"someones phone is ringing!" nick yelled from his bunk

"so answer it!" aj yelled back.

"its not my phone!"

"omg...ill get it," faye mumbled. she picked up the cellphone, "hello? yes he is, just a minute." handed kevin the phone,"its management."

"oh okay, thanks," he said taking the phone from her. "hello? yeah this is kevin....whats up?...really?...wow...yeah, ill talk to the other guys and get back to you. okay, bye." he hung up the phone,"guys, we need to have a meeting."

nick glanced at emma who ws sitting next to him in the bunk, "i dont wanna go~~~"

emma laughed,"im sorry but it might be important."

"kevin called the meeting...its NOT important."

she laughed, "just go."

"fine but your coming with me." he climbed out of the bunk and helped emma down. they went to the back lounge where everyone was and sat down.

"okay, well that was management," kevin said once everyone had settled down. "they were reviewing our schedule for this week and found out we could reschedule some appearances IF we want to do a cruise..."

"...as in...on a ship...?" amanda asked.

nick rolled his eyes,"no mandy. this is a special kind of ship. it stays land locked."

"shut up blondie."

"make me."

"gladly."

"omg...shut up you two," kevin said. "i simply want to know if we all want to do this cruise so i can call management back."

"ive never been on a cruise before. ill go," brian said.

"ill go," aj said.

"me too," howie said.

"nick?" kevin asked.

"does emma get to come too?"

"the girls are going with us everywhere this week."

"oh okay, then yeah."

faye glanced at amanda,"will you be okay to go?"

"i guess...."

"are you sure?" howie asked. "i mean, if it makes you uncomfortable..."

amanda managed to smile,"dont worry. ill be fine."

"emma? faye?"

"oh, were SO going," faye said.

kevin laughed, "good. im gonna call management back."

"wow..." faye said staring at the cruise ship in awe. "this is amazing."

"ive never seen a cruise ship..." emma said.

nick laughed an put his arm around her, "and just think...theres stuff INSIDE too."

she laughed and elbowed him,"so im a little excited. leave me alone."

"hello~~, are you guys coming?" brian asked from the doorway of the ship.

"yeah, come on em," nick said. he grabbed emmas hand and pulled her up the walkway after everyone else.

"amanda...?" faye asked.

amanda glanced at her distractedly,"huh?"

"you okay?"

"yeah, im fine. dont worry."

"besides," aj said smiling proudly, "ill take care of her."

amanda managed to laugh, "thanks aj."

kevin came over to where they were all standing and handed everyone keys, "were all next door to each other so dont think you can sneak out."

they all glanced at aj whose jaw dropped in shock,"me?! im not...fine...fine..."

"hey kev, can we go walk around the ship?" nick asked.

"if you take a bodyguard with you. if not, wait until later tonight. theres a curfew for everyone under 18."

brian smiled, "no screaming little girls."

"exactly."

howie glanced out the doorway of the ship, "come on. theyre gonna start letting everyone else on."

"okay, just remember rehearsal in an hour in the grand ballroom."

"come on," nick said taking emmas hand and walking her to her room.

"hey nick..." aj said coming up behind them with amanda.

"yeah?"

"you wanna look around the ship?"

nick glanced at him with a slightly confused look on his face, "but kevin said--"

"i know what kevin said but we can take care of ourselves."

"aj, thats probably not a good idea..." amanda said.

"i agree with amanda," emma said.

aj rolled his eyes,"you guys worry too much. we'll be FINE."

nick glanced back and forth between emma and aj,"i dont know..."

"oh, come ON frack," aj said. he grabbed nicks arm and started to pull him down the hall.

"nick, wait!" emma sighed,"be back in an hour..."

nick shrugged an apology as aj dragged him off down the hall.

amanda shook her head and unlocked the door to her room, "you want to come in?"

emma glanced at her,"are you asking out of common courtesy or because your freaked out?"

"im not freaked out!"

emma laughed,"of course not. im gonna put my stuff away then ill come back."

she went to her room, put all her stuff away, and about 10 minutes later went back to amandas room and knocked.

faye opened the door and let her in,"hey em."

"hey faye. wheres kev?"

"brian wasnt feeling very well so kevin and howie took him to the ships doctor."

"poor guy," emma said sitting down on the couch.

faye nodded,"and hes already feeling a little bad cause he misses leighanne so much."

emma nodded,"you know, it might be cool if we...amanda, get AWAY from the window."

"were just floating...in the middle of nowhere..."

faye rolled her eyes,"come on amanda..." she said pulling her away from the window.

"how sa--"

"LET ME IN!!"

all three girls jumped and looked at the door.

"...aj...?" amanda said.

"let us in!! hurry!!"

emma got up and opened the door. aj and nick came running and slammed the door closed behind them.

"they tried to kill us!" aj said dramatically.

faye and amanda rolled their eyes,"who?"

"the little girls!!"

"man...that was scary..." nick said hugging emma. "they almost tackled us..."

emma laughed,"aww poor baby."

aj glanced at nick and emma then looked at amanda for sympathy. she rolled her eyes and went back to the window,"if being stuck in the middle of the ocean doesnt kill me," she glanced back at aj,"that boy will."


{Chapter 5}