I thought I should update this because like, I just now realized it doesn't have as many chapters as I thought it did. I'm probably going to be skipping ahead a bit in this chapter. That Cinderella Ball is making me want to. Gaaah. I can't wait to get there!

Even Better
Chapter Three

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There was only a week left until the Cinderella Ball and Nick was not looking forward to it. He tried on multiple occasions to get out of going, but Stella practically had a cow.

"You have to come, Nick," Stella said. It was the thousandth time he had begged her not to force him to come. "You and your brothers are providing the entertainment for the evening." Nick grimaced. He had almost forgotten that he had to perform. Well, this sucked.

"I don't have a date," Nick told her, "I don't want to go alone." Stella snorted.

"Nick," She told him, walking over to the window in his room and opening it. The sound of screaming girls pierced his ears. He winced at the sound and gave Stella a "what are you getting at?" look. Stella motioned out the window. "You've got a whole sea of fangirls out there, Nick," she told him, "Just pick one." Nick stared at Stella and sighed.

That's not the fangirl I want, He thought bitterly, turning away from his older brother's best friend with a hurt expression on his face and headed towards one of the three fireman poles.

"Nick?" Stella asked, confused by his reaction, "Did I say something to upset you?" Nick stopped, his back still to her as he put his hand on the railing around the poles. He gathered all of his courage and turned to look at her again.

"No," Nick said, a slight smile, "thanks for the advice, but I don't want to cause a riot amongst those girls. Besides, I really like this outfit." Stella laughed. It had been so long since the boys had been attacked by their fangirls that she had almost forgotten what little clothes-shredding terrors they really were.

"Are you going stag?" She asked before adding, "because I don't have a date. I could go with you. It'll be like a friend thing." Nick smirked and stared down at his sneakers.

"Thanks for the offer, Stells," He said, "But I have someone else in mind."

"Who?" Stella asked, eyebrows raised. Nick wracked his brain for a name, any name. He didn't want Stella to think that he was lying to her, even though he was. He just didn't want to have to go with Stella. He couldn't go with Stella. Any other time he would've accepted her offer, but now that he knew how bad it hurt to see one of your brothers with the girl you had fallen for...He couldn't do that to Joe.

"Penny," he blurted, automatically feeling stupid for saying it.

"Penny?" Stella asked, "didn't she dump you and break your heart into a million pieces?" Nick winced. Way to put it lightly, Stella. "Besides," she continued, "I heard that she's going with Ricky." Nick ground his teeth together. Did Stella always have to be so in tune with gossip?

"Oh," He responded, feeling slightly embarrassed, "I'm sure I'll figure something out then..."

"I just tol--" She stared, but he cut her off.

"Bye, Stella," He said, running around the railing and sliding down the closest pole. Even if Stella was just trying to be nice and help him out, he couldn't do that to Joe. Besides, he had a hunch Joe was going to ask her to go to the Cinderella thing soon anyway.

"Hey, Nick..." Joe said from where he was at the kitchen table, hunched over a couple cartons of milk. Okay, so maybe he had a little more than a hunch. Joe only drank copious amounts of milk when he was upset about something. Nick walked to the table and pulled out a chair.

"What is it, Joe?" Nick asked, taking a seat at the table.

"There's this girl I like..." Joe said, trailing off. Nick knew where this was going.

"If you want to ask Stella to the Cinderella Ball then do it," Nick said before Joe could continue. Joe stared at his brother in shock.

"Pfft." Joe said, nervousness washing over his features, "I don't want to ask Stella. What makes you think I'd want to go to...Stella, really?" Joe was a bad liar. Nick just shook his head and got up from the table, heading for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Joe called after him. Somewhere, nowhere, everywhere. Nick didn't answer him. Instead, he opened the door and walked out into the cold winter air. He shoved his hands in his pockets to protect them from the cold. He just needed to get away for a little while. Maybe walking outside in the cold would help in take his mind off of Macy. Or at least give Joe the chance to ask Stella to the Cinderella Ball. That way he wouldn't feel bad for declining her offer to go as friends.

"Hey, Nick!" He heard someone call out to him. He turned around, seeing Macy running to catch up with him.

"Macy?" Nick asked, checking his surroundings to make sure he was where he thought he was, "What're you doing out here?"

"Kevin invited me over," she said, a bit breathless.

"Oh..." He said, "why?"

"Operation get Joe to ask Stella," she responded simply, "You want to help us?" Nick chuckled.

"No," he said, he didn't think he could stand seeing Macy and Kevin together anymore than he had to, "you two go ahead, I was just about to go for a walk." Macy arched an eyebrow at him.

"It's freezing out here, Nick," Macy said, "Are you insane?" Nick stared at her in shock for a moment.

"Uh," he said, "the cold doesn't really bother me, but thanks for the concern..." he trailed off, staring down at the ground awkwardly.

"Come on, Nick," Macy said, "Don't you want to see me and Kevin shove Stella and Joe into a closet or something? It'll be fun." Her persuading was making it harder for him to continue with his earlier plan to go on a walk to clear his head.

"That would be a funny thing to watch..." Nick admitted, still staring at his shoes. Macy leaned forward, bending slightly so her face was in his field of vision. He took a step back.

"So you'll help us?" She asked, a big smile on her face. Nick swore he felt his heart skip a beat. He loved that smile.

"Okay," Nick said. Macy clapped her hands together and jumped once to show her excitement. Nick swallowed hard when she reached down and took his hand, leading him back towards the firehouse. "This is going to be awesome."

Nick wondered what he had just gotten himself into.

. . . . . . . . .

My iTunes is psychic. Right when I typed "That's not the fangirl I want, He thought bitterly" the song Can't Have You by the Jonas Brothers started playing. Pretty freaky if you ask me. I apologise for the OOC. And yay, Joella chapter! I had to put this in as a filler.