Hold On To Him | Jonas Brothers

Chapter 14

I'm alive! I try to keep updating when I have the inspiration, but writer's block is keeping me so much from writing and I hate it!

Thank you all so much for sticking around and I hope you like it as always :)

Nick's P.O.V.
Joe got home way too soon for my liking. It meant the time for the well dreaded drinking game was nearing and it freaked me out.

I don't want to participate in this thing, because even though I'm good with words, I'm not good with emotions and feelings and expressing them.

Neither am I looking forward towards the questions. I can only imagine some of the questions that might be addressed and in no way will I be able to answer them. But I have to. That's the whole point of the drinking game.

Pippa and Frankie will be sober. They'll know we're lying before Joe, Kevin or I will even know. We'll be at a major disadvantage as the game progresses.

Before we know it, mom and dad are on a day trip away and left us home alone. Kevin came over and soon we found ourselves around the table, each with a drinking glass and a bottle of coke and tequila on the table.

In the center of the table stands a big glass bowl. It's filled to the brink with little folded notes.

I swallow, looking at the bowl as Joe fills the glasses. From behind the bowl, I find Kevin sending me some reassuring looks. I know he's going to ask some major questions as well, but at the moment I don't really care. I only care about how this is going to change our future. Not so much the Jonas Brothers, but more the connection with Pippa and Frankie.

We're not in their good books. So far was obvious. This game might just tip them over and I don't know if I can handle that. Not now, not like this. It feels like we've just gotten back on good terms even though I know that's not true.

"Everyone ready?" Kevin takes lead in the game. He waits for each of us to assure him we are fine enough for him to continue. He reaches out to the bowl, and we all wait form him to take one of the papers, unfold it and to read aloud what it says.

"This question is for Joe." He pauses and turns towards him. "Why did you treat all of us the horrible way you did after the band broke up? And for everyone's information, I censored this." Kevin continues.

What did he do? I was kind of in a haze after the break-up of the band. I was also king of not around much.

Joe looks down at the table. "I was hurt. I felt betrayed. Betrayed by my best friend." He looks me in the eye when he says that and if this is how the rest of the game is going to go, I'm out.

"I threw all my pain on you guys and I'm truly sorry for doing that. But I was so mad. No, I wasn't mad. I can't explain it. That is how I felt." Joe finishes.

"Okay, I believe you." is what Frankie responds with. Not an "I forgive you" or an "I'm sorry you felt that way". Frankie is going to be the tough one during the game, even more so than Pippa. She kept quiet, as did Kevin and I.

Kevin laid the paper aside and motioned for Joe to get the next one.

"This one is for Nick." I feel all color drain from my face. "Why did you pull away from Pippa after the break? The two of you were as thick as thieves." He pauses. "I have to admit that I was jealous of the bond the two of you had. I know I was your best friend. But the two of you were one."

I kept quiet, thinking over my answer. I don't even know what to say. That I was an asshole? Yeah, that'll go over well with everyone.

"Nick?" Her voice is shaky. I finally look up at her. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I don't know what I was doing at the time. I was in a daze and I kept going and continued hurting people without a care in the world."

I know she is expecting more, but I can't give it to her now. There is no right time for this ever. Without going into it, she told him to get the next question.

"This next one is for Pippa." He starts. "When you ran away, why did you stay away for so long without giving us any sign of life?"

"I wanted to come home. I really did. I didn't know how. I thought everyone would be so mad and upset with me that you wouldn't want to take me back in and when I met Molly and James, I felt like I had a good chance of getting a normal life for myself with their help." She explains.

I see Joe grab his drink. So does Frankie. "That's bullshit. I know for a fact you never wanted to come back at all. Not at the end, not in the middle, but definitely not from the beginning." Joe spits out.

Kevin clears his throat. "I'm sorry Pippa. I'm on them with this one."

To get away from the conversation, she reaches out to the bowl to grab another piece of paper.

"Another question for Nick. Why did you push away everyone when your Diabetes acted up and never asked for help?" She asks me.

"I know it's not an excuse, but at the time I realized my Diabetes was acting up, I wanted to fix it myself. I felt like I had caused it myself by breaking up the band and everything that happened with it. I should be old enough to take care of myself." I explain.

"But you don't have to be old enough to take care of yourself when it comes to Diabetes. You know that." Kevin tells me.

I nod. "I know that now. But at the time I didn't want to listen to it. I was stubborn."

"You still are." Joe interrupts with an evil grin.

"I still am. And when the band got back together, I didn't want to ask for help. We had finally been getting better as a group, but most importantly, as a family and I didn't want to ruin it with this disease and kept trying to fix it myself when I obviously couldn't until I really couldn't and Joe got involved to get my head out of my ass and to let him help me take better care of myself."

Joe smiles, still gloating over his achievement with me.