"Everyone, this is my girlfriend."

The statement almost made Kintra faint, and if Kevin hadn't been standing next to her, grabbing her elbow in time, she would've ended up on the floor. Instead, she stared at Nick, his arm slung casually around Catie, and she felt herself start to tremble. She bit her lip so that she would not cry as everyone murmured half-hearted congratulations. Nick barely seemed to notice, but Catie was glaring, put out that no one was jumping for joy. Eventually, Nick noticed.

"Why do you guys not seem happy?" he asked.

Mrs. Grey spoke up before anyone could give the real reason behind their disappointment. "It's just so sudden," she said. "You've only been dating for two weeks."

"So?" Nick asked with a defiant lift of his chin.

"So I'm just wondering if it might be too soon," Mrs. Grey responded. She hastily looked over at Catie and said, "No offense to you, my dear."

Nick huffed slightly as he took Catie's elbow, intent on guiding her out of the tour bus. "Well," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "I think that I'm old enough to make my own decisions. We're going out to the movies," he said. "Don't wait up."

The door to the bus had almost closed when Mrs. Grey called to her son. "Remember that tonight's a school night. Don't be out too late."

"I won't," was the curt, icy reply.

"Do you have your science project completed?" his mother asked, trying to remind him that he still hadn't finished it.

"Yes, mom," he said with a sigh. "Goodnight."

The door closed behind him and Mrs. Grey shook her head. She turned around to her family and shrugged. "I tried," she said.

Kintra's stomach felt tight as she sat there. Nick's arm around Catie's waist bothered her. She briefly wondered what it might have felt like to have that same arm around her, but she brushed the thought off. Thoughts like that were only ways to get hurt. She stood, slipping out the door when no one was looking, and sitting down on the tour bus steps. She would not cry. Yet, a tear, unbidden, slid down her cheek and was absorbed by her scarf, leaving only a wet track as evidence.

"Please don't cry," Joe said, coming down the steps to sit next to Kintra. He used a finger to wipe the wet trail off her cheek, tickling her in the process.

"I don't understand," Kintra signed. "I've tried so hard to forget about my feelings. I've done everything I could to push them back, to get rid of them. Why can't I get rid of them?"

Joe smiled sadly. "Because you truly love him." He shook his head. "I don't know what my brother sees in that girl he has latched onto him, but it's obvious that he's running from something. I saw the way he looked at you during the concert." Kintra turned to look at her friend, surprised. "You didn't?" he asked. "Well, both Kevin and I did." He turned to her, very serious. "You need to tell him."

"But he has a girlfriend!" Kintra protested.

Joe shook his head stubbornly. "You still need to tell him how you feel. It's not healthy to keep all your feelings to yourself."

"Since when did you become so philosophical?" Kintra signed, teasing. Joe smiled and stood, helping Kintra back up into the bus.

That night, Kintra waited and waited for a sound that Nick had arrived back to the bus, but the minutes ticked by with no sign of him. She tossed and turned, worried over the science project that was due tomorrow that he would have no time to put together. Finally, she slipped out of bed, making her way to the living room where all of his supplies were still in the same pile where he had left them earlier. As quietly as she could, Kintra began to put the project together, piece by piece. Nick had already done all the work, so all she had to do was put it all together for him. The task took longer than she thought, and two hours passed before she had put everything to her liking.

Exhausted, she crept back to bed, only to hear the tour bus door creak open slowly, and the sound of Converses squeaking over the floor. Rolling her eyes, Kintra rolled over so that she was facing the wall. Her eyes drifted closed and she was asleep before Nick slid into the bunk underneath her.

Nick had trouble dragging himself out of bed the next morning. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Staying out late just to spite his parents and Kintra, who'd been giving him these strange looks lately, had not been a good idea. He finally stood and made his way out to the little kitchen to see what was for breakfast. Only then did he notice that everyone was there except for Kintra. "Where's Kinny?" he asked.

Mrs. Grey looked up from her breakfast, and Nick thought that he caught a glance of disapproval in her look. "She's very tired, so I let her sleep. She can do her schoolwork later."

Nick started to protest that he should be allowed to sleep in as well, but then bit his tongue. Maybe Kintra was feeling sick because of the leukemia. "Is it because of her leukemia?" he asked anxiously.

His mom shook her head. "No, she's just tired." There was silence for a little while as everyone ate their breakfasts, until Mrs. Grey said, "I'd like to see your science project, Nick."

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Nick obediently rose and went to the corner where he had placed his science project. Everything was as he had remembered it, and he gritted his teeth, knowing that a lecture was due. When he opened the board, though, everything was neatly in place. There were his borders and his essays and his samples, all lined up carefully and mounted. "Wha…?" he began.

"Remember?" Kevin asked quickly. "You finished it before you went on your date."

Nick played along, a grin spreading out across his face. "You're right," he said. Without saying anything else, he showed the board to his mom and then finished his breakfast.

"You'd better hurry," Mrs. Grey told him, standing up to clear the table. "You have sound check in an hour."

Nick inhaled the rest of his breakfast and then stood, clearing his dishes. When his mom was out of hearing range, he caught Kevin's sleeve. "Thanks for putting that together for me," he said sincerely.

Kevin gave him an exasperated look. Brushing past Nick, he said, "I didn't do it. I wouldn't have done it. Kintra did."

Nick stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, he made his way over to his bunk, grabbing the clothes he needed for the day. Peeking over the railing of the top bunk, he found Kintra fast asleep, her eyelashes fluttering as she dreamed. He shook his head, making a mental note to thank her later. Gently, he touched her shoulder, trying not to startle her. "Kinny," he whispered. "You've got to wake up. We need to get to sound check."

Kintra rolled over and opened her mouth, and Nick was sure that if she had had the use of her vocal cords, she would've groaned. He eyes opened slowly and focused on him. She nodded, showing that she was awake, and Nick left to go get ready.

Once the sound check had been completed, Kintra slipped out of the room and made her way down the hall to another room with a piano. Slowly, her fingers began to brush against the keys, playing the song in her head but making no sound. She closed her eyes and listened to the swell of the music in her head, wishing that she could play it for the world to hear.

"What are you playing?" asked a voice. Startled, Kintra whirled around to find Nick leaning against the door frame of the room, watching her carefully.

"Nothing," she signed, brushing her deep feelings off.

"Didn't look like 'nothing' to me," Nick prompted. When Kintra didn't say anything, he strode over to the piano and stood next to it, looking down at her. "Why'd you do it?" Instantly, Kintra knew that they were on an entirely different conversation.

"Do what?" she asked, playing innocent.

Nick glared at her. "You know what I mean. Why'd you complete my project for me? Why didn't you just let me fail?" He shook his head. "I know that you don't like Catie, and I know that I was acting terribly last night, so why'd you help me?" He laughed bitterly. "Not even my own brother would help me, so why you?"

Kintra's heart pounded as she took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Because of this," she said, and began to play the song she'd been thinking of.

The music swirled around the small, soundproof room, bathing it in a sweet, cheerful tone. Nick watched, fascinated, as Kintra played with her eyes closed. She played from her heart. As the song went on, Nick realized that it was a song of feelings. He took an involuntary step back when he realized that it was a song of love. Kintra opened her eyes as the last note resonated throughout the room and looked at Nick, waiting for his reaction.

His face was hard, like granite, and his lips were pressed tightly together. Kintra leaned away from him without thinking, surprised by this reaction to her music. All Nick said was, "I have a girlfriend." Those words broke Kintra's heart.

She was still waiting for the pain to ease when he walked away.