I Never Liked You Even When I Tried To

n i c h o l a s

I stood there unable to breathe. Joe was looking at me with a blue face.

"What did you do to her?" he snapped.

My mouth gaped open and closed but all I could manage was a small stammer.

When my shoulder had hit the wall I'd heard an almighty crack. There was no mark on the plaster so it had to have been my bone.

"You must of done something. She stormed right out and the girls followed. Are you in it to ruin this dress fitting?" Joe growled.

With a deep gulp I turned and looked at him in the face. "I-I, uh, I came in here, and she went off and then I may of said something."

"What. Did. You. Say. Nicholas." he said slowly.

"That I'd like to see her naked." I whispered, ashamed.

A hard fist collided with my cheek and as I had my jaw clenched I really really felt it.

My hand immediately flew to my face to rub the sore spot.

"You idiot! What happens to your morals?! You don't talk to or talk about a girl like that!"

He was right and I knew that but the words had just slipped out to Cianna.

It had meant to be a joke but I suppose I hadn't used the right tone of voice.

I really knew how to stuff things up. Joe tried to stop me as I raced out the front to speak with my girlfriend.

She wasn't having a word of it and told me to go away with some very vicious insults.

c i a n n a

He was pretty much on his knees begging to let me explain.

"Just go Nick!" I fumed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"If you just listen to--" he began again.

"You heard what she said, go." Maya added.

He whipped his head to look at her. "You're my best friend! You're supposed to be on my side!" he exclaimed, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes I am your best friend, but I can see where Cianna's coming from. What you did was disgusting and I don't approve of you doing that!"

Danielle pulled me away and I changed into my regular clothes in a bathroom just up the road.

When everybody but Nick was sitting comfortably in Daisy, I turned the key and brought the engine to life.

The traitor jumped up and down on the sidewalk screaming at us. He chased along side my van until I sped up some more and he ran into a fire hydrant.

"Jackass." I muttered, changing gears as we chugged up the hill.

Joe reached over and turned on the radio, and one of Taylor Swift's songs came on.

The boy sitting next to me winced and tuned into the next station.

DJ Danga and Swifty had broken up after agreeing that trying at their relationship again wasn't going to work. I'd been there with her as she cried, just recently, and even let her blubber snot onto my shirt.

Joe didn't seem to let his feelings out and it worried not only me, but Demi, who I knew had feelings for him, even though she often denied it.

Maya was looking out the back window, watching Nick as he sat in the curb with his head in his hands. We reached the peak of the climb and he disappeared from view.

I dropped everybody off at the Jonas house, and I was certainly expecting a blasting from Denise when I saw her next.

Fifteen minutes after I'd arrived home, I had some serious thoughts. I wouldn't have liked to be left on my own. Paparazzi and desperate fans were always around wherever you went. I remember one time, I was at an event where someone slipped a piece of paper under the toilet stall door asking for my number.

Racing out to my Aston Martin, I revved it to life and almost ran some media over on the way out the gate.

Traffic was heavy and it was a struggle. It took an extra 24 minutes to get back to the street than usual.

Thankfully he was still there, but now tapping away on his phone quickly.

I hopped out of my car and paced around to where he was sitting.

Nick looked up and glared at me viciously before returning to texting on his BlackBerry.

"I thought I'd better come back and pick you up." I said softly, placing my hand on his shoulder.

He hissed, shrugged his arm from my touch and scooted away.

"Don't." Nick warned, tucking his leg underneath him.

It was my fault he was ignoring me. If I hadn't snapped and just kissed him when he barged into the changeroom.

He was a boy and boys had hormones. Joe had explained it to us on the way home at the top of his voice.

"Look Nick..." I started, pulling at strands of my hair.

"No you look. When you slammed me into the wall, something in my shoulder cracked and I can only rotate my arm so far without it hurting."

If I wanted to feel any worse now was the time. "Nick I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just annoyed and--oh my God! What if you've shattered the bone? Oh God. Oh God."

"Yeah oh God is right. If I've broken anything I'm expecting you to pay for medical expenses. Every single one of them, you hear me?"

There was an edge to his voice that was terrifying.

"Um, okay, sure. I'm so sorry Nick. I shouldn't have done something like that. I saw you run into the fire hydrant. I'm so sorry Nick, really. It was stupid and careless and -"

"Shut up Cianna! I don't want to hear your annoying voice ringing in my ears all the time! Geez!" he snapped, glowering at me.

He was back to his old self before we started dating. He'd made a good effort at covering it up but he had finally burst.

We sat in silence while I let a few tears brim in my eyes. It really stabbed into you, when someone you like insults you.

"I'm going to go home if that's okay with you." I said quietly, standing up quickly.

Nick grabbed my leg and pulled, dragging the skin down.

"Ow!" I winced, jumping away from him.

"Leave me here, vunerable, out in the open, no protection, just waiting for Big Rob to come if he ever does..." he whined, bleary-eyed.

He was trying to make take a guilt-trip, and I have to admit-it was working.

"Come on, let's go home." I sighed, helping him stand up.

He dashed forward and climbed into the drivers seat of my car.

Nick shot my a look that read 'no complaining or I'll crash it' so I didn't complain.

He went seriously under the speed limit and I knew it was too piss me off.

When we pulled up in front of IHOP, I rolled my eyes. "Is this supposed to make me feel better?" I snapped.

"Who said you were getting any?" Nick smirked, with a cocky wink.

"Get over yourself Jonas!" I frowned, slamming the dashboard with my fist angrily. "Why can't you just get over the fact, that I was angry with you about barging in to the changeroom?"

"Well look who's over-reacting! You're carrying on like it's the end of the freaking world! Are we seriously having this argument?"

Obviously we are, you douchebag!

"Get out of my car!" I howled, shoving his sore shoulder.

He made a loud cry of pain and pinched my thigh. This made me jump and wack my head on the roof.

With my fold out umbrella I discovered in the glove-box, I thwarted his evil nails from digging into my skin.

We battled it out until a driver behind us blew his horn to alert us that we were blocking the entrance to the parking lot.

Nick shifted into first gear and surged forward. When he took his hands off the steering wheel, I used the opportunity to slam his head into it.

"Oh you've had it now!" he threatened, gripping onto my wrists.

"Let. Me. Go!" I cried, wriggling against the pressure.

Nick must of had a change of heart because he brushed his lips over my knuckles.

Thrusting my fingers out, I flicked him on the underside of the chin, causing him to scoot away.

"I'm trying to say sorry here and you want to hurt me?" he pouted, undoing his seatbelt.

"Sorry bud but I don't trust you." I snarled, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

As he started to lean over towards me, I pushed on his chest. "We are not making out in my car thanks very much." I refused.

"Why not?" Nick whined.

"Because I don't want to and if move one more inch your skill to make babies will be gone because you're right over the gearstick."

Nick looked down and saw that I was right, before giving a grateful smile.

I shouldn't have told him.

---

International House Of Pancakes was packed to the brim with gorgeous screaming, pooping, farting, burping, laughing machines aka, kids, having a birthday party.

"Aren't they cute?" I cooed to myself.

"Are you going to have children?" Nick asked, gazing at the menu upon the wall.

I stayed silent, my nostrils flaring with anger.

He was acting like everything was normal and we weren't having a fight.

"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you talking?" Nick said quietly.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because quote on quote, you didn't want to hear my annoying voice ringing in my ears!" I spat, stomping my foot like a toddler in the middle of a tantrum.

"You know I didn't mean that." Nick admitted, completely ignoring the IHOP employee trying to take his order.

"Just shut up. I don't even want to hear your apologies. I'm done."

Throwing my arms in the air, I stalked off to find a clean table.

When Nick returned, he slid a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of me.

Clever boy read my mind.

"Do you mean you're done with arguing or done with us?" he murmured, grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers.

"I don't know Nick!" I cried, exasperated. "If we don't stop fighting, we'll never work! Do you even want us to work?"

"Of course I do! I wanted to be with together since I first laid on eyes on you. I wish you could've seen yourself. That dress looked stunning on you."

Even though I didn't want them to, my cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and flattery.

"When I'm with you, I can't stop smiling. Please, please, let's work this out. We're bickering over something incredibly stupid."

I hated that he had the skill to persuade me, I really did. Most of the time I was my own person, not letting anybody influence my decisions.

"Okay fine, but you have to promise not to do anything like barge into my changeroom ever again."

"God, I promise, I swear."

Nick coaxed my head up and gave me a sweet, soft and simple kiss, It still gave me shivers, even though we'd made such an intimate gesture so many times before.

We finished our food and headed back to the car. He let me drive this time, and I stuck to the speed limit.

When I rolled up at the Jonas home, Joe came walking out shaking his head.

"What mischief did you get up to my fellow peeps?" he asked, swaggering in front of us as we walked into the house.

Nick and I shared a look, and both shrugged.

"Oh nothing."

Mrs Jonas was in the kitchen, preparing dinner. It seemed as if Joe hadn't told her that I left her son by himself in the gutter.

"Sit down sweetie." she instructed, stirring a gigantic pot of pasta.

"Actually," Nick interrupted, taking my arm into his grasp, "we're gonna go upstairs and write some songs.'

After our jamming session, Nick hopped in the shower and left on his bed, playing a game of Cooking Mama on his iPhone.

I was peeling prawns when a text came through. I honestly didn't mean to pry, but I opened the SMS anyway.

From: Sarah XP
Message: thanx babi, maybe we can meat up n go 2 our fav spot 2moro?

Two-timing little rat!