Ella cradled the phone on her shoulder as she tried to paint her toenails. "Yea, I think I'm in Texas or something."

"Texas or something?" the voice laughed. "Anyways, how's life on the road?"

"It's fun."

"Fun?"

"Yeah. You should try it sometime, Laura."

"Right, when I'm about to die."

Ella rolled her eyes. "How's life at the office?"

"Quiet. Ever since you decided to take a 'vacation,' your bitchy publicist has been in her office all day, making weird phone calls."

Ella furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Laura sighed. Sometimes being a secretary at an office and being a friend to someone was always challenging, not being able to hide anything. "Like, she's always hush-hush. Maybe planning a plot or something."

"Weird."

"I know. Moving on, how's your cute-ass boyfriend?"

She chuckled. "He's a cute-ass."

Laura gasped. "I know he's so adorable. But I would watch out, if I were you."

"Why? What do you mean?" Ella pressed.

"Oh, I don't mean it in a bad way or anything. Just that his eyes are too deep."

"His eyes are too deep?"

"Yeah, I saw pictures of him and TV. His eyes are too deep, eyes like that means he's had a hard life."

"I know he's had a hard life."

"Yeah, but maybe there's more meaning behind them, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, yeah." She urged her to go on.

"He probably has thousands of secrets behind them. When you think you have him figured out, he surprises you."

Ella nodded even though Laura couldn't see. "Right."

"Nah, but don't be scared. Give it all for this one, it just might work out."

The bus door opened and the band trotted in.

"Look, I'll call you later."

"Okay, bye."

She said her good-bye and hung up the phone. Joel sat next to her and poked her feet. She wiggled her freshly painted toes. "Don't you think it's pretty?"

Paul sat besides Joel and looked at her toes. "VERY nice, better than Benj's."

Ella laughed. "Benji paints his toenails?"

"No, he doesn't." a voice came from the bathroom.

She looked at Paul and he silently nodded his head, while he bit into his apple.

"Stop shaking your head, Paul."

Paul froze from his position with his mouth open and the contents of apple pieces, wondering how Benji knew.

Ella grinned and continued to paint her nails.

It was going to be a long ride.

------

Benji sighed as he flipped through the magazine he was reading. Ella sat next to him on the couch and rested her chin onto his shoulder.

"What's wrong, babe?"

He glanced over and showed her the page he was on. He watched, as her eyes grew big as she digested what she was seeing.

"Yeah, my reaction exactly."

"The articles not so bad and the pictures are okay."

Benji shook his head. His own mother didn't know whom he was dating, but she probably knew now. The magazine had 'exclusive details of Ella Johnson's new love relationship.' There was an article of how they had 'met' and if they would even last because they were different, but what had really pissed Benji off was the picture they had took. A picture was worth a thousand words and this obliviously showed how much they cared for each other. It was a private, intimate, candid shot, where Benji was leaning his forehead against Ella's and they were just staring into each other's souls.

"Gosh, why do people have to be so nosy?"

She chuckled. "It's normal to be nosy."

Benji snorted. "What's normal anyways?"

------

"Yes, they will be in California by Tuesday. So get your camera and the girl ready, understood?"

"Yeah, are you sure about this?"

"Look, I'm paying you to do this, if you don't want too, I can gladly get someone else to do it."

"Okay. Tuesday."

"Tuesday." Carmen hung up her phone and smirked.

They wouldn't know what hit them.