"Home sweet home, eh Stever?" said Jon as they stepped off the bus and into the warm sunlight.
"Yeah. Sweet," Stever somewhat grumbled.
"Still bummed about that chick?" he asked. Stever glared at him. "Hey! Okay, so you're obviously still upset. Look, no offense or anything, but get over it. She wasn't worth it. She wasn't good enough for you."
"I dont' think so. She was good for me. She was perfect. It was like God created this incredibly perfect creature just for me."
"Stever, dude, save it for some song. The girl used you, then cheated on you. Who needs that?" Jon had a point, a jajor one, and Stever knew it.
Before the band went on the mini-tour, Stever had been dating a girl named Nicole, commonly known as Nicci (pronounced "Nicky"). Nicci was 15 and also attended Newmarket High with Stever, Jon, and Dan. Stever was instantly attracted to her. She was rather short, a mere 5'3'', soft brown hair to her shoulders, and bright blue eyes. They began dating, and when the time came for the tour, Ryan had learned that Nicci was only dating Stever so she could say to all her friends that she was dating a rock star. How did Ryan find out? She made a pass at him and Dan after one of the concerts when Stever wasn't around.
Somehow, through it all, Stever remained hooked on her. She may have been no good, but there was just something about her that he couldn't let go of. Pushing the memories out of his head, Stever picked up his suitcase and guitar and sighed. Being home again was a good thing, he decided. It would give him a chance to forget about what happened on the tour and to move on, maybe the cute girl in his math class would go out with him. . .
"Hey Lisa, it's Ryan," Ryan said into the phone. "What's up?"
"Ryan, oh my god! I can't believe you're back already. I thought you'd be gone for at least a few more days," said Lisa, one of Ryan's best friends.
"Yeah we got in a bit early, not that I'm really complaining," he said as he stretched. "I have an actual bed to sleep in rather than a small cubby hole."
"You speak the truth oh spikey one," she replied. "I wouldn't be able to stand a cubby for five hours, much less five weeks or five months."
"It's not all that bad though. When you draw the curtain you feel a lot more privacy."
"Ry, it's a curtain, a small piece of cloth. The space is only as wide as you are, give a foot or so. You may as well be sleeping in a coffin."
"Ew, that's something I'm really looking forward to," said Ryan. "Why do you have to be so morbid?"
"Me? Morbid?" Lisa asked innocently. "Never, I just have a unique mind."
"Whatever you say psycho," he laughed. "I gotta go now. Unpacking and such."
"Oh what fun. I'll talk to you later then," she said. "We'll go do something."
"Okay, cool. Bye." He hung up the phone and couldn't help wonder if she had missed him much while he was gone. Shrugging, he brushed the thoughts out of his head and started unpacking. The sooner he finished unpacking his stuff, then the sooner he could go back to sleep and finish his dream and find out more about the girl in front row.