"I'm famished." Said Brian. "Let's eat."

"Let's eat. Let's eat. Let's eat. Let's eat." Nick said in a sing-song voice. He bounced up and down.

"Has anybody seen AJ?" Leighanne asked as they walked out of Record Town.

"Did you check the adult bookstore?" Nick suggested.

"I’m not allowed in there." Brian stated matter of factly.

"You don’t think he’d go into his favorite store, do you?" Howie wondered outloud.

"’Twinkies ‘N Mountain Dew’? No way! He didn’t go into rehab for nothing. 2 years without a twinkie or a drop of mountain dew… AJ wouldn’t blow it." Nick pointed out.

"Is that him over there?" Leighanne pointed to a dark figure wearing sunglasses and a hat.

"I can’t tell." Brian squinted. He shifted Baylee to his other arm. "I think I recognize the tattoos though."

The figure dodged around corners, weaving around other customers with a bulky paper bag in his arms.

The figure suddenly stopped moving and stared at them.

"He’s not moving... maybe it’s just a statue." Nick said.

"It was moving a second ago nitwit." Brian retorted.

Nick shrugged.

Howie winked at him.

"He’s still not moving!" Nick pointed out again. "It can’t be AJ! AJ is mobile!"

_______________________________________

Oh no. They’re looking over here. AJ thought to himself. I hope they don’t see me. Maybe if I stand real still. At least Nick might think I‘m a statue."

He looked across the mall at the group of friends, trying not to move a muscle.

"Just stay calm and nobody will notice you." He tried to comfort himself outloud.

"Hey Bone!" He heard Kevin yell through the crowd. "Is that you?"

Don’t move a muscle! He ordered himself. He’ll never know it’s you!

Kevin walked a few yards closer to AJ.

"AJ!!!" AJ turned his head toward the sound of the voice.

He thought it was someone else, but as soon as he made eye contact with Kevin, he knew he’d been wrong.

"Bone!" Kevin yelled again."

"AUGGHH!!!" AJ bolted for the front door.

Kevin raced after him.

"Where are you goin’, man? I thought we were gonna eat!" Nick shouted after him.

"Let’s head over to the food court." Leighanne suggested.

She turned toward Nick but he was already headed toward Panda Express.

"Isn’t it weird that we’ve been here all day and nobody has recognized us?" Howie asked Leighanne and Brian.

"Yeah... that is weird."

Howie stopped to gaze into the window of the toy store.

"OMG!!! Blues Clues on DVD!! NICK!!!"

Once again, the blur that was Nick raced past him and into the store. Nick snatched up the last two copies, purchasing one for him and one for Howie.

"You’re the best man!!" Howie thanked Nick.

Nick grabbed him in a big bear hug and kissed his cheek.

"If you guys do that one more time..." Brian warned. "... seriously, it’s creepy."

They group headed back into the food court. Nick tried to go into Panda Express to buy himself some lunch, but Leighanne wouldn't let him.

"But I'm hungry!!" He whined.

She grabbed him by his shirt sleeve.

"You know how mad Kevin gets when we don't wait for him."

Nick yanked his arm away from her grasp and grumbily slunked himself into a seat.

Howie sat down next to him.

"Don't worry, man. Kevin will be back with AJ any minute and we can eat lunch."

Nick stuck out his lower lip.

"Fine."

"Come on, let me see that Carter grin." Howie teased.

"No" Nick said stubbornly.

His lips started to quiver and then turned up into a grin.

"You guys are making me sick!" Brian yelled as he changed Baylee's diaper up on the table.

"Brian, people eat there!" Leighanne warned her husband.

"Nobody's eating here now."

"That's exactly my point!" Nick yelled. "Let's just go. We can stop by Mcdonald's on the way home."

They got up and headed to the front entrance.