Chapter 1
I strummed the chords of my guitar lightly, listening to the beautiful melody that I created. I hummed a tune to the song that I was writing. I strummed more loudly and actually began to sing the words to the song.

Maybe it’s not my weekend
But it’s gonna be my year
And I’m so sick of watching while the minutes pass as I go nowhere
And this is my reaction
To everything I fear ‘
Cuz been going crazy
I don’t wanna waste another minute here

“’I’m so sick of watching?’ Really, Meg, isn’t that like a kind of pun?” my loving and annoying older brother said to me from the doorway of my bedroom. I spun around quickly to face him. Donny was my brother, and my guardian. My mother had divorced my father when I was seven years old, and my father died in a car crash five years after that. I loved Donny, totally and completely loved him with all my heart. Right after my father died, Donny fought for custody of me. At the time, he was only 19, but he was so mature for his age. It was either I lived with Donny in his apartment or I went into the foster system, and I thank God everyday that the former was the one that had actually occurred. It was nearly six years later and I was still with Donny, but his girlfriend, Rebecca, moved in with us about a year ago. She was extremely nice and was more like an older sister to me than anything else. She had never ever treated me as Donny’s younger sister.

“You know that your audition is in an hour right? Is everything ready?” Donny asked me, his voice filling my entire room. Have you ever listened to someone’s voice in depth? They are so beautiful and unique that sometimes I just sit on the front stoop of the apartment building and listen to the voices of the people that pass by.

“Yea, Donald, I know that my audition is in an hour,” I said, mimicking his tone of voice perfectly. I could match people’s tone of voice perfectly, that was one of my talents. I put my guitar down on my bed next to me and stood up. I reached my hand out to Donny, waiting for him to grasp it. He sighed deeply and then pulled me over to him.

“C’mon little sister, Becky said that she is not going to let you go without eating,” Donny said and then he swept me up into his arms. I let out a little cry of surprise and pounded my first on his chest.

“Donny, put me down!” I screeched as he raced out of my room and down the hallway to the kitchen. In exactly 57 seconds, Donny was putting me into one of the chairs by the kitchen table. I liked to time things too because I always wanted to be very precise.

“Meg, are you excited?” Becky asked as she placed a plate of food in front of me. The scents of grilled chicken and macaroni and cheese had filled the apartment and my stomach grumbled involuntarily. I picked up my fork and dug into the food.

“Extremely excited,” I said in between bites of chicken. Donny laughed his low, almost tenor-like laugh.

“I know, I’m losing my sister to Hollywood Records,” Donny said dramatically. Now it was Becky’s turn to laugh. Her laugh was more a mezzo-soprano type laugh. Though, when she was drunk, she’s known to have an extremely high-pitched laugh. I stuck my tongue out at Donny and continued eating.

“They have to like me first, pee-brain,” I teased him lightly.

“Of course they are going to like you. They’d have to be stupid if they didn’t,” Becky commented from the other side of the kitchen. She turned on the water and I stopped for a minute to listen to the calming rhythm of the water hitting the inside of the sink. I gave out a sigh and pushed the half eaten plate away from me.

“Donny, finish that for me?” I whined, and he sighed deeply. This was something we did at every meal: I would eat at least half of the food and then I would beg Donny to finish it for me. That way we didn’t waste food. See most people would think that Donny would be obese because he would eat his food and then the rest of my food, but he works out every single day so all that was pretty much turned into muscle. I would know because he could crush me with his hugs.

“You are a pain in my ass,” he responded and I flashed him a smile. He shoved me gently and then laughed again. Becky shut off the water and then walked over to run her fingers through my hair. I took a few slow, deep breaths because I could feel the butterflies fluttering inside my stomach again. Today was the day that I auditioned for Hollywood Records and I was completely buzzed. I needed to take a few minutes to just sit down and calm myself down.


45 Minutes Later Donny’s Car

I drummed my fingers on the dashboard, trying to calm my nerves. I had the radio on in an attempt to drown out my doubts and insecurities. I sang along softly to 3oh!3’s Don’t Trust Me. Finally, Donny gripped my hand with one of his.

“If you keep doing that, I am going to have to kill you,” he gently teased me. I pulled my hand back and brought my knees to my chest. Resting my head on my knees, I focused on the beat of the song.

After what seemed like an eternity, Donny pulled into a parking space and the car jolted to a stop. Donny turned off the car and he and I sat in silence for a while. We were both excited and nervous at the same time. I wanted so badly to create an album. I loved singing, dancing, writing music, hell I liked performing period. Donny rubbed my shoulder and then opened his door. It closed behind him with a soft click and then he walked over to my side of the car. As soon as the door opened, I heard the hustling and bustling of the Hollywood streets. Donny took my hand in his and helped me out. The car beeped softly, letting us know that it was locked.

“Are you ready?” he asked me, so low so that only I could hear it. I squared my shoulders and ran a hand through my wavy hair.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said and then Donny tugged me along.

It’s now or never, I thought to myself. I guess now would be as good as time as ever to introduce myself. I am Megan Andrews and I am 18 years old.

Oh…and before I forget…I’m blind.



Chapter 2

“So, Megan, how long have you been writing songs?” Mrs. Dean, the Hollywood Record executive, asked me. As soon as I had heard her voice, which sounded stiff and tired, I had decided that she was probably tall, plain-skinned, with a blonde bob and square glasses. I wasn’t born blind, so I’ve seen people before. I know colors, shapes, styles, all that junk, and the first thing I do when meeting someone new is I try and figure out what they’d look like.

“Well I wrote my first song technically when I was ten, but I didn’t really write any decent songs until like 13,” I explained. Mrs. Dean tapped her fingers on the clipboard she was holding. I could tell it was a clipboard because it makes a particular sound when you tap against it. I listened as she wrote something down on the paper.

“Can you play this for me? We had listened to the demo CD you sent in, but I just want to hear one live,” she said and I could practically hear the smile in her voice. I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. What they were really doing was checking to make sure that I was actually talented, and not that I had faked all the music and vocals.

There was a lot of paper shuffling and then I felt Donny shift on the couch. I guess he reached out to grab the paper from her. Donny slid my acoustic guitar on to my lap. We had brought it with us because I had insisted on it. It had been a 16th birthday present from Donny and I loved it so much. I even named my guitar Dana, and I took it practically everywhere with me. It was the one constant in my life apparently and I had memorized the entire guitar with my fingers.

“It’s Hey Jude,” Donny whispered to me and I allowed a small smile. I knew this song like the back of my hand. Mrs. Dean didn’t exactly know that I couldn’t see and I was definitely not going to out right tell her. I just focused on the song.

Hey Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song, and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude, don’t be afraid
You were made to, go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

Donny squeezed my shoulder reassuringly as I continued.

And anytime you feel the pain,
hey Jude, refrain
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little bit colder

Hey Jude, don’t let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

So let it out, and let it in,
Hey Jude, begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you, hey Jude, you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder

Hey Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song, and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

“That was wonderful! Megan, you have an amazing voice,” Mrs. Dean said happily. I smiled and handed Donny my guitar. There was more rustling of papers and the couch shifted once more.

“Now, if you’ll just sign on that dotted line there, you’ll be all set. We would all be honored to help you complete your first album,” she said and I frowned slightly. I didn’t usually write things by hand because it was really hard to do. I remembered how to spell words and everything because I had learned all that while I could still see.

Donny cleared his throat uncomfortably and he placed a pen in my right hand. Donny guided my hand over to where he had placed the contract on the table in front of us. I knew there was a table because I had accidentally bumped into it on my way over to the couch when we had first arrived. I felt around for the paper with my left hand and Donny positioned my pen for me. Slowly, yet confidently, I signed my name on the contract. Mrs. Dean took a sharp breath when I picked up the paper and held it in her direction.

“Oh my, well I didn’t realize that…I mean you don’t act…,” she stammered uncertainly. I blew out a sigh and shook the paper in my hand slightly impatiently. People had all sorts of different reactions to the fact that I was blind, and rarely any of them were good. Mrs. Dean took the papers from me and I sat back against the soft couch. I ran my hand unconsciously along the cushion, trying to guess the color simply from the texture of the fabric.

“You didn’t realize she was blind,” Donny stated simply. There was a sharp edge to his voice so I slid my left hand over on the couch until it bumped into his leg. Donny picked up my hand in his and held it firmly.

“Is that a problem?” I asked, almost hesitantly. The couch shifted again so I presumed that Donny had sat forward. Mrs. Dean cleared her throat.

“No, no, not at all. We’ll just, contact you tomorrow and give you all the details on your album, alright dear?” I could tell that she felt uncomfortable so I tugged Donny’s hand slightly. He stood up and I followed suit.

“It was so nice to meet you, Mrs. Dean,” I said and then held out my right hand for her to shake. I waited until she had clasped my hand with hers and then gave it a brief shake. Donny pulled me along after him out the door. He was silent as we took the elevator and then walked the 49 steps to the car door. I counted to 78 before Donny and I were both in the car and he had pulled away from the curb.

“Donny, you have to chill,” I said in an attempt to lighten the tension in the car. No such luck.

“Meg, you shoulda seen the way she looked at you when she realized you couldn’t see,” Donny said. I frowned because he knew full well that was impossible for me to do. I was going to crack a joke about it but from the tone of his voice I decided against it.

“Donny, people are always going to react weirdly when they find out I’m blind. It’s a fact of life. It doesn’t bother me, so it shouldn’t bother you so much,” I said and then held out my left hand. Donny chuckled slightly and took my hand in his again.

“When did I get such a mature little sister?” he remarked and I smiled because the tension had evaporated from the car. The universe was aligned again.


Joe Jonas POV

“Ouch, Jane, that hurts,” I complained for what seemed like the hundredth time today. Jane rolled her eyes at me and continued to pull my hair anyway. Jane was my hairstylist and I had asked her to come over this morning so she could do my hair before I went to Hollywood Records. My brothers and I had a meeting with them today regarding a new CD and what not.

“Joe, will you hurry up. We’ve got to be there in twenty minutes,” my annoying older brother, Kevin called from his room across the hall. I scoffed and chose not to answer him. I wasn’t going to rush Jane and risk going outside looking less than perfect.

Ten minutes later, Jane announced she was done and practically shoved me out of the room. I fixed the collar on my shirt and then headed downstairs. The rest of my family was waiting for me by the front door.

“Joe, you are such a girl,” my younger brother, Nick said. I pushed on my Ray Bans and shrugged.

“I gotta keep up my rep. I’m the hot one, remember?” I said only half kidding. Mom rolled her eyes at me and then motioned for all of us to move out. My brothers and I piled into one limo as Mom, Dad, and Frankie got into the other. I looked at my reflection in the window as we pulled out. I ruffled my hair and adjusted my shirt one last time.

“Dude, really, don’t you ever get tired of looking at yourself?” Kevin said and shoved my playfully.

“Not really man,” I said and then grinned enormously. Kevin shook his head and Nick out right laughed in my face.

“I repeat, you are a girl,” Nick said. I shoved him hard and then leaned back against the leather seating. My eyes slid shut and I dozed as we continued our drive to the meeting. I had gotten about two hours of sleep last night from the time Camille finally left to the time Big Rob dragged, and yes I mean dragged, me out of bed. I was trying to sneak in an extra couple of minutes of sleep when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I sighed and took out my IPhone. There was a text message from Camille waiting for me.

Hey babe, where are you? I sighed deeply because five hours earlier, she and I had an all out fight. Then half an hour later, we were having an all out make out session on my bed. That was the routine: we fought and then made up right afterwards.

Nothing much. About to go into an interview. I’ll talk to you later. It took her less than a second to respond.

Well fine then, whatever. I groaned because I knew she was pissed at me and I was going to get an ear full later. I tucked my phone away and tried to go back to sleep. A second later, the limo pulled into the parking lot. I pressed my eyes tighter fiercely as the limo came to a complete stop and my brothers began to move around.

“let’s go, Joe,” Kevin said and I gave on last sigh as I followed him out of the limo and over to the elevator. The three of us stepped in and pressed the button for the twentieth floor.

“What is this meeting for anyway?” I grumbled. I hated early morning especially when I didn’t know what they were about.

“Something about a duet with an up and coming star,” Nick said as he ran a nervous hand through his curls. I groaned loudly. I hated when the company made us do this in an attempt to gain the new star a rapid rise to fame. Most of the time, the “star” was a no talent wannabe who had their voices altered using a computer.

The elevator pinged at the 11th floor and the door slid open to reveal a stunning beauty. She had brown wavy hair that fell to the center of her back and deep brown eyes. She was petite and had very long legs. She was wearing blue skinny jeans, black high top converse and red and black Paramore t-shirt.

“What floor?” Kevin asked politely and she smiled at him. I moved over as she walked in and brushed against me. A tall, muscular guy walked in right after her and took a place right beside her.

“The twentieth, same as you three,” the guy responded before taking the girls left hand in his. His hand completely covered hers. My heart sunk a little as she patted his hand with her other one. Of course a girl that beautiful was already taken, by a huge beast of a man to say the least.

“I’m Kevin, by the way,” Kevin piped up.

“I’m Nick,” Nick said and then turned to me.

“And I’m Joe,” I said softly. The girl smiled again and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’m Meg, and this is my brother, Donny,” she said. Her brother released her hand and turned to shake all of ours. Meg frowned slightly and waited until he took her hand again. Once he did, she smirked a little. I was a little taken aback by the fact that she didn’t seem to recognize us. The door finally pinged and they slid open. Donny stepped out first and tugged Meg after him. The rest of us piled out as the doors slid shut.

“It was so nice meeting you guys,” Meg said sweetly and gave us a little wave. We all waved back and they started off down the hallway.

“Did anyone else notice that she didn’t seem to know who we are?” Nick said quietly.

“I kind of liked it,” Kevin laughed and I nodded a little. We went in our own direction and knocked on the first door to the right. It immediately swung open and Mrs. Dean, the Hollywood executive, ushered us in. Mom, Dad and Frankie were already seated around the table.

“Nice of you all to join us,” Phil, our manager, said. The three of us sat in three of the empty seats. I didn’t bother taking off my Ray Bans and just leaned back in the chair. Mrs. Dean cleared her throat and took her seat next to Phil.

“Alright, as we were telling your parents, we were wondering if you boys would be interested in doing a duet with one of the new artists.” What did I tell you? I smirked a little to myself.

“She played for me when I interviewed her last week. I recorded it,” Mrs. Dean said as she pressed the play button on the tape recorder that she had in front of her. What words can I use to describe the voice that came out of that tape recorder? I could start at amazing, but that wouldn’t even cover it. Stunning, beautiful and flawless didn’t really cover it either. All I know is that by the time the song was over, everyone in the room, besides Mrs. Dean and Phil, had their mouths hanging open in shock.

“Yes,” Kevin stammered.

“Yes,” I put in.

“A thousand times yes,” Nick replied. Mrs. Dean smiled and Phil nodded. Mom and Dad seemed to still be in shock. Phil got up and excused himself, disappearing through the door we had come in. Mrs. Dean sat back and crossed her legs.

“When do we get to meet her?” Mom finally asked.

“Phil went to go get her right now,” Mrs. Dean said and I smiled widely. I hoped the girl was as beautiful as her voice was.

“Could you tell us a little about her?” Dad said and Mrs. Dean’s smile faltered a little bit. I knit my eyebrows together.

“She’s a really nice and modest young lady. She’s also very…different from most people,” she said uncertainly. Nick and Kevin swapped confused looks. Before I could ask her anything else, there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Dean stood up as the door swung open.

“Boys, I’d like you to meet Megan Andrews and her brother, Donald Andrews,” Phil said as he walked in and all three of our mouths fell open again because standing there was the girl and guy we had met on the elevator. Donny was still holding her hands and they both made their way over to the two empty seats across the table from us. Donny let Meg sit first and then took his place next to her.

“It’s so nice to meet you two,” Dad said as he extended his hand towards Meg. Donny nudged her slightly and she sat forward and shook his hand a bit awkwardly. Donny shook Dad’s hand next and then looked at his sister for a minute.

“You have the most amazing voice,” Mom piped up and Meg smiled.

“Thank you so much. I was worried that you guys wouldn’t like my voice,” she said uncertainly and Nick smiled broadly.

“Are you kidding? It was fantastic! We’d love to record a song with you,” Nick said, and his voice rose an octave because he was getting excited. I could practically hear the wheels spinning in his head. Meg slid her arm over until it rested on Donny’s forearm.

“So it’s final then? You guys are recording a song together?” Phil said and we all nodded in agreement. Mrs. Dean gave Meg and Donny a small smile. Donny nodded, keeping a straight face and reaching down to grab Meg’s hand. I watched her carefully as she took a slow deep breath. To be honest, I was actually pretty excited to be recording a song with this stunning girl, who happened to also have a genuinely kick ass voice. I smiled a little and tucked my hands behind my head.

Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as I thought.



Chapter 3
Meg’s POV

I knew that the guys Donny and I had met in the elevator sounded familiar, but at the time I couldn’t place their voices. I had been too nervous to even stop and take a second to think about it. I personally was into Paramore and 3oh!3, you know bands with a sort of edge and deeper meaning to the lyrics. That didn’t mean that I wasn’t extremely excited to be recording a song with the one and only, JONAS BROTHERS. I might not be the biggest JoBro fan, but I was sure as hell going to enjoy the next few weeks.

The very day after I met the guys, Donny was driving me back to the studio to do some brainstorming with the guys. I could tell that Donny was not at all happy about leaving me alone and with three guys nonetheless. I was a bit nervous about it myself because Donny had been my eyes since the day I became blind. I was constantly holding his hand so that I wouldn’t feel lost.

Like right now, Donny was holding my hand as he was driving. No one but Mrs. Dean and Phil knew that I was blind and I wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. As far as I was concerned, I could do nearly everything for myself so why did anyone ever have to know that I couldn’t see. I listened carefully as the car came to a stop and Donny killed the engine.

“Be careful Megs, alright? Call me when you’re done,” he said gently and then he reluctantly released my hand. I gave him a small smile and opened my door, stepping out completely alone. I had taken careful count of the number of steps that it took to get me from the car to the front desk, where Mrs. Dean said she would be waiting for me. 63 steps. I pushed open the door on the 37th step. When I finally reached the front desk, I took a minute to run my fingers over the desk as inconspicuously as possible.

“Meg! so good to see you!” Mrs. Dean said as she looped her arm around mine. I smiled widely. She had really begun to grow on me.

“Today is about getting to know the guys and brainstorming music ideas,” Mrs. Dean said in her chipper and excited voice. We stopped abruptly and Mrs. Dean turned me slightly.

“Alright, there is a couch about twenty steps in where no one is sitting. Nick and Kevin are on chairs at the opposite side of the room and Joe is sitting in the center of the room with his guitar,” she said, dropping her voice to just above a whisper. I nodded and went through all the information again in my head. I gave Mrs. Dean a nod, put on a smile, and pushed open the door.

“Hey guys,” I said and I was greeted by all three of them. As Mrs. Dean had said, the couch was 21 steps from the door. I slid on it, hoping I looked casual and coordinated. I listened for a few minutes to the sounds of guys playing.

“So, Meg, tell us a little about yourself,” Kevin said from the other side of the room. I took a small breath and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Um…well I’m 18 and I live with my brother, Donny and his girlfriend, Rebecca. I love singing…” I said lamely. Well what else were they expecting? It wasn’t as if I was going to give them my whole life story.

“Where are your parents?”’ nick asked and then I heard his soft footsteps as he walked to the far corner of the room.

“My parents got divorced when I was seven, and Donny and I lived with my dad. Five, years later, dad died in a car crash. So it’s been me and Donny ever since,” I said giving them the basic, abridged version of events. Joe stopped strumming his guitar and I knew all three of them were giving me sympathetic looks so I dismissed them with a wave of my and.

“I’m so sorry-“ Joe began, but I held up my hand to stop him. I didn’t need anyone’s pity for anything of the crap that has happened in my life.

“Can we just, get on with the song,” I said. I didn’t want to talk about myself anymore. I heard a creak and then a long sigh, and I knew that the guys were finally ready to talk music.

“Well, what kind of songs do you write?” Joe said his voice a little closer this time. I had to stop myself from flinching instinctively. I didn’t really like being physically close to anyone unless I was either with Donny or dancing. You can’t really dance without brushing against someone one way or another. Any physical contact, other than dancing, was a bit too intimate for me. I shifted in my seat a little and brought my legs up on the couch.

“I’ll play you the one I’ve been working on,” I said and then held out my hand to Joe. A few seconds later, the familiar feel of the guitar’s neck connected with my outstretched hand. I took firm hold and pull the guitar into my lap. I strummed a few chords to try and get used to the foreign guitar before I plunged into the song that I had been writing the day of the auditions. I hadn’t completely finished it yet and it was still a little sketchy in some parts, but overall it was a pretty decent song.

“You wrote that?” Nick asked when I finished. I gave a short nod in response.

“That was really great. Do you think we could use that one?” Kevin said and his voice moved closer to me too. I was willing to bet that the guys were now all on the floor in front of me.

“I guess. I mean, if you want to…” I said hesitantly. It was a bit weird to have someone want to sing a song that I had actually written. Someone started strumming a bass guitar along to the beat of my song. I counted a rhythm in my head and then joined in on my guitar. I didn’t realize how great the song sounded until just then. I smiled to myself and I stopped playing. I let out a breath that I didn’t know I’d been holding and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. It was a nervous habit of mine. The couch shifted underneath me and I felt the heat of another body next to me.

“It’s a really amazing song, Meg,” Joe said next to me. I just nodded a little. I suddenly had the urge to hold someone’s hand, particularly Donny’s, that way I didn’t feel so completely lost. This was going to be one extremely long day.

Five Hours Later
Joe’s POV

“Can we get something to eat, I am starving,” Meg said as she flopped down on the couch. Her voice was a little hoarse because the four of us had been running vocals and playing all different kinds of instruments since we got here. Meg’s voice was amazing and pure, yet there was something else to it. It was as if she poured her soul into every thing that she sang, and that just made her sound that much better.

“Do you like burgers?” Kevin asked as he picked up the phone in the studio.

“Hellz yea. Could you get me warm tea too? My throat’s a little sore,” she mumbled into the cushions. I smiled a little to myself. I loved when girls ate something besides salad. I found it really attractive.

Keep it in your pants man. You have a girlfriend, one part of my brain said to me.

Yeah a girlfriend who hates my family, has an attitude problem and is way too territorial, a bigger, louder part of my brain shouted. I wanted to listen to this part of my brain so badly, but even thinking about it made me feel a little guilty. I sank on to the couch next to Meg and pulled her feet on my lap. It was a friendly enough gesture and simply because I just wanted to make her comfortable. She was lying on her stomach so from this angle I got a really good look at her backside in the black leggings she was wearing.

“Joe, can you please stop staring at my ass?” Meg said into the pillow and Nick roared with laughter. I turned my head away, a little embarrassed. How had she even known that? Kevin called downstairs and told them what to send to us for lunch. None of us really felt like going anywhere in case we got a sudden epiphany about the song.

Meg groaned into the pillow and then turned her head towards the inside of the couch. I watched her silently as she ran her left hand over the fabric there and hummed to herself quietly. I leaned forward and picked Meg’s phone off of the table where she had set it down about two hours ago. She must have felt me move because she turned in my direction and stared at me.

“Joe, what are you doing?” Meg asked me softly, a small smile playing on her perfect lips.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m putting our numbers into your phone.” No sooner than the words had left my mouth that Meg frowned and a crease formed in the middle of her forehead. I had to physically stop myself from reaching out and smoothing that crease with my fingertips. That sent the two sides of my mind into battle with each other.

Joe, you’ve fallen for another beauty. She’s probably just as shallow as every other female artist you’ve dated, the rational side of my brain told me.

Will you shut up and leave him alone. The girl is gorgeous, talented, and amazingly nice. Of course he’s going to fall for her, the other and better side of my brain told me.

Meg was lying flat on her back now and her eyes were roaming the ceiling. She laid her arm over her forehead and hummed a quiet tune. Soon, I actually began to understand what song she was singing, and smiled a little to myself. It was That’s Just The Way We Roll, one of our songs.

“Meg, I didn’t know you were a fan,” Nick said as he propped his legs on the table. Meg laughed a little before answering.

“Well, in all honesty, I’m not a huge fan, but I do like that song a lot,” she said. She went back to humming the song. Other than the sound of her humming, we all sat in silence too tired really to even try and make conversation with one another. I rested my hand on her knee and smiled a little when she didn’t push me off. Nick rolled his eyes at me so I flipped him off.

There was a soft knock at the door and Mrs. Dean stepped in, pushing a cart full of food. The smell of hamburgers made my stomach begin to growl loudly. Mrs. Dean parked the cart by the wall. I gently picked up Meg’s legs so I could go get food. Meg let out a soft groan.

“Sit there, I’ll get your food,” I called to her.

“Joe, I think I love you right now,” she mumbled as Mrs. Dean sat in the available swivel chair.

“So how’s the brainstorming going?” Mrs. Dean said.

“Amazing, we already have the song and the basic melody,” Nick said in between bites of hamburger.

“Ketchup or mustard?” I called to Meg, who had finally sat up.

“The works,” she said simply as she ran her fingers through her slightly messy hair. It was sticking up a little on the side but I don’t think she noticed or cared. I picked up the burgers and her thermos full of lemon tea and went over to sit by her. Meg held out her hands so I put a burger in one and the thermos in the other.

“You guys seem to be making excellent progress,” Mrs. Dean said as her eyes ran over Meg quickly, though Meg didn’t notice at all. She was too busy eating her burger.

“What time is it,” Kevin said. I picked up my phone from the table and unlocked it. There was a message from Camille which I ignored.

“4:47,” I said before setting the phone back on the table. I would talk to Cam later, much, much later.

“Could we maybe call it a day?” Meg asked after a long swing of tea.

“It’s fine with me. I didn’t expect you all to get so much done in one day,” Mrs. Dean said. The guys and I just nodded in agreement.

“Maybe we could do something together?” I asked hopefully and looked at Meg. She had stopped chewing and was staring into her lap.

“Um…no sorry. I have to make dinner tonight. It’s my turn,” she said a little lamely. There was something else going on here, but I couldn’t think what it could be. Meg ate the rest of her burger in total silence. Mrs. Dean was glancing at her every five seconds.

“Well, I should get back before Phil starts to wonder where I am,” Mrs. Dean said pushing herself off of the chair and then straightened out her skirt. She walked over and rested her hand briefly on Meg’s shoulder before walking out. Meg let out a long breath of air.

“Has anyone seen my phone” Meg said suddenly and began looking in the sofa cushions. I went to help her when I spotted it on the table. I smiled to myself and picked it up.

“It was right here, calm down,” I said as I put it on her lap. Meg picked it up and turned it over in her hands.

“Geez, you’re a blind bat. It was right in front of your face the whole time,” Nick joked and Meg frowned deeply.

I guess it’s too early in this friendship to be teasing her, I thought to myself. Meg dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

“Hey Donny, can you come and get me. No, everything’s fine – okay – right where you dropped me off this morning. Thanks Donny. love you,” meg said as I sat listening to her intently. She fanned herself and then stood up, tucking her phone into her back pocket.

“Alright guys, I’m heading out,” Meg said. My heart dropped a little.

“Do you guys mind walking me downstairs?” she asked quietly, almost like she was afraid that we’d say no.

“Of course, Meg,” Kevin said, all smiles. I stood up next to her.

“Joe—No, Nick. Come here please,” Meg said. Nick bounced over to her in a heartbeat. She looped her arm around his before they began walking towards the door. Nick threw me a sly smile but I had no other choice but to follow them out.

“Not that I’m complaining at all, but why are you holding on to my arm?” Nick said as Kevin pressed the button for the elevator.

“I just wanted to walk out of here with a super hot guy,” Meg said and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“Why didn’t you ask me?” I said, a little bit offended. After all, I was the hot one. Meg spun her head around to look at me.

“Because, Joe, you were so checking out my butt back there and you had your hands all over me. I figured Nick should get a turn,” she said and then stuck her tongue out at me. We all walked into the elevator and I shot Meg a surprised look. Kevin roared with laughter. Nick clung onto her arm and at that point I realized that I wasn’t the only one that noticed how gorgeous she was.

“Joe, shut your mouth.,” Kevin said which brought me out of my dazed stupor. The elevator pinged on the 18th floor and the doors slid open, revealing a very pissed off Camille. I swallowed nervously as she stepped inside.

“Joe, where have you been?! I’ve been calling you for two hours and I’ve crawled through this whole building looking for you,” she said on the verge of hysterics, which meant she’d break down crying or start screaming. Nick rolled his eyes at the back of Cam’s head. Neither one of my brothers seemed to like her very much.

“Cam, I told you that my brothers and I were working on a duet with Meg all day today,” I tried explaining calmly. Cam turned and faced Meg, as if she was just noticing her presence. Meg smiled brightly and extended her right hand to Cam.

“Hi, I’m Megan Andrews,” Meg said, oblivious to the tension in the elevator and the death glare that she was getting from Cam. Cam shook her hand with two fingers and then wrinkled her nose in obvious disgust.

“Oh, so you’re the new face of Hollywood Records,” Cam said before tilting her head and examining Meg.

“You must have an amazing voice because they obviously didn’t pick you for your looks,” Cam remarked casually as the doors slid open on the first floor. Meg’s smile faltered and Nick slung his arm around her waist protectively.

“I’ll meet you at my place in one hour,” cam told me. She gave me a kiss that was longer and fiercer than one she should have used in public. She waved at the guys one last time before heading out of the building. I turned and saw Nick shoot daggers at Cam with his eyes and Kevin gave Meg a sympathetic look. Meg was tugging at her shirt and fixing her hair. I could tell that what Cam said had gotten to her a bit.

“Don’t listen to her, Meg, you’re gorgeous,” Kevin said, always being the good guy. Meg smiled a little as Nick steered her to the front doors.

“Look, there’s Donny,” I said, pointing out the glass doors. Donny was leaning against his cars and had his eyes focused on the building. Meg smiled widely and turned to us.

“Thanks guys. It was really great hanging with you today,” she said as nick scooped her up in a hug. Kevin hugged her too, and then she held her arms out to me. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. it was a harmless, friendly hug. Meg’s hair smelled like strawberries, and I swear, I began to love strawberries right then and there.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Meg said. She pushed open the large glass doors.

“Don’t forget to text us,” Nick called after her.

“Donny!” Meg screamed as she broke into a sprint for him. Donny smiled and caught her in his arms when she launched herself at him. He hugged her and swung her around as if he hadn’t seen her in years. When he put her down, he helped her into the car before going over to the driver’s seat. I watched in silent amazement at their love and affection as they pulled away from the curb.

“She’s amazing,” Kevin breathed.

“She’s gorgeous,” nick said. I looked at both of my brothers and realized that they were under Meg’s spell too. I had some competition.

No you don’t. You have a girlfriend, my conscience whispered to me. I frowned a little because I knew it was right.

“We got to go,” I said,. The sound of my voice brought my brothers back to reality. Together we walked out of the back door.


Meg’s POV
Two hours later: The kitchen

“What am I going to do, Becky,” I practically screamed as I stormed into the kitchen. I knew our apartment well enough by now that I knew where everything was. I didn’t even need to count my steps as I plopped myself down at one of the stools by the island. The sound of chopping stopped and I listened to the soft click of metal against marble as Becky set down the knife.

“What happened, honey,” Becky asked me. She walked over to me, barely making a sound, and rested her hand on my shoulder.

“Joe gave me his number, well and His brothers’ numbers too…” I said. Becky chuckled beside me so I suppose she sat down.

“this is a problem. You have the numbers of three cute and talented guys. What will you do?” Becky said sarcastically. I shoved her lightly. When she put it like that, t did sound ridiculous.

“And one of them just texted me,” I said, giving her the crucial point to my whole speech. I held out my phone to her and placed it in her hands. That was the problem: you know, him TEXTING me and me being blind.

“It’s from Joe and it says ‘Are you actually making dinner or did you just not want to go out with us?’” Becky read aloud. I put my chin in my hand and smiled.

“What does that mean?” Becky asked. I sighed deeply.

“Well he…they asked me if I wanted to hang out with them and I told them I couldn’t because it was my turn to make dinner,” I explained.

“So you turned them down. Can I ask why?” Becky asked curiously. I thought of a quick excuse.

“I hate new places.” Becky laughed, the sound vibrating through the air.

“Meg, you love new places because it’s like an adventure for you. You told me yourself that it was one of the perks of being blind. So why did you really turn them down?” Sometimes I hated the fact that she knows me so well.

“I was too nervous,” I said quietly. Becky was silent for a while, as if she was carefully weighing my words. She knew I wasn’t one to get nervous over trivial things like this, so she was looking for a deeper meaning. Finally, Becky sighed and the table shifter slightly towards her. She was probably leaning on the table now.

“Alright, here is what we are going to do. You are going to tell me what to write, I’ll write it and read you whatever he says back. In the mean time, you’ll finish dinner. This way you weren’t completely lying to the Jonas,” Becky told me. I allowed myself a small smile, before pushing back the chair and walking over to the counter. I felt along it carefully until I brushed against the knife.

“finish cutting that carrot and then put it in the pot directly to your left,” Becky instructed. I nodded and grabbed a firm hold of the handle of the knife and began methodically cutting the carrots, which was actually a lot easier than it sounded.

“Tell Joe that I really had to cook dinner,” I said as I slowly slid the carrots into the pot. I listened to the soft clicking of the keys as Becky wrote message.

“Alright now add the broth. It’s to the right of where you are,” she said. I slowly placed the knife as far from me as possible and then ran my hand along the counter until it touched the box of broth. As I poured the broth in, Toxic by Britney Spears filled the kitchen. I waited patiently for Becky to open the message.

“’Oh so is that what you’re doing right now? Are you sure that’s the only reason you didn’t go?’” Becky read to me. I tucked a piece of air behind my ears.

“Just say yes to both,” I said and that was the routine: Becky gave me cooking directions, read me the text, then I’d respond to it and she’d type it for me.

When I was finally finished with dinner, I plopped down on the stool again and wiped back my moist bangs. Cooking was a really sweaty job. I had managed to successfully make vegetable soup, and I also had a two hour long conversation with Joe through texts.

“’Can I call you in like ten minutes? My girlfriend is complaining that I’m not giving her any attention’” Becky read out. I banged my head against the marble island. “Sure…” I groaned and listened to the soft clicking of the keys.

“He has a girlfriend?” Becky asked after she had set my phone down on the table with a soft thud. I picked my head up slowly.

“Yea, Camille Belle,” I said with disgust.

“Uh oh, what happened?” Becky asked. I took a slow breath and recounted my brief interaction with Ms. Belle. When I finished, Becky scoffed loudly.

“Oh please, do not listen to her. Meg, you are so gorgeous. You wouldn’t believe the looks that guys give you when you go out,” Becky said with a serious tone in her voice. I reached up a hand and touched my face. I used my fingertips to try and make out what I looked like. I tried to picture myself as pretty as Becky and the Jonas told me I was, but my fingers kept finding imperfections on my face. I slammed my hands down on the table in frustration. This was one of those times that being blind absolutely sucked to the highest degree.

Let It Rock blasted in the kitchen and I knew that I was getting a phone call. Becky put the phone in my hands gently, because we both already knew who it was. I pressed a button and put the phone up to my ear.

“Hey,” I said unsteadily.

“Hey Meg, it’s Joe,” he said as though it wasn’t totally obvious. I involuntarily rolled my eyes.

“I was calling to ask if you wanted to come hang at our house tomorrow after we are finished at the studio,” Joe asked me smoothly. My heat began to speed up and I could practically hear it beating in my ears.

“Say yes!” Becky hissed quietly. She had obviously been listening in.

“Mom’s making lasagna!” Nick called from the other end. I drummed my fingers on the table trying to decide. I did love lasagna…

“Please Meg?” Joe asked quietly. I clenched my fist and nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.

“Yea, that sounds great,” I said finally. Joe let out a long breath.

“Great, so we’ll take you right after studio time. So I’ll see you tomorrow okay?” Joe asked quickly. He actually sounded excited so I smiled a little.

“Alright Joe, bye,” I said and waited until I hear the click that meant he had hung up. I set the phone down on the table a groaned. Tomorrow was going to be horrible. I mean I was excited because I was getting to go to a new place, but I was oddly nervous about it. Going to their house meant meeting their parents, and I was suddenly afraid.

“We need to get you an outfit for tomorrow,” Becky said, breaking the silence in the room. I picked my head up and looked at her. Then, before I could say anything, we both began laughing uncontrollably. Of course that was what Becky was thinking about.

Well, knowing Becky, you’ll look great, I said as I tried to reassure myself, but a tightening in my chest let me know that it wasn’t working.



Chapter 4
Meg’s POV
Next Day

“Are you sure that I don’t look ridiculous?” I asked as I felt along the bottom of the skirt I was wearing. It was ruffled and came down to a little bit more than my mid-thigh.

“You definitely do not look ridiculous,” Becky said as she fixed my hair. I had let Becky dress me for today, and now I was kind of regretting it. Only she would insist that I wear a skirt.

“What am I wearing?” I asked, genuinely curious. I mean, I could feel all the fabrics and what not, but it would be nice to know the colors and if they actually looked…oh I don’t know, nice on me.

“Alright, you have a white tank top with a red tank top layered on top, a ruffled black skirt that shows off your amazing legs, and your knee high black and red checkered converse. You look stunning,” Becky said as she finished lacing up my sneakers. I ran a hand over my smooth thighs, which Becky had made me get waxed today. I swear that girl was going to the death of me.

“Meg, are you …. oh hell no,” Donny said as he walked into my room. Becky stopped fiddling with my skirt, and then it got really quiet.

“You are definitely not wearing that out of this apartment. Are you crazy?” Donny said sternly, but I could hear that he was joking just a tiny bit.

“She’s staying with the Jonases after rehearsal today and she looks nice,” Becky insisted and I listened as she walked over to him.

“Well she could look nice in sweatpants and a long sleeved sweatshirt…with a hood,” Donny laughed. Donny let out an “oof” and I imagined that Becky had hit him on his chest.

“She’s going to wear this and you’re just going to drive her over to the studio and shut up about it. Besides, she’s wearing shorts underneath,” Becky said strictly. I stifled a laugh. Becky was slightly scary when she was like this.

“Fine, but I want to know if any of those boys hit on you. I will crush them,” Donny stated and I just rolled my eyes. I was positive that I didn’t look that good.

However, half an hour later when I walked into the recording studio, all I got was this.

“Oh”

“My”

“God.”

Alright, so it’s possible that I did look that good. I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear nervously. I wasn’t used to getting so much attention. I sat down on the couch carefully.

“I thought I should wear something nice to go hang with you guys,” I said uncertainly.

“You look great,” Nick breathed out. One of them walked over and sat down next to me. My money was on Joe.

“You really do, Meg,” Joe said softly to me. What did I say? I’m practically a psychic. I shifted slightly in my seat and rubbed my hand against my exposed thigh. I would probably be more embarrassed with this minimal amount of clothing if I actually saw what I looked like, but that was another perk of being blind. I didn’t need to worry about trying hard to look good. I just kind of showed up places just looking like me.

“Alright, are you guys done looking at me so that we can get down to business?” I said and I could feel a blush rise in my cheeks. I was hoping that the guys wouldn’t notice. No such luck.

“Aw, look she’s blushing!” Nick cried and all the guys erupted into laughs. I swatted Joe, because he was the closest one.

“Damn Meg, that really hurt,” Joe whined. I just stuck my tongue out at him and took a couple of pieces of paper out of my bag. I unfolded them to reveal the guitar notes that I had written out for the song yesterday.

“Now…I had the best idea for the song…” So five hours later, all four of us sat crammed on to the couch, completely wiped out. I had my head resting against Joe’s shoulder and my leg brushing against … Nick. Well, I was pretty sure it was Nick. The guy ran a finger up my sneaker and onto my exposed skin. Oh yeah, it was definitely Nick. Someone’s phone started ringing loudly, blasting music loudly to fill the room. I groaned and covered my ears, trying to block out the noise.

“Make it stop,” I whined and I was grateful when it did.

“Hey Mom,” Kevin said into the phone. I sighed in relief and fixed the position of my head on Joe’s shoulder. Joe casually twirled a piece of my hair in his fingers, and the action all most made me want to fall asleep.

“We have to get going guys,” Kevin said, startling me from my half-asleep state. I sighed deeply and sat up, carefully straightening out my skirt as I did. I turned to the guys with a kind of half-smile.

“So who’s going to escort me out of the building today?” I said. The couch creaked slightly as all three guys shot up out of their seats.

“I will,” they said together. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and thought for a second.

“Well Nick got to escort me yesterday, and Joe, you have a girlfriend so that leaves…Kevin!” I said. Kevin wrapped my arm around his and led me towards what I hoped was the door. Nick let out a disappointed sigh, and I listened as someone ran up to me.

“Why couldn’t I do it?” Joe whined into my ear. I laughed slightly as the elevator dinged on our floor and we stepped inside.

“Because Joe, you have a girlfriend who apparently hates me. I’m pretty sure Danielle would understand that Kevin and I are just friends,” I said simply. Danielle was Kevin’s girlfriend, and I’d never actually met her but I was positive that she was way nicer than Camille.

I counted the seconds softly until the elevator pinged on the lobby floor, exactly 37 seconds, and then seven seconds after I heard the doors slid open. Kevin was leading me away from all the commotion in the front lobby, which meant that the guys had opted to take the back way out of the studio. After a long day at the studio, it’s understandable that they guys didn’t want to be mobbed by their fans. Someone opened a door and a cool breeze blew threw my hair. I heard the sound of a car engine nearby.

“Hey Big Rob,” Kevin said from next to me and he released my arm. I halted abruptly and someone bumped into me from behind. I stumbled forward and someone else grabbed my arm to keep me from falling forward.

“I’m sorry,” Nick said from behind me. That meant Joe had stopped me from falling.

“It’s alright, I shouldn’t have stopped so suddenly. Thanks Joe,” I said as I turned to him. He laughed deeply and guided me over to the car. I knew this because the engine sound got louder and louder.

“Meg, meet Big Rob, our security guard,” Joe said from next to me. I stuck out my right hand for him to shake, so I was completely unprepared for the size of the arms that engulfed me in a hug. They were huge, and bulky, and I was pretty sure that he could have snapped me in two.

“Nice to meet you. The guys have been talking about you nonstop,” Big Rob said as he finally released me from his death grip. I rocked back on my heels and smiled. I liked Big Rob’s voice. There was something safe and secure about it. Finally we all piled into the car, and I ended up getting stuck between Joe and Nick….again. Nick was a bit of a perv I was just learning. He kept running his hand up my leg and every time I’d smack him, he’d laugh. I ran my hand subtly along the leather interior of the car.

I wonder what type of car this is? I thought to myself. Only I would be concerned with something as trivial as that while I sat in the car with the teenage heartthrobs of America. Typical me.

“Nick, can you try and keep your hands to yourself?” I cried fifteen minutes later when I had to remove Nick’s roaming hand from my legs for the seventh time.

“Sorry, it’s just you….and that outfit…” Nick said hesitantly. I slapped his arm hard and smirked when he gave a sharp yelp of pain.

“Nick, have some manners please,” Kevin scolded from the passenger seat. I leaned closer to Joe just to keep away from Nick. What is it with teenage boys and their raging hormones?

“You think you can control yourself around mom?” Joe asked Nick as the car came to a halt. Someone killed the engine and all four doors were opened. I was relieved when Joe pulled me out after him and tugged me along. Someone pressed the doorbell because I could just make out its muffled ring. Fifty four seconds later, the door popped open.

“Hello boys, and Meg, it’s so nice to see you again!” Mrs. Jonas said as she pulled me up into a giant hug. Geez, this family was definitely the warm and welcoming type. Before I knew it, I was being lead inside the house with Mrs. Jonas rambling in my ear.

“You look so pretty. Oh, I am so glad you came over! Do you like lasagna? I made a ton.” I smiled to myself. She was so nice to me, as if she had known me my entire life. I was seated at a stool, in the kitchen…I think. Well it definitely smelled like the kitchen at least, so that was my best bet. I felt someone tug at the edge of my skirt so I turned in their direction.

“Hi, I’m Frankie. What’s your name?” the small and innocent voice asked me. I smiled immensely. I love kids. Frankie was the Bonus Jonas…cute right?

“I’m Meg,” I said and Frankie hugged me tightly around my waist. For a little kid, he sure was strong. He practically knocked all the wind out of me. I guess this whole family liked hugging people. I had to admit, I found it a bit . . . strange.

“You smell nice, and you’re really pretty. I like your converse. They are so cool. You know my brothers have been talking about you ever since they met you. Do you wanna play hide and seek?” Frankie said quickly. It sounded like he had had his fair amount of sugar before we got here. I smiled at him.

“Sure, that sounds fun,” I said, but inside I was a bit nervous. I wonder how difficult it would be to play hide and seek . . . well I had amazing hearing so that should count for something.

“You count to thirty and I’ll go hide okay?” Frankie said and then his footsteps ran off. Mrs. Jonas laughed from the other side of the kitchen.

“You’ll have to excuse him, he’s just excited to meet you,” she said and I heard as something scrapped the bottom of the metal pan.

“It’s not a problem, Mrs. Jonas,” I assured her, and it really wasn’t. I loved little kids, as previously stated, and Frankie had the cutest voice I’d ever heard.

“Please call me Denise.” I’d finally managed to find Frankie like five minutes later. See, I told you my amazing hearing ability would help me out. Though having Nick help me kind of gave me some leverage… =]

“Okay you go hide now!” Frankie said and then he was off again. That kid had an endless amount of energy. I was getting tired just listening to the sound of his footsteps.

I felt my way to the staircase and then clung to the wooden banister. Maybe I could hide in like the bathroom or something like that. I ran my hand along the wall and it made contact with a doorknob. I opened the door as quietly as possible and snuck in, shutting it gently behind me.

An overpowering, yet pleasant smell, overtook me. It shocked me that it smelled like…Joe.

“Um…can I help you?” someone said from behind me and I jumped. I spun around quickly and pressed myself against the door. Wait, that voice was familiar … Joe. I let out a slow breath and then got pretty pissed at myself. I hadn’t heard anyone when I first got in here.

“Sorry, I was just playing hide-and-seek with Frankie and I just came in here to hide, but I didn’t know this was your…” Room. Holy crap I was in Joe Jonas’s bedroom. I was living the dream of nearly every girl in America. Even though I couldn’t see it, I blushed at the thought of being in the room where Joe slept, and got dressed, and undressed . . .

Stop those thoughts right now!, my mind cried. However, the idea was clearly embedded in my head. I heard the bed creaked and his footsteps got closer to me. I tensed up instinctively, but relax when he guided me gently. He sat me down on the floor, so I looked up at him. The bed creaked as Joe got back on it, and I realized what he was doing. He was hiding me on the side of his bed, because I had said I was playing hide-and-seek with Frankie.

“So this is your room?” I asked, quietly. It was pretty unnerving to be sitting in silence.

Well dur, he just told you that stupid.

“Yeah, sorry it’s such a mess, but I didn’t know I was going to have an unexpected visitor,” he said, and I laughed. Well I didn’t really care, seeing as how the mess was invisible to me.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had a girl up here unless I was trying to get into her pants,” Joe joked. I laughed again, but I really thought about that statement. Did Joe not want to get in my pants?

Oh my God, you want Joe to get in your pants!

No! I was just thinking, what he said and I mean he obviously didn’t bring me up here. I just kind came right on in.

Yea, yea, yea. All I hear is blah blah blah Joe in my pants blah blah blah.

Oh shut up.

Yeah, I had conversations with myself; it’s really not all that weird.

“So what are you doing?” I asked. I guess I was going to be the one to carry the conversation for now at least. I sat Indian-style, and made sure that my skirt wasn’t exposing anything I didn’t want it to.

“Writing a song,” he said simply. That’s Joe, ladies and gentlemen. Isn’t he just so articulate?

“Could I hear it?” I asked quietly. I was wondering if I should be asking him. I waited for a while, and I had thought he wasn’t going to until I heard the soft strumming of a guitar. Joe cleared his throat, almost nervously. I smiled to myself. I had made a Jonas Brother nervous.

Called you for the first time yesterday
Finally found a missing part of me
I felt so close but you were far away
Left me without anything to say

Now I’m speechless
Over the edge
I’m just breathless
I never thought that I would catch this
Lovebug again

Now I’m hopelessly
Head over heels in the moment
I never thought that I would get hit
by this Lovebug again

“And that’s all I’ve got so far,” Joe said abruptly.

“That was really good,” I said sincerely. The lyrics said “called you for the first time yesterday” and he called me yesterday. Was the song about me?

“So, was the song about. . . anyone in particular?” I asked uncertainly. My heart fluttered a little bit. “yeah…it’s about…Cam,” Joe said haltingly. My heart plummeted about twenty feet just then. Obviously he would write a song about his girlfriend.

Do you honestly believe that? Please tell me you’re not that dumb.

Again, shut up. The door was slammed open and I jumped up.

“Found you!” Frankie cried as he proceeded to drag me out of Joe’s room. Frankie was chatting excitedly about tag, but I had suddenly lost all interest in playing games.


Joe’s POV

Seconds after Frankie dragged Meg from my room, my two other very pissed off looking brothers walked in. Did my door have an “Open 24/7” sign on it that I didn’t know about? I mean I definitely wasn’t complaining hen Meg walked in…

Kevin shut the door behind him.

Oh crap, what did you do?

Nothing…I don’t think.

Bull, your brothers are giving you the evil eye because you did something.

Will you shut up?

Yeah, so I had conversations with myself; its really not that weird.

“I should ring your neck,” Nick said harshly.

What did I tell you?

Shut up.

“Want to tell us why you told Meg that you wrote the song for Cam?” Kevin said as he sat on the edge of my bed. I sighed deeply.

“Because it’s true,” I said plainly. Then I scratched my wrist. Nick jumped up and pointed at my wrist.

“You’re lying! You always scratch your wrist when you’re lying,” he cried. Damn, my brothers knew me way too well. I sat on my hands and glared at both of them.

“So what?” Just because it’s not about Cam doesn’t automatically mean it’s about Meg,” I retorted. Kevin rolled his eyes.

“You’re telling us that you’re not attracted to Meg?” Kevin asked.

“Of course I’, attracted to her. I’d have to be blind not to be, but I didn’t write a song for her.”

Just a song about her.

Exactly…



Meg’s POV

“Frankie, will you please let Meg relax? She’s known you for an hour and you’ve completely worn her out,” Denise said when I plopped down on the couch. It was true, Frankie and I had been playing nonstop since I got here. Frankie groaned and sat down on the couch next to me. He tugged at one of my curls and then rested his head on my lap. I sighed and ran my fingers gently through hid curly hair.

“Hey Meg,” Frankie whispered to me.

“Yeah Frankster?” I cooed and continued playing with his hair. At first, he didn’t say anything so I though he had fallen asleep.

“I know you can’t see,” he said in a tiny voice. I smirked inwardly.

“Really? And how is that?” I asked him.

“When we were playing hide-and-seek, a couple of times you walked right by me,” Frankie said. I stopped my methodic rubbing of his head.

“Are you blind?” Frankie whispered again.

“Yes.”

“Why are you blind?” I smiled and then went back to stroking his hair.

“Maybe someday I’ll tell you, Squirt,” I said slowly. Little kids were very observant. I had been with Frankie for one hour and he already knew my secret. his brothers, who I had spent two entire days with, were completely clueless.

“Meg,” Frankie said after a few minutes of silence.

“Hm?”

“I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” I smiled and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead.

“I know, Squirt. I know.”



Chapter 5
Meg’s POV

“Miss Andrews, you’re on in five,” a chipper voice told me. Jane, my hairstylist, was doing all sorts of things to my hair, most of which required a lot of tugging and hairspray.

“There, you look stunning,” Jane proclaimed as she finally put down her styling tools with a soft clunk. I stood up a bit unsteadily on my heels and smoothed out the miniskirt that Margaret had insisted I wear to my interview today.

yeah, I said interview…on national television no less. In the almost two months since I singed a contract with Hollywood records, the guys and I finished recording Weightless and its topped the singles chart since its release. I to fans, actual fans that sent me loads of fan mail and gifts.

“30 seconds, miss Andrews,” someone called to me. I blew out a sigh.

“Thank you so much. You are terrific,” I told Jane.

“Nonsense. Now you go out there and give them a kick ass interview,” she said, but just by the tone of her voice I could tell I had flattered her. Someone looped their arm around mine and began pulling me away.

“C’mon Helen Keller,” Nick teased softly in my ear. Nick found out that I was blind because apparently he had been listening into the conversation I had with Frankie. Nick thought it was pretty cool and he agreed not to tell anyone.

“Nick, Helen Keller was blind, deaf, and mute,” I pointed out. Nick roared with laughter.

“Well one out of three aint bad.” Sometimes I really hated Nick. I smacked him hard in the back of his head. We stopped by the edge of the stage I assumed. I ran a hand over myself.

“How do I look?” I asked Nick quietly.

“You look beautiful, as all ways,” Nick cooed in my ear. I felt a slight blush rise in my cheeks. I swatted him away playfully.

“Now, I’d like to welcome out Megan Andrews!” Ryan Seacrest’s voice called from on stage. Yes, the Ryan Seacrest was going to be interviewing me. I took a deep breath and then walked on stage, carefully counting my steps to my chair.

Five hours earlier Nick had helped me take count. So, 68 steps later I was sitting down next to Ryan.

“It’s so good to have you here,” Ryan said to me.

“It’s so good to be here, Ryan.” Politeness was the key. You never wanted to seem rude on your first interview. I fixed my hair and crossed my legs, waiting for my questions.

“So, Meg, how’s your life going? I mean two months ago you were just an average teen and now you have a number one single, and you’ve worked with the teen heartthrobs of America. it’s got to be exciting.” standard question that required a nice truthful answer.

“Oh definitely. I never imagined that I would get this amazing opportunity and I’m so thankful for everything that’s happened so far.” See, truthful and short.

“So, you’ve been working closely with the Jonas Brothers. Any love interests there?” Ryan asked. I heard mumbling in the audience as everyone awaited my answer.

“Well, all the guys are really nice and we’ve become really great friends—“

“Yeah, but are you romantically interested in any of them?” Rule number 2: When in doubt, lie.

“They are great guys, but no I’m not.” And the lies will set you free. I shifted in my seat and smiled out at the studio audience. This wasn’t so bad.

“So, Meg, the fans want to know: What’s one thing that nobody knows about you?” My smile wavered slightly. Out of the pan and into the fire right?

“I know how to read Braille.” Which is true. When I had first become blind, my doctors thought I should learn it.

“Wow, that’s really interesting, Meg. Now, I would like to invite some friends of yours out here. Nick, Joe, Kevin come on out guys!” I smiled brightly as the audience applauded the guys. All of them gave me a quick squeeze before sitting on the squeaky leather chairs.

“So, I’ve heard that Meg may be performing with you guys,” Ryan said.

“Yeah, our managers have been talking and Meg is coming on tour with us,” Kevin said. The audience clapped and cheered. All I could do was smile.

“She’s going to be our opening act,” Nick added.

“We are all just so excited,” Joe said and he squeezed my knee gently. At least I assumed it was him. He sounded like he was the closest one to me.

“It’s like a dream come true,” was all I could say at that moment because I was too focused on Joe’s hand resting on my knee.

“Well kids, you heard it here first. Hollywood’s up and coming star, Megan Andrews, is going on tour with the Jonas Brothers. Tickets and concert dates will be up by the end of the week,” Ryan said.

“Thank you guys for joining me today.”

“Thank you for having us,” the four of us chimed in. With a smile and a final wave at the audience, I was dragged of stage. I was swept up into a hug, a really big and suffocating hug.

“Guys, I saw you like three days ago,” I said when I was finally released. I was smiling widely anyway. I had discovered that the Jonas Brothers were the type of people that everyone just had to like. I know that I myself had a soft spot for the Jonas.

“Meg!” a squeaky voice shouted before I was tackled to the ground. That voice and the boundless amounts of energy…definitely Frankie. Someone helped me off of the floor and I struggled to regain my balance. Walking in heels was definitely something that I needed to perfect.

“I missed you! I love your song. Hey, do you want to play tag? I got a new action figure yesterday and I thought we could play with it. Oh, maybe you could come to our pool! Can she, mom, can she?!” Frankie said in one breath. No one should ever give this kid sugar. He was way too hyper without it, it would be like adding gasoline to a fire. All you get is a bigger fire.

“If she wants, Frankie. Why don’t you let Meg catch her breath for a moment?” Denise said. It sounded like she was standing right next to me. Moments later I was pulled into another hug, probably by Denise.

“So do you want? To come, to our pool?” Joe asked me, almost hesitantly. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and debated what to do.

I loved swimming immensely. My mom used to say that I was part mermaid because I had spent nearly all my time in the water. I had not gone back into the water since I’d become blind and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go back in now. I wasn’t sure that I even owned a bathing suit anymore.

“Please Meg,” Frankie begged. It was cruel really, how the littlest Jonas had so much control over me. Damn him and his cuteness!

“Sure, Frankie. Could, I bring Donny too? I mean I wouldn’t want to impose or anything, it’s just-“ I started.

“Of course! The more the merrier. Tell him that he can bring his girlfriend too. We are having a barbeque at our house in like two hours and there are loads of people coming. Demi, Selena, Miley, David, and Camille are supposed to be coming,” Denise rattled off. The corners of my mouth twitched in an involuntary frown.

Cam was coming … great.
*************************************************************************
Later: Meg’s house

“Are you sure I don’t look stupid?” I asked Becky and I shifted uncomfortably in my bikini. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a bikini. Note to self: do not let Becky go swimsuit shopping for me ever again. Only she would come back with a string bikini she insisted looked amazing on me. I just felt really exposed even though I was wearing some type of summer dress over it.

“Of course. Meg, you are gorgeous no matter what you wear and red is definitely your color,” she said reassuringly from the front seat of the car. She was driving today and Donny was sitting in the back with me.

Oh…Donny…that was another issue in itself. He had not been too happy about the fact that we were going swimming with a bunch of people that he didn’t know. I’m pretty sure he was really nervous about letting me back into any kind of water after so much time had passed, especially since the last memory I had of swimming was not a pleasant one at all.

So Donny was currently trying to give me some kind of cold shoulder, which was really hard to do because I kept trying to hold his hand. Donny was the only person that I let hold my hand anymore because I trusted him with my life and he knew that. So for him to be refusing to hold my hand was really bothering me.

“Donny, I told you that I am going to be fine. Will you please talk to me?” I tried for the tenth time since we had gotten into the car. I slid my hand over to his side of the seat and tugged at the corner of his bathing suit. I used the most pathetically sad voice that I could muster. He let out a slow, steady sigh, and at first I thought that he was going to continue to ignore me. However, a few moments later, his large hand engulfed mine. I let go of a long breath that I had not known I had been holding.

“I know that you are going to be fine. You are a strong girl … a strong woman. Sometimes I forget that you are becoming my not-so-little sister,” Donny whispered quietly as he massaged my hand. I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. In a way I was telling him that I would always be his little sister, no matter how big I got.

Becky cut the engine after she had parked. I gripped Donny’s hand tightly because persistent butterflies were pounding their wings inside my stomach. Donny laughed deeply and kissed the top of my head. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for this anymore.

“C’mon,” Donny said gently and he pulled me out of the car after him. I had opted for flip flops for the barbeque because it seemed like appropriate footwear for whatever might happen later on in the day. Oh, and they were comfortable, much better than the heels that I had slipped out of almost immediately after the interview had ended.

“Are you ready?” Donny whispered to me as the three of us padded noisily to the front door. I felt him shift his weight and moments later I heard the doorbell ring. I pushed my bangs back nervously. Becky rubbed my shoulder sympathetically. I guess my nervousness showed a bit. The door flew open with a slight creak and music flowed out of the cool house.

“I’m so glad that you could make it!” Denise exclaimed as she shooed us inside and then dragged us into a hug.

“Everyone is out back. I just came in to get some more snacks,” Denise said. Donny was tugging me after him, hopefully to where there were people I knew. Becky offered to help Denise and the two of them launched into a conversation.

“Hello Donny, Meg, good to see you both,” Mr. Jonas, Paul, said as he shook both of our hands. Paul and Donny began light conversation and I felt like I was intruding on their guy bonding moment. I was debating what to do when arms slipped around my waist. The familiar scent of Jonas filled my senses as I was dragged away from Donny, who didn’t seem to notice. Some hero he was.

“I am so glad that you came,” Nick whispered in my ear. I smiled and wiggled my way out of his arms. After I was all the way out, I realized that I had no idea where I was so I sort of needed Nick. So, against my better judgment, I slipped my hand into Nick’s.

“I’m glad that I came too. I’m a bit nervous though,” I admitted quietly to Nick. Because he’s Nick, he laughed.

“Of what? Spending the day with Disney kids? You are one of us now I hope you know.” Sometimes Nick was really dense. He was leading me somewhere though, and that somewhere was very noisy, a mixture of music and talking. I made out three voices that I recognized, Joe, Kevin, and Cam, and several others that I didn’t.

“Hey guys, Meg’s here,” Nick said as we stopped in front of the nosiest spot in the whole yard. These people could talk, and loudly. A chorus of “hey” and “hi” reached me. I offered up a bright smile and a wave of my hand. Then I was introduced to Demi, Selena, Miley and David. They all seemed pretty nice but I had come to learn that in the world of Disney, you had to watch your back because people were not always who they seemed to be. That didn’t mean I couldn’t be friendly with them.


Joe’s POV

Whoa.

I know.

Do you see what she is wearing?

Yeah I do, I’m sitting right here.

Dude, she is hot.

I know that too.

Wanna tell me why you are just sitting here, staring at her instead of, oh I dunno, talking to her…or kissing her…or showing her your bedroom again…

Because I have a girlfriend, I reminded myself regrettably. I turned to the supposed object of my affections, and away from the girl of my dreams. Life seemed so unfair.

Meg should wear a bikini everyday. I groaned and studied Meg as inconspicuously as I possibly could as she sat on the edge of our pool clad only in her red bikini. That bikini clung to her body like a second skin and highlighted her amazing figure. It should be illegal for someone to look that good wearing almost no clothing.

Imagine what she looks like without any clothes at all…

SHUT UP!, I screeched inwardly. I really shouldn’t be having these thoughts with my girlfriend sitting a few feet from me. It was just wrong, very, very wrong.

I narrowed my eyes as Nick went over to sit by Meg. He leaned in close and whispered something into her ear. I saw as her eyes widened and she giggled softly. Meg nodded her head slowly, as if she was unsure if she wanted to agree to whatever Nick had told her. Nick slid into the water and then reached up to Meg. She seemed a little afraid as she grasped Nick’s hand and slowly lowered herself into the water. When she was all the way in, Meg let out a small gasp followed by a huge smile. It was like she’d never been in a pool before.

“Hello, Joe…” someone said shaking me out of my daze. I tore my eyes away from Meg and Nick only to come face to face with Cam. Now don’t get me wrong, I liked Cam. She was gorgeous, and an amazing kisser … and gorgeous, but sometimes she was a bit controlling.

“Why are you staring at them so intensely?” Cam whispered harshly, and I could tell that I had done something wrong. I needed to fix this before it got too bad. Remember, the lies will set you free.

“I was just thinking about how amazing you would look in Meg’s bikini,” I tried out, and that seemed to be the right thing to say. Cam smirked and flipped her hair. She tilted her head to the side, making it completely obvious that she was examining Meg, only Meg didn’t seem to notice or care.

“You’re right. I would look way better in that bikini that Meg ever could. She’s way too fat to be wearing something that revealing,” Cam commented casually. I pressed my lips together and just nodded, saving myself from too much grief later.

Are you kidding me?! Meg looks amazing in that bikini and she is definitely not fat. You’re girlfriend must need glasses or something. It was true, Meg did look great and she wasn’t anywhere near fat, but contradicting Cam would mean I would be in a hell of a lot of trouble later.

Excuse me, but did I miss something? When exactly did Cam castrate you because you don’t have a single ounce of manhood in that body of yours!

“Meg looks great, what are you talking about?” Demi said as she slid into the seat next to me. Cam just rolled her eyes at Demi and didn’t even bother to answer her.

You should be ashamed. Demi can stand up to your girlfriend better than you can. Your brothers are right, you are a girl.

Can you shut up?

Save for Cam, everyone else seemed to like Meg a lot. Meg was someone you just had to like though. She was nice, easy to talk to, talented, smart, beautiful, creative, unique … wait I forgot what the point of my rant was. Oh right, Meg was just an all around amazing person.

“Yea, she’s one of those girls that bikini’s are made for,” Miley added. Cam shot Miley a look that said Say one more thing and I will not hesitate to strangle you. Miley cringed slightly under Cam’s gaze before turning back to Selena to continue their conversation. I turned my attention back to the pool, where Meg and Nick were locked in an intense game of keep away. A smile played on my lips and I stood up.

“Where are you going, babe?” Cam said to me. She tugged at the bottom of my swim trunks.

“For a swim,” I said simply, not even attempting to elaborate. Demi quickly stood up too and claimed that she was going to join me. Together, we walked towards the pool, which was a good thirty or so feet off. When the two of us were just out of earshot from where we had just left and the pool area, Demi stopped me.

“Hey, Joe, we are good friends right?” Demi started out. I raised my eyebrow in confusion.

“Yeah of course.” I mean obviously. Demi had done Camp Rock with the three of us and then joined us on tour. It would’ve been a bit weird if we weren’t friends at least.

“Then you wanna tell me why you haven’t told me that you’ve been crushing on Meg?” Demi said, dropping her voice to a whisper. She smirked at me and then folded her hands over her chest.

“I have not been crushing on-“

“Really, then why can’t you take your eyes off of her?” Demi retorted.

Busted.

Shut up.

“Okay so I have a teeny tiny crush on her…” I said uncertainly, as though I was trying to convince myself. Demi did not look convinced at all. I scratched my head and tried to look as innocent as I possibly could.

If teeny tiny now means that you love her immensely, then you’re right.

I don’t love her. Need I remind you I have a girlfriend.

Who you don’t even love that much anymore.

The one thing I hate about these conversations is that I am never right. Demi smirked at me and then began walking over to the pool again.

“Joe, Demi, good to see you guys joined us,” Nick said once we had both successfully gotten into the water. Meg flashed a smile before Nick pulled her over to him. My fists clenched involuntarily as I watched the two of them get along together.

They act just like a couple, don’t they?

Shut up.

Oh relax lover boy, I can tell that she doesn’t like him like that.

Really? Are you sure?

Why do you care so much anyway?

I don’t . . .I mean. . .

I know you too well.

“I would so school you in Marco Polo!” Nick said loudly. Apparently a whole conversation had transpired while I was talking to myself.

“Is that a challenge Nick?” Dem said. I smirked a little. This was going to get interesting.

“You know it babe. Game right now: Me and Meg against you and Joe,” Nick said. Meg’s smile broadened and she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for the two of us to accept. Joe Jonas never backs down from a challenge.

“Fine. Losing team has to do whatever he winning team says for an entire week,” I added. I high-fived Demi and faced the other two.

“Okay, but I have to warn you, I have excellent hearing,” Meg commented casually. I gave her a smile. Joe Jonas never loses.

***********
25 minutes later

Okay so sometimes Joe Jonas loses. Nick and Meg had totally and completely destroyed me and Demi. Meg really did have amazing hearing. We barely had to make a noise and she already knew exactly where we were. That’s why, less than half an hour later, I was getting Meg a diet coke with lemon slices. Unfortunately, I am a man of my word. I was to obey Meg’s every whim for an entire week while Demi got Nick. I’m pretty sure I got off easier though.

“Your drink,” I said before handing Meg the glass and she smiled. Taking a small sip, she swished her feet around in the pool water. Meg’s legs looked even longer underwater.

“Sit with me,” she whispered and then patter a spot on the pool’s ledge. Well, I did have to do whatever she asked.

Oh like you don’t want to. I sat down next to Meg and slipped my own feet into the water. I looked really pale compared to her brown skin.

“Let’s play twenty questions,” Meg said suddenly. I shifted and smiled. This girl was so random, and it was really growing on me.

“What’s your scariest nightmare?” she asked after a long silence. She seemed to be really thinking about what to ask me. I decided I should try and be honest at least.

“I had a nightmare that I woke up bald.” Meg began laughing so hard that she almost choked on her soda. I was actually kind of afraid that she would die because she was coughing and laughing at the same time.

“Are you serious?” she finally managed to get out. Meg wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Yea. What? I thought it was really scary?” I said somewhat defensively. Meg giggled and I had to smile a bit. Her giggles were really cute.

“Okay well what’s your nightmare?” I challenged her. Any hint of laughter disappeared from her face and she looked down into her lap.

“My dad tells me that it’s my fault,” Meg whispered so low that I had to strain to hear her. She rubbed her palms against her thighs and let out a long sigh. A single, silent tear splashed onto her lap and she gazed up into the blue sky.

What is she talking about?

She needs you to listen, Joe.

Listen to what? I’m not even sure what she’s talking about.

I turned to look at her, and Meg was still staring out into space. Her eyes were searching for something unseen in the endless blue.

Should I ask her?

No, you just need to give Meg some time.

I sighed deeply and took this time to really study Meg. She really was stunning with the darkest brown eyes. Her hair was blowing softly in the gentle breeze, but she made no attempt to push them back. I think that was what was really amazing about her: Meg wasn’t one to dwell on looks. She was just genuinely really stunning.

“Do you like surfing?” Meg said suddenly. She closed her eyes tightly and brushed back her hair. I was a little weirded out by her random question, and then I remembered that we had actually been playing a game.

“I’ve never actually been . . .” I started and Meg gasped playfully.

“What? Are you serious? Well then we are definitely going to have to go really soon,” she said and then a smile formed on her face. It seemed the moment of awkwardness was past us. Now it was time for rapid fire questions.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Purple. Would you go skinny dipping?”

“Of course. What’s your middle name?”

“Bella. What’s yours?” I was a bit stunned that she didn’t know.

“Adam. How do you not know that?” Meg smirked at me.

“Contrary to popular belief, not everyone knows everything about you, Joe. Geez you have a big head,” she sighed and then shook her head. I pushed her playfully.

“I believe it’s your turn,” I said, and waited silently as she contemplated what question she was going to ask me. She tugged a strand of her hair behind her ear and drummed her hands on her knees.

“What kind of girls do you go for?” Now that definitely was not a question that I had expected from her. I scratched my head and contemplated what I could tell her.

“Well she has to be kind, funny, get along with my family, being pretty would be nice too, uhh … I like girls with green eyes and blonde hair, but lately brunettes have been growing on me,” I said and I threw her a sideways glance. Meg thought over what I said, but she didn’t look at me.

“Well obviously, I mean Cam is a brunette . . .” she said quietly.

Dear God, just tell the poor girl that she’s the kind of girl that you go for!

Are you kidding?! No way!

“Yeah . . .Cam’s a brunette,” I said just as quietly.

Yeah, too bad that besides that Cam is the kind of girl you don’t go for. She’s not kind, funny, and she definitely doesn’t get along with your family.

Yeah, but she’s pretty.

Joe . . .you’ve got a lot to learn about life, you know that?

“Meg! Meg!” Frankie shouted and then bounded over to her. He had something hidden behind his back and he slid down on the other side of her.

“I’ve got something for you,” he whispered, or well tried to whisper. He pulled out a single red rose from behind his back. Frankie took Meg’s right hand and placed the rose in it.

“Thank you so much, Frankie,” Meg said softly. She leaned over and kissed his cheek and a deep blush formed on Frankie’s cheeks. He smiled triumphantly and bounced away quickly.

“Joe, your brother is the sweetest thing,” Meg said. She closed her hand around the stem. Moments later though, she gasped sharply.

“Ow,” Meg said and opened her hand. One of the thorns on the rose’s stem had poked her and a small bead of blood was forming on her index finger. She went to put the tip of her finger in her mouth but I stopped her.

“Here, let me,” I said and gently put the tip of her finger in my mouth. I didn’t realize how intimate this small action was until five seconds after I had done it. Meg’s cheeks turned a very pretty shade of pink and she turned away from me.

Don’t you think that you’ve been sucking on her finger long enough?

I jumped in my skin and steadily took Meg’s finger away from my mouth. The warmth of her finger still lingered on my lips and I could taste her in my mouth.

“T-t-thank you,” Meg stuttered and rested her hand in her lap. I couldn’t help but smile a little bit.

“You stutter?” I asked, genuinely curious. Meg’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, but the damage had already been done. My smile widened considerably.

“Only when I’m . . .n-nervous,” Meg said and she gulped nervously. I had uncovered a secret to the very complex person that was Megan Bella Andrews. It seemed that it could only get better from here.

Don’t look now Prince Charming but here comes the wicked witch of the west.

I turned around and saw Cam walking over to me with a blank expression on her face. My smile instantly faded and my stomach twisted into a tight knot. I knew that expression all too well, and it meant that I was in big trouble. Meg sat next to me, completely unaware of Cam.

“Joe, come on. I need you to take me to get some food,” Cam said sternly. Meg jumped and spun around as soon as Cam spoke. A sad expression crossed her face and she wrapped her arms around herself as if a chill had suddenly overtaken her.

Yeah, it’s because you’re girlfriend cold, heartless being walked over and ruined the moment.

She’s not cold and heartless… Yeah, not to you. “There’s food here,” I began but Cam shot me a glare that shut me up. I hesitantly stood up.

“But I can’t possibly eat anything here. It’s all greasy, fatty, and gross. I’m on a strict diet,” Cam insisted. Meg spun her head around quickly.

“The food is delicious. Denise is a wonderful cook,” Meg threw back. I had to stop myself from smiling at Meg’s nerve. Cam rolled her eyes.

“Well obviously you would know. You’ve done nothing but stuff your mouth since you got here. Just between me and you, honey, next time you want to wear a bikini, make sure you exercise beforehand,” Cam retorted harshly. Meg bit her lip hard and turned away. She placed a hand over her flat torso. It seemed that Cam’s comment had really stung her.

“Cam . . .just go and wait in the car,” I hissed and pointed towards the driveway. Cam gave me a strong kiss before skipping off happily in the direction of the car. I sighed and turned to Meg, who had pulled her knees up to her chest. I bent down and brought my lips close to her ear.

“Don’t listen to her, Meg. You are beautiful,” I said quietly, trying to reassure her. She smiled a little but didn’t say anything. I held her hand and pulled her up to me. In a moment of complete insanity, I pulled Meg into a hug, putting my arms firmly around her waist and dragging her close to me. I’m pretty sure she was a bit shocked because she let out an audible gasp.

After a few moments of hesitation, Meg wrapped her arms around my neck. She put a small, friendly kiss on my cheek before pulling away. “Thanks, Joe. I’ll see you later,” she said and then she put a good foot of space between us. It kind of stung a little, like she was avoiding me a bit.

She’s not stupid, she’s scared.

Of who? Cam?

Yea sort of. But that’s not all she’s afraid of.

Who else?

It’s not a who, and it’s not for me to tell. For now, just focus on being her friend.

“See you,” I said and, with one last smile and walked to my car.


Meg’s POV

Oh God, you are falling for Joe Jonas.

I don’t know. I know that I shouldn’t though.

Just because you shouldn’t, doesn’t mean that you won’t.

“Hey,” someone said from behind me. I spun around quickly. That voice was familiar . . .Demi. I sighed softly. I had gotten along really well with Demi. Actually, I had gotten along really well with everyone but Cam. Go figure.

“Hey Demi,” I said.

“So, how long have you liked Joe?” she said quietly and casually. My smile fell and I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“I d-don’t like Joe,” I said, but my stutter gave me away. Dammit. Demi laughed and rested her hand on my shoulder.

“Meg, it’s okay. I’m pretty sure Joe likes you, just be careful of Cam, alright?” Demi said very quietly. I nodded. Cam would definitely rip me apart if she even found out that I was thinking about Joe that way. It seemed that two months into my dream life, I already had one of Hollywood’s A-listers wanting to destroy me. I guess it can’t get too much worse from here. At least…I hope it doesn’t.



Chapter 6

“So are you hanging out with your guys today?” Becky asked me as I sipped on a chocolate chip frappuccino from Starbucks. It was about noon and Becky and I were just resting after four hours of nonstop shopping. Yes I said four hours. I’ve let Becky dress me and buy outfits for me for four hours.

You see Margaret, my stylist, has fallen in love with Becky’s style. Together the two of them have been dressing me for everything: interviews, performances, even just to go outside. This is why Margaret gave Becky the company credit card to shop for outfits for the tour.

“Well, we are just going to sit on the beach at about 3ish,” I said casually. A chocolate chip found its way up my straw and into my mouth. I twisted a chuck of my hair around my finger.

“Are you going to talk to Joe?” Becky said as she drummed her fingers on the table. I stuck my tongue out at her and shrugged.

You really need to just tell him.

So he can do what? Laugh at me?

He’s not going to laugh at you. I promise.

“So I’m thinking, to sit on the beach, you can wear your skinny jeans, black converse, and that black shirt that I got you at H&M.” Again, I shrugged. If it was up to me, I’d wear sweatpants and a T-shirt. I frowned when I had slurped up the last of my drink.

“Are you sure everything we bought today looked good on me?” I asked quietly while twirling the straw in my fingers.

“Of course. I’m pretty sure that it’s impossible for you to look bad in an outfit.” I rolled my eyes at Becky. I probably didn’t look good in several of those outfits. Becky cleared her throat nervously and her drumming stopped abruptly. the metal chair squeaked a little.

“Could I get a pair of sunglasses?” I asked Becky though all she did was clear her throat again. I raised my eyebrows and sat back in my chair. Long moments of silence passed between us. “Excuse me,” a slightly irritated voice said beside me and I had to stop myself from jumping in surprise. I guess I’d been so wrapped up in the conversation that I hadn’t heard anyone come up.

“Yes?” I asked innocently. Who could possibly have come up to me in the middle of the mall?

“My little girl and I have been standing here for a good ten minutes waiting for you to acknowledge us,” the voice said again in a slightly more pissed off tone.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you. What can I do for you two?” I said and smiled widely. There was a clank as something was put down on the table in front of me.

“You can sign my daughter’s CD.” Aw, a fan. I smiled more brightly. This was the first time that a fan had actually come up to me. I slowly slid my hand forward until I felt the pen and then pulled the CD towards me. I slowly signed the CD with my much practiced signature. Then I picked up the CD and held it up in the direction the voice had come from.

“Could you have at least signed it right side up?” A frown tugged at my lips and I tucked hair behind my ear.

“I’m sorry-“

“Forget it. C’mon sweetie.” I listened sadly to the sound of their footsteps moving away from me.

“Sorry I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know how to say it without it sounding weird,” Becky said nervously.

“No, its alright. I just feel bad for the little girl,” I assured her and I really did. It was the first time in a long time that I hated the fact that I was blind.

“Can we go home?” I said quietly. Becky patted my hand.

“Of course sweetie.”


Three Hours Later

“Okay, so you are wearing your black bikini under your clothes right?” Becky asked from the driver’s seat of the car.

“Yea, you helped me put it on,” I said bitterly. Becky had said that I needed to wear a bikini in case I wanted to swim. I ran my fingers through my hair and listened to the rumble of the car.

“Just making sure. Have a good time and call me if you need a ride back, okay?” she asked, sounding like the worried and caring mom that I never had.

”How do I know where they are?” I asked her. Did Becky forget that I couldn’t see? Moments later, there was a soft knock on my door.

“Hey Meg, hey Becky,” Nick said as the window lowered with a whirling sound. I actually found that sound really annoying. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Nick slyly slipped his hand into my own. I smiled a little, though I was surprised that I didn’t pull away.

“she’s in good hands,” nick called ass the car peeled away from the sidewalk. Nick started at a brisk walk, almost dragging me behind him. It probably looked ridiculous. The ground beneath me became soft and shifted under my weight. Well at least now I knew that we were at the beach. A few hundred yards in front of me, I heard Joe, Kevin and Demi. I hadn’t known that Demi was coming, but I was really glad that she did. I don’t think I could have handled all that testosterone by myself. I clung to Nick’s arm to keep myself from falling flat on my face.

“Hey Meg,” everyone said when Nick and I came to an abrupt stop. I smiled and gave a small wave. I was swept up in a massive hug by all four of them. What was it with these people and physical contact??

You liked that he hugged you yesterday.

Obviously, I mean . . .whoa wait?! What?!?!

Yeah, you love Joe! Hehe, it’s so cute.

I sat down on the soft earth, burying my hands in the sand.

“Tired?” Joe said and I could hear the suppressed laugh in his voice. I flipped him off and crossed my legs.

“I’m exhausted,” I said honestly and it was true. I had been going to interviews, photo shoots, shopping sprees and planning meetings for the upcoming tour everyday for the past week. I’m pretty sure that I’ve only had ten hours of sleep in total. Someone plopped down on either side of me and the ground trembled ever so slightly. The person on my right took my hand and held it firmly in theirs.

“it can be really stressful,” Joe cooed quietly. Apparently he was the one holding my hand. I was torn between wanting him to hold my hand or doing what I’d normally do, pull away. I decided to just bite my lip and not move.

“Is Cam coming?” Demi said from somewhere off to my right. Joe’s grip on my hand slackened.

“Yeah, she’s bringing Zac and Vanessa,” Joe said and then he cleared his throat awkwardly. As if on cue, I heard a car roar down and stop close by. The engine was cut and the door clicked open.

“Joey!” Cam cried and this time Joe dropped my hand like a hot potato. Instead Nick, who was sitting to my left, grabbed my hand. He squeezed it lightly and reassuringly.

“Hey Meg,” someone who was standing in front of me said. I looked up. That voice was male. It was deep and soft . . . and familiar. I reached out my right hand so that he could shake it. The hand that grasped mine was large and muscular with no calluses. All of the Jonas boys had calluses and the absence of them was disappointing.

“I’m Zac and this is Vanessa, but you already knew that,” Zac said. I reclaimed my hand and gave him a smile. Now I know why the voice sounded familiar. Becky had me listen to those High School Musical movies over and over again. She would flip out if she knew that I had met Zac Efron and Vanessa Ann Hudgens.

“Actually before I was signed on, I wasn’t a big Disney fan,” I said truthfully. Everyone said that honestly as my best trait. The two new comers gave a short laugh. Zac’s was throaty and rich while Vanessa’s was a little too high pitched for my ears to tolerate at the present moment.

“We brought some drinks,” Cam said smugly. I frowned a little. I sort of hoped that she meant soda or fruit punch, but then again this was Cam.

“What do you guys want? I’m the bartender of the night,” Zac said happily. He clapped his hands together like he was excited.

“Oh, I don’t really drink,” I said, which was basically the truth. Someone scoffed, probably Cam, and Vanessa gave a short laugh again.

“Fine then, you get to drive us back,” Cam sneered. I frowned deeply and my heart began pounding against my ribcage. Nick squeezed my hand again.

“I’ll drive,” he said and I gave a sigh of relief. There were times where I loved this boy a lot. That night I realized that the people everyone saw on TV were just masks.


That night I saw (okay well I heard) the real Disney stars, and I have to admit that it was very scary. Nick told me that they had drank their way through two bottles of vodka, three cases of beer and a bottle of wine. And apparently, that wasn’t even half of the amount of stuff that they had brought with them.

“You are r-really pwetty Meg,” Zac cooed in my ear. His breath had the overwhelming smell of beer. Just smelling it made my throat burn, but I swallowed hard and moved back a little.

“Thanks, Zac,” I muttered. His hand brushed my thigh and I flinched involuntarily. I slid back a little farther.

“How would you like to come back to my place?” Zac breathed in my ear. The mixture of the smell of alcohol and his scent had me a little dizzy. I shook my head slowly. I felt him inching closer, his body heat mingling with mine.

“Dude, back off,” Joe said and the next thing I knew cold air was touching my skin where Zac had just been. Joe had probably pushed him off of me. Someone touched my arm and I jumped. The smell of vodka now filled my nostrils. It was like someone had lit a fire in my throat. I wanted nothing more than to take a long swing of something right about now. That was the only way I would survive this night.

“You okay Meg? You’re shaking,” Joe whispered to me. I formed a fist in an attempt to stop shaking. I didn’t know what was wrong. I wasn’t even cold.

You know why, and you know you shouldn’t.

I’m not. I’m … I’m better than that.

I should hope so.

“I’m fine, Joe. I’m fine.” I was fine though, and now I was feeling the chill of the late afternoon wind on my skin. It had to be after six, if not seven already. Even from where I sat, I could hear the crashing of the waves against the shoreline. It was soothing, and took my mind off the intense alcohol scents that kept drifting to my nose.

“So, Meggie, how many guys have you bagged?” Vanessa said to me. She was relatively close to me, and obviously very drunk.

“What do you mean?” I asked, even though I’m pretty sure that I knew the answer. I was just hoping that it wasn’t what I thought it was.

“You know. How many guys have you slept with? I mean, you’re gorgeous so it must be a lot,” she said, long pauses between her sentences. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“None, I’m a virgin,” I said a little uncertainly. It sort of bothered me that we were having this conversation at all.

“You’re kidding me!”

“I’d like to be the first to tap that,” Zac said, and I realized that he was pretty close to me again. I stood up quickly and brushed the sand off of my jeans. Someone came up to me and put their arm around my shoulders. I was about to shrug them off when I caught Joe’s scent.

Joe=safety. He was good.

I wonder what else he’s good at.

Shut up. I’m not listening to you.

You should ask for a backrub. A naked backrub. He’s got strong hands because he’s a musician. I bet he could-

Oh God … I already said I don’t want to hear it.

“C’mon, Meg. Let’s take a walk,” Joe whispered to me. I nodded and then allowed him to steer me away from the group of drunken individuals. As we walked, the sound of the waves grew louder. I smiled a little. We were walking along the shore. I had to admit, it was one of my favorite things to do at the beach.

Yeah, you think it’s a real turn on.

Well…a little bit.

“Sorry about them. They get a little weird when they are drunk,” Joe said to me. The vodka was overpowering and dizzy.

“No, its fine,” I said. I rubbed my arm a little because now I was really feeling the breeze. It was nice to just walk with Joe, not talking about anything particular. It was the first time all day that I felt back in my element. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until then.

“Hey Joe?” I said.

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever…I don’t know…get tired of being in the spotlight?” I asked quietly, as if uttering those words was some type of taboo. I guess, in a way, they sort of are. Joe laughed the sort of laugh that filled your ears and wrapped you up tightly.

“Honestly, sometimes it is tiring. The constant scrutiny can be really stressful, but at the end of the day I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Joe said thoughtfully. I nodded and knitted my fingers together.

“Is something wrong, Meg? You seem really…quiet lately.”

“As opposed to what? Loud and obnoxious?” I teased him.

“You, never,” he said, his voice sending shivers up and down my spine. I blushed a little and turned away.

“Nothing’s really wrong. It’s just difficult, I guess,” I said, trying to find the right words to explain what I was feeling. I didn’t want to say I didn’t like it, because that definitely wouldn’t be true at all. There was a long silence, so long that I thought that Joe wasn’t going to say anything at all. When he finally did talk, there was a sort of darkness in his voice.

“It’s difficult for everyone, Meg. What makes you so different?” I stopped walking abruptly and promptly shrugged Joe’s arm off of my shoulders. I didn’t know what had just come over him, but it was a little…unnerving.

“W-what?” I said. I think it was the first time that Joe had ever been anything but happy and free-spirited with me.

“Nothing, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.” I didn’t say anything and I didn’t move from my spot either. Joe let out a long frustrated sigh and then grabbed my hand gently.

“I’m sorry Meg. It’s just been a really long week. Forgive me?” Joe asked. How could I possibly say no to that amazing voice?

“I’ve got to admit, that was slightly borderline bipolar,” I said before falling back into step with Joe. He knitted his fingers through mine. I could feel the awkwardness evaporating from the atmosphere between us.

“Joey, come do some body shots with me!” Cam’s annoying voice called across the serene beach. I cringed instinctively.

“Yeah, babe, I’ll be right there,” Joe called back. He stopped and dropped my hand.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Joe said and I nodded. I listened to his departing footsteps sadly. It felt as if we were connecting for a minute.

Until Miss. Fat-Ass called him over.

How do you even know she’s fat?

Um…well I don’t.

I ran my fingers through my hair.

I wish that Joe would stop leading you on already.

He’s not leadin-

“Hey there, sexy,” Zac said from somewhere close to my right. I spun in his direction. I smelled the beer as he walked closer to me.

“You are so beautiful, you know that? From the moment I met you, I wanted to get inside your tight, little pants…” Zac said as his voice came closer to me. I didn’t move back.

“Zac, you don’t…” My words were cut off when Zac’s lips crushed mine. They were warm and urgent, and tasted like Coor’s Light. I pulled back immediately, but I didn’t pull myself completely out of his grasp.

“You’re with Vanessa,” I said, more to myself than to him. I was a little dazed. I wondered if all Disney guys kissed like that?. Zac laughed.

“Publicity. I’m not really with her. The only reason Disney stars go out with other Disney stars is for publicity,” he said and then pressed his lips to mine. I pushed away hopefully.

“So Joe doesn’t really like Cam?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, he does. She’s not Disney property. He told me a few months ago that she might the one that he marries,” Zac said. My heart fell a bit and I stepped away.

Ouch.

“C’mon, sugar, I thought we were having fun,” Zac said. I backed away a little more.

“No, Zac, we weren’t,” I said and spun quickly around. I walked towards the smell of alcohol and the loud voices that I recognized as my friends … well most of them were my friends.

“Hey Meg,” Nick said to me as I was walking closer and closer to the group. They were all extremely loud when they were drunk. I knew that I was shaking, I could feel it. I just didn’t know how to stop. Between the cold, Zac’s kiss, and finding out that Joe was actually in love with that witch, my nerves were completely shot.

“Are you alright?” Nick said, seriously this time. A few seconds later, someone was taking my arms in their hands.

“Y-yeah, I’m f-fine,” I said and I claimed my arms back from him. I wasn’t in the mood for talking out my feelings, and I truthfully didn’t feel all that well anymore. I was feeling off, very off. Someone brushed back my hair and caressed my cheek softly.

“Nick, don’t please,” I pleaded. I didn’t want to be touched. This whole night, this whole week had made me sick to my stomach. I shouldn’t care so much about Joe and what he does. What is he to me anyway? A friend, a fellow musician.

A guy that you seem to really care about.

Yeah, I think he is.

Whoa, I think you just admitted that you have feelings for Joe Jonas.

“Meg, are you sure? You look kind of pale,” Nick said. I nodded.

“She’s sick because she saw your face Jonas,” a very drunk Demi called out to me.

“That’s very unlikely, trust me,” Nick called back. We both laughed at our little inside joke.

“Can we go get a sweater? I’m freezing,” I asked Nick quietly. He squeezed my hand gently and started walking. I was enjoying the calm and serenity of the entire beach, until I heard a very disturbing sound. There was moaning and heavy breathing, and every once in a while I could hear someone mumbling. We turned and then came to a complete stop. Directly in front of us, I could her Joe and Cam moaning together. Now that’s a sight I’m glad I couldn’t see.

“Oh God, guys get a room,” Nick spat in utter disgust. Immediately the groaning stopped and my ears were very thankful.

“Get out of here,” Cam shouted at us and again I flinched. There was definitely something about her that bothered me. I noticed that Joe was oddly silent, and if I didn’t know any better I’d say he was a bit embarrassed. It’s not everyday that your brother and your friend catch you having a hot and heavy make out session with your girlfriend. At least I hope that all they were doing was making out.

“Oh shut up. Meg just needs a sweater. She isn’t feeling too well,” Nick said and then he released my hand. I stood there awkwardly and wondered what he could be doing.

“So what?” Cam hissed.

“Are you okay?” Joe asked me, with pure concern in his voice. I wanted to spit in his face and tell him to shut up, but it was like I was putty in his strong hands. The thing was, most of the time, I don’t even mind that much. I gave him a short nod. A cool hand touched my forehead and I jumped.

“You feel a little warm,” Joe said decisively, and then pulled his hand away. The spot where it had rested against my forehead still burned.

“Here, I got you a sweater,” Nick said finally as he slipped the sweater on to me. I snuggled it thankfully and then Nick reclaimed my hand. I was ready to get as far away from these two as was humanly possible.

“Joe . . . I’ll see you later,” Nick said in a way that told me that he had wanted to say something else. We walked away quickly. I was hoping that if they returned to whatever they were doing that I would be far enough away so as to not hear it. An even higher hope was that they wouldn’t return to it at all.

“I don’t even want to know what they were doing,” I said miserably to Nick.

“Be glad that you didn’t see it. I need to wash my eyes out,” Nick said and I frowned a little. If I could see anything, I think I’d be really happy. This whole experience had made me extremely thirsty. Something about hearing the guy you might have feelings for hooking up with a girl in the parking lot makes me crave Dr. Pepper.

“Can we go get a drink?” I asked Nick and he quickly changed directions. Within seconds, I could hear Vanessa and Demi being their loud and obnoxiously drunk selves. They were going to have one hell of a hang over tomorrow.

“Hey Meg, you’re with the wrong Jonas. The one that you’re in love with just went to the van with Cam!” Vanessa shouted loudly. I just rolled my eyes as we slowed. I rested myself lightly on the wood table that apparently separated Demi and Vanessa from me and Nick.

“Pass me a Dr. Pepper,” I said to the two of them. Something was slammed down on the table and skidded over to me.

“Here ya go,” Demi said to me and then the two of them burst out in drunken laughter.

“We just walked in on Joe and Cam having a fricking make out session in the parking lot,” Nick said, and Vanessa and Demi quickly shut up. I just picked up the soda and popped the can open, listening to the fizzing of the highly carbonated soda.

“Aw babe, I’m sorry,” Demi said in a somewhat stable voice. She knew what a big thing this was to me, and so, apparently, did Vanessa.

“Baby doll, don’t even think about him. Joe Jonas doesn’t know what he’s missing. You have ten times the talent and kindness that Cam does, and even more amazing looks,” Vanessa assured me and then she squeezed my hand. She sat back and the chair squeaked a little.

“You know what I do when Zac goes home with a girl? I just drink. Drinking puts everything into perspective,” Vanessa said again and then something was slammed down on the table.

“Having a swing on that,” Demi said and I heard a cup being scrapped across the table towards me. I slid my hand out and it came in contact with a small shot glass. The smoothness of the perfectly curved object was welcomed on my fingertips.

“I don’t think I should-“

“You are drinking to forget that Joe is an ass,” Nick said. And I really was. I closed my eyes tightly, contemplating exactly what I should do. Time seemed to slow as I came to a decision, one that I knew was what I wanted, not what everyone else wanted for me. I wrapped my fingers firmly around the shot glass and brought it to my lips. In one quick motion I down the glass, the vodka burning my throat on the way down. I squeezed my eyes shut again, savoring the magnificent taste. I slammed down my shot glass and allowed myself a small smile.

“I’ll take another one,” I said firmly and Vanessa and Demi cheered me on. So there I was, in the middle of a beach with a bunch of Disney stars in the beginning of the summer, drinking away the ass that was Joe Jonas.

18 months, 2 weeks and 3 days of being sober were down the drain now.



Chapter 7

I laughed hysterically and tried to walk towards Nick’s voice. I banged into a fallen stool on the way over. I scrambled blindly (weirdly accurate) toward the sound of Nick’s voice.

“H-h-hey Nick,” I stuttered. Trying to stand up and walk was a very bad idea. Walking drunk and blind was an even worse idea. I patted the pant leg of the nearest person, not even sure that it was Nick.

“Oh God, Meg, you are trashed,” a voice said to me. The voice didn’t belong to Nick . . . oh it was Joe. I frowned deeply and took a swing of the Peach Snapps bottle that Vanessa had given to me about an hour ago. It brought back very amazing memories.

“No I don’t want you,” I said unhappily and pushed away his leg. I took another swing of the bottle and attempted to scramble away when someone took a firm hold of my leg.

“I should get you home Meg. You are really drunk,” Joe said and he tried to pull me back to him. My drunken state prevented me from being able to successfully pry my leg out of his grasp. I was dragged gently back over to him.

“Joe, why d-d-don’t you go s-s-stick your tongue down C-Cam’s throat? I want to talk to your b-brot-thers. They actually give a d-d-damn about me,” I stammered. It was really hard to control my mouth when I was drunk. It was one of the bad things about me being drunk.

You shouldn’t be drunk at all. Donny is going to be so disappointed in you, I hope you know.

No he’s not …

Yeah he is. He helped you get clean the last time and now you just go and throw it back in his face.

You worry too much. It’s just one day. It’s not going to be an all the time thing.

That’s how it started last time and that’s why I worry. It’s like you have absolutely no control.

Bite me

Yeah that’s right. I am an articulate drunk.

“Meg, c’mon, just put down the bottle and we’ll get you home. It’s like past midnight,” Joe said to me and then pulled me closer to him. I swatted at him with my free hand, but I was too drunk and tired to actually fight him off. I sighed and rested my head on his chest. I took another gulp of my almost empty bottle and let out a sigh.

“Joe, you’re an idiot you know that,” I grumbled drunkenly.

“What?” Joe said to me and then he rested his hand on my shoulder. I flinched a little, but he didn’t move away.

“You and Cam,” I said and then took another drink from the bottle. It was the only thing that made sense the entire night. Joe shifted slightly so I sat up and tilted my head in his direction.

“She left like an hour ago, so how am I an idiot.”

“Forget it,” I said, and gulped down some more Peach Snapps. There was only about three more swings left in the bottle I discovered as I sloshed it around unhappily.

“No tell me.” His voice was so genuinely curious that it made me kind of gag.

“C-cam, she’s so mean to everyone. She hates your f-family, and me. She really hates me and I-I haven’t ever done anything to her. Yet y-you go around and y-your shove your t-tongue down her throat, like she’s not this terrible person. H-how can you do that? You’re so much better than that, and there are so m-many other girls that would be better …” I said. My drunken speech actually made tons of sense and it probably would have sounded more official if I hadn’t stuttered so many times. I touched the opening of the bottle to my lips but didn’t drink it yet.

“What are you like jealous?” Joe said. His voice was light and teasing.

“Yes, more than you know,” I said and then took a swing of the drink. This time it burned down my throat unpleasantly. I winced and waited for Joe to say something. Maybe I had been too open and now he was weirded out.

Whatever, it’s nothing the rest of this bottle can’t fix.

You’re unbelievable.

I was about to down the rest of the bottle when it was taken from my hands.

“Hey, what are you-“ Lips crashed over mine, silencing anything protests that I had been thinking about. Joe’s lips were passionate and urgent, and they were telling me so much more about him then he had ever said. I closed my eyes and threw myself into this kiss. Joe gently traced my lips, silently asking me for access, which I gave all too happily. His tongue tasted like vodka, really good vodka. It created a very interesting mixed drink in my mouth. I sat up on my knees to try and gain the advantage in this kissing war. My fingers were tangled in Joe’s hair, which was slightly wavy and damp. Joe had his arms firmly around my waist and they pulled me closer in to him.

Our breathing grew shallow and ragged, and the kiss became more and more passionate. I moved my hands down from his hair to his broad chest. It was so muscular under my hands. I felt like I was actually seeing Joe without, you know, seeing him. In the back of my mind, it bothered me that I would never get to see him, but I was too preoccupied at the current moment to do anything about it. Joe’s lips moved to my collarbone and I threw my head back, squeezing my eyes shut. He kissed his way back up my neck, stopping at the soft space right by my jaw. His lips came over mine again, this time they were soft and sweet.

Then, all of a sudden, his lips were gone, as were his arms. That threw off my balance and I landed softly on the sand with an “oof”.

“Oh God, what am I doing? I’m with Cam,” Joe said miserably. There was real regret in his voice and it stung me more than I knew it should.

“Joe, it’s-“

“No, Meg, just don’t okay? That should never have happened. I didn’t want to kiss you, it just happened. I am so sorry,” Joe said in a tone that was supposed to comfort me. While moments ago I had been vulnerable and filled with emotion, now I just put up my strong front. I forced my swollen lips into a thin, tight line and turned away from Joe.

“Give me back my bottle,” I said harshly and held out my left hand.

“Meg, don’t you think you’ve had enough. Please,” Joe begged me. I didn’t back down.

“Joe, you’re not my brother, and you’re definitely not my dad. I’m not even sure what you are. What I do know is that you obviously feel regret over kissing me so what I want from you is my damn bottle. Then I want you to get as far away from me as humanly possible,” I hissed at him. There were a few moments of hesitation, but then the bottle was given back to me. I listened to Joe’s soft footsteps as he walked away without another word to me. I drank the last tiny sip of the bottle. There wasn’t nearly enough in there to numb my feelings. I’d have to find a way back to all the drinks. I could take three more beers and another shot of tequila before I had just reached my limit.

“Meg, you okay?” Nick’s voice said from behind me and I jumped, sending the empty bottle flying.

“Jesus, Nick, do not do that to me,” I said angrily and then ran my fingers through my hair. My hands were sweaty and my face was really cold.

“Did you finish this whole thing?” Nick asked me. He had probably picked up the bottle after it fell. I rolled my eyes at him, but didn’t answer. It was obvious enough. There was a grunt as Nick sat down next to me.

“Want to tell me what happened with you and Joe? I mean I saw the whole making out like crazy thing, but he said something that made you angry afterwards,” Nick said. This kid was too damn observant for his own good.

“Well he kissed me and then he told me that he couldn’t because he was with Cam. Joe said that he didn’t want to kiss me,” I said as I pulled my knees closer to my chest. Nick caught my hand in his. “He’s lying, I know that and you should know that,” Nick said, trying to reassure me. I gave out a long sigh and rested my head on his shoulder.

“I need some more to drink,” I said and Nick stiffened under me.

“Meg, you’ve had enough.” I sat up and glared at him.

“What is it with everyone trying to be my dad today? Geez, I already had one thank, and I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t have cared,” I said and pulled my hand out of Nick’s grasp.

“Meg, I’m not trying to be your dad. I’m trying to be your friend, and as your friend I’m saying that you’ve had enough to drink. It’s not good to drink so much you’re first time, believe me,” Nick said quietly. I rolled my eyes.

“Oh Nick, this is definitely not my first time, and this is no where near as much as I used to drink,” I said. Being drunk meant that my mouth would just run without my approval.

“You serious?” Nick asked me.

“Dead serious.” I felt like I shouldn’t lie to Nick. Beside Donny and Becky, Nick knew me better than anyone else. friendships can’t be based on lies.

“Megan Andrews, you are one complex and crazy girl.” I smiled a little and rested my head on Nick’s shoulder again.

Tell me something I don’t know.

Tell me something I don’t know.



Joe’s POV

You’re an idiot.

I know.

You hurt her feelings.

I know.

She’s probably never going to forgive you. Did you see her face?

I KNOW.

Well as long as you’re aware of the consequences of your actions.

I hated that Meg was mad at me, and I hated the fact that I didn’t feel as much regret as I should. I have a girlfriend for Christ’s sakes, yet a couple of minutes ago I was swapping spit with Meg.

That was way more than swapping spit. That kiss was better than any kiss that you’ve ever had.

It was pretty good…

No, chocolate ice cream is pretty good. Tom Cruise’s acting is pretty good. Meg’s kiss was WAY better than pretty good.

I took a sip of the beer that I had in my hand, the one that I had been holding for a little over an hour now. I hadn’t even seen Meg since our kiss. I knew that she would be angry at me, and I’m not sure that I could deal with that. My emotions were all out of whack so talking to her was probably not the best option. Someone sat down next to me on the sand, and I looked up to see Nick eyeing me suspiciously. I sighed and rest the beer bottle on the sand by my leg.

“Don’t say it,” I said to him quietly. Nick laughed a little.

“Well at least you know that what you did was totally not cool. Meg’s pretty pissed,” Nick said and I groaned.

“At me?”

“No, surprisingly, at herself,” Nick sighed and rubbed his hands together. I turned to him and raised my eyebrow.

“Well you see, she blames herself for trusting you, for thinking that you actually liked her,” Nick explained. I groaned again. Of course she would be mad at herself. That was Meg. That was what she does. It’s who she is and at that moment it infuriated me. She should be angry and hate me. That would make things that much better.

“I do like her,” I said simply. Then Nick did something totally uncalled for: he picked up his left hand and smacked me in the back of my head. I flinched and glared at him. Nick was surprisingly strong.

“So then why the hell did you tell her that you didn’t want to kiss her!” Nick shouted and everyone turned to stare at us. Nick was too fricking loud for his own good.

“Because I’m … confused about my feelings towards Meg and Cam,” I said. Nick rolled his eyes at me and looked dead ahead.

“Look, as your brother I’m going to try and be supportive on what ever decision you make. I have to tell you though, I cannot stand Cam. I feel that Meg is a much better choice, but hey that’s just me,” Nick said. That had to be the most unhelpful advice that I’ve ever been given. Nick stood up and wiped off the back of his pants.

“I’m a bit jealous of you though. If you would just see and heard the way that Meg thinks of you. I wish for just half of that,” Nick mumbled to me. I was taken a bit off guard and I couldn’t think of a response as he walked away from me. “

"Dude! You cannot leave me with just that,” I called out after him. My brother simply raised his hand, telling me that he had heard me, and continued walking back towards the car.

What the hell?


Hey, I don’t know. He’s your brother.

I looked down at my beer again, millions of thoughts running through my mind. All of them seemed to surround Meg. That girl had definitely changed something in me. The bottle was cool in my hand, and it seemed to be the only sure thing at the present moment.

How do I show her that I care?

You need to make a few tweaks to yourself and your attitude.

I nodded to myself. I did need a few changes in my life. I gripped the beer bottle tightly and turned it upside down, watching triumphantly as the beer spilled over the sand.

And that’s just the beginning.


Meg’s POV

I walked along the beach, and by walked I mean that every few feet I stumbled and had to get back up to continue. I heard the waves crashing over the sand to my right, and I was aware enough to stay away from the water.

Drunk me + ocean = really bad consequences.

Wow, I’m surprised that you can still function, much less do some sort of math.

Go away.

Not until you tell me what the hell happened with you and Joe.

Joe is a jerk.

That’s not telling me what happened.

You know what, you’re annoying.

I stumbled again and landed in the soft sand. I didn’t have enough drive to try and continue stumbling so I just sat there for a little while. My head was pounding and I knew that I was going to have one hell of a hangover later.

“Meg, are you alright?” a voice said from behind me. My senses were so dull that I didn’t even jump at the sound of the voice, Kevin’s voice. At least he wasn’t the Jonas I was avoiding.

“Y-yeah, I’m just peachy,” I stuttered slightly, and the hiccupped. I bet I looked like an absolute wreck.

“You don’t sound peachy,” Kevin said and I could practically hear the smile in his voice. I swatted at him, and my hand actually made contact with skin. I let out a very long sigh and didn’t say anything for the longest time. The cold are rolling off of the Pacific Ocean was causing shivers to run down my spine.

“I want to go home,” I said suddenly and then dragged my knees up to my chest.

“Okay, c’mon. I’ll drive you back. It’s time that we get going anyway,” Kevin said before placing his hand on my back. He helped me into a standing position, though I had to lean on him a bit. A wave of dizziness settled over my body and I had to rely on Kevin to steer me back to the car. It was extremely nice, walking side by side in mutual silence. Though I think I would have appreciated it more if I wasn’t completely stoned. Kevin had his arm wrapped protectively around me, and I realized that all the Jonas boys had a particularly nice smell about them.

Like Joe?

My foot caught on something and it would have sent me sprawling forward if Kevin hadn’t had a firm grip on my arm.

“Watch out. Are you blind or something?” Kevin remarked casually and I heard him chuckle. I yanked my arm out of his grip and clenched my fists.

“Yea, actually,” I hissed before stomping off. Now what was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just be one of those silent drunks?

“Wait, what?” Kevin stammered, his voice coming closer to me. I tried to walk a little more quickly without falling over.

Just stop talking.

“Haven’t you been wondering why I seem to never look you in the eyes? Why I seemed to be zoned out all the time?” I said and continued walking. My mouth was running on autopilot apparently.

“I just thought that was what you did,” Kevin said uncertainly. I stopped walking altogether and tilted my head in the direction that his voice had come from.

“God, you guys are so thick. Your little brother figured it out the very first day he met me,” I laughed. There were long moments of silence between us. My body tensed up and I ground my teeth together.

“Don’t wave you hand in front of my freaking face,” I hissed before walking away, though more slowly than I intended.

“How did you know-“ Kevin started guiltily.

“It’s what everyone seems to do when they find out: Becky, Margaret, Jane, Mrs. Dean…” I said simply.

“She knows?” Kevin said, the shock evident in his voice.

“Of course she knows. Did you think I kept it a freaking secret from her?” I hissed. I wobbled a little and slowed down some more.

“You’re really blind?” Kevin asked so quietly and innocently that I stopped walking completely. Against my better judgment, I nodded.

“Don’t tell Joe,” I managed to get out. Kevin’s strong hand gripped my shoulder.

“I won’t. Don’t worry,” he assured me. I breathed a little easier and then allowed him to lead me to the car.


Joe’s POV

Well this explains a lot.


Demi’s POV

Holy crap. I knew there was something different about her.


Cam’s POV

I come back for my phone and instead I get a front page scoop.


Vanessa’s POV

Okay, who drank the tequila??

You did.

OH yea! Now I remember.