Chapter 5 Unexpected Changes

Macy didn't get a wink of sleep on Saturday and Sunday night because every time she did close her eyes, she kept thinking of a certain handsome boy. Nick was a nice guy and he was really, really good-looking. But he was always that way. It's not like he suddenly became hot all of a sudden. Since the first day she met them, Macy always felt attracted to him and the whole JONAS band but she never felt this way before. This had to be a different kind of attraction, that Macy didn't want to confront yet. Because there was something indescribable brewing up inside of her every time she thought of Nick. She kept replaying the memories they made that Saturday when he taught her how to ride a bike. They didn't have their usual banter back and forth between them. Instead, they were able to just talk and confide with one another. It was a nice change of pace.

The next Monday morning, Macy found herself spending more time getting ready for school than usual. She took a good look at herself in the mirror. Even though, she was sixteen-years-old, she felt as if she was still stuck in a twelve-year-old body. She had no curves whatsoever. She definitely wasn't what boys would call sexy. If anything, she still looked like a child. This made her sad. She needed to change her appearance somehow to fix this…so that she can get his attention. What was she thinking! She didn't like him…or did she? No, that couldn't possibly be it. Despite, all of this confusion, she took an hour fixing her hair. And she never wore make up to school but today she decided to experiment with a little lip gloss, eye-liner, and mascara.

"Hey, Macy!" greeted Stella when she approached her locker which was next to hers.

"Hi, Stells," Macy greeted back. "How was your weekend?"

"I didn't do much. I just stayed home but look at these!" Stella said showing her fingers which were bandaged up. "I spent all of Saturday and Sunday sewing the new wardrobes for the boys and…"

She stopped what she was saying when she noticed something really different about Macy.

The brunette looked at Stella curiously because she seemed to be at a loss of words.

"What is it, Stella?"

"Macy, are you wearing make-up?" she asked her slowly. This was definitely something unexpected because the petite brunette never shared her passion for fashion and glamour before. She was a tomboy at heart and that was why this discovery was indeed epic in every sense of the word.

Macy quickly turned away and stared into her locker.

"Yes, but its no big deal," Macy replied quickly. Was it really noticeable?

"Yes! It is a big deal!" Stella answered happily as she gave her friend a big hug. "Are you finally coming to the dark side, as you so-called it before, and finally embracing your feminine charm?"

Macy gave Stella a scornful look and pointed out, "I wore make-up before, Stel-la."

"Yeah, for special occasions but that's like a necessity," her blonde-haired friend replied. "But you never wore make-up casually. It's not a bad thing Macy! I'm really happy. We can actually go shopping together and get manicures and—

"Whoa, Stella, don't get carried away now," Macy said. "I just felt like changing up my appearance a bit."

Stella looked at her suspiciously.

"Why? Is it for a boy?"

"WHAT?" Macy said nervously because the moment she said that she spotted Nick and his brothers walking in the hallway. "N-no of course not."

Stella eyed her skeptically again but she didn't press the matter because she knew that Macy would tell her if she was interested in a boy. They hid nothing from each other. They were best friends after all.

The bell rang and Macy and Stella walked together to their next class.

"Stella, you're lucky," Macy said miserably. She didn't look at her when she said this.

"What? Why?" Stella asked her quizzically. She could tell that Macy was thinking deeply about something.

"Because you have blonde hair…" Macy replied quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked her disbelievingly. Since when did Macy become so superficial?

"I mean, guys like blonde-haired girls. It so easy for you to get their attention…maybe I should dye my hair blonde…" Macy admitted. She saw Nick walking in front of her but she didn't want to catch up and walk with him because she was beginning to feel weird again.

Stella stopped walking and put a hand on Macy's arm to stop her too.

"What is going on with you, Macy?" Stella questioned her. "Why, all of a sudden, are you insecure about your looks? You have beautiful dark brown hair. Don't even think about dying it."

"I know it's just that…I don't know…change is good, right?" Macy asked her.

"Yes, when it's necessary but what you're saying isn't necessary at all," Stella said. "You're beautiful just the way you are, Mace."

Stella looked at Macy and noticed that she wasn't looking at her anymore but somewhere off in the distance. She turned around to follow her gaze and saw who it was she was looking at and she now understood the situation.

"Macy, is this about Nick?" she asked her slowly.

"N-no!" Macy said again in her nervous voice and quickly looked in another direction. "It's not about him. Why would you think that!"

She was laughing uneasily now.

"Then, why are you saying all this stuff? And why are you wearing make-up all of a sudden and talking about dying your hair blonde?"

"It's not about him I swear!"

"As much as I hate to admit this, but Joe is right," Stella said. "You and Nick need to stop this. Someone's going to end up getting hurt."

"It's not about Nick!" Macy yelled frustratingly now. "Gosh, Stella! Don't make this into something it isn't!"

Stella was taken aback by her sudden outburst because Macy never yelled at her before.

"Okay. I'm just saying I don't want to see you getting hurt again," Stella said. "Remember what happened with Tyler—

"This is not like that time," Macy pointed out as she remembered a distant memory that she wished to forget. "Besides, I know Nick doesn't like me. He likes Penny, remember? This is completely different. I know the boundaries."

"Are you sure, Macy?" Stella asked her doubtfully. She really cared for her best friend.

"I'm sure, Stella," Macy said in a much calmer manner and continued saying very quickly and in a very chipper voice. "Besides, I was just joking before. I wasn't really considering dying my hair! As if! HAHAHAHAHAHA. And the make-up was just a joke too. I'm actually going to wash it all off right now. But wasn't it a good April Fool's joke? You really believed it, Stella! I never thought you could be so gullible! Well, I got to go. See you, best friend!"

Macy hurriedly walked down the hallway but Stella called out after her, "What are you talking about? It's not even April, Macy!"

Something definitely was up with her and Stella had a bad feeling about it.

Meanwhile, Nick was also trying to cope with what he felt during that Saturday afternoon. He didn't like Macy! Pshh…The thought itself was preposterous. Macy wasn't even his type. She was loud, obnoxious, and had a bad sense of humor. She didn't fit his ideal girl like Penny did…I like Penny. She's perfect, Nick kept telling himself that. Macy was his accomplice to win Penny's heart, not the other way around. But he couldn't help but remember how the sunlight made her look completely different that afternoon. Nick tried to shake away any form of attraction he felt towards her. Anyone could become pretty when given the right lighting. Even the ugliest girl in school can look gorgeous when given the right angle. Macy just happened to have both the perfect lighting and the right angle at that moment to captivate his attention. It wasn't like she looked like that all the time.

And that's why Nick once again wasn't paying attention to Mr. Peterson during geometry class because he was now too busy staring at Macy to prove his point. But it was hopeless because it just so happened that at that moment Macy happened to be once again under the right lighting and the perfect angle. She really was pretty. Why didn't he notice that before? Wait…what was he thinking? Macy Misa is not his type!

"Mr. Lucas!" yelled the teacher. "MR. NICHOLAS LUCAS!"

"What?" Nick said abruptly when he realized that Mr. Peterson was calling on him.

"Do you have the answer to question number four?"

"Uh…um…" Nick mumbled. "Is it twenty-four?"

Mr. Peterson shook his head disappointedly and said, "Maybe if you paid more attention, Mr. Lucas, you would be caught up with the rest of the class. But does anyone have the answer? Anyone?"

Nick slumped down in his seat. He wanted to look at Macy again but he could tell that most of his classmates, including she, were looking at him questioningly. The rest of the day didn't help his cause to prove that Macy wasn't that pretty because every time he stopped and looked at Macy she just happened to be always under the perfect lighting and the right angle. She must be extremely lucky that the school's lighting complimented her features. Yes, that had to be it. It was plain luck that she looked like that today because Macy couldn't have possibly looked so attractive before, otherwise, he would have definitely noticed.

"Hey, bro, what are you looking at?" Kevin asked him when they sat down in their lunch table.

"Nothing," Nick answered quickly.

"It's not nice saying Macy is nothing," Joe pointed out because he obviously saw who it was he was staring at.

"Shut up, Joe," Nick said heatedly. "I wasn't staring at her."

And Joe was about to reply but Nick kicked him hard under the table to be quiet because Stella and Macy came to join them at their usual spot.

"Hey guys," Stella greeted them and took a seat next to Joe leaving Macy to take the seat next to Nick.

Macy knew that Stella would be paying close attention to her now that she suspected something was going on between her and Nick but there really wasn't anything going on! So she gave Nick her usual welcoming smile.

"Hi, Nick," she said extra politely. She didn't want him to suspect anything either.

"Hello, Macy," Nick said in a very casual tone. He tried to look at her quickly because he didn't want to succumb to that same trance.

They tried to converse with everyone in the table but each other.

"Nick!" a familiar voice called from across the hallway.

Both of them turned around and Macy saw her—the beautiful and perfect Penny Madison. Her shiny, long blonde hair really did sway to and fro every time she walked. And her eyes were really blue. They seemed to sparkle. Macy started feeling really insecure again. She really had nothing against Penny but right now she wanted to mess up her hair so that it was no longer shiny and picture perfect. It was really distracting.

"Oh hey Penny," Nick said in a voice Macy noticed was extra cheerful. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Hey Penny," Macy said but noticed that she didn't seem to acknowledge her presence.

Meanwhile, Nick was trying to readjust. He needed to prove to himself that he still liked Penny, not Macy ,so when the blonde-haired girl happened to appear in front of him, Nick tried to pay extra attention to her.

"So are you up for Saturday?" Penny asked him. Macy noticed that she put her hand on his shoulder. That was not necessary, Macy thought to herself.

"Yeah, definitely," Nick said. He wondered why Macy was being very quiet. She wasn't acting very girlfriend-like so he took her hand in his. He was surprised that once he did that his heart began to beat rapidly again.

Macy was suffering from a similar reaction because she could hear her heart beating loudly now. She hoped no one else could hear it. She was starting to feel weird again.

She noticed that Nick was looking at her.

"Right, Macy?" Nick repeated again. Why was Macy spacing out?

"Huh?"

"I said we're both going to the fundraiser event," Nick said.

"Oh y-yeah," Macy said while blushing. Why did she suddenly feel all warm inside?

"I thought you had something to do?" Penny asked her in a polite voice that seemed to be forced.

"Yeah, but I'm free now," Macy said. She didn't know why Penny seemed to be disappointed by this.

"Well…um…that's great!" Penny said in a forced cheerful voice again. "I'll see you both there, then."

They both waved good-bye to her as she walked away. Nick quickly let go of Macy's hand. He didn't want to recreate that awkward moment when he held onto her hand longer than necessary.

Macy knew that Stella was looking at her intently because she was doing a bad job of hiding her feelings.

"Macy, are you okay?" Nick asked her now concerned. "You seem a bit flustered."

Macy covered her cheeks with her hands. Great, now he noticed too.

"It's nothing," she said quickly. "But it's really hot in here. I need to –uh- go to the bathroom."

Macy quickly got up and ran to the nearest restroom. Once inside, she locked herself in one of the stalls, and closed the lid of the toilet to sit down.

'Get a grip, Macy,' she told herself. 'I don't like Nick.'

They had nothing in common. He was a Yankees fan for Crissakes! And he didn't share her passion for extreme sports! He made fun of her every chance he could get and mocked her for liking musicals. Nick Lucas wasn't the boy for her…he deserves Penny Madison. She wasn't anything he looked for in a girl. So what if they could both carry a conversation with each other. She could do that with almost anybody. It's not like he was special. But then again, he was self-less when he volunteered to teach her how to ride a bike and he did apologize every time he offended her. He was a perfect gentleman.

Macy shook her head because she didn't want to fall in love…again. But this was not like that other time with Tyler because she and Nick knew they were both using each other. She knew that Nick didn't really like her. It was all pretend. They were the great pretenders after all.

'Come on, Macy, focus,' Macy said to herself. She kept that mantra in her head throughout the day and for the rest of the week.

Every time she saw Nick she pretended that everything was the same between them but she was not fooling anyone, especially Stella Malone. It was a Thursday afternoon and Stella was talking to Macy by her lockers. But Macy wasn't really listening because at that moment when Stella was telling her a story, Nick and his brothers were walking to their lockers and he seemed to be telling Kevin and Joe an amusing story judging by their faces. She never realized what a nice smile Nick had. And he had such a defined jaw line. It was definitely a manly feature. And his eyes squinted every time he laughed. It was adorable. And why must he always wear form fitting shirts that enhanced his toned arms? He must lift weights or something because the boy was definitely fit. She could feel herself blushing just by looking at Mr. Nick Lucas.

"MACY!" Stella yelled frustratingly. "You're not listening to me!"

"Huh? Yeah, I am," Macy exclaimed and she quickly turned around to face her but it was too late because Stella looked at the direction she was staring at moments ago.

Stella turned to her best friend with a now serious expression on her face.

"Macy…" Stella said slowly but still in a serious tone.

"What?"

"You like Nick, don't you?" she asked her point blank.

Macy gulped. She didn't want to lie to Stella but she wasn't sure herself so she honestly replied, "I don't know…"

"Macy! You like him," Stella said as she put her hand on her shoulder to turn her towards her. "You like Nick!"

"Stella, please don't be so loud," Macy pleaded with her. "I'm just confused right now…I…uh…don't think I do…it's just that he seems so different now."

Stella couldn't believe what she was hearing. And how could Macy still deny it? The signs were obvious. She knew that had to be it.

"Macy, you can't continue this," Stella told her adamantly. "You can't pretend anymore. You're going to end up getting hurt."

Macy didn't like what she was saying.

"This is like Tyler all over again!" Stella continued.

Macy was trying to control herself because she really didn't appreciate that she was bringing up her ex-boyfriend's name again.

"Stella, shut up!" she said in a severe tone but tried to remain as calm as possible. "Nick is nothing like Tyler. He's not using me without my knowledge. I agreed to help him win Penny's heart. It was my doing not his. So please stop comparing them."

"Macy—

"Please, stay out of this," Macy said. "I got this under control. Nick likes Penny and so I'm helping him out. That's all. Don't worry about me."

Macy ran all the way home. She didn't know why she was crying. Her tears just suddenly appeared in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Nick tried to focus on the initial goal of the plan he and Macy concocted. So when he saw Penny hanging up fliers all over the school for the fundraiser bike-a-thon, he offered to help her.

"You need a helping hand?" Nick asked her.

The blonde girl turned around so fast with a broad smile on her face.

"Nick! Of course! I was just thinking about you," she said.

"You were?" Nick asked her somewhat perplexed by what she said. In fact, Nick noticed that Penny seemed to be very flirtatious around him because she was suddenly very touchy-feely around him since her hand was on his arm.

"Yeah," Penny said. "I'm glad you're here. You can help me put some of these up. I want to get more students involve in the Children's Leukemia Foundation."

"Sure, no problem," Nick said as he put his stuff down and started taping the papers on random lockers.

They spent fifteen minutes putting up the fliers. During their time together, Nick was surprised that he was able to actually carry a decent conversation with her which was definitely different from his attempt back at the movie theater. She seemed to be enjoying all the stories he told about his brothers and funny moments that happened during their recent tour. He started experiencing the same symptoms he had when he was around her…See, I still like Penny, Nick thought to himself. He laughed to himself because the feelings he thought he had for Macy was put to rest. It must have been a momentary lapse in his brain or something because he started feeling attracted to the blonde-hair girl again.

"You're a really great guy, Nick," Penny said as she finished putting up the last flier.

Nick could feel his cheeks burning up. It was nice receiving a compliment from her.

"Thanks," he said sheepishly.

"You are a true gentleman, Nick," Penny said and just like that she placed a kiss on his cheek.

He knew his cheeks were turning an even deeper shade of red and his palms were beginning to sweat. However, both of them didn't realize that a particular brunette girl saw everything that happened between them—even that kiss.

It was Saturday and Macy was debating if she should go to the bike-a-thon. She really didn't want to be around Nick and Penny after what she saw yesterday. Nick clearly still liked her judging by how smitten he looked after she kissed him. And why did Penny do that anyway? Does she usually do that to all her guy friends when she has a boyfriend? She felt like she should tell Jimmy about it but she didn't want Nick to get into trouble. Besides, it was only a kiss on the cheek. It's not like they made out. It was just an innocent peck on the cheek…

'I'm not jealous,' Macy thought to herself. 'Besides, Nick gave me an innocent peck on the cheek too. So it's not like Penny is ahead or anything.'

Macy shook her head again because why did she feel the need to compete with Penny? She wasn't fighting for Nick. What was she thinking!

She was really considering ditching Nick but it was just her luck that he came by her place so that they could walk together to the fundraiser event at St. Luke's hospital. Secretly, Nick was thankful it was cloudy that Saturday morning. There would be no sunlight that could distract him when he looked at Macy.

So reluctantly, Macy walked with him. She wore an oversized sweatshirt and biking shorts. She really didn't feel like embellishing her look for him. When they were near the hospital, Nick attempted to hold her hand so that they could act all couple-y with one another just in case Jimmy or Penny saw them but he was surprised when Macy yanked her hand away from his.

"Macy?" he looked at her questioningly. Why did she do that?

"Oh sorry," she said quickly and grabbed his hand again.

She surprised herself too because she didn't mean to be rude about it. It's not like she didn't want to hold his hand but she hated to admit it to herself but she was still mad that Nick let Penny kiss him. He didn't deserve to hold her hand especially when he was with another girl and he didn't even tell her! They must have been walking for about ten minutes and not once did Nick bring up the kiss.

'Stop getting so riled up Macy,' she thought to herself. 'Nick doesn't have to tell you anything because you're not really dating him. Duh!'

Macy needed to act normal so when she saw Penny, she greeted her happily.

"Hey Penny!" she said in her usual chirpy voice but then she looked at her enviously because while she dressed herself in loose fitting clothing, Penny took it upon herself to get noticed by the tight tank top and tight shorts that accentuated her curves. She looked at Nick and he definitely noticed her figure because he seemed to be blushing quite a bit. Macy had an urge to hit him in the back of the head but she didn't want to cause a scene.

"Hi Macy," she said quickly but then directed more of her attention to Nick and said. "I'm so glad you came. You just need to sign up over there and I have your bikes registered and everything."

"Okay thanks," Macy said answering for Nick as she gripped his hand tighter. Nick felt this and looked at her curiously but Macy ignored him. "Where's Jimmy?"

"Around, somewhere," Penny said in a less than happy voice. "I really don't know."

That was odd. But Macy didn't think much about it.

When they were done signing up, Penny gave them their bikes.

"No, that's Macy's bike and this is yours, Nick," Penny said as she switched their bikes.

"They look exactly the same," Nick pointed out.

"Yeah, it's just that you know, I need to follow protocol; besides Macy's bike is fit for a child since it's a bit smaller than yours," Penny pointed out.

Macy narrowed her eyes at Penny. Did she just call me a child?

Unlike Macy, Nick didn't notice the indirect insult Penny directed towards Macy. The bike-a-thon started and Nick kept a steady pace so that he was close to Penny and Macy as well. He could see Jimmy a little bit ahead of him. He wondered why he wasn't biking next to Penny.

"Macy!" Nick hissed at her when he noticed that she was lagging behind.

"What?" she yelled back. She was still new to the sensation of riding a bike, especially since they weren't exactly biking in smooth terrain.

"You need to pedal faster! We need to catch up with them," Nick answered back. He wanted to be near Penny but he didn't want to leave Macy behind.

"Okay, I'm trying my best," Macy said but she was struggling because her bike felt a bit weird for some reason.

"Well, try harder," Nick retorted.

He didn't see that Macy was glaring at him.

"Just go on without me," she answered. "You don't need to wait for me. Go to Penny, if you want. I don't care."

But she really did care.

"I can't do that," Nick said but he really wanted to because Macy was really pulling him back. They were now way in the back of the pack.

"Come on, Mace, catch up with me," Nick said as he pedaled faster. He knew Macy was competitive so hopefully if he challenged her, she would take the bait and actually speed up. And for awhile it worked because now Macy was next to him on her bike as they continued pedaling through the highway. He could now see Penny and Jimmy ahead of them. Being a boy, Nick couldn't help but stare at Penny's back-side. Her outfit really did compliment her figure. She seemed to be really fit. He could feel himself blushing. Nick wasn't a boy who thought indecently about girls but he couldn't help it, not when Penny was flaunting her body like that. I wonder how Macy would look like in that outfit, he thought. But he shook his head because now images of the petite brunette in tight-fitting clothes flooded his mind. He didn't need this right now. So he concentrated on the path ahead of him. The whole path wasn't all in asphalt pavement. They cut through a woody area and he was concerned that Macy might be having a hard time keeping up since she was new to bike riding. So he quickly looked behind him expecting to see her but she was nowhere to be found.

"Macy?" he called but he heard no response.

He looked ahead of him. Maybe she somehow surpassed him and was biking in front instead of behind him but she was nowhere to be seen. For some reason, he noticed that Jimmy was also nowhere to be found. Where could they be? Were they together? A sense of possessiveness overtook his whole body and he made his way to the edge of the pack so that he could stop and look for her…and him. He got on his bike again and this time pedaled in the opposite direction against the other riders.

"Macy!" he called as he biked through the area. "Macy!"

He was getting worried. Where could she be?

And then he saw her. She was no longer riding on her bike but instead was sitting on the ground and Jimmy was crouching next to her. What was going on?

"MACY!" Nick called her again to get her attention because why was Jimmy there?

She heard his voice and immediately looked over to find him biking towards her.

"What happened?" Nick asked her worriedly as he dropped his bike on the ground.

"I sorta fell," Macy said sheepishly. "I hit a rough patch and I lost control of my bike."

"Yeah, the path here is pretty uneven," Jimmy started to say.

"Why didn't you break?" he asked her while ignoring Jimmy.

"I tried but for some reason my bike wouldn't stop," Macy revealed. "I think the breaks are broken. But you didn't have to come back for me. You should continue the race, Nick."

"What are you saying? Of course, I had to come back for you," Nick said. Why was Macy trying to get rid of him? Was it because she wanted to be alone with Jimmy?

"It's okay, Nick. You can go," Macy insisted.

Nick narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well, we can go together," Nick said. "I'm here now. Come on, Mace, get up."

Macy looked at him and said somewhat shyly, "You see, I don't think I can continue. I kind of sprained my ankle. It hurts a little bit."

"Oh…" Nick said.

"Yeah, you should go ahead," Jimmy also insisted. "I tried calling for someone to drive her back but they said we need to go to the nearest check-point which is kind of back there in the highway so I'll take her."

"No, I'll take her," Nick raised his voice.

"It's okay, man," Jimmy said. "I can do it. It's no big deal. I know this path so I know where to go. She'll be in safe hands."

Nick didn't like how Jimmy wasn't backing down. Who does he think he is?

"She's my girlfriend," Nick said loudly. "I think it would be right if I took her."

Macy saw the scene unfold in front of her eyes. Were Nick and Jimmy having an argument…about her? This was a little overwhelming but she was actually enjoying this. It's not everyday two boys fought for her. They were both staring each other down, not one of them seemed to budge.

But Jimmy knew he shouldn't argue with Nick. He knew that look he had in his eyes. It was a look of possessiveness. Jimmy was smart enough not to mess with a guy and his girl so he smiled and said, "Okay. Fine. I'll let the people at the finish line know what happened to you, Mace. And please call me when you're back safe and sound."

"Sure thing, Jim—

"She doesn't need to call you because she'll be fine since she's with me," Nick argued when he interrupted Macy.

He didn't like that Jimmy seemed to be so comfortable around Macy.

"Okaaay…well then, I'll see you," Jimmy said as he mounted his bike and pedaled away from them.

Nick turned to Macy and said, "Why didn't you call me when you got hurt?"

He crouched down next to her and looked at her ankle. It was a bit swollen but it didn't look that bad.

"I didn't want to worry you," Macy admitted. She tried to avoid his gaze because she knew she would start blushing again. "Besides why did you come back? You could've had alone time with Penny…"

She was right. He could have been with Penny but he didn't want that not when Macy was hurt.

"Are you crazy? Do you think I'll actually leave you behind and chase after her? What kind of guy do you think I am?" Nick asked her somewhat offended but then added in a calmer tone. "Besides, I'm supposed to be your boyfriend. I can't abandon you and start wooing another girl. How would that make me look?"

Macy smiled at him. He really was someone special.

"You said wooing," Macy laughed. "That's such an old-fashioned word but it fits you. Hahahahahaha."

"Shut up, Macy," Nick said playfully. It was amazing how Macy could be so playful even when hurt.

"Anyway, thanks, Nick, for coming back for me," Macy said. She could feel herself blushing.

"Your welcome…Macy-bear," he teased her. They both laughed when he called her that.

"So should we start heading back?" Nick asked her.

"Yeah," Macy said. "I hope you don't mind me leaning on you. I don't want to put any pressure on my ankle."

"Are you crazy, Macy? You know how long that'll take with you hopping on one leg?" Nick asked her incredulously. "Just climb on my back. I'll carry you."

Macy's eyes widened. She didn't expect him to offer her that option.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," Nick said as he knelt before her so that she can get on him. "Besides, you're small so it's not like you're going to break my back or anything."

"I'm not a child though," Macy said scornfully because she didn't like when people made fun of her size.

"I didn't say that," Nick assured her because he really wasn't making fun of her. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh no, I'm sorry… I didn't mean that I thought you…um…sorry, Nick," Macy mumbled. She didn't know why she immediately thought Nick was picking on her. She climbed onto him and soon Nick was walking her all the way back into the highway. It felt nice. Macy tightened her arms around him as he carried her. He was so strong and because she was close enough, she was able to smell his hair. It smelled like shampoo. He smelled really clean. The hike back was pretty long but Nick and Macy filled their time together with countless stories. She never knew that Nick could be so funny. He was telling her a story about the shenanigans, he and his brothers got into during their last tour. And Macy couldn't help but laugh at all the right moments. Her laughter served as an incentive for Nick to talk more. He found himself relatively at ease with her because he could tell that she was genuinely enjoying what he had to say.

His voice was so soothing. She rested her head on his shoulder as he began another tale.

"And then it ended up that Frankie had it all along," Nick said as he concluded his story about the missing sock.

He expected Macy to give her input after the end of his story because she was doing that throughout their whole hike back to the check-point, which should be near now. But she wasn't saying anything. Instead, he heard her breathing slowly. He looked over his shoulder and found that she fell asleep. Nick smiled to himself. He concentrated on getting back. But then at one point he heard her mumbling something.

"What is it Macy?" he asked her quietly and when he looked back, her eyes were still closed but her mouth was moving and at that moment he distinctively heard her mumble his name.

"Nick…" she said in her sleep.

The boy could not help but blush. Was Macy dreaming about him? A tingly feeling came over his whole body and he almost let go of her but was quick to tighten his grip on her because his whole body seamed to have grown weak with each step he took. He only realized how close Macy's body was against his…it felt nice.

Crap. The feeling he experienced when he was with her last time, returned but it felt like it intensified this time and there was no denying that the cause for this unexpected change was due to the sleeping girl on his back. It didn't help that the sun managed to peak out now so that when he looked at her again, she happened to have the perfect lighting and angle. She really was beautiful. Nick felt his heart racing. This couldn't be happening. He didn't like her…but he did…all the signs were there…there was no denying it anymore…

'But what about Penny?' He thought to himself and a voice inside of his head answered him. 'What about her? There's another girl you like now…'

The next day, Nick was still struggling by the revelation he discovered yesterday.

Did he really like Macy?

He still tried to fight it but every time he did he couldn't stop thinking about being with her. He was happy that he had the whole house to himself. His parents and brothers took a field trip to New York to spend a day in Central Park but Nick opted out because he told them he was still tired from yesterday. This was a good time to sort out his thoughts on his own. He was sitting in the kitchen trying to finish his homework but images of Macy kept popping into his head.

The door bell rang and when he opened it, it was her.

"Macy?" he said more glad than surprised.

"Hi, Nick," she said sheepishly as she carried a basket quite unsteadily in her hand since she was on crutches.

He noticed a cast on her foot.

"Here, let me get that for you," Nick offered as he took the basket from her. "How bad did you sprain your ankle?"

"Actually, it's not that bad," Macy answered him. "The doctor said it's only mildly sprained. I need to keep the cast on for only a few day…Anyway, my mom baked you cookies. It's like a thank you from both of us…for...um…taking care of me."

Nick smiled and looked at the basket. He could smell the mouth-watering aroma of the homemade cookies.

"Wow, thanks Macy," Nick said. "They smell delicious."

"I wish I could say I made them but my mom did and I told her you love chocolate so she made you chocolate fudge cookies," Macy said as she smiled at him.

"Oh that's my favorite!" Nick exclaimed. "You really know me, Mace."

"Y-yeah," Macy said while blushing

Nick looked at Macy and he noticed the reddish hue on her cheeks. He knew he had the same tint on his cheeks as well because it became customary now that when he was alone with Macy, he was compelled to blush profusely. And because he felt that tingly feeling again, Nick leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek and whispered, "Thanks, Macy."

He expected her to say something but when he looked at her, she had an odd expression on her face. It was like she was possessed.

What Nick didn't know was that Macy was staring at him because she wanted him. Oh god, she wanted Nick so badly. She stared at his lips—lips that moments ago were pressed against her cheek. They really looked soft. Since when did Nick have such soft looking lips. She wanted to feel them against her lips and because of this wish alone, she dropped her crutches and took his face in her hands and connected her lips with his.

This was definitely not part of their plan.


Closing Remarks:

When I started writing this chapter I didn't expect it to be this long. It's my longest chapter to date with over 7000 words. WOW. Anyway what did you guys think? Can you guess what will happen next? How many of you actually think I'm going to let them get together right away? My loyal readers know the answer to that one. Hehehehehe... But then how are Nick and Macy going to excuse this kiss? Are they both fully comfortable in accepting their feelings for each other or is someone going to run away? And what about Jimmy and Penny? What was going on there? Hm...So many questions...LoL and I like how I always include Mr. Peterson and geometry in almost all of my stories.

And for any one of you wondering, Macy in this story is the Macy Misa from Jonas Season 1 because she had her natural dark brown hair. I actually prefer the look of Macy in JONAS than in JONAS LA because it was more natural looking rather than her blonde look. In fact, now that I think of it, in all of my stories, Macy is the Macy Misa from season 1. So there, I won't have to bring it up again. (However, in all of my stories, Nick is the Nick Lucas in Jonas LA because he is more mature and hotter looking. I swear that boy is aging quite nicely if I do say so myself. Haha)

REVIEW PLEASE! :-)

-Penelope36