Feeling This

Chapter Nine

(A/N: I spent like 30 minutes looking for this gif)

Nicolette groaned as she climbed down from her bunk the next morning. Sleeping on top was starting to become a pain in the ass.

She heard a chuckle from behind her and she turned towards the sound once she was on the floor safely. Mark was lying in his bunk across the small hallway. At first Nicolette thought he had been laughing at something in the book he was reading, but then he looked over at her.

"You alright there?" he asked, an amused expression on his face. "Do you need an Advil or something?"

"Do you really think I'm hungover when Travis was watching me like a hawk last night?"

Mark laughed. "True."

"I'm just tired," Nicolette explained. "I kept waking up during the night every time the bus turned a corner."

"Yeah," Mark sympathized. "You get used to it. It's better than a van and sleeping on people's floors, trust me."

"I'll take your word for it," she replied, continuing down the hallway so she could start the day.

After she had gotten dressed, she had decided to spend the Sunday doing schoolwork. This wasn't uncommon for Nicolette, saving all the homework assigned for the next week on Sunday evening, but this time it was different. There just wasn't a whole lot to do on tour whenever she wasn't helping prepare for the shows or working. Schoolwork was pretty much it, so she figured she might as well use the free time to her advantage.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Nicolette had the entire bus to herself, with the exception of Cam who was sleeping in his bunk. Most of the crew was getting ready for the show tonight: setting up the band's equipment and going over details like security. The band itself was taking advantage of their venue for the night, Woodward Skate Camp, and getting some exercise on the half-pipes. Nicolette should've guessed that the guys were skateboarders, it certainly explained their wardrobes.

She was tempted to go watch them skate and see all their tricks, but she just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have some peace and quiet. At least, it was quiet, until her phone started ringing.

Nicolette quickly flipped open her cell and answered the call, not wanting to wake up the sleeping driver.

"Hello?" she said in a hushed tone.

"Nic! Hi!" a voice crackled through the phone.

Nicolette giggled at her best friend's excitement. "Hi, Kristy."

"How was the rest of your birthday? I'm sorry we couldn't party together."

"Me too," Nicolette smiled. She set her pencil down on her Math textbook. "But I actually had a fun time with the guys."

"Oooh!" Kristy squealed, making Nicolette slightly pull the phone away from her ear. "Does that mean you hooked up with Tom yet? I was watching MTV the other day and one of their music videos came on, and I was like 'OMG that's Nic's uncle's band'. I gotta say, they're pretty cute, Nic. Like really cute."

Nicolette laughed as her friend talked a mile a minute. "No, I have not hooked up with Tom," she answered. "I already told you he said no."

"Yeah, but you also told me that he said he liked you," Kristy argued. "And I just thought maybe once you turned eighteen..."

Nicolette sighed. She had been hoping the same thing as Kristy, but sadly it seemed like it wasn't going to happen. Not for a lack of trying though.