Beginnings Aren't So Simple

"Erm, Kevin? Why are you on my laptop?"

The two boys turned instinctively to see a very confused Roxi. Kevin paused, contemplating his next sentence in his mind.

"Roxi, I..." He looked at Nick, who looked back with wide eyes, curls hanging over them. "Sorry, sorry..." He held it out to her, still open. "Won't ever happen. Plus, uh..." He paused again. "It was Nick's idea!"

Nick's mouth dropped. "Was not!" He lied, defending himself. "Kevin dared Joe to read it!"

Roxi's eyes opened wide in a panic. "Joe read what?!"

Joe was listening to the conversation in his bunk, everyone else unaware he was still there and awake.

"He..." Nick looked at Kevin, as if he'd get a telepathy signal from his older brother. "He read that," he said, shaking his head towards her screen. Roxi, knowing what was on the screen already, looked at the brothers one time before slamming shut the computer and swearing loudly.

She stormed into the front room of the bus, kicking off her crocs and jumping onto the couch face-down.

She groaned into the pillow. What if Joe read that? Crap, crap, crap. He would have taken it seriously...

She was about to fall asleep into the couch when she heard the brothers arguing quite loudly.

"Come on, stop whining, Joe!"

That was Kevin, she decided.

"Yeah, seriously, we need to get going to rehearsal and check the change to the routine..."

That was Nick.

She heard one brother whispering to another, a grunt, and then the bus door closing. Her eyes fell closed again before she heard one final pair of footsteps.

"R--Roxi?"

She turned, and the light hurt her eyes before they adjusted and she saw the person she wanted to see least.

"Joe, don't." She didn't know what she meant by that, but she had to say something. "Get to sound check, or something."

He twisted his mouth up in wonder and sat down in a chair. He sighed.

"I said I'd be there. Just give me a few minutes... Just... did you mean it?"

The look of hurt was distant on Joe's face.