Katie and I had such a good time with "The Course of Love Doesn't Run Smooth" that we decided to write a sequel. Once again, we are pretty excited and we think that we have some good things planned for this story.
If you read our first joint and followed us to this thread... THANK YOU! And we hope you like this story as much (or even more) as you liked the last one.
If you are a new reader. THANK YOU too. The first story can be found here ( jonasbrothersfan.com/Community/Forum/tabid/265/forumid/62/threadid/1066583/scope/posts/threadpage/1/Default.aspx )
Katie and I LOVE comments and they truly do make us write and update faster...so... remember that. haha
But... enough rambling from me... here is the first chapter.
chapter uno
Nick’s black Dodge Charger sped down the highway while the radio played softly in the background. Nick sat in the driver’s seat, a pair of black Ray Bans shielding his eyes from the sunlight, and Katie sat in the passenger seat clutching a cup full of lemonade and iced tea with a pair of aviator sunglasses perched on her nose. Amanda occupied the seat behind Nick and a portable DVD player sat on her lap angled so that Joe could see the screen as well. They each had earphones secured around their ears, keeping the volume from the show from protruding into the front seat.
“Wait for it Joe, just wait” Amanda spoke so that she could hear herself over the headphones on her ears.
“Holy crap” Joe exclaimed even louder. “Chris Keller rented a Batman suit too. So who did Haley Kiss? Did she kiss Nathan or Chris?”
“You’ll have to wait and find out” Amanda continued loudly. “You don’t find out for a couple more episodes."
“Can’t you just tell me?” Joe asked as the credits of the show began playing across the screen. “I need to know!”
Amanda saw that Katie was looking back at her from the front seat of the car and she removed the headphones from her ears. She looked questioningly at Katie wondering what Katie was looking at her for.
“You know” Katie began, “When you shout, so that you can be heard over a pair of headphones, it kind of defeats the point of the headphones.”
“Sorry” Amanda said apologetically. “I just…get really into my shows.”
“Yeah” Joe continued, as he turned off the player and put it on the ground in between his feet. “I just really need to know who Haley kissed at the Halloween party. Because at first, you think it’s Nathan, but then… you see that Chris Keller rented the same costume…so then you don’t know.”
“I love that you are so enthralled by that show Joseph” Katie said with a laugh.
“I can’t help it that Amanda sucked me in” Joe responded. “And before you say it…don’t.”
“First of all… I wasn’t going to comment on that…for Nick’s sake” Katie said. “And second of all, I never said that there was anything wrong with it, just that I found it humorous. Because, if you remember correctly, a few months ago, Amanda got me addicted to One Tree Hill too.”
“I remember that” Nick groaned. “All Katie wanted to do was lay in bed…and watch One Tree Hill.”
“I offered to let you watch it with me” Katie reasoned. “But you didn’t seem interested.”
“Watch you drool over some hunky basketball playing actors” Nick started, “while attempting to follow a story line with more twists and turns than a roller coaster, no thank you.”
“Joe is able to keep up with it” Katie said. “I am sure you would have been able to understand it. And plus, I like musicians better than basketball players anyways.”
“Apparently Haley James might like musicians more too” Joe muttered under his breath, causing the entire car to erupt in laugher.
“How much longer til we get there?” Amanda asked as the car continued to drive down the interstate.
“Like twenty minutes” Katie answered glancing at the GPS mounted on the dashboard.
“Oh, so we are like halfway there” Amanda said. “We could just turn around and go to my apartment and pitch some tents in the living room.”
“First of all, we have been driving for like an hour, so we are not halfway there” Joe said. “And second of all, you don’t have an apartment right now, since your campus apartment lease ended when the school year ended; hence why you have been alternating between living at my house and your parent’s house."
“Then we can camp at your house” she continued. “Camping in doors in so much more fun.”
“Amanda” Joe said softly. “You will be fine.”
“Oh, I know I will be fine” Amanda responded. “I am just…not a…rustic type of person.”
“We aren’t going to be roughing it too much” Nick said from the front seat. “We aren’t going to be out here for more than a few days, and the bugs shouldn’t be too bad.”
“I know” Amanda agreed, “I just prefer five-stars not… five...trees.”
“You’re a piece of work, you know that?” Joe asked with a chuckle.
“But you love me” Amanda said in a sing song voice.
“Yes, I do” Joe said simply before leaning down and kissing her forehead softly.
Joe’s mention of the words ‘I do’ caused Amanda’s heart to flutter inside of her chest, and a smile to creep across her face. She scooted closer to Joe and laid her head on his shoulder, prompting him to wrap his arm tightly around her.
Amanda slid her right hand into the pocket of her jeans and clamped her fingers around the circular piece of metal that she found. She traced her fingers across the white gold band and across the large center diamond. Her fingers moved to the two slightly smaller diamonds on each side of the ring and she couldn’t help but smile.
Joe looked over and saw her hand moving in her pocket and instantly knew that she was smiling because of the ring that was in her pocket. He had given it to her two nights before, in order to show her that he was one hundred percent serious about marrying her; it wasn’t a spur of the moment question fueled by hormones.
Amanda’s eyes fluttered open as she felt the car come to a complete stop and the engine shut off. She saw that they had pulled into a clearing in the woods that was set up as a parking area and Nick was already climbing out of the car. Amanda slowly lifted her head off of Joe’s shoulder and returned the smile that he gave her.
Everyone walked to the trunk of the car and began grabbing their belongings. Amanda took her zebra print duffle bag in one hand, and Joe’s navy blue duffle bag in the other. Katie reached in and grasped the strap of her red Nike bag and Nick’s black bag and followed Amanda towards where they would be setting up. Nick carried the coolers containing the food for the next few days and the cooking supplies, while Joe lugged the tents and the lawn chairs.
They walked through the woods until they came into another clearing and decided to mark this spot as theirs. The four of them effortlessly set up the first tent before Nick glanced at his watch.
“It’s starting to get late” he said. “We should probably get a fire started if we want to eat dinner any time soon.”
“How about you guys go and get fire wood” Amanda started, “and Katie and I will set up an area for a fire, and then set up the other tent.”
“You sure about that Amanda?” Joe asked.
“Yeah” she answered. “I’ll be fine, and if not…Katie will protect me.”
“Okay” Nick chuckled. “We won’t be going too far, so if you need anything, just yell.”
Amanda and Katie agreed as they began fixing the large rocks that sat in the middle of the clearing. They moved them so that they were in a circle large enough for a fire, and set up the metal grill rack so that when the boys got back with the fire wood they could light it and then put it on top and be ready to cook.
Amanda and Katie then assembled the second tent, following the same procedure that they had with the first.
“Wait a minute” Katie said as Amanda raised the hammer to nail the stake into the ground. “If you and Joe are sleeping in that tent, we should move Nick and my tent over a little more. I have a young, innocent, impressionable mind that doesn’t need to be corrupted.”
“Innocent my ass” Amanda said with a laugh. “I wasn’t the one who called me to ask if I did something correctly the next morning.”
“Just because you didn’t call, doesn’t mean you haven’t done it” Katie replied in a sing song voice.
“Oh shut up and move the tent” Amanda laughed.
After the tents were secured to the ground, the set the lawn chairs up around the soon to be fire pit and took a seat. Amanda twiddled her thumbs for a few moments, wondering how to start the conversation she was about to have with Katie.
Amanda took a deep breath and said, “Katie, something happened…with me and Joe.”
“Holy sh*t are you pregnant?” Katie exclaimed. “I didn’t even know that you are Joe were… having sex. You didn’t tell me. I mean I guess you guys have been together for awhile, but still.. I mean… you never told me.”
“I’m not pregnant” Amanda interrupted Katie’s rambling.
“Then what happened?” Katie asked. “Because you’re not broken up… you aren’t pregnant… Did you become swingers or something?”
“No..we…we” Amanda stuttered. She took a deep breath and reached her hand into her pocket. She pulled out the ring that Joe had given to her two days prior and held it up towards Katie. Amanda hoped that Katie would know what she was trying to say. The blank expression stayed on Katie’s face and Amanda let out a deep sigh.
Amanda slowly slid the beautiful ring onto her ring finger of her left hand. As soon as the base reached the base of her finger Katie let out a loud gasp.
“Engaged?” Katie exclaimed. Amanda nodded her head slowly waiting for Katie’s reaction. “I am happy for you Amanda, I am, but….why?”
“Because we are in love” Amanda said simply.
“But--” Katie started.
“Katie” Amanda interrupted. “Don’t say anything yet. Let me explain.”
“Okay” Katie agreed.
“Are Joe and I young? Yes … And we know that” Amanda began. “But you can drive at 16, go to war at 18, drink at 21 and retire at 65. So how old do you have to be before your love is real?”
“You stole that from One Tree Hill” Katie said with a laugh.
“You’re right I did” Amanda conceded. “But it’s true. Katie, I know that I am not quite twenty-one yet, but I know how I feel. And Joe is it for me. I’ve been with other guys before and the way I felt about them, didn’t come close to how I feel about Joe. And when Joe and I…had our issues a while ago… that was one of the most miserable times in my life. I know that I love him, and only him.”
“I think I understand” Katie said after a moment or two.
“I know, it’s difficult” Amanda said. “So just… don’t say anything now. Let it sink in for a bit.”
As Joe and Nick walked into the woods on their hunt for firewood Joe contemplated how to talk to Nick. He knew that Nick was most likely going to freak out, but he also knew that it was killing Amanda not to tell Katie. Amanda and Joe both knew that they had to tell Katie and Nick at the same time, otherwise they would tell each other. Katie would be pissed if she didn’t find out from Amanda and Nick would be pissed if his own brother didn’t tell him about his engagement.
“Hey Nick” Joe said, causing Nick to turn towards him, once they were far enough away from where Amanda and Katie were. “I gotta talk to you about something.”
“What’s up?” Nick asked slightly confused.
“I kind of did something the other day that I need to talk to you about” Joe said timidly.
“Did you get Amanda pregnant?” Nick asked shocked. “Mom and dad are going to freak out. Gosh Joe, we have to tell the publicist and Disney and…”
“I didn’t get her pregnant” Joe interrupted his brother. “Contrary to what people, including you, think about me, I haven’t had sex…so if Amanda is pregnant it will be news to me.”
“Then what did you do?” Nick asked wondering what else Joe could be talking about.
“I asked Amanda to marry me the other day” Joe said as he watched his younger brother’s face for any sign of emotion.
“You did what?” Nick asked, not quite sure if he heard him correctly.
“I asked Amanda to marry me” Joe repeated. “And she said yes.”
“So you are engaged?” Nick asked, still in disbelief.
“Yes” Joe answered. “And before you say anything, just listen. I love her. With all of my heart. And I know that I want to be with her forever. So…why can’t forever start now? Who says that you have to be a certain age to decide when your ‘happily ever after’ should happen? Nick, I love her, and I know that she is it for me.”
“Does anyone else know?” Nick asked simply.
“Just, me and Amanda, and you and I’m pretty sure Amanda is telling Katie right now” Joe replied.
“So mom and dad don’t know?” Nick questioned.
“No, they don’t” Joe responded. “And I will tell them. Nick, please, just don’t say anything right now. Just let it be for a little while, and think about it.”
“Okay” Nick agreed. “We should probably get the firewood we came out here to get and head back.”
Nick and Joe walked back to the campsite with arms full of firewood and laid it on the ground. The picked a few logs and set them in the middle of the fire pit and reached into the bag to find a match. After a few unsuccessful attempts, they managed to get the wood to light and had a fire going in no time.
