Lead You On

See, when I go to FYE (For Your Entertainment) I don't really expect to see my new friend's faces on a t-shirt. So, naturally, I go up to the guy fixing the huge display with them on it and ask what the hell this was.

"Um... the Jonas Brothers. They're this he-uge band with a he-uge number of fans. They're he-ugely big."

I stare at him - what the heck was wrong with him? - and said, "So... they're famous?" he nodded and I continued, "Get me that CD."

He handed it to me and I rushed to the front and bought it, then called Nick.

"What's up?" he yawned. I glanced at the clock on the wall of Target and rolled my eyes. How could he have been sleeping at noon?

"I need to talk to you now. Get up, I'm coming in five." I hung up.

Whoops, hope he doesn't think I'm mad.

Luckily, Nick's house was very close to the mall, so I kept up a light jog, clutching the CD close to me, every step I took becoming angrier than before.

"Have you ever head of us?"
I looked up. That was the first thing Kevin's brother Nick had said this entire time.

"Am I supposed to have heard of you? Are you like, murderers or something?" I tilted my head to the side seriously doubting these guys were killers.

"No. We're just... a-er, a garage band." Nick looked nervously at Kevin, who also looked troubled.

That's what they meant. They were famous! That's why we never went anywhere public, why they didn't like turning the channel to MTV. And they never told me!

Whatever happened to friends, Kevin? I bitterly narrowed my eyes, ignoring the heat beating down, and the weird looks people were giving the girl running while holding a Jonas Brothers CD.

They were popular, why didn't I know?
Because nobody told me.

I finally stopped and walked slowly up their walkway, hands clutched into fists, breathing heavily, and not just because I had been running. I had not broken into a sweat (thank you, physical education) but the humongous fury building up inside me was making me very hot.

I slammed the front door open immediately, and spotted Nick sitting on the couch, arms behind his head, dressed in a white shirt and checkered pajama bottoms. He looked up whe I came in, smiling. But he looked at my face, and his eyebrows knitted together. Then his eyes fell on the CD case in my hand, and his eyes widened.

I held up the case angrily, "Explain."

"Well," he began, his voice trembled and he looked around, "I think we should call Joe and Kevin here before I say-"

"No. Explain." I kept my voice even , all too aware of my temper rising each second nothing was explained.

"Okay, um, when I said we were a garage band, I was covering, I didn't really want you to know we were famous, because we didn't know you and you might pretend to like us because we're famous."

I waved his words aside and hissed, "I know that. I figured that out. But, now I know you. When were you planning on enlightening me on this? This big, you know."

He swallowed, I watched the lump in his throat slide down and closed my eyes, wishing with all my might just to understand this reasonably.

Calm down. Calm down.

Nick breathed in, like he was going to say something, but I held up my finger. "Don't. For a minute, just don't say anything."

I stumbled to the armchair and sat down, placed my face in my hands, and breathed as evenly as I could. I was aware of Nick sitting awkwardly, not sure if I was sad or mad, but I needed to concentrate.

In, out. In, out. In, out. In, out. In, out. I didn't want to scream, because I'd lose control and might hit Nick or break something.

"Okay." I finally managed to say. "Call somebody else in. I want all of you to explain."

Nick jumped up and raced upstairs, but I didn't move, and kept concentrating on regulating my breathing normal, to keep something constant and not become angry beyond reason.

Suddenly Nick was back, along with Joe's loping walk and Kevin's long stride. I didn't look up, just threw the CD at their feet and stayed silent.

One of them reached down and grabbed the CD and flipped it over in their hands. I heard two distinct sighs - Kevin and Joe - and felt one of the three sit down on the arm of my chair. I looked sideways at Nick, and he reached out his arm to touch me. I jerked away.

"Explain." I croaked, signalling toward the CD Joe was holding.

"Joe." Nick gestured for him to speak.

"Nick." Joe said it as sort of a warning.

Nick sighed and said, "Kevin." pleadingly.

"I have nothing to explain to her." he said stiffly. I breifly wondered why he was acting as if I wasn't there. I breathed in and out again.

Joe seemed to take the leadership and said, "We weren't sure how to tell you."

"But you were going to." I swallowed with some difficulty, "Right?"

He nodded and I sighed in relief. At least they weren't planning on never telling me.

Suddenly Joe turned and punched Kevin in the arm, "It was your idea yet you made me say it."

Kevin was silent for a moment, then hissed, "I don't interact with her."

Yet again, I wasn't here. I blinked and stared at him. He stared at the wall above the T.V.

"Dude, what the hell?" Nick asked bluntly. Kevin didn't respond, just turned and walked back up the stairs silently. I watched and squeaked as he turned and shot me a peircing glare.

"Get out of my house, you're worthless." he said gravely, saying each word slowly, to make sure I got it the first time. He kept staring at me, and I stood up shakily, unable, somehow, to look away from him.

His eyes narrowed more and that was all it took, I shot to the door, fumbling with the door knob, and sent a last terrified look back before closing the door behind me.

Joe and Nick looked surprised, and a little shocked at my reaction. I understood that, I mean, even I was freaked out that I would respond to Kevin like this. Like I was scared.

But Kevin, his face I'll never forget. So angry, and so resentful of me.

I shivered and slammed the door closed, but I hadn't even made it down the street when I tripped over the sidewalk and fell, and just lay there, shuddering. I curled up into a ball, suddenly afraid I would shatter apart, like his glare could made me explode.

I was exploding.