Love Isn't Love, 'Til You Give It Away

I woke up the next morning to my alarm blaring at me. I scowled and rolled out of bed and towards my bathroom. I turned the hot water on and let it run for a short time before getting in and washing. I let the hot water massage my skin as I washed my hair. I didn't have enough time to enjoy the shower, however, because I had to quickly get ready. I jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist. I then went back into my room. "Morning," a voice said and I jumped. I turned and glared at Alex, who was grinning at me.
"Why do you always do that?" I asked him as I moved to my closet.
"Why not?" he replied and I rolled my eyes.
"That's not a proper answer," I pointed out but he didn't reply. I rummaged through my clothes and eventually found an outfit that I thought would work; a pair of grey skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with black swirls over it. I glanced at Alex before going back into the bathroom to get dressed. That was something I usually did anyway, so there was no reason for Alex to think I was being weird.

I got dressed reasonably quickly, hoping that I looked alright for being on television, and then went back into my room. I always let my hair dry naturally and as I glanced in my mirror, I noted that it was nearly dry now. I ran my fingers through it and sighed. It was slightly annoying, but I couldn’t be bothered to fix it. I turned towards Alex, who was fiddling with my guitar. He couldn’t play, not at all. But every time we see each other, he always plays with my guitar, trying to make some decent sound. "It's never going to happen, my friend," I grinned at him and he looked up at me and shrugged.
"Practise makes perfect," he said and I snorted. He needs a lot of practise. I watched him plucking some strings for a couple of seconds and then remembered that we had to go.
"Come on," I said, heading out of my room. I heard Alex put my guitar down carefully and follow me. I smiled softly to myself. Alex was actually the only person I trusted with my guitars because I knew he would be careful with them. He knew how much I would freak if anything happened to them, and so was probably unnecessarily careful when he used them. But even if he completely destroyed one I don’t think I'd really freak that much. I mean, I know it would be an accident.

We walked into the kitchen and I grabbed an apple. "Ready to go?" mum asked as she breezed into the room.
"Yep," I smiled as I ate slowly.
"Good, good," she said. "I think your brothers are ready as well."
"Um, how's Joe?" I asked hesitantly. Mum sent me a look and I sighed. 'Don't ask,' is what that look said. I nodded sadly and walked into the hall. Kevin and Frankie were there already and smiled at me when I came into the room.
"Hey," Kevin said to Alex.
"Alright?" Alex asked him and he smiled and nodded. "Hey Frankie," Alex said, ruffling Frankie's hair. Frankie just grinned at him. I don’t know why, but Alex was the only person allowed to ruffle Frankie's hair. When I told Alex this, he was so proud of himself that he now did it all the time. I don’t even think he realises he does it anymore, it's just natural.
"Joseph! Hurry up!" mum shouted up the stairs. I frowned slightly, not thinking that it was a good idea to yell at Joe when he was obviously still upset.
"I'm coming," he said as he appeared at the top of the stairs. He then walked down and straight past us and out to the car. I sighed and lowered my head.
"What's wrong with him?" Alex asked me quietly.
"I'll tell you later," I said as we made our way outside. He nodded and smiled at me reassuringly. I smiled back and then climbed into the black car that was waiting for us. Alex always claimed that we travelled around in limos just because we were famous, but that wasn't true. We tried to be a lot more subtle – trying not to draw unnecessary attention.
"Is this interview about anything specifically?" Kevin asked my dad once he jumped into the driver's seat.
"Not really," he shrugged as he reversed out of our driveway. "Just the usual sort of stuff. It should be no problem for you guys..." I nodded but couldn’t help but glance at Joe. He wasn't looking at me, he was looking out the window, as though desperate to find something interesting to look out. I wanted to sigh sadly, but I knew Alex would ask me what was wrong.

Joe then turned to me, as though he knew I was looking at him. I sat up straighter, scared about what he was going to say. But he didn't say anything, just looked at me. Or glared at me. But really, he didn't have to say anything. That glare spoke pages. He wasn't happy.