A/N: Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it!

Kintra leaned her head back, drinking in the music from the iPod her mom had thoughtfully sent along. It soothed her and drowned out some of the other sounds of the road. She could feel Nick's eyes on her, watching as she let her eyelids flutter closed, enjoying the music that was reverberating throughout her body. She felt the bus stop and then she felt a nudge at her shoulder. Opening one eye, she saw Kevin standing in front of her, smiling. "Starbucks run," he informed her. "Do you want something?"

"Sure," she signed, pulling the earbuds out of her ears and standing up. Out of habit, she moved to stand by Nick. He smiled at her and gently tugged her ponytail before they all got off the bus. Starbucks was relatively empty, so the family sat down and enjoyed their drinks once they had all placed their orders. As Kintra sipped her drink, she zoned out, finding a certain solitude in staring out the window. She could hardly believe that they had been on the road for two weeks already. With the boys having done ten shows, Kintra knew the program like the back of her hand, but she always watched because they put something different in every time. It kept her guessing, and she liked that.

She thought about the family. Everyone was close to everyone else, and Kintra had felt immediately accepted. Kevin was the person to go to when she needed help with something, or needed comfort because a fan had stared her down harshly. Joe was the brother to go to when she needed a good laugh, or was too tired to realize that she was sacrificing herself to him, the one person who could tease the life out of her, eventually making her smile. Nick. A lazy smile crept across her face as she thought about Nick. There was a bond there that she couldn't explain. He was pretty much a constant companion. Because he could understand her, even when her hands flew rapidly in excitement or anger, they were naturally drawn together. They were the same age, and had the same tastes in most things, so they automatically stayed together. Their bond through music strengthened their friendship even more, for they communicated through the music they made in ways that no one else could have.

"Hello!" A hand waved in front of Kintra's face. "Earth to Kintra. Calling Kintra." Kintra jumped, startled. She turned to look at Nick, who had been the one to get her attention. She felt a small blush creep across her face as she looked at him, the boy she had just been thinking of.

"Sorry," she signed. "I was off on Pluto."

Nick smiled. "I was asking what you wanted to do today. We have a pretty free day, and I think we should do something that you want to do."

"How sweet!" Kintra signed, placing her hands over her heart in a mock swooning way. Everyone chuckled, but Kintra caught a look in Joe's eyes that made her start. Those eyes, usually full of mischief and humor, were cold and calculating. They seemed to pierce through her, and Kintra was, for a moment, frozen with shock. Then the look disappeared, and Joe was back to his normal self.

"Well hurry up and decide!" he cried, shaking with excitement.

"I think we should go swimming," Kintra signed shyly. "I haven't been swimming in forever."

"Sounds fine to me," Mrs. Grey said with a smile. Where's there a pool around here?" Nick whipped out his cell phone and typed in a quick search. "We are in Tennessee, right?" he asked.

"Nope," Joe replied. "We're in Kentucky." Nick looked at him, to see if he was teasing. Finding that his brother was serious, he shook his head and turned to Kintra.

"I think it's a good thing you wanted to do something relaxing," he said with a laugh. "With the tour being so crazy, I can't even remember what state we're in!" Kintra rolled her eyes while her friend readjusted his search. He found a large pool just down the street, so everyone hurried back to the bus to get changed into their swimsuits.

When it became Kintra's turn to step into the bathroom, she hesitated to take off her clothes. She fingered the scarf tied around her neck and winced. She hated having to see the scar underneath. Once, she'd tried to wear a scarf to bed, but Joe had put a stop to that. "We're family here," he had said. "We don't mind. Plus, we don't want you strangling yourself in the middle of the night." Since then, she had taken the scarves off before bed, but the thought of being out in public without one made her hesitate. Maybe swimming hadn't been such a great idea.

There was a knock at the door and Kintra opened it, embarrassed that she hadn't even changed yet. Joe stood outside, leaning against the doorframe. "Can I talk to you?" he asked. Kintra looked around and saw that there was no one else in the bus. She heard voices outside and surmised that Joe had slipped back inside to talk to her privately.

"Sure," she signed.

"I wanted to know if you're going to tell him at some point," Joe said evenly.

Kintra frowned. "Tell who, and tell them what?" she asked.

"Tell Nick that you're falling in love with him," he answered. She opened her mouth to protest silently, raising her hands as an afterthought, but Joe continued. "I've seen the way you look at him. Kinny, you have a really special bond with him." He laughed, and the bitter note in the action surprised Kintra. "I haven't seen him so happy in a really long time," he said. "When he's with you, he seems to come alive."

"That's what friends are for," Kintra signed. "But that doesn't mean that I like him any other way." Her stomach twisted with that lie.

Joe shrugged resignedly. "Well, when you stop lying to yourself, I think you should tell him. You never know. He might have the same feelings for you." He turned to head out the door and spun around once more, his serious face gone once again, just like at the restaurant. "Come on, Rusty Girl. You're holding up the process!"

Kintra stuck her tongue out at him and disappeared back into the bathroom. She quickly changed out of her clothes and into her swim shorts and rash guard, silently thankful that the rash guard covered most of her scar. She turned to the mirror to do her hair and then stopped. The face that stared back at her was actually glaring at her. She closed her eyes, trying to push away the thought that she had just lied to one of her best friends. How could she be in love with Nick? Nick, the one who girls flocked over. Nick, the one who had a talent greater than hers. Nick, the one who had the voice to speak to her. She shook her head. She couldn't do this. She had to push these feelings back down, making them eventually disappear. She would make them disappear.

'Well,' she thought wryly. 'They always said that he crushed on quiet girls.' She scampered out of the bathroom, bounding down the steps of the bus to where everyone else had gathered. She felt Joe's eyes on her, but she just smiled at him. Nick made some joke and gave another tug on her ponytail, and friendly action that was making her heart speed up.

"Shall we go?" Mrs. Grey asked. Everyone, including Kintra, nodded excitedly.

Kintra was still waiting for her heart to return to normal.