Chapter 12

Two weeks had passed and a routine had already seemed to be settling slowly into the daily lives of the Naked Brothers Band. In the mornings Rosalina would pick up the guys and whisk them off to school. Everyone would survive their first few classes and meet up in Rosalinas office for lunch and good company. After school, either Rosalina or Trent would take the guys to the warehouse where they would either have rehearsal right away or hang out until Rosalina would join them depending, of course, on who had driven them there.

Alex would frequently get distracted by Craig, who was steadily dating Jesse now. Cooper was always finding ways to keep himself busy while still keeping the band as his top priority. David seemed to be taking every day a step at a time. Qaasim was rapidly gaining experience on guitar from playing so much to ease his mind. Thomas often disappeared to do his own mysterious things when the rest of the guys thought he was just sitting lazily around his house. Nat continued to schedule rehearsals almost immediately after school, either forcing Rosalina to rearrange her plans or manage to squeeze them around practices.

It was a routine, alright. Granted, it wasnt a very good routine, but it was a one nonetheless.

For most of the members, it was acceptable, at least for the time being. However, for Nat and Rosalina, it was a constant struggle a war between two very stubborn parties. Even though there was no outward anger or petty arguments, the tension was not to go unnoticed. Nat couldnt keep his jealousy in check with Trent around, which seemed like it was a majority of the time. This caused him to continually schedule practices when he knew it was most inconvenient for her, and then later regretting it. Rosalina never showed any frustration towards Nats demands, which is what frightened him the most. Her ability to keep her composure meant that no one ever knew what was going through her head. She braved her unnecessary increase in work and frequented sleepless nights without breaking a sweat.

Rosalina was smart and she knew how to take advantage of her wit. It didnt take a genius to figure out that her lack of response to Nats jealousy would boil him down to his breaking point before hers even made its existence known. However, Rosalina also had a temper, and her fury was like the wrath of Hell bundled up in an oddly subtle package. The worst part was that no one could tell whether or not she was being clever or vengeful.

Another weekend had rolled around, and Nat was burnt out. Unsurprisingly, his plan to form a convoluted friendship with Trent wasnt working out very well. It was hard to keep an eye on his befriended enemy if he couldnt befriend him to begin with, and it was even harder to befriend a person Nat couldnt stand to know breathed the same air as he did.

Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, Nat thought to himself. What a stupid idea.

Nat? Rosalina said, waving her hand in front of his face.

He snapped out of his trance, suddenly remembering where he was. After a long week, Cooper declared that the band would take a break this weekend, making sure to announce it before Nat had the chance to schedule anymore random rehearsals. Rosalina, too, had decided to take the weekend off, with help and encouragement from Trent, of course. The couple decided to spend the evening together, and Rosalina had driven them to a nice and affordable restaurant nearby. Not long into the dinner, Nat started zoning out, which had become a regular occurrence lately.

What? Oh sorry, Rosalina. I was just sort of spacing out, I guess, he replied sheepishly.

She sighed light-heartedly and rolled her eyes. I noticed. Honestly, Nat, I just dont know what Im going to do with you.

Rosalina was being more playful than usual, and Nat was wary of it. Within a few weeks, Nats jealousy had turned into paranoia, and he soon became suspicious of everything. He couldnt even be sure if her joking was genuine or had some underlying motive behind it. Rosalinas vengeance was not something one would want to deal with, especially if she is discrete about it. Still, he smiled at her teasing. She was his girlfriend, after all. I really am sorry. What were you saying?

She narrowed her eyes slyly, playing with Nats suspicions. He noticed this, but wasnt sure if he was being played with or was just being paranoid again. I was just saying how happy I am that Trent offered to take over for me this weekend so I could spend some time with you.

Uh-huh, Nat mumbled lamely. It was the only response he could think of.

I mean, thats so nice of him, dont you think? He actually said that he thought you and I were due for a date, but he knew I was busy.

Uh-huh. The last thing he wanted to know was that his rival was telling him how he should date his own girlfriend.

And I mean, if it were anyone else, I would have said no. But I knew I could trust Trent. Hes always covering for me and watching my back.

Nat was clenching his jaw tighter and tighter with every word she said. Thats very nice of him, he almost hissed. He didnt realize it, but he was starting to turn red.

The other thing he didnt notice was the look of triumph slowly emerging on Rosalinas face. She was playing with him like a cat would its prey. Trents such a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to have him, dont you think?

That was all it took. Before he knew it, Nats mind began to melt and spew itself onto his tongue, causing him to speak almost incoherently with his words coming out at a mile a minute. Trent? Oh yeah, Trents an amazing person, huh? Yeah. I mean anyone would be lucky to have him. Hes smart and reliable and helpful and everything, isnt he? You can trust with him anything, cant you Rosalina? I mean, you let him drive your car and do your job. You give him an extra key to your office and let him waltz around like he owns the place.

Nat she said with a slight smirk.

Still he kept going. Oh and he just happens to be the one of the best dancers in the world, too. Hes famous just like us and hes been on TV and won awards and everything. And yet he still finds a way to live a normal life and attend school just like we do! Its just amazing, huh?

Nat

Oh and you cant forget about how he looks. Hes tall, dark, and handsome like Prince Charming, but hes not a boring little good boy, is he? He likes to wear big clothes and his hat backwards. And he has those piercings. No girl can resist those can they? Hes just perfect, isnt he? Trent is just perfect! And he-

Nathaniel Marvin Wolff! Rosalina interrupted, successfully this time. Are you jealous?

Finally, Nats liquid brain re-solidified, and he realized what had just happened. Rosalina had a triumphant smirk and her eyes were shining with amusement. She had been playing with him ever since he scheduled that first rehearsal. She knew that her composure would wear him down and that by talking to highly of Trent, she would finally break him open. Rosalina had outsmarted Nat in a way he didnt know was even possible. She had cornered him and so he did the only thing he could.

He nodded sheepishly, a blush rapidly turning his face tomato red. Yes.

She couldnt help but laugh, and the indignant suddenly felt the need to defend what was left of his pride.

I mean, you heard what I said. The guys perfect!

Nat

And you said it yourself that any girl would be lucky to have him.

Nat

How couldnt I be jealous of a guy like that?

Nat! He has a girlfriend!

And hes sowait. What?

Once again, Rosalina couldnt help but laugh. Youre so dumb, Nat, she managed to say in between giggles. She quickly managed to pull herself together, and began to explain. Remember when we were watching that movie at your house one night? It was right before Craig took Jesse out on their first date. Trent left to take a call, remember?

How could he forget? Nat barely slept that night because all he could think about was how Trent winked at Rosalina. Yeah, I remember.

That was his girlfriend. Theyve been dating for almost three years now.

Oh, well thenum, he stuttered. There was really nothing for him to say at this point.

Youre so stupid, Nat. She grinned and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Anyway, he texted me a few minutes ago, and I think he needs my help with something real quick. Would you mind if I called him back? Itll only take a minute.

Yeah, sure. Go ahead.

Rosalina touched his shoulder lightly as she left to make the call. Nat watched her as she left, his mind still trying to process everything that just happened. She had him beat; there was no doubt about that. In a way, Nat was relieved. The news that Trent was no longer a threat to his relationship liked a massive weight from Nats shoulders.

But a part of him couldnt but worry.

It went without question that Rosalina was clever and sly. Her subtle techniques almost always brought her victory, this dinner being a prime example of that. On top of that, she was influential, rightfully earning her status among her peers as a respectable, hardworking, and ambitious leader. She had potential, and was not the type of person who would let herself be held back.

Perhaps Nat couldnt be sure of exactly what it was that bothered him. All he could be sure of was that Rosalina DiMeco was a force to be reckoned with, and anything that stood in her way would inevitably face the consequences.

AN: Few.. That was a doozy to edit and type up. This was one of those chapters that sort of just wrote itself, so I hoped it turned out alright. This also took a lotta time to do, and so my mood and tone MAY have changed as the chapter progressed, but I tried my best to keep it consistent.

But anyway, with this mini-conflict resolved, the band gets a little break from the drama... but not much of one. There is still much more to come!

Also, there is a bit of news on my YouTube Channel... But it's nothing big. You can access it through the link bar on the right side of my Livejournal (which you can access through my profile.

Thanks for reading!