Chapter 3.

            Jake had a point; if he was going to get out of here he would have to actually admit to having a problem, even if he didn’t believe it himself.

            But as he thought of Jake’s last words to him, he also had thoughts of how his family and friends had lied to him. They told him that if he could prove he didn’t have a problem, he could go home. But here you had a problem, no question about it.

            So here he was, with Dr Halley, lying through his teeth so he could go home and back to his bad habits.

            “I have a problem,” he told her without room for argument, but she challenged that.

            “I thought you didn’t have a problem?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, and he sighed.

            “Well, I’ve thought about it and maybe I do. I mean I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have a problem right?” he asked, now slipping on the charm that ever woman in the world fell in love with.

            “That’s right you wouldn’t,” she replied with a smile in response to his charm.

            “So where do we begin doc?” he asked, and batted his eyes for more measure and leaned forward.

            “Well…” the doctor began, wondering how to deal with this new JC. “We can begin by identifying when the problem started for you?”

            “Oh you know how it is,” he replied with a fake smile, “in my line of work, with the pressure…”

            “How was that like? Living in the spot light?” the doctor asked as she began to take notes.

            “Very frustrating,” he said with a sigh. “I mean I just was always been looked at through a microscope.”

            “I can imagine. So that is why you began drinking? Because you were feeling the pressure of always being perfect for the public?” the doctor asked with sincerity and he nodded, letting fake tears begin to brim at his eyes. “When exactly did the drinking become a problem as such?”

            “I…I don’t know,” he said and began to produce huge crocodile tears. “It was such a confusing time…”

            “It’s okay JC,” the doctor said buying into his tears, and leaning forward to place a hand on his arm. “I’ll help you through this.”

            “Thank you,” he whispered, and brought his hands to his face and continued to crocodile cry. But behind the tears and behind the hands he smiled, because the quicker she believed in his act, the quicker he could leave.

            With glazed over eyes, he glanced around the room and could not recognize anybody; either that or he refused to recognize anyone.

            He saw the bar in the corner of the room, and made a beeline for it, ignoring everyone and everything in his path.

            “Hey Jayce!” A familiar voice called out to him, he just shrugged and kept on walking until he felt someone grab his arm. “Hey Jayce?”

            “What?” he snapped, spinning around to face the person. His face fell, only for a second as he saw who it was.

            “What happened? Didn’t you hear me?” Chris asked with a big smile, and he just shrugged.

            “No,” he lied, and his eyes eyed the bar. He heard Chris sigh.

            “You’re not thinking of drinking yourself silly again are you?” Chris asked with a hint of sadness to his voice.

            “What is it of your business?” he snapped back, not caring about his friend’s upset ness.

            “Jayce, I’m only saying it because I care about you,” Chris whispered softly and he grunted.

            “Yeah, well nice for you,” he replied not really caring. “Are we done here?”

            “Jayce, please don’t..” Chris pleased with those big brother eyes he gave all the guys when they were doing something unreasonable.

            “I guess we’re done,” he said ignoring his friend’s pleas and turned his attention to the bar. “I’ll see you later.”

            “Jayce,” Chris called again but it was too late, he had already had only one goal in mind, an ice cold beer.

            “JC, wake up.” He snapped his eyes open and saw Davie looking right in his face.

            “What?” he grumbled and rolled over to try and get a bit more sleep.

            “Wake up princess,” Davie chuckled gabbing his shoulder and forcing him to get up.

            “Fuck off,” he grumbled and fought to wring himself from Davie’s grip.

            “No JC,” Davie said with a firm voice. “We have a family meeting in an hour.” He sat right up when Davie said that, he had forgotten all about his family and friends coming today, and as soon as he remembered his act began.

            “Oh, is that today?” he asked with such charm it made you forget the man from a few minutes ago. “Sorry, I forgot.”

            “That’s okay,” Davie said, also falling for his charm just like the doctor had. “Let’s just get ready so we’re not late.”

            “Good idea,” he said with a fake smile, “Good idea.” Because now he was one step closer to getting out of there.

            They were all eyeing him like vultures, and he twitched in his seat. Now his act was getting harder, as he had to make up numerous answers for the million of questions everyone was throwing at him.

            “It’s become out of hand,” Johnny commented, when asked about his experience with the problem.

            “Yeah, we definitely knew he needed help,” Chris added with a sigh.

            “And we didn’t want to see him ruin himself,” Justin finished and he grunted. He highly doubted Justin felt like that, but all the same he produced a fake smile.

            “I’m glad you guys cared so much,” he gushed looking around him, and seeing everyone around him smiling widely. “I would have never have done this without you.”

            “Yeah you would have Jayce,” Lance said in a calm voice, “You were just being stubborn.” He looked at all his friends and saw small smiles form on their faces, and he just nodded.

            “I guess I have been,” he replied, because even he couldn’t deny that.

            “What would each of you like to see once JC gets out of here?” Dr Halley asked softly.

            “We want our brother back,” Joey said with a nod and glancing at him. “He may not realize it, but he’s not our brother anymore.” He knew he wasn’t who they wanted him to be, he never had been.

            “And I want my son back,” his mother added in a whisper.

            “You’ll have him back,” he lied, not feeling an ounce of guilty as he did so. His mother looked at him, with tears brimming her eyes.

            “I hope so Josh,” she replied with a sad smile, “I hope you mean it and aren’t just saying it.”

            “I’m not mom,” he replied with a smile, “Trust me.”

            “You lied to them didn’t you?” he looked up and groaned. What was it with this Jake dude?

            “Yeah so what?” he asked with a grunt, “Not like they could tell.”

            “Yeah well I did,” Jake reasoned walking into the room and leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

            “So what if you did? I’m not trying to fool you,” he replied rolling his eyes.

            “Yeah, but if you want to fool anyone you gotta get better than that,” Jake replied with a chuckle.

            “What are you talking about?” he snapped glaring at Jake. “I’m doing a good job, besides if I wanted advice the last person I would go to would be you, so butt out of it.”

            “Okay then,” Jake said throwing his hands up in the air out of defence. “I just thought you should know, your act is as stale as bread.”

            “Well thanks for that,” he snapped with sarcasm, “If I need to know any thing else..”

            “You know where to find me,” Jake finished, knowing how he would end his sentence.

            “Oh fuck off,” he muttered under his breath.

            “Gladly,” Jake said with a huge grin and walked out of the room.

            After Jake left the room he was left alone to think about the conversation that had just taken place. Jake had said his act was as see through as a net, and this worried him.

            Because if this was true, even as much as he refused to admit it, then what if he was stuck in here forever? He needed to up his game.

            “Thinking about going home are we?” he snapped out of his trance and glanced around him and frowned.

            “Of course, what else?” he snapped, “Besides, I thought you left.”

            “I did, but then I thought you may need some advice,” Jake said with a smirk and he groaned.

            “Look, like I said, if I needed advice you are the last person I would go to,” he replied with a growl.

            “It’s not advice I’m prepared to offer,” Jake said leaning against the door frame.

            “Then why are you here? To waste my time? Don’t you have somewhere to be?” he asked with sarcasm dripping off his lips.

            “I do, but I believe I need to help..” Jake began but he cut him short.

            “I do not need help!” he snapped, “What is wrong with everyone in thinking that?”

            “Did I say you needed help?” Jake asked with a raised eyebrow. “You presumed I was going to say that.”

            “Then what were you going to say?” he asked, “And make it snappy.”

            “Why? Do you have somewhere to be?” Jake countered with a smile.

            “No, I just don’t want to be around you,” he replied and Jake laughed.

            “I don’t give a shit, because I’m here to tell you something,” Jake said and he sighed.

            “We know that already, can you get on with it?” he replied with a growl.

            “Fine,” Jake said standing up straight. “Like I said before, to get out of here you need to make everyone believe you know you have a problem, but that ain’t gonna work one way.”

            “What are you on about?” he shot back and Jake rolled his eyes as if this was the dumbest question he’d ever been asked.

            “You have to believe you have a problem too in order to make your act believable and Oscar worthy,” Jake replied and he grunted.

            “Well, like I said, I don’t have a problem I’m just pretending that I do to get out of here,” he replied and Jake sighed.

            “Then I guess you’re never getting out of here then,” Jake replied with a laugh.

            “I guess not,” he replied sarcastically as Jake left without another word.

            “Jayce, what happened between us?” Justin asked him with sad eyes.

            “Nothing happened between us okay? You just thought you were better than me,” he replied angrily taking a bigger swig of his beer as he heard his friend sigh.

            “I never thought I was better than you Jayce,” Justin replied sadly and he grunted.

            “Stop lying to yourself J,” he replied finishing his beer and ordering another.

            “Jayce, stop drinking please and talk to me,” Justin tried noticing his friend was going over board.

            “There’s nothing to talk about,” he replied as his new drink came. “Besides I can drink as much as I want.”

            “No you can’t Jayce, it’s ruining you and that’s what we have to talk about,” Justin replied with pleading eyes and he glared at his friend.

            “Oh really? I just thought you wanted to talk about what happened between us,” he hissed, “But obviously not, all you want to do was tell me what to do and what not to do.”

            “No Jayce,” Justin replied, “All I want to do is help you because you’re my brother, and you’re not the same guy. You’re no longer my best friend.”

            “Well you should be glad then shouldn’t you/” he snapped angrily and Justin sighed in defeat.

            “I guess so Jayce. I guess so,” Justin answered, and these were the words he least wanted to hear, tearing into his soul like a thousand knives cutting into an apple.

            He missed his friendship with Justin,  heck he missed his friendship with all the guys. For the past few months he had pushed them further and further away from himself. But at the same time, he felt as if he needed to.

            His whole life he felt deserted, even though he was surrounded by people that loved him. This had gone on for a long time, until that is he joined the MMC.

            He felt that joining MMC was the best thing that could have ever happened to him, because he’d met his best friend.

            He and Justin got on like a house on fire, and for ten years more they were as thick as thieves and went through everything together. And it was because of this friendship that made him open up again to everyone who cared. But now things had changed.

            Now he and Justin were no longer partners in crime, they hardly ever saw each other. Justin was always busy with becoming a star and he was, well he was busy getting drunk.

            He felt he had just been pushed aside, like a used cloth, and his new replacement had come in the form of beautiful blonde angel Cameron Diaz. And from his point of view, that sucked.

            Now in his eyes, if one of his friends, his family, deserted him, then surely the others would be soon to follow, and because he didn’t want to go through all that headache, he decided to begin the procedure. He one by one pushed each and everyone of everyone who had cared for him away.

            In the end he had replaced friendship and family with beer and vodka, a replacement that was the worst he could have ever made in his life, ever.

            He jolted awake and sat up with a yawn. He looked around him and groaned, wishing he could just leave.

            “Great, another day,” he muttered and began to clamber out of bed, just as Davie stalked in.

            “Good you’re up,” Davie said with a smile and he growled at him. “Dr Halley wants to see you.”

            “I don’t have to see her today,” he stated and Davie nodded.

            “I know, but she said she wanted to see you, so get ready quickly,” Davie replied. He nodded and headed for the bathroom, wondering what the doctor wanted to talk to him about now.

            “JC,” the doctor said without a smile as he walked into the room. “Have a seat.” He nodded and observed as she entertwined her fingers together in thought.

            “You wanted to see me?” he asked sitting down, a fake smile plastered all over his face.

            “Yes I did,” she said, still not smiling. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

            “I’ve been better,” he countered, sensing something was amiss. “Yourself?”

            “This is not about me JC, it’s about you,” the doctor replied calmly and opening up a note pad.

            “So why don’t we begin then? Where do you want to begin?” he asked looking at her. The doctor placed down her pen and glared at him.

            “Who do you think you’re fooling JC?” she asked, and he stared at her in shock.

            “Excuse me?” he asked, trying not to let his voice rise to high.

            “JC, do you really realize that you have a problem? Or are you just saying it to get out of here?” the doctor asked sternly, and he tried to brush it off.

            “Of course I believe it. Why would you say that?” he asked rolling his eyes.

            “JC, you may be fooling everyone else, but if you want to fool me you’re going to have to do better,” Dr Halley said and he looked at her with his mouth agape.

            “I don’t know…” he began but the doctor cut him off.

            “JC, stop fooling me and yourself okay? Pretending to acknowledge something that is really there is not a good idea,” the doctor said, “Because it can get you into some deep trouble.”

            “But..” he said unsure of where to go and the doctor shook her head.

            “No JC, until you drop this act you’re not going to get anywhere, neither are you going to get the treatment you need,” the doctor answered looking at him, knowing that this man was on a one way train to a bad place.