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*I'm back again lol*



19
Mike was almost late for work again; even though he didn’t even have to be in until one o’clock in the afternoon. He had spent the whole night on the phone with his brother. They had some serious conversations about life love and missed opportunities. For instance he found out at around three in the morning, that if Nick didn’t become a pop star he would have joined the military or perhaps been a marine biologist while Mike confessed he would have gone to college and gotten a teaching degree. That or become a rock star. They had both laughed about that one. Nick also confessed that sometimes he wished he could just disappear into the fog. Change his name, identity and never look back. Mike had confessed the same thing, ending with “Well if you want we could run away together, change our names to John and Joe Smith and live on a pig farm in Kentucky.
He didn’t talk about family much but neither did Mike. Probably a road neither was ready to venture down. He did talk about his friends though, especially Brian. The conversation was Brian this and Brian that…Brian… Brian… Brian. Mike could tell how much he depended on those guys for everything. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy about it all. Especially when Kevin was brought up. It seemed as if Kevin had assumed the role he was meant to play. Kevin was the lead player while Mike was now relegated to understudy. He also didn’t like him much which didn’t help.

Through most of the conversation though, they had grown more comfortable with each other. Mike was positive that if he hadn’t finally said he HAD to go to bed, they would still be talking now. So, even though he was in a fog and had one of those I didn’t get enough sleep last night headaches…it was worth it.

“Hey stranger long time no see” Mike turned at the sound of Melinda’s voice and was greeted with a wink. She looked different today; she had once again dyed her hair but this time a very normalish auburn.

“Hi” Mike was short with her, “Someone’s grouchy today I take it?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“What?” Mike walked off towards the registers and Melinda followed. The store was pretty dead so most of the workers were out on the floor working on displays and stocking. “Why the hell did you tell everyone about Nick?”

“I had to…it was either that or YOU would lose your job. I was covering for YOUR ass!”

“So you tell the whole friggin world about my celebrity brother?” Melinda was pissed, “You are a really ungrateful son of a bitch you know that Alexander?”

Now he felt bad; why did he always manage to piss off the opposite sex?

“Look I’m really sorry…I just...I didn’t want anyone to know that’s all”

“Whatever I’m going out on the floor…” She said pushing past him and making her way away from the registers.

“Awe Melinda wait” He ran after her, “look I’m sorry I didn’t get much sleep last night and I’m grouchy. I took it out on you I’m really sorry”

“Whatever”

“Are you going to be mad at me all day?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Come on Melinda please?”

“Fine! But you were a bone head. I was only trying to help. I’m sorry if it caused a ruckus”

“Actually more of a brouhaha”

She smiled and punched him in the arm, “Oh then that’s okay”

Mike relaxed, the last thing he could handle on this 8 hour shift was dealing with a pissed off Melinda. Bad enough the bosses were wanting to fire him every chance they got. Although now that he thought about it, his boss wasn’t even waiting for him at the punch clock today. That’s because suddenly he was important. The brother of a pop star. Haul out the red carpet people here comes Mike the sub celebrity!

“How is it going with Nick anyway?” She asked sticking a piece of Wrigley’s in her mouth and throwing the wrapper behind her on the floor. “You know…there’s a garbage can right next to you” She shrugged at Mike, “Too much work…so?”

“It’s going really well, that’s why I was up all night. We talked the night away” Melinda laughed, “Can you be any cornier?”

“I could if you really wanted me to”

She put up a hand, “No really…that’s okay. So what did you guys talk about?”

“Just stuff”

“Did you tell him about your dad yet?”

“Actually guess who showed up at my doorstep yesterday?”

“Jehovah Witness from hell?” Mike laughed, “Nope…worse”

Melinda looked up, once she did Mike finished, “My dad!”

“No way!!”

“Yes”

“Mike that is fucked up seriously”

“I know”

“So? Did they meet or what?”

“No but they talked on the phone for a few minutes yesterday”

“I thought he was in prison”

“Yeah so did I”

“So what happens next?”

“I’m seeing him tonight after work, he has something to do during the day but then he has the night free so we are going to dinner or something”

“With the dad?”

“No…Just me and the kid, I plan on warning him about dad’s past before he actually gets to meet him....should be interesting”

“Wow! Sounds like fun”

“Oh yeah nothing like telling a long lost brother about his father’s jail time” Melinda pat her friend on the back and then walked out onto the floor while Mike manned the registers.

He was a bit nervous about their dinner tonight but he was glad it would be just the two of them. They’d laugh some, talk some and then he would tell Nick about their dad. Maybe after he did that, Nick would open up and their Mom. Maybe she was in prison too. Mike laughed at the silliness of his thoughts.

Regardless of how he would take the news, Mike was glad that for once HE would be the one to pick Nick up if he fell.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*
I knew I was in for twenty one thousand questions by the time I got off the phone and met up with the guys…so I didn’t. After I got off the phone I lay in bed and went to sleep. I didn’t care if it wasn’t my room; I just didn’t feel like being interrogated. I had a good conversation with my brother I wanted to end on a high note.

I wasn’t surprised to be shaken awake by Brian at around five in the morning. I tried to bat him away but he only laughed, “We have to get up now”

“Why?”

“We have a thing” I pulled the covers over my head, “We always have a thing”

“Come on Nick…just get up besides I want to know how it went with Mike”

I reluctantly sat up and Brian laughed, “Your hair is sticking straight up!” I licked my hand and straightened my hair up which made Brian laugh some more. I’m so glad he found me so amusing.

On any given day if he or anybody else had woken me up this early I would have possibly bit them, but I was really excited to tell Brian all about my conversation. “Well?”

“We talked for a really really long time” My voice was hoarse. I bent down and popped a cough drop in my mouth from the box on the floor. I’m sure Kevin wouldn’t mind.

“Why didn’t you come back to the room? Kevin was pissed; he had to sleep in your bed last night”

“He could have come back here”

“I think he really wanted to respect your privacy”

I smiled, Kevin WAS trying; I’ll give him that much.

“It was just a big misunderstanding. My dad…” I took a deep breath; it seemed so weird calling someone other than Bob my dad. “My dad didn’t know that Mike had gotten in touch with me. I talked to him last night too”

Brian looked a little surprised and possibly disappointed. “Oh…but why would he say he didn’t have you then?”

“I just think he thought I was a crazy person”

“Well, he wasn’t that far off the mark then” I threw my pillow at his head but he ducked and it landed on the floor. “Your aim sucks this early in the morning”

“We are seeing each other tonight” Brian’s smile left his face. He wasn’t happy, “Nick…what did Kevin...”

“I know what he said, but Brian it's okay he’s my brother. Really”

“Why don’t we all meet him tonight then? I mean I really want to get to know this guy too” I looked at him suspiciously.

“You do?”

“Of course I do. He IS your brother isn’t he?” I nodded and smiled.

Yes he was.

“I don’t mind if you want to come but I don’t know about everybody. I don’t want him to feel totally intimidated…”

“Don’t you think the best thing for Kevin would be to just spend some time with Mike? I mean once he sees the connection you guys have, if you do, he’ll back off” Brian was really selling his point to me.

“Yeah but…”

“Come on Nick…let’s get practical for a minute, Kevin will NOT let you go alone anyway”

“He can’t stop me” I was getting mad at Kevin before I even saw him.

“Yes he can. Your Mom and dad signed a paper to put him in charge of you when they aren’t here remember?”

“God Brian…that was for when I was a kid”

“Doesn’t matter, in his eyes you are his responsibility. I’m just telling you how to make it easier on yourself”

He had a point. I mean it really would spare us all a day from hell if I had the opportunity to invite them all to come before Kevin insisted he come…right?

“Okay, that’s what I’m going to do. You guys can all come”

“Excellent” Brian said smiling. “I really am looking forward to meeting him Nick” And I could tell he meant it.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
John Alexander sat sulking in his son’s small apartment, angry that he had no control over the situation. He was angry that Mike said he couldn’t come to dinner with the two of them, but if he wanted his son’s money, he would have to be patient. It would be nice seeing the little one again, so many times he had really thought about Nick. Thought about going back for him, but Mike was a handful enough and he knew that his baby would cry for Jane.

Jane…now her he didn’t miss at all. If he could bypass stealing from Nick he would go straight to Jane, but then again screwing HER baby over would get back at her wouldn’t it?

He found himself growing restless and went to where Mike had hidden his cash. He had found it the first day. The jar of cash but decided not to touch it, this time however he had an idea. He opened the jar and took out the wad of bills…he put them in his pocket and slipped on one of his son’s jackets; time to go make a fast buck.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mike stood in the break room, cell phone to his ear and listened to his brother suddenly make his life hell.

“So you sure you don’t mind?”

“No Nick, of course I don’t mind….I mean I would love to meet your friends” Does that Kevin jerk have to come too?

“Are you sure?”

“Yes”

“Good because they all really want to meet you too” I bet they do

“Excellent…well I’ll be happy to see all of you guys”

“Yeah and they are also looking forward to meeting dad. I know I am too, it’s been a long time”

Mike shifted nervously, “Uh yeah about dad…Nick…dad won’t be coming with us tonight” There was a pause in the conversation. Mike had figured out that whenever his brother stopped talking he was upset. “He has some other stuff to do but he said he can’t wait to spend some time with you”

“Oh…that’s okay. He might have felt overwhelmed…are you sure you don’t mind Mike?”

“I don’t mind”

“Good…listen I have to go but I’ll see you at the hotel at 7…okay?”

“Sounds good Nickers…oh and tonight is my treat; tell your friends that okay?”

Mike hung up with his brother and wanted to hit his head against the wall. The last thing he wanted to happen tonight was meeting the other four. He had rehearsed and rehearsed how he was going to tell his brother about their father but now that was thrown out the window. He knew he would be under a microscope tonight so he figured if he paid they would all realize he wasn’t in this for the money. He had enough money saved up to do just that. Treat them all and get that stupid Kevin ass of his back.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I turned to the rest of the guys after I got off the phone, “He said he was okay with you all coming”

They all smiled except for Kevin, “What about your dad?”

“Actually dad has something else to do today, so it will just be Mike”

Kevin nodded. When I met up with all the guys for breakfast Kevin sat in the corner and just listened. He didn’t look pleased; actually he looked mad as hell. I ignored it. He was just about to open his mouth when I announced that I wanted them all to come tonight. After that his mouth stayed closed up until when he asked about my father.

“I am looking forward to meeting him Nicky”

“Thanks Howie. He sounded excited to meet all of you too”

“Yeah I am curious to see if he is as loopy as you are”

“Shut up AJ” I turned to Kevin as if to prove a point, “And he said he was paying for all of us”

Kevin smiled, “How extremely generous of him”

“Yes I thought so too” I said a little bit snotty.

“He doesn’t have to pay for us all…maybe just you” Brian said now feeling like there was going to be a fight.

“I guess we’ll leave it up to him” I glanced Kevin’s way and then walked out of the room.