Posted August 10, 2016, 11:33am
Views: 1.4M
Length: 1:16
DramaBrothersOfficial
Caption: Clearing the air. #dramabrothers #totaldrama
"Hey guys, Drama Brothers here." Trent began. "We just wanted to clear a few things up." He looked over to Cody, who took the lead.
"Late last night, Justin was kicked out of the Drama Brothers. There was an issue with him backstage being dismissive of two young fans, and you can view their statements on their Instagrams, which we will tag in the comments."
"Everything they said is the truth. Justin tried to get them to his hotel room, and when they said no, he asked if he could sign their breasts." Harold said.
"Justin's been doing this all throughout our three tours, mostly inviting girls to his hotel room and sleeping with them. This was not something that was our business, but became our business and our responsibility to handle when he got aggressive to two underage girls who he would not accept a no from." Trent said.
"We also want to bring up what Justin said. It is true that the Drama Brothers are ending after this tour." Harold said.
"But what was not true was him being the only Drama Brother to want to continue." Trent added. "We all want to keep being the Drama Brothers, and we always will be a Drama Brother, but sometimes there comes a point where it's best to end things before you burn out. Maybe one day we'll come back and record together, but for now, we have to move onto new chapters of our lives."
"We were given a very sudden decision that had to be answered as a yes or no, and because of educational, personal, and career conflicts with us, we had to make this tour the end of the Drama Brothers. If we would have known about it before this tour, we would have advertised it. We're sorry if we feel as though we've betrayed you." Cody said.
"That's the last thing we want to do." Trent said.
"We formed this band together during Total Drama Action, and you guys the fans were the ones who made us who we are today." Harold said.
"We're so grateful for all the places and people we've gotten to see on tour and that would not have been possible without your support. We are so grateful for the memories and so happy to see so many fans have been touched by our music over the years." Cody said.
"Our tour will go on as scheduled, without Justin. Noah did such a great job covering for our opening act Yazmin back in Texas, and he's graciously volunteered to finish the tour out with us." Trent said, pointing to Noah, who had been sitting and staring at the camera during their talk. Noah waved.
"Anyway, we just wanted to make this video to say… thank you. The love and support you have given us over the years will never be forgotten, and to show you how much we appreciate you all, we are extending our tour by one more week. For location and tickets, see the link in our bio."
"And with that, we thank you if you are continuing to support us and we hope you believe not only us but also the women who have been wronged by Justin." Harold said. The boys waved to the camera, and the video went to black.
"What do you think?" Noah asked. Cody stood in front of Noah as he showed off his wardrobe for the rest of the Drama Brothers tour to Cody. It was the day after their video statement. He was wearing a green bomber jacket over a black shirt and blue jeans, and his long wavy hair had been slicked back.
"You look great! And you're going to be great, too." Cody smiled.
Ever since their statement on Instagram went viral, the Drama Brothers have been all anyone could talk about. The overwhelmingly positive comments saved Harold from losing his spot in Ridonculous Race, and it made the record label comfortable enough to allow Noah to replace Justin without fear of retaliation or losing money. As soon as the video had gone out, they spent all day and night preparing Noah, but luckily, Noah had caught on quickly from being at every rehearsal and show - and lucky for Noah, Justin played the tambourine, on account of how musically illiterate Justin had been, so no worries about Noah not being able to play an instrument.
There was a knock on the door, revealing it to be Nicole. She waved at Cody and Noah and took a look at his outfit.
"Hey, just came to check on you before your big night! Are you ready?" She asked him.
"Hopefully I am." Noah sighed. He didn't want to make a big fuss, but he was nervous for tonight. He couldn't forget how he wasn't keeping his word from the press conference about staying away from the public eye and making big appearances, and he didn't want anyone to make him believe he wanted attention.
"Cody, can I have a moment alone with Noah?" She asked him.
"Sure." He told her. Cody stroked Noah's shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "See you soon." He walked out of the room, and Nicole got closer to Noah and looked at him in the eyes.
"Hey. It's just us." Nicole said. She could tell he was feeling stressed, whether through twin intuition or noticing his quiet demeanor throughout the day. He let his guard down and began to show her his eyes of panic as he slouched and ran his hands through his hair, which ruined his hairstyle. "You did great back in Texas. What are you so nervous about?"
"The whole band is depending on me to play out the last three weeks of their last shows ever." Noah exclaimed. "I can't let anyone down, and I can't make any mistakes." Nicole sighed as she got out the hair gel from his desk and stood in front of him.
"You're ready for this, Noah." She said as she re-touched his hair. "You know all the steps by heart, you know every song - you know it so well that you could replace any of them should something happen, not just Justin."
"Great. Now they're counting on me to perform after they all get into some freak accident." Nicole knew that getting him out of his funk would be a challenge. knowing getting her brother out of this anxious state would be a challenge, and an idea popped into her head.
"Sit on the floor with me." Nicole said.
"What?"
"Just do it. Trust me." Confused, Noah sat crisscrossed across from his sister, and for a moment, she looked over at him.
"Mom used to do this with me when I was a kid to calm me down. She used to do it with me while you were in art classes, because she didn't want you to feel embarrassed that she knew you were lying about me not getting bullied. I think it could help you, too." She reached out for his hand, and he willingly took her hand in his.
"Close your eyes." He did as she said. "Take a deep breath in, and a deep breath out." The two of them together took a deep breath in, then a deep breath out. As Nicole began to speak, she took her other hand and rubbed his hand in a circular motion.
"In my hand, I hold everything important for you at this moment. Take what you need from the magic within my hand, and repeat after me." She said. "I am loved."
"I am loved."
"Though I'm not in control of every situation, I do my best."
"Though I'm not in control of every situation, I do my best."
"I'm unique."
"I'm… unique."
"I believe in myself." This took Noah a moment to say with ease and confidence, but after a few moments, he was able to say it.
"I believe in myself." She put her other hand down.
"Let this be your encouragement for tonight, and every night, to have the confidence to do what you're destined to do. Take a moment, and when you're ready, let go of my hand."
Noah continued to breathe in and out, thinking of the mantras his sister has given him. Everything she had said sounded just like his mother. She had always been so supportive in anything either of them did, including Nicole's love for all things magic and witchcraft. He began to think about his mother's unconditional love, and how much he wished he could have some of it again right in front of him.
Flashback
12-year-old Noah was sitting in his room, straightening a bowtie in his mirror that he had on for the big art contest for his junior high's school district. He had decided to submit a photo he painted of his sister. The members of his family were his favorite test subjects, but Nicole especially had always enjoyed being painted by Noah. He heard a knock on the door and he turned around.
"Come in!" His mother was behind the door. She was dressed in a long Auburn skirt over a tan tank top. She smiled as she looked over to Noah.
"Are you ready to go? We don't want to be late." She asked as she walked in.
"Yes, but, I have a question for you before we go." Noah said.
"All right, but make it quick. Your dad and Nicole are already in the car." She said as she sat down on the bed next to him. "What's up?"
"You've been writing for a long time." Noah said.
"I have." She smiled at him.
"When did you stop getting nervous after a new book gets published?" She thought about his question carefully, then began to laugh as she put her arms around him.
"I'm always nervous whenever I release a new book. That's never going to change, no matter how many books I write. Why, are you nervous?"
Noah thought about how he felt about the art show tonight. This was his first year in junior high, and he felt different than everyone else. The kids he's known since kindergarten had changed in some capacity since entering junior high - they had new interests, new hobbies, and it felt like there were all these new trends to keep up with that he hadn't thought to worry about before. Since entering junior high, nothing had changed for him - he loved art, he loved his parents, unlike the kids his age these days, and if he had to pick one thing that had changed, it would be seeing Nicole less often on account of being in different classes.
He was afraid of showing his painting off, a painting he had put so much love and effort in. His art style and choices were the same since primary school, and he didn't want to feel embarrassed by his peers.
"My art style has been the same for so long. Do you think the judges will still like my art?"
"It's not about how good your art is. Judging another person's work is subjective. The only thing that matters is you get to show your art to other people. Our world doesn't value the performing and visual arts as much these days, so whenever you get the chance to show off your talent and devotion to the arts, you do it."
"Thanks, mom." Noah smiled.
"Promise me this, Noah." She said. "Never let the world forget your talents or passions. No matter how scared you are, and no matter how much the world tries to dim your light."
"I promise." In this moment, Noah had a hard time promising this, but he wanted to believe that if she believed in him, he too could believe in himself.
"When I was in high school, my favorite English teacher who inspired me to become a writer had this poster on the wall." She explained to him. "It said, 'F.E.A.R. has two meaning - Forget Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Rise. The choice is yours.'" Noah smiled at this quote, and just like it did for her at his age, this helped motivate him.
"Another question." He said.
"Go for it."
"Do you only like my paintings because you're my mom?" He asked. She began to laugh.
"No, honey. I love your paintings because you're talented, not because you're my son." She kissed the top of his head and began to feel her phone vibrate. She looked at the caller ID and looked over to Noah.
"It's your dad." She picked up the phone. "Hi, honey. We're still in the house. We're coming out now. Okay? We'll see you in a minute." She hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket and looked back at Noah.
"Now let's go show those judges what you've got!"
Noah smiled as he stood up and began following his mom outside of his room.
Noah opened his eyes and looked over to Nicole as he let go of his hands. The world had felt calmer after his meditation session, but thinking about the words he exchanged with his mother all those years ago somehow made him feel empty. She opened her eyes and looked over at him as he opened his.
"I broke a promise." He said as he realized what had been said compared to how his life was now.
"What?" Nicole asked.
"Before the art show in grade 7, mom had me promise that I would never let the world lose sight of my talent, or of my passion. I stopped participating in art at school when we reached high school, then when they died, I just stopped altogether. Not only that, I faked who I was on a reality show, I lied to the public for three years… Mom wouldn't be proud of me." Nicole looked down as she tried to figure out how to help him through this.
"We were so young when we lost them. We were 15, and not only did we have to grieve for our parents, but we also had to learn to adapt to a new environment and get taken care of by our oldest brother. We felt like a burden. Our older siblings didn't have to feel that way, they're all grown up. We were just kids, and we both handled their death in different ways, but you found your way back, Noah. I've been seeing that in you ever since you went back to therapy, and I see it whenever you're with Cody." He felt a tear stream down his face, but a happy tear, he realized as he wiped it away. Noah and Nicole helped each other up off the floor, and the two were silent for a moment as they looked into each other's red, puffy eyes.
"Were you thinking about mom, too?" Noah asked. She nodded.
"Our 10th birthday." She told him.
"Was that when they took us to Canada's Wonderland?" He asked.
"Yeah! That was so much fun. I think I still have one of the souvenir cups we got."
"Remember when dad threw up on Woodstock Whirlybirds?" Noah asked. The two began to laugh thinking about the memory.
"They had to shut down the ride for the whole afternoon while they cleaned. He felt so bad." She said. "But we did try to tell him. Mom did, too. We knew he gets car sick, so I don't know why he thought he'd be okay on a ride that spins you in the air." Noah paused for a moment as he changed the subject.
"I wish mom and dad could have been around for longer." Noah stated. "I think that every single day, but ever since I started dating Cody, the biggest thought I have is that I wish they could have been around to meet him."
"I think about it all the time, too. When I told Trent about mom and dad, I burst into tears, not because I missed them, but because I knew they would never get a chance to meet him. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and it really sucks that mom and dad will never get to see that in person. It feels selfish in a way, wanting them to be around just to see me in love."
"It does feel selfish at times. But in a weird, morbid way, I don't think our life would have gone this way had they not died." Nicole laughed.
"That is morbid, but you're so right." She noted.
"Maybe it means they led Cody and Trent to us."
"Maybe." There was a knock on the door.
"It's time, Noah!" Trent said as he opened the door. Nicole looked back at Noah and smiled as she followed them. Harold and Cody were at the door, ready for the show. They could hear the excitement in all the fan voices as everyone chatted amongst one another while previous Drama Brothers hits played in the background. He felt so grateful for his sister at this moment, his talk with her helped him more than ever. He was so psyched to get out there on stage and brighten his light for everyone to see.
Cody held his hand as they walked together to the backstage area, and looked over to Nicole as they stepped onto a platform that would bring them to the top of the stage. A sound master walked over to each boy and gave them an in-ear monitor for listening to the music over the sounds of the crowd, and adjusted the wired microphone that was strapped to their heads during soundcheck. As soon as they were adjusted, Nicole walked up to Noah and gave him a hug as she gripped the back of his head with one hand and had her other hand on the top of his neck. Their hug lasted longer than it normally would, as neither wanted to let go.
"Good luck." She said as she let go. She came up to Trent, who kissed her hand. The two smiled at each other and she waved to the four boys as they began to turn around to prepare for their takeoff. The stage crew gave each other the okay to have the platform bring them up to the stage, and as they rose, Noah could hear the intensity rise with them. Time stood still and it felt like they were going up a thousand feet, but when they finally got to see the fans, the excitement clicked inside of him once more. He saw how crazy passionate everyone looked, how there were a few girls crying with joy getting to see the Drama Brothers, and it made him even more hyped. He took a deep breath, and on the drummer's count, everyone began singing and dancing to the beat. He felt good.
A/N: This was one of my favorite chapters to write, but also one of the hardest to come up with. I love writing any chapter with the twins, as I just love the bond they have as they have grown up. Thank you all so much for the positive reviews! If you check out my tumblr, noh8-make-a-rainbow, there's some really fun stuff that I've posted, including astrology memes for the gang and a soundtrack I'm working on for The New Noah! I will also be getting some commissions done and I can't wait for you all to see them! They will be posted there so be sure to give me a follow over there!
Also, I can't believe it, but after this there will only be about 10, 15 max, more chapters! It kills me because I have no idea what I want to do after The New Noah, I truly feel like this was my Magnum Opus. I have plans to do a story on Nicole soon, and it will detail some chapters we may not have seen her in during The New Noah, including some Trent and Nicole fluff!
~Sami
