"You took a second job? As what? Where did you get this kind of money Nicholas?" my mom was staring at me gently, coaxing the truth from me with her gaze. I felt Lil'as hand squeeze mine gently, "Go on baby, there's nothing to be ashamed of," she encouraged. I started to speak, but my tongue was dry like sandpaper. I felt weak, but realizing I had Lila there gave me a little more strength. My entire family was staring at me, Kevin included. He looked deathly pale lying on that hospital bed; how ashamed would he be? Would anyone ever speak to me again? I slowly glanced around at my brothers, their girlfriends, and my parents. Here we all were in this stark hospital room with Kevin, who was surviving thanks to my tainted income. Lila squeezed my hand again, and rested her chin on my shoulder. I quickly glanced down at her, and her eyes gave me resolve. I took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Okay, here's what i've been doing..."
*8 Months Earlier...*
Nick's POV:
I glanced outside at the cars whizzing by our SUV on the way to the record company. "Ugh, do we really have to do this? I really don't feel good," I heard Kevin moan from the back seat. I glanced back at him through my sunglasses. "What's up with you? You've been complaining all month." He frowned, "Like i know? I just feel like shit, that's all!" "KEVIN, watch your language," mom said from the front seat. "Mom, I'm sorry, but I really don't feel good!" Kevin whined. I sighed as the two of them continued to argue. I was tired of dealing with all this...since Kevin had been acting this way our deal with the record company had started to sour, and none of us really felt like singing. I leaned against the window as i thought about how sweet our career used to be; sold out tours, meet and greets that would go on for hours, and tons of screaming fans that would wait for hours just to even get a glimpse of the backs of our heads. It had started to slow down once Disney had found the next big thing, but we had floated on our own until last month, when our sales dropped, and our shows went from sold out to half empty. I got depressed, Joe was completely focused on his girlfriend, and Kevin drank incessantly. We all had our own ways of dealing...none of which were really that great. We pulled up outside the building, and mom ushered us up to the exec's office. I stuck my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket, and looked down at my bright green chucks. To my right, Joe was texting his girlfriend Brianne, a big goofy grin plastered on his face. To my left, Kevin was clutching his stomach, his face twisted in pain. I shook my head, and tried to focus on what was about to happen. What if we get dropped? I thought. I ruffled the curls at the top of my head as we climbed into the elevator. As the floors rose, so did my nerves. Could this really be the end?
Kevin's POV:
I couldn't think straight...all i knew was this horrible throbbing in my stomach that never seemed to go away. I leaned my head against the cool steel walls of the elevator, sighing. At least that could make me feel better for a few seconds. Suddenly Joe burst out laughing, and I frowned. Loud noises hurt my head now, not to mention bright lights, and even touching the skin on my abdomen made me nauseous. I looked over at mom, who was studying me carefully. I smiled as big as I could, trying to let her see that I was okay, even though I knew better. She had started worrying about me when I started drinking, but it was a comfort for me. I knew for a fact that Nick was doing things that weren't good for him either...I'd seen the evidence. No one wanted to mention that though. I glanced over at him, and he was still staring at his shoes. Ugh, why is he so miserable these days? I thought to myself, as another wave of throbbing seared through my body. I winced, and everyone looked over at me, frowning. I couldn't tell if they were concerned, or just pissed off; it seemed like all I did these days was throw up or make strange noises when I was in pain. The elevator slid to a stop, and we sauntered into the exec's waiting room. I plopped down on one of the big leather couches, still clutching my stomach. I felt almost pathetic that I couldn't just deal with this pain...why wouldn't this go away? I glanced over at the desk where Nick was talking to the receptionist, porobably flirting like always. Joe hadn't spoken a single word today, as he would text Brianne, and then stare at his phone until she responded. I groaned and leaned back against the couch. Suddenly the seat next to me sank in a bit, and I looked over to see mom sitting there. "Kevin, are you alright?" she said, a mix of fear and worry in her eyes. I was going to lie and say, "yes, everything's WONDERFUL mom..." but instead, I replied, "No, I really think there might be something wrong." She frowned and rested a hand on my cheek. "Okay, well while you're in your meeting I'll call and make an appointment to see the doctor today. I don't know how much longer I can stand to see you in agony." I smiled half heartedly, "Thanks, mom." Just as I said this, the exec's receptionist informed us that we could go in. I got up slowly, attempting to keep from folding my torso at all. Joe glanced over at me and said, "Dude, are you coming?" I frowned, "Oh, so he speaks..." He shook his head and muttered something that sounded like, "fuck off." I ignored it, and watched as Nick and Joe both shuffled into the room in front of me. How much longer could I stand this? "How long is this meeting?" I mumbled to Nick. He didn't even look over at me as he said, "I dunno...probably not very long, considering they're just gonna tell us we're out of jobs." I shook my head. He was such a pessimist lately...what happened to my kid brother? I wanted to shake him and just say, "Snap out of it!" but I knew that would get me nowhere fast. "Boys! Good to see you; come on in." I looked up and saw him standing there...the man who was about to decide our fate as musicians. My stomach cramped again. What the hell is wrong with me?
Joe's POV:
We all stood in front of Bob, unsure of why he called us in. Nick still had his sunglasses on, Kevin was groaning in pain, and I was waiting for Brianne to text me back. Bob looked back and forth between the three of us and said, "Well, why don't you sit down, and we can get this done, hmm?" I plopped down in the first chair I saw, and then my cell buzzed. I went to grab it, but Kevin slapped my hand away from my pocket. "Would you wait like, five minutes maybe?" he huffed. I nodded, not wanting to start a fight in the office. "So! Bob...what's up?" I said, trying to make the situation a little lighter than it felt, which was about the weight of a ton of bricks. He paused before he started, "Well, I'm going to cut to the chase. Your album hasn't been doing so well, so I want to talk to you about re-strategizing. I think you should take a break for a while. Maybe try some new material?" Nick's eyebrows sank underneath his sunglasses, and I could hear the anger in his voice as he said, "So what, we're not good enough anymore?" Bob shook his head, "Now Nick, that's not what i'm saying-" Nick cut him off, "Well, it certainly sounds like it." I frowned, "Dude, chill out..." Nick looked over at me, "You know what? You haven't said a damn world all day, why start now?" and with that, he got up and left the office. Kevin sat forward a bit, "I'm sorry Bob he hasn't been handling this well. We're all a little nervous here..." Bob laughed, "It's okay. I just think you boys should take some time off...maybe we'll start up again soon?" I nodded, "That sounds good. We'll come back from this, I know it!" He smiled at me, "I like the attitude, Joe. Just see if you can work on Nick, okay?" We stood up and shook his hand, agreeing that we would keep in touch as we took a much needed break. As we left the office, I could see Nick brushing mom off ahead of us, and she shook her head as he continued over to the elevator. I walked over to her and hugged her. She smiled at me and then said, "Oh Kevin, we have an appointment in an hour to see the doctor...we better get moving." I grinned, "Finally! Now we can find out he's just backed up and we'll go back to normal!" I gently punched him in the stomach, and he double over, yelling in pain. "oh shit..." I muttered. What did I just do?
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