After school, Nate went home with a confused mind. One, he was considering his girlfriend could be cheating on him, two he deeply wishing he would be able to slide by his mom. It could be hard, and as Nate entered his home Frankie, his youngest brother, ran up to him, and gave him a hug.

"Nate!" Frankie almost screamed, "Can you help me with my project for school!?"

Nate huged him back and pulled away, he walked over to the living room and put his backpack on the couch, "Sure, Frankie!"

"Awesome!" Frankie tugged Nate's arm before running off into the study room.

Nate followed, he walked through the family library and walked into the study room, "What do you need help with?"

Frankie quickly explained to him about the difficulty of math, and how he was getting below average. Nate listened intentionally, and agreed to help with the easy math equations. Nate answered each question correctly, after all he was in the 11th grade, but also re-taking Algebra 2. Nate sighed.

"What's wrong, Nate?" Frankie asked.

"Nothing." Nate murmured in reply.

"Don't give me that Nate!" Frankie protested, "I know something is wrong."

Nate sighed, "Okay fine."

Frankie scooted closer with his chair, wanting to listen.

"I think Miley might be cheating on me." Nate told Frankie.

"Ew.. I don't like Miley, Nate!" Frankie whined.

Nate looked at his little brother and furrowed his eyebrows, "Why?"

"She's so mean to me!" Frankie cried out.

"How?" Nate asked, slowly coming to a realization.

"She's always pinching my cheeks..." Frankie rubbed his cheek, in horror of the memories, "and she never helps me with anything..."

Nate sighed, "So I should break up with her?"

"Yes please!" Frankie almost yelled.

Nate chuckled, "Fine but she's innocent until proven guilty."

Frankie nodded, "Just don't bring her over anymore."

Nate laughed, "Deal."

"Anything else?" Frankie asked.

"Hmm... there is one more thing." Nate said cautiously.

"What is it?" Frankie asked, he was slowly making a plan in his mind. If Nate needed something then Frankie could use that to his advantage.

"Well you see, Miley is performing at The Purple Wall and I agreed to go." Nate said slowly.

"Why should you go? Aren't you breaking up with her?" Frankie asked.

"Yes, but my friends don't know that. Plus, I need a girlfriend to make my image at school complete." Nate laughed uneasily before continuing, "I'd need someone to cover for me while I'm gone."

"But your not grounded..." Frankie stated.

"Yeah but The Purple Wall is open Friday nights." As Nate said this sentence Frankie gasped.

"Your going to ditch moms party!?" Frankie yelled.

"Sh! Sh! Yes, now don't tell the entire world!" Nate spat at him.

Frankie quickly zipped his mouth shut and whispered, "Want me to cover for you? It won't be easy but I can try..."

Nate smiled, "Yes, thanks Frankie." Nate got up out of his seat, about to leave, when Frankie called for him again, Nate turned around, "Yes Frankie?"

"I need to make a deal with you." Frankie got up off his chair and looked at Nate, "I'll cover for you if you help me with my math homework every night."

Nate's eyebrow shot up, Frankie was pretty smart, "Okay. Deal." Nate held out his hand and Frankie shook it. Nate walked out of the room and up to his bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and took out some basketball shorts and T-shirt from his drawers. He pulled them on and walked down the stairs, he turned at the corner and opened a door to a large gym. Just because they were rich didn't keep the Ray's from living like complete royalty. The house was a mansion filled with a swimming pool, sauna, basketball court, a library, study room, and the necessities of course. Nate came down everyday to shoot some hoops and sometimes his friends would come too, basketball helped his mind focus, helped him figure things out. Right now, he was thinking of ways to break up with his girlfriend- after the performance of course- and wondering what Frankie was planning as the cover up. Nate walked over to the bleachers and sat down, he pulled his phone out. 7:45PM it read. Nate put the ball back into the basket and walked out of the gym, he ran upstairs, took a shower, and came back downstairs to eat something before going to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a negotiating day.

Nate awoke in his bed at 9:00 AM, school had begun about an hour ago. Nate always stayed home on Friday's, his mom insisted that Nate helped set up because Mr Ray never liked to do that on a Friday. Nate got up out of bed and walked downstairs in his pajamas, he saw Shane eating his breakfast and talking to his mom. Nate took a seat next to Shane and the talking quieted down.

"Uhh hey." Nate said awkwardly, he looked down at the table in front of him. No food. What was this? A joke?

Shane looked at him, "Make your own food."

Nate snapped his head up and narrowed his eyes.

Mrs Ray quickly cut in, "Now Shane, don't say that to your brother." Mrs Ray turned to Nate, "What would you like, hunny?"

Nate smiled, "Pancakes, thanks mom."

Mrs Ray nodded and smiled, she walked over to the counter and began making the pancakes. Surely she would have a maid to do this right? Actually, wrong. The maid took the day off on Friday's, it seemed as if everyone did. Friday was really the kick-back-have-a-beer kind of a day. The Ray's didn't go to work and the children didn't go to school, and at the end of the day it would end in a nice party with family and friends, or so that was what Mrs Ray was thinking as she poured the pancake mix into the pan for her son. Nate had plans, and he would play the entire day out until he got to the end when Zac would pick him up. Nate knew for a fact- he knew- there was going to be two results.

Result one: Nate goes to the performance, Frankie covers for him, it's a success, Nate comes home and it will be like he never left.

Result two: Nate goes to the performance, Frankie with his childish behavior blows it! It's a failure, Nate comes home and gets a terribly punishment.

Oh, Mrsy Ray knew how to punish her sons, she knew the soft spot. Nate's soft spot was cutting down all connection to his popularity, Shane's soft spot was disconnecting him from meeting Mitchie every weekend and last but not least, Frankie's was video games.

Mrs Ray took the pancake off the pan once it was ready, sliding it onto the plate, and handing it gently to her son. Nate quickly dug in, burning his mouth, yelling "HOT!" and then calming down again. Shane laughed hard and Nate narrowed his eyes. It could have happened to anyone but it always happened to one person, himself. Nate sighed and ate a piece of his pancake again. He just could not wait until he could go to the performance that night, it was really gnawing him inside, he was excited. Excited for Miley? A little... Excited of getting noticed? Oh yes.