Through Pain We Survive

Chapter 11

AJ was practically bouncing while walking. He was excited to be here. He loved the interactions with their fans. He hasn't stopped smiling since they checked in.

Grabbing his hand to calm him, Gwen looked at him and smiled. It was wonderful being here.

They arrived to the room their panel was being held. Waiting in the hallway, they got some waters and sat down. They had about a half hour before their panel started, so they had some time to calm down.

Although, calm is not what AJ was. He was bouncing around, pacing, or just moving around, feeding off the energy in the room. He could hear the crowd being let in, and it was exhilarating. Knowing that all those people are in there to talk to him, Gwen, and Nate was just mind blowing.

"Alright. Sara will be called down first to sit in the front row, then they'll come get us. Malcolm told me the order is Gwen, AJ, then me," Nate reiterated what their handler and friend Malcolm had told him. "There will be water out there for us, so we can leave these back here."

"Okay. Thanks Nate," Gwen said, a bit distracted.

Gwen was more focused on AJ, and reading his cues. She could tell he was excited, yes, but he also was a bit nervous. Having a few bad conventions under his belt, he always had those fears in the back of his mind.

They heard the emcee start to introduce them, and they stood. Their handler got Sara for the front row, then quickly came back for them. They lined up as Nate said, and walked on stage.

"That was a fantastic panel!" AJ burst out when they were in the hall again. The adrenaline and excitement was still coursing through him.

Gwen smiled at him. He always was hyped up after panels and getting to see his fans. "We have a meet and greet we had better get to. Have you seen Sara?"

"She may be still trying to get out of the hall. It was pretty packed in there," Nate answered. "I'll go meet her by the door." He took off and left AJ and Gwen alone.

Gwen took AJ's hand. "Great job out there." She smiled at him. "I'm always reminded how proud of you I am when we come to these- how far you've come."

"All I do is make silly musicals with my friends," AJ half-joked.

"I mean it, Baby. You always amaze me with what you come up with. You are so incredible. I love you." She kissed him.

He smiled and hugged her. "I love you. Thank you for always being so supportive of me and this dream of mine. I don't know where I would be without you and your encouragement."

"I just want you to be happy. Plus, I get to do it too, and I enjoy it immensely." She smiled.

A thought crossed her mind that made her smile falter. AJ looked at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just something I noticed while we were up there. Sara seemed bored. She didn't interact or engage at all with anything we said or did. She was typing on her phone pretty much the whole time."

"Hmm. I noticed she was on her phone, but a lot of people were. I figured they were taking pictures or recording."

"I don't know. I just— I feel as if she's going to hurt Nate. I don't want that happening, but I don't know how to stop it. I feel that it's his life, I shouldn't interfere. But he's my friend, and I want to protect him."

"Well, we can't go by feelings and assumptions. I say just let it be for now." He stroked the side of her concerned face. He leaned in and kissed her. "It will all be okay."

She nodded. "Okay. I trust you."

Nate and Sara rounded the corner just then. "Hey! Great panel!" Sara smiled. AJ and Gwen smiled back. Gwen could tell Sara wasn't genuine in her smile. She mentally shrugged it off. They had to get going.

After their meeting and greet, they picked up dinner at a local cafe and went back to AJ and Gwen's room to eat.

Once they finished, they discussed events for that evening. There was a party being held for the panelists, but they all agreed they were not interested in going. Gwen and AJ decided to play mini golf instead. Nate wanted to stay in his room and watch a movie or something.

"You two have fun!" Nate walked back to his room with Sara following.

"Oh, if you'll excuse me, I need to run to my room. I'll be back."

Unlocking her door, Sara once again pulled out her phone and sent a message. "The goody two-shoes are gone for a while at least. I can try to see what I can do with just Nate here." She changed into some more comfy clothes and walked back to Nate's room. They settled on watching a movie, and Nate ended up falling asleep. Sara looked around and decided how to go about the next part of the plan.

She left a note for Nate saying she went back to her room so he wouldn't worry. Leaving his room, she went back to hers and went to bed.