Nick and Ellie seemed to be having better luck, they had run past Noomis Park, and to the main shopping centres of New York City.
"Hey, look! Isn't that Mary, and the other girl?" Nick yelled, happily.
"You 'don't' have to yell! I'm a foot in front of you!" Ellie snapped at him, eerily imitating Kevin's comment at Chasity, who were both apart, but on the other side of the city.
Nick looked at his shoes, and said nothing.
Ellie snapped at him again, "Well what are you standing there for! Let's go!"
Nick glared at her, and the two ran after Mary and Jenna, who were dodging past people, running around corners and pushing their way through.
Unaware of Nick and Ellie, they ran through the crowded sidewalks until they finally saw the place they were looking for... Starbucks, they went in and ordered their Caramel Frappucinos.
Mary and Jenna went for a little booth in a secluded area at the back of the coffeehouse and started talking.
"I 'can't' believe Aj, what a jackass!" cried Jenna, "God!"
"Yeah..."
"But Mary, hon, he so did not mean it!" Jenna said, trying to offer her friend some comfort, she moved closer to her friend, and gave her a hug.
"It's all right, Jenna, I don't mind, it's just... it's only the first day!" she sobbed, "And already! Oh Jenna, how can I do this? How do I cope? I can't Jenna.."
"Honey, we have to!" cried Jenna, "Just ignore him.. don't let him get to you."
"But Jenna.. I can't.. I can't ignore what I know is true! But still.. couldn't he have waited? For.. for just 'one' day, at least? I can't believe we've been at this for one day, and we're already about ready to 'kill' each other.. I wouldn't have been so hurt, if only he had apologized, felt bad..but he just kept on! Jenna, I can't take 'more' of that! What he said.. just there, that's already ruined it for me.."
"Don't 'ever', 'ever' let anyone tell you that you aren't beautiful, you 'are' and nothing less than that, and you are 'not' fat! Besides, I would rather look like you than that scrawny tattooed toothpick, any day!"
"But.. oh.. It's hurt me so bad.. comments like that.. how.. how could he be so harsh! It's true.. but 'still'!"
"Honey, he was just being mean! You 'are' beautiful!" Jenna exclaimed, and it was true. Mary 'was' beautiful, in her own way, it was an obvious beauty too, for even that day, her makeup cried off, her clothing disheveled, and her eyes puffy from her tears, not one eye had not turned, as she walked to her booth with Jenna, and not one man in that room did not think of what could have caused such a lovely girl to look so downcast and hurt, at what must have been the prime of her life.
She may not have been the classic, size three beauty, but she 'was' gorgeous, full figured, 'toned', she wasn't a waif, was all.
"I mean it, Emmy," Jenna said, using Mary's junior high nickname, "Just look at yourself, but besides, it's what is inside that counts!"
"Yeah.. guess you're right." Mary replied, quite unconvinced. "It's what's inside."
Their conversation was interrupted by Ellie and Nick,
"Oh god! We've been looking everywhere!" Ellie cried, running to give Mary a hug, "Oh, I'm gonna beat the shit out of that jerk!"
Nick stood there, looking at his shoes some more, and when Ellie sat down, he went up and gave Mary a hug as well, a stiff one, but it was there. "Hey Larry!" she said, allowing them all to smile a little, "What brings 'you' here?"
"Um'.." he replied, "I just wanted to tell you that he didn't mean it.. and he just wasn't thinkin' and stuff."
"Yeah.." she muttered, "Right."
"Serious!" he cried, loudly, "I mean it! It's just, well, he was just bein' mean, cause none of us really like each other and all! Um.. but, besides that, aren't we all, kinda.. well.. 'lost'?"
"Ohmigod!" whispered Ellie, "you guys..." she looked around, "run..."
"What?!" Jenna asked.
"Look!" Ellie motioned towards the people who had come around them. they were about to be mobbed by fans.
They had nowhere to run, and no protection. "Oh shit!' Mary cried, "Someone help!"
"Well!" Ellie glared at her, "We wouldn't be in this position if 'you' hadn't run off! Then she diverted her glare at Nick, "Or if 'you' hadn't been so damn loud!"
"Great!" he yelled back, "the first day at this, and I'm going to die! We haven't even been to the studio yet!"
"Shut up!" Jenna screamed, as they all backed into the far end of the booth. People were climbing into the booth and grabbing at them, when Mary suddenly shouted, "I have an idea!" she jumped onto the booth table, "Excuse me! Can I have your attention please?" The people climbing onto the booth backed off a little, "Everyone BACK OFF! Hey!" she screamed, "Can I have a little silence here!?"
The fans calmed a little, and back up a few inches. Mary started up again, "If you don't back up a meter, and give us some space, there will be 'no' autographs!" The seemed to get the fans going all the more, and they started closing in again, "I mean it!" she shouted, "Please back off, and give us some room! Everybody! Or, uh.. we.. we won't sing!"
"Mary!" cried Jenna, "We can't sing! The new publicist will kill us!"
"Jenna, we gotta get outta here, somehow!" she looked back up at the crowd, "We will sing, but only if you give us some, room, and let the owner of this place get through, we need to talk to the 'owner'" she stressed.
"You want us to sing?" Nick looked up at her, with a 'yeah, right' look on his face.
"Shut up," she told him, under her breath, "and get up here!"
The three others climbed up onto the table, as Mary spoke to the manager, and arranged for a few microphones, and markers to be brought over, with a couple of donuts. She also asked him to close off the doors, and the store, so the crowd wouldn't get out of hand, and to call for a few police officers, to act as bodyguards.
After that, they sat down, Mary and Nick on the table, and Jenna and Ellie on the booth seats, and began signing, as soon as the manager got back, they dropped the pens, and grabbed the microphones with their tired hands, and climbed back up onto the table.
"Oh what do we sing?" Ellie asked, "Oh gee..."
Mary looked at Nick, "Larry, do you know the song 'Angel Dust' did with Tyrese, 'In my arms forever'?"
"Oh," Nick replied, talking into the mike, "You mean the one that goes," and he began singing,
"..And if you can tell me, baby, that, tonight, you will stay in my arms forever, and I, I need to know, baby, yeah, if it's right for me to lay down beside you and kiss you the way I...."
The fans went wild, and Mary giggled and whispered to him and the others, "Yeah, I thought you'd know that one, it's the most simple, and has least ornaments, we can all sing it most easily. And we can sing Lean On Me, or something, after.. something friendsy."
When it was all over, and they signed a few more autographs, and left through the side, accompanied by four police officers.
"We are sooo late!" cried Nick, "Denise and Jerrica are going to 'kill' us! And we were supposed to see Fatima today too! All of us! Oh man! This is bad.. oh gee.. how do we get back to the bus?"
One of the police escorts looked at him, "whereabouts did you park?"
Ellie pointed left, "That way, past Noomis park.. it 'is' 'Noomis' isn't it?"
"Wasn't it Loomis?" Nick asked, and Mary turned around and looked at him, "I thought the park we passed was called George Park!"
The police officer smiled, "None of you have ever been around New York alone, have you? It's George L Noomis park, and it's that way," she pointed left, "well, get in.."
The all squished into the squad car, and one officer got in with them. They thanked the other officers, and took off.
After about four wrong turns, and another half hour, or so, they spotted the silver bus.
The singers all jumped out of the car, and with Nick leading the way, ran for the bus, calling their thanks to the officer, they left behind.
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