CHAPTER TWO

~ MY BUNK ~

"Uncle Lou, you can't do this to me!  I don't want to!" I whined later that night.

"Mags, I have no other choice.   I can't watch you. Sending you on tour with the Backstreet Boys is the best thing.  It's either that or Uncle Mike." Lou responded. 

Mike was my 85 year old great-great uncle who did nothing but tell boring old stories and drink beer.  "I'll think about it." I reasoned. Being with Uncle Lou for the whole summer was bad enough, but A.J. was too much.  I turned on my heel, and headed to my room.  "The bus leaves tomorrow morning at 10. I will drop you off at 9 o'clock. Be ready." Lou yelled before I slammed my door shut.

******

The next morning, I walked on the bus - if you could call it that.  In the front was the kitchen area, with a table, and a couch.  It also had stocked cabinets and a full refrigerator. Then there was a a tiny room that was supposed to be a bathroom.  After the bathroom, was 10 bunks.  Five on each side.  I threw my backpack on the first top bunk.  I, then, checked out the back of the bus.  It had EVERYTHING.  A couch on either side of it.  It had a good sized TV, with Playstation, Nintendo 64, and Super Nintendo. It, also, had a gigantic CD player.  "Not that bad." I said to myself as I walked to the front of the bus.  I opened the door quickly.  I heard a thud as it came in contact with someone.

"What the hell?" came a voice I, unfortunately, recognized as A.J.'s.

"Oh... I am so incredibly not sorry." I answered, smiling sweetly and innocently at him.

"Why are you here?" he asked suspiciously, pushing past me. "Did you miss me that much?"

"Uh...no.  Think again.  My uncle couldn't watch me, so I got stuck coming on tour with you." I retorted as Brian and the one with the bushy eyebrows and green eyes.  I had finally learned his name.  He was Kevin, Brian's cousin.

"Great a baby-sitting job." muttered A.J., walking to the bunks. He saw my backpack on my bed and pick it up warily.  As if it might have a disease. "Why is this on my bunk?"

"Correction: my bunk." I responded, taking my backpack from him, and placing it back on my bed. "First come, first serve."

A.J. opened his mouth to say something, but Nick (AKA the blonde one), who had just gotten on the bus interrupted him. "Dude, just let her have the freakin' bunk. There are 9 other ones."

A.J. glowered at me for a moment, before throwing his backpack on the bunk under mine. Again, I smiled, sweetly and innocently at him.

Brian looked from me to A.J. and then back at me. "This should be entertaining." he commented, smiling at me.

"Are Mandy and Leighanne coming?" asked Howie, who had also just entered the bus.

"Yea." said Brian and Nick in unison as two blonde girls got on the bus.  One looked about my age, and the other one looked about 30.

The one about my age walked over to Nick and kissed him on the cheek.  The other one walked to Brian and hugged him.  I assumed that meant that they were couples.  The younger one poked Nick in the ribs as she looked at me.

"Oh...uh Mandy this is Lindsey Magdalena.  She's Lou's niece. She'll be on tour with us this summer.  Lindsey, this is Mandy and Leighanne." introduced Nick.

"Nice to meet you, Lindsey" said Mandy, extending her hand.

"Nice to meet you, too." I replied, shaking her hand, "Call me Mags."

"Cute." commented Leighanne, "How did you get it?"

"My last name." I explained, sitting down on the couch, next to Kevin.

"So how come you're coming on tour?" asked Mandy, walking the bunks and putting her backpack on the bunk across from mine.

"She doesn't believe it is any of our business." supplied A. J., looking at me smugly, and smiling.

"No, A.J.  I said it wasn't any of your business." I answered returning his look.  I turned toward Mandy, "My Mom sent me down here for a lot of reasons.  My uncle couldn't watch me. So I got this."

Leighanne and Mandy laughed.

"It's really not that bad. We're all not like A. J. " protested Kevin.

I smiled at him.  He was kind of cute in a preppy, mama's boy kind of way. "I hope not." I answered, playing with my hair.

"Dude!  Come on!  Why are you taking her side?" asked A. J., pissed off, as he sat down at the table.

"I'm not taking sides. All I said was we're not all like you." answered Kevin.

A. J. flashed me a nasty look.  "What is your problem?"

"I didn't say anything." I protested.

"You were going to." replied A. J.

"OK, whatever." I said agitated. I will kill this guy before this trip is over, I thought.

Unless he kills me first.