Chapter 4

            "Hey, Drew.  Where have you been for the last four hours?"  Nick asked in the lobby of their hotel.

            "I've been with Jen," Drew replied.  He sat down in a chair and began to stare off into space.  His mind couldn't stop thinking about her.

            "What's wrong, bro?  You look a little distracted."

            "I've never felt this way about a girl before.  Jen's so different for everyone else.  She's not an airhead like all those models.  She's actually natural," Drew explained.  It was all true.  He never felt such a feeling come over him.

            "Oh, my God!  My little brother's in love!"  Nick exclaimed.  Drew shot him an "I don't think so" look.

            "I never said I was.  I just said she was not like everyone else."

            "So, you like her, right?" he asked.  Justin walked up to them.  "Guess who's got a crush on Jen?"

            "I don't know," Justin shrugged.  Nick pointed to Drew, who turned beet red.  "Oh, now way! Drew's in love!"

            "Shut up, you guys!  I'm not in love.  I only like Jen as a friend, and wouldn't Jeff kill me if I had a crush on his cousin?  Would I really risk it?" he defended himself.

            "Yeah, I guess Jeff would kill you.  You're not that stupid," Nick said.  "Are you going back tonight?"

            "Maybe, I don't know," Drew answered.  He didn't want to tell them that he was, or they would get on his back for the rest of the time.

            "Yes, you are, and I know it," Justin answered.

            "You don't know anything.  Why don't you just leave me alone?"

            "We're not gonna leave you alone until you admit that you like Jen," Nick responded.  "We'll make it easy on you, tell us now and we'll stop."

            "I'll never admit that," Drew retorted.  He sat on his chair with his head resting on his hands.

            "Drew and Jen sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Nick and Justin chanted.

            He couldn't take it anymore.  Finally, Drew gave up and yelled, "Okay!  I like Jen!  Happy now?"

            "I knew it!  I knew it ever since I saw you two looking at each other," Nick said.

            "Drew, why don't you just tell her you like her.  It won't kill you," Justin added.

            "What if she doesn't like me?  I'd make a complete fool out of myself in front of her," Drew complained.

            "I can see she likes you too.  You gotta trust me on this, bro.  I can tell when two people like each other," Nick replied.  He patted him on the back.

            "I don't want to do it.  I still don't know her that well."

            "You're going to tell her because if you don't, I will," Justin warned.

            "But I don't know her that well!"  Drew exclaimed.

            "What's her favorite color?"  Nick asked.

            "Green," he quickly answered.

            "You know her well enough."

Back at the Hospital

            "Hey, Jiffy!  Guess what?"  Jen asked enthusiastically as Jeff walked into the room.

            "What?" he replied in the same tone.

            "I can move my arm!" she waved to him.

            "That's so great.  You must have been working on that all day," he answered.

            "Drew helped me most of the time.  He gave me this awesome massage.  It completely relaxed my hand so I could get control of it," Jen explained.  "Now all I need is to start moving my legs and I'll be okay."

            "I'm glad you can move your arm."

            "I can also give you a hug.  Come over here, Jiffy," Jen ordered.

            "Quit calling me Jiffy, June bug," Jeff answered as she slipped her hand around his neck.  "So, you've been with Drew today?"

            "Yeah, he's really nice and so funny.  I love the way he smiles.  It makes me happy whenever I'm around him," she said.  Jen slid her hand back onto the bed so it could rest.

            "Usually he's really open, but I couldn't understand why he was so shy when you two first met.  Not like I care, though.  At least you don't like each other," Jeff answered, sitting in a chair.

            "Why do you say that?"  Jen asked once he brought up the subject of liking each other.

            "Because Drew's sorta conceded.  We've been in this band for who knows how many years, and I've seen him go through more girls than a pimp."

            "He's not like that.  He just hasn't found the right girl yet," Jen defended Drew.  "He told me."

            "Why are you on his side?  Do you like him or something?"  Jeff asked.  He shifted his position so he could look directly at Jen.

            "No, I just don't want you judging him, that's all," she said.

            "Whatever J. You're getting really weird on me."

            "It's not like you're not weird yourself."

            "Shut up, June bug.  We've never had a good experience fighting.  I still remember the time we started to beat each other up because I took your cookie.  I didn't know you could be so dangerous with a fork until you poked me with it.  I still have the scars on my arm," Jeff recalled.

            "I was only five, Jeff.  I didn't know any better.  I'm really sorry about that," Jen apologized.  "But you shouldn't have taken my cookie."

            "Jen, it was ten years ago!" he exclaimed.  Jeff seemed very irritated now.

            "Okay, I'll change the subject.  What kind of music do you have out?"

            "Dumb question, but I'll answer it anyway: pop," Jeff responded.  "Next question."

            "What's your newest single?"  Jen asked.

            "'Because of You,'" he answered.

            "I've heard that song.  I really like it.  I didn't know you sang it."  Jen thought about her next question.

Later on at the Hotel

            Drew slumped down on his bed.  He didn't know how to tell Jeff he had a crush on his cousin.  Everything seemed to be mixed up in his brain, giving him a tremendous headache.  As he lay there looking at the ceiling, he realized Jen meant more to him than he thought.  He had to tell Jeff no matter what his mind said.

            "What did I get myself into?"  Drew asked aloud.  He wasn't expecting Jeff to walk in on him.

            "Get yourself into what?" he questioned.

            "I think I should tell you this before anything happens."  Drew took in a deep breath and began, "Jeff, I've got a crush on your cousin."

            "Drew!  She's only 15!  You can't have a crush on Jen!"  Jeff yelled.  He began to pace angrily around the room.

            "But Jeff, it's not like I'm going to start dating her any time soon."

            "Don't think about that!  I don't want you breaking Jen's heart when you leave.  She's already been through enough," he said.

            "It's impossible now.  I can't stop myself from picturing her face every time I close my eyes.  I get this weird feeling every time I hear her name," Drew tried to explain.

            "Too bad you'll never be able to see her again.  We're leaving tomorrow morning," Jeff answered.  He walked back into his room.

            "I'll have time to say good-bye, right?"  Drew yelled back to him.  Jeff didn't bother to respond.  He was very angry at him and wasn't about to tell him anything.