"Is he gonna be okay?" I asked as I made my way over toward Brian.
"Keep that washcloth over your nose and keep your head tilted back," AJ demanded as he directed me to stay away.
"So I can choke on my own blood?"
"That ain't gonna happen, stop being a drama queen. Go sit down before you do something else to yourself."
"Are you saying I'm accident prone?"
Evidently Brian picked a good time to start coming around because AJ didn't bother answering my question. He did, however, give me a glare and I knew that meant to go and sit down and stay put.
"Easy there, just get up slow," AJ said as he held a hand on Brian's back to steady him.
Brian looked around the room, his eyes looked to me like he was spaced out. "Wha....what happened?"
"You fainted when you saw Nick."
"Not funny Boner!" What an asshole to say that I look like shit! Well I probably do right now, but that isn't anything for AJ to say about me!
"Nick had a bloody nose and well, you know how that goes."
Thanks Jay, real pal for trying to clear that up! "Bri, are you feeling okay now?" I know that's a lame question but I felt the need to say something.
Brian shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah I guess.....how's the nose?"
I couldn't answer the question because I could feel the blood running down my throat and it started gagging me.
"Should I go get Kev?"
Why the hell does Brian always feel the need to get his cousin? I really didn't want to admit it, but I really did want Kevin's help instead of AJ and Brian's. It's not like they didn't care but more like they didn't know what to do. Brian would faint and all AJ has done eversince my nose started bleeding was shove a wet washcloth at me and tell me to tilt my head!
"I think I can take care of Carter without calling everyone down here," AJ replied.
"Well I could call Howie," Brian offered.
AJ looked at me before he looked down at Brian. "Why?"
"He always has that medicine stuff and he probably would know what we can do for Nick."
"Judas Brian, it's just a freakin bloody nose," I defended.
"But still--" Brian stopped speaking when there was a knock on the door. I was going to get up to answer the door, but AJ pushed me back down as he walked past to answer.
"We're suppose to be meeting in the lobby in ten minutes," Kevin stated as he walked into the room with Howie. "What the heck happened to Nick now?"
Now??
"He's got a bloody nose," Brian reported. God he can be a total narc sometimes....strike sometimes, it's more like always! "And I don't think it's stopping." And AJ called me a drama queen?
"It's really not that bad," I quickly filled in. I didn't see the need to get Kevin to go all psycho.
Kevin stood in front of me, looking down at me in a serious way. I really hate when he does that look. It makes me want to go hide. "Let's see."
I took the wet washcloth off my nose, completely forgetting about the lip incident.
"Jesus, his eyes are black and blue!"
Or the black eye......wait did Kevin just say eyes?
AJ whistled as he surveyed my face over Kevin's shoulder. "Wow you got some shiner goin' on there Carter."
"Make up will hide it," Howie quickly decided.
"About a pound of it," Brian added from where he was sitting on the floor.
"How do you know?" I yelled. "You aren't even looking at me!"
. "Shhh....keep your voice down," Kevin ordered as he kept studying my face.
"I won't keep my voice down! All you guys ever do is say I fuck everything up for you! I know that you think I'm nothing but a big baby and you have to watch me all the time! I'm not a baby! I'm 17 years old!"
"Nick....shh, calm down," Kevin said as he patted me on the shoulder.
I would have kept arguing, but the stupid idiot that I was finally realized that the yelling made my head pound even more! Instead of Kevin walking away, he kept looking at my face as he patted my shoulder. "I am going to tell Lou that we can do the rest two shows without Nick."
"You don't want me with you guys because my eyes look messed up and I have a fat lip?" Great my voice sounded all pathetic and whiney.
"No...its more like you have a concussion and should take it easy."
What the heck are they talking about? "What concussion? It's just a fat lip." The looks the four of them gave I could have sworn I grew a second head. "Seriously, I fell, got a fat lip and my eyes are black and blue, no big deal. I've had those before."
"Carter you were ganged up by fans and got knocked out yesterday. You don't remember that?"
Leave it to AJ to try and make things up.
"You're funny." Okay, not the best comeback in my life but God, my head hurt!
AJ cocked his head to one side and pointed his finger at me. "Ah-ha! Exactly what I'm saying!"
"Ah-ha!" I mocked back. "I know what happened and I'm fine!"
Kevin stared at me. "You know what happened?"
Okay, he was calling my bluff. I could pretend to know, right? I mean I could lie to my mom and got out of a million things that I could have gotten in trouble for. I'm a pro. "Yeah I know what happened."
Kevin gently touched my chin with his finger, tilting my head up. "Okay, so where were we?"
Shit! Think fast Nick...."Um, a concert?"
"That sounds more like a question than an answer," AJ said as he looked over Kevin's shoulder.
I glared at AJ's face. Thanks for the support. I cleared my throat before answering, "Concert, it was at a concert."
"That is too easy of a question," Howie stated.
"I guess you're right. Okay Nick, where did the fans gang up on you at?"
This seriously has to be a trick question.
"Well?"
"AJ, let him answer," Kevin hissed.
Think....think....."I was onstage and I reached down to take something from a fan and got pulled in." That had to be what happened, it's happened before, not as bad of an ending like getting knocked out but I have been pulled from the stage before.
At first Kevin didn't answer, then he blew out his breath before standing up straight. "I'm going to go talk to Lou."
"I'll go with you, strength in numbers," AJ offered.
"You stay put, you'll only piss Lou off," Kevin said as he brushed past AJ.
Great now they are starting to fight about me! Can't a guy win?
"I'll go with you Kev," Brian groaned as he attempted to stand up. He caught the concerned look on his cousin's face. "I'm fine, really! I only fainted when I saw Nick's bloody nose."
Kevin quickly stopped and turned to face his cousin. "You did what?"
I waited for the shit to hit the fan....I could tell that Kevin was gonna blow a gasket. And as if in slow motion it came right after Brian's explanation.
"I fainted when I saw the blood, no big deal."
Kevin dragged a hand over his face as he took a deep breath in. "This is just fucking great. We have Nick getting hurt every two seconds and you fainting? What the hell is going happen next?"
"I don't get hurt every two seconds!" Judging by the evil look I got from Kevin for opening my mouth, I should have kept it closed. It wasn't making things better for me.
"Just stay put, don't anyone do anything but sit in this goddamn room until I get back!"
With those words spoken, no one dared to make a move and piss Kevin off even more. Even AJ was scared and that says a lot for Kevin!