“Are you crazy Bone? It’s just a French fry. I took one! Breathe!”
“One my ass!” AJ yelled. “One box maybe.”
“Okay, okay you two,” Mackenzie interrupted. “Nick, stop taking AJ’s French fries, AJ, here, take mine.” Mackenzie handed AJ the McDonald’s bag containing a half-eaten Big Mac and a completely full box of Super Size fries. “You’d think that you two were five years old or something,” she laughed.
AJ peered in the bag. “Mackenzie? Are you sure you want to give me this? You barely ate anything.”
“Yeah, I’m just not hungry. Besides, I think that you need that food more than I do if you were willing to kill Nick over it.”
“Thanks Mac,” AJ said, in between bites of Big Mac. He flashed Nick a questioning grin pertaining to Mackenzie and then continued eating. Mackenzie and AJ laughed together as Mackenzie turned around in her seat on the bus and tried to refocus on a magazine that she was paging through. Today was an exceptionally bad day chemotherapy-wise. Mackenzie felt as though with every bump, her stomach was moving out of her body and being dragged along on the road behind the bus. She closed her eyes and sat back in her chair sighing. She still hadn’t told Nick, or anyone for that matter, that she was battling cancer in between rigorous practices and shows. “I’ll tell them soon,” she told herself. “It’s not that important anyway.”
Nick peered over the seat and looked at a sleeping Mackenzie. He strained to make sure that she was asleep before sitting down and sighing. “Things going that bad?” AJ asked finishing the last fry from the bag that Mackenzie had handed him.
“Worse,” Nick said. “You saw it too. Mackenzie was willing to give up a Big Mac just like that. That’s definitely not like her. She loves those things so much that's the reason we used to call her Big Mac. I'm amazed she's still as skinny as she is.”
“No kidding,” AJ confirmed crumpling up the bag and pushing it into one of the magazine racks on the back of the seat in front of him. “Is she okay?”
“According to her, she’s fine, but I know that’s bullshit.” Nick said.
“Have you tried talking to her?” AJ asked. Nick flashed AJ and sarcastic grin and rolled his eyes. “All right,” AJ continued, so you have talked to her.”
Nick started to say something but Melissa, one of the dancers from the tour walked up to where Nick and AJ were sitting and knelt down in the isle. “Nick,” she interrupted. “You’re dating Mackenzie right?”
“Almost three years,” Nick said. “Why?”
“I was wondering if you could give this to her,” Melissa handed Nick Mackenzie’s chemotherapy machine. “I would give it to her but she’s asleep. Could you tell her that all it needed was another battery. The one that she had in here was broken.”
“Sure,” Nick said, looking at the machine questioningly. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure,” Melissa stated. “Thanks Nick.” Melissa stood up and walked back to the back of the bus.
“Lemme see,” AJ said, holding out his hand.
Nick handed the machine to AJ. AJ turned it over and over in his hands. He noticed the dial on the side which read: 10K-B, 10K-D. After a short inspection, he handed it back to Nick. “No idea,” he stated.
“Probably something for monitoring stats for dancing and stuff,” Nick said as he placed the machine on his lap.
“So what were you saying?” AJ said.
“Huh?” Nick questioned, looking at AJ. “What?”
“Nevermind” AJ turned his glance to the window. He was so sick of seeing the complete flat lands of Nebraska. “When are we supposed to get to South Dakota?”
“No clue Bone,” Nick said.
“Two hours,” came Mackenzie’s voice from over the seat. She had just opened her eyes. “We just passed that donut shop back there. That’s the two hour mark.”
“I’m glad that you know what you’re talking about Mac, “ AJ complemented. “Nick and I have only traveled this same route like 20 times. You’d figure that we’d know something by now.” Nick came around the seat and sat with Mackenzie.
“Nah,” Mackenzie started. “I have been this way with my family tons of times. My dad used to force us on this really “great” road trips and crap. You get really bored after you have picked fights with nearly every one of your brothers and sisters.”
“I know what you mean Mac,” Nick concluded. “By the way,” he started, handing the machine to Mackenzie. “Melissa wanted me to give this to you.” Mackenzie glanced at the machine in horror.
“Had Nick figured out what it was?” she thought. She was mentally kicking herself for falling asleep while Melissa was fixing her machine.
“What is it?” Nick asked, looking at Mackenzie.
“One of those machines that Fatima makes us wear to make sure that we don’t get too exhausted. You know?”
Nick nodded and reverted his attention to the window and continued watching as the bus drove the rest of the two hours to Pierre, South Dakota.
Chapter Nine
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