"It's too late to turn back, we might as well bring him with us, at least until we get to our hotel," Conan chewed his bottom lip. "Who was supposed to be guarding the bus? Oh well. He looks perfectly harmless to me. He's probably dehydrated, like the others. I didn't think this would happen again! We've been so careful...Can you get him some water or something?"
"Sure," Denise hurried inside the bus. While she was gone, he searched the boy's bag, and found the pick. A grin came over his face. "So that explains how he got in...I knew I locked it!" The boy must have been a heavy sleeper, because he didn't stir as Conan searched him for weapons. It never hurt to be safe, even though Conan assumed that he was a fan. All the boy had was the pick and some string. Denise returned with the water and Conan shook the boy awake. Startled, the boy gasped and scrunched into a ball.
"Here take this, you're probably thirsty. You see, we've been though this before with other fans." A strange look came upon the boy's face, like he didn't know what Conan was talking about. "You know with the Backstreet Boys fans. Have you heard the little story?"
The boy didn't like what he heard. Of all the rides he could have picked...
He crawled out of the compartment and took the water in his swollen, shaky hands. Conan noted this and pointed it out to the boy. He just shrugged and tried to hide his abused hands under his sleeve. Even after three hours of uninterrupted sleep, he was still tired.
"Do you know who the Backstreet Boys are?" Denise wondered, eyeing him.
He nodded. His sister had a passion for their music.
"Where do you live? Did you come because you're a fan, or are you a runaway? You can stay with us until we get to our hotel. You look worn out, I can ask one of the guys if you can sleep in their bunk..."
"That's kind of you m'am, but I don't want to cause any more trouble for you. I don't mind being left here, I deserve it. I had no idea! I'd be such a bother, I can leave..."
"Nonsense! I'm sure the guys wouldn't mind, right Conan?" Conan nodded.
"Since the guys are all sleeping at the moment, you'll have to make do with the couch, but we have comfy couches."
"That's really kind of you m'am...but I couldn't."
"Come!Please! And call me Denise. Everyone does, well, except for AJ, he's my son." The boy nodded. "They need the extra company and we need a break from them sometimes too! But on the next stop we're calling your parents."
"I don't have any parents. They're both dead." Denise looked sympathic.
"I came here to get away for a bit. I'm used to goin' on alone."
"But where do you live?"
"No where really. Sometimes the orphanage. I hate that place."
They left for the bus and the boy found a spot on the couch to sleep, but only with Denise's eager kindness. The boy told them his name was "Jansin." Conan stuck the keys in the ignition and got the bus going again.
The second bus ( that was supposed to be following them ) had stopped a quite a while back to gas up, so they hadn't seen anything.
About two hours later, they heard the waking sounds of the Backstreet Boys. "Hey that sock's mine! Get your own!" "Then where'd you put mine?" "Hey what REEKS? It must be Brian." SHUT UP!" Conan smiled inwordly. The first to emerge was Nick. He ran to the bathroom and locked himself inside.
Nick was closely followed by AJ, who arrived at the front of the bathroom door just in time to see it slam shut in his face.
"Hurry up! I really gotta go man!" He waited by the door, shouting at Nick, "What are you doing in there? You're just sitting in there doin' nothin' aren't ya?" He heard Nick's gales of laughter from inside. "Hey... you are aren't you? You're so dead, argh!" AJ cupped his groin. "Oh the pain!" he moaned. "Don't you know that holding it could damage the prostate gland, making it VERY difficult to get an erection and even become aroused!" AJ shouted in his best Jim Carrey voice. Ten minutes passed and AJ still hadn't gotten his turn.
"Conan!" he whined, "pleeeease stop the bus! I need to visit a tree desperately!"
"Everyone will see you AJ. The other bus just caught up with us," Denise informed him.
"Mom! Since when have I cared? Potty emergency, potty emergency! I'm going to go in my pants! Any second now! I can feel it!"
With that being said, Conan stopped the bus abruptly, and AJ darted out the door. After what seemed like forever, AJ returned. The rest of the guys ( all except for Kevin, who was still sleeping ) were yukking it up in the back. They hadn't even noticed Jansin.
"That was sssweet!" AJ sighed. "I'm relieved!"
"This is gonna go on Tommy's webpage! I feel sorry for that tree, you did drink a lot of V8...that has acid in it you know..." Nick grinned, holding his sides.
"I'm gonna get you, you'll regret this little man!"
"Who's little? You're Bone..."
"Fine then, I'll call you bubble butt!"
With that AJ took him into a short wrestling match on the floor, which Nick won. All the noise brought Howie's attention to the front of the bus. He smiled and dodged the two wrestlers to get to the fridge. On his way to the fridge his eagle eyes caught a glimpse of Jansin.
"Who is that?" he inquired, startled.
"Who?" Nick and AJ said simultaneously.
"Him." Howie pointed to Jansin's sleeping body. Nick and AJ exchanged looks. Denise noticed this and waved them off.
"He's our little stowaway. I'm surprised you didn't notice sooner, but with him around," she pointed to AJ, "it's no wonder! We noticed him when Conan mowed over a frog. Somehow the compartment opened. He was in there.
Too bad your clothes weren't..." she laughed at their shocked expressions," I'm joking. He's in bad shape, so we took him in. He knows who you are, but he had no idea that he stowed away on our bus. And he's so polite. The poor guy has no parents and no real contacts. We're not really sure what to do with him yet."
"It's cool with me. There's plenty of room!" Nick smiled, "If he continues sleeping on the couch then we won't have a problem with beds."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. We might have to take him to a doctor, it's the least we can do, and then bring him back to the orphanage."
"Aw c'mon. Maybe he can work with us. Yeah! He could dance for us or something!" AJ grinned at the thought. "The bummer is that our girlfriends are supposed to sleep on the couch. Oh well they can have the floor! All the best for them!" Howie gave him a dirty look. "I'm joking D!"
"Gee I wish Conan never stopped for you."
"Hey! Now that was cruel! Apologize."
"No."
"You know you want to..."
"You're twisted Ahhh Jaaayyy."
"I know. And it's swweeet."
Brian emerged from the back of the bus. "Who wants to wake sleeping beauty? Not I, I did it last time."
"Let him sleep. Who cares! We're all gonna win!" AJ exclaimed. "Ooo, I have no idea where that came from..."
"You never like chores do you? You spoiled him Denise. He's so spoiled he stinks!"
"If I were you Brian, I wouldn't talk to me about stinking. Cause once you get me started on that subject, about your undies, I won't stop! Hee hee!" AJ turned away from them and went to the bathroom.
"Argh! Fine!" Brian called after him, and prepared to sit on the couch.
He narrowly missed sitting on Jansin's legs, which made Jansin crunch into a tight ball.
"Whoa! Watch where you put your hit and run victims Conan! I almost sat on one...so who is he?" Denise explained it to him. "And tell Kevin, so I don't have to keep repeating myself."
"Sure, what was that again?" Denise punched him on the arm. " So we can't keep him?" She shook her head. "Darn."
"You guys don't even know what he's like! How can you like him already?"
"We're people persons! Oh!" Brian gasped, " I think I see...a STORE! Whoo hoo!" he broke into a chorus of "Can't Stop This Feeling ( I Have ).
"Come on Nick, we're going shopping!"
AJ poked his head out of the bathroom. "Shopping? I'm there!"
"Me too!" Howie added. "Maybe someone should wake up Kevin." They looked at each other and exclaimed simultaneously, "Nahhh!"
"While your there, maybe you should pick something up something for Jansin. His clothes are torn and ruined." Denised rubbed Jansin's shoulder. He was still asleep.
"No problem mom!" AJ shouted over his shoulder. They were out the door in a flash.
"I better fill up the tank. We're almost out of gas."
"Out of gas, that's a joke!" Denise laughed. They took off towards the gas station.
Chapter 3
Back To Table of Contents