Chapter 3
Day 21
�THUMP, THUMP!� The loud knocking came from the front door loudly. The ringing of the loud door bell also rang loudly, cutting thought the silence of the big house. AJ sluggishly dragged himself to the front door as he dragged a blanket behind him like a child. �THUMP, THUMP!� The sound came from the door once again.
�I�m coming, hang on!� He yelled at the door as he reached it. When he opened it he was greeted by the frowning face of Nick. �Dude what�s up with you? I�ve been knocking for like ten minutes now. I tried calling you at home and on your cell phone but you never answer. Actually all of us have been trying to contact you. Have you looked in the mirror lately?� Nick paused looking at him. �What do you mean?� AJ snarled back.
�I mean you look like death. Dude, you need to...no, you have to get out of this house. It�s killing you. You have to go on with your life...the world dose not stop rotating just because you broke up with a girl. If you two are not together chances are there�s a reason for that, and you need to accept it. You can�t just rot in your house like this. Just look at yourself, you look like a homeless man that�s been beat with an ugly stick.� Nick told him.
�Leave me alone!� AJ yelled as he started back towards his den with his blanket. �AJ, Brian is leaving in the morning, he�s going back home. It would be really nice if you could make it to the club to wish him well. Were all going over their right now. So get yourself together and cleaned up so you can go.� Nick told him as he followed him through the house. �You guys can go without me. I�m just going to stay here.� AJ told him as he fell into the couch, stepping over empty beer bottles.
�AJ it�s been almost a month. You need to stop this. Really, you do. All of us have been in bad break ups before man, we have. I know there�s the whole grieving period and all. And I feel for you, I really do, but this is not helping you. Your grieving period expired a long time ago. Locking yourself up in this house and closing yourself off to the world is not going to do any good. I mean your smelly, your house is a mess, your hair is starting to grow long, and your starting to get a full beared. AJ man, this is staring to scare me. Really, it is. Your starting to remind me of Tom Hanks in that movie Castaway, and that�s not a good thing. Hey, do you have a ball you call Wilson around her?� Nick asked pretending to look around the house. AJ had to laugh just a little at that.
�Wow! Did you actually just crack a smile? Uh oh, I think AJ McLean might still be in there somewhere.� Nick said sarcastically.
�Shut up Nick.� AJ replied. �Not until you go take a shower and clean up so we can go.� Nick told him. �I know your right...about everything really. I just...I just turned into a big loser I guess. I just feel like it doesn�t matter though. I know I might sound really weird right now. And maybe it�s just the Nyquil and three shots of tequila I had talking, but I feel like the only person who really cared about me is gone. And if she doesn�t care anymore, then why should I?� He said looking towards the ground.
�Okay first of all, mixing Nyquil and tequila sound like a really dangerous mixture. And maybe you should see a doctor about that. It also explains why you look like a crack head right now and why you seem like your higher then a kite. Second, AJ I can�t believe you think no one cares about you. Hello! I�m here aren�t I? If I didn�t care I�d be at the club meeting some hot chick right now instead of sitting in a house that reacks of cigarettes with you. Which doesn�t sound like a bad idea actually. Anyway, the point is, AJ you have so many people that care about you...believe me. Besides your many fans, all the people that adore you and your friends you have us. You are not alone, especially with the group around. Because were not just a music group, before that, were friends. Were your friends. And right now your friends are waiting for you at club Crush. So how�s about going down there and hanging with some people that care?� Nick asked looking at him seriously with a closed smile on his face.
�Yeah...I�d like that.� He said softly nodding as a smile appeared on his face. �Thanks Nick.� He told him as he gave him half a hug. �Yeah, yeah, now hurry up. There waiting.� Nick told him as he pushed him toward the back where his room was located. �Tell me something Nick. When did you become the wise one?� AJ asked as he started for the stairs. �Who knows...I guess a little bit of Kevin is starting to rub off on me. Ugh, creeps me out.� He answered as he took a seat on the couch trying to step around the empty bottles and trash on the floor.
When AJ had finished cleaning up, he and Nick went to meet the rest of the guys at the club. After they had finished partying AJ realized something. Nick had been right, he couldn�t stop living just because a girl had left him. Girls had left him before and he had moved on. He would just have to do the same thing in this situation. He couldn�t just curl up and die. He had to live on and carry on with his life and stop sulking. Even if this girl had been different. Even if he was in love with her.