Chapter 5
"Ow!" Nick groaned sitting up groggily the next morning in pain.
"Ow, what?" AJ growled angry the youngest singer had awakened him.
Nick rubbed his back slowly. "The floor is cold and hard."
"No shit," the rebel breathed tossing a blanket over his eyes to block the sunlight.
"I'm cold," Nick griped.
"Me, too, now shut up."
"I'm hungry."
"Then, get some food."
"There isn't any."
"Then, what in the hell did we eat for dinner last night, moron?"
"An innocent pig!"
"What is all the fuss about?" Howie yawned entering the living room.
"I'm cold and hungry!" Nick whined shivering on the floor.
The Latino ran his hand through his tangled black hair. "Since I'm already up you might as well go rest in my bed for the time being."
"Thanks, Howie!" the blonde exclaimed rushing to the bedroom.
AJ poked his head out from beneath the covers. "Why didn't you let me have the bed?"
"I didn't know you were awake, cut the kid a break."
"I'll cut him a break all right- break his arm."
"That's enough....Help me make breakfast."
AJ pouted. "I don't wanna'."
"Help anyway."
"Fine!" the teen growled tossing away his many layers of blankets. "How about we go kick Kevin out of his bed and make him make it?"
"As tempting as that is...It wouldn't be nice."
AJ kicked the white box infront of him. "An ice box? Who in their right mind still has an ice box? How hard is it to purchase a refridgerator?"
"Obviously, it's very hard for whoever owns this place." Howie wrinkled his nose. "Although, the fact that they still have a woodburning stove is a bit disturbing."
"The manager didn't have this place very well-stocked with food!" AJ hissed glancing through the ice box.
Howie sighed. "Of course, he kept the good stuff for himself. I guess eggs will have to do. How do you like to make them?"
"You mean there's more than one way to bake them?" AJ asked in awe.
"Well, yeah, omelets, over easy, sunny-side up, scrambled, boiled...."
"I can boil an egg!" AJ beamed with pride.
"Okay, then you'll watch the egg while I make sure the stove from hell doesn't attack you."
"But my grandpa says a "watched pot never boils", Howie."
Howie raised an eyebrow. "You would prefer an unwatched pot randomly backfired?"
AJ smiled sheepishly. "Then, again grandpa can't be right about everything."
Howie pulled an old rusting pot out of a small wooden cabinet. "I guess this will have to do."
"Guess so," his younger friend agreed.
Howie sighed fighting with the stove. "AJ, why don't you go start waking everybody up? I'll handle this."
"Okie dokie," he replied strolling away. "Yo, Rok, Nick, get up! Howie's makin' breakfast!"
"Not hungry," Nick whispered into his pillow refusing to move.
"You just said you were hungry."
"I changed my mind."
"Whatever." AJ poked Brian roughly. "Get up!"
"What do you want?" Brian snarled.
"Howie's making eggs for breakfast."
"So?"
"So, get up."
Brian lifted his nose into the air. "I am not leaving my nice warm bed for some egg."
"If you don't eat what Howie makes you'll be left with Kevin's cooking at dinner time."
"Nick, get up and eat normal food while you have the chance," Brian explained dragging himself out of bed.
"But I'm cold!"
Brian stretched his tired limbs. "Then, keep a blanket wrapped around you at the breakfast table, doofus."
"Oh," Nick mumbled wrapping a blanket tightly around himself clumsily walking behind Brian.
"Morning guys," Howie said uneasily as he kept a steady eye on the stove in fear.
Brian plopped down at the old table. "Is anyone gonna' get Kevin?"
"I vote we leave him," Nick offered.
"I agree," AJ seconded.
"That's not nice," Howie lectured.
Nick shivered. "So? Kevin's not nice, it's fair."
"Well, one of you be the better person and go wake him up?"
"Howie, I'd rather stick my head in the mouth of a lion that hadn't eaten in three days," Brian replied.
Howie cringed. "Did you have to be so graphic?"
"It's the truth."
"How about we play for it?" AJ suggested.
"Play for it?" Nick repeated. "You make it sound like a prize."
Brian groaned. "How about 'rock, paper, scissors?"
"Deal," the others agreed.
Brian extended his hand. "On the count of three. One.....two...three!"
The three boys quickly tossed their chosen gesture into the air. Brian smiled gently resting his clutched fist over Nick's two open fingers. "My rock crushes your scissors!"
Nick smiled deviously placing his two fingers against AJ's flat hand. "And my scissors cut AJ's paper!"
AJ stratched his head. "Did I get jipped?"
Howie set the warm pot off the burner. "Just go get him already."
"But-"
"AJ!"
"Oh, fine!"
Brian gulped. "It's been nice knowin' ya', AJ!"
Nick looked at Kevin's bedroom door with wide eyes. "May God be with you!"
AJ gulped nervously walking to the door. "It can't be that bad, can it?" Then teen tapped lightly on the door. "Kevin?" he whispered. "Kevin?"
No answer.
He knocked a little harder. "Kevin?!" Unwilling, he opened the door walking up to his snoring band mate. "Um, Kev, um could you please get up?" AJ asked sweetly. "Pretty please?"
Kevin's only response was a deep snore.
Fearfully AJ shook his shoulder. "Uh, wake up, Kevin.....Please, Mr.Kevin, Sir."
"WHAT?" Kevin snarled squinting one eye opened to glare at the teen.
AJ gulped feeling like prey within the grasp of its evil predator. "Howie, told me to wake you up for breakfast, but I didn't want to! Hurt him, not me!"
"What are we having?" the older man grumbled.
"Eggs."
"Eggs?" he repeated nastily.
"Um...yeah...ya' know oval white things that pop out of a chicken's ass."
"I know what an egg is!" Kevin spat.
"Hey, I was tryin' to help out," AJ defended. He smiled suddenly. "Would you prefer I brought you an egg? Your own personal breakfast in bed?"
"That'd be great," Kevin mumbled into his blankets falling back asleep.
"Anything for you, Kev," AJ replied kindly exiting the room.
"He's alive!" Brian exclaimed watching AJ return to safe territory.
The teen gave way to an evil grin. "I'm giving Kevin breakfast in bed."
Nick rubbed his forehead in confusion. "You're doing something nice?"
"Uh-huh. I'm giving Kevin his egg in bed," AJ explained walking into the kitchen.
Brian crossed his arms. "What's the catch?"
"Catch?" AJ responded innocently holding the egg in his palm. "There isn't a catch." He smiled. "But maybe you guys should come with me...Especially, you, Nick."
"Why?"
"Well, I hate to tell you this but there was plenty of extra room in Kevin's bed, so, techinally you didn't have to sleep on the floor."
Nick rubbed his aching back. "Creep! I'm going with AJ!"
Brian stood. "Calm down, Nick. I'll go, too, but keep a safe distance from Kevin- just in case so we have time to retreat."
AJ marched bravely into Kevin's quarter glancing at the once against sleeping form of his band mate. He placed the egg into his hand gently. "Oh, Kevin!"
"Hmmm...." Kevin moaned lifting a hand to his face to rub the sleep from his eyes the egg slamming into his forehead. Yellow goo, white crust and orange yolk dripped down his face in a sloppy mess. "AJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he hollered thrashing.
AJ grinned innocently. "What? You'd say I should bring you an egg in bed, you never said I had to cook it."
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Sounds of a cheerful Christmas season filled the air of the cabin that afternoon......
"I'm bored," Brian sang.
Howie sighed. "I'm restless."
AJ groaned. "I'm woman-less."
"I'm annoyed-again," Kevin spat.
"My head hurts," Nick grumbled.
Okay, the complaining sounds of season filled the air.............
"Let's sing Christmas songs!" Brian cheered.
"Not again!" Howie, Kevin and Nick moaned.
AJ beamed singing loudly. "Up on the housetop I crawl.......My daddy beat up Santa Claus.....Broke his nose and killed the deer...Wonder if he'll come back next year...Ho ho ho...Santa's wife's a hoe......Ho ho ho.....Santa's wife's a hoe.....She climbs up his thigh....Lick lick lick.....She likes to get it on with ole' St.Nick!"
"SHUT UP, AJ!" they all shouted tossing pillows at him.
"Hey, it's another classic!"
"SHUT UP!" Kevin fumed.
Brian stood glancing at AJ. "I'm going to go read my Bible...in privacy."
"I'm gonna' go outside and do some ice fishing, maybe I'll catch something for dinner and we can cook it over the fireplace," Kevin decided in deseperate need of fresh air.
"Wasn't it enough that you already ate a cow and pig?" Nick wailed.
AJ rolled his eyes. "Shut up, half-pint."
Kevin zipped up his heavy coat. "Come on, AJ."
"Excuse me?"
"You're coming with me."
Howie's jaw dropped. "You accuatly want him to come with you, Kev? Are you feeling okay?"
The older man shrugged. "We have to figure out something to cool down his hormones."
"Ha, ha, very funny," AJ snorted grabbing his coat that lay beside Nick.
"I'm gonna' take a nap, my head hurts," Nick whispered.
"Oh, God, kid don't go getting sick on us," Kevin begged feeling his forehead. "Well, maybe a mild fever but you'll live."
Nick pulled away. "I'll be fine."
AJ squinted at him touching his cheek. "Who cares about a fever or a headache, what you really need to worry about is this acne you have randomly showing up on your cheek! You look like a circus freak!"
"Pimples?" Nick wailed rushing off to the bathroom to inspect his blemishes.
Kevin groaned opening the door. "Come on, AJ, let's go before you cause Nick or anyone else any permanent damage."
Howie sighed as he found himself sitting alone. "AJ and Kevin are off walking about in the woods, Brian is ordaining himself, Nick is fighting pimples and I'm- sitting on a couch talking to myself like a rambling idiot!"
"Hey, Howie, come 'ere please!" Nick shouted from the bathrrom. "Brian!"
Howie gave way to a heavy sigh walking toward the shouting teen Brian following behind him. "The boy doesn't even know how to apply Stridex!"
Brian opened the bathroom door. "What is it, Nick?"
Nick extended his arm to Brian. "What's that?"