Backstage Love

Chapter 3

PJ's POV
  I woke up to the sound of my phone going off, signaling I have a text. Before I read the text I see it is eight thirty in the morning, best sleep I've gotten in a while. I finally open the message, it was from Ben.
Ben Cook
Hey PJ! Glad so got to meet your brother last night! I don't know why you left early but if you want to talk about it later just let me know :)
Crap, I forgot about last night. Him and Emma probably think I'm weird and don't ever want to talk to me in person again. I groggily walk into the kitchen to Jordan standing by the counter making coffee.
"Morning PJ, want some coffee?"
"You know I hate coffee." I laugh
"Yeah, you're a weirdo, I don't know how we're related." We both are laughing now until Jordan wants to bring up last night, "So about last night-"
"Jordan, do we have to talk about this?" I don't want to talk about this. I never want to talk about our parents or our sister.
"Yes, Paige, we do. You can Ben are going to get closer and you're going to have to talk about it sooner or later."
"No, I don't, I've pushed it away for six years!"
"But you know Ben is going to ask about it!"
"Jordan! Ben, doesn't need to know that our parents left us and put a 21 year old in charge of us!"
"That 21 year old is our sister Lila! You can't even say her name!"
"Because I don't want to talk about it!" I scream at him. "I have to get ready for rehearsal."
        It doesn't take me that long to get ready, I look at the clock and see that I'm going to be late, dang I don't have time to put my contacts, oh well. I don't bother saying bye to Jordan on my way out, I don't feel like talking to him. Luckily for me I found a faster way to the rehearsal space and I am three minutes early, at least I'm somewhat early. I walk into the room and see Ben standing at the opposite end of the room. I can't face him after last night, so I set my stuff as far away as possible. As usual I start stretching and I see Ben walk over to me but is interrupted by our director telling us to start from the top of the show.
      We finally got to There's Music in You and we only had a little to work back. We worked extremely hard today considering tomorrow would be mine and Ben's first put in and then we have another put in and then we start shows. And I make my Broadway debut. Holy crap, I make my debut in three days, I don't think I'm ready. I snap out of my freak it and put my street shoes back on and I get out of the studio as fast as possible. I hear a pair of feet catch up behind me.
        "Hey PJ, you didn't talk to me at all today. You alright? I didn't hear you talk that much today either." he said sounding somewhat concerned.
        "Um, y-yeah, I just got into a fight with brother before I came here." I responded remembering what was said this morning.
       "Oh, do you want to talk about it? If you want to."
       "My roommate is on vacation and I really don't want to go back to my apartment right now and talk to Jordan. Do you want to go get dinner?"
        "Yeah sure."
    Okay, I'll admit it, I have been forming a crush on Ben. He's just so nice and caring, but I don't need a relationship. Plus, what if we did start dating and what if we broke up, we'd see each other eight times a week and it'd just be awkward. Before I know it we arrived at the Chinese place we agreed on. We were seated right away and once our drinks came out Ben really wanted to start the conversation.
"So why did you and your brother fight?"
"Well,"I started, "he wanted to talk about last night and I didn't so he got mad at me for not wanting to talk about our parents and I just wasn't in the mood to talk about it. He just really got on my nerves."
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave? You looked a little upset when you left."
I don't want to talk about this. I hate talking about this with a passion. I can trust Ben, can't I? Yes, I can.
"Well, uh, apart from Jordan and I, we have another sister named Lila. When I turned sixteen, Jordan would turn 18 in a few months and Lila was 21. Our parents just upped and left," I begin to choke on my words and feel tears well in my eyes. Ben reaches over the table and grabs hand reassuringly, "They didn't leave a note or anything. I was the first one to wake up and saw that there was nothing but a made bed in their room. So Lila, had to raise us until we turned 18. A couple months after Jordan turned 18, Lila got into a car accident and died at the spot. Jordan raised me for two years and I got accepted into NYU. So Jordan and I have been close ever since and we still don't know what happened to our parents." I'm holding back so many emotions right now, I hate talking my parents and Lila. Lila and I were so close and when Mom and Dad left she was there. When she died I didn't talk to anyone for a month.
      "Wow. I'm sorry you had to go through that P." he said in utter shock.
      "It's fine, I just don't usually talk about it."
      "Well, I have to say, you look really cute in your glasses." he says changing the topic. Kind of forgot I was wearing them.
        "Oh. Thanks." I laugh. Wait, did he call me cute? Am I going to think about this a lot now? Probably. Am I looking too far into this? Yes.  
         Our food finally arrives. I didn't order that much considering I wasn't that hungry. We finish our meal and Ben pays for my food. I insist he doesn't but he does anyway.
         "I'm gonna win one day and I'm going to pay for you." I tell him in a matter-of-fact tone.
         "No your not, I'm very persuasive."
      I respond with just an eye roll. I really like talking to Ben, I feel like I could tell him anything and I can trust him. But my trust has been broken before and I don't want to go through that same pain again.
     We go our separate ways and I enter my empty apartment. Wait, empty? I search my entire apartment and I don't see Jordan's things anywhere. I go into the kitchen and see a note with my name on it.
      PJ,
       I know you're probably wondering where I am. Well, I'm on a flight headed back to Nashville. I thought we needed some space after our fight and us being in the same apartment wouldn't help. I'll be back in a year because the spot I got at Perfect Imageries doesn't open up until then. Let me know when you need to talk, I'll drop everything to make sure you're okay.
     All my love,
       Jordan <3
Good god. What have I done? I chased my brother away with our fight? But it was so little, why did he leave? I feel tears slip down my cheeks and I slide down the wall and place my elbows on my knees and start to bawl my eyes out. I can't call Jordan cause I'm crying over him that just doesn't make any sense. I call one person who I know will listen.
    "Hey, uh Ben can you come over?"