FicWad

A/N: Whoot! This one is set in Nick's point of view, and is actually based on a Jo-Bros song...funny how that works, isn't it? This is sort of an insight into how Nick runs into Paige/his relationship before Paige...yay.

Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics to "Goodnight and Goodbye".

Song Used: Jonas Brothers' "Goodnight and Goodbye".


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Ten: Goodnight and Goodbye
Puppet: Nicholas Jonas


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This has been no walk in the park,
I feel like we have fallen apart,
Open up your eyes, girl,
And see how wonderful this love could be...

Our love was like chocolate ice cream.

A little of it, perhaps just a small bowlful and it was great. A quiet outing here, a little kiss there, a nice, tame conversation somewhere in between...I liked it that way. I could play the gentleman and she could play the lady. Things just felt all right.

But too much of it, like the entire freaking bucket, and it made my stomach hurt. More often than not she wanted to go to huge parties or take all her friends and I with her on a shopping spree. Sadly, she was never satisfied by my mild, chaste kisses and demanded more than I was willing to give. Unfortunately, it was only on rare occasions that I got my wish and had a real, meaningful chat with her.

Too much ice cream could kill me.

Sort of gives a whole new meaning to the line, “slow down, sugar, I'm a diabetic”, doesn't it?

It was a little confusing for me, actually. On one hand, I really liked her. She was a lioness, brave and full of admirable energy. She had a passion for acting and had a natural stage presence so, on some degree, she and I were able to connect on that level. She was loyal to her friends and would do almost anything for them should they need her help.

But on the other, I just don't think we could click the way I wanted us to. She was independent and wouldn't let me look out for her the way I felt I should, pushing me away with everything she had when something was bothering her. She was proud and loved to have her ego stroked, seemingly unable to realize that other people had talents of their own as well. I couldn't help but suspect that the only reason she was so helpful was because she was only interested in the attention that came with being the hero.

She was popular and had the tendency to flaunt the fact that she was dating a Jonas Brother in front of her friends' faces. There were times when she just bounded up to me and kissed me without even saying hello first.

Sometimes, she interrupted conversations with my brothers that way, which was awkward. Kevin didn't like her much, saying she was too loud. Joe thought she was the funniest girl I'd ever taken an interest in...until the day she'd let loose on him for something that hadn't been worth it. Poor Frankie was afraid of her, I think.

She said she loved me. I wasn't sure. We had only been together for a month...it seemed a little early.

As much as I wanted to believe her, I wasn't sure she did.

I wasn't sure I even liked her.

Hold on tight,
It's a roller coaster ride we're on so,
Say goodbye,
'Cause I won't be back again,
Up and down,
You're all around,
Say goodnight and goodbye...

Another week, another date. Another date, another failure.

I trudged through the house and up to my room, slipping off my jacket, the outside of which was still cold from the winter air outside. My head chattered irritatingly away with commentary on the recent event despite my want for some peace.

She'd told me she loved me again, and instead of lying and saying it back I'd pretended I hadn't heard. She'd kissed me, she like she always did, and rather than feeling the sparks one should've felt I'd been subject to nothing but an icy feeling in the pit of my stomach. She didn't mean it. She didn't want me for my heart; she wanted me for my face, my fame...

Suddenly and guiltily I realized I'd lied just as much as she had. I allowed her proclamation to go under false ignorance. I'd kissed her back, regardless of the fact that I hadn't wanted to.

My feet almost literally felt like blocks of ice, being cold and heavy...though I really wasn't sure if that was because of the weather I'd just come from or if it was because that's how my heart felt at the moment. I dragged them against the floor, to which my eyes remained fixed. I didn't want to look at anything; it was all too bright, too colorful, too hard to compute with all the other things racing through my head.

“What's the matter, Nick?”

I glanced up, wincing as I felt a headache coming on. Kevin stood before me, his eyebrows lifted questioningly and his arms crossed against his chest, blocking the doorway into my room.

Had he been waiting for me?

“Nothing,” I fibbed for the millionth time that night, “just cold. Why?”

“Just wondering.” He said innocently, uncrossing his arms. He stood still then, his hazel eyes searching mine with the eerie perceptiveness yet reassuring concern of an older sibling.

Seconds ticked by. He moved away from the doorway and started to move past me. “It wasn't cold last week.” He remarked cryptically over his shoulder.

If I thought lying to Becca felt bad, I felt even worse lying to Kevin. He was my older brother, after all. We were brothers, band mates, friends...he was my hero, and here I am lying through my teeth to him when all he was trying to do was offer a helping hand.

...This was spinning out of control. I needed to do something before I lied to someone else.

You say, you didn't mean to break my heart,
But girl, you did,
But I'm over it,
Adieu to you and all your games,
All your crazy friends,
This is the end...

“Hey, Bec?”

Wide green eyes flicked away from her brightly lit cell phone screen and up at me. I smiled wryly to myself; it was only when I used that serious tone did she drag herself away from the gossip and drama and look at me. At that point, I'd come to expect that sort of thing, actually. I couldn't think of a single time she'd ever gotten a text or phone call from one of her friends, silenced it, then said, “it can wait”.

I knew I had, but she hadn't.

“What's up, Nickels?”

If she'd ever paid any attention, she'd know I hated it when she called me that. I felt my heart harden toward her, and in the back of my mind I was glad that I had chosen to take action after school rather than during a date. There wasn't any pressure on me to be romantic or sensitive about it.

“I'm canceling our movie on Friday.” I said shortly, putting my hands in my pockets and raising one eyebrow challengingly at her.

She looked suspicious for a moment, then smiled sweetly. “Ya' mind me asking why?”

I drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment, fearing that letting it out would also allow my courage to go with it. I'd thought about the act for quite some time now, but it was one thing to do something in theory, a whole other thing to do it in practice.

“'Cause we're done.”

Her entire body seemed to go stiff and rigid. Her eyes glimmered with betrayal and hurt and her face, just moments before looking so happy with the world, darkened and clouded over. “Wh-what? You're breaking up with...why?”

Had I not had so long to think about the things she had put me through, I would've taken pity on her and let her down easy. But she had stood idly by while I stewed and brooded over it, so I didn't feel hardly anything for her cause.

Just the other day, Frankie, who was far younger and far less perceptive than Becca, had informed me that I wasn't acting normal and that it 'made him sad'.

“Maybe if you'd thought to listen to something other than your own voice, you would know,” I stated softly, “bye, Bec.”

And just like that, it was finished.

Hold on tight,
It's a roller coaster ride we're on so,
Say goodbye,
'Cause I won't be back again,
Up and down,
You're all around,
Say goodnight and goodbye...

Not surprisingly, it didn't take me that long to get over the breakup. I guess that's what happened when one already felt so detached from their girl that they might as well have been broken up in the first place.

My brothers, all three on different levels, were happy to see her go. I couldn't honestly say that I minded their bitterness toward Becca, either. Kevin seemed the most satisfied; something about the way he smiled and told me he was glad I'd gotten the guts to end it made me think that perhaps he'd known more about my suffering than he'd let on.

Weeks went by. I couldn't help but notice the girls in Becca's clique saying gleefully amongst themselves that I was 'fair game' now that Becca was out of the picture. They all stared at me, Becca included, when I walked past them in the hallway, then giggled like 3rd graders.

That bothered me. They bothered me. All but one of them seemed to be clones of Becca.

I didn't know the sky-eyed, smoke-haired girl's name, but there was something about her quiet nature that peaked my interest. She didn't seem to be at all like the other girls. Later I learned from a friend that her name was Paige Waters, and that the only reason she was in that group was because she and Becca had known each other since kindergarten.

Well, girl,
I'm sorry for disappointing you,
But I'm done with being up and down,
And pushed around,
No more...

I watched and began to admire her from afar, all too aware of the watching, vengeance-thirsty eyes of Becca. For a long time I was too scared to approach my would-be sweetheart, but on December 17th I, under the infallible advice of the 'romantic' Kevin Jonas, took a chance and asked Paige if the Waters clan would like to spend Christmas Eve with the Jonas family.

Her eyes got wide for a moment and for a awful few seconds I thought perhaps Kevin had been wrong and that was too forward. But all that went away with a big, bright smile that I was beginning to trip over myself for and an excited acceptance of the invitation.

Things went beautifully. Frankie instantly took a liking to her thanks to her eager willingness to play with him. Kevin and Joe made quick friends with her wacky, amiable older brother, and my parents seemed to approve of both children and their sturdy father.

Now, we were out in the front yard, just her and I, building a fort for Joe's planned snowball fight.

Hold on tight,
It's a roller coaster ride we're on so,
Say goodbye,
'Cause I won't be back again,
Up and down,
You're all around,
Say goodnight and goodbye...

Everything was going fine until, as if struck by lightning, Paige yelped and stumbled backward into the snow. Curious as well as a little worried, suspicious that perhaps Joe had started the fight a little earlier than we'd planned, I came over to her. “You okay, Paige?”

She sat up and rubbed the back of her head, one cerulean eye closed in a wince. “I think so...”

I offered a gloved hand down to her, smiling a little in amusement. She took my hand and I helped her up, working in conjunction with her own sharp tug I'd been expecting.

What I didn't expect was the force to bring her front bumping up against mine, nor for it to create an abrupt closeness of our faces. I blinked in surprise, but didn't withdraw. Her breath warm against my cold skin, I smiled bashfully and for a moment only two words flashed desperately across my mind.

Kiss her.

“What do you think you're doing, Paige?!”

With a inward scowl I realized that I recognized that snarling, hurt voice coming from behind me. Becca.

Paige's keen indigo eyes widened even farther with both fear and surprise. To my disappointment, her form drew away from mine, her hands quickly darted back to her sides, and her eyes dropped nervously to the ground. “Nothing, Bec.” She murmured submissively.

“That didn't look like nothing!”

There was no way I was going to allow Becca to think that somehow she still had some sort of right to be angry. I wasn't going to let Paige feel like her friend had some sort of power over her.

I turned to face the seething, foolish girl while at the same time clutching Paige close.

“That's because it wasn't nothing, not that it's any of your business. Goodnight, Becca.”

Hold on tight,
It's a roller coaster ride we're on so,
Say goodbye,
'Cause I won't be back again,
Up and down,
You're all around,
Say goodnight and goodbye.


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A/N: Merf. I know that ending was horribly rushed, but I started running out of free page space to use way too soon and...yeah. Before the ending, though, I'm rather proud of this piece.