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Then and Now Chapter 43 Ang followed Nick and Kevin's vehicles off the gravel road and out onto the highway. She glanced over at Aims and Ryan, "How long do you think till they go crazy?" Ryan laughed. "I'd give it an hour...or till there's a fight over the music." Aims nodded. "They won't make it to the first rest stop." Han leaned back against the back seat in Nick's durango and looked down at the magazine on her lap. She really didn't feel like sitting there flipping through the pages for a couple hours. She caught Bri looking at her through the side window and she smiled but he quickly turned away and started whispering to Nick. Han groaned and turned to Lis who was listening to her discman. "Lis?" Lis glanced over, "You say something Han?" she whispered, not wanting to disturb the two guys in the front. Han nodded. "I can't take this! We're gonna be crazy people if they keep this up."Krys' eyes went from Kevin to AJ and back again. The last fifteen minutes had been silent. "You guys gonna keep up this silent treatment for the whole trip?" she asked, leaning forward. Both guys were sitting up front. Kevin and AJ exchanged looks, "Go ahead Bone." Kev said, turning his attention back to the road. "Well...yeah." he said with a smug grin and turned back to flipping through the radio stations. She looked at Nina and rolled her eyes. "Kev, can you at least make AJ stay on one station?" Nina asked, staring at the back of her boyfriend's head. "Can't control what Bone does, sorry." Nina sighed exasperated. "This is gonna be a hell of a long trip." She muttered as she closed her eyes. Nick looked at the clock on the dashboard, they'd been on the road a little over an hour and so far it was one of the worst hours of his life. "Rok?" he whispered. Bri looked up from his notebook where he was in the process of writing a song about spiteful girlfriends. He sensed a hit in the making. "Yeah Nick?" "How the girls doing?" Nick asked. Bri turned slightly in his seat and saw the two girls busy scribbling in a notebook. He turned back to Nick, "Well I think they're plotting our demise." "I doubt it..." Nick muttered, "Look B, can you change cds this one's getting annoying." Bri nodded and ejected the Lenny Kravitz cd, "Whatcha want?" he asked, opening up Nick's cd case. "See what the girls want." Nick said slowly. "What?" Brian asked in disbelief. "Yo Nicky, did you remember what we said? Make them sweat?" "Yeah and I said ask the girls...look Frick I'm going crazy here okay? They're going home in less then a week!! A week! I'm not spending it glaring at Lis over the dinner table or on the boat." Bri sighed and looked out the window at the Kentucky scenery flying past them. After a couple minutes of silence he turned back to Nick. "Damn your right." he said softly. Slowly he turned around to look at the girls, "Hey guys, what cd do you want to listen to?" Han and Lis looked up at him startled. They exchanged a surprised look. "You're talking to us?" Han asked. "Well unless there's two other beautiful girls in the backseat." Bri gave them his boyish grin. "What's your preference ladies?" Lis' eyes looked at the rear view mirror and met Nick's eyes, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "What do you have?" she asked, setting her notebook aside. Bri passed her the cd case. "Just don't say Nirvana or Journey, please I'm begging you." He teased. Krys watched Kev and AJ whisper back and forth after AJ had finally settled on an oldies station, which he would occasionally sing or rather shout along to. She wrapped her light jacket around her tighter and leaned against the door. She picked up one of the magazines off the back of AJ's seat and flipped through it. AJ glanced in the back, Howie and Jenn were in the seat behind Krys and Nina about a mile apart. D was sound asleep while Jenn was blaring her discman so loud he could hear it. "Man this is really crazy." Jenn set her discman beside her, thankful she had brought it with on the trip. Her eyes travelled over to Howie's sleeping form and she sighed, he never could deal with stress she though as she realized Krys was looking at her. "Hey Krys." "Hey Jenn. Great road trip huh?" "The best ever!" Jenn said sarcastically. "Any movement from the front?" Krys shook her head. "They're dead set on making us crazy...however I don't think they counted on them going crazy too." She smiled, "Somehow I think they'll break soon." Jenn sighed and leaned her arms against the back of Krys' seat. "How can you be so sure?" Krys giggled, "They're hormonal Backstreet Boys...and AJ's the worst of them all." Jenn looked towards D, "With Howie running a close second." "Plus Lis and Han are heading home next week, so Nick and Rok are gonna wanna be them 24 hours a day..." A smile appeared on Jenn's face. "So sad their gonna break first. Have you told Nina your theory?" Both girls looked towards their sleeping friend. "Nope, she's been sound asleep for the last two hours. I'll tell her at the rest stop. I just wish the guys would ride together and all us girls would be to ourselves. It would punish them all the more." Krys said with a grin. AJ nudged Kevin. "We're almost at the rest stop Bone, can't you wait?" Kev asked. He rolled his eyes. "Thats not it at all...I think Krys and Jenn are formulating some sort of plan back there. They're all smiles and giggling, frankly I'm scared Kev." Kevin laughed, "Scared? C'mon get real AJ." "I tell ya Kev, wait till we switch and you can watch them while I drive...there's something strange going on back there." Kev sighed, figuring he better appease his friend. "All right I'll watch and see..." Ang followed the two vehicles into the gas station parking lot. "Yay we've stopped moving." She said as she shut the engine off. Ryan laughed. "Man you girls are city girls aren't you?" Aimee looked at him. "What you mean your legs aren't cramping up from sitting so long?" He shrugged. "Oh great he's just like Kevy and Bri." Ang said climbing out of her truck. Brian turned and smiled at Han and Lis "Okay remember, we play along that we're still in the silent treatment right?" Lis nodded. "I hate this idea but okay." Nick grinned. "I swear I'll make it up to ya!" Han groaned. "Okay Nick I like ya and all but I don't even want to know what's going through your mind right now." Brian laughed. "Hey I've known him for years and I don't EVER want to know what runs through there." Nick made a face. "Ha ha thanks I'm feeling the love." he looked towards Kev's vehicle. "Well we better make an appearance." he said reaching over and grabbing a hold of the doorhandle. Jenn sighed as she opened her door and stepped out with weak legs. It was one thing to be sitting for hours but it was another to be trapped in that small space they called the back seat. She leaned against the door and looked at Howie then at Krys who appeared at her side. "Do I wake him?" Krys shook her head.. "That would require conversation, words being spoken." Melodramatically Jenn lightly slapped herself in the forehead. "Forgive me, the guys' stupidity is rubbing off on me." Nina laughed as she appeared on their side. "Good one," She said seeing AJ and Kevin shaking their heads at Jenn's comment. "Come on girls, they're selling food inside and I'm rather hungry." "Food, sounds good!" Krys said as she pushed by AJ. Howie woke up five minutes later to the sound of a door slamming. He jumped up and got out of the suburban heading to where all the guys were. "You were just gonna let me sleep?" he asked, sitting at the picnic table. AJ laughed, "Well you were so cute laying there." Brian threw a potato chip at AJ. "Mmmm ripple, my favorite. Thanks Rok!" AJ said, stuffing the chip in his mouth. Nick took a drink of his slurpee. "How's it going with the girls?" he asked casually. Kevin gave Nick a dirty look and went back to staring into his coffee cup. AJ stretched his legs out in front of him. "Well Krys and Jenn are planning something I know it...Nina sleeps all the time as does Howard." AJ laughed, "What about your two?" Brian started digging through his chip bag. "Our two?" he muttered, his eyes not meeting any of the other guys. "Its going..." Nick said, glancing up as the girls walked out of the convenience store. "Its a pretty silent ride cept for the music and me and Rok talking to each other." Kev smiled. "I told you this would work." Krys leaned against the car and took a drink of her Pepsi. "I'm telling you, they're gonna give first." she smiled triumphantly. "Its almost sad how weak they are." Lis laughed, "So what makes you think they're gonna talk so easily?" Jenn grinned, "The guys are guys. Hormones...and especially Nick and Bri with you two going home soon." Han nearly spit out her 7up, causing everyone to look at her. "You okay Han?" Aims asked, patting her back. "Fine, uh just went down the wrong way." she stated with a cough. Lis shot her best friend a confused look, thinking that Han was covering something. She sighed and rubbed her arms lightly, feeling a cool breeze. "I think they're coming back." she said seeing the guys getting up from the picnic tables. Nina groaned. "More fun-filled hours of silence! Can't wait." Jenn sighed, "Maybe they'll give up soon...hate to say it but I miss talking to D." Krys looked at Jenn wide eyed, "All right I gotta admit I miss talking to Bone too, but I bet by the time we hit the state of Florida we're back to normal." "I hope so." Nina said, walking towards the suburban. "Good luck girls!" she called as she hopped in. Next: Chapter 44 |