Chapter
11
“What are you gonna get Kev?” Brian
was peeking over his cousin’s shoulder. The menu he had been given was so
big, and had everything printed on it from corn dogs to linguini.
“Brian, we have the same menus, what’s
the point of you looking over here at mine?” Kevin rolled his eyes and shut his
menu, “I’m gonna get bacon, pancakes, and eggs, Brian.”
Brian groaned, “But that’s so boring
cuz! Why don’t you order the Shay Lomay?”
“The what?” Howie gazed over at Brian
setting down his menu.
“The Shay Lomay, look…it’s right
there!” Brian pointed at his menu.
“Brian, that is not how you pronounce
that word, and it means ‘drinks.’ Not food. It is labeling the drink
column!” Howie pointed out snickering as Brian blushed.
“I knew that,” Brian muttered as
everyone continued to laugh at him. He flipped his napkin out and
used it to hit Nick who was sitting beside him, “What are you gonna get Frack?”
Nick grinned devilishly, “Not the Shay
Lomay, I can assure you of that one,” he snickered. Brian smacked him again
with the napkin.
“Kev, what you’re gonna get sounds
good enough for me,” Howie said setting down his menu.
“I want a burger,” AJ said flatly.
“For breakfast?” Nick made a face at
him.
“Yeah, and what are you getting?
The happy face pancakes?” AJ shot back, and Brian giggled.
Nick frowned thoughtfully, “They have
those?” He reopened his menu to check.
Kevin chuckled. Then the waiter
came and kindly asked for their orders. Kevin ordered first. Orders
of pancakes, eggs, and bacon for three people, one burger, and a grapefruit
were recorded. Then the waiter smiled and left.
“A grapefruit?” Brian questioned
raising an eyebrow at Nick, who had retreated back to playing his Game
boy. “That’s all you’re gonna have? You sure?”
Nick gazed up from his game and over
to Brian, “Yup.”
“Nick, we’re gonna be busy all day,
and may not break early for lunch. You’re gonna need more energy than
what that grapefruit is gonna give you,” Kevin said, “Maybe you should order
something else to go along with it.”
Nick frowned, “It’ll be fine. If
you haven’t noticed I like my size, and I am working to maintain it.” He
returned to his Game boy.
“Yeah,” Howie said pausing Nick’s
game, “But don’t you think its time you stopped? With the dieting, I
mean. You look great Nick, you don’t need to lose any more weight.”
Nick sighed and turned his game off,
he looked around the table, “You guys aren’t gonna back off till I order
something else are ya?”
He got the look times four, and sighed
deeply, “Fine. Somebody get the waiter back. I want to order
pancakes, bacon, and eggs.”
Brian Littrell sat outside the
bathroom listening to the retching and gagging noises from
inside. After 5 minutes they stopped and water was running.
“Can I come in now?” Brian asked impatiently from the outside of the
door. He heard the lock to the door click, and he turned the knob to let
himself inside. Nick studied his pale reflection in the bathroom mirror.
He pouted at himself and splashed more water on his face.
“Feeling better?” Brian asked patting
Nick’s shoulder, and putting down the toilet lid so he could sit on it.
Nick nodded at Brian through the
mirror, he never turned to face him, “Sorry. I guess I ate too much,
or something.”
Brian nodded, not wanting to mention
that Nick hadn’t even finished half his plate at breakfast. “Listen man,
maybe you should think about seeing a doctor sometime this week. I bet we
can get off tomorrow.”
“For what?” Nick asked, his reflection
studying Brian oddly.
“Dude, you don’t eat enough to feed a
bird, and when you do… well…”
Nick shrugged, “It won’t happen again,
relax Brian. You’re beginning to get as uptight as Kev.” He rubbed
the bottom of his nose and ran a hand through his hair. He turned to
Brian for the first time since he entered the bathroom, “Lets get back to the
party, shall we?”
Brian stared at Nick uncertainly.
Was it just him, or did Nick act funny? Not funny but different
from how Brian remembered him ever acting before.
“Brian?” Nick was looking at him now.
Brian stood slowly, but still hesitated, “Are you sure…”
“I’m great, excellent, wonderful!”
Nick assured him rolling his eyes and grabbing his arm, “Lets go before
Kevin comes in here!”
Brian allowed himself to be dragged.
But as they returned to the photo shoot, Brian could not help but
think something was up his baby brother. Brian watched Nick teasing AJ
about something and laughing as the photographer was trying to line up shot of
them. Maybe he was crazy, maybe he was just paranoid, but he knew,
something told him, Nick wasn’t as perfect as he came off to be. Why he
felt that way he did not know, but he was sure as hell gonna find out.
***
