The show must go on

Chapter 8 - time for truth

Jade POV

When we arrive at the hotel at 12 o'clock at night, it is as if I had never taken anything in. Just like the last two weeks, everything comes back in full force and on top of that I am so tired that I could fall asleep standing. Like I'm just coming down from a high.

"Girls, room service at yours? We get to sleep in tomorrow," Leigh-Anne suggests and before I can say anything back, Perrie is already cheering in agreement. The four of us go to our hotel room, where I fall straight into bed while the others scurry around the room, loudly discussing what they all want to order. I close my eyes, just for a moment, hoping to relax at least a little more. But I quickly feel movement on the mattress and know for a fact that all three of them have jumped onto the bed at the same moment, causing me to wince.

"Sorry, Jadey," Leigh says laying at my feet, moving them slightly to the side so she has enough room to sit. "We just ordered all sorts of stuff and just share everything," she explains to me, to which I can only nod, completely disinterested.

For the most part, the girls leave me alone, themselves engrossed in their phones or in some mundane conversation, while I doze off with my eyes open, hoping to just be left alone for the night. But when, unsurprisingly, I barely touch my food and can only choke down bits and pieces, the brief peace is already over.

"Jade, we need to talk," Jesy then decides, who has been watching me sceptically the whole time. Through clenched teeth I sit up a little and look at her questioningly. The conversation was bound to come.

"We're worried," she then says with a sad look. "At first we actually suspected you might be pregnant when you threw up at that interview," she explains, and the mere mention of that horrible memory almost makes me feel sick again.

"But we quickly dismissed that thought," Leigh follows up, while Perrie just looks at the floor.

"But something's still wrong! We're not dumb, we have eyes," Jesy says.

And I feel caught, look around in a bit of a panic and then try to reply stuttering that nothing is wrong, but Perrie quickly guesses this and is way faster than me.

"I knew it, you're not saying anything. What else is supposed to happen now?" she says, upset. "This morning you were awake far too early, then you almost fainted after getting up. You felt like shit all day! I was watching you, you looked like you were going to pass out at any moment with the best part during sound check."

"Oh you were watching me but you didn't say a word to me?! Interesting...", I return equally angry.

"I didn't speak to you because I was pissed off that you obviously lied to me! I'll say it again, you're not okay!" she almost shouts.

"I am!", I lie just as loudly.

"Just look in the mirror, you look like you're about to drop dead. Stop lying to us all!" she replies desperately and the atmosphere in the room becomes more tense and unpleasant with every spoken word, so that Jesy sees the need to intervene in the shouting match: "That's enough now! Shut up, both of you!"