So I woke up the next morning and Nic was reading a book. Yesterday with my parents was all right...but I'm still upset that my mother has her heart set on sending my three best friends home. I really only get to see them on tour and now I don't even get to see them on tour. What, am I never going to see them again now?
Trying to forget about this, I looked over at Nic. What book was she reading? Since when does she read books? I've never seen her with a book.
"It's Taylor's," she explained. I nearly cringed at the sound of his name. He was part of the reason I'm here.
"So you've been reading Cosmopolitan?" I asked, trying to veer the subject away from Taylor. I picked up the magazine and scanned over the cover. How...totally uninteresting. " 'Ten ways to make your guy surrender to you in bed.' I've got to check this out." A smile came across her face as I flipped to the right page. Already I could tell some of these would not work. "Let me guess, a woman wrote this article?" Now that was sexist. Oops.
"Like I would actually try that with anyone anyway." I looked over the headlines. No, my conservative little Nic would never do some of this. Some of this was just pure crap. I'm sure I've tried all of this before. It's not any better than the usual. Use your teeth to tease...
"That sounds like it would hurt," I muttered. Nic snickered. "This is a whole bunch of shit. These magazines are so stupid." I turned the page. Pictures?! They actually have pictures? Oh my God did they throw in Kama Sutra suggestions in here? "They even have pictures? Are they allowed to do that?"
"Apparently." I looked back at the magazine.
"The last time I checked my penis did not look like that!" Nic burst out laughing. "Do they even know what one looks like? What the hell is up with this magazine?"
"I think you should put it down before you give yourself another heart attack." I put the magazine on the counter. Actually, I really don't think Nic should be reading this. I picked it up again.
"You shouldn't be reading this. It's not good for you and it'll give you the wrong idea of what people's bodies look like!" I threw it in the garbage.
"Okay. I'll just read my book here."
"What are you reading?" I took it from her and looked at the cover.
"Zac! If you weren't in the hospital I'd so beat your ass."
"You know, the reason Taylor likes this story so much is because it's about him."
"No it's not."
"No, I swear! I've read it before, years ago on the internet. It must have been changed because it's not all the same names." I looked at the book. It was already showing signs of wear. How many times has Taylor read this? It has to be a lot, because I know this is a relatively new book. God, this book takes me way back. I read this so long ago...you know, back when everything was good in the world. "It's really an excellent story. The girl who wrote it is really talented. It's sold well despite the fact it's about me and my brothers. But not many people know that anyway. This one's about Taylor, but there's one about me and another about Isaac. I don't know if those are out or not."
"I'll check for you." I would like to own a copy of my story. I consider it really flattering, all these extraordinary talents pledging their free time to dedicate a story to me or my brothers.
"I think I should be getting royalties or something for this," I said. Like I really need the money...
"Oh, like you don't have enough money," she said, taking the book back from me. "So I told Taylor last night that I'm moving in with you."
"How'd he take it?"
"Not well...but then again I didn't expect him to. He'll be all right, though. I'm going to miss being with him. He�he was something else." I smiled, despite the fact that I felt really bad for taking that supposed happiness away from her. "But I'm looking forward to being with you again."
"So am I. My life will be perfect once I get Lauryn on a flight far away from me and I get out of this damned place."
"Hey, you should be out of here within in the hour, honey," she said. Oh, that's right! Today's my last day in the hospital! Yay!
"It's about time. I'm sick of this place. I can't wait to be able to walk around without all these wires."
"So you can go back to the hotel and sit there? You still can't do much, Zac. You can walk around if you get restless, but you know I won't let you do anything else."
"Thank you, Nic. For taking care of me this past week. I'm sure you'd much rather be doing something else," I said. I know the last place I'd be was watching over someone consistently for a week. I'd get bored way too fast. At least I get to sleep all the time! Imagine what it'd be like if I wasn't asleep.
"No I really wouldn't," she said. "Plus, you keep me entertained, Zac. When you're asleep I had my trashy magazines."
"You're ruined."
"I know." The doctor walked in.
"Hello Nic, good morning Zac. How are you feeling today?" he asked.
"Ready to go home."
"Well then go home. You're all set. I'll get rid of all these wires and you can pack up and go home." The doctor took off all my wires and tubes, then he left.
"You brought me clothes, didn't you?" I asked Nic. I may like my body and be comfortable in it, but I don't prefer to walk out of here naked.
"Of course I did. I know how to take care of you," she said.
"Good. Now did you get me clothes I'll actually wear?" I asked.
"You'll have to see."
"What the hell is this?" I asked, picking up the shirt she brought.
"It's a shirt. Now either put it on or don't. Either way, that's all I'm offering." I grumbled but got dressed anyway. I know I'm being a bit picky, but oh well. I won't dwell on it.
After getting dressed. Nic helped me into a wheelchair (talk about embarrassing, I can't even walk) and we went back to the hotel.
"Zac! You're back!" Lauryn's squealing voice said as I was put back in my room by Nic.
"I'll be right back, okay?" Nic asked, ignoring what Lauryn said. I nodded. "And I'll send Darling in a minute."
"Okay." She kissed my cheek and left. How was I going to put this? I really am not good at breaking up with people. Well, it shouldn't be too hard because I plan on never seeing her again.
"How are you doing, Zac?" Lauryn asked, walking up and crouching down by my wheelchair.
"Well, I guess you would know if you would have come by to visit, but you didn't bother."
"Yeah, I meant to�"
"Whatever. Listen, Lauryn, I'm going to put this bluntly. I'm breaking up with you. Bye. Leave. You can stay with the girls until I find you a flight home."
"What? Just like that, poof you're gone? No reason?" she asked.
"You slept with my brother!"
"You slept with Nic and all the girls!"
"Then we should be doing this anyway. Bye." I got out of my wheelchair and walked to the bed. I did pretty well for not walking for a week. I sat down on the bed, expecting her to be gone. She looked like she was going to cry. Ugh. "Why aren't you gone yet? Lauryn, I don't love you. I never loved you. Get you stuff and leave the room!" She began to cry. "Oh my God stop crying!" Darling walked in and openly laughed when she saw Lauryn crying. "Get her out of here."
"Okay, let's go Lauryn. Time to go away," Darling said, putting her hands on Lauryn's shoulders and pushing her out of the room. "I'll make sure to throw your expensive breakable stuff against the wall before throwing it in the hall! Come on, little rich bitch." They left the room, Darling kicking her suitcase as they went.
Darling came back a few minutes later. "Okay, she's set. Isaac found her a flight tonight back home. I think she'll be just fine once Michelle slams her head against a wall for crying so hard."
"Whatever."
"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting down on the bed next to me.
"I guess I'm just still tired," I said. I was really tired. I was ready for a nap. All this excitement was a bit too much for me. Well, that and my parents were now down the hall and could pop in here whenever they felt like it, which totally ruins my sex life.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "I don't want to think I'm helping you do the wrong thing, cause Lauryn will never forgive me for what I said to her out in the hall."
"No, trust me, I want her gone. I really want to be with Nic again. It's just, everything's really weighing down on me right now. My parents, the girls, and the fact that I can't do anything for myself."
"What about the girls?" Darling asked. "Did something happen with them that I don't know about?" I shook my head.
"No, nothing happened. Me and the girls are fine. It's just that Mom wants to send them home. I can't be on tour without my girls."
"Zac, I think it's going to be quite a while before the tour starts again. If it's been a week and you still aren't walking..."
"I'm walking! I just can't walk far."
"Zac, we're going to stay here a few more days, until you're used to being out of the hospital, then we're going home. Everyone is going home."
"What about Nic? I mean we just got back together."
"I know. I'm sure Mom will let Nic stay with you to take care of you. But we're going home. We can't continue the tour without you; you have a major part in this year's show, with the single and all. You're the front man of the band right now, and you can't play if you can't make it from the hospital to here without getting tired. I know the doctor said you'd be back on your drums by next week but you're not doing good enough."
"I'm doing the best I can!"
"I know you are. It's just going to take longer than expected. You had heart attack, Zac. A heart attack. You nearly died and you expect to be back on your drums playing and singing and running around stage for three hours? I don't think so! You can barely walk!"
"What do you mean I nearly died?" I asked. "Nic said it was just a minor heart attack."
"Well Nic lied. I'm sure she was just trying to make you feel better. I hate to say it, Zac, but she told me everything that went on. You were in cardiac arrest for hours, they were going to give up on you but then you pulled through and you got better. But it's still going to take time. I'm sorry, sweetie." She stood up. "I'll see how Nic's doing and I'll get her over here."
"Okay." Darling left, leaving me alone for a few minutes before Nic came in. I looked up at her and smiled, though I could tell she'd been crying. I guess I expected it; she was really happy with Taylor. I didn't want to pull her away from that but she came and despite the tears, she looked happy to be here.
"Hey you," I said. She put her bag on the floor and wasted no time to run over and fling her arms around me.
"Oh God I've missed you."
"I missed you too." She sighed and laid on my chest, her tears gone and a smile on her face. "I was going to watch a movie. You want to?"
"Sure." I grabbed the remote and Nic got under the covers and cuddled up against me again. I turned on the movie and before it even started, Nic was asleep. I couldn't blame her, she was living on an hour of sleep everyday for the past week. I'm sure all of this commotion was just as bad for her as it was for me.
Halfway through the movie (me still awake but Nic long gone) Mom came in the room. I shut off the move to give her my attention. She was one of those people who had to have your attention because she thought it rude otherwise.
"Hi Mom. What�s up?"
"How's Nic doing?" she asked first, sitting on the edge of my bed. "She looks pretty content."
"Yeah, she's good. She's really tired, so I don't want to bug her. I was going to join her when the movie was over," I said.
"Have you heard anything?" she asked.
"About what?"
"Well, Zac, for your well-being and everyone else on this tour, we're going back home in a few days."
"Yeah, Darling told me that."
"Did she say anything else?" I shook my head. "We'll stay home until you get well enough to perform again, but when we come back, the girls won't be invited."
"Mom! That's not you decision to make. You're not paying for their room. I am. You don't have power over that."
"May I remind you that you are still seventeen? I am still your legal guardian. Your brothers control their own lives, but not you. I'm still your mother. I know you love the girls and I know you don't want to see them leave, but it's for your own good. Look what happened!"
"It's not the girls' fault! I did this. At that point I was so determined to get away that I would have found it one way or another. It only happened to be there. If it weren't, I would have gotten it somewhere else."
"Who brought drugs into the picture anyway?"
"We did. I think Taylor started it and we all tried it and we all liked it. It's not the girls' fault, they just haven't gotten over it yet. You can't punish them for something I did."
"Zachary you could have died."
"Yeah, me. Not them. Mom, those girls are my best friends. You can't get rid of them. They're the ones who keep me grounded. I'm sure all this sudden fame would go to my head if they weren't around."
"Well where are they the rest of the year?"
"They're just a phone call away."
"Then they'll still be a phone call away. You have a phone, you can use it to call them. They're not coming back."
"They need to be here! Ever since we started touring they've been here. One heart attack and you blow a fucking gasket!"
"Don't you swear at me, Zachary. The girls are not coming back and that's final."
"Then you're going to be the one to tell them. Don't expect me to go in there and say anything. I want them to stay. You're the one who wants them to leave. And don't even think about putting my name in there. You tell them that you want them to leave because you think they're a bad influence on me. You tell them everything you just told me and then send them in here."
"I'm just doing what's best for you."
"No, you're not. You're taking control of something you're not even a part of. I could understand if you've been here all the time, but you haven't even tried to maintain contact with us and you have absolutely no idea what's going on here. Next year you won't have any part whatsoever here. I'll be legal and I'll be able to do this on my own, which I have been for years."
"Zac�"
"No! Just get out of here." I turned my movie back on and ignored Mom until she left. I couldn't concentrate on the movie, though. After a few minutes, I shut it off. I knew Mom wasn't going to tell the girls right away. I could probably go and see them before she gets to them.
I moved Nic so she wasn't clinging to me anymore, then got out of the bed. I slowly walked to the door, trying to make any noise to wake Nic up. Now that I moved her, she could wake up at any time.
I got to the door when I heard Nic move. "Where are you going?" Shit. I turned around. "You shouldn't be walking yet."
"I'm fine. I'm just going to see the girls. I haven't seen them yet."
"They can come in here to see you," she said. Nic got up and ran over to me. "You're going back to bed." She tugged at my hand.
"Nic, I'm fine," I snapped. She paused.
"What's wrong?"
"Mom wants to get rid of the girls. We're going home in a few days and stay there until I get better. When we come back the girls won't be with us."
"Well that's stupid."
"I know." She pushed me back towards the bed. Normally she wouldn't be able to move me, but I'm so weak I found myself getting closer and closer to the bed. "What are you doing?"
"You're not going anywhere, Zac. I don't want you walking, I don't even want you standing up. Go back to bed, I'll bring the girls to you."
"Nic, I'm fine. I can walk to the girls' room and back."
"You're wobbling already. Zac, sweetie, sit down, okay? I'll bring them to you." She looked up at me with her adoring eyes, trying a plea bargain to have me stay. I knew leaving right away to see the girls wasn't good because of us being back together and all, but I only had so much time with them before I would probably never see them again. But I had a limited amount of time with Nic before my mother booted her out as well. "All right." I sat down on the bed so I was looking up at Nic. "You know what? I can talk to the girls tomorrow. Today's my day with you. What do you want to do?"
"How do you feel?" she asked sweetly.
"Good."
"How good?" She sat herself down on my lap. Uh-oh. I'm gonna have sex.
"Good enough."
"Honey, can I ask you a question?" Uh-oh. She's horny. Well, I'll have to take advantage of that. I held in my laughter.
"Sure."
"When was the last time she you had a nice," she pause to kiss me, "long," she paused again, moving her lips to my ear, "fuck?"
Oh God.
"Well..." Nic cut me off by kissing my lips passionately and pushing me down on the bed. Has she always been this forceful? "Nic?"
"What?" she asked, obviously perturbed from stopping.
"What has gotten into you?"
"Well obviously nothing yet."
"No, you're just like, extra horny."
"I want to be with you. I've been by your side and you're just so Goddamn sexy. I'm itching to have sex."
"You have changed."
"I know I have. I'm being the old me again without the drugs and the alcohol."
"But if you did have them, you would tell me, right?"
"Of course I would. Now you're spoiling the mood. Take off your pants."
"Okay, whatever."
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Let's just do this."