Play!

XCVI

It took Brett half a sandwich he barely managed to gulp down and another thirty minutes before he felt okay enough to walk. Cole just shook his head with a tsk when Brett explained he couldn’t get more food down for the life of his. Going back to the concert was not an option, so they left the building and slowly wandered back to their hotel. 

“Uhm”, Brett cleared his throat somewhere on the way. The rain had finally stopped and a cool breeze ruffled their hair, freeing Brett’s mind a little. “I’m sorry man, for all the trouble I’m causing you.”
Cole looked at him from the side. “You apologizing because of the babysitting thing I said?”
“Kinda… and I get it’s super annoying. You should be enjoying orchestra camp and you missed out on the concert too. Also, for what it’s worth, all this is my own doing. So if there’s any part of you feeling guilty or something, no need. I know I’m the one who’s being stupid.”
Cole frowned. “Where’s that coming from?”
Brett shrugged. “Just clarifying things.”
“Okay… you’re the only one who can make sure you eat and stay healthy and stuff, you know. You’re not four anymore. It’s not like I can hand feed you or anything.”
Good! Cole knew it wasn’t on him that Brett fainted.
But then, he turned his gaze away. “I wanted to… I wanted to scream at him”, he revealed slowly. Brett’s breathing hitched as his steps slowed down. 
“Ask him what the hell is wrong with him but it was all so hectic and there were other people… but God, I’m pissed at him!”
The last bit was said in a toneless hiss which made Brett’s blood freeze. He hadn’t known Cole felt like that, though it wasn’t surprising. And he didn’t exactly have much brain capacity left to ponder over other people’s well-being, sadly. 
He gave Cole a pat. “You’re a great friend, you know.”
“I know”, Cole said dryly and brushed through his blond hair. Brett chuckled. “And don’t worry. I’ll babysit you as long as I have to. You’d do the same.”
“I’ll try to get a grip.”, Brett promised without being sure he could actually do that. Thinking back on what happened tonight and what Eddy’s actions did or didn’t imply instantly increased the pressure in his head and all he wanted to do was to roll himself up under a blanket, giving in to the hedgehog-part of his identity.
Cole kicked a pebble away. “What are you gonna tell Mr. Thames tomorrow?”
Oh God. This! He almost forgot about the looming guillotine above his bare neck. He groaned loudly. 
“Fuck! I have no idea! Stress, I guess?”
“You think he’ll buy it?”
“I’m certainly not gonna out myself to him!”
“And if he asks about Eddy? I don’t know how others see it, but if someone as thick as Nathan’s suspecting something, I doubt our conductor standing right next to the first desk doesn’t.”
“Tell him a partial truth or something? I don’t have to hide that Eddy doesn’t want to talk to me again.”
“Hmm…”, Cole made pensively, eyes cast to the distant moon peeking through a set of thick clouds, “And what’s the harm if you tell him?”
Brett glared at his friend incredulously. “You mean like, the me liking Eddy part?”, he squeaked.
Cole shrugged. “Yeah. I get if you don’t want to though. I mean, he’s our teacher and it might be weird, but who knows? It could also help.”
Nah! Never in a million years was he going to tell Mr. Thames that he was in love with a guy, no less Eddy Chen!
So he shook his head violently despite the increasing sharp pain. “Uh-uh! I can’t! I’d rather forget my violin for a recital than tell Mr. Thames!”
“Figures”, Cole said empathetically when they stepped through the front door of their hotel.

Brett’s parents had tried to call. Twenty-seven times since yesterday to be precise and Brett just realized his mishap when he finally took a glance at his phone he’d forgotten the whole day, something that rarely or rather never occurred. He had never told them the results of the competition, being too occupied with the recent shit raining on his life. 
With a sigh, he slumped down on the bouncy mattress, slid at the last missed call and pressed the green button.

“Hello?”
“Hi mum, it’s me.”
“博堯！ 唉啊，終於打電話來！(Brett!! Finally you’re calling!)”, Brett’s mother exclaimed in Mandarin, not sounding pleased at all but he couldn’t blame her.
“Yeah, 對不起 (Sorry)”, he tried to ease her emotions in his regrettably foreign feeling mother tongue.
“打了一百次你都不接，真是的！你不是平常常看手機嗎？ 還以為發生了什麼事！(We called a hundred times and you didn’t pick up! Aren’t you like always on the phone? We were starting to think something happened to you!)”
“Nah, ma, I’m fine! I won the competition, by the way.”
A small pause, and then, “Ohh!!! Wonderful! Congratulations! 太好了! (Wonderful!)”
“謝謝. (Thanks.)”
“That’s amazing! Now you’re going to play a solo in two weeks, right?”
“Yeah, more like in one and a half…”
“We’ll come, of course. Will you text us the address of your hotel again? If they have rooms, we’ll stay there.”
“You don’t have to come, you know”, Brett tried while his stomach churned uncomfortably and a nasty pounding tormented his head further. What if he’d get stripped off the position? What if he couldn’t get his shit together by then and he’d fuck up? No need for his family to witness the public humiliation, was there?
“唉啊，亂講！我們當然會來！(Hayah! Don’t be stupid! Of course we’ll come!)”, she called like Brett knew she would. There was no denying his parents seeing the fruits of their money and labor they’d invested in their son. 
“But, it’s so far. And it’s just one concert. I’m gonna have one with the orchestra like next year or something.”
“有飛機啊！ (There are planes!) Besides, Alan misses you too. He spends an awful amount of time with your 電動玩具 (games), but he wants to see you perform too. And we’ll visit your uncle on the way.”
Brett heard a “Hey!” from his younger brother when their mother ratted him out. Brett couldn’t help but smile. He would give a lot right now to be home with his family, where the only worries consisted of Alan snatching his stuff away from time to time.
“If you say so”, he sighed. 
“Brett." He could see the frown between her brows in front of his inner eyes, “Are you alright? You sound off. Are you getting enough sleep? Or are you getting sick?”
Cole raised an eyebrow as if he’d heard Mrs. Yang’s interrogation loud and clear.
“Fine mum, don’t worry.”
“Hmm…”, she grumbled in a way Brett knew he wasn’t off the hook, “Do you need anything? Do you want me to come earlier?”
“Not a child anymore, ma”, he rolled his eyes. Having his over concerned mum tagging along wherever he went would just add to his load, so no thank you!
“好啦，知道啦 (All right, got it!”)! We’re going to be in Sydney soon anyway. If you need anything, tell me beforehand, okay? Make sure you’re getting enough rest! I know you work hard.”
If that would be the only issue, Brett would be a happy man.
“Okay. See you soon, mum.” 

“They’re coming?”, Cole asked after Brett hung up with another dramatic sigh. Any more sighing and he’d turn into an old, wrinkly man by the time he had to play his Korngold in front of an audience. 
“Of course they are.”
“And you’re not happy because…”
“Because I might not even play solo by then!”
“Then you better make sure that doesn’t happen”, Cole meant when he walked past Brett to the bathroom.