Second season of JONAS! AHH!! Who else screamed when they found out this wonderful news?
I sure did.
Anyways, thanks for the positive reviews people! I really appreciate them, and hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.
As always, please review so I can know how I'm doing with the story.
Disclaimer: Besides the OCs and my computer…I own nothing.
By the way, thanks to the Glee soundtrack, I was able to get more inspiration than usual while writing this.
"Allison?" I asked my frozen friend. She seriously looked like a deer caught in the headlights with her eyes as wide as saucers and her limbs all tensed up.
Either way, the phone continued to ring.
"Allison? This is your best friend, Jane, speaking. Snap out of it," I snapped my fingers in front of her eyes, and the girl finally came back to reality. She squeaked and lunged for the phone. Her fingers fumbled around on the dial pad, and successfully hit the 'answer' button.
Just in time. I sighed in relief and faced my friend in excitement.
"Go Allison!" I whispered, rooting her on with my fists raised in the air.
I know, we see the Lucas brothers at school every day, but this phone conversation would be heard by many, many people. Plus, Allison actually picked up the phone, so this is a major step in breaking the girl out of her shell.
Allison took a deep, shaky breath. "H-Hello?"
"Hey, is this Allison Harris?" I heard Joe ask from the screen. My eyes, however, remained on Allison.
She looks like she's about to puke.
Maybe I should get a bucket.
"Y-yeah," the sheet-white female breathed out into the receiver.
"Hello!" three male voices boomed out. "We're the Lucas brothers from JONAS!"
Aw, they sound so enthusiastic! It was hard for me to not look at the screen and see the enthusiasm for myself, but someone had to keep an eye on Allison.
Is she even breathing?
Why hasn't she answered them?
My friend simply held the phone to her ear, and dared not to move a muscle….except to tighten her hold on the cell phone. Great, now we're back to the deer caught in headlights phase.
"Um…hello?" I heard Kevin ask.
"Did we lose her?" Nick whispered, looking uncomfortable with the silence.
"Allison," I frantically whispered, not wanting the boys on the other line to hear me. No need for a million people hearing my efforts to get Allison back to Earth.
Not that it matters anyway, because the blond did not hear me.
"I guess the connection's bad," Joe said, sounding a little low.
I scrambled towards Allison fervently. This is the chance in a lifetime for her! I have to do something.
"Say something!" I whispered with clenched teeth, putting both hands on top her shoulders. I shook the girl a little. Okay, not a little…but enough to where a reaction should follow.
Well…I did get a reaction from Allison…
Right after my hands left her shoulders, her body fell limp and landed with a 'thump' on the floor.
Allison fainted.
She actually fainted…
What. The. Heck?!
I so want to her to wake up so I can knock her out again. She lost her chance to speak to Nick!
"I think we should just hang up," I caught Nick mumbling to his brothers who nodded in agreement.
I have no idea what compelled me to do it. Maybe I had too much caffeine running through my system, or maybe I just hate unanswered phone calls. But, the moment I heard Nick say he was going to end the phone call; I ripped the phone from Allison's lifeless hand, and put the phone next to my ear.
"Sorry about that," I said quickly into the speaker, turning my gaze towards the screen. "Allison can't come to the phone right now."
Never mind, I regret answering the phone. Once I heard my own voice echo from the television, I felt a bit queasy. Now I know why Allison felt the way she did. It is nerve-wracking.
The brothers looked confused by this unexpected turn of events. I bit my lip, trying to keep myself together. Keep it together, Jane…there's only about a million people hearing this conversation.
"Who's this?" Joe asked, very confused.
"Her friend, Jane," I said, breathless.
"Jane?" Kevin said, perking up at the name. "You know, we go to a school with a girl named Jane."
I laughed nervously, "Oh really? What a coincidence!"
Did Nick just do a double take at the phone? Does he recognize my voice? No, no, no! That would be totally awkward. I mean, more awkward than it already is…you know, with Allison lying unconscious beside me.
"What happened to Allison?" Nick asked, giving the phone a curious gaze.
I probably shouldn't tell them that she fainted. "She…she had an emergency."
"What emergency?" Does he always have to ask so many questions?!
Okay, Jane. You can do this. Make something up on the spot. "Oh, you know…her cat. Yeah! Her cat passed out so she had to take it to the vet." I winced once the words left my mouth, and once I saw the expression of disbelief on Nick's face. Kevin and Joe appeared horrified at the thought of an innocent animal suffering.
Allison hates cats…but JONAS doesn't have to know that.
"Oh no!" Kevin cried out. "Is the cat okay?!"
"Did she save it in time?!" Joe followed up. Both were on the edge of their seats while Nick had narrowed his eyes, trying to figure something out. I hope that something had nothing to do with me.
"I don't know…" I said slowly, unsure of what to say. Everything I've said so far has caused nothing but trouble.
Nick cleared his throat. "Seeing as Allison couldn't talk to us, do you have anything you would like to ask?"
Considering I'm not a super fan of JONAS or anything like that, the youngest Lucas' question threw me off for a split second. I don't really have anything to ask…but if I don't then I'll feel bad about wasting their time.
"Okay," I said thoughtfully, as I put together a question. What's their favorite movie? No, probably asked too often. Do you guys like going to a normal high school? No, too normal. Boxers or briefs? No, too creepy.
I should ask them something to do with their music. After all, they are musicians. My brain worked hard to formulate something good to ask.
What's your favorite song to play? No. Who's your favorite artist? No. Okay, let's re-think this.
Maybe something more complex…
I smiled when the right question struck me. There we go.
"Okay," I started, more confident than the last time I spoke. "When all you are playing one of your songs, how do you feel when you hit that perfect note whether it is instrumental or vocal?"
Not bad if I do say so myself.
"Good question," Nick asked, looking fairly impressed. There's a new expression I've never seen before. He's grinning (which I have seen before), but his head tilted to the side in a certain way, creating an air of appreciation. An offhand thought, I know…but…since it caused something to flutter around in my chest, I thought I should mention it.
"Unfortunately, there are no words to describe the feeling."
My smile immediately disappeared.
"What?" I blurted out in disappointment. "Why not-"
"Well, it was great talking to you, Jane," Joe quickly followed up, waving goodbye at the screen. "Tell Allison we're sorry we couldn't talk to her."
"But-" I tried to ask again. What's with the sudden farewell?!
"We hope she saved the cat," Kevin added in seriously, cutting me off.
"Wait-" I said in irritation.
"Thanks for the question, and we appreciate you being a fan of JONAS," Nick interrupted, clapping his hands together and nodding at the screen.
"But, I'm not-"
"Bye!" The Lucas brothers said together.
Then there went the dial tone.
I stared at the phone in disbelief, and then glanced back at the screen. The band members continued on chatting happily in ignorance of my confusion.
Why didn't they answer my question? Especially Nick, when I mainly wanted him to answer the question the most. What did he mean with "There are no words to describe the feeling"? He's a professional musician; he should know how to at least describe it in words.
I spent most of Sunday working on my poem for French. I made a small amount of progress. I wrote one verse. It's kind of sad how I spent seven hours coming up with four lines of French. That class might actually be the death of me.
Oh, you might be wondering what happened to Allison. Well, Allison eventually gained consciousness...right after the live chat ended. She then freaked out for another hour over fainting during a phone call, and then pummeled me with questions for one more hour when she heard I answered the phone for her.
Fun, fun, fun.
I sighed when I saw my digital clock read 7:05 P.M. My eyes then glanced back at my paper with the French verse written.
Certaines personnes sont egoists,
Et certaines personnes sont tristes.
Seulement mes amis sont l'exception
Dans ce monde cruel de fabrication.
(Some people are selfish and some people are sad. Only my friends are the exception in this cruel world of fabrication.)
It's a pretty good start, but is it fun to do? No. Nevertheless, the poem should bring a tear or two from Adam when he hears it. He gets pretty sentimental during friend moments. If you just pictured a grown man holding a tissue to a tear-stained face while blubbering something like, "That's so special!" then you got it spot on.
"Alrighty," I mumbled to myself, shutting my notebook and French dictionary. "Time for a well-deserved break…and food."
And, where does any girl with free time go to get food at 7:05 P.M. on a Sunday?
She goes to Sonic.
Actually, I don't know if that's true, but I always go there during that type of situation.
"Pick me up a chocolate shake while you're there, Jane," my dad called from the living room as I put on my coat and grabbed my keys.
"Oh yeah! Get me a chicken sandwich while you're there," my mom called from the same place. "Oh! And, second on the shake!"
I'm guessing all of you now know where I got my obsession with food from.
"Sure thing," I grinned as I left. The cold air of October in New Jersey immediately hit my face, and all thoughts of a terrible French assignment left my head as I enjoyed seeing my breath fog from my mouth.
Once I sat in my car and turned the engine on, I immediately searched for the perfect song to listen to for my one-minute drive to Sonic. Yes, I could walk if I wanted to, but I get a little paranoid walking by myself at night.
My hand turned the volume knob up, but instead of hearing the usual jams of my mixed CDs, the player read ERROR.
"No," I groaned and hit my head against the head rest. "Now I have to listen to the radio." Not that I have anything against the radio stations out there…it's just I have no control over the songs that play.
Well, I have to listen to something along the way. There's nothing worse than a silent drive.
I turned the radio on, and backed out of the driveway.
"Thanks for listening to RockNThousand Radio Station!" the announcement guy beamed from the radio. "Boy, have we got a treat for everyone tonight!"
"Yeah, yeah, just play the music already," I grumbled as I braked at a stop light.
"Tonight, we have the privilege of airing the new single from…you guessed it! JONAS!"
I couldn't help but laugh at the coincidence. It seems that those guys are everywhere. At school, on the internet, and now on the radio.
"Rock out to the new tune, "Fly with Me!"
Cool title…but can the actual song live up to the powerful title? I always ask myself that question when I see good titles like that.
I immediately got my answer when the piano and guitar opening blasted through the speakers…
…and then Nick's voice…
I know I've said it before, but I will say it again.
Wow.
If it's you with me forever
If it's you and me right now
That'd be alright, that'd be alright
We're chasing stars to lose our shadow
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine,
So won't you fly with me?
So yeah…by the time I got to Sonic I had another goofy smile on my face.
"Such a good song," I said dreamily. Good lyrics, good instrumental section, good singing, good everything. It was the type of song where I just knew that everything that came from Nick's voice came from his soul.
I parked my car by an intercom, and peered at the many delicious/fattening foods listed on the menu.
"Chicken salad? Pfft, no," I mused out loud to myself as I tried to decide what to get. I had more homework, and definitely needed some carbs. Plus, I hate salads. I eventually got so lost in looking at all of the pictures of the tasty food before my eyes that I didn't even notice a red Camaro pull up next to my car.
"Tater tots are a given," I continued, still oblivious to a certain curly-haired teenager in the car next to me. "Maybe a cheeseburger or a chicken sandwich…"
Decisions, decisions.
"Hi! Welcome to Sonic," the intercom next to me shouted. At first, I thought I pressed the ON button by accident, but then I realized it was the person next to me.
Huh, Nick has a red Camaro just like that one. What a coincidence. Those just keep happening this week.
"Hello," the unknown person said politely. "I'd like a Route 44 Diet Coke with a double cheeseburger." Ew, Diet Coke? Coke Zero beats it ten to one. Nice decision on the cheeseburger, though.
I have this weird obsession of listening to other people order at Sonic, and then giving the order a mental review.
Speaking of reviewing the previous order, that guy totally sounded like Nick. These coincidences just keep popping up, don't they? Now, back to gazing at the menu-
Wait a minute…
Expensive, red Camaro with the driver's voice sounding just like Nick's. Not to mention the waitresses kept giggling flirtatiously every time they passed the car.
Holy crap, that is Nick in the car next to me. After that slow realization I immediately ducked low in my seat…
Yeah…my plan of going unnoticed didn't go very well considering my elbow hit the car horn.
"Gah!" I yelled and situated myself in an upright position again, hoping against all hope that Nick Lucas did not hear the obnoxiously loud car horn that would have woken my dead grandfather.
"Having trouble?" I heard a familiar voice ask.
Of course he would hear it.
"No…I'm just spastic," I said, trying to bring my voice in a lower tone to disguise my identity. I couldn't exactly see if he bought the terrible voice-acting (which made me sound like a pubescent boy) because a huge intercom stood in between our faces.
I know. Why should I try and hide from Nick Lucas? Well, ever since the phone call from yesterday, I've been kind of paranoid that he did recognize my voice. I don't want him to think that I'm just another fan. I really want to be his friend because of who he is, not because of what band he's known for. And, partaking of a live web chat doesn't help my argument.
"Ah," Nick simply uttered to my response, leaving an awkward silence hanging.
I sighed in relief when he made no effort to continue the conversation, and resumed gazing at the menu. After finally deciding on what to order, I pressed the red ORDER button.
I got the usual greeting from the Sonic worker, and I told the girl what I wanted.
"Hi, I'd like a double cheeseburger with a large order of tater tots, a Route 44 Coke Zero, two regular chocolate shakes, and a grilled chicken sandwich," I listed carelessly.
"…Would you like anything else with that…?" The guy probably thought I ordered everything for myself.
"Hmm…oh yeah! Lots of ketchup with that please," I said, bouncing a little in my seat. I'm a girl that loves her ketchup.
The worker told me my total, so I just leaned back in my seat, already prepared to have my food.
"Jane? Is that you?" The familiar voice interrupted my reverie.
Crap, I ordered in my normal voice. I winced and thought about just ignoring the question coming from the boy I couldn't speak to…but, I couldn't leave Nick hanging like that.
"Yeah," I sighed in defeat. "It's me."
"I didn't recognize you the first time. You sounded kind of like a guy."
"I had something in my throat."
"Ah," Nick used this simple utterance again with another silence following. After all, what can you say to someone whose face is blocked by an intercom?
Okay, I can deal with the silence…I guess. As long as nothing about the web chat comes up-
"This might sound strange," Nick interrupted my inner turmoil. "But, my brothers and I did this live web chat last night and we were doing fan phone calls. There was this one girl, and I swear she sounded just like you."
Seriously? Is the whole world against me?
"Really?" I laughed nervously, but still glad Nick could not see my face. I had my eyes clenched shut and my lips set in a fine line to keep myself from screaming.
"Yeah," he continued. "She even said her name was Jane, and she had a friend named Allison…just like you."
Do I have a big mouth over the phone? Is there an automatic switch in my brain that makes me blurt every single thing about myself when I have a phone pressed to my ear?
If so, I really need to fix that.
"It's a small world," I quickly said. Never mind, coming to Sonic on a Sunday night was a terrible idea! I am never coming here again. I'll just start going to Wendy's or something.
"This girl asked an amazing question, though," Nick said.
My frantic thinking paused and I felt my entire face heat up from the compliment. "S-she did?"
"Definitely. She sounded very appreciative of my answer, too."
"What?" I asked in disbelief with my mouth dropped open. "You didn't answer my question at all!" I bit that out suddenly, and then slapped a hand over my mouth. You stupid girl! He tricked you!
Well played, Lucas.
"I knew it was you!" Nick said with a hint of triumph in his voice. I should have known he knew. That look he gave the phone last night should have given me a clear answer instead of a hunch. "Now, I have a question for you."
"Doesn't matter, you never answer mine anyway," I muttered grumpily.
"Not the point here," I heard the guy next to me disregard my statement. "My question is, what were you doing on JONAS's live web chat?"
My heart dropped. My worst fears had come true. Nick believes I'm just another fan who wants to be friends with him because of his fame. I will not let him think that of me. No way in heck.
Is it strange how I value his friendship so much after I have only known him for a week?
"Not for the reason you're thinking of," I stated confidently. I got tired of the menu standing in my line of sight, and stepped out of my car. I walked around the intercom and stopped before the passenger door of the red Camaro. I bent down to face the driver.
"What are you-" Nick started, but with a warning look from me, he shut up.
"I'm only going to say this once," I said clearly, darting my eyes from his intense stare. I then realized I would not be able to get my point across without eye contact, so I forced my eyes to meet his.
Gosh, why do those dark brown orbs have to literally embody the saying, "eyes are the windows to the soul"?
After taking a gulp of air, I continued. "I know we've only been friends a short amount of time, but I need you to know that I would never use you for your fame," I said, starting to shake partially from the cold air and partially from my nerves.
And, partially from the expression of bafflement etched on Nick's face.
Okay, this time I know what I said was in no way confusing.
"I spoke English right?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Nick mirrored my expression. "I think so…but why would you say something like that?" He opened his car door, stood up, and rested his arms on the hood of the Camaro. I noticed offhand that the black sweater he wore only made his facial features sharper…which ended up making my legs feel like leaves in the wind.
Besides my useless legs, it was now my turn to experience confusion.
"Aren't you upset that I was on the live chat?" I asked. "Wouldn't that lead you to believe I only valued our friendship because of JONAS?"
Once I finished this, without a doubt, dramatic question, Nick simply gazed at me with an indiscernible expression in silence.
This didn't really help my nerves…at all.
Is he not going to say anything? Thinking that this was so, I placed a foot behind me and prepared to pivot around in the opposite direction.
An unfamiliar noise coming from Nick paused my actions, however.
Laughing. Nick Lucas is full-blown laughing.
Well…it wasn't a booming laugh or anything like that. It sounded more like a chuckle, but that's not the point here. It still affected me like crazy.
Is he laughing at me…or is he laughing at me? Same words, different meanings, which would merit either a positive or negative reaction from me.
Okay, the suspense is killing me. "Why are you laughing?" I asked, glad the darkness of the night hid my reddening face.
Nick rubbed a hand over his mouth, easily controlling his amusement. However, his features remained light.
"Jane, trust me when I say this, but from the moment I met you, I knew you weren't a fan girl."
I let out a breath I unknowingly held. "Really?"
The boy across from me nodded resolutely.
"Oh. Well…good," I laughed nervously. It looks like the dramatics weren't necessary after all…and knowing this made me feel incredibly embarrassed. Especially since the two waitresses holding our food noticed our entire exchange.
"Do you still want your food?" the woman holding Nick's food asked hesitantly, looking back and forth between him and me.
"Hm?" the musician shook his head once, appearing to come out of a deep thought session. "Oh, yeah."
We both took our time to pay for our food, and then walked back to our respective cars to put the bags and drinks away.
The question is…do we continue this strange conversation?
Does Nick even want to continue talking to me? I just made an unnecessary scene at Sonic, so maybe I should just go home.
Well, you'll never know until you take action. I chanced a glance back at the red Camaro…
Only to find Nick standing in the same spot.
Why does this make my heart beat faster? And, why do I feel like if this was a movie, chorus music would play enthusiastically.
I really wish the guy standing in front of me would say something.
Ugh, I can't take uncomfortable silences. My will to get in my car and leave came back stronger than before. I stepped back and clapped my hands together, "Well, thanks for the talk Nick; I'll see you at school!" I waved quickly and turned around to walk/run back to my car.
"Wait a second," Nick called out, halting my runaway.
"Hm?" Please Nick, let me just drive home with my food and eat away my embarrassment.
He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets as he took a few steps closer to my spot. Here comes that legs-replaced-by-leaves-in-the-wind feeling again. I placed my hand on a nearby column to casually steady myself and act as calm as possible.
"Are you busy right now?"
"What?" I asked in a cracked voice. Why does he want to know?
Why do I keep asking myself questions?
My high-pitched voice apparently didn't face the taller guy standing in front of me. "Are you busy right now?" Nick asked with a hint of amusement. You know, do you have anything to do at the moment that would keep you from hanging out with me?"
Wait, that's all he wanted to ask me? I wanted to just laugh at my ridiculous behavior. Friends want to hang out with each other all the time.
Apparently my lack of response started to bother Nick, because his lips twitched.
"I'm kind of doing homework right now," I explained apologetically. "I just came here to stock up on carbohydrates."
My eyes must have played a trick on me. The musician actually appeared crestfallen. He must have really wanted me to hang out with him.
"Not that I don't want to hang out with you," I interjected quickly, feeling warm and tingly from my previous realization. "I'd love keep you company, Nick, but this French poem is really kicking my butt. In fact, if you check the newspaper on Wednesday, you might find my obituary in the newspaper."
A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Well, before you suffer from an untimely death, do you want to hang out tomorrow and work on the poem together?"
I gave a sigh of appreciation. "That sounds great! I could really use some help since it took me seven hours to come up with one verse."
I also appreciated how Nick gave no comment to that. It probably only took him thirty seconds to come up with one verse.
"So," I continued. "My house or yours?"
"How about you come over to my house," he suggested, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. "I have a few things that might help you with that song of yours as well."
I bounced up and down on the balls of my feet from excitement. Ever since our little jam session earlier in the week, I haven't been able to come up with anything for my new song.
"You are officially my favorite person right now…oh! I almost forgot. How are you feeling? You looked terrible on the live chat," I said oblivious to how rude my statement might have sounded.
"I feel great," Nick mused slowly, unsure of how to react to my blunt question. "Thanks for asking, I guess."
"Awesome," I gave the boy a thumbs up and nodded towards my car. "Well, I'd better get going before my parents think I've been kidnapped. I'll see you at school!"
Nick waved me off, with his face contorted into one of holding back laughter.
I opened my car door and almost got in, but a thought struck me.
"Wait!" I called out to the retreating figure in front of me. Nick looked at me expectantly. "Why are there no words to describe a perfect musical moment?"
Nick clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth in deep thought, but eventually looked back at me with that award-winning smile.
Brain, please don't fry this time-
Dang it, it did.
Stupid brain.
"You'll find out tomorrow." With that mysterious comment completed, Nick walked back to his car, got in, and drove off.
Which left me staring stupidly after him, and leaning against my car for leg support.
Why does that guy have to be so mysterious about everything?
Yes!!!! Another chapter completed! I have some fun stuff planned for the next one.
I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter because I kept getting writer's block during the writing of it. But, I do hope it wasn't a waste of your time reading it.
Please review and let me know.
Oh yeah, if I messed the French up, please tell me and I will fix it immediately.