Chapter Sixteen: Back in the Stuffing Again
Scene One: Nick’s Room, Night/Early Morning
I made it back to my room with the guys none the wiser. Unless it’s Budwiser, ‘cause I’m sure AJ had one somewhere.
I curled up in bed just in time. AJ came in not five minutes after I turned off the bed-side lamp.
“Nick, you sleep?” I debated for a moment. If I said “no” it could lead to a plethora of questions that I was not ready to answer (Or in reality, had no answer for. Once AJ asked me the ingredients in Ivory Soap. I said soap.). If I said “yes” ... it would make sense coming from me. “Hey, Nick?”
I decided to fake sleep. By the way, I had finally found out what “faking” it was. Of course this made me think of Cecilia, and for about 5.3 seconds I was wondering, but then I figure she had no reason to fake it. Why would she go through all that to impress a sixteen year old kid? And why scar my back, which if you must know stung every time I showered? What if the scars are permanent? What will my Mother say? What will I tell her, that I ran into a rabid porcupine?
“Nick?” This was said next to my ear, which almost made me jump and give myself away. I hung in there, but was considering making a break for it. You just can’t trust AJ when he’s sneaking around in the dark.
I heard him making noise, and I would say strange noise except with AJ nothing is strange. A few minutes later he left. I wondered what he had been up to, which is to say I was worried about my safety. AJ has brought strange things back to hotel rooms, boa constrictors, a bee hive (with no bees, but you can never be too careful), exploding rubber duckies), but I was to tired to care.
I woke up at 2:15 AM sick as a dog. Damn it, Cecilia! Just mention a bug around good ole Nick and it’s Forth of July gastric displays for all! By 3:30 I was sure I was going to die and damn it, I wanted a witness! At the very least I wanted someone to feel sorry for me. Sometime between 4:00 and 5:00 I either passed out or fell asleep, either way it had some impact. So did my head against the bathroom door when AJ slammed it open.
“Nick! God, what are you doing down there?” Let’s see, planning for my funeral? Nah, if I said that AJ just might give me one. Writing a song? “When I was just a little tot my momma use to put me on the pee-pee pot and she use to make me pee-pee, if I wanted to or not!”
“Nothing.” Go with the safe answers.
“Nothing? Man ... are you sick?” What makes you say that? The smell or the vomit on the seat of the commode?
“I guess.” I’m so indecisive.
“I’ll get help.” Help? What kind of help did I need? A doctor? A baker? A candlestick maker?
None of the above, it would seem. AJ got, you guessed it ...
“Nick, baby?”
“I just found him there, Kev. Oh, and I sort of crunched his head with the door.”
“You ... never mind. Nick, come on baby. Let’s get you to bed.”
Scene Two: The Bus
Kevin stayed with me for the rest of the night which, as we had to leave at 7 AM, turned out to be two hours. I slept for most of it so Kevin busied himself packing my stuff, with AJ’s help. I don’t know which is worse, being afraid to open the suitcase AJ packed (I hate having to explain to my mom what porno is doing in my stuff) or the one Kevin packed (I hate having to explain to my mom why I’ve suddenly decided that my socks MUST be arranged by, color, wear, and if the case may be, smell).
I slept-walked to the bus and crawled into a bunk. I woke up two hours later when Brian came to check on me. As I was still breathing he didn’t seem too worried. That and, he informed me, he was praying for me. For a healing or a brain, he didn’t say which. Either would do.
“You want something to eat?”
“NO.” Talk about making something worse.
“Did you take your medicine?”
“My wha... oh, medicine.” I had forgotten to ask Cecilia what was in that stuff. For all I know it was what was making me sick. “I forgot.”
“You won’t get better this way! I’ll see if I can find it.” Sure. Fine. Whatever.
“Nick?”
“Hum?”
“Man, I looked all through your luggage. I think you forgot to pack it.”
“Kevin and AJ did.”
“What?”
Oh, never mind. Most likely it wouldn’t do any good any way.
“Nothing.”
“Listen, just keep warm and I’ll go check with Kevin. Maybe he knows where it is.”
“OK.” I had nothing more pressing to do, and three blankets. AJ had this fetish about putting cover on me. I would be worried but he’s no Howie.
Anyway, I took Brian’s advice and snuggled under the blankets.
“Nick?” Go away AJ. I’m too tired to talk. “You awake?” Yes, actually, I was but I saw no reason to enlighten AJ as to that fact. “Good.” That’s when I felt something at the foot of my bed. Peeping though my lashes I could see AJ lift the covers and shove something under. He tucked the sheet and blanket back in, then tip-toed to the front of the bus.
For a few seconds I couldn’t decide what to do. After all, this was another AJ surprise. But then, even with visions of exploding rubber duckies in my head, I decided I had to know. I sat up and pulled the edge of the blanket and sheet, all the while posed to flee. There, at the foot of my bed, was something ... fuzzy? What would AJ give me that was fuzzy? He once asked me if I wanted a fuzzy navel. In my defense I was very young at the time. How was I suppose to know that it was a drink and not a condition of puberty?
Pushing the rubber duckie to the back of my mind I crawled to the end of the bunk in order to examine the object. Taking a deep breath I grabbed the object, and instead of poison darts I discovered two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Legs! A vest! IT WAS BOOKIE BEAR! Bookie Bear, all stuffed again!
“BOOKIE!” I was so surprised! I was such a dork! Man, almost 17 years old and excited that a stuffed bear had returned to the living.
“Nick?” Oh crap. Kevin.
“Yea?”
“You up?” Don’t do it, Nick! Don’t do it! Bookie isn’t strong enough to protect you!
“I guess so.” Not enough to get me killed, enough to let him know that I knew it was a dumb question. I love it when I get things right.
“Yea, I guess you would have to be.”
“I guess.”
“Yea, I guess so.”
“Kevin, are we playing the guessing game?” I just wanted clarification, not the glare of death. I mean, really. “Sorry.”
“It’s OK. You should be resting though, we have a long trip and ... what have you got?” A grizzly bear that will tear your tongue out if you tease me! Imagination is everything.
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing? I can see it right there!” Sometimes Kevin is too damn literal.
“It’s Bookie.” There. I said it. Let the teasing begin.
“Bookie? Your bear?”
“No, Bookie my annul worm.” Let him figure it out. And by the way, ew!
“Nick, you want me to beat the crap out of you?”
“Might help the worms.” Go for it Nick. No longer an virgin and looking for death.
“Nick, I swear to ...”
“Kevin? Swear to what?” It’s not like him to stop going mid-evil on me like that.
“You know what? Nothing. It’s fine. I’m glad the bear is back ... I mean I’m glad AJ had the bear fixed.”
“No shit?” I’m scared! I want my momma!
“No, and you shouldn’t say shit. It’s not nice.” Then he cracked a grin. So did I. “Listen, while you’re up I wanna talk to you.”
“I’m really sleepy.”
“You’re not in trouble, Nick. I just wanna talk, OK?”
“Well ...”
“It’s not a trick, you’re really not in trouble.”
“I’m cold.” Just making conversation.
“You can stay under the covers! Nick ...” Kevin needs to be more careful about taking so many deep breaths. He could hyperventilate. “Here, get back under the covers.”
“I am under the covers.”
“Then get out from under them!”
“You shouldn’t run your hands through your hair to much. You’ll get a receding hairline.”
“NICK. SHUT UP AND LET ME TALK.”
“OK.” I’m blond, not a masochist.
“Listen ....” But there was nothing to listen to. Kevin, the almighty, was stuck.
“Kev?” And me without my “It’s the end of the world” sign.
“Nick, I’m sorry. No, AJ is, I guess that’s what Bookie is about. But I’m sorry too.”
“Kevin ...”
“Hush Nick, let me .... hell.” Kevin sat next to me. “I’m sorry I haven’t listened to you, talked to you, about ... stuff.” Stuff?
"What stuff?”
“Sex.” Well. That said it all. “Sex and ... whatever.” I hate to tell you Kev, but I know about whatever. And the backs of knees, and the crook of the elbow, and ... “And AJ.” AJ? What about AJ? Man, I don’t want to think of AJ and sex at the same time! Talk about ruining something. “Nick, what happened ....” Oh boy. Here comes the lecture. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Dear God, space aliens have Kevin’s brain!
“It was AJ’s fault ... the jerk. He was trying to help you ... in the only way he knows how - which is ass-backwards. But he means well.”
“I guess.” I saw no reason to give in just yet. Those space aliens might be after my brain, for all I know. Now if AJ were here he would say “first you have to have one” then I would whine, then Kevin would yell, and then Brian would stick up for me, then Howie would ... Howie would ... maybe I should pay attention to what Kevin is saying.
“He does Nick, he means well ... and I do have to apologize ... part of this was my fault.” Oh, they just sucked his brain right out of the back of his head! I wonder if there is a hole there? “If we hadn’t teased you ... and I was part of that ... well, maybe AJ wouldn’t have felt the need to ...”
“Get me laid?” What the hell. According to my mom I already have holes in my head.
“NICK!” My, Mr. Richardson was certainly shocked by my behavior. Usually he’s just annoyed. “Well, yea, but really! OK, listen, I just wanted to tell you ... don’t listen to AJ. You can talk to one of us, me or Brian, even Howie ...” Kevin looked a bit doubtful at this point, but I’ll give him credit, he didn’t laugh. “ ... or me or Brain, you get the picture.” Yes, I do. “ Talk to us man. Really, we’ll be serious. I remember ... you know, how it is.” How what is? And at this time I would like to point out that at Kevin’s rate of speech this paragraph alone took fifteen minutes. By the time we get finished with this “little talk” I’ll be thirty. “And don’t let us pressure you ... about ...” OH, that!
“I won’t.” Oops, too fast. No way can I let him catch on that “that” is no longer an issue.
“What do you mean you won’t?”
“I don’t play too many video games!”
“Nick, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Space aliens sucked my brain out of the back of my head.” When all else fails blame the space aliens, or insanity.
"Nick, I swear to God you can’t keep you mind on anything for more than five minutes!” I beg to differ! I have listened to you for more than thirty now. Of course, you only had 12 minutes of content. “Never mind. Just talk to us next time, OK?”
“Sure. About what?” Go blond.
“ANYTHING!” Poor Kevin. Not only had he lost his mind but his eyes seemed to be crossing. “Just anything you need to talk about, OK?”
“OK. Kevin?”
“Yea?”
“Does this mean you are going to stop teasing me?” I wish I’d had a camera when I put that question forth. The look on Kevin’s face was priceless.
“Well .... maybe for now.” That’s better than nothing. “While you’re sick.” That’s good. “Maybe for the next hour or so.” That’s more honest. “Nick, get some sleep, OK? We have that show tomorrow and you know you have to go on even if you’re sick.” Don’t remind me. Frankly I think management likes watching us puke. “I’ll check on ya later.”
So I snuggled back down in my blankets, Bookie Bear in hand. Yea, I had Bookie with me! After all with all that had happened to him in the last few days I needed to make sure he was safe. So I tucked him in next to me and curled up for a little bear-nap (this seemed better under the circumstances, with Bookie there and me being allergic to cats).
I knew I could talk to Brian, and even Kevin, about most stuff. But no way would I ever tell them about Cecilia. Not that I am afraid that Kevin will kill me (I am, but I’m afraid of that everyday.), rather I want what happened with Cecilia to be mine, just mine. On the road with the guys few things are.
Oh well, time for that nap. As I drifted off I felt the curtains open and a hand on my forehead. Probably Brian, though come to think of it, his cologne smells just like AJ’s. Funny, that.
The End