Chapter 11 Brotherly Love

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Mr. Lucas yelled at them but he directed more of his attention to his son rather than to the brunette girl who was staring at her lap as both of Nick's parents lectured them. Well, it was actually Nick's dad who was doing most of the talking while his mother sat opposite them with tears in her eyes and she kept repeating the phrase, "You're too young to be doing this."

"Dad, I know why you're upset and I understand it was dumb of us—

"DUMB? This is way past dumb. This is an abomination!" his dad yelled at him as he paced back and forth in front of them. "Do you know what the consequences of doing that sort of thing are?"

"I know—

"Of course you don't know because if you knew you wouldn't be having sex in the first place!" his dad continued lecturing them without listening to what any of them had to say. "Tell me, Nick, since you seem to be so smart. What would you have done if you got Macy pregnant?"

"Well, I mean I'd of course stick with her and help her if she-um- ever became that. But we're both really careful…I mean we use protection all the time…"

"Oh you use protection! So that means everything is fine and dandy. Well, nothing is full-proof mister! The only sure way to prevent pregnancy is abstinence," his father continued yelling. "You could ruin your life and more importantly Macy's life if that ever happened. And for what? So you can fool around for one night! Is that why you brought her along?"

"N-no! It's just…" Nick hesitated because he looked at Macy who was still staring at a solitary spot on the floor. She was really quiet and he really couldn't blame her. This was her second time getting lectured about having sex with him. He knew Macy still wasn't comfortable bringing up what happened in Martinsburg so he covered the truth with another truth. And that's why he said, "I wanted Macy to come on tour with me because I can't stand being away from her. I love her."

Nick took her hand in his when he said this.

"You love her. Isn't that sweet, right Sandy?" Mr. Lucas said sarcastically as he looked at his wife who was now dabbing her eyes with a tissue but all she could say was "My baby is growing up too fast."

"Macy," Mr. Lucas finally addressed the brunette girl in a much milder tone than the one he reserved for his 'irresponsible' son. "Do you understand why I'm so hard on both of you?"

"Y-yes…I do," Macy said when she finally looked up at him. "But Nick and I are really careful. He never pressured me into doing anything I didn't want to do. And I'm really sorry about all of this."

"No, don't apologize," his father said. "I was once young and in love just like you guys but you have to understand the seriousness of your actions. You can't just do that sort of thing especially in a place like this. Sex should be reserve when you both are ready to accept the consequences of such an act. It shouldn't be based on lust. It's an act of love."

"But Nick and I love each other," Macy said as she squeezed Nick's hand even tighter.

"I know you guys do," Mr. Lucas said as he looked at both of them. "And I also know that this talk won't stop you from ever doing that again. But you are both seventeen. You're too young to be worrying about the risks of unwanted pregnancies. And I hate to see you guys ruin your lives for something you're not ready for. And I'm not concerned about what it may do to the band. I'm more concerned about how it's going to affect the rest of your lives."

"I know," both Nick and Macy said.

"I really don't know what a worthy punishment should be for you guys," Mr. Lucas said. "But all I'm going to say is you two better not do this sort of thing in here again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," they said simultaneously.

"Good," he said and then he turned to his wife and said, "Sandy, would you mind taking, Macy? I want to talk to Nick alone."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bus, there was a lot of hushed movement going on.

"Move over! I can't hear!" Joe yelled to Kevin who was hogging up the whole door to the living room as he pressed his ear against it.

"SHHH! You're so loud!" Kevin hissed back as he continued to eavesdrop on the conversation in the next room. This was definitely a rare occasion because ever since he was born, Nick Lucas hardly got in trouble. He was the golden son after all. So to hear both their mom and dad lecturing him and Macy as well, was definitely something worth listening to.

"What are you guys doing?" Frankie asked them once he woke up and noticed his two older brothers leaning against the door that led into the living room.

"Nick is getting in so much trouble!" Joe said excitedly as he was able to find a free spot on the door to put his ear against.

"What did he do?" the young boy pestered more as he tried to join them but there was no place for him to eavesdrop.

"He slept with Macy last night," Kevin said without using any discretion whatsoever.

"KEVIN! You're not suppose to tell Frankie that!" Joe argued as he hesitantly looked at his younger brother, who seemed very confused with his statement.

"Huh? What's so wrong with that?" the littlest Lucas boy asked them innocently. "I slept with Macy yesterday."

"WHAAAAAAT?" both Kevin and Joe exclaimed with horror in their eyes. What was Frankie saying?

"Yeah. Macy and I slept together on the couch after our field trip to the aquarium," he answered matter-of-factly. "We were so tired. But I didn't get in trouble for napping with her. Well, Nick didn't seem too happy about it but mom and dad didn't scold me."

Both Joe and Kevin breathed out a sigh of relief before laughing out loud because of course that was what Frankie meant.

"You see, bro…um…how should I put this," Joe hesitated as he tried to think of something to downplay what Nick and Macy really did. "Nick and Macy did more than sleep…"

"Huh?"

"Kevin, you take care of this. You're the one with the big mouth," Joe said as he continued to listen in on his parents lecturing his brother and his girlfriend.

"You see, when a boy and a girl love each other, they do things that—

"KEVIN! Don't tell him that! You're the last person who should be giving him the talk," Joe retorted. "Look, Frankie, a boy and girl at Nick and Macy's age shouldn't be found sleeping next to each other because…um…it's not appropriate anymore."

"Why isn't it appropriate? I mean if they're both tired, I don't see what's wrong with them sleeping with each other," Frankie questioned him even further.

The curiosity of the young boy never ceased to amaze Joe but it was during times like these when he wished Frankie would just let the matter go. However, he saw the inquisitive stare of the young boy and he knew that Frankie wouldn't stop bothering him until he received an adequate response.

"Because if they do sleep together, they can get cooties and you know that everyone hates getting cooties!" Joe finally said hoping that this was enough to keep him quiet.

But Frankie gave him a look that clearly meant that he knew what he was telling him was complete crap.

"If you're not going to tell me, I'm going to ask mom!"

"Fine, go ahead. But she's not going to tell you," Kevin butted in. "And keep it down. I think they're about to wrap it up."

So Joe resumed his position against the door but all he heard was their father yelling, "And don't think I'm letting you off that easily, mister! If you continue doing this irresponsible behavior don't think I won't hesitate to cut this tour off early."

And with that, both Kevin and Joe heard movement and immediately they headed back to their bunks pretending to read a book or go online. When Nick appeared, they both tried to play it cool and so Joe said very casually, "So what was that about? I never heard dad that mad before."

"You mean you guys didn't overhear anything?" Nick said quite surprised because he knew his brothers were always up in his business.

"Nope, we were just laying around here minding our own business," Kevin lied in a sing-song voice.

"What does it mean when Kevin said you slept with Macy?" Frankie asked him boldly.

"Didn't eavesdrop, eh?" Nick said waspishly as he narrowed his eyes at both Kevin and Joe.

"Well?"

"It's nothing Frankie. You're too young for that," Nick said sternly.

"I'M NOT TOO YOUNG! I've been told that I'm wise beyond my years," Frankie retorted.

"You won't understand," Nick replied as he tried his best to maintain his patience because the last thing he wanted was to be pestered endlessly by his annoying little brother.

"BUT—

"FRANKIE, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE," Nick said angrily. "It doesn't concern you."

"FINE! I'm going to ask mom and dad," Frankie answered back and stormed off down the bus to meet them.

"Okay, we may have heard some stuff," Joe started off saying.

"But wow Nick! Some guts you have to do it with Macy on the bus!" Kevin said incredulously. "Were you really in dire need to get some? Because if you ask me, it was pretty stupid to do that especially with mom and dad on the same bus."

"Ugh…I know," Nick said sadly. "Mom was crying the whole time saying that I was no longer the son she raised to be. And she took Macy aside to have a separate talk with her. I hope she's not being too hard on her."

"What's your punishment?" Joe asked him eagerly.

"Well, dad threatened me that if this ever happened again, he's going to cut the tour short and send me off to boot camp but of course you know how dad exaggerates," Nick said. "He's probably going to ground me for a month and take away my car for an even longer amount of time."

"What about Macy?" Kevin asked him.

"Well, they can't really send her back home since we're already so far away," Nick replied. "Plus, they weren't really yelling at her. If anything, I was the bad guy because they blamed me for seducing her—

"Which you probably did," Joe pointed out.

"It's not like she didn't want to do it either," Nick said waspishly. "But that's besides the point. Mom is probably going to watch me like a hawk from now on… Great…"

"Well can you blame her? I mean you should have waited till we got to the hotel to do that and God forbid, if we walked in on you guys," Joe exclaimed. "Imagine if Frankie saw you guys! He would be traumatized for life!"

"Okay, I know it was dumb," Nick finally said. "But I really hope Macy doesn't get punished. It was my fault."

"The way I see it, you both are responsible," Joe pointed out. "It takes two to tango, bro."

Nick sighed and nodded his head. Even though they were riding on the same bus, he never saw Macy until they reached Virginia. He tried to read her expression and even though they made eye contact a couple of times, he could tell that she was fine as she offered him a weak smile from a distance. He was afraid that his mother would be hard on her but that wasn't the case. In fact, he noticed his mother was talking to her more than usual.

However, he didn't get a chance to talk to Macy because not only did JONAS have a concert at night but they had a lot of press stuff to take care of throughout the day. They had two interviews scheduled that day, a radio interview with WRVQ at 11am and a television interview with the popular TV host Kelli Laine at 2pm.

The Lucas family, Big Man, and Macy accompanied the boys to the radio station but on their way there they were once again surrounded by the paparazzi. It wasn't the first time Macy encountered them when she was with the boys. They were there when they left their hotel in New York and there was an even larger crowd of photographers when they played in their home state. Generally, every time the boys stepped out, JONAS was always surrounded by fans and the blinding flashes of cameras. Macy still needed getting used to this because this was still new to her. She really didn't like being in the lime-light. As much as possible she tried keeping her head down because she didn't feel glamorous enough to have her picture taken. But as much as she tried to stay incognito, her presence with the boys was enough to cause some stir amongst their fans. Even the Celebrity Brat created a whole post about who she could possibly be. It didn't help that the webmaster decided to post a very unflattering photo of her at 7am in the morning. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she had visible dark circles under her eyes. Macy was definitely not a morning person. But that was her first assault with the paparazzi so she was caught off guard. Therefore, now she was more of a pro at it and she was fortunate enough to purchase one of those over-sized sunglasses that covered half her face. So despite how she may look like, her face was adequately covered from any more embarrassing shots.

With her sunglasses on, Macy stayed behind the entourage with Mrs. Lucas and Frankie. Thankfully, none of the paparazzi paid attention to her because they were concentrating on the three celebrities up ahead. Big Man tried to ward them off but Macy was able to hear everything they were saying.

"JOE! JOE!" yelled one man. "What can you say about the rumors about you and Stella Malone?"

"Nick! Rumor has it that you dedicated a new song for Gabby!"

"Kevin, is it true you are engaged?"

But the boys ignored all the questions and walked straight into the WRVQ radio station. Before the interview, Nick tried talking to Macy but every attempt he made was intercepted by his mom who would call the brunette girl over to talk about something. The interview went fine when they were asked about their music and how the tour was going. But of course, the radio jockey couldn't help but ask about their personal lives. Nick stuck to his philosophy about keeping his private life to himself and so he denied having a romance with Gabby but he didn't admit that he had a girlfriend. Kevin followed his lead but the two boys were surprised when Joe came forward and spoke the truth and proclaimed that it was true that Stella Malone was indeed his girlfriend.

They took a break for lunch with the rest of the crew and during that time Nick still couldn't find Macy. He so desperately wanted to eat with her and talk about what happened earlier in the morning. When he did find her, she was busy talking to his mom who seemed to be giving her errands to do. He waited for his mom to leave before he approached Macy for the first time since that morning.

"Macy!" he called.

"Oh hey Nick!" she said cheerfully. "I love to stay and chat but your mom made me her personal assistant so I need to give this to the sound check person."

"Okay that's nice and all," Nick replied. "But I was just wondering if my mom gave you a hard time after what happened last night?"

"Actually, your mom was pretty cool about it. In fact, she wasn't as bad as my mother," Macy answered honestly. "She just wanted to make sure we were safe. But she did say that we need to do our best and refrain from…you know…doing that especially when everyone else was near by."

"That's true," Nick agreed.

"Anyway, I gotta give this to Hank since he's in charge of the sound equipment," Macy said as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

They had some free time before their next interview and he was hoping to spend some quality time with Macy but every time he came close to her, his mom or Frankie interrupted him. At one point when he was sure that he could have Macy all to himself, his mother yelled from across the room for Macy to come over. And that's when it hit him-the reason why his mom was so "calm" about it all. She was purposely dragging Macy away from him every time there was a slight chance that they could be alone. It was as if she believed any interaction between him and Macy would result in them having sex. But Nick didn't have any time to dwell on it even further because JONAS needed to get ready for their upcoming television appearance.

They were in the dressing room getting ready for their next interview for Primetime Entertainment. However, instead of just having the band JONAS come on, the network extended their invitation to their youngest brother as well. Kevin, Nick, and Joe loved having Frankie join them in their interviews because they didn't want him to feel neglected. They always said that Frankie was the most interesting Lucas brother.

The bubbly host, Kelli Laine, gave them a warm welcome and the audience composed of 99% teenage girls yelled their devout adoration for the three young heart-throbs of their generation.

"Welcome, welcome!" Ms. Laine greeted them happily as Kevin, Joe, Frankie and Nick took their seat in the sofa in that order. "How are you guys doing?"

"Great! Couldn't feel any better," Kevin replied. He was always the most talkative one out of the three.

"That's good to hear," she answered. "You guys have been in the music business for quite awhile and you are all growing up to be very handsome young men. How do you deal with all the crazy fans that desperately seek your attention?"

"We are very flattered by the amount of love our fans have for us but sometimes we admit, it can be overwhelming," Nick said in his usual composed manner. "We try to treat all our fans with the same love and respect that they deserve but sometimes like you said, it can be a bit crazy."

"We have to hand it to our body guards, especially Big Man, for keeping us all in one piece," Joe joked.

"That's very true," Ms. Laine said humorously. "You really need to appreciate what people behind the scenes do for you. Oh! And we have the youngest Lucas brother joining you today. Hi, Frankie!"

"Hello, Kelli! It's my pleasure to be here," he greeted her. There was no trace of shyness in the eight-year-old boy. He loved talking to people.

"How does it feel like being the youngest brother to three of the most recognizable teenage boys in America?"

"It has its perks," he simply replied which elicited a trail of laughter from the audience.

"Now, I know everyone asks you this," Kelli pressed on. "But if you had to rank your brothers in order from favorite to least, who would be first?"

Frankie didn't need to save his breath and said the order as if he thought about it beforehand, "First is Kevin, then Joe and then Nick."

Kevin reached over and gave Frankie's shoulder a comforting squeeze. He was never the favorite brother. But he wasn't the only one surprised that he was able to knock off Nick from his usual #1 spot.

"Oh wow!" Ms. Laine commented. "That's very different from what you said last time! What happened, Nick? Are you surprised you're last and no longer #1?"

Nick did his best to smile and be professional because he knew the exact reason why he was no longer Frankie's favorite brother but he was not going to reveal that on national TV.

"We all adore Frankie very much," Nick said as he put his arm around his younger brother. "It's all based on a relative basis. I guess Kevin's been spending a lot of time with Frankie so he deserves to be his favorite brother. There are really no hard feelings between us."

"Isn't that sweet? You just have to admire the brotherly love you all have for each other," Kelli Laine marveled at the four boys in front of her. "Now I know you guys don't like to talk about your private life but there's one person that's been causing a stir amongst your fans."

And there was a photo displayed in the big screen behind them—a photo that showed why Nick was no longer Frankie's favorite brother. Nick shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He knew people would be curious to know who she was since she had been seen with them in recent occasions but he really wanted to protect her privacy.

"Everyone wants to know, who is this pretty brunette that we have seen in many of your recent photos?" Kelli pressed on. She stared at all three of them with great intrigue, waiting for their response. The whole audience also fell silent. In fact, it was so quiet at the studio, they could all probably hear a pin drop because everyone wanted to know the mysterious girl's identity.

"Um…" Nick started to say. He didn't know they would be asked about her right away. This was actually the first time anyone has asked about her identity. He was hoping it would never come up but of course, their fans always wanted to know who they associated with.

Kevin sensed Nick's hesitation and being the good brother that he was, he took the matter into his own hands, "Oh, that's Macy. She's just a good family friend. She's like a sister to us all."

If anyone watched Nick carefully when Kevin said this, they would have caught him scrunching his nose and looking a bit uncomfortable when he called Macy a sister because the things he had been doing with Macy were definitely nothing he would ever do to a sister if he had one.

"Yeah, we've known her since we were little and she really wanted to spend some time with our family so we took her on tour with us," Joe added and Nick just nodded his head in agreement. The matter could have been dropped just like that if it wasn't for Frankie, who just happened to be enjoying this interview way too much.

"No, actually she's my girlfriend," Frankie said cheekily. He knew Nick would get riled up by this.

"WHAAAT?" Nick yelled as he turned to him with a look that said what the hell are you saying?

Everyone thought Frankie was being really adorable but they were even more surprised by Nick's sudden outburst because he was always calm, cool, and reserved. It was unlike him to yell out loud in any occasion.

"Wow! Frankie, she's your girlfriend?" Ms. Laine asked him with a clearly amused expression on her face. "She's really pretty and a bit older than you but it seems as if your brother isn't okay with that. Could there be some rivalry going on between you and Nick?"

Frankie smiled and was about to say something but Nick interrupted him and said, "No…ahem…it's nothing like that. It's just that aren't you too young to be dating, Frankie?"

His younger brother gave him a devilish look and simply replied, "I know I am but she said she'll wait for me. She's going to be the future Mrs. Frankie Lucas after all. She said so herself."

"SHE DID?" Nick said quite taken aback by this news.

Frankie gave a Nick a fake smile and said, "Why are you so surprised? At least I'm not too chicken to say that she's my girlfriend. Besides, all is fair in love and war. Right, Nick?"

Nick gave his cheeky brother an equally fake smile. Since when did Frankie become such a brat?

He felt Nick squeeze his shoulder tighter than what was comfortable. Kevin and Joe were laughing now because they could tell that Nick was getting pissed off at Frankie but he couldn't do anything because they were broadcasting live.

"Aren't you a charming little boy!" Kelli Laine said once again in her distinct chirpy voice. The whole audience seemed to agree with her.

But Nick murmured, "Oh he's charming alright…"

"Anyway, there are so many girls linked to you boys! It must get exhausting having to fight off rumors of potential girlfriends," Kelli exclaimed.

"We have to admit it does get annoying that so many people are interested in that kind of stuff," Joe answered. "We try to keep our private lives separate from our public lives, especially since we don't want to hurt those close to us. We want their privacy to be respected."

"That's such a noble thing to say but Joe, you recently told WRVQ that you and Miss Stella Malone were in fact a couple. How come you decided to indulge this piece of information to the public since you clearly stated before that you don't like having that part of your life in the public eye?"

Joe cleared his throat because he rehearsed this answer before because he knew this question would be brought up in this interview and subsequent interviews to come.

"Well, the fact that there were so many pictures of us together, it would be really useless to deny that something was going on between me and Stella. And I talked to her about it and she understands the pressure of going out with someone like me and she gave me her permission to tell everyone that we are in fact seeing each other. It was then that I knew that she would be okay with us coming out as a couple. But in all honesty, I really hope no one would bother her about the matter. She's a private person and I really hope her privacy continues to be respected."

"That's really sweet that you asked for her permission to go public with your relationship," Kelli said excitedly as the audience 'awwed' in admiration.

"Thanks."

"Moving on. It must be really flattering to know that girls all over the world want a piece of you," Kelli stated. "And being three boys raised in a good Christian family, you understand the importance of respecting a girl. You boys really live up to the standards of being the perfect all- American boy. I know you don't like it when this topic is brought up but if you don't mind just saying a few words about your pledge to stay pure before marriage. How has that pledge kept you boys grounded?"

There was a pause but then a sly smile came across Joe's face and so he said, "Nick, why don't you take this question."

Nick glared at Joe because he knew exactly why his brother was putting him in the spotlight. It didn't help that Kevin was now chuckling to himself but being the serious brother, Nick took the professional route and showed no hesitation. No one would ever suspect that he, Nick Lucas, the most proper boy of JONAS, violated his promise to remain pure for quite some time now.

"Well, we made that pledge a long time ago as a promise to our family and church that we want to treat any girl that comes into our lives with the utmost respect," Nick said diplomatically and then he added. "Staying pure before marriage is just one way to show that we honor the sanctity of the sacrament itself."

Kelli Laine was about to give her input on what Nick just said if it wasn't for Frankie who coughed really loud. But the cough was just a way to disguise what he really said. However, Nick heard it loud and clear and he was sure that Kelli and the first row of the audience heard it too. Because Frankie Lucas coughed the word 'LIAR' really loudly.

"Frankie, are you okay? Is there something you want to say?" Kelli asked the youngest brother inquisitively.

And because Nick was really scared that his brother might rat him out, he quickly covered his mouth and answered for him, "Oh, don't mind him. He's just really sick with the flu. That's why he's a bit delusional—OW!"

Nick retreated his hand quickly after Frankie bit his finger hard.

"Why don't I just sit in between you two," Joe said as he got up and sat between Frankie and Nick because he was afraid that his two younger brothers would get into a fight in the middle of the show.

The interview continued more smoothly after that. Even though Kelli did bring up Gabriella, Nick easily cleared up rumors that they were just good friends and nothing more.

When the interview ended, Nick was fuming with anger.

"Where's that little brat?" he yelled as he tried to find Frankie.

However, before he could do anything, Joe had to pull him back before he yelled at their youngest brother.

"Nick, be easy on him," Joe said.

"Why? He was acting like a little twerp!" Nick said angrily. "He deserves to be yelled at."

Joe was laughing while shaking his head.

"Joe, this is no laughing matter," Nick said angrily. "He made me almost lose my cool in front of everyone. I almost exposed Macy's identity!"

"But you can't be too hard on him. In fact, if I was Frankie, I would've done much worse if I found out my older brother slept with my big crush."

"Huh?" Nick asked him now confused.

Joe sighed and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Frankie found out what 'sleeping with a girl' really means," Joe said as he carefully watched Nick's expression. He was enjoying this way too much because it wasn't every day he got to see Nick look completely embarrassed.

"What?" Nick said as he felt himself blushing. "Did you tell him, Joe?"

"No! Are you kidding me!" Joe replied. "Apparently, Frankie took it upon himself to google the phrase and viola! He became enlightened about the birds and the bees."

"Oh, great," Nick said in an aggravated tone. "He probably really hates me now."

"Don't sweat it, Nick. Besides, deep down inside, Frankie knows that you and Macy belong together."

But Nick was right. Frankie did not take the news too lightly when he found out just how intimate he had been with Macy. So when he got back to the tour bus, he was not that surprised when he found his sock drawer, which he made it his top priority to keep neat, completely messed up. And some of his shirts were missing from his wardrobe including his favorite orange polo. He hated being on bad terms with any of his brothers especially Frankie, who was so much like him. They used to be so close. So he knew he should fix the problem now before it prolonged for too long and the damage became permanent.

"FRANKIE!" Nick called after him. He was looking for him on the bus. "FRANKIE!"

He found the young boy in the living room area playing a video game.

"Frankie! I was calling for you," Nick said as he took a seat next to him. "Why didn't you answer?"

"I don't need to answer to you," Frankie said angrily.

And he was about to get up but Nick grabbed his arm and said, "We need to talk, bro."

Frankie glared back at Nick and said, "Let go off me."

"Frankie, can we just have a decent conversation, brother to brother?" Nick pleaded with the eight-year-old boy.

For a minute, Frankie had a stare down with Nick before giving in.

"Fine," Frankie said as he sat back down on the sofa where Nick joined him.

"So…" Nick said hesitantly because he really didn't know how to start this conversation. It was really awkward. But this talk was long over due so he took a deep breath because he needed to say what needed to be said. "Frankie, you were really acting up today especially during the interview."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Frankie said stubbornly.

"Frankie, you almost made me blow up on you during live television," Nick exclaimed. "Why did you have to say all those stuff in front of everyone? Now everyone is going to wonder why I was acting all weird during the show."

"It's always about you, Nick. You never care about anyone else," Frankie retorted as he glared at his brother.

"What are you talking about? That's not true," Nick replied in a concerned manner. Was he really selfish?

"It is true! You knew how I felt about Macy and then you go ahead and sleep with her," Frankie said scornfully. "Why did you have to do that with her?"

So Joe was right. This was what was bothering Frankie. But this was definitely a fragile topic to talk about because Nick still believed that Frankie was too young to know about the dynamics of love and relationships. So he paused for a minute and bit his lip while he carefully chose his next words.

"I know you have a thing for Macy but Frankie, she's my girlfriend and…um…when a guy and girl are in a relationship…sometimes they do things to show their…uh…love for one another," Nick said carefully hoping that his little brother was weighing in every single word.

"But I don't get it. Why do guys and girls have sex with one another? It's disgusting," Frankie said as he scrunched up his nose because he could still remember reading about a very detail description about the art of making love from an article online.

This time Nick gave him his signature smirk because of course, to an eight-year-old boy the appeal of sex was lost to him so he cleared his throat and explained, "It may seem disgusting to you now but when you're older…um…doing that sort of thing…can be seen as an act of love…"

"So you really love Macy?"

"Yeah," Nick honestly answered. "Frankie, you know I love Macy. And that's why I'm trying to tell you to get over this school-boy crush you have on her. I'm sorry if I was so harsh to you before but you need to be realistic."

For a moment, Nick was afraid that Frankie was going to blow up on him again but he was surprised and relieved when the young boy let out a loud sigh and said, "I know that. A girl like Macy will never like a boy like me…No one likes me…"

"What on earth are you talking about?"

This time Frankie stood up and looked at him, "Do you know how hard it is to be your brother? I'm no longer just Frankie Lucas. I'm always going to be known as the younger brother of Joe, Kevin and you. I swear whenever a girl shows any interest in me it's because I'm related to you guys."

"Frankie—

"No. You'll never understand," Frankie said. "I'm not like you guys. I'm not musically talented. I love video games and comic books. And girls don't really go for that."

"Well, Frankie, you're still young. I was just like you when I was younger."

"Really? You were like me? You were already singing in Broadway when you were my age," Frankie pointed out. "Macy was the first girl who ever showed interest in me for just being me."

Nick listened to what he had to say without any interruptions because he could tell that Frankie needed to vent out his problems.

"She never brought up you guys whenever she baby-sat me and she really took an interest in my comic book collection," Frankie said as he sat back down and thought about his glorious memories with the brunette girl. "And I could tell she wasn't faking anything. Did you know she thought Spider-man was part of the Justice League? She didn't know the difference between DC and Marvel comics. I spent the whole afternoon explaining it to her and she didn't get bored at all."

Nick smiled thoughtfully because that was just like Macy to take great interest in something she really didn't understand. She hardly got bored.

"Macy was the first girl who actually liked me for who I am," Frankie said but when he looked at Nick, he could tell he was about to interrupt so he said quickly. "I know what you're about to say and you're right it's silly that I have this big crush on her when I know that Macy will never like me in that way…It's just that I really enjoy being with her. And then I see you guys together and I guess I got jealous…I know I'm too young to be thinking about love—

"Actually, I wasn't going to say that. Love has no age limit."

"That's true. Love is ageless...," Frankie agreed and then said. "Macy is a special girl, Nick."

"I know that."

"Good...Sorry for acting like a brat. I just hate living in your shadow. There's so much pressure and sometimes it's just nice to find someone like Macy who just appreciates me for being just the way I am," the youngest Lucas boy continued. "I hate that I'm always going to be compared to you guys and the fact that we're brothers makes me feel guilty because there are times when I wish I wasn't your brother…"

"Don't say that," Nick said as he gave him a brotherly hug. "Frankie, you are the most awesome person I know. And yes, it sucks that people would use you to get to us but in a way you can use this to your advantage because at least you'll know who your true friends are. And Frankie, you're not the only one who went through this. I was also really insecure at your age too."

"What are you talking about? Girls constantly throw themselves at you."

"But that wasn't always the case. I remember back in fifth grade I had this huge crush on a girl named Anna. She was the prettiest girl in my class and one day our teacher paired us up for a school project and let me tell you, I was beyond happy because that meant I could spend more time with her. And for awhile I thought she really liked me too because she would always ask to come over our house…"

"So what happened?"

"Well, it turns out the only reason why she wanted to come over was because she wanted to get Joe's attention" Nick admitted. "She made it so obvious to the point that Joe would get freaked out by the constant attention she was giving him... She was my first heart-break."

"She picked Joe over you?" Frankie said with an amused expression on his face.

"Hey! It's not funny," Nick answered. "But yes, she chose Joe over me. And I was just like you. Heartbroken. And to an extent I was angry at Joe for taking her away from me even though I knew it wasn't his fault. Joe and Kevin were quite popular in school so I lived in their shadow. It was hard at first because everyone expected me to be as outgoing and goofy like them and well, I'm nothing like Joe and Kev. So that put pressure on me as well. But I realized that I didn't need to prove myself to anyone. I just had to be myself. Don't cave into pressure, Frankie, because you're perfect just the way you are."

"I guess so…But do you think girls will notice me for just being myself?"

"Of course! How about that girl Michelle? The one who brought you cookies on Valentine's Day? She seemed to really like you," Nick mentioned to him.

"Michelle! Ew! Are you kidding me? She's such a weirdo!"

"Frankie, that's not a nice thing to say."

"But it's true! She's always following me around school. And get this? She told everyone that we were an item! And she would get mad at every girl that would talk to me."

This time Nick couldn't help but laugh.

"Aww, she has a crush on you, bro," Nick said. "You should get to know her. She's just trying to get your attention."

"But she's so strange!"

Nick laughed and put a comforting arm on his shoulder and said, "You want to know something? You can't tell Macy I told you this."

"Okay," Frankie said as he sat up to listen to him closely.

"Before I fell for Macy, I thought she was really weird, too," Nick confessed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. She was this crazy JONAS fan who followed me around school. One time I caught her going through the trash just to save a napkin I used to wipe my mouth with," Nick said. "And I guess I was making it obvious that I didn't really want to be friends with her but Stella threatened me that if I didn't treat her best friend with the same respect as everyone else, she would stop making clothes for the band."

"And then what happened?"

"Well, I listened to Stella and started to get to know the real Macy Misa," Nick said. "And let me tell you, I was blown away. She was nothing like I initially thought of her. The more I hung out with her, the more I wanted to know her. She was like a puzzle to me because I thought she was just this weird obsessive fan but the more she became comfortable being around me, the more she started showing her true colors. And before I knew it, I was in love with her."

"So you're saying that if I give Michelle a chance, I'm going to fall in love with her too?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that you should try to be friends with her," Nick said. "People like Michelle who show interest in you without any hidden motives are the people you should be friends with because they like you, Frankie, for being yourself."

"I guess so."

"Believe me, bro. Once you get older, girls will be running after you. You just have to wait a little bit. You're still young," Nick said as he smiled at him.

"I am pretty cute," Frankie said in a confident manner. "And Macy told me that I was the model of the perfect gentle-man."

"She said that?"

"Yup," he said happily and then he added heart-fully. "But I promise to back off from now on. I know Macy loves you as well."

"Thanks, bro."

"And just for the record. You won't break up with her no matter how much I beg you to?"

"I'm sorry, bro, I won't break up with her," Nick said as he gave him a comforting smile.

"I know. Just making sure if you changed your mind," Frankie said and then he asked him on a brighter note. "Does Macy have any younger sisters?"

Nick laughed and shook his head. Frankie was one amusing boy.

"So are we cool now?" Nick asked him.

"Yeah, we're cool," the young boy said.

The two of them symbolically fist-bump each other to represent a truce that ended their fight over Macy.

But before Nick could ask Frankie to a video game challenge, the girl they were just talking about walked in and said, "Frankie! There's a comic book down the block. I checked with your mom and she said we have an hour to spare before we hit the road. You want to check it out?"

Nick expected his brother to refuse since Frankie said he was going to stop bothering Macy from now on but boy, was he surprised when the young boy jumped up and exclaimed, "Of course, I'd love to go! Let me get my stuff first."

"Frankie!" Nick said as he gave him a look that clearly said –what are you doing?

But the boy just laughed and said, "How can I say no to comic books?"

And with this, Nick smiled and said, "Okay. But can I come with you guys?"

"Of course!" they both said. So when Frankie went back to his bunk to get his bag, Nick and Macy were finally left alone.

"You and Frankie seem to be getting along fine especially after that interesting interview you guys had this afternoon," Macy pointed out as she walked over to Nick and gave him a big hug.

"Yup. We had a good talk and we're good now," Nick answered her as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"That's good," Macy said and the she quickly asked him. "So who's Anna?"

"Huh?"

"The girl you had a crush on in fifth grade?"

"You were eavesdropping on us, Mace!"

"I couldn't help it! So does she go to Horace Mantis?"

"No."

"Is she prettier than me?"

"MACY!"

"Okay. Fine. I'll stop bothering you," Macy said as she chuckled because she knew she was being obnoxious.

"But the answer to your question is 'no'. She wasn't prettier than you," Nick said and he leaned in for a kiss on the lips but he was surprised when Macy back away from him. "Macy?"

"Oh don't think you can kiss me that easily, Nicholas!" Macy retorted. "I also heard what you said about me."

Crap.

"And for your information," Macy continued. "I didn't go through the trash looking for a napkin you used. I –uh- thought I dropped my lucky charm bracelet in the trash bin that's why I was searching through the garbage."

"Uh-huh. Okay like I believe that," Nick said skeptically.

"NICK! I'm telling you the truth! I know I was a bit psychotic—

"A bit!"

"Okay, okay, okay. I was pretty crazy back then but that's down-right creepy for me to save one of your used tissues."

"Yeah. But you did have a book dedicated to everything about me," Nick pointed out. "Need I remind you about Randolph?"

He got her there.

"Fine. I admit to that," Macy said. "But I put all that stuff away. It's not like I had a shrine dedicated to you. How crazy did you think I was?"

"Pretty crazy to be honest," Nick said with his signature smirk.

"Well, if you have to know, when I first met you guys, you weren't my first crush," Macy taunted Nick because she was quite miffed by his initial opinion he had of her.

"WHAT? Who did you like first? Joe? Kevin?" Nick said as he grew paranoid that Macy was attracted to one of his older brothers before him.

"I'm not telling you," Macy replied now glad that she had the upper hand.

"Tell me! Who did you like first?" Nick pestered her.

"Frankie! Are you almost ready?" she called out to the youngest Lucas boy as she ignored Nick.

"Almost! I can't find my wallet!" he called back. "Just give me a second!"

"Who did you like first?" Nick continued pestering her because he wanted to know who his girlfriend was crushing on before she got with him.

Macy gave him an impish smile and said, "I'm not telling you."

"Oh come on!" Nick said but by then Frankie found his wallet and so the three of them headed out to the comic book store. However, Nick wouldn't let the matter go so he continued. "Was it Kevin? It was Kevin wasn't it? No? Then Joe? You had a crush on Joe?"

But she wasn't budging.

"Come on Frankie! I think they have that new Avenger's issue out," Macy said to the youngest Lucas boy. "We can read it together tonight."

"OKAY!" the young boy said excitedly.

"Macy, just tell me!" Nick said as he followed closely behind them. "It's Joe, isn't it? You had a crush on him?"

But the brunette girl ignored him as she helped Frankie pick out a comic book.

"MACY!"

However, even though he and Frankie were on good terms now, another pressing matter was bothering Nick Lucas to no end. But no matter how much he asked her that night, Nick never found out Macy's secret crush.

Maybe tomorrow he would make her crack.

Closing Remarks:

It's been awhile. Sorry if I haven't been uploading as fast as I used to. I'm just trying to enjoy my last semester in college but don't worry I'm not abandoning this story. Anyway who do you think Macy liked before Nick? For this chapter I really wanted to have Frankie and Nick settle their fight for Macy. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to upload the next chapter soon but I don't want to make any promises. This is going to be one of my longest story yet because I never reached chapter 11 in any of my stories and I have a feeling this story may end in (give or take) three more chapters. After this, I'm going to pick up with Secret Liaisons. That will definitely have more drama.

Anyway PLEASE REVIEW! I love hearing from you guys!

-Penelope36