Chapter 86

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Chapter 86

"Joey stop it...Joey, leave me ALONE!" Chris swatted sleepily at the Italian. "I'm sleepin'. Go 'way."

"Uh uh, little man. Wakey wakey."

"No!"

"Dude, you fell asleep playing your damn game. Get your ass up. What is this, Mario? Jesus you were bored, weren't you? I beat the dinosaur's ass within a week."

"Yeah, well I cleared your game and started over, asswipe," Chris muttered, covering his eyes. "So there."

"So what? I haven't played that stupid thing in a LONG time. What are you doing with it now anyway?"

"Comfort," Chris murmured, snuggling his head into the cushions more. "Going with something familiar."

Joey sighed, concerned, and left the older man to sleep. He walked into the kitchen, where Justin and Lance were eating in silence. "Found him," he said.

"Where was he?"

"He fell asleep playing Mario. I'll tell you, Mario wasn't too pleased about it. He was sleeping too though, so I guess he didn't mind too much..." he finally noticed the lack of the other band member. "Where's JC?"

"Sleeping," Lance sighed. "I found him asleep at his desk...he'd been writing down different names to call Lou in the thing he's writing for the counterclaim. Let's see...he crossed out 'lying piece of shit,' 'lying bastard,' 'Dictator-like thief,' 'Fat stealing piece of shit,' 'Greedy, thieving SOB...' and there were a few I'd rather not name."

"Oh, that's pleasant. What'd he decide on?" Justin asked.

"Somethin' wordy," Lance shrugged with a yawn. "It was...Greedy, sophisticated...unscrupulous...something like that."

"Dictionary Boy."

"Yup."

*****

"I told you I was fine! It doesn't hurt!"

"That doesn't make a difference! Where the hell did those come from?"

"You just said it."

"I-- What?"

"What's going on up there?" Justin asked Chris.

"I don't know," Chris replied. "JC sounds kind of mad about something though."

"Kind of?" Justin asked in disbelief. "He sounds like he's gonna--"

"You could have TOLD me!"

"Josh, don't get angry with me...I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I'm not angry!"

Justin snorted and Chris rolled his eyes. "Not angry my--"

"Well then tell that to the vein in your head," Lance shouted, walking down the stairs. "Hey guys!" he said brightly. "Sleep well?"

"What's going--"

"Lance! I wasn't done yet!"

Lance rolled his eyes.

"And don't you roll your eyes at me!"

Lance's jaw dropped. "How did he..."

Chris cracked up. "You got told," he said. Lance flipped him off. "Well, now that wasn't very angelic of you," he muttered, pretending to be hurt. Lance just grunted and shifted in his seat. "What's he so pissed about?" Chris asked.

"The half dozen black scars on his back," JC said, entering the room and crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?"

"Lance?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Josh..."

"They had to have come from SOMEWHERE," JC said.

"They'll go away," Lance said defensively. "There were more before."

"Maybe you could explain how you know they will?" JC said.

"Why didn't you notice them before?" Lance shot back.

"Because every time you had your shirt off it was dark," JC said with a smirk.

Chris cringed. "Thanks for sharing, Jace."

"Oh, no problem."

"I'll say this much," Lance sighed. "They aren't human or whatever, I got them when I was in...well, you know. I don't really want to talk about it right now, okay?"

JC sighed, relaxing his stance a little. "Fine."

"Good."

"We done here?" Justin asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. "Cause I'm hungry."

*****

JC hung up the phone. "Ken's taking lessons on how to lie to the press from Lou," he said, anger glinting in his eyes. "Bastard."

"Who was that?" Lance asked.

"Emily. She just reaffirmed my belief that Ken is a two faced bastard, that's all."

Justin squinted and pursed his lips. "C, what are you getting at?"

JC sighed. "Look -- Emily tried to tell us before, but...Ken is telling anyone that will listen about how fake we are. He said that we," he gestured to himself and the three seated around room, "forced him to lip synch...that we used voice alteration shit, manipulated them and-- EVERYTHING. He's saying that everything about us is fake." He sat down heavily and put his head in his hands. "He knew this would probably hurt us personally most-- aside from the musical standpoint...he knows how important it is to us that people respect our music...Even if it isn't 100% ours, you know? Like the writing isn't always ours, but it's still OUR voices..." JC rambled, the others sitting in shocked silence.

Justin got off the couch, slowly walked over to the wall, and almost calmly put his fist through it. No one said a word when he sat back down.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 86 "Joey stop it...Joey, leave me ALONE!" Chris swatted sleepily at the Italian. "I'm sleepin'. Go 'way." "Uh uh, little man. Wakey wakey." "No!" "Dude, you fell asleep playing your damn game. Get your ass up. What is this, Mario? Jesus you were bored, weren't you? I beat the dinosaur's ass within a week." "Yeah, well I cleared your game and started over, asswipe," Chris muttered, covering his eyes. "So there." "So what? I haven't played that stupid thing in a LONG time. What are you doing with it now anyway?" "Comfort," Chris murmured, snuggling his head into the cushions more. "Going with something familiar." Joey sighed, concerned, and left the older man to sleep. He walked into the kitchen, where Justin and Lance were eating in silence. "Found him," he said. "Where was he?" "He fell asleep playing Mario. I'll tell you, Mario wasn't too pleased about it. He was sleeping too though, so I guess he didn't mind too much..." he finally noticed the lack of the other band member. "Where's JC?" "Sleeping," Lance sighed. "I found him asleep at his desk...he'd been writing down different names to call Lou in the thing he's writing for the counterclaim. Let's see...he crossed out 'lying piece of shit,' 'lying bastard,' 'Dictator-like thief,' 'Fat stealing piece of shit,' 'Greedy, thieving SOB...' and there were a few I'd rather not name." "Oh, that's pleasant. What'd he decide on?" Justin asked. "Somethin' wordy," Lance shrugged with a yawn. "It was...Greedy, sophisticated...unscrupulous...something like that." "Dictionary Boy." "Yup." *** "I told you I was fine! It doesn't hurt!" "That doesn't make a difference! Where the hell did those come from?" "You just said it." "I-- What?" "What's going on up there?" Justin asked Chris. "I don't know," Chris replied. "JC sounds kind of mad about something though." "Kind of?" Justin asked in disbelief. "He sounds like he's gonna--" "You could have TOLD me!" "Josh, don't get angry with me...I didn't do anything wrong!" "I'm not angry!" Justin snorted and Chris rolled his eyes. "Not angry my--" "Well then tell that to the vein in your head," Lance shouted, walking down the stairs. "Hey guys!" he said brightly. "Sleep well?" "What's going--" "Lance! I wasn't done yet!" Lance rolled his eyes. "And don't you roll your eyes at me!" Lance's jaw dropped. "How did he..." Chris cracked up. "You got told," he said. Lance flipped him off. "Well, now that wasn't very angelic of you," he muttered, pretending to be hurt. Lance just grunted and shifted in his seat. "What's he so pissed about?" Chris asked. "The half dozen black scars on his back," JC said, entering the room and crossing his arms over his chest. "What?" "Lance?" Lance rolled his eyes. "Josh..." "They had to have come from SOMEWHERE," JC said. "They'll go away," Lance said defensively. "There were more before." "Maybe you could explain how you know they will?" JC said. "Why didn't you notice them before?" Lance shot back. "Because every time you had your shirt off it was dark," JC said with a smirk. Chris cringed. "Thanks for sharing, Jace." "Oh, no problem." "I'll say this much," Lance sighed. "They aren't human or whatever, I got them when I was in...well, you know. I don't really want to talk about it right now, okay?" JC sighed, relaxing his stance a little. "Fine." "Good." "We done here?" Justin asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. "Cause I'm hungry." *** JC hung up the phone. "Ken's taking lessons on how to lie to the press from Lou," he said, anger glinting in his eyes. "Bastard." "Who was that?" Lance asked. "Emily. She just reaffirmed my belief that Ken is a two faced bastard, that's all." Justin squinted and pursed his lips. "C, what are you getting at?" JC sighed. "Look -- Emily tried to tell us before, but...Ken is telling anyone that will listen about how fake we are. He said that we," he gestured to himself and the three seated around room, "forced him to lip synch...that we used voice alteration shit, manipulated them and-- EVERYTHING. He's saying that everything about us is fake." He sat down heavily and put his head in his hands. "He knew this would probably hurt us personally most-- aside from the musical standpoint...he knows how important it is to us that people respect our music...Even if it isn't 100% ours, you know? Like the writing isn't always ours, but it's still OUR voices..." JC rambled, the others sitting in shocked silence. Justin got off the couch, slowly walked over to the wall, and almost calmly put his fist through it. No one said a word when he sat back down.