Chapter 8 Elevator

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and Macy sat in the armchair of their living room as she stared at her phone. Throughout the whole day, she was debating whether or not to call the Lucas boy. Were they really done? Was this fight the mark of the end? Macy could not believe how short lived her romance with Nick was. Her mind was now going on overdrive as she tried to think of an excuse to tell her grandmother about why Nick could not come to the fall festival the next day. The room felt like it was spinning with all the thinking she was going through.

"Is everything okay, sweetie?" her mother asked while taking a seat on the sofa. "Is something bothering you?"

"Oh sorry, mom," replied Macy as she quickly snapped out of her misery and put on a bright smile. "It was just a long week."

"It seems like it," her mother replied. "But I'm sure you have some exciting plans this weekend."

"Um… not really."

Her mother raised her eyebrows and said, "Are you sure? No plans with anyone? Not even with a particular boy?"

"What?"

"Macy, why didn't you tell me you were dating Nick?" her mother asked her point blank.

The Misa girl sighed sadly because was she still dating Nick?

"Sorry, mom, I meant to tell you. But it's…um… just so early you know?"

"Well, I heard from Nick's mom when she called the other day and she told me how much she adored you and thought you and Nick were a good fit," her mother continued sounding quite miffed that Mrs. Lucas was in the know and not her. "You already met his family? That sounds serious to me."

"It really isn't a big deal, mom. I'm still getting to know him."

Surprisingly, her mother's crossed demeanor was short lived when she said reassuringly, "Macy, I have no problem with you dating. You can come to me with these kinds of things. There's no need to hide it. In fact, I rather have you tell me up front about guys and not sneak around behind my back."

"Okay, mom, I understand," replied Macy. "I promise to let you know about these things."

"And your grandma is so excited to meet him tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know… Wait. What?!"

"She told me that he's performing at the fall festival at the nursing home."

"She did?!" Macy said with her eyes wide in shock. She didn't even have a chance to ask him.

"I don't know why I had to hear it from her," she continued back to sounding miffed. "I can't believe your Grammy gets to meet your boyfriend before your own mom. And I really can't close the store tomorrow ."

"Mom, I'm sorry—

"And I spoke with Sandy and told her about it and she was just as delighted because Nick normally doesn't volunteer his time like this—

"Wait. Sandy? Who's Sandy?" Macy said with now a hint of fear in her voice.

"Nick's mom."

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh," Macy started to panic and got up to pace around

"Is everything okay?" her mom asked now alarmed.

"Sandy -er- I mean Nick's mom knows about it?" said Macy and then whispered to herself. "That means Nick knows…"

"Of course, she knows because I told her. But Macy, is there a problem?"

Yes, there was a problem, Macy wanted to cry out. There definitely was a big problem because not only did she not get a chance to ask Nick if he wanted to do it but they still were not in speaking terms.

"N-nothing!" exclaimed Macy nervously. "Everything is A-okay. Just-uh- forgot I had to -uh- do something upstairs."

She hurried up to her room to engage in full-on panic mode in the confines of her room. What to do? There was no way Nick was going to agree to play in the fall festival for a group of elderly folks especially with how things were between them.

Oh my gosh. He is now going to think I'm just asking too much of him, Macy lamented. First Penny and now this? Macy was never one to be shy but ever since spending time with Nick, she has been more self-conscious around him. She could hear her sister's voice in her head telling her 'to not be a dork and be cool.' But that was easier said than done because Macy considered herself to be 100% a dork and also a tomboy at heart. It was effortless for Victoria because she was the cookie cutter model of the popular girl and some considered her to be a little too popular for her own good. Her sister had more in common with Penny than with her because they were both cut from the same cloth. And since her sister graduated, everyone considered Penny to now be the queen bee of Horace Mantis Academy. All the girls at school, except Macy, looked up to her and copied her every move. Is this why Penny thinks she can just take whatever and whoever she wants for herself? Macy could not care less about Penny, but what did bother her was that Nick was attracted to a popular girl like her and was even in a relationship with her for two years. What does that say about him? Did he think she was going to be like his ex? Macy had to shake her head because she knew she was overthinking things but it bothered her so much that Nick still has not reached out to her.

Looking at her phone, the brunette girl mustered up the courage to call the very boy she was stressing out about.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Her heart was beating loudly in her ears.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

What was she going to say?

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Of course, he was not going to answer. He was probably screening her calls, she thought.

Macy felt miserable. She looked at her phone and was tempted to text him but stopped herself. Usually, when she stressed about things, her best friend, Stella Malone, was an expert in pulling her out of her suffering. She tried to think what her best friend would do in this situation and then it dawned to her—why not just ask her best friend directly? She was just one phone call away.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

Macy was about to hang up but fortunately, she heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line just in time.

"STELLA!!!!" Macy cried out.

"Macy, warn me next time when you decide to make me deaf," quipped her best friend.

"I'm sorry, Stells. It's just that I'm so glad to hear your voice. You have no idea how much I miss you."

"Aww, miss you too, Mace, but I'll be back at the end of the month."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot," she said excitedly. "I can't wait. How's school going?"

"It's going great. I'm learning so much. They featured my one-of-a-kind Stella Malone gown in the open house last weekend. And my mentor recommended me to apply for the summer internship in France. I know it's still too early but she said I should try to build up my portfolio so I'm going to be spending extra time in the studio to work on some pieces. I can't wait to show you!"

"Wow, Stells, that sounds so awesome," Macy said happily. "So proud of you."

"Thanks, Mace. I'm proud of myself too," Stella said confidently. "I know it's college and everything, but it doesn't feel like school, you know? I just love my classes and all the professors are so knowledgeable and well connected. Anyway, enough about me, what has been going on with you? How are things with Nick?"

"Oh…um…well... things are going," Macy said hesitantly because at that moment, she started feeling uncomfortable talking about her relationship because she wanted to gauge first if what she was asking of Nick was reasonable without outwardly saying it. "Um…Stella…I want to ask you something."

"Yeah, okay sure. What about?"

"I know you and Joe are not together anymore but like…um…what if…um say… you started dating someone and your boyfriend told you that they didn't want you to talk to Joe anymore. What would you say?"

Stella paused and thought for a while and then said suspiciously, "Why? Is Joe dating someone? Did Nick tell you anything about him? Oh my god, don't tell me it really is Vanessa! Ugh! I knew it and --

"No, Stella," Macy quickly interrupted her. "Joe isn't dating anyone. I swear. I was just asking hypothetically."

"Okay, good. I mean, it's whatever. He can date whoever he wants. I don't care," but the tone Stella was using was a poor disguise of her not caring about Joe Lucas' dating life. "But anyway, Mace, what were you asking?"

"Say you were dating someone and your boyfriend told you he didn't want you talking to Joe because he felt like Joe wanted to get back together with you or you know, something like that."

"Hm…I mean I definitely think that would be hard for me to do," Stella replied honestly. "Because Joe and I have been friends for such a long time. We were friends before we started dating so I can't imagine a life without Joe, annoying as he is."

"But what if Joe was trying to steal you away from your boyfriend?" Macy said suddenly getting riled up. "I mean wouldn't you want to respect your boyfriend and not make him worry, especially since you guys are supposed to be dating?! Like why would Joe matter?!"

"Okay, whoa, Macy, is everything okay? Did something happen with you and Nick?"

"N-no," she said hurriedly and tried to compose herself. "Sorry about yelling. Just wanted to know your thoughts."

"I mean I definitely would want to know where my boyfriend is coming from," Stella said. "But it all depends on trust. I would tell him that Joe is someone who is always going to be a part of my life but I will try to reassure my boyfriend that my loyalty is always towards him and the relationship."

"So what you're saying is that you will listen to your boyfriend's concerns but also let him know that Joe is not someone you can really get rid of?"

"Yeah in a way. But Mace, it really all comes down to how secure you feel in a relationship. If you can't trust your partner then I can see why this would be a problem. I think them asking you to stop talking to someone also shows a level of their own insecurity. Joe and I will always be in each other's lives and I hope that our friendship can still survive if we do end up with other people. You know? I want to be in a relationship that's so strong, my partner doesn't feel the need to worry and doubt anything."

"Yeah, I hear you," Macy said deep in thought. Was she infringing on a long lasting friendship between Nick and Penny? Were they like Joe and Stella? Was she being insecure? A new set of questions filled her mind.

"But Macy? Is there something you're trying to tell me?"

"What? No, nothing! I was just curious," reassured Macy.

"Okay," replied Stella in a doubting voice. "But, Mace, you can always talk to me about anything."

"Yeah, I know," but after Macy said that she could hear someone calling after Stella over the phone.

"Oh, sorry, Mace, I have to go," Stella said. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Ok no worries," Macy said. "Great catching up. Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!"

Her conversation with Stella left her with many thoughts. Was she being unreasonable? Nick is a very sensible guy so if he said there was nothing to worry about then she should take his word for it. Right?

Macy had an urge to call Nick again but thought better of it. Stella was right. She needed to be more secure with herself and trust Nick. Despite all this, that night Macy tossed and turned in her sleep as she struggled with dreams that intensified her insecurities.

The next day the sun was hiding behind some dark stormy clouds. Again, rain was on the horizon but that did not deter the Misa girl from getting to the nursing home early because she wanted to break the bad news to everyone well before the Fall Festival started but boy, was she surprised when she saw a line of cars around the parking lot. What was going on? She knew the Fall Festival was a popular event for the residents and their families but it never attracted such a large gathering. She needed to find Ms. Gregory to tell her that Nick was not going to show up. However, the moment she stepped into the hall, there was an air of excitement. She tried to fight her way through the crowd and when she finally reached the main hall, standing in the middle was none other than the Lucas boy.

"Nick…" she said under her breath. There was a long line of people trying to meet him. A lot of them were children and teens, likely the grandchildren of the residents. Ms. Gregory was standing on the stage with a big grin on her face. She started making some formal introductions as Macy made her way through the swarm of people and spotted her grandmother.

"Grammy!"

"Ah sweetie!" she called out as she wrapped her granddaughter in a big embrace. "I was wondering where you were. Nick's been here over an hour."

"He has?!"

"Yeah signing autographs," she answered. "But look! He took a photo with me. He was excited when I said I was your grandmother."

She went ahead to show her a picture of her and Nick on her cell phone.

"He really is quite dashing," her grandmother continued. "Good for you sweetie."

Macy blushed.

"And he also told me he can get me Red Sox tickets too. His manager is also a big fan," she further commented. "That makes up for him being a Yankees fan."

She chuckled. Macy was trying to listen, but she was still reeling from shock that Nick actually came. She kept looking over at him but was unable to catch his eye. He was now taking a picture with Agnes, who was turning it into a photo session and ended her turn by giving the pop star a kiss on the cheek. Nick smiled and just took it in stride. He was so patient with everyone. As a true JONAS fan, she admired him from afar just how she used to in the past but more than anything, she craved for his undivided attention. This year she finally was able to form a different connection with Nick and Macy so desperately did not want to lose that.

Ms. Gregory now took the stage to introduce Nick and the young man took his place at the center and grabbed his guitar. He started playing an acoustic set of some JONAS hits. It was like a private concert. This was the first time she saw Nick sing without his brothers and even on his own, he still had a stage presence that captivated the audience. She was fixated on him and the more he performed, the more she felt her cheeks burning because she had an urge to hug him and make amends.

"And this last song is a new song that I got inspired to write last night," Nick told the crowd as he finished his set. "I hope you guys enjoy it."

Nick started strumming a slow tune on his guitar. Despite it having a melancholy undertone, it was utterly mesmerizing.

Moments like this, Macy felt saddened by the fact that she no longer had access to her JONAS website. This was truly an all around exclusive performance. The sound of the song was different from the usual songs his brothers put out. It gave a sense of vulnerability and longing, which was something Macy was feeling right now. The song was captivating, and Macy almost forgot she was at St. Augustine's and not at a concert.

"And how do I move on from this feeling," Nick crooned. "When all I can think of is your beautiful blue eyes and long blonde hair…"

Macy froze and was taken out of her trance when she heard that line. It was a song about Penny. A wave of jealousy now overcame her. She tried to remember what Stella told her about insecurities, trust, and doubt. Penny and Nick dated for a while so of course, they had a special bond. She tried to shake it off and just concentrate on Nick but it was hard to listen to him sing about another girl. His voice was so full of emotion. How she wished it was her that he was thinking about. She wanted him to forget about his ex. Her grandmother put her hand over hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. It was like she knew what she was thinking and when Macy looked over at her, her Grammy gave her a knowing look.

The song ended on a solemn note and a round of applause filled the room.

It was hopeless to get to him as a crowd began to reform around him. Security had to step in and they escorted him through a back door and so, after saying a quick good-bye to her grandma, Macy followed him. By the direction they were taking him, Macy knew exactly where he was going and took a short cut there.

She finally caught up to him.

"Nick!" she called out. He was waiting by the back elevators.

"Oh, hey Macy," Nick greeted her.

An awkward silence followed but she was dying to get back in his good graces and because she wanted to prolong their reunion she followed him inside the elevator. He pressed the button to go to the lobby.

"Nick, thank you for doing this," Macy finally broke the silence.

"Yeah, no problem," said Nick nonchalantly. He began patting his pants and then said more to himself. "Crap. I forgot my phone."

Macy stared at him with a look of longing but he did not notice this because he was busy turning his pockets inside out searching for his phone. He seemed so distant.

"Ahem. Anyway, Nick, I'm sorry that I didn't get to ask you directly about today," Macy continued to say. "It was because after our conversation—

"Sorry, Macy, this was cool but I'm kind of in a rush," Nick said as the elevator dinged signifying their arrival at the lobby and the Lucas boy was about to step out when all of a sudden everything turned black and the doors failed to open.

"Uhh, Nick, what just happened?"

"I have no idea."

"Did you press something?" Macy asked urgently.

"No, I didn't. I think that-

"Why are the lights not on?" asked the girl now in a scared tone. "Nick, is there a button to turn them back on?"

"Um… I think we lost power," Nick said and as if on cue, they could hear what sounded like a really loud thunder from the outside. It was close enough that they both felt the ground rumble.

"Oh my gosh. This can't be. You mean we're stuck in here!?!"

Even though it was pitch black, Macy's panic was palpable as she started to hyperventilate. Nick could hear her frantically murmuring to herself.

As much as Nick was annoyed that this was happening because it meant he was going to be late meeting a special someone, the Lucas boy could not ignore the fact that the girl next to him was having a major panic attack.

"Macy, are you alright?"

"How can I be alright when we're stuck in a FREAKING ELEVATOR!" Macy exclaimed. The girl was no longer trying to get in his good graces now that her claustrophobia was setting in. "We need to preserve the air. I feel like I'm suffocating. Nick, we need to slow down our breathing or we'll use up all the oxygen."

"Macy, chill," Nick said as he tried to calm her down. "No one is suffocating. Just breathe normally."

"How can you be so calm?" Macy said in a not-so-calm voice. "WE ARE STUCK IN HERE FOREVER."

"We're not going to be stuck in here forever, Macy," Nick said as he rolled his eyes. "Let me find the emergency line."

He found the button illuminated in red and pressed it, "Hello. Operating services. How can I help you?"

"Hi. This is Nick and I'm currently stuck in the elevator with a friend."

"Location?"

"Uh--"

"St. Augustine's in Wycoff, NJ," Macy interjected abruptly.

"Ah, yes. We are having a major power outage in that area due to the storm. We are sending some folks down there. Could take an hour or so before we get things running. Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine—

"WE NEED SOME OXYGEN."

"Excuse me?" the operator asked perplexed.

"Oh, don't mind her," Nick said reassuringly. "We're fine."

"Okay, just hang tight," the operator said. "Sorry for the inconvenience. Operators will be there within an hour."

"See, Macy? Everything will be okay," Nick assured her. "Just take deep breaths."

And so Macy tried to control her breathing. She hated being in an enclosed space especially in the dark. Thankfully, it was not long before the emergency fluorescent lights turned on so that they could finally see each other. Nick found Macy sitting on the ground clutching her knees and gently rocking back and forth.

"Deep breaths," instructed Nick as he sat down besides her. "They said they'll be here in an hour."

"Okay, an hour," repeated Macy but then continued frantically. "That means I need to pace my breaths more slowly so the oxygen can last."

"Macy, you really need to calm down."

But that phrase struck a cord for the petite brunette as she now said in her characteristic fast paced speech and said, "The last time someone told me to calm down I was stuck in a boat ride and this stupid song kept on playing and playing. I was with my mom and the staff said don't freak out and calm down. I don't remember it fully because I sorta blacked out but my mom said I tried to lunge at the boat operator. They had to escort me off the ride for causing a disruption. So please don't tell me to calm down because I really don't want to hurt you in any way, Nick."

"Er…um…okay…that was…uh… quite a story," Nick said as he now scooted a little further away from her. "In that case, we can just sit here in silence."

However, Macy's erratic breathing continually interrupted the peaceful silence. Nick could not take it anymore and so he took the risk and decided to tell Macy something he only told a select few to distract her because it was necessary that she needed a distraction to preserve her sanity and his.

"As a true Jonas fan, I know you would appreciate some highly secretive and exclusive information," teased Nick hoping Macy would take the bait because she was honestly making him more nervous than he needed to be.

"Exclusive information?" Macy asked as she now gave him her full attention.

"Yep, and I only share this with really die-hard fans."

"Do you know who you're talking to?!"

Nick chuckled and said, "Okay, yes I know. That's why I'll share it with you but you have to promise not to say anything to anyone. Like pinky promise."

He said the last part and extended his left hand with his pinky out to signify how important this pledge was. She stared at him and linked her pinky with his.

"Okay, spill."

"Well, now that Jonas is on hiatus, Malcolm Meckle, our producer asked if I would be interested in working on a solo album," said Nick.

"OH WOW!" Macy exclaimed now completely forgetting that they were trapped in an elevator. "Nick, that's so exciting!"

"I know. I'm pretty excited but I'm also scared too."

"Scared? Why? You're an amazing singer, Nick," Macy said. It was hard to comprehend Nick being scared because he always seemed so confident.

"I know but it's going to be way different from the usual JONAS stuff. I'm trying to develop my own sound and it's going to be about things I've gone through so some really personal stuff."

"Like that song you sang today?"

"Yeah."

"It was a beautiful song," Macy said truthfully. "You really shine when you do these slow ballads. It highlights your voice the most."

"You think so?

"Yeah," Macy said happily. "And out of all your brothers, you really show your emotions the best when you sing. That's why you're my favorite."

Nick smiled and said, "Thanks, Mace."

Mace. Macy blushed because it was the first time Nick called her by her nickname.

"And-ahem- that song you sang today, it was about Penny, right?"

"Yeah," sighed Nick without realizing who he was talking to and at that moment, Macy noticed the look on his face. It was clear that he was thinking about his ex and even though it pained her that their connection was still strong, Macy could not help but admire how genuine Nick was. Who could ever break his heart? Even though she could not stand Penny, she had to respect that she and Nick had a past that inspired the Lucas boy to write a song about her. Jealousy consumed her again. However, Stella's voice interrupted her thoughts as her best friend reminded her not to doubt Nick.

"I'm sorry, Nick," Macy finally apologized.

"No, it's okay," he replied. "My mom gets claustrophobic too so it's no big deal."

"Oh, um, yeah thanks but I meant I'm sorry about…um…earlier this week," she clarified.

"Oh, yeah about that…"

"I know you and Penny have a lot of history," Macy said as she echoed Stella. "And its unfair for me to tell you to stop talking to her because I should trust you."

Silence.

"I just don't want her to come between us," she continued as she desperately looked into his eyes. "So are we cool?"

Nick felt torn because he was hoping that their last conversation would put an end to Macy's attachment to him but it was clear by the way she was looking at him that she was very much still invested in their "relationship". If there was one thing Nick was not good at, it was letting someone down.

"Nick?" Macy said as she waved a hand in front of him. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Um…yeah," Nick said hesitantly. Macy was looking at him with her big doe-like eyes. "You see…um…Macy. I was thinking…"

"Yeah?"

It was like she was peering even deeper into his soul as the look of anticipation grew in her face. She reminded him of a puppy waiting for a treat. She was finally calm and no longer freaking out and they were able to have a decent conversation with each other. Why ruin the atmosphere especially since he did not know how much longer they would be stuck in the elevator? Therefore, because of this, he could not bring himself to let her down and said albeit uneasily, "Yeah, we're cool."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you," squealed Macy as she hugged him and because her excitement got the best of her, she kissed him on the cheek, which greatly surprised the Lucas boy. She was about to apologize but then, noticed something peculiar. "Hey, what's that red mark on your neck?"

"Huh?" Nick asked and when Macy pointed to a spot on the left side of his neck. He quickly covered it with his hand. "Oh…um…that. It's nothing. Just a mosquito bite."

"Mosquito bite?" Macy said narrowing her eyes but before she could say anything more the elevator doors finally swung open and a fireman asked if they were okay.

After assuring them that they were, Nick rushed out past Macy and gave her a quick wave good-bye.

"Hey, Nick! Wait up!" she called out after him and because it was pouring outside she added. "You're going to get wet. I have an umbrella! Nick!"

But it was too late as she watched the handsome boy run out the front door and into the rain. Even though Nick said they were okay, Macy could not help but feel like he was slipping away again.