Cora and Nick sat together on the bus the next morning. Cora sighed and lay back in her seat. "I love San Francisco - it's one of my favorite cities . . ."
Nick smiled. "Why's that?"
Cora shook her head. "I don't really know!" She laughed. "I've only been there a few times, but I just love it. It's a really beautiful city. I want to live there someday . . ."
Nick shrugged. "I guess it's a nice city. There are a lot of nice cities in the States . . ."
Cora's eyebrows creased. "There area lot of nice cities in Canada too! And they're cleaner!"
Just then Alison popped up from the seat in front of them. "Oh Cora! Ever the nationalist!"
"Quiet, you traitor!" Cora laughed.
Alison's eyes widened. "I am not!" She replied indignantly. "I came back to see if you wanted to hear a new song I'm working on, but since you're with your new boyfriend, I'll leave you alone!" Alison spun back around in a swirl of red hair.
Cora shrugged. "She can sing it to me later."
"Does your group write all their own songs?" Nick asked.
Cora nodded. "It's Al and Tori. Lar and I don't care too much what we sing, as long as it's good, but Al and Tori won't sing a song that isn't written by one of us. It's a bit ridiculous, in my opinion!"
"Why are they so uptight about it?"
Cora glanced into his eyes, not wanting to insult him. "Don't ask me. Lar is actually a bit like that too. She doesn't like to dance to things she doesn't choreograph. I guess that's because she's a dancer . . . and Al's a poet slash song writer . . . Tori's a total musician - huh . . ."
Nick's eyebrows crinkled. "Huh?" He repeated her.
Cora's face was blank. She glanced up at him suddenly. "Oh! Um, I was just thinking that um, if Lar's the dancer, Al's the writer and Tori's the musician - What am I?"
"You can't think like that!" Nick objected. "You're all talented girls and talented musicians. I'd say you have the most stage presence of the group - you've got attitude girl!"
Cora nodded, but seemed off in space. Nick's words didn't sound very convincing. Cora was so far away that she didn't even notice when Nick left, a few minutes later.
"Hey Tor!" Lara smiled, sitting down beside her friend.
Victoria glanced up from her book. "Hey Lar, what's up?"
Lara's nose crinkled. "Not much," She glanced around. "I'd say we're on a bus three hours out of San Francisco and I'm starving! Did you hear what happened between Nick and Cora?"
"Yeah - it was sweet," Victoria replied. "You know, I think the guys have got some munchies back there."
"Why do they always sit in the back?" Lara wondered out loud.
"I don't know!" Victoria rolled her eyes. "Because it's close to the washroom?"
Lara thought this over. "Maybe . . ." She paused. "What do guys talk about?"
"Huh?"
"Well, you're the chick that always gets in on the male bonding sessions!"
"I am not," Victoria snorted. "Although I wish I was. Grace is that type of gal, why don't you go ask her?"
Lara stood up and scanned the bus for Grace. She sat back down. "She's sitting with Andrew again!" Lara complained.
Victoria's nose was back in her book. "Well, they are friends!"
"I hope that's all, I want her to get together with Howie!"
Tori rolled her baby blues. "Match-maker, match-maker, leave me alone! Go talk to Brian or a call on the phone!"
Lara gagged as she stood up. "Now I know why Al's the poet," She muttered just loud enough for her friend to hear.
"She called you love of her life?" Nick asked.
"Yeah," Howie shrugged. "But she was just joking . . . Where is she now?" He wondered standing up in his seat. A pang of jealously struck him when he saw she was sitting with Andrew, again.
"She's sitting with Andrew again," Howie complained.
"So what? They're just friends," A.J. told him.
Brian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you should talk, Mr. Possessive!"
"I think someone's jealous, Howie?" Nick snickered.
"I am not," Howie muttered.
"Sure you aren't," Nick replied. "Anyway, Kev!" He yelled to his friend who was sitting in the seat behind him. "What's your story?"
There was no answer for a moment. Then, finally, a dazed: "Huh?"
"Your story," Nick told him, turning around in his seat to talk to Kevin. "We're telling our stories about the cake incident. It's your turn." Nick waited patiently. "Well, what happened between you and Victoria?"
Kevin's face went dark. "Look Nick, not all of us are as immature as you are. Leave me alone! You woke me up and I was almost asleep!"
Nick's face fell. He turned around and sat back in his seat. "What's his problem?" he muttered.
Brian rolled his eyes. "I'm outta here - see ya guys!" Brian jumped out of his seat and walked up to where Lara was sitting.
"What am I in the group?" Cora asked, sitting down beside Alison.
"What do you mean?" Her friend replied, turning towards her.
Cora sighed and leaned back. "Lara's the dancer - the choreographer, Victoria's the musician - the best voice, you're the poet - the song writer. Where do I come in? What part do I play in the group?"
Alison's eyes darkened with worry. "Cora, please don't talk like that. You know you scare me when you talk like that . . . You are a very important and vital member of our group. It would not be the same without you."
Cora rolled her eyes in dismay. "But you could get along fine without me - couldn't you? I mean, what do I bring that is so ‘important and vital', huh? Nothing!" She sat back in her seat with a sigh.
Alison's face fell. "Lara don't say that!" She told her friend. "You are the energy of the group. You keep us going and pull us together. You are our life force!"
Cora looked at her friend doubtfully.
Alison sighed. "And you're stubborn!" She looked into her friend's eyes. "Look, I know I can't change your mind when you're in a self hating mood like this. But I can tell you that the group would not go on without you. You may be the youngest in Nova, but you are also smart and have a real attitude. Vic, Lar and I, may have the abilities we do, but you hold us together. Remember a week ago when you couldn't preform?"
Cora nodded. "How could I forget?"
"We were so scared . . . because we didn't have you with us! Your attitude! Your up-beat, positive, kick-some-ass-ness! And we didn't think we could do it!" Alison stressed at her friend.
"But you did!" Cora snapped. "And you could do it again if you wanted to!" She stood, but Alison grabbed her hand.
"I don't know if we could! But even then, we wouldn't survive long without you," Alison told Cora urgently. She tried unsuccessfully to meet her friend's eyes. "We can talk more later, kay?" Finally Alison released Cora's hand.
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