Nick’s point of view

I woke up to find my sheets all tangled up in my legs. I knew that I had gotten at least seven hours of sleep, but for some reason I still felt exhausted. That and plus the fact that I was really cold but also sweating at the same time didn’t add up to anything good. After taking a shower that didn’t make me feel any better, I put on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and went downstairs with every intention of eating breakfast. But when I got to the kitchen, the sight of food made me nauseous so I decided to skip the whole breakfast thing. I was about to go climb back into bed, maybe get more sleep, when my doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock on the wall, 10:30 am, who would be here at this time? I opened the door and saw AJ standing there.
“Hey Bone,” I said unenthusiastically and let him in.
“It’s great to see you too Nicky,” replied AJ sarcastically.
“Don’t call me Nicky,” I mumbled and then sat down and leaned back on the couch with my eyes closed.
“Sure, so what’s up with the outfit?” asked AJ.
I opened my eyes and looked at him. “What’s wrong with my outfit?” I asked.
“Hmm, let’s see, it’s like over 90 degrees outside and you’re wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, I’d say that there was something up,” said AJ.
“Nothing’s up with my outfit, I was just a little chilly that’s all, I must’ve turned on the air conditioning too high for the night,” I replied and closed my eyes again.
“Nick, the air conditioning isn’t on,” said AJ gesturing towards my air conditioning unit, which as I saw, was off.
“Okay, whatever, I’m just a little cold,” I said impatiently. “Is there a reason for why you’re here?” I asked.
“Yeah I came to remind you that we have rehearsals for the dance moves for the video today,” replied AJ, and then curiously looked in the direction of the second floor. “Is Liz around?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “No she’s not, she spent the night at Brian’s,” I replied. “When do we have to be at rehearsal?” I asked.
“At twelve,” said AJ distractedly now. “Why did she spend the night at Brian’s?” he asked.
“Cause they were watching a movie and she fell asleep, and Brian said that he didn’t want to wake her up so he let her sleep,” I answered. It would’ve been fun to mess with AJ’s head for a while, but I was too tired to do so.
“Oh, okay,” said AJ and then got up. “So I’ll see you at rehearsal right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’ll see you there,” I replied and closed the door behind him.
Damn it, I completely forgot about the rehearsal! Did we really need dancing in that video? Ugh, how the hell was I supposed to dance when I could barely drag myself around my house? I figured that I might as well try to get some more sleep so I went back to my room, set the alarm for 11:30, and fell asleep.

Liz’s point of view

I woke up on Brian’s couch and stretched. I climbed out from under the blanket, that Brian must’ve placed on me the night before, and went to the kitchen. Brian was there and he was cooking something.
“Morning,” I said brightly.
Brian turned around and grinned. “Hey, sleep well?” he asked.
“Yep, totally,” I replied and breathed in the aroma that was coming from the stove. “What smells so good?” I asked.
“I’m making pancakes,” announced Brian proudly.
“Great!” I said enthusiastically.
“Yeah, so go ahead and take a shower and when you get out, breakfast will be ready,” said Brian.
“Bri, I didn’t bring any change of clothes with me,” I said sheepishly.
“Oh, of course,” said Brian moving away from the stove. “I’ll be right back,” he said and ran upstairs. He came back a couple of minutes later. “Here you go, they should fit you just fine,” he said handing me a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. “And don’t worry, they’re clean,” he added with a grin.
I laughed. “Thanks, in that case, I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” I said and went upstairs to take a shower.
“Okay, I put some towels in the bathroom for you!” called out Brian as I was walking up the stairs.
“Okay, thanks!” I called back and went into the bathroom.
Just as I said, I was done twenty minutes later and was back in the kitchen. Brian had already set the table and there was a stack of delicious looking pancakes in the middle. There was also syrup, orange juice, toast, and there was coffee in the coffee maker.
“That’s a big breakfast,” I commented with a laugh as I sat down.
“Yeah, well, I gotta dance today so I need my energy,” replied Brian and sat down across from me.
“Cool, but everything looks great!” I complemented and Brian grinned proudly. I laughed and then we both dug into our food.
We were done around 11:30 and Brian started to clean up. I offered to help but he absolutely refused to let me. He was just so sweet!
“Wanna come to rehearsal with me?” asked Brian when he was done and had put the dishes into the dishwasher.
“Sure sounds like fun,” I replied.
“Great, let’s go,” said Brian. He grabbed his keys and we were out the door.

Nick’s point of view

I was rummaging around my house trying to find my keys. I was running late for the rehearsal and I knew that the guys weren’t going to be happy about it. Then again, since I was always late, maybe they wouldn’t care. But either way I didn’t want to be too late. I finally spotted my keys buried under some magazines on the coffee table. I quickly grabbed them and bolted towards my car.
I was still tired and sweating but not as cold. I did decide to change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt since I knew that dancing in a sweatshirt would be too hot.
I managed to get to rehearsal only fifteen minutes late. I walked in and saw that everyone was already there, including Liz. It was so nice not seeing her till now, but there she was, talking to the guys, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she was wearing Brian’s clothes.
“Hey guys,” I greeted them.
“Hey Nick, feeling better?” asked Brian.
“Oh yeah, just fine,” I lied. I wished that Brian didn’t mention it, now Kevin was looking at me suspiciously.
“What was wrong with you?” he asked.
“Nothing, I was just tired, but I’m fine now,” I replied quickly.
“Sure?” asked Kevin. He never gave up the role of ‘big brother’.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I replied and hoped that he would just drop the subject.
“Okay,” said Kevin satisfied with my answer. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“So Bri, why is it again that Liz is wearing your clothes?” asked AJ turning the attention away from me and onto Brian and Liz.
“She took a shower in the morning and since she didn’t have a change of clothes with her, I gave her mine,” he replied groaning. AJ was about to say something else but Liz cut him off.
“AJ, get your mind out of the gutter,” she warned. “And don’t you have rehearsal or something?” she added.
“Okay, I’ll stop…for now,” said AJ mischievously raising his eyebrows. Everyone groaned at him and then we took our places to rehearse.

Liz’s point of view

“Okay guys, from the top, one two three,” counted off Fatima, the guys’ choreographer. They started to dance and I had to admit, I was impressed. The dance moves looked really hard but the guys were pulling them off with what looked like no effort. They were really good at what they did. About halfway through the song I noticed that Nick seemed to be a little off. Apparently Fatima noticed it too because she turned off the music and looked straight at Nick.
“What?” he asked.
“You’re kinda off today,” she commented. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is fine, I just messed up a little that’s all,” replied Nick, his tone was a little defensive.
“Okay, it’s just that usually you give 110 percent to your dancing,” said Fatima.
“I’m fine,” insisted Nick.
Fatima shrugged. “Okay, then let’s go again,” she said and turned the music back on. I sat through the rehearsals watching the guys dance, but I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with Nick. He was visibly messing up and Fatima didn’t like it one bit.
After the rehearsal was over, Fatima pulled Nick over and spoke to him privately. I didn’t know what they were talking about but I suspected that the topic of the conversation was Nick messing up.
“We’re gonna go grab something to eat, you coming?” asked Howie coming up to me.
“Sure sounds like fun,” I replied. “But first I gotta stop by Nick’s house and change my clothes.”
“Okay,” he said and then Brian and AJ came over to us too.
“So are you coming?” asked AJ wiping his face with a towel.
“Yep, just gotta change my clothes,” I replied.
“Okay, so we’ll stop by Nick’s, you can change, and then we’ll go eat,” said Brian putting down his towel and picking up his duffel bag. “Just wait a couple of minutes while all of us change,” he said and headed towards the dressing rooms, as did all the other guys.
The guys reappeared a few minutes later changed and ready to go.
“Nick, Liz and me are gonna stop by your house so that she can change, then we’ll meet you and the other guys at the place where we’ll decide to eat,” said Brian turning to Nick.
“I’m not going with you to eat,” replied Nick, while stuffing his rehearsal clothes in his duffel bag. Brian and the other guys looked at him confused.
“What do you mean? Aren’t you hungry?” asked Kevin.
“No I’m not hungry, I’m just gonna go home and sleep,” replied Nick. “I’m really tired,” he added.
“Nick you gotta eat,” said AJ.
“I’ll eat at home after I get some rest,” said Nick curtly and was out the door before anyone had a chance to say one more word to him.
“That was weird,” commented Howie at Nick’s sudden departure.
“Yeah, no kidding,” said Kevin, I could see that he was worried about Nick.
“Do you think we should go after him?” asked AJ.
“Probably not, give him time to rest like he said, we’ll talk to him about this tomorrow during the video shoot,” replied Kevin and gathered his stuff.
“Okay,” agreed AJ and Howie and Brian nodded their heads.
“So where are going to eat?” asked Brian.
“McDonald’s?” said AJ hopefully.
“Sure why not,” said Howie shrugging. “Anyone have any objections?” he asked. Everyone shook their heads and it was decided.
“Alright, so me and Liz will meet you at McDonald’s in about a half an hour,” said Brian.
“Okay,” said AJ, Howie, and Kevin. Then they all went to Kevin’s car and Brian and me headed for his Jeep.
“Bri, let me ask you something,” I said when we got into the car.
“Shoot,” said Brian starting the car.
“What do you think is going on with Nick?” I asked. Yes I know, I wasn’t exactly fond of the guy, but a feeling inside told me that something was seriously wrong with Nick and that he was trying to hide it from everyone else.
“I have no idea what’s going on with him,” replied Brian sighing. “For the past few days he’s been really distant, and not just with me, with everyone. I know that he’s hiding something, but I have absolutely no idea as to what it could possibly be.”
“Maybe something is bothering him, that would explain him being so off target in rehearsal. He might have a lot on his mind,” I suggested. I silently added that that something was probably me.
“That could be it,” agreed Brian and then looked at me. “You don’t seriously think that it’s you do you?” he asked. Yep, Brian definitely knew me like the back of his hand already.
“Well…think about it, it makes sense doesn’t it?” I said shrugging. “I got here a little over a week ago, and now all of a sudden Nick starts acting weird. Maybe the fact that I live with him is bothering him more than he lets on.”
“Okay, that could be a possibility but only if you were acting like him too,” pointed out Brian. “But you’re acting perfectly normal and Nick isn’t, therefore, it has to be something else,” he concluded and then stopped the car in front of Nick’s gate. Brian got out, punched in the code and the gate opened. After he parked the car in front of Nick’s house, we both got out and went inside.
“Do you think he’s home already?” I asked.
“Probably, he left before us,” replied Brian.
“It’s really quiet though,” I said looking around the house for some sign of Nick.
“Maybe he’s asleep,” said Brian shrugging. “Now come on, go change, my stomach is growling with hunger,” he added grinning.
“Okay, I’ll be right back,” I said and went to my room. When I passed by Nick’s door, there were no sounds coming from the inside so I figured that Brian was right, Nick was probably asleep. I went into my room and quickly changed into a knee length skirt and a ¾ sleeve top. I fixed my hair, grabbed my purse and went back downstairs.
“All done?” asked Brian upon seeing me.
“Yep, let’s go,” I said and then we went to his car and drove off to meet the other guys.

Nick’s point of view

I heard the door slam and knew that Brian and Liz had finally left. I rolled over in my bed and tried to figure out how in the world I survived rehearsal. I felt like crap the entire time I was there and I really thought that any minute I was going to pass out. Strangely enough, nothing of that sort happened. Yes, everyone knew that I wasn’t myself, but I didn’t think that they suspected anything more serious than that. I did know one thing for sure; I was completely exhausted. And not just tired, but exhausted beyond belief. I could barely move. I knew that it was only around 7 pm but it was hard for me to stay awake. Finally, after twenty minutes of fighting sleep, I surrendered and fell into the nice, comfortable world of dreams.

THE NEXT MORNING

I woke up a full half hour before my alarm clock was supposed to go off. I thought that maybe the extra sleep did me a lot of good and that I was perfectly fine. I was wrong. As soon as I tried to move, the room began to spin and I was forced to lie back down and close my eyes. After lying still for a few minutes I carefully opened my eyes and was satisfied when the room was no longer spinning. I cautiously swung my legs over the edge of my bed and stood up. The dizziness had passed and I sighed in relief.
After I took a shower and got dressed, I felt a lot better. Maybe the video shoot wouldn’t be as bad as I expected. At precisely 7:30 I left my house and headed over to the set. Also, the fact that Liz wasn’t going to be there made me happy. Brian did invite her to come to the set but she said that she wanted to get some sleep. Better for me, at least I wouldn’t have to see her for the entire day.
I got to the set and saw that only Brian and AJ were there.
“Hey guys,” I said coming up to them.
“What’s up?” said AJ. “Get some rest?” he added.
“Yep, a lot of rest, I’m perfectly fine,” I replied.
“That’s good, not planning on messing up anymore?” asked Brian grinning.
“Nope, not today,” I replied and grinned too.
“Great, so all we need is for Kevin and Howie to get here and we can begin,” said AJ and then spotted the other two guys getting out of their cars. “And now they’re here.”
“Hey everyone,” said Howie coming up to us.
“Wow Nicky, you’re here before us? This is a shocker!” said Kevin feigning shock.
I laughed. “How many times did I tell you guys not to call me Nicky? I hate that name!” I exclaimed.
“We know you hate it, that’s why we call you by it,” replied AJ cracking up.
“Guys are you ready?” asked Steve, the director.
“Yeah,” we all replied.
“Okay great, we’re gonna shoot the dance scene first so go ahead into wardrobe and make-up,” he said and we all groaned at the make-up part. As far as I was concerned, make-up was just not for guys.
When we were all dressed and ready for the video, we took our places and waited for our cue. As soon as the music began, we started to dance and I was pleased to see that I didn’t forget any dance steps. We rehearsed through the dance scene a couple of times so that we got used to dancing on the set, and then prepared to shoot the actual video. As the cameras began to roll, we began to dance once again. This time, I knew something was wrong. All of a sudden, I got really nauseous and my vision began to blur. Then my hearing kinda dropped out and all I heard was a rushing sound. I started to panic and the next thing I knew, I was falling and I saw the floor approaching me at rapid speed. Then darkness.

chapter 3 chapter 5