Backstage after the show, AJ walked over to me,
"Hey, you riding my bus to Atlanta? I got that new movie I was telling you about." I frowned,
"When did you have time to go get it? You've been here and the hotel all day." He smiled,
"I'm a suprestar baby." I shake my head,
"How did you get it?" He laughed,
"I sent someone out to go get it. What else?" I roll my eyes and smile, the life of a superstar,
"Must be nice. Sure, why not." Nick walked over to us and my body went stiff,
"Hey, I'm the one that told you about that movie." AJ rolled his eyes,
"You can ride with me if you want but I'm not letting you watch it first." Nick laughed,
"Are you gonna talk through the whole movie." AJ nodded his head,
"Like I always do." Nick rolled his eyes and walked off, never saying a word to me. Ever since we got off AJ's bus once we arrived in Tampa he never acknowledged me. Everytime he was near me I hoped he would say something to me. Why? I don't want to have anything to do with him. I was excited when he was close and waiting for him to appear again when he wasn't.
Sitting on the bus, I looked up when I saw the driver began to take off,
"We left Nick. He's going to be mad, isn't he?" AJ shook his head as he opened the movie,
"No, he decided to ride his bus." I nodded in disappointment then suddenly his cell phone rang,
"Oh hey man, I'm glad you called." He looked over at me and raised one finger to let me know it would only be a minute. Why do people do that? It will undoubtedly be more than one minute, it always is.
Twenty minutes later, and three magazines on my part, AJ walks out from the back of the bus,
"Sorry about that." I nod,
"No problem. Everything ok?" He sighed and flopped on the couch,
"It is now." He seems a little less animated than he has in the past week. I shrug it off, maybe it's tour blues. The tour has only started, better snap out of it soon kid. He looked over at me,
"So, tell me something about yourself." I shrug,
"I'm the oldest of two, I went to UCLA-" He groaned and shook his head,
"Not that obituary type stuff. I want to know about you." I've never been good at telling people about myself. In college we had to give our own eulogy in my Effective Speaking class, I only got a C and I had to talk about myself,
"What do you want to know?" He smiled and leaned against the counter,
"What is your most embarrassing moment? What are you most ashamed of and why did you do it? Do you really think you're a good person?" His questions shocked me,
"I don't know. Why don't you start out so I can get the hang of it." He shrugged,
"What do you want to know?" It struck me a little weird that he seemed to be so open and willing to answer any question. I would think he would be a little more guarded, especially after the last year,
"I don't know, tell me something." He sighed and crossed his arms,
"Well, you know all there is to know about me. Weird hair, crazy clothes and an alcoholic." I smiled,
"I'm sure there is alot more to you than that." He sat down next to me on the couch,
"Tell you what. We'll do this a little later. Right now, it's show time." I smiled and nodded,
"Yeah." I stood up and walked towards the kitchenette,
"If you don't have popcorn on this thing we're pulling over for an emergency stop." He smiled,
"Cabinet, right next to your head. Hurry up so we can watch this movie."
It was 7:30 the next morning when we arrived in Atlanta, I was stiff and sore thanks to sleeping on that tiny little bunk. AJ stood over me,
"Oh you're awake. Time to get ready, we should be at the hotel in about fifteen minutes." I nodded,
"How in the hell do you sleep on these bunks for a year?" He laughed,
"You better get used to it." I rolled my eyes,
"They can't make big comfortable beds in these things?" He nodded,
"Yeah, but I chose the bigger studio. Nick and Kevin's studios are up front on their buses so they have a big queen size bed in the back. Howie and Brian do too but they don't have the recording studios." I groaned as sat up and placed my feet on the floor,
"Well I need to get in good with them so I can sleep in a real bed." He laughed,
"Your best bet is Howie or Nick. And I'm thinking Howie at the moment. Nick picks up strays and takes them to the next city sometimes." I frowned,
"Sometimes he'll invite girls on the road for a city or two." The kid was a regular rockstar,
"Sounds interesting." He smiled,
"Yeah, but he's a good kid. Just a little coo coo in the coconut." He offered his hand and I accepted as he pulled me up. Coo coo in the coconut huh? A little too hot in the crotch is more like it.
Everyone stumbled into the lobby of the hotel to get their rooms, technically we had the rest of the day and the following off and the concert was the day after tomorrow. However, the job was never over, for the performers or those of us who were behind the scenes. Nick groaned as he joined me and AJ near the front desk,
"Dude, the movie was so good. Wasn't it Priss?" He nudged me, encouraging me to rub it in Nick's face that he missed an awesome movie. Truth be told, it was nothing to brag about,
"Yeah, it was great." Nick looked over at me and smiled an incredibly killer smile,
"Was it? Or are you just saying that?" I looked over at AJ and smiled,
"Well, it was entertaining." Nick leaned in closer and I could smell the gum he was chewing, Big Red,
"Come on, you don't have to lie for him. It sucked didn't it?" He leaned down until his face was next to mine as he waited for my answer,
"Ok, it was bad." He laughed and looked over at AJ,
"I knew you were lying." AJ rolled his eyes,
"You're the one who said get the damn movie. Why did you tell me that if it were so bad?" Nick smiled,
"I'll like it but my taste in movies is-" AJ groaned,
"Fucked up." I giggled and Nick looked over at me,
"Well, I was going to say different but whatever." He winked and walked off when someone called his name,
"See? The kid is weird." I smiled as I watched him make his way to the elevator. Weird maybe, cute as hell, definitely.
Chapter 12
Total Control
Stories