Chapter One
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It's always hard when someone you love has a problem. But somehow, our problem seemed worse. We were all
really close. We still are. But there was one time when our brotherhood was compromised. That was the most difficult obstacle we've ever had to overcome.
Someone once told me that love doesn't mean a thing.
That if someone you love puts you in danger in any
way, that you should leave. I'm not the most good
looking guy in the world, not that it matters to my
friends, because none of them swing that way. At
least I dont believe they do. They are my brothers.
We're family. And that bond held us together, even if
by only the tiniest little thread.
I suppose I should stop rambling and get on with my
story. It started in late July. Well, at least
that's when we found out about it. Our tour was
coming to an end, and we were all exhausted, but
thrilled to finally have a break.
We all noticed a change in him. He was quiet, and
when we tried to talk to him he either ignored us or
yelled at us. He had done that in the past, but never
like this. It was like he didn't care. Like he hated
us. That feeling still gives me shivers. He never
apologized for snapping, and he never looked us in the
eye. Justin figured he was just having an 'off' day,
and opted to stay out of his way. But I knew it was
something more.
Maybe it wouldn't have been as bad if I hadn't of
followed him to his dressing room. Maybe I would have
been able to handle seeing him sitting there, shooting
up, if that's what I'd expected to see. And then,
maybe, I could have gotten away before he stood up and
grabbed me.
But no, I stood there in shock, and let him grab me. He yanked me fully into the room and slammed the door, pushing me against it. It was the first time in quite a few weeks we made eye contact. The look in his eyes scared me. I didnt see the friendly, happy-go-lucky sparkle that they used to hold. He towered over me, I'm only 5'9".
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked.
I felt his grip on me tighten, and it became harder for me to breathe. I thought he was going to crush me.
"I was just..."
"Just what?"
"I was just coming to see why you've been acting so different lately."
That was not what he wanted to hear. He shoved me to the side, my head hit the chair beside me before I landed hard on the floor. I yelped in a mix of shock, fear, and pain as tried to scoot away when I saw him coming towards me. He was reaching down to grab me when there was a knock at the door.
"Joey? Is everything okay in there? I heard a thud..." It was Lance.
Joey growled and muttered something under his breath.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Chris wanted to ask me something so he came in here, and he tripped over my shoe."
"Is he all right?"
"Yeah, he's fine."
"Alight. Well, we need you guys out here for sound check."
"Okay, we'll be out in a minute."
Joey waited until he couldn't hear Lance's footsteps anymore and turned back to me. He picked me up by my arm and put me against the wall again.
"Why Joey?" I asked. I couldn't imagine what could be bothering him so bad as to turn into a druggie.
"It's none of your business. If you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll put you in the hospital. Got it?"
There was a tone in his voice. He didn't even sound like the Joey I knew. I didn't want to make him even more angry, so I swallowed the lump that had risen in my throat and nodded to show that I understood.
When Joey half dragged me out of his room and headed off to the stage for soundcheck, I stumbled to my dressing room and looked in the mirror to assess the damage done by the chair. My right eye was swelling and starting to turn a purple-ish color. It was getting hard to see and my head throbbed from a terrible headache.
So many thoughts were running through my head that it was making my headache worse. The pain around my eye, my headache, and thinking about Joey were wearing me down considerably. I was drained. But I had work to do, so I headed out to the stage, and earned myself quite a bit of attention, now that my eye had almost swelled shut.
After telling everyone what seemed like a hundred times that I just wanted to finish soundcheck before I laid down, they finally left me alone and we got to work. I could feel Joey's icy stare the whole time, but I tried to ignore it.
I struggled to keep focused on my task, and by the end of sound check my headache seemed ten times worse. I grabbed some ice and wrapped it in a small towel, then half staggered to my dressing room.
I laid down on the small cot and put the ice on my eye. It stung, but I didn't dare take anything that might make me groggy later on. So I laid there, trying to block out the pain. Not just the physical pain, but the emotional pain I felt knowing that my brother was beginning to ruin his life. Finally my body started to relax. My thoughts slowed, and I drifted off to sleep.
| Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight |
