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Chapter Ten
Point of View: Nick


I woke up the next morning with the headache from hell. That headache was only made worse by Kevin's loud, booming voice, which hovered over me like spacecraft. "Well look who decided to grace us with his consciousness today," he was saying, "About time, Sleeping-fuckin'-Beauty."

I blinked my eyes. Vague memories of colors - lots and lots and lots of colors - flooded my mind and the sunlight etched its way into my retina. "Ughhh, close the blinds."

"No," Kevin's voice was stern, "If you're gonna drink like a man, you're gonna get up like a man," he was saying. "None of this bat cave shit like AJ pulled. You aren't going into seclusion. You wanna drink all night, fine, but you're gonna be up and functional and in the sunlight the next morning."

I rolled onto my stomach and smashed my face into the pillows. "Go to hell Kevin," I groaned. "Why the fuck are you even here anyways?"

"I called about 48 times yesterday," he began, and I instantly felt all my organs start pumping cold blood. Shit, shit, dammit all to fuck, I thought. I knew what he was about to get to and I did not really want to deal with it... "To see how your psychiatric appointment went, and you know, I never did get an answer. So stupid me, I worry about you, and I drive across the entire fucking state of Florida to get here to check on you..."

Dear sweet Jesus, now would be a great time to strike me with that lightening bolt I keep earning. Please?

"...and what happens? You come stumbling out of the house across the street, reeking worse than a Tiajuana Hooker in your boxer shorts, covered in acrylics." Kevin grabbed the blanket and yanked it off my body. I lay there exposed like an ant on a sidewalk in the hot sun. Kevin was about to fry me with a magnifying glass, I just knew it. I could almost picture him cackling like a five year old. "What in the hell were you thinking?" he demanded.

“I dunno,” I groaned into my pillow. This was apparently not acceptable because Kevin grabbed my arm and leg, flipped me over in one swift motion and snatched my pillow away. “Jesus Kevin, leave me alone!” I cried.

“Yeah so you can kill yourself like AJ was going to?” he demanded, “Leave you alone so you can end up on the floor of some hotel room puking your guts up on the verge of death and finally get desperate enough to let your momma check you into a rehab?”

“My mother wouldn’t bother, she’d let me puke myself to death,” I argued, half joking.

“This is not fucking funny, Nick,” Kevin’s voice was stern. A new level of stern, even, because it’d been pretty stern before.

I blinked up at him. “Sorry,” I muttered.

“Seriously, Nick, we almost lost AJ in July, and here it is not even September yet and you’re drunk off tequila? What were you thinking?” Kevin’s eyes had turned sad. Great. I disappointed him. That was even worse than pissing him off.

“I just… I was having fun…” I mumbled.

Kevin shook his head, “Can’t you have fun without all the tequila in Mexico?” he asked.

“I was… with this girl… and I dunno, it was… I dunno.” I really didn’t know how Krystal had talked me into taking shots. Actually, she hadn’t really talked me into it, it had just kinda happened at first, then after we had sex I was so caught up in the afterglow I wasn’t thinking.

But shit was that sex good.

Kevin sighed. “Get up,” he snapped.

“Can’t I sleep?”

“No, get up.”

I groaned and struggled to my feet, “Where are we going?” I demanded.

“You’re coming home with me until tour starts,” he said.

I laughed and laid back down. “No, I’m not, Kevin that’s ridiculous.”

“I can’t have you out here pissing away your life drinking with some whore neighbor who lives across the street,” he answered, “Nick you’re only just barely 21 and—“

“Actually, I’m almost 22,” I snapped, “And I’m a grown up. I’m not going home with Daddy Kevin, I’m fine where I am.”

Kevin folded his arms over his chest. I could tell the way he was staring at me that he agreed the idea was a stupid one, but he still had to battle himself to admit that. He raised his eyebrow. I raised mine back for good measure.

“Dammit Nick,” he said, breaking, he turned away from me, “I don’t wanna lose you, okay? That’s all there is to it, that’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it?”

“I’m not going anywhere, Kev,” I said, half laughing.

Kevin sighed. “Not yet, but you keep it up and you’re going to go right down the same drain AJ did. Keep that in mind.”

“I will.”

“Good.” Kevin moved towards the door.

“And next time, Kev, if I don’t answer the home phone, you can call my cell.”

Kevin nodded. “Okay.” He paused in the doorway. “I still want you downstairs in fifteen minutes,” he said, pointing at me. “I mean it.”

I groaned.

“I’ll come back if you aren’t down here and trust me, you don’t want me to come back.” He trotted out the door and I closed my eyes. Why the hell does he have to care so freaking much? I thought as he went out the door. I sighed.

As much as I hated to admit it, Kevin was right. It happened too easily, I didn’t wanna end up like AJ. I knew that path too well, I’d seen him walk it and I’d even walked part of the way with him. AJ had made a lot of mistakes, and I didn’t wanna make the same ones. I could learn without experience, couldn’t I?

And that didn’t mean I had to stop hanging out with Krystal now, either, which surely would be something Kevin would say within the next couple hours. Rather, I would be a good influence on her and eventually maybe I’d even be able to save her from herself…