A/N: So this was supposed to be two separate chapters but I was having issues splitting them. So, maybe read half and leave the rest for tomorrow? ;)
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Kevin was still doubled over, hands on his knees as he tried desperately to gulp in air, when Joe and Nick arrived at school that morning and made their way to the lockers.
"What did she do to you?" Joe asked, horrified.
"She -- made me -- run -- in circles -- for -- hours!" Kevin panted out.
"Why?"
"No -- reason!"
Nick crouched down holding a bottle of water out for his brother. He felt his brother's pain. Track was not on Nick's list of favorite things to do.
"Need -- oxygen! Later." Kevin downed the water quickly and tossed the bottle to the ground. Halfway to the atrium he stopped and turned back, pointing to the discarded bottle. "Recycle!"
Nick and Joe watched Kevin step through the atrium doors and flop out on the grassy ground.
"Y'know, I didn't think it was even possible to fail gym," Joe said, tossing the empty bottle into his locker. "I mean, how can he mess up gym that bad? There are only so many shiny things in the gym to distract him."
"I checked. Kevin isn't failing gym at all." Nick pulled out his books for his first class and closed his locker.
"So..." Joe prompted.
"So," Nick said, rolling his eyes, "I think Kevin is just lying and making an excuse to hang out with Macy."
"Interesting... " Joe said, rubbing his chin. "That's actually a pretty good plan."
"It is. Perhaps too good? We need to see Stella."
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"I have no idea what you're talking about," Stella said, jutting her chin out.
"Look," Nick started before laying it all out for Stella, "I know Kevin isn't failing gym. I know he's been eagerly getting up at 5 am each morning for the past two weeks simply to spend time with Macy. And, I know that the idea was a little out of Kevin's league."
"So, you know?" Stella's chin lowered a few centimeters as she eyed the brothers.
"We know," Nick confirmed.
"Oh m'gosh, right! It's just the cutest thing ever!" Stella clasped her hands against her cheek as she grinned widely. "Kevin came up to me all nervous and asking about how to get close to a girl he likes. At first I was all worried it was another lame-o delivery girl. So, I ask him who this girl is and he goes, and I quote, 'Mmm-Lacy Lisa'!"
Joe frowned, "Is she new?"
Nick and Stella both turned and blinked at Joe before Stella continued, "So, after I didn't laugh, I started brainstorming through ideas and other than starting out as penpals, which would take way too long, the only thing that came to mind was sports. And by 'tutoring' they get lots of one on one time. It was so sweet! He took notes a-and Macy's been in the best mood. And I...I am not jealous at all," Stella said, turning to Joe before continuing, "that a guy hasn't been putting in three hours of manual labor each morning to get my attention for the last 14 days. Not jealous at all."
"Right." Nick glanced between Stella and Joe. "I'm going to class now. Bye."
Joe didn't even notice his brother's exit. "Well, what's the point of someone even trying for your attention, when your attention is clearly being stolen by some football player's attention giving skills."
"Well, maybe football players wouldn't be giving me so much attention if my attention was already taken by someone else's attention."
"Well, maybe someone else's attention is...is..."
"Yes?" Stella prompted.
"I have to go to class," Joe said suddenly. "If you'll excuse me."
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"So I think I may take some karate lessons," Kevin said after he opened his locker. Turning towards his brother, Kevin chopped at the air in slow motion with his right hand. "Totally cool, right? I think it'd really help my stage performance."
Nick kind of loved that he no longer found these random things both Kevin and Joe seemed to throw out there from time to time all that random anymore. They were both so random it was normal. Of course, nurturing the randomness too much was a bad thing so Nick made a point of stating a rational fact, "We can't karate chop overzealous fans."
"Yeah, dad got really mad at me last time," Joe pouted, kicking the bottom of his locker.
"I still think I may," Kevin mused as he shoved his homework into his bag. "The ladies dig that kinda stuff."
"The ladies dig that kinda stuff, huh, Kev?" Nick repeated, leaning against his locker to eye Kevin. "Really? Ladies like, oh, I don't know, Macy perhaps?"
"Yeah. No!" Kevin spun around to Nick, with wide eyes. "What? I wasn't paying attention! What was that question again?"
"You can drop it Kevin, we -- well, I -- figured out what's going on."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." It was odd to see Kevin jut his chin out the exact same way with the exact same retort as Stella had given him hours earlier.
"Stella confirmed it."
"Stella, also, has no idea what you're talking about." Kevin slammed his locker shut and jerked the zipper on his backpack closed.
"Come on, Kevin. What's the big deal?" Nick asked, softening his tone just a bit as he pushed away from his locker. He turned to hopefully get some support from Joe but he seemed otherwise distracted. "So, you've got a crush on someone. Macy seems like a really nice--"
Kevin glared at Nick and stormed off.
"Kevin!" Nick called after him.
Joe suddenly pulled out of his locker, "HEY! He's our ride home!"
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"Oh, god, call -- cab! Can't walk -- anymore!"
Nick rolled his eyes, holding their front door open. "We're home already, Joe. It wasn't that far."
Frankie looked up from the homework he was working on at the coffee table and frowned as Joe flopped onto the couch. "What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing, we walked home from school."
"Wow, maybe Kevin's girlfriend should be whipping Joe into shape." Frankie reached out and began poking at his unresponsive, yet still gasping for air, brother with his pencil. The lack of response only egged Frankie on and he managed to get four more jabs in before his older brother apparently got enough oxygen to speak up.
"I'm -- not -- out -- of," Joe began, panting, before a loud voice from above interrupted him.
"I don't have a girlfriend! Shut up! I don't know what you're talking about!" There was a moment of silence before Kevin added, "Stay away from Macy, Joe, or I'll...I'll do something! Really bad!"
"Boys! What is with all the yelling? And why is the front door open?" Sandy asked, stepping into the house, her arms laden with grocery bags. She smiled when her two youngest quickly reached to help with the bags.
"Joe's out of shape and Kevin is still denying he's got a thing for Macy," Frankie supplied, looking into the bag he was holding at lighting up at the spotted PopTarts.
"Oh, your brother had the sweetest crush on this little redheaded girl in grade 5. Took him nearly the whole year to talk to her. Just give him a month tops and everything will be sorted out with Macy."
"Wait, even you know?" Nick asked.
Sandy laughed as she put the produce away. "Who do you think has been making your brother those healthy breakfasts he totes along in the morning? Now, if you haven't got much homework, I expect a hand with making dinner tonight. Joseph, that includes you. And no shoes on the couch!"
Joe moaned pitifully as he dropped his feet to the floor. "I think my feet are too swollen to take my shoes off. These shoes are so style over function." Joe was positive he could see his feet throbbing, leather shoes and all.
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Stella pushed away from her desk and looked around for her phone. Why was someone calling her land line? She had a cellphone for a reason, people.
"H--" Stella began her greeting after she found her phone but was quickly cut off.
"Why didn't you tell me I lived in a freak house!"
"Uh..." Wow, what in the... "Macy?!"
"They're everywhere!" Macy hissed out.
Stella frowned. "Macy, are you ok?"
"No! They're everywhere!"
"Sweetie, who? Who is everywhere?"
"JONAS!" Macy shrieked over the line.
"Ok, I have no idea what you're talking about," Stella said, completely lost as she sat on her bed.
"My bedroom is covered in JONAS posters!"
"Yeah, I know." It was maybe an itsy bit creepy for Stella at times, hanging out in Macy's room which was plastered with the faces of the friends Stella had grown up with. Stella seemed to see more of the Lucas boys in Macy's bedroom than she did in the actual Lucas house.
"It's creepy! They're constantly looking at me! I--I can't go anywhere in my room without them staring at me with their beautiful, soulful, creepy eyes!" Macy's voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, "How am I supposed to get changed?! I'm not ready for Kevin to see me na--ever mind!"
Stella decided to be a good friend at let Macy get away with the slip. Ok, not 'get away with it' but to leave it visibly on the table to be discussed and squealed over at a later date. "Macy, don't you have a game tonight?"
"Yeah. I needed to come home and pick up my uniform. Then I was going to change into my uniform but, omg, Stella! Everywhere! How did I not notice this before?!"
"Well, you've been spending a lot of time with them now. You and Kevin are getting super close and...you no longer need to go home to be able to stare at him up close and personal?"
"I-I guess..."
"You know what?" Stella asked, suddenly struck by inspiration. "What if I come over tonight after your game and I help you de-JONAS your room?"
"I...I..." Macy stuttered over the phone.
Ok, maybe too much too soon. "We'd still leave stuff up, Mace."
"Obviously!"
"Obviously. We could contain everything to one wall."
"Or two."
"Or two," Stella quickly conceded. Baby steps, she reminded herself. "Just make sure there's areas in your room that you can get changed in without--"
"Kevin's amazingly beautiful hazel eyes staring at me and making it awkward?"
"Yeah, that."
"O--ok. Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll call you tonight after my game!"
"Good luck!"
Macy scoffed. "As if I need luck."
Stella chuckled as she finally hung her phone up. It was about time. Kevin and Macy were all but a done deal. She gave it a few-- Her eyes were drawn back to the designs she'd abandoned on her desk. Ugh, blue?! What had she been thinking?
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"Where's your brother?"
"Out," Frankie answered even though he knew the question hadn't been aimed at him. Finishing setting out the last of the silverware he turned at saw Joe frowning at him.
"But he was, like, just here."
"His girlfriend has a baseball game today and he went to watch it."
Tom frowned, placing a dish of corn onto the table. "Kevin has a girlfriend?"
"Yeah, she's a total jock," Joe said, rolling his eyes, "C'mon dad, keep up."
"Keep up?" Nick repeated, tossing some feta cheese into the large salad bowl. "You didn't find out until today, either."
"You didn't know either!"
"I've had my suspicions for weeks," Nick defended himself. "I just fully confirmed it all today."
"Whatever," Joe scoffed, handing a stack of glasses to Frankie. "Hey, how'd you know Kev went to one of Macy's games? He had to of, like, totally stealth snuck out of the house."
"Kevin has her schedules tacked up by his bed."
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Joe pulled back the curtains from Kevin's bed and looked on in horror at the timetables that plastered the interior walls of the bed. "Whoa..."
How had he not noticed this all before?
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As Kevin slid his credit card across the counter he made note that his dinner plans had been thwarted. Again.
He realized now why Macy had been so against him buying dinner but at the time thought it was sweet that she was such a forward thinker and frowned upon a guy, even a famous rockstar, picking up the tab all the time. Or perhaps not all the time, as Macy didn't really seem to be getting the whole dating thing.
How was he going to explain a nearly $200 credit charge to his parents?
Taking 12 girls out for dinner was such a Joe thing to do. Hmmm...maybe he could blame it on him?
"Could you sign this?"
Kevin scribbled across the receipt and turned to watch Macy at the table with the rest of her teammates. She was definitely in her element when it came to sports. Even though Kevin hadn't been able to speak with her at all during the game, he definitely enjoyed this game to the one he'd watched the other day.
"A-and this, too?"
Kevin's gaze was still lingering on Macy as his pen started across the next receipt. His head quickly twisted around as he realized he'd already signed off on dinner.
The girl behind the counter giggled and shrugged. "J-just an autograph, please Mr. Lucas, sir... I-I'm a huge fan."
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The table was quiet now that it was just Kevin and Macy. The last of Macy's teammates had finally left, all smiles and 'thank yous'. One girl had even pinched his butt.
"So, uhm, whatcha up to tonight?" Kevin tried for casual but knew he'd missed by a landslide. Picking a piece of crust off his pizza slice, he tossed it into his mouth.
Macy looked up from her cellphone where she'd been busy sending Trudy a curt text message about proper behavior around Macy's boyfriend. Blinking back down at the small screen, Macy quickly backspaced and deleted the 'boy' from friend. Oops! Boundaries, Macy reminded herself. Just because one spends a lot of time with a guy she likes doesn't mean they're dating and doesn't mean she should she go around referring to him as her boyfriend. She should probably tell Kevin she liked him first. Then again, Trudy needed to be reminded of boundaries and not touching -- pinching even -- things that aren't hers. Macy suddenly remembered Kevin had asked her a question and was still waiting on an answer. "Stells and I are fixing up my room. Kinda realized that there are JONAS posters staring at me everywhere in my bedroom watching me doing everything."
Wow. Kevin Lucas: jealous of paper.
Macy snapped her phone closed after sending the message and realized Kevin hadn't responded. "I-it's not weird that I told you that, is it?"
"No! Of course not. I knew you were a big fan. It's sweet. So, taking some posters down? Sick of me already, than?" Kevin joked but, in all honesty, a panic startled to settle in. These morning sessions were finally getting to her, weren't they? Aw, man and he's just--
"Never! Turns out seeing 3D Kevin Lucas around school is a lot better than seeing 2D Kevin of JONAS on my wall." Macy ducked her head, not believing she'd just said that either. Man, she was on a roll tonight.
"3D me is much more exciting...I'd imagine," Truth was he hadn't really spent much time around 2D him, perhaps he was wrong... Kevin took a long pull from his glass and turned just in time to see Macy snag a piece of pepperoni from his plate. "So, you are amazing to watch on the field," Kevin said, reaching out and pushing his plate a bit closer to Macy.
Macy giggled and hated the blush she could feel heating her cheeks. "Whatever."
"I'm serious," Kevin said around his mouthful of pizza. "I feel bad for holding you back these few weeks. Man, training with me must be a total bore. Watching you play was like...well, I probably got the same rush watching you play as you do watching a JONAS concert."
"Oh, please, that's hardly--"
"Take the compliment, Misa. I'm serious. See, right here?" He question, pointing to himself. "My serious face. This baby only comes out, like, once a month. Except for last month...five times...Nick was in a really good mood for some reason around the 17th and I had to try to even things out..."
Macy grinned and the pair silently turned their attention to finishing the last of the pizza on Kevin's plate. The last piece was claimed by Kevin but he gallantly peeled off the remaining pieces of pepperoni and gave them to Macy.
Macy dug into her bag and tossed some more money onto the table's tip pile after the last of their drinks were finished. "M-maybe tomorrow I could buy you lunch as a thank you for treating the team?"
"No thanks are needed," Kevin said, holding Macy's jacket out for her. "I wanted to."
Macy nodded, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "Well, maybe I could anyways. A-as a lunch thing, for you and me."
"Don't we normally eat lunch together?" Kevin asked as he stepped through the restaurant door that Macy held open for him.
"Yeah. But I was thinking...y'know? Specifically just the two of us having lunch...together?"
"Oh. OH. Y-yeah, that would be great." And Kevin promptly walked into a light pole.
"Oh, m'gosh! Kevin!"
"I'm ok," Kevin said weakly, holding onto his forehead.
Macy bit her lip as she pulled Kevin's hand away from his head. "On the bright side, if it bruises it will draw attention away from what's left of the bruising on your nose."
xox_TBC_xox
