Stick To the Script // Danny O'Donoghue

Chapter 6-Nothing

Danny

The boys lead me to the hotel room and shove me in the bathroom.

Mark sits me down on the toilet and turns on the shower.

"Daniel, rinse off, quick as you can, don't fiddle with the temperature, don't do anything stupid. You got that?"

I nod.

"Good."

He walks out of the bathroom leaving a warm, white towel in my arms which I struggle to hang over the shower door.

I take off my overcoat and then my black thermal shirt and black skinny jeans. Just about every piece of clothing I own is black.

I stand there in my boxer shorts looking at the goosebumps as they appear on my chest.

I crack open the bathroom door and peek around the corner. I hear Mark and Glen arguing outside on the balcony. I see Glen's shadow sitting in a plastic chair and Mark standing by the opened door, leaning against the wall.

"You can't just let him in there on his own, what if he strangles himself or something?"

"Glen, you're being a worry wart." Mark says taking a drag on his cigarette. "He doesn't want to kill himself."

"Well he wants to die Mark, isn't that the same thing?"

"No. He doesn't want to kill himself."

"Then how does he expect to die?"

"He wants to someone else to do it for him."

Glen doesn't say anything to that.

I guess I have walked closer to them without really realizing it, because they both turn to me and stare.

"Danny," Glen says in surprise.

Mark watches me carefully, waiting to see what I have to say.

I look down at my torso pointing at the risen bumps on my skin. "I've got goosebumps." I tell them.

Mark sighs and pats me on the shoulder, "You can turn the water a bit warmer mate."

I nod and stumble back to the bathroom.

"Poor guy," Glen whispers. "Maybe he is better off dead right now."

I know I wasn't supposed to hear that, but I did.

I shut the door and take off my underwear, stepping into the cold shower. I don't even bother turning the water warmer. I just stand there in the cold, too drunk to move.

After what seems like only a few minutes, Mark knocks on the door.

"Come in," I tell him.

He slowly opens the door, and covers his eyes when he sees me.

I didn't even bother to pull the shower door closed and water is spilled all over the floor.

"God, shut the fucking door mate, would ya?" Mark tells me.

"Sorry," I say pulling it closed.

I see him through the blurred glass as he cleans up the puddle on the tile floor.

He hangs up my soaking wet clothes on the rack.

"I'm sorry Mark." I say again.

"It's all right Dan." he says. "Just hurry up. It's extremely late and you've been in here for ages."

I nod even though he can't see me, and he leaves.

I get out of the shower and dry off before wrapping my towel around my waist and stepping into the cool air of our suite. I go to my room and change into some black sweat pants and a white t-shirt. I shake my wet hair out with my fingers and shuffle back into the family room area of the suite.