Worlds Keep Spinning Round

“OMG, you have long hair!”

“Haha. It’s nice to see you too Sarah,” I said giggling. I got up from my seat and gave her a huge hug. I had missed her so much.

“Oh, it’s soo good to see you. How have you been. Man, you look really good,” she said barely taking a breath. I laughed at her as we sat down with our drinks. The buses were barely put in park at the hotel before I called Sarah telling her to meet me at our favorite Starbucks. I looked around, not answering her question right away, and took in all the familiar sights. The familiar streets, shops, and even people. It felt so weird being in LA again. Sitting here was definitely bringing up memories of the countless afternoons Todd and I would spend sitting at these tables enjoying each others company. I let my eyes rove over Sunset Boulevard once more before turning back to face Sarah. It was great seeing her.

“I’ve been really good. Believe it or not, this tour has been really good for me,” I finally told her taking a sip of my drink, making my taste buds do a happy dance.
She beamed and said, “Oh I believe it and I’m so glad. Never in a million years did I think you would be this good. You look amazing.”

"Thanks?" I giggled but stopped short when I saw a familiar face walking past us. “Kevin?”

He turned around and looked at me. He was wearing his 'disguise' and it was obvious he was worried someone had recognized him. Relief was evident in his eyes when he realized it was just me. “Hey Nat,” he said, letting out a breath he had clearly been holding.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” He raised his eyebrows and gave me an ‘isn’t-it-obvious’ look. I shook my head. “Right, Starbucks. Well, why don’t you sit with us?” I pulled out the seat next to me and he sat down as Big Rob took a seat a few tables away from us. Right then Kevin acknowledged that I was with someone. "Kevin, this is my cousin Sarah. Sarah, this is Kevin." Sarah raised her hand and Kevin shook it, but he didn't let go. He had a glazed look in his eyes and wouldn’t stop staring at her. “Uh, Kevin, are you ok?” I asked.

He snapped out of his trance and pulled his hand away quickly. “Uh, yea. I just can’t believe I’m meeting the infamous Sarah," he said, trying to defend himself, which made me and Sarah giggle. "You never told me she was this pretty Nat,” he leaned over and whispered that last part so Sarah didn’t hear it.

She saw Kevin's all too subtle whisper and looked from him to me and back again, curiosity evident in her eyes, though she said nothing. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you too. And your brothers. Natalie does nothing but say great things about you. I’m so glad she finally has a male she can look up to. Even if it is just like a brother,” she said full of earnestness.

“Yea. She has said nothing but great things about you too. Especially about how you have always looked out for her,” he said.

They just stared at each other, obviously forgetting that I was still there. I knew them both well enough to know that there was some connection between them, which I secretly wanted. Once I got to know Kevin better, I always found myself thinking how perfect he and Sarah would be together. They had so much in common and I couldn't help but fantasize about them getting together once they met. The only problem with that was Sarah's boyfriend, Brady. Or should I say ex-boyfriend...that sleaze ball cheated on her a few weeks ago and still hasn't gotten over the fact that she dumped him. I looked from Sarah to Kevin and then back again before sighing and saying, “Hello, I’m still here. Do you guys want me to leave so that you can get to know each other better?”

They both blinked and looked away blushing. I rolled my eyes at them, though I couldn't help but feel a twinge of hope as a smile tugged at my lips. Yea, they are definitely interested in getting to know each other. I broke the awkward silence by asking Sarah how people we knew were doing. She was in the middle of telling me a story about one of our friends when her phone started to ring. “Hold on a sec,” she said taking her Sidekick out of her purse.

A few seconds later, she was arguing with the person on the phone. She obviously wasn’t happy with what was being said because she hung up abruptly. I instantly knew who it was.

“Let me guess, Brady?” I asked taking a sip of my Vanilla Bean Frappuccino.

She grunted “Yes. The guy seriously won’t take a hint. I keep telling him that it’s over, to stop calling me. You’ll never guess what he did the other night,” she said frustrated. I shook my head, signaling her to continue. “Well, my shift at the hospital ran a little late cuz one of the other interns called out sick and when I got back to my apartment, he was waiting for me in the hallway!” My eyes widened. OMG, what a freak. As if she read my thoughts, Sarah said, “Yea I know. I was totally freaked out by that. He got really violent with me and a neighbor had to call the buildings security. He still keeps calling me though and it really freaks me out,” she finished.

I reached for her hand across the table and rubbed it slightly. "I'm so sorry you're going through this. Brady is a jerk and you just have to forget about him."

"Well how am I supposed to do that if he keeps calling me?" she asked, her throat clamping up at the end of her sentence.

We both had forgotten that Kevin was there until he spoke up and said, “Why don’t you change your number?”

We turned towards him. Sarah stared at him blindly. I saw a flicker of a smile but it quickly disappeared before she said, “I have. Twice! And he still seems to get a hold of it. I have no idea what to do anymore.” I could tell she was on the brink of tears. I'm sure that if Kevin hadn't being there, she would have burst out crying by now (though it seems she's pretty close to doing that anyways).

I shot her a sympathetic smile before looking over at Kevin. He seemed to be deep in thought and I knew he was going to share his wisdom and offer some great piece of advice (I should know the look...I've gone to him for advice so many times in the past). Soon enough he said, “Why don’t you take out a restraining order against him?”

I looked back at Sarah. She had an apprehensive look on her face. "Isn't that a bit much?" she asked.

"What? Are you kidding me? The guy keeps calling you after you've changed your number twice. He's showing up at your doorstep in the middle of the night and getting violent with you. I don't think so," Kevin said, his protective side shining through.

"But he hasn't hurt me in anyway. He's just a bit obsessed," Sarah retaliated.

Kevin leaned forward in his seat and I could tell things were about to get ugly. You see, Kevin can be a bit strong minded and won't give up until he convinces you to agree with him. Sarah is just as stubborn and it takes a lot for her to back down from an argument. Before they started jumping down each others throat, I decided to step in. “Come on Sarah, that’s the perfect solution and you know it. Just listen to Kev, he always has the best advice,” I told her offering what I hope was a convincing smile.

She glared at Kevin for a while longer before turning to look at me. In an instant the stubbornness left her eyes and a few tears trickled down her cheek. She wiped away a tear and nodded her head in agreement. “Ugh, I just still can’t believe that he cheated on me. And with Katie Bradley of all people! After what happened last year with her and,” she covered her mouth with her hands when she realized what she was saying. “OMG, Nat I am so sorry. I didn't mean to-,”

I shook my head and raised my hand up to stop her from apologizing. “It’s ok. Let’s just not talk about that or ever bring it up again.” I could feel my throat clamping up and the tears stinging at the corner of my eyes. At that moment my phone rang. I let out a sob as I tried to laugh at the ringtone, knowing exactly who it was. Thankful for this interruption in a conversation I didn't want to start, I pulled it out and said, “Hey Nick what’s up?”

“How’d you know it was me?”

I giggled and said, “Uh, one, caller ID. Two, you programmed my phone to play ‘Nick J is Off the Chain’ when you call.”

“Oh yea. Well, would you have any idea where Kevin is? I‘ve been trying to call him but he doesn‘t answer his phone. I know he's out somewhere because Big Rob went out with him but he's not picking up.”

“Gee Nick, where in the world could he be?" I asked teasingly.

"In a Starbucks, I know. But do you have any idea how many Starbucks are within a five-block radius of this hotel?" Nick asked, his frustration becoming obvious.

"Jeez chill out. He’s right here. Why do you need him?”

“Well, Joe really needs to talk to him and won’t leave me alone about it. Can you please just tell him to come back to the hotel?”

“Yea sure.”

“Ok, thanks. Bye.”

“Bye.” I hung up the phone and turned towards Kevin. "Apparently Joe really needs to talk to you and Nick asked me to tell you to go back to the hotel."

Kevin quickly put his cup down and swallowed his Green tea. “Alright well, I’ll see you back at the hotel. And Sarah, hope to see you at the concert tonight.” With that, he got up and walked down the street, Big Rob trailing slightly behind (he hadn't been discovered so far and if Big Rob was seen walking too close...well that would just be a dead give away wouldn't it?).

I watched Sarah look after him, the glisten in her eyes making me very excited. I slapped her arm and said, “OMG Sarah, you just met him and already you’re interested!”

She looked back at me and rubbed her arm. “I am not." She looked back at the figure that was barely visible. "But he seems nice and you say nothing but good things about him so... maybe I’m interested in getting to know him better.” I rolled my eyes at her, letting her know I knew exactly what she was thinking. “Ok, now tell me more about what is going on with you and Joe?” she asked, giving me her full attention, though knowing her, Kevin wasn't far off her mind.

I gave her my puppy dog look and told her everything that had happened in the days since I had last spoken to her. I was praying she had a solution to this problem.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

The band was just about to go on stage when I cornered Kevin. “Hey, did you talk to him?” I asked a bit hopefully.

He frowned and I instantly knew the answer. “Sorry. But I didn’t get a chance to. Uncle Josh pounced on me when I got back to the hotel. I tried to during lockdown but he told me to forget about it. However, John told me that a few days ago Joe had asked them all if they noticed how weird you were acting. He told Joe to let you get over whatever it is you’re going through. So it's safe to say he definitely knows something is up,” he said barely taking a breath.

My shoulders slumped. There’s no knowing what Joe will do. I gave Kevin a weak smile. “Ok, well thanks for trying. You better get out there. Good luck tonight,” I said, slapping his butt slightly with the clipboard I held in my hands. He gave me a sympathetic smile and ran onto the stage.

I took a deep breath and turned around as I heard the opening chords to ‘Kids of the Future‘ and Joe's voice filled the arena. The whole concert went by and he didn’t look my way once. He didn’t dedicate a song to me either. I felt sort of relieved to know I didn’t have to deal with that tonight. But at the same time, it sent a pang of hurt to my chest. Joe always dedicated a song to me...no matter what.

“Alright, now before we get out of here, we still have one thing to get through,” Nick started off after they had played their last song...S.O.S.

Kevin continued, “As you all know, we have a ‘Spend a day With the Jonas Brothers’ contest going on and one lucky winner in this audience will get to spend all of tomorrow with us.”

Joe finished it off, “So, the lucky winner is in seat, drum roll please,” he received his drum roll, “17F section 102! Will you please come backstage and show the security guard your ticket. You’ll be able to spend some time with us backstage tonight and all of tomorrow.” I heard a girl going wild in that section and knew she was the winner.

“Thank you and good night,” the three of them said to the audience. The ear shattering screams went on for a few minutes and when there was a lull, Nick took the opportunity to introduce Miley. Her fans started to go nuts as the boys started to make their way off the stage making that my cue to go to the merchandise table. Once I was safely there, I took a few deep breaths to prepare myself for what I knew would be an aggravatingly long night. And boy was I right. The whole night I was getting very frustrated with a lot of the fans and tried very hard to maintain my cool. Finally the last fan had left and the guys were finishing their meet & greet.

I was making my way over to them to congratulate them on a great performance (and to hopefully talk to Joe in private) when I heard a voice behind me calling my name. I turned around to see Josh. I grunted and turned to talk to him. “What can I do for you?” I asked him, plastering a fake smile on my face.

“I need you to go to my bus and get me my phone,” he said walking past me. “Then bring it to the boys’ dressing room.” He continued walking down the hall to the dressing room.

I rolled my eyes and went to retrieve his phone. Fifteen minutes later, I was walking into the dressing room. I froze when I opened the door, my heart sinking down to my stomach and then racing back to its place. At first I thought I was hallucinating, but hallucinations don’t usually speak to you, do they? “Natalie? Is that you?”

Definitely NOT a hallucination!! “Um, hi Katie,” I said offering a weak smile. What in the world was she doing here? I looked from her to Kevin, hoping he would somehow silently communicate why she was in here. But he was busy packing up his guitar, so instead my gaze landed on Joe, who was sitting next to her with his arm over her shoulder and a huge grin on his face. I felt a pang in my chest. This was definitely not a comforting site.

“Oh, you guys know each other already? That’s cool. Katie is our contest winner,” Joe said in a cheery voice. Just my luck! I offered a half smile.

I looked at Josh and said, “Here’s your phone.” I walked over to him and handed him the brand new Iphone. “You guys did great tonight,” I said, looking mainly at Nick and Kevin, my eyes slightly flickering to Joe and giving them a weak smile as well. I have to get out of here. Fast! I turned and walked towards the door.

“Wait, you’re not hanging out with us?” Joe asked surprised. “We were gonna go get something to eat with Katie.”

I turned but didn’t look at him. “Nah, I’m kind of tired. I’ll see you guys around. Later.” I opened the door and made my way to the car that would take me back to the hotel. This can not be happening. No way is Katie going to be spending a whole day with my boys! Once in the hotel lobby, I walked straight past John, Jack, and Garbo, who had tried to talk to me- something about a movie. I quickly got into an elevator, leaving them behind to stare after me confused. I held the tears at bay the whole ride up, but once I entered my room and flopped down on the bed, I let all those tears out, eventually crying myself to sleep. I was plagued with dreams of everything that I had tried so hard to forget this past year.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

"Come on, pick up your phone!" Hey, you've reached Natalie's cell. Sorry I miss- "Ugh." Sarah flipped her phone shut. "Where in the world are you Nat?" she asked herself, turning yet another corner in the massive venue. She stopped and turned around to face the hallway she had just walked down. "I definitely followed the instructions that guy gave me, so where the heck is everybody?" She tried calling Natalie again but for the millionth time, got her voicemail.

"Yea, I just came back for my tie, but I'm on my way to the car. I'll see you guys there. Bye." Sarah whipped around when she heard the deep male voice. She started to walk in the general direction the voice came from and within seconds slammed into a tall, toned body, a loud 'oof' accompanying the collision. "I am so sorry," the male voice said, reaching out to steady her before she went tumbling backwards.

"That's ok," she replied, looking up at the person once she was steady. "Kevin?"

"Sarah? Hey!"

"Hi," she smiled sheepishly up at him.

"What are you doing back here?" Kevin asked, removing his hands from her bare shoulders.

"Well I came to see the show and was supposed to meet up with Natalie afterwards but I can't seem to get a hold of her. I think she might have turned off her phone cuz I've gotten her voicemail about a million times already," Sarah replied, the worry evident in her voice.

"Oh, well Natalie left about fifteen minutes ago for the hotel. She seemed to be pretty tired. She's probably asleep, which might be why she's not answering her phone."

"Oh. Well I guess that means I should probably go home," she said turning and looking behind her shoulder. "If only I can figure out how to get out of here. I've been walking around these halls for about half an hour already."

Kevin chuckled slightly. "Why don't I help you find your way out and you can repay me by going out and getting a drink?" he asked, his voice letting her know she wasn't obligated to say yes.

Sarah's eyes widened for a millisecond but she said, "Yea. That'd be nice. I know just the place to go." His smile was so bright, she couldn't help but return the smile. They walked along side each other, making small talk until they reached a door with a red exit sign flashing above it. Kevin opened the door for her and she welcomed the cool night breeze that greeted her when she stepped outside. "Umm, do you wanna go in my car? Or do you need to have one of your body guards accompany you?" she asked, turning to him as she pulled her keys out of her over-size bag.

"We can take your car. I'll just let them know where I'm gonna be, just in case though."

"Ok," she replied, walking towards her car, which was the only one left in the empty parking lot. Kevin followed as he made the quick call to his uncle, letting him know he was going to grab a drink with a friend.

"Nice car," Kevin said when she stopped in front of her massive SUV.

"Thanks. My dad felt it was safer than the small sports car that I wanted to get," she answered, unlocking the car and sliding into the driver’s seat, Kevin mimicking the action and getting into the passengers side.

"You? In a sports car?" Kevin asked, closing the door once he was in. "I can't picture it."

"Why? Cuz I'm a girl?" Sarah asked in a fake offended tone, shoving her key in the ignition and starting up the car.

"Don't take it personally, but yea. You don't seem like the sports car type. I would have pegged you as a VW kinda gal," he replied, sitting back in the plush cream colored leather seat.

"Well, for your information, I begged my dad to get me the 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster for my birthday, but he said his baby girl wasn't going to be driving that tiny thing and getting into any accidents," she retaliated, pulling out of the arena's parking lot and heading towards the heart of the city.

"Dude, that's a sick car," he said, staring at her wide eyed, though a small smile was threatening to make an appearance. "But it's a good thing you didn't get it."

"Why do you say that?" Sarah asked, putting on her blinker and switching into the left lane.

"Because you drive like a maniac and if you did have that car, there's no doubt you would have gotten into an accident," Kevin said, grabbing onto the bar above the window, just to make his point.

"Oh you big baby. I do not drive like a maniac," Sarah retorted, screeching to a halt when the light turned red, making them move forward in their seats just a bit before crashing back down into them. Kevin turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "Ok, so maybe I tend to speed a bit, but other than that, I'm a pretty good driver," she defended, a tiny smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Kevin just laughed at her as she took her foot off the brake and continued to speed down Wilshire Boulevard. A few minutes later, Sarah parked the car on the curb and got out, walking around just as Kevin closed his door.

"Where exactly are we going?" Kevin asked, looking up and down the street, trying to figure out which one of the various restaurants they would be going into.

"We," Sarah started, grabbing onto his arm (NOT noticing how built he was) and leading him up the street, "are going to Bella's." She pulled open the door and led him inside. She walked up to the counter and ordered her drink. After looking at his options, Kevin ordered his and handed the cashier a twenty before Sarah had the opportunity to open her purse. She smiled up to him and thanked him for the chivalrous gesture.

"So," Kevin started once they were seated at a booth in a far corner, "how old are you?"

"I just turned twenty," she replied, taking a sip of her latte. "How about you?"

"Same," he answered. "Do you go to school?"

"I just finished the first semester of my second year at NYU," Sarah answered.

"Impressive," he stated. "Do you have a job?"

"Yea. While I'm at school I work at a deli on campus and I'm an intern at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. And while I'm on break and back at home, I volunteer at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital."

"So I'm guessing you want to be a pediatrician?" Kevin asked in a light voice.

"Nope. I want to be a lawyer," Sarah said in a serious tone.

"Really?" Kevin asked when she didn't give any indication that she had been kidding.

She laughed at how gullible he was. "No I'm totally kidding. But I don't want to be a pediatrician. I want to be a pediatric nurse. They have more interactions with the patients than the actual doctors do," she said matter of factly.

"A girl with ambition," he stated before taking a sip of his drink. "I like that."

Sarah felt the heat creep up her neck and she smiled at him. "How about you rockstar? What's your life like?”

“Oh you know, radio interviews, photo shoots, concerts, autograph signings. Just the norm,” he said, shrugging off the question. Sarah giggled at how casually he said this, making him smile over at her. She smiled back and they talked the rest of the night away.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

“Kevin, what are you still doing in bed?”

Kevin looked up from under the sheets. Yesterday when he had been talking with Natalie and Sarah, he got another piece of the puzzle that was Natalie's past. He knew she didn't like talking about it but he just had to know what was going on with her. Time to put his plan into action. “Nick? What time is it?” he asked in a fake hoarse voice.

“It’s almost ten. We have to meet Katie in the lobby at 10:30 remember?”

Kevin flopped back down onto his pillow. “Aww man. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to make it Nick.” Nick raised his eyebrows towards his brother. “I have a killer headache and my nose is really runny,” Kevin answered Nick’s unasked question, wiping at his nose with a Kleenex for the full effect.

“Well we should probably reschedule this thing,” Nick said, starting to get off of Kevin's bed.

“No!” Kevin yelled. Nick scrunched his eyebrows and sat back down. “Just get it over with. We're gonna be going on vacation soon after this. And plus, she won’t miss me. Didn’t you see how she was all over Joe last night. As long as he’s there, she’ll be ok,” Kevin finished.

Nick just stared at his brother for a while deciding what to do. After a while he sighed and said, “Ok, Fine. Hope you feel better man.” He got up and left their hotel room.

“Thank God he fell for that one,” Kevin said to himself. He got up and got ready. After he was finished he went to Natalie's room a floor above his. When he didn’t find her there he called her.

“Hello,” she said into the receiver, clearly trying to hide the tears from her voice.

“Nat, where are you?” Kevin said franticly into the phone. She definitely shouldn't be left alone in those conditions.

“I’m down by the pool,” she replied.

“Ok don’t move, I’ll be right there.” He didn't wait for her response before hanging up. A few minutes later he was walking towards her. A fresh wave of tears flooded her eyes as he approached. Without saying a word, he pulled her up from the chaise she was sitting in and gave her a hug. She accepted his hug without hesitation and cried into his chest. After his shirt was soaked he said, “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I really need you to tell me what’s up. It‘s killing me not knowing.”

She pulled back from him. Guess the time has come, she thought to herself. He sat her back down on her chaise and took a seat next to her. She sighed and told him a very elaborate story. She told him about her life here in LA and about the event that had happened the year before with her friends Todd, Nicole, and Katie. “And seeing her all over again brings all those horrible memories back,” she finished off with a sigh.

Kevin was filled with an unexplainable anger when she told him of the things that she had gone through, especially when she mentioned the part about her boyfriend trying to have sex with her and then throwing in her face the fact that he had been cheating on her since they started dating. Lucky for him he was already dead, if not... He pushed those thoughts aside and pulled Natalie into another hug and said, “Nat, you have no idea how sorry I am. It breaks my heart to know you had to deal with all that. But what else is wrong?”

She looked up at him with her eyes full of tears, and it took all his self control not to just blow up on someone. There's no use hiding anything from him, she thought to herself. She let out a sob and said, “It’s this whole thing with Joe! He’s definitely giving me my space. During the concert yesterday, he didn’t look at me once. Then when I walked into your dressing room I saw Katie all over him and he had his arm around her shoulder. And just now, I was walking out of breakfast when I saw her arrive. They didn’t see me, but she gave him a very affectionate hug and he responded. And they walked out of here arm in arm. Not to mention the fact that she had brought Nicole along and that she had attached herself to Nick.” She stopped, sniffled, and wiped a few tears away. "I thought I could handle being away from him, but I can't Kev. It hurts." Kevin stared at her with sympathy all over his face.

“This must be so hard for you,” he said after a while. He has no idea, she thought. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

She sighed and sat in silence contemplating her answer. After a while she said, “Well, you guys are going to be here on vacation this week. It’s Christmas break, so I’m just going to spend the week with Sarah.”

“Why not with your mom? I mean you haven’t seen her since you went out to Jersey, right?” he asked.

“Yea, but she’s on vacation with her boyfriend,” she replied. He raised his eyebrows at the boyfriend part. “Haha, I know weird concept, but yea, she won‘t be back till sometime after Christmas. I already talked to Sarah and she’s only volunteering at the hospital for a few days this week.”

She glanced back up at him and he had a wide grin on his face. He saw her staring at him and wiped the grin off his face. “Ok, what was that all about?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” he asked back innocently.

“Oh come on, I saw that wide grin on your face,” she said.

“Well, I was going to mention this before but,” he paused.

“But what?”

“Well, last night, after you came back to the hotel, Sarah came backstage looking for you. I found her wandering around and told her you had gone back to the hotel. Then I decided to ditch my brothers and asked her out,” he said.

“You did what?”

“It wasn’t anything big. We just went out for a drive. She took me to this café that’s open twenty-four seven. It had some pretty good coffee.”

“Haha. Yea, Bella’s has some great stuff. It’s nothing compared to Starbucks though. So, what did you guys talk about?” she asked continuing the conversation and putting her problems aside.

His grin got even wider. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Oh you know, just stuff. We talked about our childhoods, family, friends, relationships, work. All sorts of stuff. We were there for a while. She really is quite amazing.” He had that glazed look on his face again.

“Oh my gawd, Kevin! This is so cool. You like her and she likes you. This is perfect!”

He looked back at her a bit surprised. “Wait, how do you know she likes me?”

“Oh please, don’t act so surprised. You two are like my older brother and sister. I know you both well enough to know that you like each other,” she said letting out a sigh. “Man, it would be perfect if you guys went out. She has been going through such a hard time with this whole break up.”

“Yea,” he said. “Who knows, maybe in time we will. Now come on. I‘m going to help you pack.” He got up and grabbed her hand lifting her up from her chaise.