Hours
later, Brian, Nick, AJ, Kevin, Howie, Serena, Jenna, Ashalyn, and Elyssa sat in
a local McDonald’s, marveling over the success of their first show.
“You
guys were awesome,” AJ said. “Just
awesome.”
“Thanks,”
Elyssa said, grinning.
“You
guys were awesome too,” Ashalyn added.
“Thank
ya,” Brian said, smiling widely.
In
a two person booth to one side, Nick watched as Jenna once again picked at the
salad she had ordered.
“Jeez,
Jen, if you don’t like the salads they serve at these places, why do you order
them?” he asked finally.
She
glanced up, her face flushing. She
shrugged. “There’s nothing else here to
eat either.”
Nick
laughed. “Honestly, you don’t like
hamburgers, or French fries, or chicken nuggets, or anything?” he asked
incredulously.
Jenna
shook her head fiercely. “Those things
have way too many calories!” she cried.
Nick
rolled his eyes. “Why would you be so
concerned about calories?” he asked, studying her carefully. “You’re as thin as a stick.”
“That’s
because I watch what I eat,” Jenna said smugly.
“You
don’t eat though,” Nick said. “Really,
Jenna, every time we go anyplace to eat, you just get a salad and water, and
you barely eat anything!”
“Well,
maybe it’s cause I’m not hungry,” Jenna said.
“I eat at other times, when you’re not around, and then I’m not hungry
later.”
Nick
eyed her skeptically, but didn’t push the issue. If Jenna wanted to eat like a rabbit, he
would let her.
He
hadn’t told anyone, but in the past two months he and Jenna had been going out,
he had fallen in love with her. Of
course, he never told her that, not knowing if she felt the same way. She had warmed up to him a lot, and they did
everything together, but he really couldn’t tell if she loved him as much as he
loved her, or not.
At
least he knew that she had given up on AJ.
AJ had broken up with his old girlfriend, Amanda, not long after Nick
had asked Jenna out, and he had immediately asked Elyssa out. The two of them were closer than ever, and
the rest of them knew that no one, especially not Jenna, would drive the two of
them apart.
Meanwhile,
Serena and Howie were still together.
They were the perfect couple, both perfect matches for one another. They had fallen in love with each other and
were not afraid to show their feelings for one another. While some of the other relationships in the
groups seemed more shaky at times, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that
Howie and Serena would be together for a long time.
And
then there were Brian and Ashalyn. They
had gotten to be as close as best friends, and both of them wanted to be more,
but neither of them had told the other that, both afraid of hurting each other.
***