"FOOD FOOD FOOD!"
Our table read had ended a little late and Joe was already whining about dinner.
"Joe, chill, it's only 7:30," said Nick irritably. Joe had been getting on everyone's nerves all day.
"But I'm STARVED!" replied Joe, whiny voice in place.
"Does he ever stop?" I wondered to Kevin quietly as I grabbed my script and headed for the car.
"Actually, yes," answered Kevin. "He's not usually like this. I mean he is, but not nearly as bad. I don't know what's gotten into him... it's like he's ten times more annoying than before."
"Wonderful," I said sarcastically, throwing my bag in the back seat of Kevin's Tahoe. "So what are you in the mood to eat?"
"NOT sushi," replied Kevin playfully.
"PIZZAAAAAA!" Joe, of course.
"Ugh, fine," I said as if I cared. Pizza was completely fine with me, as long as it silenced the middle brother.
We all piled into Kevin's car, temporarily leaving Joe's at the studio, and hit a downtown pizza restaurant.
"I love this place!" said Joe enthusiastically, jumping out of the car while it was still running and heading for the door.
"Wait dude, I think I left my wallet on set or something," said Nick suddenly. He went through his pockets and Kevin's car once more and solemnly looked back at us.
"Isn't it in my car still?" suggested Joe, who looked anxious as ever to get inside.
"You're right!" exclaimed Nick, relieved. "Kev, would you mind driving me back real quick?"
"Sure," said Kevin hesitantly, catching Joe's keys as he violently thew them. "We'll be back," he said to me with a sigh and a smile. "You two can go ahead and order for us."
"It's okay, we'll wait until you get back so the food doesn't get cold," I replied as he and Nick walked back towards the car.
"Yeah right, I'm STARVING!" complained Joe, pulling me into the restaurant.
"Joe, I think you can wait fifteen minutes until they're back, I doubt you will die of starvation," I replied, snatching my arm back from him. Kevin and Nick had just driven off; it probably wouldn't even be THAT long.
"Umm, I think we should just order now and hope they're back in time," he said coldly. "And yes, I WILL die if I don't eat."
"Joe, what exactly is your problem?!" I suddenly snapped.
"I don't have a problem... what's YOUR problem?" he snapped back.
"My problem is that you've been nothing but an obnoxious jerk for the past few days!" I said, raising my voice slightly.
Joe grabbed my arm again and quickly dragged me outside. "Who do you think you are insulting me in public?! Do not yell at me in the middle of a crowded restaurant!"
"Oh I'm sorry Mr. Famous, I forgot I'm not as good as you and I'm not allowed to fight with you!" I shot back.
"Don't even start that crap, you've been acting like a snobby bitch ever since you and Kevin got together," he said.
"Well YOU'VE been acting like an immature asshole ever since you and Sonnie broke up!"
Joe looked at me with angry eyes. "Just shut up and leave me alone," he said coldly. "I'm going for a walk. I'll take a cab back."
"Please do," I replied, watching him walk away and sitting down outside the restaurant. It was only minutes before Kevin and Nick pulled up, thankfully.
"Got my wallet," smiled Nick and the two shuffled towards me.
"What's wrong?" asked Kevin, immediately noticing the down look on my face.
"Joe and I just got in an argument and he wandered off," I admitted.
"What happened?" asked Nick, sitting down next to me.
"I don't know, I called him out on being an asshole and then he started calling me a bitch and telling me I've been different lately, and then we argued about Kevin and about Sonnie and then he just left."
"Well that sucks," replied Kevin. "So he just peaced out? And how did me and Sonnie get into this conversation?"
"I don't know Kevin, we just started yelling and I told him he's been different since the breakup and then he-"
"Whoa whoa wait, you brought up the breakup?" asked Nick suddenly, cutting me off and getting up.
"Why would mention that Alex?" added Kevin. They both looked disappointed.
"Because it just-"
"He was in LOVE with her!" continued Kevin.
"I can't believe you would do that," said Nick.
"CAN I SPEAK?!" I shot at them, raising my voice again, but they both just looked at me. Apparently this was a VERY touchy subject. "You know what... I'm going on a walk too," I decided. "I'll be back in a bit."
I turned around and started walking, thinking they might try and stop me, but shockingly, neither of them did; it was probably better that way. I began to walk down the block, not knowing where I was going and not giving a shit anyways. This whole situation was so stupid. I walked for a few minutes and turned a corner, almost colliding with a grip of paparazzi. I stepped back quickly and ducked into an alley before they saw me, subsequently tripping over someone sitting on the ground.
"OWW!" I exclaimed as I hit the ground. Who the hell sits on the ground in a dirty alleyway?
"Watch where you're going idiot!" snapped a familiar voice. I turned my head around to see Joe, sitting there, looking both angry and upset. Figures.
"JOE! What the hell are you... are you crying?" I was about to scream at him when I noticed his watery eyes and the look they possessed.
"No," he replied, trying to hold back tears. Then all of a sudden, he started bawling. I didn't know what to do, so I just pulled him into a hug and let him cry.
"Joe, what happened?" I asked him quietly as he fell into my arms. I honestly did not know how to handle this, but I DID know what answer was coming.
"I just don't know what to do!" he started, still sniffling and burying his face. "I love her so much Alex, I can't live without her! I'm trying to get over it and I'm trying to hide it but it's so fucking hard! I gave everything to her, clothes, diamonds, a fucking car... AND I lost my virginity to that girl! I just don't know what the hell to do! How could she do this to me Alex, HOW?!"
I gave him a minute to calm down and thought about what to say. Why do all of Kevin's damn brothers come to ME for advice?
"Well, first of all, that sucks," I began. "I'm not gonna sit here and tell you everything will be okay right away, because it won't. You're probably going to feel like shit for a while, and you're going to feel like your life is over and you can't live without her. But slowly, you WILL get over it and you WILL be okay. I know you're a strong person and you can get through this Joe... and I am so sorry for everything that's happened, and I'm sorry for bringing it up earlier."
"No, it's not your fault," he reassured me quickly. "I just need to man up and get over it."
I giggled. "You don't need to 'man up' Joe, you're 18 and you're heartbroken. Shit happens. You'll get over it when you're ready; this kind of thing takes time."
Joe smiled and wiped his eyes. "Well I bet I look stupid now," he said.
"You don't look stupid! I've been in your situation and it sucks, I know that. You just need to keep yourself busy and stop thinking about it so much. You'll be fine, I promise."
"Why are you so damn nice?" Joe asked me, getting up and then helping me up. "I was a total dick to you earlier and you still gave me advice and treated me kindly."
"Because I can see you're hurting and I consider you one of my good friends, and I care about you... that's why," I replied. "Even though we had some dumb fight, you are still like a brother to me."
"Brother in LAW!" he joked, hitting me on the arm playfully.
"Kevin and I are NOT getting married," I laughed. It was good to have the old Joe back; at least for the moment, anyways.
"Not YET," he responded, leading me back in the direction of the pizza place. "Well I am shockingly not even hungry after all of that!"
"Yeah about that... Joe, you don't HAVE to eat your feelings when you're upset. It's not healthy."
We both laughed as we walked back. Kevin and Nick were just getting ready to leave when we arrived.
"Dude where were you guys, we already ate and were gonna come looking for you!" said Nick.
"We're fine, we were down the block," I replied, nervous that he may still be mad at me.
"Yeah, we talked everything out and now we're bff's again," said Joe with a smirk.
"Good, 'cause it was hard being mad at my girlfriend on your behalf!" said Kevin to Joe playfully, pulling me into a hug.
"Pretend girlfriend," I whispered jokingly, hugging him back. I noticed a single paparazzi over his shoulder, and for some reason, I felt the need to embrace the moment. I loosened my grip from our hug slightly and looked Kevin right in the eye, and then without thinking, I kissed him. I heard the camera flash and then pulled away, smiling to myself.
"Well, that was unexpected," said Joe from behind me.
I giggled and winked at Kevin, motioning towards the paparazzi. He noticed the guy standing there and winked back at me.
"Alrighty then, time to GOOOOO," said Joe, dragging Nick towards his car. "See you two lovebirds later! And Alex... thanks," he added, smiling at me in appreciation as he got into the car.
"You're welcome!" I yelled back, getting into Kevin's car.
"You ready to go home?" he asked me, shutting the door and starting it up.
"Not exactly, but I have to," I replied hesitantly.
"True story," he said, pulling out and heading for my complex.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen my roommate for a few days now!" I said with a laugh. Sad part is, it was true.
"That's what happens when you hang with the cool people," responded Kevin with a smirk.
"Oh whatever!" I replied.
We arrived at my apartment and Kevin walked me to the door. "Have a wonderful night," he said with a smile.
"Oh I will," I replied, unlocking it.
I went to give Kevin a hug, but he stopped me. He put his hand on my chin and leaned down, planting an adorably innocent kiss on my lips.
"Kev, there's no paparazzi around, you don't have to kiss me," I said.
"Yeah, but I wanted to," he replied with a smile. "Goodnight," he whispered, kissing me on the cheek.
"Goodnight," I replied, going inside and slowly shutting the door.
Was my fake boyfriend falling for me? And more importantly, was I falling for HIM? I quietly crept to my room and shut the door; Stacie was asleep on the couch, and I did NOT want to wake her and risk being bombarded with questions. I threw my stuff on the bed and sat at the computer, deciding to quickly check my e-mail before drifting off to an early night's sleep. There were a few forwards from my mom, who was OBSESSED with chain letters, a spam e-mail asking how large I would like my penis to be, and one from a roberts1@hotmail.com; Sonnie or Candie most likely. I hesitantly opened it up, and gasped in confusion and fear at what I saw. I knew Sonnie was devious, but I had NO IDEA she could be this evil.
Don't
tell
ANYONE.
OMG COMMENT!
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