Chapter Three

The Potted Plant

December 15th 2002

Brian looked on in horror as AJ emptied the contents of his stomach into the potted plant.  Just a second ago they were standing around the mall waiting for the rest of the guys to show up. All they were doing was talking about the new album, when all of a sudden AJ turned a strange color that could only be explained as greenish white.  Brian was just about to ask if he was all right, but it was to late.


AJ couldn’t have been more embarrassed at that exact moment.  He could hear people walking by making disgusting comments about the dude with the hat and sunglasses puking his guts out into what he wasn’t exactly sure.  He didn’t even have a chance to look around for a trash can, let alone a bathroom.  When he was finally done dry heaving he sat down on the ground with his head in his hands.

“Hey Bone, you all right?”  Brian smacked himself for asking such a dumb question.  Of course he isn’t all right.  “Sorry that was a stupid question.”  He corrected himself sitting down on the ground next to his sick friend.

AJ shook his head. “Don’t worry about it Bri, and yeah I’m fine.  Just got a little sick to my stomach there.”  He said trying to put on a smile to show he was really ok.

Brian cocked his head looking at AJ strangely.  “I don’t think throwing up in the mall’s potted plant is saying you’re ok, Bone.”

So that’s what he had thrown up in.  ‘I guess that explains the feeling of leaves poking my head.’  He thought to himself before he turned to look Brian in the eye, who was now sitting with him on the ground.  “I’m fine really, I think I just ate something bad that’s all.”

“You haven’t had anything to eat at all Bone, I don’t think you even ate dinner last night.”

Ok, yeah Brian was right.  He hadn’t eaten much of anything the last few days.  His stomach has been twisting and turning too much and knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it down.  Of course he was now throwing up without eating anything at all.  “Yeah I know.”

“Hey guys, what ya doing down on the ground?”  Said Nick as him and the other guys came walking up to Brian and AJ.

“Bone here isn’t…”

Brian didn’t get to finish his sentence because AJ kicked him in the knee.

“Bone isn’t what?”  Asked Kevin looking at his cousin strangely.

“Nothing Kev.”  Brian replied quietly, rubbing his sore knee.

“Well are ya guys ready to go grab something to eat?  I don’t know about you, but I could really go for some Kung pow chicken right about now.”  Said Howie.

‘Oh god please don’t mention food.’  Thought AJ.

“Yeah, that sounds great to me.  How about you Bone?”  Asked Nick looking right at AJ.

The look on AJ’s face didn’t get unnoticed by Kevin.  “Hey, AJ you ok?”

“You should ask the potted plant.”  Said Brian moving away from AJ before he could kick him again.

Nick looked at Brian with confusion in his eyes.  “You can’t ask a plant anything Frick, they don’t talk.”

Everybody but AJ and Nick laughed at Nick’s stupid comment.

“You are such a idiot, do you know that Nick.”  Said Howie walking towards the plant.  “Hey Plant…”

“D what’s wrong?”  Asked Kevin trying to figure out why Howie had turned a little green.

Howie didn’t answer Kevin’s question just pointed at the plant.  He was afraid he was going to be the next one to use the plant for what it had been used for.

Kevin walked over to the plant and too started turning a little green.  Looking around the room seeing everybody looking at him besides AJ, he knew something was up.  “Alex?”

AJ couldn’t turn to look at his older brother.  He didn’t need sympathy, or even worse have people asking him questions.

“Alex?”  Kevin tried again this time moving so he was squatting next to his younger friend.

Shaking his head AJ turned to look at everybody else in the room besides Kevin.  He didn’t know why after all these years he still felt so small next to Kevin.

“What’s going on?”  Asked Nick still not understanding what is happening.

“Somebody puked in the plant.”  Whispered Howie point to the plant.

“What does that have to do with….OH, they think AJ was the one that throw up in the plant?”  Asked Nick finally getting what was going on.

Howie looked at Nick like he was crazy.  “You mean you actually do have brains in there?” He said pounding on Nick’s head to show that it was indeed not hallow.

Nick glared at Howie and rubbed his head as he turned back to see what was happening with AJ and Kevin.

“AJ, come with me for a second alright.”  Said Kevin standing up waiting for the younger man to follow him.

AJ looked at Brian for help, but when all Brian could do was shrug he knew he had to follow Kevin.  They walked over to another set of benches at the other end of that section of the mall.  Kevin waited for AJ to sit down beside him before he started to talk.

“AJ, are you all right?”

AJ couldn’t help but laugh at that comment.  That sounded like something Nick would ask.  Not Kevin.  “Do you think I’m all right?”

“If you were the one that did that in the plant, then I would say no you are not all right.”  Said Kevin looking at AJ with concern in his eyes.  “You haven’t been acting like yourself for the last few weeks J.  I can’t help but be worried about you.”

“Well, you don’t need to be worried about me.”  Said AJ standing up.

“Did Marshall do something to you?”

AJ turned around with shock in his eyes.  “What do you mean, did Marshall do something to me?”  The creepy thing was Kevin had hit the problem right on the nose.  Marshall had done something to him, just not what Kevin was thinking.

“I mean did he hurt you.  Or say something mean.  Because if he did I’m going right over there and kickin’ his ass.” Said Kevin.

“Oh no you don’t Kevin.  Marshall hasn’t done anything that I haven’t wanted him to do. Heck he doesn’t even know I took them”

Ok, now Kevin was confused.  “What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Huh?”  Asked AJ not aware of what he said.

“What do you mean that he doesn’t know you took them?  Took what?”

AJ froze in place.  Did he really just say what he thought he did?  ‘Great, how in the world am I going to get passed this?’

Kevin looked at AJ even more confused then he was before. He knew his friend was hiding something.  “Bone, you can tell me anything you know.”  He said trying to sound sensitive.

AJ sighed.  “You wouldn’t understand if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“I really don’t want to talk about it Kev.”  AJ was about to walk away but was pulled back.  “What the hell?”

“You’re going to talk to me Damn-it.   I’m your friend, and something is bothering you.  The last time this happened, you ended up in rehab.”

AJ looked at Kevin in shock.  “You think I’m relapsing?  That I’m drinking again?  That’s why you are acting all father like?”

Kevin nodded and looked at the ground.  The guys had all promised AJ that they wouldn’t bother him about the whole alcoholic bit.  That they would just be there for AJ if anything was to happen again. Now, here he was pretty much breaking that rule.

“Kev, would it make you feel any better if I told you that I swear on my grandmothers grave (AN: I have no idea if his grandma is dead lol), that I’m not drinking again?”

Laughing Kevin looked up into AJ’s dark brown eyes.  “You don’t need to go swearing on anybodies grave Alex.  I’m just worried about you.  Ever since Marshall got back from touring, you have been acting strange.”

“Marshall is being nothing but sweet to me Kev, don’t go telling him about this though.”

“Why don’t you want me telling him you’ve been getting sick?  If it was Kristin that was sick, I would want to know.”

AJ shook his head.  “Really, you don’t want to tell him.  Please Kevin, do it for me.”

“What would he do if I told him?”  Asked Kevin getting scared for his friend. He had always been worried about Marshall’s motives, but up until this point he hadn’t really given him any reason to think he was hurting AJ.

“He wouldn’t hurt me or anything Kev, he would worry just like you.  I don’t want him worrying about me.”  AJ tried to explain.

Kevin sighed.  “Alright J, if it means that much to you I wont make a big deal about what happened here today.  But, if things get worse, promise you will at least let Marshall help.  He loves you, ya know.”

AJ smiled.  “I know.”




After his little talk with Kevin, all AJ wanted to do was go home.  He told the guys that he just wasn’t feeling well, which they could believe, and left the mall.  Once he got into his car he felt like balling.  He knew something was wrong with him.  He had been so emotional lately.  Heck, here he was crying for really no reason at all.  Just the night before him and Marshall had been watching some sappy chick flick on TV that literally brought him to tears.  Him and Marshall joked about that for the rest of the night, but it was really starting to scare him.  As soon as he pulled out of the mall parking lot and started his drive home, the sound of his watch alarm going off brought him back to reality.  He was getting accustomed to that sound every four hours.  Looking down at the cup holders in the car he noticed he didn’t have any water with him.  “It can wait until I get home.”  He said out loud to himself.  Thankfully it wasn’t rush hour and he made it home in less then fifteen minutes.  Pulling into the driveway he was happy to see that Marshall wasn’t home.  After his talk with Kevin, he wasn’t in any mood to see Marshall.  Getting out of the car and grabbing the few shopping bags he had he walked up the steps to the front door.  Reaching in the mailbox he got the mail out.  Of course everything was for Marshall, considering this was his house.  Every weekend he went back to his own house and got the mail.  What he really wanted was to be able to have the same mailing address with his boyfriend, but nobody knew about them.  Walking into the house he dropped his bags in the entry hall and walked into the kitchen.  “Time to get that water.”  He said walking to the cupboard to grab a glass, and filling it with water.  Setting it on the table he went back out to the hall and grabbed his bags, searching through it for the pill bottle.  When he couldn’t find it he franticly started to throw everything out of the bag.

“Looking for this?”

AJ turned around in shock to see Marshall standing besides the couch holding the pill bottle in his hands.

“You see, it dropped out on the floor and was sitting right in front of the door, when I walked in.  I almost killed myself slipping on it.”  Said Marshall looking down at the pill bottle.  “Now, what I don’t understand is what exactly this is.”

AJ could feel his heart pounding in his chest a million miles a minute.  “Its nothing Marsh.”

“I don’t believe its nothing.  If it was nothing you wouldn’t of just practically tore open those bags looking for it.”

AJ didn’t know what to say.  Just looked at Marshall and the bottle, hoping the floor would swallow him whole.

Marshall opened the bottle and took out one of the red pills.  “What would happen if I took one of these?  Would I end up with a really nice buzz?”

“Marshall NO!”  AJ yelled running at Marshall tackling him to the ground.

Marshall laughed at AJ’s antics.  “I could get used to this position.”  He said as soon as he noticed AJ was on top of him.

AJ groaned.  “I’m not in the mood Marsh, I just wanted my pills back.”

“Hey, you cant be the only one having any fun.  Why can’t I have one?”

“Believe me Marshall, you don’t want one.”  Said AJ getting up off of Marshall holding the pill bottle to his chest.  Walking into the kitchen.

Marshall got up and followed his boyfriend into the kitchen.  “Aren’t you at least going to tell me what they do?”

“Nope.” 

“Fine, don’t be nice.”  Said Marshall putting on his best pout face.  “AJ’s being mean.”

“Haha, very funny, Mr. Smart-ass.”

Marshall was just about to respond to AJ’s comment when all of a sudden AJ was running out of the room at lighting speed towards the bathroom.  Marshall just watched the direction his boyfriend went in shock.  “What the hell?”  He asked himself as he walked down the hallway to the first floor bathroom.  “You all right baby?”  He called.


AJ groaned as he emptied his stomach for the second time that day.  He could hear Marshall calling his name, but knew if he tried to respond he would end up loosing it again.  He didn’t even look up when he heard Marshall enter the room.

“Fuck, you’re sick.”

AJ looked up finally, knowing he was all right for the moment.  Flushing the toilet he slowly stood up.  “No shit Sherlock.”

“Sorry, that wasn’t very sentimental of me.  Are you all right?”  Asked Marshall walking up to where AJ was standing at the sink looking in the mirror.

AJ sighed.  Was he really all right?  Or was he just fooling himself.  He looked down at his hand when he noticed he was holding something.  When he looked down he noticed it was the small pill bottle.  Looking at the small thing caused him to jump.  Reality kicked in.  All of a sudden things were finally making sense.

Marshall looked at AJ’s strange expression.  “What?”

AJ looked behind him to see Marshall staring at him.  ‘Oh GOD, how in the world am I going to tell him!’ His mind screamed.

“AJ!”

“Huh, what?”

“You’re spacing out on me.  Maybe you should be getting up to bed.  You really don’t look good.”  Said Marshall guiding his boyfriend out of the bathroom.

“No, Marsh I’m fine really.  I’m not feeling anything I don’t want to be feeling.”  Said AJ walking into the living room in a daze.  “It really worked.”

“What really worked?”  Asked Marshall getting worried.

AJ looked at Marshall in shock.  “Did I say that out loud?”

Marshall nodded.

‘Come on AJ just tell him.’  His mind screamed as he sat down on the couch.  “Come sit with me.”  He said patting the seat beside him.

Marshall looked at AJ strangely, but walked over to the couch and sat down.  “Alright?”

“Marshall I have something to tell you.”