Hey, thanks once again for all comments and reviews. Kind of a transition chapter, but working some important plot elements, I promise.

Disclaimer: Still not all my characters

Chapter 10: Out of sync

Nick wished Kevin still carried around his thesaurus. He wished that anyone at the table carried a thesaurus with them so he could pull it out and find the exact word that would describe their lunch table. "Tense" was simply not word enough for the situation.

Macy was going out with Alex. Apparently only as friends.

He was going out with Amanda. Really just as a way to distract both himself and Macy.

Kevin was miserable.

Stella and Joe still hadn't said a word to each other all week.

Sam... Well, Sam had seemed sad all morning, and Nick was still debating within himself whether he could get involved and try to cheer her up without falling even more for her and therefore further bruising his heart. Though, in his defence, where was her "babe" to cheer her up now?

"I'm gonna... baseball," Macy said as she gathered her things and left the table.

She had been gone less than a minute before Kevin rose from his seat as well.

"Where are you going, bro?"

"Watch from afar," he sighed, leaving the group with his feet dragging and his shoulders drooping.

"Poor Kevin," Stella said as she watched him leave.

"Poor Kevin?" Joe asked. "He's the one who broke up with her. Poor Macy."

"How can you say that? He's obviously completely torn up about it."

"That's his own fault. It's not like Macy's any better."

Nick and Sam exchanged a worried look.

"How can you not be worried about Kevin? He's your brother."

"And I thought she was your best friend. Or did she do or say something that has gotten you to ignore her as well?"

"No, because unlike some people, Macy doesn't run around in circles thinking she can just turn me on and off like a switch."

"Well maybe that's because you don't do the same thing to her. Ready to take a chance one day and then ignoring everything else the next."

"Maybe that's because that wasn't a decision I would make but a decision me and Macy would have to make together."

"Maybe Macy would just play along and say that she agreed with the decision because she didn't want to put herself out there and have you disagree with her and shoot her down."

"Well maybe I wouldn't have."

"Ugh!" Joe yelled, both he and Stella ignoring the many eyes that were now watching their very public fight. "You're impossible."

"You're impossible. I don't know how I've put up with you all these years."

"Well I don't know why I've put up with you all these years."

"Well maybe you won't have to anymore."

"Maybe you won't have to anymore."

They stared at each other silently for a few moments before both of them grabbed their separate bags and headed toward opposite ends of the school.

"Maybe it's their sanities you should have been helping with," Nick whispered to Sam as he waited for his fellow students to disperse from the free show they had just been given.

She offered him a small smile.

"Come on," Nick nudged her in the side. "That was kind of funny, which means really funny for me."

Sam widened her smile to show a few teeth.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You're sure?"

"I'm just worried about Macy and Kevin, I guess."

Nick nodded, not believing her for a moment, but as he was quickly running out of people to eat lunch with, he wasn't going to press the issue.

*J*B*J*B*J*B*

Joe threw another book into his locker, relishing in the loud bang it made as it crashed into the metal.

They were all being ridiculous, he'd decided. Macy and Kevin for trying to be apart. Stella for denying she had feelings for him. Nick for holding in his feelings for Sam. And Sam for having a boyfriend already. All of them were just being ridiculous and he didn't see why he had to be subjected to it.

He threw another book in, happy that it was hardcover and would make that much more noise.

"What did geometry ever do to you?"

Joe rolled his eyes. He didn't even want to have to start listing all the ways in which Brooke was ridiculous.

"What did I ever do to you?" she asked with a pout.

"Are you really asking me that question?"

Brooke sighed and batted her eyes. "I'm sorry. You're right. I guess that whole bet thing with Macy was kind of extreme."

"Kind of?"

"Well she agreed to it as well."

"She agreed because— You know what? I'm not having this argument with you. I had nothing to do with that bet and I have enough ridiculous things in my life without that being added to the list."

"You mean Stella."

"I don't call Stella a thing."

Brooked offered him a sympathetic smile. "Because she would hurt you?"

"I'm not afraid of Stella."

Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"Much," he finished.

"Well, I have to say that I thought you were making progress as well. I mean, I tried to help by flaring up her jealousy when I kissed you, but really, she just doesn't seem to want to get it."

"Yeah, a lot of help you were."

"Maybe she really isn't into you. I mean, after all, she's never really said no to Van Dyke, has she? Maybe she really does like him and just doesn't know how to tell you because she doesn't want to hurt your feelings."

"What do you want, Brooke?"

"I'm just trying to help."

"Yourself," Joe finished for her. "I don't have time to worry about what you're up to right now."

"Okay," Brooked shrugged. "I'll see you at rehearsals."

She fluttered her hand at him and skipped down the hall.

Another person to add to his list of ridiculous, Joe thought to himself with a shake of the head.

*J*B*J*B*J*B*

"Hey, Nick."

Nick smiled up at Amanda as she sat next to him.

"What are you up to?"

Nick took a quick glance at the pad of paper next to him and the guitar in his hands. Was she serious?

"Just writing."

"Homework?"

"A song."

"Wow. That's awesome. I love songs."

"I know. You told me yesterday when we met."

"Yep. Is this for the musical?"

"No. All those songs are with Penny now. This is just a song I had in my head that I'm trying to get out."

"That's fun."

Nick raised an eyebrow. The girl obviously wasn't a songwriter if she a) didn't understand that "trying to get out" wasn't something synonymous with fun and b) wouldn't leave him alone so he could do it.

"So we're going out," she told him.

"We're going to go on a date tomorrow," he agreed, choosing his words carefully.

"That'll be fun."

"It'll be something."

Amanda smiled and nodded her head. She moved her gaze around them, her hands playing together in her lap.

"I really liked your shirt yesterday."

Nick wondered how long this was going to go on.

"Thanks."

Awkward silence.

"Did you like it?"

"What?"

"Your shirt."

"Yeah. I liked it a month ago when I bought it, and I liked it yesterday morning when I picked it out of the closet."

"We have a lot in common."

Oh for the love of all that is Mike. She had to be kidding him. He'd been sceptical yesterday when Macy had introduced them and seemed to guide the conversation from then on, but unless he was making her nervous for some reason that escaped him, he couldn't see how this could possibly work out.

"And Macy really looks like she wants us to get along."

And there it was. Macy. Nick couldn't get the image of poor Macy almost crying out of his thoughts. Never mind distracting himself from Sam and her "babe", he couldn't see himself cancelling his date with Amanda just in the hopes that going through with it might make the small girl smile. So what if Amanda was proving not to be the smartest girl in the world? Nick lived with Kevin; he knew how to work around these things.

"Right?"

"Yeah," Nick finally agreed, hoping that she hadn't just asked him something completely preposterous.

"Um, so I'm—"

"Have to go," Nick finished. From the confused look on her face he was pretty sure that wasn't what the girl was about to say, but if he had to be alone with her for a good part of the next evening, he'd have to save all his empty conversation for then. "I understand. I'll stay here and try to finish this song."

"Okay," she answered slowly, getting up from her seat on the bench next to him. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Yep," he agreed.

He let out a relieved breath when she was finally gone. Macy, he reminded himself; he was doing this for his friend Macy.

*J*B*J*B*J*B*

Kevin took a deep breath as he stared at the door.

Waiting wouldn't change anything. He knew that. Stalling would only give the anxiety he felt time to grow. Escaping would only get him in trouble with his mother. He'd already tried to convince his brothers that they should volunteer to do this for him, and they had all three refused, probably plotting together to put him in this sticky situation in the first place.

He deserved it, he supposed.

Finally, Kevin could wait no longer and walked into the store, praying that Macy wouldn't be behind the counter.

"Hello, Kevin."

He let out a sigh of relief.

"Hi, Mrs. Misa. How are you today?"

"I'm well. How are you?"

"Good. Mom wanted me to bring these clothes down."

"That's wonderful. Did you let Macy go through them first? You know that when you boys bring us some clothes she usually goes through it first and buys a few pieces she likes."

Kevin's jaw drop and he could feel all the blood rush from his face. "You mean, you don't know that—"

"Oh, you two are still on the outs. Well, I wouldn't worry if I were you. You and Macy will work it out. I've seen the two of you together. I'm sure you'll be all right."

"I don't think your husband would agree with you," Kevin told her as he dropped the bag of clothes on the counter.

"Oh, him. He's just angry because he isn't the most important man in his baby's life."

"No, he's angry because Macy isn't living her life because of me, and she won't be when we're apart."

Macy's mother frowned at Kevin, rummaging through the clothes as they talked. "What do you mean? Macy has a life."

"She made her friends reschedule her birthday party once because we were on television that night."

Mrs. Misa laughed. "Yeah, but that was old Macy. Haven't you noticed the difference in her? She's changed so much since she went from being a fan to being a friend and girlfriend. I mean, she even refused those backstage passes, remember?"

Kevin stopped for a moment, then did remember the shock he'd felt when Macy had refused to accept backstage passes to one of their biggest shows of the year because it was her grandmother's birthday.

"I guess."

"My daughter still loves you and your brothers, but she's no longer the crazy fan. She's grown up. She goes out when you are away for a concert or visiting family. She doesn't sit around at home waiting for you to call, Kevin. She has friends and her sports. She's going to be sad when you're apart, but she isn't going to stay in her room crying all the time."

"But Mr. Misa said—"

"Mr. Misa also thinks that Macy is still five and bought her a doll for her last birthday. He's a daddy with a baby girl. He means well, but let's face it, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

"So you don't think that—" Kevin stopped and turned at the sound of the bell over the door of the store. He frowned when he saw Alex walk in.

"Hey, Kevin," Alex slowly said. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"Just dropping off some clothes." Kevin waved at the clothes on the counter between himself and Mrs. Misa.

"Cool. Is Macy here?"

"She's helping Stella with some clothes for the play," Mrs. Misa answered.

"Oh, um... I guess I'll just talk to her later then."

Alex left quickly with a wave and an awkward trip over the doorframe. Kevin watched him go.

"I think I'll just—"

"Go remind him that you love Macy and that my daughter loves you? I think that's a good idea," Mrs. Misa said with a smile and a hand that waved Kevin away.

He leaned over the counter and landed a quick kiss on her cheek before rushing out of the store.

He simply wanted to chat with Alex, he told himself. Just remind the guy that even if he and Macy weren't together, it didn't mean he wouldn't be willing to fight for her if necessary. He was interrupted by the sounds of voices around the corner, however.

"Was she there?"

"No, but Kevin was."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Kevin heard Alex answer in a worried voice.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. After all, you only need her for one night, right?"

"I don't know about this."

"Alex, she stood you up and then she ignored you."

"She apologized for standing me up, and she was busy with Kevin. I mean, Macy's always been nice to me."

"She ignored you. It's just a little revenge. It won't hurt."

There was a moment of silence.

"Okay," Alex finally answered with a sigh.

"Okay. Tomorrow."

Kevin waited around the corner until he was sure they had both left. He hadn't needed to look to see who it was Alex was talking to, and though he wasn't sure what exactly their plan was, he knew he wasn't going to let them do anything that might hurt Macy.