Little White Lie
Chapter 4
By: Jenn
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Billy’s POV
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I hated Joel’s idea from the beginning, but I went along because I was scared. And because I was still in shock. One of our best friends had just died, and no one else seemed to care. Everyone was just worried about saving his own hide. Everyone went along with Joel’s plan. It scared me, how adamant he was about hiding the truth, how determined he was to make people believe Aaron had left the band. That was his bright idea. He generally took control in interviews whenever we were asked about it.
“So, tell me guys, what really happened between you and Aaron? Why’d he leave?” we were asked once during a magazine interview.
Before any of us even had a second to think about it, Joel answered.
“Personal stuff,” he said quickly. “One day he just up and left. We haven’t heard from him since.”
My mind was screaming. I wanted to yell at Joel, I wanted to tell The truth. I felt warm blood trickling into my mouth as I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from blurting out everything that had happened three weeks ago at that lake. I shifted my weight from foot to foot anxiously, waiting for the interview to be over. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep quiet.
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Benji’s POV
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For the rest of the interview, which became dominated by Joel as none felt much like talking anymore, I kept a close eye on Billy. I felt bad for him, I knew he hated lying about what happened to Aaron. He looked so nervous, and I could tell he was trying desperately not to tell the interviewer the truth. He wanted to so badly, but I knew he was afraid of Joel’s fanaticism. Frankly, I was too. I knew my brother was afraid, and that was the only reason he was so intent on covering up what happened. I resolved then to try and talk him out of continuing with this charade the first chance I could get him alone.
“Joel, we have to talk,” I said, ushering him into the small kitchenette on the tour bus the next day. I closed the door that led to the bunks and back lounge, not wanting Billy and Paul to overhear.
“This has gone far enough,” I said when we were alone. “We need to tell someone what really happened to Aaron.”
“We can’t,” Joel protested. “It’s too late now. If we came clean now, we’d all go to jail.”
“We can’t keep this up,” I tried to reason with him. “It’s too much. Just look at Billy, he’s a wreck. He won’t be able to keep quiet about this much longer. It’s too much for him.”
“You think this is too much for him?” Joel asked angrily. “Wait until he gets to jail. He’ll really be a wreck then.”
“Joel, seriously, this has gone way too far already. I’m going to the police,” I said, turning away from him and reaching for the door handle.
“No you won’t,” he said angrily, viciously grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face him. “We’re all in this together, Benj. If one of us caves we all go down. You said before that Billy’s a wreck. What do you think prison would do to him? If you go to the police, you’ll put him there. You can’t tell anyone what happened to Aaron.”
“So what about when people can’t find him? What about when his friends and family don’t know where he is?” I asked, desperately searching for something to say that would get through to Joel.
Joel shrugged. “He left the band. Where he is now isn’t our problem.”
“It is because we know where he is,” I hissed. Joel shushed me quickly, afraid that Dan might over-hear us.
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Billy’s POV
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The arguing, identical voices in the next room suddenly grew quiet, leaving Paul and I in the middle of an awkward silence. I felt my heart jump into my throat at the ringing of a cell phone close by. After three rings, I managed to track it down in the pocket of a pair of jeans, casually discarded on the bus floor – Aaron’s jeans. I was about to answer when Paul lunged at me, grabbing the phone from my hand.
“Don’t,” he said, holding the still-ringing device just out of my reach. “It’s Aaron’s. If he left the band, he’d have taken his phone with him.”
I nodded, although I would’ve liked to grab the phone from him and tell whoever was calling that Aaron was dead. My thoughts were interrupted, however, when the twins entered the lounge. Hearing the ringing and seeing Aaron’s phone in Paul’s hand, Joel grabbed it and pressed ‘talk’ before anyone could stop him.
“No!” Paul hissed, a wild anger in his eyes. We all stood staring at Joel, terrified and yet eager to see what would happen next.