FALLING AROUND YOU ➵ DANIEL SEAVEY ➵ SEQUEL

32 ➵ Reality Check

"I'm selfish, impatient, insecure. I make mistakes, I get out of control, and sometimes too hard to handle. Still, you love me, and for that I'll never completely understand you."
_

My body lingered with doubt and anticipation, the blanket around my legs doing nothing to keep me warm any longer. There was a movie on the television, one that I wasn't paying too much attention to, my real life becoming more tedious and dramatic than any teen sitcom. The boys left the house hours ago, leaving me behind inside the empty walls. Daniel said that I could go back to his place, but I truly wanted to be alone. I didn't want to infest Anna with my worries.

Tonight, the truth was going to come out.

It was long overdo, anyway.

Daniel and I hadn't said anything to the media recently, especially with our trip to Portland or how I've been staying at the Seavey household. Management didn't know about it, media didn't, but I knew that once word got out, the forest fires would begin. Gossip spreads too quickly, too earnestly, through the barricades of Los Angeles. One word was enough to break chains of secrecy.

I don't sleep much because of my worries. The blanket was over my shoulders, dragging on the floor as I moved to their backyard, abandoning the TV. It was the only thing in the home that held any prominent lighting, making everything around me more dim. Their backyard was always a favorite of mine. Being as they lived on a large hill, their view was astounding, something you don't get to see everyday.

I sat near the ledge, putting my hands on the small glass barrier between me and the outside world. The grass of the yard was between my toes, not putting in enough effort to put on shoes. I wasn't sure how long I had stayed outside, enchanted by the thrills of the angel city at night, the cars hailing from one place to another, but it was the loud shutter of the front door that caught my attention.

Quickly, I rushed into the home, blanket still around me. The boys didn't look at me but felt my presence. Daniel was the one that finally made his way to me, not saying a word, but kissing the top of my head softly, and heading up the staircase. The moment was as quick as it came. The four boys followed after Daniel, still not saying anything, but I quickly grabbed Corbyn's hand before he could head up the stairs.

There was a gloom in his eyes, one that I couldn't really describe. It looked as if all they were smoldering in their sorrow, letting tonight rot away in their memories.

I pulled Corbyn's body into a tight hug, already feeling sympathy for my friends. "What happened?" I whispered into his ear.

He sighed, pulling me away a bit. "Daniel told Greg and Marie."

Corbyn's words were incredibly simple but sincerely discouraging. "Then?"

"Marie reacted better than we thought, better than Zach hoped, really, but when they told Greg, everything went downhill from there," he continued.

There was only confusion in my eyes. "How so?"

The blonde rubbed his eyes out of despair and frustration. I took a step back, giving him time to register his own answer. Nothing seemed real unless it was verbally spoken, and I gave him time to finally voice their dispatched truth.

Corbyn finally looks at me. "The band is on probation."

"What?"

"We aren't allowed to release new music, new videos, anything under the record label until things are settled with our management team. They settled that agreement because sales would go down if anything was released if there was still bad publicity with Daniel," he explained painfully.