told her innocently.

“Why didn’t you come to get me?” she squeaked out.

“Because we couldn’t find you. He called about fifteen minutes ago, and he said he was very busy, had to go. We couldn’t waste his time looking for you.” Scott answered.

“But we found you now,” I added quickly, “and that’s what matters. He said he was going to call later, when he had some free time.”

Clint walked up to us from the bedroom. “What’s going on?” He asked while he fished through the cupboard, pulling out a bag of Nacho Doritos.

SARA

Natalia, Bob and I stood in the kitchen, trying to help Dave cook dinner. He was attempting to make angel food cake for dessert.

“Sara, can you get out the eggs?” Dave asked me. I groaned and shuffled towards the refrigerator. I put the eggs on the counter. “How are we gonna mix the eggs? Do we have an electric beater?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” Said Bob. “Look in the drawers, we might have one. Or maybe a hand beater.” He suggested.

Natalia began to shuffle through the drawers. “There aren’t any in the first drawer.” She shut the drawer and opened the second one.

“Hey Dave?” She asked suddenly.

“Yeah?” said Dave, turning around from the counter.

Natalia whipped around to face him. She was staring at him weirdly. “ Is this what you use to mix the eggs?” She handed him a vibrator.

“Where did you get that?” I asked her.

“I found it with Dave’s cooking stuff. Why do you have this Dave? Are you getting ready for something?” She said with a smirk.

“No! It’s not mine! I’ve never seen that before.” He said with a red face.

“Yeah right. You’re so gay, Dave.” Said Bob.

“It’s not mine! Honest!” sputtered Dave.

We walked out of the kitchen, leaving Dave to make his own Angel food cake with his vibrator.

SARA

Scott, Kate, Olivia, and I were sitting there watching "The Birdcage." I was trying to talk to Olivia about Nathan Lane in the movie but she wasn’t talking very much, so I just left it there.

“Hey you guys, we’re almost at a tollbooth. I’m gonna run to the bathroom and come back. If I’m not back in time, give Sheila the money for the tolls, ok?” Dad said as he was heading for the toilet.

“Sure, Dad. Whatever,” answered Scott without looking up from the movie.

Dad went into the bathroom and closed the door. A few minutes had passed by when a loud bang came from the bathroom.

“AAACK!!” THUD.

All heads turned towards the bathroom. We didn’t say anything. We just sat there. Kate started to laugh a bit, but stopped when Dad came out of the bathroom with a very red face.

“OK! I’m gonna ask this once and I’m not going to ask this again! Who the hell put the damn Vaseline on the toilet seat?!” he spit out angrily.

No one answered him. We all looked at him. Olivia looked scared. Kate looked shocked. Scott looked like he was gonna laugh.

“Who put it there?” he looked at us. “I want an answer before we get to the next venue or we aren’t playing that concert.” He stalked out of the room into the bedroom and slammed the door.

“What the hell was that?” Kate said. “I’ve never seen him get so angry.”

“I should go tell him.” Said Scott, getting up.

“What? You did it Scott?” I said bewildered.

“No, why would I do such a mean thing? I saw Bob go in there earlier with a tube of vaseline,” he said.

“Oh my god, why would Bob do that?” asked Olivia.

“I don’t know. He’s crazy. I should go tell dad. If you hear loud noises, come in and get me,” he said slowly walking to the bedroom.

After ten minutes, Dad opened the bedroom door. “Bob! Can you come here for a second?” Scott left the bedroom and sat down with us.

Bob ran from the front of the bus to the bedroom. “What is it Dad?” He went into the bathroom. No one made any noise for a while. But then screams came from the bedroom. We inched up to the door and put our ears to it.

“Can you hear him? What is he saying?” Olivia asked.

“Something about the toilet. Dad said that.” I answered.

“Bob sounds like he’s crying! Wow.” Kate said.

More muffled hollers came from the bedroom. We took our seats on the couch facing the TV.

The bedroom door opened. Dad came out with Bob. Dad had a hand grip on Bob’s arm, and it was a good thing cause when he saw Scott, he flipped out.

Bob became a flailing mass of hair and clothes, trying to get at Scott. “You’re dead! You’re dead meat! When I get you you’re gonna be dead! You’ll regret this Scott! I’m gonna kill you!” His muffled screams died down as he reached the front of the bus.

BOB

Olivia search her bag frantically. “Have you seen my hairbrush? It was here a little while ago.”

“No we haven’t seen it.” Sara said. “So, Bob, what did your dad say?”

“He said that I’m grounded. I have to help the crew guys clean the toilet on the bus for the rest of the tour.” I said with self-pity.

“Well, that seems like a reasonable punishment.” Clint said.

“But it wasn’t just me who did it,” I explained, “ Scott did it with me. And if I’m going down, I’m taking him with me.”

“But how can you prove that he did it?” Natalia asked.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just gonna have to let him get away with it.” I answered with a sigh.

“Are you sure you haven’t seen my hair brush?” Olivia asked.

“Nope. Sorry,” Clint said.

We turned on the rest of The Birdcage and began to watch it. Olivia went into the bedroom to look for her hairbrush again.

I noticed Scott coming from his bed and go into the bathroom with a towel. He should be taking a shower soon. And he never locks the door.

Olivia came out of the bedroom. “I can’t find it! Where haven’t I looked?” she said exasperatingly.

“How about the bathroom?” I suggested.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot.” She said with a grin. She skipped towards the bathroom door and flung it open. Scott stopped dead in his tracks as he was getting into the shower. He was buck-naked and his eyes widened. Olivia stared silently at him. Screams of laughter came from the couch around me. Kate got up to look and her mouth dropped. Olivia’s mouth parted to say something. “Can I have my brush?” she squeaked.

Scott turned around and picked up his towel. Then he picked up the brush and handed it to Olivia. His face was so red and beads of sweat rolled down his face. Then he slowly closed the door. I tried to muffle my laughter. Who said revenge wasn't sweet?