Daydream Believer

Author's Note: This story is complete AU and a bit out of character (especially with Nick's character but I'm trying to make him seem like the nice and polite boy that he is but also with a 3-dimensional feel). In this story, Joe, Kevin, and Stella are not going to play a big role. In fact, they might show up very sparingly. And as much as I love that the JONAS and JONAS LA showed that the three boys were really close, I think it would have been nice to have seen them with their own group of friends. Thus in this story, DZ and Randolph are Nick's two best friends. This is definitely something different. But I think it really works with what I have planned with this story. So continue on. And enjoy the first installment of "Daydream Believer" (yes, it's named after The Monkees' song).

Chapter 1: Cheer up, Weepy Nick

"Come on, dude, you just look pathetic," DZ exclaimed as he tried his best to drag his best friend out of bed. "Stop being such a baby!"

"Hey, man, don't be so rude to him," Randolph butted in. He was always the more sensitive and understanding one. "He just got out of a break up."

"A break up?" DZ scoffed. "You mean he got dumped BIG TIME."

"DZ!" Randolph said sternly as he looked at him in shock because he couldn't believe how tactless his friend could be.

"I mean that's what it is. Am I right? You got dumped and if I were you I wouldn't be laying there pouting and moaning like a baby," the blonde haired fellow exclaimed as he addressed his curly haired friend who was definitely in a sad and pitiful state. "NICK! Stop acting so pathetic!"

"Just leave me alone," the Lucas boy grumbled as he wrapped his sheets even tighter around his body. "I don't think I can go to school today."

"Are you crazy?" Randolph said loudly, now forgetting to use his own tact. "Nick, you can't skip the first day of senior year and ruin your perfect attendance!"

"I don't care…"

After hearing his response and realizing that their best friend wasn't going to make the right decision on his own, Randolph and DZ looked at each other and shared a knowing look and pulled Nick out of bed.

"YOU GUYS I SAID –

"We heard what you said," DZ interrupted him. "But you're not thinking straight. Do you want Penny to think that she has this power over you? Bro, she cheated on you AGAIN. Doesn't that make you angry? Furious? And she didn't just cheat on you with anybody. She cheated on you with Jimmy, the dumbest kid in our grade. I swear the only reason why he's getting by is because his dad makes such big donations to the school. But still, he's an idiot."

"I know. I know. And I am angry with her," Nick said with a bit of a firm resolve but he knew DZ and Randolph can see right through him. "But, you see—

"OH god please don't tell me you are going to try to win her back!" Randolph butted in with great exasperation.

"But—

"NICK! Have you lost your mind?" DZ said loudly hoping that the loudness of his voice would somehow travel through Nick's head where everything should hopefully start to make sense. "Why on earth are you going to try and win back that lying, cheating whore!"

"Hey! Don't call her that!"

"Unbelieavable!" DZ replied. "You're still siding with her."

"Nick, you're talking nonsense," Randolph, the sympathetic one out of the two, said in a much calming voice than his tall blonde-haired friend. "Look what you need now is to forget about her. She moved on and now you should too. You took her back too many times before. Remember all those drunken hook-ups she had last summer? And every time you took her back, she promised she would change. But did she? No! So you need to break away from this spell that she has you under."

"But, Randy, she was mine for two years," Nick lamented as he did his best to choke back tears. Even when he felt like his heart was breaking inside of him, Nick made sure to never shed a tear in front of anyone. It was part of his whole illusion that Nick Lucas never cried and he was going to keep it that way even in front of his two best friends.

"Yes, I know. But were you really happy during those two years?"

"Yes," Nick said meekly.

"YOU WERE MISERABLE!" DZ answered for him as he overpowered his response. "You're acting like such a coward, Nick. To be honest, you can do so much better than Penny."

"Are you crazy?" Nick said still clearly struck with lover's ache. "She was perfect. She was beautiful, smart, funny, and –

"A sneaky CHEATER!" DZ finished for him but before he could tell Nick that he was losing his mind again, Mrs. Lucas interrupted their conversation by telling them that they should leave soon if they did not want to be late for school.

Thus, the ride to Horace Mantis Academy was basically DZ and Randolph continuing their attempt to convince Nick that trying to win Penny back was the absolute worse possible thing to do. The Lucas boy, however, was still unconvinced with their arguments even when they reached the main hallway of their school. Because Nick was still lamenting, he didn't notice the attention he was garnering from the female population.

"Hey, Nick, if you need anyone to talk to you can call me," said a pretty girl, who Nick vaguely knew. Of course, Nick just smiled and politely took the piece of paper with her number, which he knew he would never call.

"But how can I ignore her? She's going to be in all my classes!" Nick said to DZ and Randolph as he once again had to smile politely at another girl who managed to give him her number with the customary 'I'm sorry about the break-up' greeting. "It's impossible, you guys. I can't just forget her and move on."

By the time he reached his locker, he had over twenty numbers each of which Nick could possibly care less about because he was still completely heartbroken.

"Did you just see what happened?" Randolph asked him in amazement.

"What? That news travel fast? I can't believe so many people already know about the break-up especially since it just happened last night!" Nick said unbelievingly. This was worse than he thought.

"No, you idiot! Not that!" DZ chimed in with his once again tactless demeanor. "Look at how many phone numbers you got. Nick, don't you see what a babe-magnet you are? I mean to be frank ever since JONAS broke up and your brothers graduated, I thought you'd be done. But you having staying power."

"You're crazy."

"No, he's right," Randy agreed which made Nick consider what DZ was saying because he actually valued Randolph's opinion at times like this.

"Yeah, I mean if I was a girl I would totally think you were hot," DZ revealed.

"Dude, that's such a weird thing to say," Nick said as he tried to erase the image of DZ dressed up like a girl.

"What? It's nothing to be ashamed of! What's wrong with a guy complimenting his friend about his good looks," he remarked. "I'm trying to make you feel good. If I were you, just call one of these girls and hook up with her…Haha! It's about time you loose your V-card."

"DZ! You're so disgusting," Nick shook his head because it's during times like these, that Nick questioned why he hung out with DZ so much.

"Well, if you want to make Penny jealous then show her that you moved on."

Nick gave him a stern look.

"I'm not going to have sex with a random girl," he said adamantly. "I told you this so many times before. I'm waiting for the right girl to do that with. Unlike you, I want to do it when I'm really ready."

"Which brings in an interesting point," Randolph piped in. "The fact that you and Penny never took it to that level means that she wasn't the right girl for you after all."

"But she was the right girl," Nick said. "It just wasn't the right time. I mean I was hoping by the end of this summer that we would reach that level but then I had my final tour with my brothers and I guess that took a toll in our relationship since I was gone for too long."

"Nick, you can't blame yourself," Randolph said.

"Yeah, dude, you didn't make her cheat," DZ pointed out. "You need to move on. Just forget about her."

"It's so easy for you guys to say that because you've never been in a serious relationship," Nick argued. "You've never experienced love like I have."

Both DZ and Randolph rolled their eyes because just like Joe warned them, Nick was once again off into his own love-crazed land. Every time Nick Lucas falls for a girl, he falls hard and the only way to bring him back to reality was to literally knock some sense back into him, which was why DZ took it upon himself to hit Nick in the back of his neck.

"OW!"

"You needed that," Randolph answered for him.

"AHA! I GOT IT!" DZ said at last after he was thinking up ways for Nick to snap out of his pitiful stupor.

"What?" Nick and Randolph said simultaneously.

"You need to move on," DZ announced loudly.

"I think we established that already," Nick said now confused.

"No, what I am saying is that you need to show Penny that you are also interested in other girls," DZ continued. "You need to date someone else and show Penny that you don't need her to make you happy."

"But I want her back—

"Okay, we know you want her back," he answered. "But if you just take her back like before, you know she's just going to do the same thing and cheat on you all over you again. You don't want that, now do you?"

"Of course not!"

"Where are you going with this, DZ?" Randolph asked him impatiently because like Nick he was getting annoyed that DZ wasn't making himself clear.

"I'm just saying that Nick should teach Penny a lesson for a change."

"A lesson?" Nick repeated even more confused.

"Yeah! Show Penny that there are other girls that want you. For crissakes, Nick, you're a popstar. You can have any girl you want in this goddamn school. Without you, Penny is nothing," DZ explained. "What you need to do is show her that you moved on and that you are happy too. Just because she has a new boyfriend, doesn't mean you can't have a new girl."

"So you are saying I should make her jealous by seeing someone else?"

"EXACTLY!" DZ said finally glad that he understood what he was talking about. "What better way to show Penny that you moved on by dating someone new."

"You know that's actually a good idea," Randolph piped in.

"You think so?" Nick asked him in surprise because he never really considered DZ's outlandish idea's unless Randolph showed any agreement. Out of the three of them, DZ was the "loose screw".

"Yeah! See! Randy agrees with me," DZ said now even more excited that he gained a supporter. "The only problem now is that we just need to find a girl."

"But I really don't want to see anyone right now," Nick said stubbornly. "I mean how can I just move on, after she dumped me for Jimmy. I mean what does that guy have that I don't have. He's not even that good-looking and –

But before his Jimmy-bashing could continue, he spotted Penny and Jimmy walking together. His arm was draped around her shoulder and they seemed to be perfectly happy with each other. Nick could feel his blood boil with anger. How dare she flaunt her new boy toy in front of him like that? Just one look at him, Randolph and DZ knew that Nick Lucas was overcome with jealousy. It didn't help that once Penny entered the hallway, there was a moment of silence as the people who did not hear about the break up gaped at her and Jimmy and then at Nick just to see his reaction. And boy, was he giving them a reaction because Nick was pretty sure he had the biggest scowl on his face. However, the momentary pause immediately changed into loud whispers as everyone began gossiping with whomever was close by and if they were by themselves, they took out their phones and began texting everyone they knew because the latest bit of juicy gossip was that Nick and Penny were indeed broken up.

First period and second period was torture. Girls would give him sympathetic looks and offered to listen and comfort him to help mend his broken heart. The guys were no better because they did not really say much but just pat his shoulder and shake their heads solemnly. With the way his classmates were reacting, it was as if Nick had a terminal illness or something that would get such a reaction from his peers.

Nick could not wait for lunch period because he needed to get away from everyone. He rushed towards his locker to grab his food but as luck would have it DZ was already there waiting for him.

"Everyone's talking man," he informed him. "You need to do some serious damage control because everyone and I mean EVERYONE is saying that you got dumped and are still pining for Penny, while she couldn't care less about you. If only Joe was still here to help you think of something."

"Hey! I don't need Joe's help with this," Nick said pissed off that DZ doesn't give him enough credit for cooking something up.

"Well, I already told you about my stellar plan but you're just as stubborn as always," DZ said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not stubborn. I just don't think—

"Hey Nick? Can I have a word with you?" an all too familiar voice called out to him from behind.

This was the one encounter he was hoping to avoid. Taking a deep breath, he turned around with the fakest smile on his face and said, "Hey Penny."

"Hey…um…can we have a talk? In private?" she said as she gave him the same look like the other girls were giving him earlier that day.

Did he really look like he was dying from heartache?

Clearing his throat just so it wouldn't crack when he spoke, he said, "Sure."

They were in the glass-walled atrium for their "private" talk which wasn't really private because he knew everyone was secretly peering into the small courtyard just to see what may or may not happen.

"Nick, I just want to know if you're okay?" she said in her concerned voice which Nick found to be quite irritating now.

"I'm fine," he answered curtly because even though he was dying to have her back he did not want to give Penny that power over him. That anger that DZ was saying he should be feeling was finally surging into his very being at that moment.

"I just don't want there to be any hard feelings—

"Wow, Penny. Really? You think everything can be so cool between us after you cheated on me with what's-his-face?"

"I'm sorry. It just happened. I didn't intentionally mean to hurt you."

"Well you saw what happened when you cheated on me the first time. What makes you think this time would be different?"

"Nick, just hear me out. You were gone the whole summer. A lot of things changed and—

"You know what? You and Jimmy or Johnny or whatever his name is can have a good time. You don't need to worry about me. I've moved on too."

"You have?"

"Yeah and she is so much better than you. In fact, I want to thank you for cheating on me because now I can clearly see you for who you really are."

Before she could say anything else, Nick grabbed his stuff and left but just before the door to the atrium closed he heard her yell, "Who is she, Nick?"

But he left that question unanswered because he desperately needed to get away from everyone.

DZ and Randolph followed him closely as he headed upstairs to the roof, which is their usual spot to have lunch.

"You alright, dude?" Randolph finally asked him when they settled down.

"You look like you could murder someone," DZ pointed out.

"I'm fine. But Penny really has some nerve to think that everything could be cool between us. Did Jimmy's stupidity rub off on her?" he said angrily. "Anyway, let's do your plan DZ. Let's find me a girl."

"ALRIGHT!" his blonde haired friend exclaimed excitedly.

Thus, the whole lunch break consisted of them making a list of possible girls who Nick can start dating to make Penny jealous.

"How about Abby?" Randolph offered. "She's nice and she's also in the cheer leading squad like Penny."

"No," Nick said quickly. "I don't want to date someone who rolls in the same circle as her."

"Okay, then what about Natalie?" DZ suggested. "She's into music like you. She's a little shy though but I bet she can open up especially to you."

"Natalie? Didn't she transfer out last year?"

"Oh she did? She was always so quiet! I didn't notice," DZ replied as she crossed her off the list. "Okay we are doing this all wrong. We can't just pick some random girl. We need someone that could definitely be seen as a threat to Penny. Someone that could rile her up and make her look like a fool."

"But there's no girl like that at Horace Mantis Academy," Nick pointed out.

"Yeah, if you haven't noticed DZ, Penny's the most popular girl in school. I mean ALL the girls look up to her," Randolph added on.

"But you know how it is with girls," DZ remarked.

"And how do you know that? You never had a steady girlfriend before."

"Hello! I have three older sisters," DZ answered. "I learn a lot from them and let me tell you, girls are definitely scary creatures. You think we are bad when we make fun of other guys? You should hear the things coming out of their mouths. It's just straight out ugly everything they say to badmouth a girl. And that's why I know that there's always a girl who hates another girl. It's a fact."

"But who does Penny hate?" Randolph asked him.

However, before the self-proclaimed Mr. Know-It-All could answer, there was a voice emanating from the stairwell that led up to the roof. This time it was a voice that elicited a loud groan from Nick because he knew that voice all too well. And let's just say the owner of the said voice was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

"NICK OF JONAS? OH NICK OF JONAS!" yelled the spunky voice of none other than the JONAS fan club president and Super Fan, Macy Misa.

And Nick Lucas thought this day could not get any worse.

"Hey Macy," Randolph was the first one to greet her politely.

"Hi Macy," Nick said in a less enthusiastic voice. DZ just gave her a small wave.

But being the clueless and lovestruck fan that she was, she broadened her smile and walked over to Nick and stared at him like he was the sunset in her eyes.

"I hope you're doing okay Nick. But if you ask me, you could do SO much better than her," Macy began talking in her signature chirpy voice at a 100-words-per-minute pace. "I mean how can anyone cheat on you? And what was this? The second time she cheated on you? Ugh. She makes me sick. She really does. She's a disgrace to all girls. Like really! But don't worry by the end of the year you'll definitely move on."

"Thanks Mace but—

"And I was just so upset that you and I aren't in the same class," she continued on without even hearing his interruption. "Remember last year? We were in homeroom and geometry together? I tried to ask Mr. Peterson if I could switch into his class but he said he can't do that. Can you believe it? Anyway, I just had Home Ec. today and we made cookies! I know you love chocolate chip cookies. So I decided to make you sugar-free ones. I thought it might cheer you up. But look at this one! Don't you think it's shaped like Kevin's head? If you don't mind can I keep this one to myself? I have this collection of food shaped like JONAS. I know it sounds weird but the JONAS heads love this stuff. It's a collectible!"

"Um...yeah -er- okay. You can keep Kevin's cookie and –er- thank you, Macy," Nick said hesitantly as he grabbed the bag of uneaten goods from her. "I'm sure it tastes great."

The brunette girl just beamed back at him obviously delighted by his compliment.

"Well, if you need anything or just need someone to hug or talk to just call me," Macy said in big hopes that Nick would actually follow up on her offer.

"Thanks but-um- I'm good," Nick said uneasily because that was the last thing he needed.

"Okay, well I'll see you around then," Macy said a bit disappointed but she didn't mind that much because she was just so happy that Nick Lucas was single again.

"Hey Mace! Can I borrow your biology notes from today?" Randolph asked her.

"Yeah sure," Macy said. "I'll give it to you at the end of the day. Bye guys. Bye Nick."

The curly haired boy gave her a wave goodbye and let out a loud sigh of relief once she was gone.

"Oh boy. I totally forgot about crazy Macy," Nick said. "I can only imagine how much more annoying and stalkerish she could be since Penny is out of the picture."

"Nick, don't say that. She's just a really big fan of yours and you always boast about how much you appreciate your fans," Randolph pointed out.

"That's true but it's the crazy, stalker types that put me on edge," Nick said honestly. "I mean you have to admit Macy takes the crazy obsessed fan to a whole new level."

"Well, I guess so but she's charming in her own way," Randolph admitted shyly.

"CHARMING? Yeaaaah, okaaay," Nick said skeptically. "Why don't you let Macy follow you around the entire day and you'll see how it feels."

Randolph mumbled something that he didn't hear because just at instance, DZ, who was sitting quietly, suddenly said, "You guys I think we found ourselves a winner."

"What?" Nick replied confused but then it struck him and he said, "No you don't mean..."

"Yup, you need to go out with Macy," DZ declared.

"He can't do that!" Randolph protested in great defiance but then tamed his tone down quite a bit and cleared his throat. "AHEM. I mean why does Nick need to go out with Macy? That doesn't seem logical at all."

"Yeah. What gives, man?" the Lucas boy said in agreement because he did not understand DZ's rationale behind his sudden outburst.

"Like we said before. We need to find a girl that Penny can't stand and what better person is there than Macy Misa!" DZ pointed out.

"Are you crazy! I can't go out with Macy," Nick said loudly. "That would just have the opposite effect. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, DZ, you had some crazy ideas in the past but this definitely takes the cake," Randolph chuckled.

"No I'm serious you guys," DZ protested. "Just think about it. Who was the one who beat Penny to become the girl's tennis team captain? MACY. And who was the one chosen as the female class representative? MACY. And who was the one got into NYU early decision? MACY! If you look at it, Macy is beating Penny in all fronts. Except Penny had the one thing she didn't have, which was you. Come on. You gotta admit that it's really obvious how much Penny hates Macy. Remember that smear campaign she ran against her when they were both running for class rep?"

Nick remembered it well. Penny did badmouth Macy a lot and some of the things she called her were really offensive but he didn't mind that much since he wasn't close to Macy Misa. DZ was actually right; girls can really get catty. However, Nick remembered one key factor.

"But DZ, I mean I never paid attention to Macy before. She's not dumb. She's going to think something's fishy if I suddenly ask her out just out of the blue! It's going to be so unbelievable."

"Yeah, I agree. It's going to be so unbelievable," Randy agreed while nodding his head to reinforce his sentiment.

"Don't worry I can come up with something to make it seem believable," DZ said as he got up to pack his stuff. He had a look of determination plastered on his face. "I have some ideas. I'll take care of it."

"WAIT! DZ! I DON'T WANT TO GO OUT WITH MACY!" Nick called out to him but it was hopeless because once DZ was dead-set on his plan, there was no way getting through to him.

"He really did lose his mind this time," Randolph said as they now stared at the distant figure of their good friend.

"Randy, tell me why are we friends with him again?"

"I really don't know anymore."

The rest of the day did not get better. Girls would constantly give Nick pitiful looks and the guys were being extra nice and telling him to not "take it too hard". People thought things were going to get heated when Jimmy accidentally bumped into him in the hallway. But just like the rest of the guys, Jimmy was extra polite and apologized to him profusely, which Nick hated even more because he rather have Jimmy be a complete douche than be a nice guy. It would have been so much easier for him to get over the fact that Penny cheated on him if he knew that Penny ended up with a complete jerk. It would have proved that Penny did indeed have lower standards. But his encounter with Jimmy proved otherwise. It frustrated him completely.

Nick wasn't a violent guy but at the end of the day he had a strong urge to throw a desk out of the window. His first day back at Horace Mantic Academy felt like a nightmare. How he wished he could already be in college like his brothers and start anew.

At least DZ seemed to be enjoying things because both Nick and Randolph got an urgent text to meet him at locker 412 at the end of the day. It said urgent with seven exclamation points. So they both knew it could mean something really cool, exciting, or in rare cases something serious.

"What is it?" Nick said when he saw DZ leaning against the appointed locker.

"I solved your problem with this," he replied while waving a piece of paper in his hand.

"And what is that?" Randolph asked him perplexed.

"A letter that you just need to give Macy to explain your sudden change of heart. I thought it all by myself. It's like I just became inspired and viola! Behold, the letter you need to give to Macy explaining why you want to go out with her," he answered quite proud of himself because he truly believed he solved Nick's problem. "No need to thank me. A bro gotta do what a bro gotta do to help a brotha out, right?"

"What?" Nick said because he had no plans of thanking him for this. None at all. That was the last thing he wanted to say to DZ. This plan had disaster written all over it.

"All you need to do is slip this letter in her locker right here and my plan will hatch into action!"

"But that's the thing DZ! I don't want your plan to 'hatch' into action because its COMPLETELY IDIOTIC!"

"Wow. That was harsh. Ouch," DZ said pretending to feel the pain in his chest.

"Come on, DZ. Stop it," Randolph intervene as he tried to get the letter, which was halfway into the vent slit of Macy's locker door.

"Believe me. This will help you Nick!" DZ said as he tried to back them off but the two of them tried to grab it away from him.

However just at that moment, the three boys were caught off guard because from across the hallway they heard Macy yell, "OH HEY RANDOLPH! I HAVE THE BIOLOGY NOTES YOU NEEDED!"

This was definitely an awkward situation. Randolph was the first one to turn around to greet her.

Nick also tried to play it off and pretend he was just chatting with his buddies but he caught the look in DZ's face.

"What is it?" Nick whispered to him nervously while Randolph did his best to distract Macy so that they could sneak away.

"Oh crap…" was all DZ needed to say because Nick saw that he was no longer holding the love letter in his hand.

This was not good...not good at all.

Closing Remarks:

Oh I could feel the drama brewing! This is the story that I mentioned in my profile before that will be a cross between the two movies "She's All That" and "Flipped". I'm really excited to start this story because it is one of my oldest story ideas that I have. I hope you support my decision in making DZ and Randolph Nick's best friends because to be honest, I cannot imagine Joe or Kevin devising a plan for Nick that calls for fake-dating Macy to make Penny jealous. (This is similar to Great Pretenders except Macy doesn't know about the plan. So it's like 1/2 of Great Pretenders! LOL.) Also, I think it will be cool to write about Nick interacting with people other than his brothers. So this story will be some sort of challenge for me to write because I hope to expand DZ's and Randolph's character. As you can already see, Randolph in this story is not the same clumsy Randolph in my other stories. And DZ is the outspoken one out of the three. Since he didn't really have much of a story line in JONAS LA, I hope to mold DZ into the character that the JONAS writers were developing. Also, this story can exist without the JONAS backdrop but I still love the NACY pairing so much I decided to use it here.

I know this chapter doesn't have much Macy in it. But don't worry you'll see more of her later. This chapter was more of a Nick chapter. It was interesting writing a chapter full of guys' dialogue. Hopefully, I made it sound believable! LOL. Anyway please review! I know I started 'Believe Me' but I felt like it was too soon to write a third installment of the 'Remember Me' series. So this will be the story I will be working on now. I hope you like where it's going. EXPECT DRAMA!

PLEASE REVIEW! I hope there are still Nacy fans out there!

REVIEW! THANKS!

-Penelope36 :-)