"Happy fricken birthday, dumbass", Nick mumbled as he glared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Yeah, you, I was talkin' to you, you big fat dummy!" Staring at himself for a moment, Nick shrugged his shoulders and sighed. 'Yeah, I know pretty much why they went out. I-I donīt blame them either.'
As he walked towards the bed, Nick spied the box his mother had sent him from home. He looked at the note that she had written:
I know how much you love my chocolate chip cookies.
I baked them special just for you sweetheart.
Make sure you share them with the rest of the guys.
Love you and miss you
Mom
Wadding the paper into a tiny ball, Nick aimed for the wastebasket in the corner of the room, completely missing the target.
"Yeah, canīt do that right either, Carter," he grumbled.
After turning on the television, Nick focused his attention to the box of from home and pawed at the brown wrapper, ripping it off with ease. His mouth watered at the site of the cookies laying in the box. There were at least five dozen inside waiting to be eaten.
Laying on his back, feet up against the headboard and the wall, Nick watched tv from an upside down position, munching away - cookie after cookie.
"God, I could go for some milk," he stated outloud looking huge wood cabinet that would house the mini fridge and a stocked courtesy bar.
"Oh boy, jackpot!" Nick yelped when he opened the door and found milk, sodas and juices stockedpiled in the mini fridge. Inside the cabinet there was an assortment of potato chips, candy bars and other convenience food items. 'I can just have a party of my own,' he thought as he started to help himself to the goods that were available.
Deciding on a movie to rent, he called the front desk and placed his order. With all the snacks situated around him, Nick could of cared less that the guys had left him to go out, he found the best company he could possibly have - himself, tons of snacks and homemade cookies.
Life was good.
"How much longer before we bring Nick down?" Brian asked his cousin as he kept glancing over his shoulder.
"God Bri, would ya just chill man? You act like weīre gonna rob a bank or something! Quit being so damned nervous."
Helping Kevin with situating some white wooden chairs, Brian shook his head. "I canīt help it. You should have seen the look on Nickyīs face when I told him we were going out clubbing. He looked heartbroken."
"Heīll get over it once he sees the surprise," AJ reassured.
"Oh, I dunno, you know Nick and his temper," Brian looked at AJ with worry.
"Come on, the kidīs 18 now, donīt you think heīd learn to realize that the world donīt revolve around birthdays? Good god Brian," AJ shook his head. "Now, if weīre done in here, I need to take a break for a smoke."
"Youīve been smoking since weīve been in this room," Howie pointed out.
AJ peered at Howie over the tops of his sunglasses. "And your point?"
Shaking his head, Howie shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
Kevin checked with the hostess, making sure that the last minute preparations were ironed out and that everything was set to go. He was always a stickler for details and he wanted Nickīs party to go smooth.
"I guess since the majority of the guests have arrived, you can go ahead and get Nicky," Kevin sighed. He quickly grabbed Brian by the arm as the young man tried to make a hasty exit. "Make sure heīs dressed appropriately!"
Brian rolled his eyes in reply. "Youīd think I would let Nick come down in sweats or something? Honestly Kevin, you know I know better."
Kevin shook his head. "Yeah I know you do, itīs just that since Johnny and Lou decided to roll this surprise party into a PR event, everything has to be perfect, no bad press."
Brian gave a thumbs up. "Yep, got it. Can I go now?"
"Yeah, you can go, got your room card?"
Again Brian rolled his eyes and produced the card. "Iīm not Nickolas!"
"Oh god, Iīm stuffed," Nick moaned as he put a hand on his stomach. He felt beyond comfortable and his full stomach was protesting the feeling of the equilivant of eating three Thanksgiving Dinners.
As he laid on his back staring at the ceiling, thoughts kept popping into his mind. All the remarks about pigging out, stuffing himself, chubby kept gnawing at his subconscious.
"Like I care at this point?" Nick defended to an empty room. He moaned again as his stomach once again annouced that it was too full.
Recalling how after he threw up he had felt so much better, Nick decided this was going to be the only way he could get relief and possibly escape his misery. Dragging himself slowly off the bed, he trudged toward the bathroom.
Whistling as he exited the elevator, Brian pulled out the door card to the hotel room he and Nick shared. He was hoping that Nick would be pleased with the surprise party, especially after all the attention that AJ had earlier this month with the party Denise threw for him.
As he slid the card into the slot, he paused when he heard gagging noises coming from the other side of the door. Cocking his head to one side, he listened again.
'This canīt be coming from our room,' Brian mentally debated.
Placing the card in the slot again, he pushed the door open and was instantly greeted with gagging noises again.
"Nick? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think I got a flu bug,"Nick replied quietly, sinking down to the floor onto the back of his legs. He barely managed to throw anything up, and still felt like shit.
Brian looked at the mess that was laying on Nickīs bed, the floor next to it, the dressers and the small table that set near the scenic window. "Yeah, must be some flu bug. Oh god Nick, what did you do?"Brian said,shaking his head.
Nick mentally slapped himself for leaving the trail of evidence to his binge in the hotel room."I had a party since no one cared to be with me on my birthday," he defended through gritted teeth.
"It looks like you ate enough here for about twenty people," Brian observed with a frown.
Nickīs face grew flushed from embarrassment and anger at Brians statement. "What difference does it make to you?"
"It makes a lot of difference, you canīt keep doing this to yourself, youīve been way out of control.."
"Stop it, okay! I donīt want to hear any lectures. Itīs my life," Nick rasped. "Iīm eighteen fucking years old - Iīm a fucking man and I can make my own fucking choices!"
Brian physically cowered when Nick yelled as if the words were hitting him. Nickīs tantrum ended with him laying down ontop of all the wrappers that littered his bedding.
"Nick, you need to come with me, we have a meeting downstairs," Brian stated softly.
"Have it without me, I donīt feel good," Nick whined.
"Nick, please you have to come with me, get dressed!" Brian urged.
"No."
"Come on, if you go down with me no one will know what went on in this room while we were away",Brian begged.
"What I do in my room is my own business!"
"Iīll tell Kevin."
Nicks eyes grew wide. "You wouldnīt, would you?"
Brian simply nodded in reply. This was all it took for Nick to get off the bed and rumage through the pile of clothes that laid on the floor.
"You need to find something clean, okay?"
"Thereīs some clean things," Nick answered, his head still down tossing a pair of black sweatpants and a gray tee shirt onto the bed.
Brian walked over to the duffel bag that held some of Nicks clothes and pulled out a pair of jeans and a black Nike tee shirt. "Here, put this on."
Eying the jeans, Nick shook his head. "Youīre kidding me? I canīt wear jeans, my stomach hurts."
"I donīt feel sorry about that Nick, you did that to yourself. Hurry up!"
Nick took the clothes and stepped into the bathroom. After a few minutes of struggling to get the zipper on his jeans to pull all the way up, he realized that fastening the top button over the top of his distended stomach was out of the question tonight.
"Okay, you ready now?"Brian asked as he turned the television off.
Nick burped in reply.
"Nick thatīs gross," Brian grimaced.
" Sorry,I canīt help it," he whined as he followed his older brother to the elevator. "I hope this meeting is short cause I donīt feel good at all."
