Nicole woke up groggily. It's been awhile since she's been up this early, but an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach woke her up and forced her to face the biggest hangover she's had to date. She needed Advil. Fast. But as Nicole tried to get up, she felt something heavy weighing down her legs. She leaned up and saw Ethan's head resting against her legs like a pillow. Nicole's first instinct was to slap his head to wake him so she could get up, but something was holding her back. After dancing their hearts out and drinking until they passed out last night, he wasn't just a friend of a friend anymore. Whether she liked it or not, bonds were made last night and this wasn't just waking up a stranger.
Ethan's face twitched in his sleep, making Nicole smile. "He's kinda cute in some odd way," she thought. But no matter how cute he looked asleep, Ethan was holding her back from getting ready for the day. Nicole grabbed a pillow and in a swift and slow movement, replaced her legs with it. Ethan didn't even flinch. Mission accomplished. Not waking Sleeping Beauty up was such a sweet gesture that she felt like puking. Either that or it was all of the alcohol coming back to haunt her.
It was 7:29 a.m. In one minute, her alarm was going to go off and wake him up. Nicole picked up Ethan's phone off bed and saw his alarm was set for 7:30 as well. "We wouldn't want to wake up the poor baby, right?" Nicole justified as she turned off his alarm. Making sure he didn't wake up, Nicole made herself look somewhat presentable (and not hungover like she actually was) in about 15 minutes, and carefully left the room with the smile still plastered across her face.
Kate woke up as the sun rose to an uncomfortable height above her. She winced at the unfiltered light. The humid Florida air was already making the jacket cling onto her and it was still early in the morning. Wait, what jacket? Kate picked up the coat off her body and turned it over. This wasn't hers. It was navy blue toggle coat. It covered most of her upper waist too, so she knew it wasn't Nicole's. Kate laughed at the idea of Nicole coming up to the rooftop and putting a jacket on her being as drunk as she was. Nicole wouldn't even be able to get out of the hotel room! No, Nicole didn't even know she was up here anyways. The only person-
Danny. He must've not trusted her and came back up to check when she fell asleep. How sweet. He always seemed to be there for her. Kate smiled as she folded the jacket, got up, and unplugged her cell phone from the nearby outlet. It was nearly 7 am. She doubted Nicole was up by now and she really didn't want to see the couple in an uncompromised position. It'd probably be best if she got ready at someone else's place. She opened the door and descended into the air conditioned hotel.
Let's see- Kate could use Harry's restroom again. He seemed ok with it last night. But what if Julian wanted to use the restroom? Maybe she could use John's? After all, he was probably bunking with Ethan and since Ethan was over at her room, it would only seem right. It'd be like a roommate swap thing. But she didn't really know John well; it'd be weird to just show up out of nowhere and ask to use the restroom. Plus she didn't even know his room number! Kate continued to think about her options as she walked down the stairs. "Oh hello, Kate!" a friendly voice called out. Kate whipped around before going down the other flight of stairs.
Jo popped out holding a bucket filled with ice and a grin on her face. Kate opened her mouth to say hello back, but she was caught off guard by the blue flannel covering Jo's body. She'd seen that flannel before. Two years ago, in fact. Jordan wore it when- Kate shook the memory out of her mind. No. She was not about to go down that road again. It was on Jo now and that's all that mattered. "We ran out of ice so I offered to go get some," Jo informed, holding the bucket up. Kate internally cringed at that word. We. "What about you?" Jo asked.
"I, uh, I was just going to um," Kate fiddled with the jacket in her hands, "I was just going to return this to Danny."
"Oh, that blonde boy? He's cute," complimented Jo.
"Yeah, well," Kate faded off.
"What are your plans for today?"
"Uh, I think we're just going to go to go around Orlando. I think it's Universal day."
"It is?! Oo, sounds fun! Maybe Jordan and I will meet you at one of them!"
Kate's eyes widened. No. Last night was bad enough. She didn't want to be near Jordan Banks ever again. It was just too much! She opened her mouth to voice her vehement opposition to the idea. "Well, gotta go! Ella wants iced coffee and she gets a little grumpy without her morning caffeine. See you soon!" Jo piped as she ran off, leaving Kate alone with a navy jacket and a sinking feeling of regret. Maybe, Jo would forget.
"Afterwards, we all met up at this restaurant for breakfast," John began. Harry immediately jumped in. "But not just any restaurant, the best American restaurant to ever grace the cuisine scene," Harry elaborated. He smiled to himself at the subtle rhyming. You can't help but believe a rhyme, you know. It just sounds right. Like that one about snakes: red on yellow can kill a fellow, but red on black is a friend of Jack. Or the about bathroom etiquette: if you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie! Or his personal favorite about general health: an apple a day keeps a doctor away, but more than two and it's hard to poo. All not only true, but catchy as well. The perfect mix.
"We dined at the ever so prestigious International House of Pancakes," Harry proudly declared. The crowd looked at their orator confusingly. "Do you mean IHOP?" asked one of them. Harry stammered a little before replying, "Well, yes, but the IHOP's there are different than the ones over here," Harry defended.
"Hate to admit it, but he's right. There's just something about the pancakes over there," John agreed. He looked far off as if remembering a fond memory.
The guys got to IHOP first, so they were the ones that secured a table. They sat beside each other at the round booth. "So, Ethan didn't come back last night?" Julian whispered. John shook his head. "I didn't even get a text," told John. Julian and Harry eyes lit up as a smile slowly grew on their face. Ethan had been MIA ever since and the only confirmed sighting was when Harry saw him in Nicole's room earlier last night. And since there was really nowhere else for Ethan to go, that must've meant that Ethan stayed over at Nicole's room. Which also meant that-
"Good morning, boys" Kate greeted them as Danny and her sat at the table. The boys exchanged more surprised looks. Did Danny and Kate just come in together? "You don't think," Julian began. Harry shrugged. "She did say she was sleeping over at a friends," John reminded. The guys attempted to hide their smiles as the two perused their menus. Apparently Ethan wasn't the only one who made progress last night.
Feeling like he was being watched, Danny looked up to see three pairs of amused eyes; he raised an eyebrow at the sight. What were they up to? Kate had knocked on his door earlier this morning to use the restroom and get ready. Apparently she didn't want to bother her friend any more than she had to so she left as soon as she could. Afterwards, Danny got a text from the boys telling him to meet them at the local IHOP for breakfast which is why they arrived together. He wasn't about to leave her alone! These looks were unsolicited and unnecessary. He told them she was coming along and they seemed pretty happy about the news. What changed?
Nicole arrived a couple minutes later. She received Kate's text about breakfast the moment she walked out the door; which saved her the trouble of calling to find out where Kate went. Knowing Kate, she probably slept over at Danny's room. Nicole almost felt sorry for the guy. But if Danny had really wanted to get out of the friend zone, he would've made a move by now. And it wasn't like he didn't have any opportunity to, he's had two years for crying out loud! Maybe he finally gave up.
Nicole scoffed at the thought as she entered the restaurant. As if. Nicole nodded at the crew as she sat down beside Kate. Her head was pounding and eggs and bacon sounded like the best idea she's had all week. "Heeeyyy Nicole," Harry greeted teasingly. Nicole cringed at the loud noise. "No no, too soon. Too early," she firmly replied. Harry smiled as he folded his arms onto the table. "Ah, I know a hangover when I see one," Harry observed. He wiggled his eyebrows. Every good hangover comes from one hell of a night. John knows all about that.
("Uh uh!" John interrupted, sitting up, "No need to divulge anymore information, Harry." Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he conceded.)
"So how was your night last night, Nicole?" John cautiously asked. The two other lads leaned in. Nicole shrugged. "Average. A little short-lived," Nicole stated. The guys' eyes widened. That didn't sound good. Maybe they weren't asking the right questions. "So nothing interesting happened last night?" asked Julian.
"I mean, nothing memorable," answered Nicole.
"Wait, didn't you spend the night with Ethan?" reminded John.
"Well yeah, I guess so. I woke up and he was asleep in the room. In fact, he's still-"
Suddenly, the door flung open and a disheveled Ethan stumbled through the door. The entire diner turned around to look at the source of the abrupt sound. Ethan smiled sheepishly and waved. He strode over to the table and took a seat. "Well, he was asleep," finished Nicole.
"Hey guys," Ethan greeted as he scooted in. Ethan fiddled around with his shirt and jeans; how he managed to shower, brush his teeth, and change in 15 minutes was an accomplishment in itself. Nicole went back to look at the menu, ignoring the pants coming from the man beside her. "Are you all ready to order?" the waiter asked.
"Yes, I would like the bacon and eggs," Nicole ordered.
"And how would you like your eggs?"
"Scrambled. OH. And coffee, please, that's the most important part."
"Alright. Who's next?" the waiter addressed the rest of the table.
As everyone else took turns placing their orders, Ethan frantically scanned the menu. Ever since he realized he had overslept, he's been desperately trying to catch up. He didn't even understand how he ended up oversleeping in the first place. He could've sworn he set his alarm days ago! "And for you?" the waiter asked, looking at Ethan.
"Uh," Ethan drew out as he sped-read the menu, "Oh! Pancakes! I'd like pancakes."
"Anything else?" the waiter asked, slightly taken aback at Ethan's excitement. Ethan shook his head. "Nope, just pancakes. And a coffee. Thanks," Ethan stated.
Ethan clapped the menu shut, grinning with pride at his quick decision making abilities. How could you go wrong with pancakes? Nicole winced. Why was it so loud so early in the morning?! And who gets that excited over ordering breakfast? Well, she did, but she was the one with the hungover so she deserved to be biased. The waiter collected the menus and went off the back to put in the orders. The rest of the table sat in silence. With Nicole being so quiet and Ethan grinning to himself like an idiot, there were a lot of unanswered questions. The other table mates stared at the unlikely pair suspiciously.
Unfortunately, nobody had the balls to ask what was on everyone's mind, so everyone stayed quiet- so quiet, that Nicole started to drift asleep right there. One of the easiest ways to cure a hangover was to simply go back to sleep. And with nobody talking, sleep was looking awfully easy to do. "Hey," Ethan nudged her slightly. Nicole snorted as she was jolted away. "Where did you go this morning? I woke up and you had already taken off," Ethan asked.
Ethan was pretty upset that she wasn't there when he woke up. He wanted to see what she looked like asleep or what she looked like when she woke up in the morning; you know, in the most non-creepy way possible. Did she snore or talk in her sleep? What did she dream about? Maybe she does that super cute thing where she twitches uncontrollably. But whatever cute thing Nicole did in her sleep, and he was sure that she did something cute in her sleep, Ethan would just have to wait until next time to see it. If he should be so lucky.
Nicole couldn't believe what she just heard. She scoffed before saying, "Why? Were you gonna give me breakfast in bed or something?" Ethan smiled and shrugged. If lukewarm coffee and some leftover airplane peanuts could be considered breakfast, then yes, he was. Hey, it's the thought that counts, right? Harry leaned over to Kate and made descending whistling sound followed by a crash. Kate narrowed her eyes at his lack of faith. It wasn't Ethan's fault Nicole was unresponsive. It was early and Nicole was hungover! Maybe they should talk about something more universal to lighten the mood. Oh, that's it!
"So what are the plans for today? We're going to Universal Studios, right?" Kate asked as she folded a napkin onto her lap. Harry was the first one to answer. "Yeah, so we can ride on as many coasters as we can without barfing," Harry said a little too enthusiastically.
"What a lovely thought right before breakfast," Nicole said through gritted teeth. "Thank you, Harry, as always." Harry tipped his imaginary hat in response.
"No, but I think Harry has a point," Kate agreed. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gave Kate the most puzzling look imaginable. Those words should never be put into a sentence and said with genuine belief of their truthfulness.
("Hey!" Harry exclaimed. "No offense, mate," John replied. Harry crossed his arms and nodded. "Ok, just making sure," Harry accepted.)
Noting the perturbed looks, Kate sighed before saying, "I mean, we should do as much as we can today, especially since we're all together. Who knows when we'll see each other again?" More furrowed eyebrows followed. "Um," Julian raised his hand, "We'll see each other in a couple months for Vidcon."
"Hey, that's besides the point," Kate abruptly responded, "I'm just saying we should spend this time to really get to know each other." The rest of the table exchanged more confused looks. It's like they were having lunch with a summer camp counselor.
Ethan couldn't help sneak in a glance of Nicole, who was starting to doze off again. Thankfully, the waiters came with their food, finally waking Nicole the hell up. Everyone practically devoured their food; which turned out to be perfect because with food in their bellies, the plan easily began taking shape. And before you knew it, they were already on the bus to the theme park.
Julian and Harry had made plans to meet up with their two other fantastic YouTuber friends while John went to meet up with his girlfriend, leaving the odd couples to fend for themselves. It was sort of payback for never fully divulging last night's details. Plus, that way, they figured some more juicy developments would come out of this. The girls sat together in one row as the boys sat in the row behind them
Kate tried planning out her words to make it seem like she wasn't curious as to what happened with Ethan last night, but the only thing that kept coming to mind was "Hey, Nicole, what happened with Ethan last night?". So she figured she might as well just start off slow. "So," Kate began. Nicole didn't even have to look up from her phone. "Kate, just ask what happened," Nicole cut off.
Damn, caught. Kate decided her best option would be just to play it off. "Whaaat? I don't wanna know what happened last night between you and Ethan," she tried to lie. Nicole's face fell. That wasn't even remotely believable. But she knew that if she didn't address it now, Kate would just keep bugging her about it for the rest of the day. And Kate was not good at this whole "subtle" thing.
Nicole paused her music and took out an earbud. She took a deep breath before beginning. "I just needed to get drunk and Ethan was kinda there, so he got drunk too. Nothing else happened," she stated matter-of-factly. There. Simple and easy. There shouldn't be anymore questions for a while. Nicole went to reinsert the earbud, but when she looked up, all she saw Kate trying her best not to grin from ear to ear. "Mhmm sure. I know what happens when alcohol's involved," Kate teased. Kate nudged Nicole repeatedly, ignoring Nicole's signature dagger eyes. This ride was going to be hell.
Meanwhile, Ethan was trying his hardest to get as humanly possible to Nicole without having her notice that he was close by. Not only because he couldn't get enough of her, but because he wanted to find out what Kate said that made Nicole looks so angry. But all Ethan could hear was Nicole mumbling, "This trip better be worth it because I swear to God, this is the last vacation I go on with this mother-"
"Final boarding call! Please find a seat and refrain from moving around," the bus driver announced. Nicole leaned her head against the window and put her headphones back in, but even the blasting Fall Out Boy couldn't drown out that one loud cry. "Wait! Wait for us! We're coming!" an annoying shrill pierced the air. Nicole could've vomited right there and then from how revolting it sounded. On the other hand, Kate quickly looked out the opposite window. She could've sworn she's heard that voice before. The voice's cry pierced the air again. Nicole couldn't take it anymore. She blurted out to the driver, "Drive. Drive now. Let them walk, just start driving now!" But it was too late.
The graceful yet frantic blonde stepped on board, pulling her tired boyfriend along. Another couple followed close behind them. "Whew! Thanks for waiting!" Jo greeted the driver. The newcomers took the closest seats they could; which just so happened to be directly across the aisle beside Kate and the couldn't-be-more-annoyed Nicole. Nicole couldn't roll her eyes anymore harder. "Perfect. Just. Perfect," she said to herself. It was bad enough she had to endure an entire bus ride with Kate goading her about Ethan, but now she was going to have to endure listening to the most annoying voice she's ever known talk within a couple feet of her.
The second girl turned around with an annoyed look on her face. "I still don't know why you took off running, Jo. We could've just driven there ourselves," she brunette whipped back around and started to fix her hair with the reflection of the window. Kate noted the steep contrast between the two. The other one might have been a handful, but at least she was cheerful. It'd probably be best to just stay out of the other one's way. Jo smiled as she watched the bus began to pull out.
"I wanted to get on the shuttle. It's more fun!" Jo piped. Her friend scoffed. "Fun? Fun is lounging by the Mediterranean Sea or shopping in France. Not bumming it in a charter bus. Look! Even Jordan is sweating!" she replied. The girls turned to look at the brunette running his hands through his hair. A few beads of sweat had formed around his hairline, but other than that, not a hair was out of place.
Every muscle on Kate's body tensed up at the sound of the name. There was no way. It couldn't have been. How many Jordans are there? Dozens, at least. It wasn't like it's an uncommon name. This could've been anyone. Right? "He's fine, Ella. Aren't you?" Jo turned to her boyfriend. Kate didn't even look up to solidify their identities. She was frightened that the wrong move could make her presence known. Maybe if she stayed completely still, the possibility of the worst would blow over.
The man shrugged before answering, "I still don't think we needed to run. We could've gotten on the other bus." His deep, accented voice rumbled through the air like a torpedo about to take off. And its target? The the poor dark-haired deer in headlights beside them. Life-threatening panic seeped into Kate's body. She instinctively grabbed Nicole's arm, foregoing her over excessive use of strength.
Nicole pulled back in pain. "God, WHAT, Kate?" Nicole exploded. Nicole took out an earbud, expecting to hear a damn good reason as to why her right arm was going to be blue for the rest of the vacation. Unable to even look at her friend, Kate remained sitting with her back towards the aisle, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. "Listen to the voices," Kate simply instructed. Nicole concentrated for a second before saying, "I don't hear any-" And that's when the other boy spoke.
"Well we're here now, let's just relax," stated a familiar voice that gave Nicole the shivers (and not the good kind). The air inside Nicole's lung instantly dissipated. "No. Fucking. Way," Nicole exclaimed in a barely audible whisper. The two slowly slid down their chairs to avoid being seen. "It's them! What do we do?" Kate mouthed in a frantic whisper.
"Stay. Cool," Nicole mouthed back.
Ella looked around the shuttle and crinkled her nose. "Maybe get one without so many… people," the brunette said in a disgusted one. Nicole ducked behind Kate, avoiding the other girl's gaze. Nicole's face morphed into one resembling a crying Kim Kardashian. "They know we're here!" Nicole whispered to her equally panicked friend. Kate had already moved onto the second step of grief: denial. "Maybe it's not even them," Kate reassured, "We could just be freaking out for nothing."
Jo looked around the cabin to see why Ella was so upset. She didn't understand what Ella was talking about. These all seemed like nice people! TAnd that's when she locked eyes with one of the passengers sitting beside them. That hair seemed awfully familiar. Suddenly, her eyes lit up upon remembering where she'd seen it before. "Oh my gosh!" she gasped. Kate's eyes widened. She nearly dove underneath the seat."Shit. Abort ship. Abort. Ship," Kate hissed to her friend.
"What does that even mean!?" Nicole harshly whispered back, still crouched low in her seat. Jo leaned all the way across the aisle. She was practically a foot away when she said, "Kate?! What are you- Oh my gosh, Nicole?!" Nicole peeked through her fingers to see the thrilled girl gawking at her. Nicole slid closer to Kate and asked, "Ok, who the hell is she and why does she know my name?" Kate winced. "It's a long story, just go with it," she whispered to Nicole before turning round and grinning widely, "Hey Jo! How's it going? Long time no see!"
"I know right? It feels like it was just yesterday!" Jo exclaimed.
"It sorta was yesterday but," Kate mumbled before loudly replying, "I knoooow! Saaaame!"
Jordan squeezed his eyes shut. What were the odds… To say that Jo was excited would've been an understatement. The moment Kate confirmed her identity, Jo whipped around and practically knocked Jordan over with the taps she was giving him. "Jordan, Jordan, Jordan," she repeated with each hit, "Guess who's here? You remember Kate, right?"
Kate balled up her hands in reaction to the mention of her name. If only he didn't remember her. Actually, if only she didn't remember him. Jordan turned around, already aware of Kate's presence. He'd recognize that fake-ass polite tone anywhere. "Yeah, hey," Jordan greeted with a head nod.
Nicole's eyebrows furrowed at the situation. What kind of question was that? And how did Kate know this girl? And how does she know Jordan? And why wouldn't Jordan remember Kate? It's not like they left on forgettable terms. "Of course he remembers," Nicole began to point out. Kate shot up instantly. "OH HAY, HAVE YOU MET NICOLE YET?!" Kate loudly interrupted. Nicole leaned back into her seat. What the fu-
But before Nicole could smack her supposed "best friend" upside the head for throwing her under the bus, the group was distracted by the sound of someone choking in the row in front of the bubbly blonde's. Ella turned to her boyfriend, revolted. "Ethan, what's the matter with you?" she criticized. Ethan hit his chest in an attempt to get all the water out. Nicole nearly dropped dead at the sight of him. "Ok, now I understand what abort ship means," she thought aloud.
Jo wasted no time. She quickly turned her attention to the freaked out girl beside Kate. "I'm such a huge fan of your videos!" Jo gushed, "They're like artsy meets indie meets depressing." Nicole's eyebrows furrowed. She didn't know if that was supposed to be an insult or a compliment, but judging by Jo's animated expression, Nicole surmised it must've been a good thing; or at least, as close to a good thing as this girl was able to think of.
"Thanks. Well, it looks like this van's a liiiiittle snug, so we're just going to try and squeeze our way out-" Nicole commented. But as Nicole began to get up, the bus lurched forward, knocking her back down. "Alright folks, looks like we're full and heading our way to Universal Studios!" the driver announced. Kate looked over to Nicole who was still recovering from the sudden fall. "-back into our seats," Nicole finished.
Jo could barely keep still. After all, she was lucky enough to get on the bus with two of her top favorite YouTubers. Nicole had this air of mysterious silence to her and all her videos came out so artsy. Jo couldn't wait to crack into that brain of hers. While Kate, on the other hand, was literally a ball of hilarity. And she was so sweet too! Jo nearly groaned aloud. They were going to be such good friends, she just knew it. "Oh my gosh, we're bus buddies! Isn't this cool?" Jo exclaimed.
"Macarena cool…" Nicole dully replied.
Kate had to cover her mouth from bursting out laughing at the comment. Thankfully, the remark was lost on Jo who turned her attention to her own snarky companion. "I want you both to meet Ella," Jo turned to the brunette in the front, "Ella, this is Kate and Nicole. They run a YouTube channel called twoawkwardgirls." Ella's eyes perked up at the mention of the channel. "Is it like a beauty channel? Do you guys travel around the world like Ethan and Jordan?" she asked. Nicole scoffed."Oh boy, do we wish we could travel around the world like Ethan and Jordan," she muttered spitefully.
Kate shot a quick glare in Nicole's direction. There were far too many people here that could potentially eavesdrop on this conversation. Anyone of them could pass around the rumor that there was tension between them and nobody needed that getting around. Honestly, Kate was trying to forget it herself; but that proved to be a little difficult with Jordan sitting a breath away. Let's just say the sight of him made her a little nervous.
"We, uh, just haven't had the opportunity to. We mostly talk about random things we do. Not that we do a lotta stuff, well, we kinda do, that's why we have so many videos up. But they're all kinda pointless. Well no, we put a lot of work into them. Kinda. Sometimes," Kate had to pause to let her rambling train of thought remember the original question, "Um...no, it's not a beauty channel. Although it can be…?" Kate turned to Nicole for some help. Her partner sighed. And Kate was the eloquent one of the two. "It's a channel about our lives in Southern California. So vlogs, short films, random tags, and stories. Things that like," Nicole simply defined.
With Nicole waking up in bed with random guys and Kate completely losing her ability to speak, this trip was becoming more like the Twilight Zone than a vacation. Ella's nose scrunched up at the response. "That's it?" Ella asked, to which Kate nodded, "Oh." Ella immediately relaxed into her seat. She almost preferred the bumbling one's answer than this one's; it was so boring. "It's really funny and like heartwarming and stuff," Jo jumped in, noticing Ella's loss of enthusiasm. Ella's smiled curved up tighter around the corners. "Uh huh, sure. Well, Ethan travels around the world and makes videos for people. Big-scale projects," Ella bragged.
Ella smiled at her boyfriend sitting beside her. She placed a hand onto Ethan's shoulder, causing both him and Nicole to tense up slightly. He had chosen the aisle seat because he wanted the leg room, but he was really wishing he could reconsider that decision right about now. "Well isn't that mah-velous?" Nicole enunciated in a thick British accent, "Has the Queen asked you for a video yet?" Nicole touched her chest as she fluttered her eyelashes. If this girl thought that she was going to get Nicole to feel bad about her YouTube channel because of Ethan's "abundant success" then she had another thing coming. Nicole had stopped caring about anything Ethan-related years ago.
After hearing the joke, Ethan had to stifle a laugh, earning him a glare from his girlfriend. Jo turned her attention to the other passengers around her. Maybe she knew someone else on this bus. Her eyes were drawn to the fellow blonde in the row behind Kate. "Oh hey! Danny, right?" Jo acknowledge.
Jordan immediately turned around at this comment. His eyes locked onto the blonde across the aisle. "Yeah. Hi Jo," Danny quickly nodded towards the man beside her, "Jordan." Jordan slightly nodded in return. "Who's your friend?" Jo asked, addressing the guy beside the window who was obviously enraptured in their conversation. Danny patted his friend on the back. "This is Ethan Harris. He's a filmmaker too," Danny introduced.
Jo's eyes lit up at the information. "Oh my gosh! His name is Ethan too!" she exclaimed as she looked between the two Ethans, "It's like you guys are twins or something!" Jo giggled as she turned to her boyfriend. "Oops, sorry, Jordan. Looks like you've been replaced!" You could practically feel everyone's eyes rolls at the joke.
Ethan took this opportunity to lean forward towards Nicole. "Hey, so last night was fun," he commented. Nicole remained stagnant in her seat. "Yeah. Good times, yo," she commented.
"Would you...wanna maybe-" Ethan began.
"Hi, I'm sorry, I'm just gonna steal Nicole for a second, ok?" Kate interrupted. She pulled Nicole forward and towards her. Kate's eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she hissed, " Do you think they know?" Ethan couldn't help but comment himself. "Who knows what?" he asked.
"Yeah, know what?" Jo repeated, her head only inches away from Kate's and Nicole's.
Kate slowly looked between Jo and Ethan, realizing just how closely packed they were on the bus. "Know...that...they're YouTubers too…" Kate finished.
"Oh my gosh, you are!?" Jo gasped, looking at the recently introduced boys.
"Jo, they just told you they were," Ella reminded.
"Ohh yeaah…" Jo remembered. She smiled to herself. Oops. Guess it just came in one ear and out through the other!
Nicole leaned over to Kate and whispered in a low tone, "Kate, this isn't the place to talk about it. Chill." Kate let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't! It's just so weird!" she whispered.
"I know right? It's like a movie or something," Jo's head remarked from a few inches away. She had jumped the aisle and was practically sitting with the girls now. Kate and Nicole stared at Jo in disbelief. Jo blinked twice before it clicked. "Wait, is this a private conversation?" she asked, pointing to the two of them. Nicole sighed. "Not anymore," she mumbled before looking out the window. Just 10 more minutes and they'd be at the park. Just 10 more minutes…