A/N-I DO NOT OWN THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND!

Hey guys!

I'm SO SORRY for the late update, I kind of messed up the story and I had to fix it before I posted this chapter and ugh. Lol. It took a while but I fixed it (:

Thanks for being patient(:

Enjoy!

"Alex, could I talk to you for a second?"

We were taking a break between songs at practice that day. I was talking to Thomas and David about something when Cooper called me over. "Sure, Cooper." I walked away from Thomas and David and over to where Cooper was waiting, doing something on his phone. "What's up?"

He tucked his phone back into his pocket. "Well, Nat's told me a few things and I was just wondering…are you okay?"

What had Nat told him? "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay…I just wanted you to know that he's right. Those kids are ridiculous for believing someone else over you. You don't need someone like that in your life."

I looked down. "Yeah, I know."

"And I know that Juanita's been your best friend for a long time, so I know this is hard."

I looked back up at him and shrugged.

"Just know that you've got the entire band with you as your friends, okay? You don't need people who will make you feel bad."

I nodded. "I know. Thanks Cooper." I turned and walked back to my drum set but not before Nat could stop me. "What's up, bro?"

"What did Cooper want?" He asked.

"He was just talking to me about the…Juanita thing."

"What'd he say?"

"Basically the same thing you did."

"Okay. So you're okay, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay guys, so listen up," Cooper said, walking over to stand in front of the group. "Our concert is in a few days and everything is going very smooth, like I've said."

"So then what's up Coop?" Nat asked.

"I just wanted to make sure everybody else was okay."

What did Cooper mean? Was this because of me? I looked around at the rest of the band, who looked just as confused as I was.

"What do you mean Cooper?" David spoke up.

"I just want to make sure that everyone else is okay. You know to make sure there are no problems or anything."

Okay, now I'm ninety-five percent sure this was because of me. "What kind of problems?" I asked.

"Any kind of problems; as your manager it's my job to make sure you all are safe and able to perform. But because I'm also your friend, I want to make sure you all are okay and don't have any problems, like at school or something.

Now I knew this was about me. "Do you mean about what happened with Juanita?" I blurted out.

Everyone looked at me.

"You guys don't have to worry about me. I'm fine. Don't worry about my personal life."

"Alex, we're not trying to meddle into your personal life we just–"

"I know, I know. You're just trying to help. I get it, and I really appreciate it but I don't need help. I promised Nat if anything happened I'd come to him for help and if I ever needed it I know I could come to any one of you guys for help too." I looked around at my band mates. "But I don't need it. So don't worry about me, okay? Let's just worry about this concert we have. I don't want to think about what happens at school."

"Whatever you say, Alex," Thomas said.

"You're right though, Alex, you can come to any of us for help at anytime," Cooper said.

The band nodded in agreement.

"I know, and I'm glad. But I don't need help, okay? I'm fine. I know you may not believe me, but I am."

"You're sure, little man?" Qaasim spoke up.

I nodded. "I promise."

Nat walked over to me and put his arm around me. "We're just trying to look out for you, Alex."

"Thanks guys," I said, smiling at them.

"Group hug!" Thomas shouted.

We then attempted a group hug but just ended up stepping on each other and squashing each other but that's okay.

It's the thought that counts though, right?

~NBB~

"Hey Alex!"

I groaned quietly, and shut my locker to see who was calling my name. It was Danny again, big surprise. But then I remember what Nat said and I put my annoyance to the side.

Danny walked up to me. "What's up?" He asked.

I wanted to groan again, but I didn't. "Uh…nothing."

"How are the rehearsals going?"

I gave him a look.

"For the concert on Saturday? You guys are rehearsing aren't you?"

I nodded. "Oh…yeah, we are."

"Are you guys ready for it?"

"Yeah, I think it'll be a good show."

"Awesome."

I looked up at him so I could say more but instead, I noticed Juanita and Matt standing near one of the nearby lockers. God I missed talking to Juanita. I missed it so much, I can't even explain it. I don't even know why I missed it. I mean after everything that's happened, I shouldn't miss it. But I do.

"C'mon Alex," Danny said, noticing me staring. "Let's go to class."

When we walked into homeroom, there were only a few other kids there. Obviously, Juanita and Matt weren't there yet so for that I was thankful. But I'd be even more thankful if I could get some kind of distraction to get Danny away from me. Like I said, I appreciated the fact that he wanted to be my friend, but the kid was starting to annoy me. I looked around the room, trying to drown out Danny's talking in my ear. It was then that I noticed people were whispering again. But that wasn't what bothered me so much. When they whispered, they were looking at me. And some of them were laughing. I faced forward quickly hoping that they didn't see me staring. God I hate it. I hate them too. I just don't get it. I didn't even do anything and everyone is talking about me.

"Danny! Hey Danny!" came a voice from the back of the room.

I glanced over my shoulder and watched as a crumpled up piece of paper came flying across the room. Danny caught it and opened it. I leaned over to try to glance at the paper but Danny crumpled it back up quickly and stood up from his desk. "You shouldn't read it," He said, as he walked over to the trash can. "You probably wouldn't want to know." He tossed the paper into the trash and walked back to sit down.

"What did it say?" I whispered, looking at him.

Danny shook his head. "Nothing good. People are just jerks."

I sighed and slouched in my chair. This was going to be a long day.

~NBB~

"Hey Nat?" I called, while I was sitting at the table doing my homework.

"Yeah, Alex?" He asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Do you think it's normal to miss talking to Juanita and stuff?" I asked, looking up at him.

Nat leaned against the counter, standing silently for a few seconds. "Well…she was your best friend. And she was close to you. So yeah, I think it's normal."

"Is it bad that I still want her as my friend?"

"I mean…she's put you through all this crazy stuff, and she believed someone else over you and I personally wouldn't want someone like that as my friend but I know that you and Juanita have done a lot together and have known each other for a while. So…I guess it's understandable if you still want her around. She was your best friend."

I nodded slowly, and looked back at my homework.

"Why do you ask? Did something happen today at school?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," I said, continuing my work. "Everyone still hates me."

"Alex, honestly, I'm sure this will all blow over soon. And even if it doesn't, you're going into high school next year. You'll meet a bunch of new people and you'll forget all about Juanita and Matt."

I know Nat was only trying to comfort me, but it wasn't working. See, that was the problem. I don't want to forget about Juanita. I don't want to stop being her friend. I don't want to end eighth grade terribly and have her hate me for probably the rest of our lives! I have to fix this. But how?

A/N-You guys liking the story? (:

~NatalinaFanForever~