Broken || Little Mix ||

Chapter 38 - E

Paul enters the room quietly, taking in the sight of the four of us, huddled in a teary eyed circle. He sighs, running a hand through his hair and grabs a folding chair, dragging it over to us. He turns it around before straddling it and leaning his arms on the backrest. For a minute he doesn't say anything, seeming to collect his thoughts. He takes a deep breath, letting it out audibly as he looks across the four of us.

"I spoke to Sam while you girls were performing," he starts. He pauses again though, not wanting to say what he has to. So I do it for him.

"I'm getting sent home," I say, trying to make this easier on Paul. None of this is his fault.

He nods his head, seemingly unable to make eye contact with me. "Sam and the team have come to the decision that there's two ways to handle this. Keep you on tour or send you home. The first one runs too many risks at this point. As it is, you haven't been doing well. They've decided it's much easier to play this out for the band by having Jade go home for a bit, get better mentally and then return to the tour later on if it's still in progress.

"It'll be rough for the entire team and all of you. Interviews are going to be brutal, the paparazzi following all of you, the three of you here and Jade back home, is going to be more persistent than you've ever seen. The press is going to eat this up as a confirmation of Clarke's statements. But if we also put out a statement saying how this is overall the best thing for your health, which I truly believe it is, and that you aren't giving up, rather working hard on yourself to get back to the fans, we think it'll bring more beneficial PR in the long run."

"So this is just a PR stunt then?" Jesy scoffs.

"How long?" I ask, ignoring her. "What's the minimum that they want me off the tour?

Paul finally looks at me. "At least a month and a half."

"That's the rest of the US dates including our radio press week," Jesy states.

Paul nods again. "I know. But Little Mix has already been confirmed and announced South American and Australian dates. If all goes well, Jade will be able to come back and finish the tour. Sam's already started to compile a list of therapists and treatment centers-," but I cut him off at that.

"Treatment centers? She wants to send me to rehab? She doesn't have that authority."

I work hard to not raise my voice despite my anger.

"Sam isn't going to make you do anything. She's just ensuring that you know of all of the resources and options available to you."

"Oh so now they give a damn? We caught her self-harming, doing drugs, and a shit ton of other stuff and they kept her on tour for the money. Why the sudden change of heart?" Leigh-Anne asks annoyed.

"Well that's obvious," Perrie says. All four of us turn to her, somewhat confused, making it clear that it is not obvious.

"Think about it," she explains. "Clarke gave that interview so now the world knows, not just us. They can't force her to keep touring with those things going on. The Mixers are smarter than that. If they can figure out info about collabs and new singles based off of almost nothing then they're going to quickly figure out everything Clarke said is true. So they have two options and they aren't focused on Jade's well-being at all. They're focused more on the longevity of the group and the financial ramifications.

"They announce Jade is going home, seeking treatment so that she can hurry back to the fans but still put her health first. It shows the fans that they do genuinely care, that her well-being is the most important. But what's going to happen when they announce it? A press storm. Any shows we have that aren't sold out soon will be because everyone will freak out that Little Mix might be breaking up. But then when Jade comes back, it creates another press storm. The brave pop star who is willing to do anything to keep pleasing the fans. Tickets and albums get boosted again, every news channel and gossip site will be dying to get an interview. The money they can make off of Jade right now is immeasurable."