Thank you to Bonnie Sveen Fan and SuperGuardianNinja for reviewing, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
This chapter prompted by guest- Sandy signs Jason and Robbie up for modelling when they're 13 and the management thinks Jason is too chubby and wants him to lose weight, and that leads to Jason's anorexia. Also they have a big photo shoot and when they need to wear clothes from the new line, they don't fit Jason anymore.
TRIGGER: this chapter contains eating disorders and body image issues if you feel you may be affected please don't feel like you have to read
The ages of the brothers are:
Jason and Robbie- 13, Ziggy- 16, Freddie- 19, Joe- 21
Chapter 40- but he's a just a kid:
"Will you two get in the car and stop complaining!" Sandy shouted. She'd signed the twins up for modelling thinking it would be a great experience for them. Obviously she'd made a big mistake.
"Why would I even want to model?" Robbie asked, putting on his too cool for school act. "Because you think you're too cool for school so you'll fit right in" Freddie remarked as he joined the conversation from the front door.
"Freddie, shut up and get back in the house!" Sandy hissed. "You know, I'd have given anything to be offered something like when I was 13" Ziggy commented as he arrived back from his run.
"That's because you love your body and everything about it" Jason scoffed. "Well, I'd rather love my body than hate it Jase" Ziggy said as he walked past Jason, ruffling his hair. Jason squirmed as he tried to get away from his sweaty brother.
"I still don't see why we have to go" Robbie complained and Sandy was losing her patience. "You never know, you might get paid" Sandy said. "What?" Robbie and Jason questioned at the same time.
"I said, if you end up doing professional jobs, you'll probably get paid. Now come on let's go" Sandy said as she ushered the boys into the car. "Good luck!" Freddie called from the front door, laughing at the dirty look Sandy sent him.
30 minutes later, Sandy and the boys arrived at the offices. The offices of 'Kidz' a new but very successful kids clothing line. Sandy walked up to the reception desk, followed by the twins.
"Hello, I'm here for the open modelling casting call for Kidz" Sandy said. "It's just down there on the left; can I also give you these forms to sign" the reception said as she handed over a clipboard with some sheets.
"Where do I hand these in?" Sandy asked. "If you hand them in to the casting director once they're filled out" the reception replied. "Thank you" Sandy said as she walked off in the right direction, with Robbie and Jason following slowly behind.
They walked in silence down the corridor. Sandy reading the forms while Robbie and Jason grumbled that they didn't want to be there unless they were getting paid a large amount of money.
They stopped when they came across a door that had a sign on it saying 'Kidz modelling auditions.' Sandy smiled and sat down on one of the chairs placed outside. "Mum, what are you doing?" Robbie asked.
"Filling these out because they need to be done before we go in" Sandy explained, not taking her eyes off the paper. Robbie sighed while Jason sat down next to Sandy. "Aw Mum, don't put that!" Jason exclaimed.
"Will you keep you voice down and what?" Sandy asked, trying to think positive and that this was a good idea. "About my diabetes!" Jason hissed. "They need to know Jason; they think any different of you" Sandy reassured, she could understand why Jason would be upset.
"Right that's them done" Sandy said as she finished filling out the forms and made her way over to the door; stopping when no one followed her. "Oh come on you two, this isn't going to be that bad" Sandy said.
She sighed when neither boy made a move. Jason still sitting down and Robbie still leaning against the wall. "Look, if you go to this with the right attitude and try to enjoy this, I'll buy you MacDonalds."
Robbie and Jason both smiled at each other before making their way towards Sandy. "Thank you" Sandy huffed as she pushed open the door and walked in.
3 hours later
Sandy sat in the parents room, reading what had to be her fifth magazine. Every now and then she would sneak glances through the window at her sons. To say she was proud was an understatement; her boys looked amazing.
There weren't many other parents in the room but from the ones she'd seen; they just couldn't stop bragging. It really annoyed her. She took a sip of her third cup of tea and looked at the clock.
She'd been there for roughly three hours and the session was only supposed to be four hours long. She looked through the window again and saw Robbie talking to a girl. She smiled; doesn't take a genius to guess what he was doing. Obviously he'd been hanging out with Ziggy too much.
Meanwhile in the casting room, the management were hard at work selecting who they wanted as their next models. Everyone was a potential candidate however there we're some that stood out.
Two of those being the Roscoe twins.
"I think he'd be great" Mark, the director for the shoot, said. "I agree, although he's twin brother isn't quite as good" Scarlett, the casting director and one of the agents at the agency, said. "You've got a point, but with a few tweaks he could be just as good as his brother" Mark said.
"It says on his file that he's diabetic" Scarlett said. "That shouldn't be a problem, I want both of them for the shoot" Mark said. "Okay, I've put both their names down."
"Right everyone, that's us done for today. If you go and get changed then meet us back here we'll tell you who we've selected!" Mark instructed as the kids started to filter backstage where they would be sorted out.
"Hey Jase, do you reckon we got in?" Robbie asked as they put the clothes they were wearing back on the shelf. Surprisingly, Robbie had actually really enjoyed himself. He'd met a girl who he was pretty sure liked him, Kate, her name was and he'd found out that they were paying £100 to each person who got selected for the shoot.
"You've definitely got in, I don't know about me" Jason replied. While he had enjoyed it, Jason constantly felt like someone was staring at him; it made him very self-conscious. "You think?" Robbie questioned. "Because I think we both got in."
Jason smiled at his brother's reassurance and followed Robbie back through to where everyone was gathering.
"Okay, so thank you everyone for coming, we've thoroughly enjoyed having you here. Now if we call your name out could you please stay behind because it means you have been selected" Mark explained as Scarlett began to read out names.
Robbie and Jason listened intently; Robbie smiling when Kate's name was called out. They then didn't have to wait long until both of their names were called out. "Yes Jase, we made it" Robbie whispered as Mark spoke to the kids whose names hadn't been called out. Jason just smiled and nodded, not quite sure how he felt about what had happened.
Soon it was just the kids that been selected left in the room.
"Okay so well done everyone, you've all made it on the shoot. You will be paid £100 for the shoot and we will be in touch with your parents with further information" Scarlett explained and watched as Mark dismissed the kids.
"Jason, can we just have a quick word?" Mark asked, stopping both Jason and Robbie in their tracks. "Robbie, you can go we just need to speak with your brother" Scarlett said. Robbie looked at Jason, silently asking if he would be okay. Jason nodded and Robbie left.
"Hey Jason, we just need you to do us a favour" Mark began. "Some of the clothes are going to be a bit on the slim side so we were wondering if you would be able to maybe lose a bit" Mark explained, hoping Jason got the message.
Jason stated at Mark for a second, processing everything he had just said. He understood it perfectly. They said he needed to lose weight. No wonder they were staring at him. It was his stupid diabetes fault.
"Yeah, I can do that" Jason said, showing no emotion through his face. "Good, then we'll have an excellent model on our hands" Scarlett said, smiling at him. Jason nodded before leaving the room, knowing exactly what he needed to do.
Later that day
After having McDonald's as a late lunch, Robbie and Jason seemed to be happy with how the day had gone. However Sandy noticed that instead of Jason getting his usual Big Mac along with Robbie, he in fact got a chicken nugget happy meal and even then he didn't eat much.
"So what did Mark and Scarlett want to talk to you about?" Robbie asked as the family ate dinner. They were eating the only thing Sandy could cook; ready meals. "What?" Jason asked, not paying attention to anything that was going on around him.
"He asked what did Mark and Scarlett say to you once Rob had left" Sandy clarified. "Oh um, nothing important" Jason said, his eyes immediately focusing on his food as he played with the microwaved lasagne.
Joe frowned. "You sure?" He could sense when something was up with all of his brothers, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. "Yeah" Jason replied, smiling weakly at his eldest brother.
The awkward silence that fell upon the table was quickly broken by Freddie flicking mince off Ziggy. "Fred! What the hell!" Ziggy shouted. Robbie and Jason both laughed, knowing how much Ziggy cared for his hair and body.
His body, Jason thought. His body. Ziggy would be a perfect model. Even at 16, you knew he was meant to be one. He knew Ziggy ate healthily. Always eating protein bars, salads and fruits. He also went on runs and drank protein shakes.
Jason looked down at his plate. He'd only really eaten half but he couldn't manage anymore. He put his fork down and tried to join in the conversation on the table.
"You finished there Jase?" Sandy asked. "Yeah" Jason said, trying to stay engaged with the conversation his brothers were having. "You sure, you haven't eaten very much. I can get you something else if you like" Sandy suggested. "No Mum, I'm sure" Jason replied, smiling quickly at Sandy. Joe frowned as he watched the conversation take place.
Later that night, Jason pulled the scales out from the cupboard under the sink and put them on the floor. He was dressed in pyjamas as everyone thought he was in bed, but the truth was Jason couldn't sleep.
He turned the scales on and stepped on them waiting to see the result. He looked down and saw that he was 7 stone. He knew Robbie definitely wasn't that, so he knew he had to lose as much as possible.
He stepped off the scales and put them back. Sighing he turned to leave but caught himself in the mirror. He stopped and looked at himself properly. He stomach wasn't as flat as Robbie's and his jaw line wasn't as defined. That would all change soon.
Over the next few weeks Jason's health deteriorated rapidly. He stopped taking his insulin and not eating when he was at school. Every night he'd make the same trip to bathroom and would be satisfied when he saw the number drop.
He stopped eating breakfast at the house, instead making up that he would just get it at school or he had something in his bag. He avoided Robbie around school at all costs; no longer sitting with at lunch.
Jason was happy with the progress he was making and he knew the modelling agency would feel the same way. He knew that his blood sugar would be sky high and the amount of blood ketones in his body would be shocking, but he couldn't stop.
Four weeks after the casting
"Robbie! Jase! You almost ready?" Sandy shouted up the stairs, conscious that they were going to be late if they didn't leave within the next few minutes. She knew how much the boys were looking forward to this, especially Robbie.
However Jason was worrying her. He seemed thinner, had less energy and just generally unwell. She'd tried to convince him to go to the doctors but he had refused. Sandy being a nurse had her suspicions but didn't want to accuse her son of someone that may not be true.
"Alright Mum" Robbie said as he bounded down the stairs. "Yeah Rob. Where's your brother?" Sandy asked. "Just coming I think" Robbie replied. Robbie looked past his Mum and saw that Joe was putting his jacket on.
Sandy saw where Robbie was looking and thought she should fill in the blanks. "He's coming with us" Sandy clarified. "No he's not" Robbie replied. "Yes I am, I couldn't miss it" Joe said. Robbie huffed; brilliant.
Before anyone could say anything else, Jason came down the stairs. He looked awful. His clothes hung off him, his face was so thin and his eyes were sunken in; it looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"Everyone ready?' Sandy asked. She received nods in response so made her way out to the car.
At the shoot
"Okay, so Jason these are your clothes" Scarlett said as she handed a bag to the thin boy. She and Mark were shocked by Jason's appearance; fair enough they'd asked him to keep a lid on it but he looked like death. "Thanks" Jason said, taking the bag from her and making his way towards the changing rooms
Jason made his way into a cubicle and drew the curtain. He put the bag on the bench and pulled out his first outfit. It was a pair of skinny jeans and a blue shirt. He pulled off his own jogger bottoms and pulled on the skinny jeans.
However when Jason pulled the jeans up around his waist, he realised they had a problem. He was too thin. The jeans didn't fit. They hung very loosely off his hips and looked ridiculous on his thin body.
He sighed and took off his t-shirt replacing it with the shirt which unsurprisingly was too big. He sighed and sorted out the clothes as best he could before leaving the cubicle and going to find Robbie.
"Hey Jase" Robbie said, his smile disappearing from his face when he saw how thin his twin brother looked. "Are you alright?" Robbie asked. "Yeah, I'm fine" Jason replied, ignoring the fact he felt slightly sick.
"You sure?" Robbie checked. "I'm sure" Jason replied, walking past Robbie to go and see his Mum and Joe from where they were watching the shoot take place.
"Oh look, here he comes" Sandy said as she saw Jason on the way over to speak to them. Joe and Sandy both frowned when they saw how thin the youngest Roscoe looked. "You feeling alright Jase?" Joe asked, not quite believing how thin Jase was. "Yeah, I'm fine" Jason said again.
Mark and Scarlett watched Jason with his family. They knew he couldn't do the shoot. He would look awful on camera and the clothes were hanging off him. "Who's gonna go talk to the family?' Scarlett asked.
"You're the agent, or we could both go" Mark suggested. "We'll both go" Scarlett said, not wanting to speak to the family alone. "Let's go then" Mark said.
"Can I help you?" Sandy asked as Mark and Scarlett approached them. "Yes, I'm afraid your son Jason, can't participate in this shoot" Mark said. "Why not?' Sandy asked. "He looks ill and the clothes are hanging off him, we can't let him take part" Scarlett explained.
Jason felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart. They'd told him to do this and now they'd thrown it back in his face. He felt tears burn his eyes. "But you told me to do this" Jason said quietly. "What was that Jase?' Joe asked, checking he heard his brother right.
"They told me to lose weight so I'd look more like Robbie" Jason said, a tear slipping down his face. "You did what?" Sandy asked, looking to Mark and Scarlett. "The boy doesn't know what he's saying" Scarlett said.
"My boy, doesn't lie" Sandy said, the rage inside her building up. "What did they to you Jase?" Joe asked, the urge to knock out Mark growing by the second. "They said that I needed to lose a bit because the clothes are a bit on the slim side" Jason explained, trying to keep control of the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Who said that?" Robbie asked, joining the group. "They did" Joe replied, glaring at Mark and Scarlett. "Right that's it, where going!" Sandy exclaimed, standing up. "Robbie go grab yours and Jason's things" Sandy instructed. "What? Why?" Robbie questioned. "Just do it" Sandy demanded as she put her arm around Jason.
"We're going" Sandy pulled Jason along with her. "You can't just take the clothes!" Scarlett shouted. "Yes we can" Joe replied, the bomb that was his anger threatening to explode any minute.
"Oh and expect to be hearing from us again" Joe warned before taking the bags off Robbie and following the other out to the car.
The next few months were hard for the Roscoes but as always they pulled through. The family sued the agency and received compensation, although nothing could make up for they said.
They got Jason the help he needed and gradually the teenage boy began to recover. Sandy has been warned that Jason may relapse in future but that didn't worry her. She had her youngest back and that's what mattered.
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, please review and let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions I'd love to here then :)
Next chapter prompted by guest- the aftermath of Jason being diagnosed with diabetes and how his family reacted to the news