Where We Left Off [NBB]

[Jaded Catalyst]

This is my first real big shot at fanfiction. It has proven to be rather popular on ff.net, and so I'm putting it here, too. It's a weird fandom, and the show isn't very good, but I am having a lot of fun writing for it. Enjoy!


Fandom: The Naked Brothers Band

Rated: PG-13/Teen
^{for slight language}

Summary: Nat and Rosalina have never been able to stay mad at each other, but when he finally gets sick of her insecurities, she must choose between moving on or rejoining a band that never appreciated her in the first place. (A better summary will be coming soon)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Naked Brothers Band or any of its characters. Richie and any other original chracters belong to me.'

_{Dedicated to Cyrus and Ty.}

Note from the Author: Yes, this is a weird fandom for me to write in. I won't get too defensive on it, but I'll just say that I enjoy writing for things I find insufficient. There are parts of the show that I like, but find that acting and plot very one-dimensional. That's why I'm putting my own spin on it. =^^=

[Jaded Catalyst]

Introduction

On the outside…

“I’m two years older,” she had always said.

Rosalina had never been secure about the age difference between her and Nat. She always told herself not to listen to what other’s said about her, but the more she heard, the less she was able to take. Age was often times the main reason for Nat and Rosalina’s arguments.

But it wasn’t as though they were an actual couple in the first place.

Rosalina could never find it in herself to call Nat her boyfriend, and he respected that. She was often shy about displaying any affection to him, especially now that the cameras were everywhere, and he also respected that.

Every time Rosalina broke down, Nat patiently waited for her to find herself again. He always made sure he was there for her when she was feeling vulnerable. He may have made his share of mistakes, but they were always because his heart was in the right place.

Around him, she felt safe. Despite her many insecurities, she always knew that Nat would be there for her. Although she could never be sure where their relationship was romantically, there was one thing that Rosalina had never doubted.

He would always be her safety net, her shirt to cry on, and her shoulder to lean on.

Nat Wolff has been, and always would be, her best friend.

[Jaded Catalyst]

Chapter 1

This hadn’t been the first time that our friendship became strained due to the sudden appearance of another guy. It was worrying me though; this had been happening much more often these days. It’d been hard, though. Ever since I entered high school, I felt an obvious gap begin to form. Nat and I never saw each other during the school day, and I had a completely different group of friends. I knew that the band hung out during lunch and in between classes.

Meanwhile, I was sitting in my high school world with my high school friends. It was bad enough that I was the only girl in the band. David and Thomas had yet to grow out of the “girls are gross” stage. At least Nat was always there to make me feel welcome. I couldn’t help but wonder, though. Why was I even there?

With two keyboardists, a guitarist, and a cellist, they would be fine without their bassist, wouldn’t they? I never knew the answer to that question, and I never asked. Some things were better left unsaid.

I couldn’t blame Nat for worrying about me. After the Bobby Love incident, I learned to trust his judgment a bit more, but after the prom incident, I also learned that Nat had unintentionally alienated me in his mind.

I always tried to keep our age difference from being an issue, even though it sometimes came up anyway. I had never realized, however, that Nat also found it to be an issue. After prom, he apologized for pressing me to go. He told me that he didn’t want to tie me down, but didn’t realize that he had been pushing me away. We forgave each other. Little did we know how much that moment would change us.

We became closer than ever, but I had never felt so alone. Nat had set me apart from everyone else – the last thing I wanted from him.

The media did little to help. After the Bobby Love incident, reporters, including Matt Pinfield, flocked around us constantly. Nat and I were always on the headlines, and they always managed to fabricate some story based on everything from a small smile to a supposed wink. This time, though, it was really bad. One of Matt Pinfield’s reporters had taken a picture of me laughing while talking to a relatively cute boy during our tour. The headline read, "ROSALINA, A FLIRT?"

The reaction was explosive. Newspapers ran, false eyewitnesses testified, and soon the public was hearing stories of some new boyfriend I supposedly had behind Nat’s back. Then again, Nat and I were never officially a couple to begin with.

That didn’t stop him from feeling betrayed, however. It usually took a lot for Nat to be swayed by the media, but there had never been a story so big before. Supposed witnesses were telling papers that I had been dating the boy for months and a false make-out video had leaked throughout the internet. That was obviously fake though, because the time and date that the video was taken was the same time as one of our concerts, which I had undoubtedly been performing at.

It was an uncomfortably silent bus ride. Everyone else had fallen asleep and Nat sat across from me, staring out the window. I was actually grateful for the silence; the last time we spoke with each other, all we did was yell and scream. An hour later and here we were, riding in silence to the next touring spot. My mind kept fumbling for the right words to say to make things right again, but I knew that nothing I said would turn things around. We’ve been fighting on and off for the past few months –sometimes without reason. This publicity folly was just another push in the wrong direction. Our friendship was fraying at the edges and I was scared.

All I could do was hope for the best. I had to trust in our friendship and believe that time will heal our wounds. I finally gave up on trying to speak with him and leaned back on my seat. As I closed my eyes to sleep, I saw in my mind a boy with unruly brown hair and sweet brown eyes staring back at me.

[Jaded Catalyst]

Chapter 2

It had been one week since Matt Pinfield’s story was released. Our tour was coming to an end, and Nat and I still hadn’t made peace with each other. I wasn’t sure why we were still so angry; the story had already been confirmed false and the boy was just an assistant at the concert. For some reason, though, our anger didn’t fade, and I was starting to get sick of it. The last concert of the tour was in two days, and this was not how I wanted to end my summer.

Having slept throughout the entire bus ride, I was restless tonight. I wandered down the hallways and stopped in front of Nat’s hotel room. Beams of light seeped through the cracks of the door; I guess he wasn’t getting any sleep either. I raised my hand to knock on the door but decided against it. Just as I began to leave, the door opened and Nat stepped out.

“Rosalina?” he said, quietly. “What are you doing up this late?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

He smiled slightly and shut the door behind him. “I was actually going for a walk.”

“Oh,” I said awkwardly. This conversation was going nowhere fast. “Goodnight, then.” As I made my way back down the hall, Nat called out to me.

“Wait.” He shifted his wait uncomfortably. “Do you want to join me?”

I paused and looked at him. He gave me a small, crooked smile and pleaded me with his soft eyes. This was the Nat Wolff I had always known.

“Sure.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------

We made our way to a nearby park and decided to walk he path around it. The night was cool and not a soul was in sight. Nat hadn’t said anything since we started walking, and I knew that if I ever wanted to settle this fight, I would have to be the first to speak up.

“Hey, Nat?”

“Yeah?”

“What are we doing?”

“What do you mean? We’re walking,” he said with a slight smirk. At least he wasn’t mad anymore.

“You know what I mean,” I replied, pushing him playfully.

“No, really. What do you mean?”

“I mean about us. Are you still mad at me?”

He remained silent for a moment and all I could here was our footsteps. “No,” he finally said. “I haven’t been for a long time.”

“Me, too.”

“I was just scared, you know?”

“Scared?”

“Yeah. Now that you’re in high school, we don’t see each other anymore. How could I be sure that the story wasn’t true? How could I be sure that you weren’t seeing some other guy that I didn’t know about?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to what Nat had said. Part of me was flattered because it meant that he cared and wanted to protect, but another part of me was insulted. He had unintentionally categorized me as his.

I, Rosalina DiMeco, belonged to no one.

But I didn’t want to fight with him anymore. Maybe I was just thinking about it too much.

“Nat, you don’t have to worry about me, okay? We’re friends, and you know that I don’t like keeping secrets from you. You’re just going to have to trust me, okay?”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. We should really be getting back soon. We never know where the cameras might be.”

“Yeah. Sometimes I wish it were easier to be famous.”

“Or maybe just not be famous at all?”

He turned his head sharply. “What?”

“Nothing,” I lied. I wasn’t sure where that thought came from, and I didn’t want to know. The band was a part of me and I didn’t know what I’d do without it.

“Alright,” he said distantly. I couldn’t tell what was on his mind, but it didn’t matter because he seemed to shrug off the thought. “I’ll race you back to the hotel.”

I grinned back at him. High school really had changed things for us. Nothing would ever be the same between us, but at least, for now, I could be sure that things were okay.

“Bring it on, Nat Wolff.”

[Jaded Catalyst]

Chapter 3

The last concert was a hit, and it was probably made all the better since that Nat and had I made up. I was having a great night, but I should have known that it wasn’t going to last. After winding down, we traded our individual rooms for a hotel suite reserved just for us. Thomas and David were playing foosball while Qaasim waited for his turn to play. Nat and I were sitting quietly in the corner; I was always exhausted after every concert, and usually ended up falling asleep on Nat’s shoulder.

It wasn’t as though I actually liked him in that way or anything. It was just complicated.

“You two snuggling back there?” Qaasim asked, his back to us.

Here they go again, always making fun of Nat and me.

“I guess you two made up last night,” he said smugly, obviously implying that something happened between us.

“Just cut it out, you guys,” Nat snapped.

It was the same conversation almost every time, but for some reason, this one felt different to me. Maybe I was just tired or it was because I just got out of a fight with Nat, but I was feeling especially irritable that night. In the middle of another one of Thomas’s taunts, I left. Because I didn’t feel like sleeping in the same room as the guys tonight, I made my way to the bus. Nat was the only one who knew that I sometimes I stayed there when I wanted to be alone during the tours. My sweet reprieve was quickly interrupted when I heard someone knocking on the side of the bus. Expecting it to be Nat, I walked over to the door and opened it. Surprisingly, it wasn’t who I thought it would be.

Instead, a well-built boy, only slightly taller than Nat, stood with a flashlight in his hand. He had messy brown hair, organized into many thin, long spikes. He had light, chocolate brown eyes and a soft gaze that reminded me of a young child’s. I immediately recognized him as the boy who I had been talking to when that infamous picture was taken.

“I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you,” the boy said, his voice smooth and with a ring like a bell.

“Don’t worry about it. Do you need something?”

“No,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably. “I just saw someone walk into the bus. Since it was so late at night, I just wanted to make sure nothing was going on.”

“Oh. Well I just wanted to get some privacy. That’s all.” I smiled. I used to think that Nat was shy, but this boy topped him easily.

He stammered slightly, fumbling with his words. “And I’m sorry about that article. I hope it didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

“It’s okay. I’m pretty used to stories like that by now. You know how reporters are.”

“Right…” the boy trailed off, “Nice meeting you again. I’ll let you have your alone time, now.”

“Wait,” I called back to him. I mentally reprimanded myself for stopping him, but I didn’t want to leave this conversation on such an awkward note. “What’s your name?”

“Richie,” he said sheepishly.

I wanted to laugh. It was such a boyish name, and it seemed to fit him well. “What are you doing here anyways? I never see the same people more than once on the same tour.”

“Oh,” he laughed, seeming to ease up a little bit. “I work in with in the entertainment industry. I go around and assist touring bands. My last tour just finished over in Maine, where I met you. I’m headed back home, and this is one of my stops.”

“Wow. You’re a bit young to be touring so much, aren’t you?”

“And you’re not?”

“Touché.”

We shared a short laugh. It was then I noticed that Richie really was kind of cute, but I shook off the thought. That was what started the whole ordeal.

“This is your last concert, right Ms. DiMeco?”

“Call me, Rosalina. Ms. DiMeco sounds too weird.”

“True, but there are some stars out there who get really mad when you don’t treat them with respect.”

“That is true,” I admitted.

“So you’re headed home, too. If you don’t mind me asking, where do you live?”

“New York. What about you?”

“I used to live up in Maine, but my parents just moved to New York. I’m headed back there, too.”

“That’s so cool! Where are you going to school?”

“I just enrolled as a sophomore at Amigos high school.”

“No way! I’m going to be a sophomore there, too.”

“This is getting a little creepy,” Richie joked, seeming to be completely relaxed now. “Well, I should be getting back. I guess I’ll see you when school starts. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight. Nice meeting you, Richie.”

“Nice meeting you, too,” he paused and winked, “Ms. DiMeco.”

I went back into the bus with a smile on my face. I felt a bit like a fool for feeling such a connection with a stranger, especially one who had been part of the reason I fought with Nat in the first place. Still, Richie seemed so sweet and sincere. Then again, so did Bobby Love when I first met him. I knew I should talk to Nat about Richie, but the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to tell him. Nat would only get jealous, and I didn’t want to fight with him again. Besides, I had only just met Richie. Even though we were going to the same school, who knew if we were really going to talk to each other?

I decided not to tell Nat just yet. He didn’t have to know everything about my life. As I said before, Rosalina DiMeco belongs to no one.

[Jaded Catalyst]

Chapter 4

There had never been a time that I didn’t question my own life. I often wondered why things turned out as they did. Now that my second year of high school has started, I questioned things even more. Having never truly carved a deep niche in my high school society, I had always believed I was still a middle school kid at heart. Of course, I had some friends here and there, but I spent so much time with the band that I sometimes forgot about the age difference. Then there were times that the guys were so immature that I wondered why I wasn’t hanging around with people my own age.

Maturity was a strange thing, and I had never been sure of where I fell on the spectrum. Maybe that’s what high school was all about: finding yourself. It was about deciding who you were and who you wanted to become.

The problem was I had no idea what I was going to do with my future. I loved being part of the band, but I sometimes found myself wondering what it was like to be normal. I wanted to know what it was like to go through a full, uninterrupted year of school, go to the mall with a couple of girl friends, and maybe even have a real boyfriend.

It wasn’t as though I didn’t appreciate having Nat around. He was my best friend and his attempts to make us something more were flattering. It was complicated, though. No matter how hard I tried to ignore the difference in age, it always came up. By the time Nat was a freshman, I would be a junior getting ready to apply for college. I didn’t know if I was even going to college. Was I supposed to let Nat and the band hold me back from pursuing other dreams I might have?

It was strange to think of what things would be like it my life didn’t center around the band. I knew I was lucky to be able to live the dream, but I also wanted to know what else I was made of. There had to be more to my life than just being the bassist of the Naked Brothers Band.

Tenth grade had only begun, so I still had three more years to straighten things out. However, Time had never been kind the confused and insecure.

This year was going to be a living Hell.

[Jaded Catalyst]

Chapter 5

One week into school and we already had rehearsals and recording sessions lined up throughout the month. Our tour just ended and now we were rushing to work on a new album. How Nat managed to write so many songs in such a short amount of time would forever be a mystery to me. The school days had been passing by so quickly. This was probably because my mind had been drifting off in almost all of my classes; the first few days of school were all the same anyway.

The day ended almost as soon as it had begun and I was rushing out to get to practice. It had been like this all week, so I didn’t have the chance to meet any of my classmates or make any friends. It didn’t matter, though, because this was how it was every year. Then again, it was funny how whenever you forgot about things, they always came rushing back at you like a bullet.

Or in my case, a swinging door.

It didn’t actually hit me that hard, but it was enough to knock me back a few steps. Then, like the smooth-talking, shy boy coming straight from a storybook, Richie appeared as I backpedalling in a fight to keep my balance. Fortunately, he was sturdy enough to take the hit. It wasn’t until I heard a muffled groan that I realized I had accidentally elbowed my savior in the ribs.

“I’m so sorry,” I said quickly, not realizing who it was it first. “Richie?”

“Yeah,” he gasped, still catching his breath. “When you said you’d see me around, this was not how I imagined it would go.”

“Are you alright?” I said with some amusement. He was right; it hadn’t been the most ideal encounter. It was funny, nonetheless.

“I’ve been better. Did you know you have a bony elbow?”

“I’ll remember that next time.”

“There’s going to be a next time?”

“Maybe. Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all week.”

Richie seemed to have fully recovered from my unintentional assault, and finally managed a small smile. “It was a messy transfer, that’s all I’ll say. I thought I saw you yesterday, but you disappeared all of the sudden.”

“Yeah, I have rehearsals crammed this entire month, and I just happen to be running late to one right now.”

“Then you better hurry up and give me your phone number before you’re even later.”

This guy was good, but I decided that it would be more fun to give him a hard time. “What?”

His shy side instantly made itself known as he rubbed the back of his head and shifted his weight slightly. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought maybe we could hang out some time or maybe eat lunch tomorrow. I don’t know anyone in this school except for you. Kind of.”

I smiled back at him. “Trust me, neither do I.”

“All the better. Hurry up or you’ll be late.”

My mind suddenly dropped back down to reality when I realized what time it was. We quickly exchanged numbers and goodbyes and I ran off. It looked like I might make a friend this year after all. A small grin stayed on my face as I ran around the block. They were definitely going to kill me.

But it was worth it.