"So where's Miss Temper today?" Elisha asked finally, she'd been dying to ask him all day.

"She had to fly to California today." Nick answered happily. "She's gone for the day!"

Elisha reached over and clinked her glass against his. "Freedom, ain't it great!" She studied his happy face. "You know, someone whose girlfriend is gone for the day shouldn't look that happy. You should be miserable."

Nick shot her one of his irrepressible grins. "I know, but we're not...at least I'm not...I think I want to break up with her."

"Does this mean you want to talk about it?" Elisha asked him, sitting back.

"Yeah, I think so." Nick pondered. "Do you mind? It might help me sort some things out."

Elisha put her hand on his. "Shoot. And I'll even try not to interrupt you when I get mad!"

"I met her about three years ago." Nick began. "She and my sister were friends. I liked her and she was really friendly and nice back then. But really soon after we started dating she got pushy and demanding."

"Didn't the group become popular here about that time?" Elisha asked.

"Why?" Nick looked puzzled.

"Just curious."

"Oh, yeah it was about then, I think. Anyway, she kept after me and we finally ended up exchanging rings."

Elisha raised her eyebrows.

"Well, like friendship rings, you know. I don't wear it too much any more. I was happy with her, she still wasn't too bad. But then she hit my best friend which really ticked me off. She stared hitting me and the fans after that."

"Nice chick." Elisha commented. "Remind me to smack her next time I see her."

Nick smiled. "Anyway, we broke up last year, but she and her mom still followed me around and everybody thought we were together. So eventually we did get back together."

"But being on tour together is not working out, right?"

Nick nodded. "I got her the gig, but I told her I didn't want to, that they fans would kill her. She's finding out now."

"Anything else, before I give you my comments? Any details you left out?"

"Yeah." Nick looked down at the ground. "She was my first and only."

Elisha choked on the sip of her soft drink she had just taken. "You've never had a groupie or a one night stand?"

Nick shook his head. "Uh huh, that's not me."

"Wow." Elisha said, awed. "Can I touch you again? I don't think you're real."

Nick brushed her hand away, laughing. "Lay off, aren't those good beliefs to have?"

"They're great, but how many of your bandmates even live up those standards?"

They both said "Brian" at the same time and burst into gales of laugher again.

"And maybe Kevin." said Nick, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Yeah, I can see that." Elisha said. "Not AJ though!"

Nick pleaded with her to stop. " Running down my friends is not helping my problem!"

"Okay, okay!" she took a couple of deep breaths to settle down and thought for a moment. "This is what I think. You met this girl and became popular just about the same time. That would be hard for just about anyone, especially for a what, 16 year old?"

"I was 17, she was 16." Nick corrected.

"Okay, so you were kind of used to it, she wasn't. Somewhere along the way, she went from loving you to using you. Who told her she could maybe have a career?"

Nick took a sip of his drink. "I think maybe her mom, maybe me, who knows? Just all of a sudden, she wanted to sing."

"Uh huh." Elisha nodded knowingly. "So did you tell her no at first, or did you help her right away?"

Nick thought. "I'm pretty sure I told her no, that I couldn't help her that way."

"Is that when she started abusing people?"

Nick stretched his legs out. "Yeah, about that time. probably the same time."

"Do you see a pattern here, Nick?" Elisha asked him. "She's only happy if she gets her own way."

Nick nodded yes slowly.

"You get her a contract, she's happy. You're late to see her, you get a black eye. So, I have a question for you Nick. Are you really and truly happy with her?"