It had been three weeks since the group was in hiatus and all Nick did was bounce around Florida hanging out with his family and friends. He pretty much stayed out of sight and screened all of his phone calls until the buzz their announcement made died down. He was flipping through the TV at his friend's house in Tampa when he saw her. She was reporting from the Staples Center for TNT, covering the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. It had been even longer since his embarrassing moment with her in Los Angeles, she had called a few times, left messages but the last thing he wanted to do was face rejection from her again. He leaned down and picked his phone up off the table, he might as well call. He wasn't going to lose one of the few people he truly considered a friend over something that could be forgotten. Her cell phone rang and he wasn't surprised when he heard the recorded message,
"Hi, it's Nick. I know it's been awhile but I'm going to be out there soon and I was hoping we could get together and hang out or something you know? Let me know. Call me." He sat the phone down and turned to his friend,
"Want to go to LA for a couple of weeks?" Tommy nodded,
"Sure man, why not? I'm down." He nodded and went back to watching the Western Conference preview show,
"Hey you know that chick right? Didn't she play college ball?" Nick nodded,
"Yeah, Sydney." He looked over at his friend,
"You met her a few times." Tommy shrugged,
"I meet alot of people around you." Nick rolled his eyes,
"She ain't some random girl or some damn fan man, she's a friend of mine. That's like you not knowing who Mike is." Tommy laughed,
"I guess, I'll probably remember when I see her in person. Is that why we're going to LA?" Nick shrugged,
"There's nothing to do here. Might as well go someplace. Miami, New York, LA...besides I can get us tickets for the games in LA." Tommy nodded his head and yelled out,
"Hell yeah man. I'm all about that." Nick nodded his head back and forth for no reason as he watched TV, he was accustomed to waking up when he wanted now there had to be something more to this whole break thing.
Tommy left to get something to eat and Nick was sitting around the tiny two bedroom house when his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID panel and he became nervous and happy all at the same time,
"Hello?" He could almost hear her happiness through the phone,
"I haven't heard from you in like six or seven weeks. How have you been?" He sighed,
"Ok." He remembered the last time they talked, it was the last time they saw each other,
"So, where are you right now?" For whatever reason, he looked around as if he needed to be reminded,
"Home." Sydney laughed,
"Break huh? Cool. How long?" A break, you could call it that,
"A year." He could hear her gasp. You think that's shocking to you, he thought,
"A year?" He nodded as he sat back and sighed,
"Yeah, taking a year off." That still seemed weird, he was still waiting for someone to call and say their break was over,
"Wow, a whole year off. Doing nothing? No concerts, no appearances, nothing."
"Pretty much. So, are you going to be doing the Finals too?" He hoped if he kept the conversation going there would be no time to think of their last day together.
"Just the Western Conference Finals then I'll be in Mexico for a few days for the LA Sparks, Houston Comets pre-season game." He laughed and rolled his eyes,
"Chick basketball? Gimme a break." She laughed,
"Don't start Nick. I'm not going to argue about girls knowing how to play just as well as guys. You know it, so I'm not going to let you ruffle my feathers about it." He smiled,
"Ok, ok. So, I'm going to be there soon, are you gonna have time to hang out?"
"Yeah, but not alot. My schedule doesn't relax until after I get back from Mexico." They spent the rest of their conversation arguing over who was better at basketball, girls or guys. Nick was just happy that embarrassing day at her place wasn't brought up.
That night Nick and his friends were sitting around the club and Nick was pretty drunk,
"Dude." he turned to Tommy,
"I am going to be sick." Tommy frowned,
"You gotta hurl?" Nick nodded his head and Tommy and Mike each put one of Nick's arms around their shoulder and carried him outside. Just as they touched the sidewalk outside the club Nick threw up. It splattered everywhere and it was clear, like water. Mike shook his head,
"Dude, did you eat anything or were you just drinking?" Nick slurred,
"I wasn't hungry." Tommy rolled his head,
"You're about a dumb-" Mike tried hard to control his laughter as he shook his head,
"Can you get him to my car by yourself?" Tommy nodded,
"Yeah man." Mike was walking back towards the club,
"I'm gonna get my keys and I'll take you guys back to your place." Tommy nodded as he struggled with Nick,
"Man, you're gonna have to walk some, I can't carry your big ass by myself." As they made it to the car Nick lay his head on Tommy's shoulder,
"Man, man, I love you man." Tommy groaned and laughed at the same time,
"You are stupid. I want you to know that. Say it, I am stupid." Nick repeated as ordered,
I...am...what am I?" Tommy smiled,
"Stupid." Nick nodded,
"Yep, stupid." It took a moment and Nick frowned,
"Man, shut the fuck up." Tommy laughed as he leaned Nick against the car and they waited for Mike to return.
Once Mike was back, they loaed Nick in the seat. He looked over at Tommy,
"Man, are we going out?" Tommy frowned and Mike laughed at Tommy's frustration,
"You want me to go with you." Tommy shook his head,
"No man, I got his drunk ass." Nick lay back in the seat and closed his eyes as he tried to gather himself. He felt like shit. Why he did this he didn't know. Drink until he wanted to die or at least until he woke up without that feeling of wishing he were dead.
