Summer waited in the hallway while they signed some autographs. She was the only one left from the mystery guests. She sees Jessica talking and joking around with AJ and Howie. Brian looked uncomfortable so he walked over to Summer.

Brian - "Hi. Summer right."

Summer - "yeah."

Brian - "That's nice it's different."

Summer - "That's my mom. She's different."

Brian - "So when did you meet AJ?"

Summer - "I met AJ when I was like seven. We had just moved here from London and I got lost at the park. I was crying and he found me and helped me find my dad. Who then bought him an ice cream cone for helping me. From then on every time I went to the park he would find us and my dad would get him ice cream." AJ walks up.

AJ - "Hey you make it sound like I was only in it for the ice cream."

Summer - "You were."

AJ - "Well maybe at first."

Summer - "But that's why my dad thinks he's a saint."

AJ - "I am a saint."

Summer - "You're more like Satan." He scoffs.

AJ - "Well it's time to get out of here."

Summer - "Okay." They follow everyone else down the hall. They go around a corner and out of her sight. She just stands there feeling left out. Nick pops his head around the corner.

Nick - "You coming?"

Summer - "Oh yeah." She runs around the corner and in to his back. "Sorry."

Nick - "That's okay." He smiles at her. "I'm Nick."

Summer - "I know. Summer." She shakes his hand.

Nick - "I know." They stand there shaking hands. Everyone else has gone down the hall. They didn't notice. "So you go to school?"

Summer - "Yeah I'm just finishing up my freshman year. I should be home studying for finals. I'm probably going to fail all of them because I'm not."

Nick - "Well I'm glad you came."

Summer - "You are?"

Nick - "Yeah. I remember AJ talking about you every now and then. He's really happy to see you."

AJ - "There you two are. Come on Nick stop hitting on her and let's go."

Nick - "I'm not hitting on her." He starts to blush a little bit.

AJ - "Yeah right. I can see I've got to keep an eye on you." He takes her hand and leads her away with Nick following them.

They get downstairs and get in one of two SUV's that are to take them back to the hotel. It's Summer AJ and Nick in one with two bodyguards and then everyone else in the other. She and AJ catch up on everything.

AJ - "So how's your family?"

Summer - "Thalia's fine. She's opened a boutique in Miami. And she's all but engaged to this really great guy named Danny."

AJ - "Damn. I was hoping I was finally old enough for her. Well how's your pops and mom."

Summer - "Good. Dad's still working at the museum. Mom's still in Paris painting. She's due in next month. And Josh is finishing his junior year at Berkeley."

AJ - "Josh went to college!"

Summer - "Yeah I know. No one thought he was going to graduate high school but he's dong really well. Oh Uncle Rupie got married."

AJ - "No!!! Did he go straight?"

Summer - "No. But Uncle Herbie is so wonderful. I'm staying with them while I'm up here. You should come by I know he'd love to see you again."

AJ - "I can't we've got to be on a plane to Mexico in the morning."

Summer - "Oh okay."

AJ - "But we'll be back in about a week maybe I could come and see you then."

Summer - "I'll be back in Florida by then. Here let me give you my number and stuff."

AJ takes the paper from her. "I still can't believe you're here. I missed you so much."

Summer - "I missed you too."

AJ - "God so much has happened since you moved away."

Summer - "I know you've done very well for yourself. I tried to write you a letter right after the group came out over here but all I got back was a fan letter. But I had to at least try."

AJ - "I thought about you the first show we did. All of those talent showcases I used to do you were always right there in the front row with my mom cheering me on."

Summer - "Lexy stop you're embarrassing me."

Nick - "Lexy?"

Summer - "Yeah it's what I used to call him when we were kids. I was Lily he was Lexy."

Nick - "Okay. So are you up for hanging out with us tonight."

Summer - "Yeah what are we going to do?"

AJ - "Probably hit a club or something. You have an ID."

Summer - "Are you kidding? Every year since I was sixteen Josh has gotten me a fake ID for my birthday."

AJ - "He's still testing your dad every turn he makes huh."

Summer - "Yes at least they have stopped putting Ginger and me in the middle."

AJ - "What's he taking in school?"

Summer - "Computers he's going to start his own company or something. He just wants to be able to ride his skateboard around the office."

Nick - "What are you taking?"

Summer - "Well right now I'm just doing to normal freshmen classes but next year I'm hopefully going to be able to get start to my biology classes."

AJ - "Still a science nerd."

Summer - "I'm not a science nerd I just think it's interesting. I'm going to be taking marine biology and archeology so that way I can go find Atlantis."

AJ - "Oh boy." He covers his eyes with his one hand. "It nice to see some things never change."

Summer - "Did you expect me too?"

AJ - "No not at all. So are you cool hanging out in that or did you want to go home and change."

Summer - "I'm fine with this if you are?" She's wearing these baby blue jeans with a tight little tee shirt.

Nick - "Looks fine to me."

Summer - "thanks. Actually my sister made this shirt for me."

AJ - "I thought she was only going to do like dresses and shit."

Summer - "Well I'm still her test subject for new ideas. She did my prom dress it was so phat. Here I've got a picture in here I'm sure." She starts digging through her backpack. "Here hold these." She hands Nick like four pair of sunglasses.

Nick - "Geez you can tell you're AJ's friend."

AJ - "Oh those are cool." He takes one pair from Nick.

Summer - "she designed those too. Here it is."

AJ - "Nice who's the guy?"

Summer - "Oh that's my boyfriend Brett."

AJ - "Boyfriend?" He looks at Nick who just sits back and looks out the window. "How long have you guys been together?"

Summer - "Well we started dating junior year. He plays football. Right now he's second string but then he's only a freshman. Hopefully next year he'll be the starting quarter back."

AJ - "Some how I never pictured you with a jock."

Summer - "Me either but it's working out okay. But back to the dress, you like."

AJ - "Oh yeah it's different."

Summer - "It's actually two pieces."

Nick - "We're here."

Summer puts everything back in to her bag and follows them past the screaming girls in to the hotel. She gets up to their floor and it is crazy up there. She follows AJ closely because she doesn't know what else to do. There are people coming and going in to different rooms.

AJ - "Okay we've got some other press stuff to do but you can just hang in my room if you want."

Summer - "Are you sure I mean I could just go home and try to catch up with you later."

AJ - "I'm afraid if you left I'd never get you back up here. I've got some movies and stuff in there."

Summer - "Okay we'll I've also got my science book so I guess I could study a little."

AJ - "Okay here." He opens the door for her. "Anything you want just pick up the phone and call room service and have them put it on the room. I shouldn't be long."

Summer - "Okay." He shuts the door and the room gets quiet.

She notices that his bags are open and mostly spilled out over the one bed. By nature a nosey person, she goes over and starts flipping through his CDs. Nothing out of the ordinary really. A lot of dance and electronica stuff. Then some old soul and R&B. Typical AJ stuff. She also notices a little photo album she picked it up. Flipping through she sees he's got some pictures of his mom and grandparents. She notices a picture stuck behind another pulls it out. It's a picture of him and Summer right before she moved. She was twelve and he was fourteen. He had her up over his shoulder and has getting ready to throw her in the pool. She puts it back where she found it and kept flipping through. There were some pictures of the other guys. They had been together a really long time. She could see all of them growing and changing in AJ's little book. Then she got to the end and put it back where she found it and got situated on the other bed and started studying her notes from Geology class. She fell asleep about an hour later.

Chapter Fourty-Three