The Jonas family is very tight-knit, but no one gets along better than twin brother and sister Joe and Brexley. They've been inseparable for their entire lives, and even during the Jonas Brothers years, when Joe was off touring with Nick and Kevin...
As soon as Joe enters the apartment, I know something's wrong. Even from the couch I can hear his heavy breathing, and I literally feel his grief radiating off of him.
"Joe, what's wrong?" I ask him, and then I see his face, blotchy and tear-stained. Immediately, I move to where he's standing and bear hug him. "What happened?"
"Nick broke up the band. We're done," he says, and his tears start to fall again. I don't let go of him, squeezing him tighter. That band was his pride and joy. I can only imagine the hurt he's feeling right now.
"I'm so sorry," I tell him, leading him to the couch so he can sit down.
"Why would he do that? It was his idea to start making music again anyway! He's just selfish! Nick only cares about himself, and I'm so done with him!" Joe yells, angrily wiping away his tears.
"So he just made the decision on his own?" I ask, and Joe nods.
"Yeah. Without any damn consideration about how I might feel about it!" he shouts.
"And what about Kevin? How did Kevin react?" I question.
"Well, he wasn't overly happy about it at first, but then he probably put it together that without the band he could spend more time with Danielle. He didn't seem too upset about it anymore when I left," he says.
Just as Joe finishes his sentence, his phone rings. The ringtone is Play My Music, and I don't even have to look at the caller ID to know it's Nick calling. My twin brother realizes this at the same time I do; he chucks his phone across the room into the wall, leaving a small crack in the screen.
"Joe! Listen, I know you're upset, and I know you don't want to talk to him right now, but can you please not throw shit? You cracked your screen!" I say, walking over to retrieve his phone.
"Sorry," he says quietly, burying his face in his hands. I place his phone on his thigh, then pulling him into a side hug like I know he appreciates when he's upset. We stay like this for at least five minutes, and then I have to break the silence.
"What do you want to do right now? Whatever it is, I'm down. Just say the word," I say, and he finally looks up at me.
"Can we order some pizza and watch Game of Thrones?" he asks, and I nod, giggling a little.
"You're a simple guy, JJ. But yeah. I'll go call the place and put an order in, okay?" I tell him, and he nods, going on his phone as I head to the kitchen.
Just as I'm about to dial the number for Joe's Pizza, my phone dings with a text from Nick. I sigh quietly, knowing I have no choice but to answer. If I don't, both Kevin and Nick will probably come storming right through the apartment door, and that'll just set Joe off again.
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After I finish texting my younger brother, I place the order, confirm that it'll be delivered in about a half hour, and then head back to the living room to be with Joe.
"So, Nick texted me," I tell him, and he rolls his eyes before turning back to his own phone screen.
"Yeah, he's texted me about a thousand times tonight too. Kevin as well. What'd he want?"
"You might as well just read it," I say, and he takes my phone, scanning the texts quickly.
"Well, I'm glad he cares about me, and I'm glad he's sorry. But that doesn't change anything. He's a horrible brother. I still hate him," he says, and I nod.
"I know you do. That's why I told him you weren't gonna call," I say, and Joe agrees.
"Whatever." He goes back to texting someone, and, looking more closely, I see that the person is Sophie. Of course it is.
"How is she?" I ask, and for the first time today, he grins.
"Oh, she's great. They're busy filming, as per usual, but she says she can't wait for everyone to see the new season."
"That's good."
"I also told her about the breakup. She's been pretty kind about it, and she's always willing to lend a hand when someone needs it. That's one of the things I like about her," he says.
"She's pretty amazing," I say, matching his smile.
"Yeah."
Together, we begin to watch an old episode of Game of Thrones, so that we can watch the brand new one once our food arrives. For right now, Joe seems mostly like himself. But I can tell that he's still hurting, he's still angry, and he's not going to forgive Nick and Kevin easily. Tonight, he is momentarily distracted by food, Sophie, and his favorite tv show. But he's going to need a lot of support in the coming days. And I hope I will be able to provide that to him, like he always has for me.
