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"A little jumpy, eh? Jen, calm down! You will be fine!" Colleen said. Each of her friends surveyed her pile of luggage. "Geez! You would think you are moving away! Is there anything you AREN'T taking?" Colleen asked, ready to laugh. "Honestly! I wanna know!" she added when Jenny glared at her. They all laughed again.
"Well, I WILL be gone all summer, so of course I'm taking all of my clothes! Other than that, I just packed my CDs, my portable discman, my stereo, too, and a few books and movies. I figure there should be plenty on their bus to keep me busy," Jenny admitted.
"If you ever get the courage to ask to use it!" Holly laughed.
"That's only if she ever gets the courage to even come out of her bunk!" Laura added. Jenny made a face at them and went back to looking down her street to see if the bus was in sight. When she saw it, immediate fear rushed through her. Now, Jenny, you can do this. Don't be scared. And don't act scared, she told herself. Her friends crowded around her.
"There it is! See it down there?" Alicia asked. Jenny just inhaled slowly and nodded. If I say anything I will probably break down in tears or try to run. She took another deep breath. As the bus stopped, Jenny held her breath, waiting for something unexpected to happen. It didn't, though. The Boys piled out of the bus and lined up, smiling at her. She noticed that the tall black haired one was wiping his palms on his pants to get the sweat off of them. Are they as nervous as I am?
They all just sort of stared as each other, waiting for someone else to start talking. Jenny was determined to not be the one to break the silence. If they decided they didn't want to do this and wanted to leave without her, she wasn't going to do anything to convince them otherwise.
Rachael looked in Jenny's direction and noticed her expression. It appeared normal and serene enough, but then Rachael looked closer. Her eyes were hard and stubborn looking, and her hands were placed behind her back as if she was comfortable to just stand there and be quiet. I won't let her get away with this! I know what she's up to! She wants them to think she is boring so they won't want to spend a summer with her! I'll fix that, though! Rachael scooted her way over to Jenny's side and gave her a sharp pinch between her shoulder blades.
"OUCH!" Jenny shrieked as she jumped forward, practically running into Nick. For the second time in their lives, Nick and Jenny blushed at each other. She looked down, trying to control her temper and find a way to get Rachael back at the same time. It wasn't working, though. The more she thought about Rachael, the angrier she became. I can't get angry right now. I will have to think about Rachael later. And I guess I will have to apologize to..um..um...what's-his-face again. She sighed before looking back up at Nick.
He was still blushing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to 'bump' into you. Please forgive me," she said in a near whisper. He couldn't hear her, and quietly told her so. "I said, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you. Please forgive me,'" she replied, this time practically shouting while stressing the word "bump". Nick blushed again. She threw her arms up in exasperation. "I give up!"
As she turned, planning on heading for her door, Nick grabbed her arm. Her head snapped back to look at him. He saw terror in her eyes and wondered why. He didn't think it would be good to ask her about it, though. "Um, I'm sorry? And I forgive you, too....?" Nick drawled out. It was apparent he didn't know what he was doing, and the rest of the Boys were ready to laugh.
Rachael smiled with satisfaction. If for nothing else, the guys will take her along so that they can laugh at Nick more!
"Well, are we going to head out or what? We should be on our way," Brian said. Holly laughed. They all looked at her, wondering what caused her outburst.
"You will have to get all her luggage before you go anywhere. And considering that, you won't be on your way any time really soon!" Holly said, ready to crack up. The Boys all looked to the pile of bags and the suitcase. Howie stepped forward and patted Nick's shoulder.
"Well, Nicky, since you two get along so well, why don't YOU get it all?" Howie suggested, smiling nastily. Nick turned pale and then red. He wanted to get Howie back for that so badly, but knew he shouldn't in front of all the girls. Exhaling slowly with his eyes closed, Nick decided he could get Howie back at the next hotel. Every time they stayed at a hotel, Howie made it a point to stop by the hotel's sauna. Howie loved saunas, and would undoubtedly go in one the next chance he got. Of course, the next time Howie comes out of a sauna, he would be welcomed with a surprise. Nick smiled at that thought.
Howie wondered what had Nick smiling. He thought maybe it had something to do with Jenny, but when he looked in her direction, he could tell she didn't understand Nick's grin, either. He shrugged, assuming Nick was smiling in anticipation of going back into the bus and finishing the comic book he had been reading.
Nick walked over to the bags and began lifting them. AJ felt useless and decided to help Nick out. "Here. I'll give you a hand, Nick."
"Thanks, AJ."
Jenny watched them gather her belongings. She noticed both of them were now smiling. Why are they both smiling, now? I mean, it's weird enough that the blond one is smiling, but the one with the hat's smile worries me.
AJ looked up just in time to see Jenny glancing wearily at him. Guessing it was his smile that had her worried, he decided to change his path that took him back to the bus a little so that it would pass her. As his shoulder brushed against hers, in a joking voice, he whispered so only she could hear: "I'll give YOU more than a hand!"
Without realizing that he was joking and without thinking first, Jenny slapped AJ hard across the mouth. He yelped in pain, reached up to rub his jaw, and gave her a grin she certainly wasn't expecting. She's feisty, he thought. I like it!
Jenny just stared at him as if he had gone insane. By then, the rest of the Boys were standing around her, letting their confusion show on their faces. They weren't sure if it was AJ or Jenny that was to blame. AJ seemed the easier target, though.
"Whadju do to her, AJ!?" Howie wondered aloud. The other guys, as well as Jenny's friends, snickered. Jenny blushed and pushed her way to her friends' sides. Trying to hide her embarrassment, and not knowing that her face was already beet red, she gave each of her friends a hug without speaking. Slowly, she walked over to the bus and climbed up the steps.
I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought. Jenny never even looked back at her friends. She knew that if she did, she would either starting crying or run back out of the bus without a second thought.
Finding a very out-of-the-way spot on the bus, she sat quietly, waiting for the Boys to finish loading. When everyone was seated, she refused to talk to them, and certainly wouldn't spare any of them a glance. It was apparent to her that they didn't particularly want to talk to her either when the silence continued for several minutes.
Well, she thought, we are getting pretty far, now, aren't we? I doubt they will even talk to me once during the whole tour. Just a little bit ago, that would have made her smile. Now, however, Jenny wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh over the thought, or cry.
Broken Promises