Login with:

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Google

Yahoo

Aol.

Mibba

Your info will not be visible on the site. After logging in for the first time you'll be able to choose your display name.

Rock and Roll Ruined My Life

Being Normal Never Felt So Weird

Rock and Roll Ruined My Life – Chapter 44 – Being Normal Never Felt So Weird

Gerard pulled the car into the familiar driveway and I felt a smile form on my lips. It felt nice to have a day to lounge around. I unbuckled my seatbelt and waited for Gerard to cut the engine. After we had all gathered our things, the three of us crossed over the neglected front lawn. I pulled out my key and opened the door to our home.

“Julie!” I felt someone tackle my knees. I looked down and saw Bandit smiling up at me.
“Oh my God! Hey girlie!” I picked her up and spun around in a circle. “You got sobig!” She let out a giggle and wrapped her arms around me.

“Aw! She’s so happy to see you!” Lindsey grinned. It was then I noticed Bailey leaning against the doorway of the foyer.
“Hi,” I smiled politely.
“Hey,” she smiled back.

“Thanks so much Bails,” Lindsey leaned over and gave her cousin a hug. It was then I noticed how alike they looked – They could be sisters!
“Hey, Gerard,” Bailey greeted him in a softer voice; his hang over was that obvious. Gerard took off his sunglasses and offered her a weary smile.

“It’s good to be home.”
“Agreed,” I nodded.
“Let’s dwaw!” Bandit squealed.
“Okay!” I kicked off my shoes and climbed the steps. I sighed in exhaustion when we reached the familiar back-room; she had gotten a lot heavier since the last time I had ran upstairs with her in tow!

‘I need to get back in shape…’

“Julie! Look!” Bandit held up a piece of paper that was covered in tiny doodles.
“What’s that?” I asked, leaning in to get a closer look. It was then I noticed that these were doodles Gerard had drawn before we left. Each one had so much detail!

“Daddy drew these,” I explained, taking a seat on one of the beanbags on the floor.
“Oh!” she smiled.
“Yup! Can you draw me a picture like that?”
“Yeah!”
“Okay, go ahead,” I grinned as I grabbed some paper and colored pencils off the shelf next to us.

Bandit got to work right away. I, however, was having ‘artists block’. I had no idea what to draw. Everything that came to my mind was either too detailed or not interesting enough. Finally after a few minutes, I decided or drawing the Crayola Crayon box. Yeah, not the most creative thing, but hey, it was a start.

As we drew, I totally forgot about my phone, my neglected homework, and just everyday responsibilities in general. I even found myself humming a random melody. I actually really liked the way it sounded. Bandit heard me and began to nod her head to it.

“Bandit, you’re too cute!” I laughed.
“You sing good!” she smiled.
“Aw, thank you!”
“Look!” she held up her paper covered in shaky stick figures and flowers.
“That’s so pretty!” a huge grin spread across her face as I complimented her.
“Do you still want to draw?” I asked.
“No!” she threw her crayon up in the air.
“Okay, what do you wanna do?” She paused for a moment to think.
“Do you wanna go see mommy and daddy?” I offered.
“Otay,” she nodded. I laughed and put all of the drawing utensils back in their place. I stood up and walked over to the door.
“C’mon! Let’s go!”

I let her lead the way towards the steps – she was already walking so much better from the last time I saw her. When we got to the stairs I held her hand and let her clop down one at a time.

“Hey, not bad little lady!” I reached out my hand for a high-five, which she returned with a grin and a laugh.

“Hey, guys! Whatcha’ doin?” Lindsey came out into the hallway to see us.
“Oh nothing much, just wanted to come and say hi. We finished drawing.”
“Ahh I see… So, would you girls be interested in going to the park?”
“Yeah!” Bandit clapped. Lindsey looked at me for my reply.
“Sure, I’ll go,” I nodded.
“Alright, but we have to dress warm because it’s still chilly out!” Lindsey tapped Bandit’s nose lightly with her pointer finger before walking past us and pulling out our jackets and passing them to us.

“Bailey, you wanna come with us to the park?” Lindsey called out.
“Um, nah, I’m gunna stay,” Bailey’s voice replied from what sounded like the living room. I didn’t blame her, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere after watching a kid as hyper as Bandit 24/7.
“Okay, we’ll be back soon!”

The drive to the park was short and filled with some music from one of Bandit’s favorite TV shows, ‘Little Einsteins’. Lindsey found a spot right next to the entrance and I held Bandit’s hand as we walked inside,

“Mommy! Mommy!” Bandit removed her hand from mine and ran over to the jungle gym. Lindsey quickly followed after her and I was left standing there.

‘What to do?’ I hadn’t been to a park – to play – in a long time. I took a scope of the area and immediately found something I wanted to go on: the swings. I walked over and saw that everything was occupied, so I leaned against the fence to wait.

As I stood there, I thought back to the days when I was younger and how I would always be able to swing higher than the other kids next to me. No one would ever dare go as high as I went. I remembered how my dad would always look at me and smile, as if he were proud that I could swing that high and no one else could match me…

Eventually, one of the kids got bored and jumped off. I rushed over and sat down in the swing, my legs dangling over the worn out slope in the mulch. I reached up and took the cold chain-links in my hands. I shivered. Was I ready to do this and bring back all of those memories from Central Park? Bring back all of those spring and summer afternoons with my nonexistent family? Memories of my sister and I squealing in delight as we ran through the sprinklers and then over to the swings to cool off in the breeze came flooding back. Sarah seemed like someone from a fairy-tale nowadays; I could barely picture her face in my mind. I shook my head and cleared all of the negative thoughts – I over thought things too much.

I leaned back in my seat and slowly began swinging back and forth. I used the ground to help me gain more momentum. It was like riding a bike. Before I knew it, I was soaring higher and higher. I closed my eyes and felt the adrenaline pulse through my veins as my stomach dropped with each unexpected swing.

“Look at her!” I heard one of the kids next to me say. I opened my eyes and felt a grin break out onto my face, I was the center of attention, and no one else could do what I was doing. I was on top of the world. As I reached the crest of one of my swings, I looked out and saw the rest of town spread out before my eyes. The bare trees made the sky look like it had cracks in it, like it would crumble any second; but I was not afraid. On my swing, I was king of the skies.

As I swung, I was able to just let go and not worry about my bangs getting messed up, my glasses sliding too far down my nose, my jacket getting wrinkled, or my socks not matching. I was just Juliet Spinnet, a girl from New York City trying to find herself in this mess that was my life…

“Julie!” I scanned the park and found Lindsey and Bandit watching me by the fence.
“Hey!” I smiled and waved. I felt the swing waver due to the unequal distribution of weight, and I quickly clamped down on the chain again.
“You’re going so high up! Do you see that Bandit?”
“Yeah!” I heard Bandit giggle.
“Julie, are you hungry?”
“Um, I could eat, yeah,” I began to slow down my swing by dragging my feet across the ground each time I came close enough.
“We’re hungry too, wanna head back and eat?”
“Sure!”

I waited for the proper moment before jumping off my swing and stumbling over to the fence, my bangs blurring my vision. I leaned against the fence with one hand and fixed my bangs with the other. I saw Bandit staring at me with a smile and Lindsey staring at me with an oh-my-God-never-do-that-again-you-could-have-broke-something look. I grinned and slowly walked around the fence. It felt weird using my legs for walking instead of swinging. They began to itch from the circulation and I tried to scratch them with my hands, which burned from gripping the chain.

“What happened?” Lindsey asked, noticing my irritation.
“Feeling the burn!” I laughed.
“Ahh well, that’s what you get.” I stuck my tongue out and stood up straight.
“C’mon let’s go,” she took the lead, Bandit’s hand in hers, and I followed behind.

The drive home was silent except for the hum of the engine. It wasn’t a bad silence though; it was the type of silence that made you reflect on the day and smile. We pulled up into the driveway and I saw two people standing outside the front of the house. It was Bailey and Gerard smoking their cigarettes.

‘I wish they would stop,’ I frowned to myself. ‘They’re killing themselves…’

Gerard looked up at us and waved. Bandit and I waved back as Lindsey cut the engine. I climbed out and waited for Lindsey to un-strap Bandit from her car seat before beginning the walk across the lawn.

“How was the park?” Bailey asked, squatting down to pick up Bandit with her free arm.
“Good. We played on the jungle gym and Julie was on the swings,” Lindsey smiled. I saw Gerard grin at the mention of me on the swings; I guess he didn’t expect me to still want to do these types of things.
“It was fun,” I added.

“Well, I wanna have a little snack before we head back to the arena, okay?”
“Sounds good to me,” Gerard nodded.
“I was thinking sandwiches?”
“Oh! I love peanut butter sandwiches!” I exclaimed.
“Just peanut butter?” Bailey asked, taking a drag from her cigarette and blowing the smoke in the other direction.
“Yeah,” I grinned sheepishly.
“I could go for a PB and J sandwich,” Gerard nodded.
“You can’t forget the chocolate milk!” I said as we walked into the foyer.
“Now you’re talking,” Bailey laughed.

Gerard, Lindsey, Bailey, and I all went into the kitchen and made our sandwiches. Lindsey and Bailey made sure to make Bandit’s bite-sized and I made sure that I didn’t get any jelly on mine. I just really despise jelly. It felt so weird sitting at the kitchen table eating “home-made” sandwiches and chocolate milk. I had forgotten what it was like to just be normal. I felt a content feeling settle over me; today had been a good day so far…

“Wow, look at the time! We should get going,” Lindsey exclaimed as she stole a glance at the clock above the oven. I turned to look; it was almost 5.
“Shoot. Let’s clean up,” Gerard stood up and put his dish in the sink.
“I left my stuff upstairs,” I announced after I cleaned up my dishes.

I ran upstairs and got my bag, which was lying on my bed. It was then I remembered I owned a phone. I pulled it out and saw I had no new messages. My heart sank. Did everyone forget about me that easily? No one cared enough to ask me what I was doing? Where I was? Who I was with? Apparently that was the case.

I sighed and tossed my phone back in my bag.

“Ready to go?” Gerard asked me as I entered the foyer.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Alright. We’ll see you tomorrow, Bailey!” Lindsey reached out and gave her cousin a hug goodbye.
“See you then.”
“Bye, sweetie! Mommy has to go play a show, okay?” Lindsey bent down and kissed Bandit on the forehead. Meanwhile, Gerard and I said our goodbyes to Bailey.

“Bye, Bandit,” Gerard squatted down and opened his arms for a hug. She ran over and threw herself at him. I felt a smile form on my lips; they were such an adorable family.
“Wuv you daddy!”
“I love you too,” he kissed the top of her head and stood up.

Finally it was my turn.

“We’ll be back soon, okay?” I bent down on one knee. I didn’t even have a chance to open my arms; she just tackled me in a hug.
“Aw, Bandit,” I felt my eyes become glassy. Even if no one else cared enough to text me and ask how I was doing, this girl could sure make me feel like a million bucks.
“Wuv you Julie!”
“Love you too, Bandit.”

After we finished saying good night we walked out to the car and sped off to the arena. Gerard rolled down his window and blasted music from some band I had never heard of. Lindsey joined in singing and they both began rocking out. I couldn’t bring myself to nod my head along to the beat. Instead, I sat back and sulked. The cool breeze sent shivers down my spine and I felt goose bumps rise on my arms.

We pulled into the lot of the arena, Gerard still tapping along on the steering wheel to the music. I noticed almost everyone was outside talking and getting pumped for the show.

Gerard killed the engine and I immediately climbed out and made my way towards the bus.

“Jules!”

I turned and saw the Rev walking over to us. I held back and eye roll and waited for the rest of his sentence.

“You gunna watch the show tonight?”
“Um, no, wasn’t planning on it. Why?”
“You know you don’t have to be in the crowd,” Lindsey added.
“Yeah, you could probably hang out backstage or with Brad or Andy or us,” Gerard nodded.

I hesitated. If no one wanted to text me, what would make them want to hang out with me for the rest of the night?

“Don’t be a party pooper!” the Rev teased.
“I’m not. I’m still on the prescription-”
“-Oh, fuck that! You’re not gunna get better if you don’t party it up!”
“I think it’s the other way around,” I pulled out my key and unlocked the door. “Have a good show guys,” I said curtly before climbing in and shutting the door.

I let out a sigh and walked over to the medicine cabinet. I pulled out the wretched yellow bottle of pills and scanned the label. It read:

Azithromycin; Take twice a day. Do not mix with alcohol or other prescribed medications without consulting a doctor.

I searched for possible side effects, but there were none. I couldn’t blame my not wanting to party on the medicine. No drowsiness or depression was induced.

A knock sounded on the door and I quickly shoved the bottle back inside the cabinet and looked out the window to see who it was. I sighed wearily and opened the door; it was Jack, Alex, Hayley, Zac, Nick, and Tyson.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” I asked, not bothering to try and hide my annoyance. They were the ones that didn’t text me, now all of a sudden everything’s all hunky-dory? I think not…
“The question is, what’s up with you?” Alex retorted with a cock of one of his big eyebrows.
“Nothing’s up with me, just tired.”
“Lies!” he hissed flamboyantly. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“Come hang out backstage with us!” Hayley pleaded. I looked down at her and she gave me the puppy dog look. I looked over at Jack, who was kind of just standing there. It looked like he was torn about saying something and doing something. Instead of either, he just raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

“It’ll be fun!” Tyson added. I looked at him and felt those breathtaking eyes of his piercing mine.
“We won’t pull you out on stage, promise,” Alex grinned.
“Yeah, we promise!” Hayley added.

“…… I’ll be right out, give me a second,” I finally gave in. Everyone cheered and Jack caught the door before it could close on him.

“Julie.” I turned around at the call of my name and waited for him to continue.
“What’s wrong? Did I say something?”
“No, actually. It’s the lack of not saying anything. -And it’s not just you,” I turned and continued walking down the row of beds to my bunk. I pulled out my suitcase and grabbed a hoodie and my backstage pass.
“What are you talking about?”
“Look, I have really low self-esteem, a-and no one texted me all day. It’s stupid but… it just really got to me,” I felt my face flush.
“Oh. Well, I figured you were with your family so I didn’t wanna interrupt,” he scratched his neck.
“You could never interrupt anything, Jack.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. It’s okay,” I shrugged and zipped up my suitcase.
“No, it’s not okay.”

I looked up confused only to be met by Jack’s lips. I felt a smile break out on my face and I kissed him back. He pulled away stared down at me with his big, warm brown eyes, a smile on his face.

“That’s better,” he said softly. I felt a grin break out onto my face and I nodded.
“Now, c’mon! Let’s go play this fucking show!” he yelled. I flinched at the sudden change in dynamics and ran after him, feeling 10 times better than I had before.

“Whoa, did Jack give you the kiss of life or something?” Alex joked as we rejoined the group. I felt my face flush.
“Yeah, pretty much,” I laughed. Everyone joined in the laughter and we talked for a few minutes.

“Hey, guys!”

We all turned and saw Brad, Josh, and Andy standing by the stage door.

“Let’s get inside! Gotta warm up,” Brad smiled and ushered all of us inside.

“We’re last tonight,” Jack said as we all took a seat backstage. The crowd could be heard from back here, everyone talking and fangirling and getting pumped up for the show.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, they have a different line-up for each state,” Rian added.
“But you know what they say, gotta save the best for last!” Alex grinned. I laughed and nodded in agreement.

Hayley and the guys came rushing over to us.

“Oh my God! We’re first tonight!” Hayley exclaimed jumping up and down. I stood up and grabbed her hand in mine and continued squealing.
“Okay, okay, save it for the after-party,” Hunter laughed.

“Don’t be scared! You’re gunna be amazing!” I assured her.
“Please watch from the side! Please!” she pleaded.
“I will, I will!” I nodded.

“Hey guys, sorry to break this little moment up, but you guys are gunna go on in five,” Josh said, clip board in hand.
“Ahhh!!!” Hayley and I gave each other final hugs before she and the rest of the guys walked over to the side of the stage. Their intro finished playing and they all ran out, instruments in tow.

I grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him up and together we watched the show from the side of the stage. Eventually everyone else came and joined us in singing along to every song - We had our own mini concert crowd over here! When they finished, The All-Ameircan Rejects went out and they rocked the stage. Finally, just before it was All Time Low’s turn to go out, I gave all of the guys hugs.

“I love you!” I kissed Jack on the lips.
“Love you too,” he grinned.
“Go kick some ass!” I yelled to the rest of the guys.
“You bet we will!” Alex yelled back.

Their intro played and then they all ran out. I joined the crowd in screaming along. I heard someone laughing and I turned and saw Josh laughing at me. I stuck out my tongue, deciding giving him the finger would be a little out of place, and went back to jamming out by myself.

Halfway through the guys’ set Hayley and the rest of Paramore joined me. They had stopped to shower before they came back. We all jammed out, singing along to almost every song. When they finished, the guys ran off stage and hit the showers as well.

Avenged Sevenfold was up first for the main acts and they were totally killing the audience! Halfway through their set AAR and ATL came back, looking refreshed.

“You guys were awesome!” I beamed at them.
“Mhm you know it, baby!” Jack pulled me into his arms and kissed me with a force that had me stumbling backwards. I felt my cheeks blush as I pulled away. Someone – most likely Alex – wolf-whistled and I stared down at my converse, a smile still on my lips.

“Hey, save it for later!” Rian teased.
“I can’t hug my girlfriend?” Jack asked in a false incredulous tone.
“You can hug her, just don’t tackle her and take her tonsils out.”
“Ugh, fine,” he sighed sarcastically. We all laughed and went back to watching Avenged from the side. They were really great live!

After their set was done I felt my stomach rumble. I had only had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch besides my breakfast, which consisted of Poptarts.

“Jack!” I shouted over Mindless Self Indulgence’s opening song.
“What’s up?”
“I’m starving,” I laughed.
“Me too! Let’s go!” he grabbed my hand and led us away from the others.

“Hey!”
“Where’re you going?”
“Guuuys!” I felt someone grab my hand and I turned and saw Hayley and Alex.
“We’re gunna get food. Wanna come?” I offered.
“Yes! I am starving!” Hayley laughed.
“So, where are we going?” Alex asked.
“Um, good question. Jack?” I looked to him for an answer.
“Um I was just gunna go to the food area and get something.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Yeah. The food here is supposed to be amazing.”
“What if someone recognizes you?”
“I have a plan.”
“Oh no, I don’t like this.”
“No, seriously it’ll work,” Jack assured me.

I turned to Hayley, who returned my look of suspicion. We made it to the stage door and stopped. Security stared at us skeptically and Jack turned and pulled us into a huddle.

“Okay. So, here’s what you’re gunna do.”
You’re?” I repeated.
“Yeah you,” Jack laughed.
“Oh my God,” I face palmed.
“So you’re gunna go back to Vinny and tell him to give you ‘the stuff’. He’ll know what you’re talking about so just take it and come back.” I heard Alex stifle laughter and Hayley and I turned to stare at each other warily.

“Isn’t there, like, a crowd of people out there who will see me?”
“They’re not paying attention, trust me.”
“….Fine. But seriously all of this to just go get food?” I sighed.
“If we don’t joke with you, who will?” Alex laughed; he seemed to know what Jack had planned.
“True,” I smiled, “Okay I’ll be right back.”

I walked over to security and motioned for them to open the door. The music was just as loud over here as it was off to the side of the stage. Hesitantly, they pushed open one of the doors. I mouthed a thank you and walked out. I felt my jaw drop. This place was PACKED. There was only one long, skinny row of metal guards separating me from the rest of the people. Thankfully, it was dark and I was more off to the side than I thought. I made my way briskly down the row and found Vinny talking with the other merch guys as he placed a t-shirt in a bag and handed it to the girl on the other side of the table.

“Here ya’ go,” he smiled at her.
“Thanks,” she batted her eyelashes and walked out. Another girl stepped forward and I took that distraction as an opportunity to step behind the table. I saw one of the other merch guys notice me and I held up a finger to my lips. I hid behind the t-shirts hung up on the side of the booth and waited for my moment.

“This shirt?” I heard Vinny ask.
“Yeah!” the girl shouted over the music. I looked down and saw Vinny’s feet right in front of mine. It was too perfect.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” I screamed as I jumped out from behind the shirts.
“AHHHH! HOLY SHIT!” Vinny stumbled back in surprise. I saw the other merch guys roaring with laughter.

“What the fuck, Julie?” Vinny yelled over the music, only loud enough for me to hear.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” I laughed.
“I’ll get you back!”
“Yeah, okay, sure. Anyways, Jack wants ‘the stuff’,” I used air quotes.
“Oh, okay. Here,” he handed me a dark plastic bag.
“What the hell?”
“Hey, it was Alex and Jack’s idea. Not mine,” he grinned.
“I’m scared.”
“You should be.”

I rolled my eyes and waved good-bye to Vinny and the other merch guys. He would never live that prank down, I would see to it. I made it back to the stage door and found Hayley, Alex, and Jack talking to each other in the same spot I had left them.

“Hey, I got the stuff!” I shouted over the music and held out the bag to Jack.
“Awesome! Here we go,” Jack walked over to a near by ledge and began pulling out the contents of the bag.

“What the fuck?” I laughed as I saw a bunch of wigs and hats and sunglasses being pulled out.
“We’re gunna be incognito!” Jack made a few ninja moves before going back to pulling out more wigs.
“These look so real. How many people did you murder to get these?” Hayley laughed, running her hands through one of the wigs.
“About 20,” Alex replied in a serious tone. We all burst out laughing and finally, Jack had everything laid out.

“Guy or girl?” Jack asked me.
“Um, girl?” I shrugged.
“Okay here,” Jack passed me a dirty-blonde wig and I scoffed.
“Blonde? Of all colors!” I rolled my eyes.
“You could always be a ginger,” he smirked. I saw Hayley throw him a glare.
“Ugh, fine. Do you have clips to put my hair up?”
“Even better – bald caps!” Jack held out a pale, swim-cap shaped object.
“You guys have way too much time on your hands. Help me, Hayley?” I shook my head as I turned to face her. I took off my glasses and put them in my pocket. She pulled the bald cap over my head and I stood up straight. Everyone burst into laughter, even the security guards. I looked ridiculous; I knew it and I didn’t even see myself.

“Just give me the wig,” I flipped the hair over my head and adjusted it.
“You look so weird, oh my God!” Hayley clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Is it that bad?” I frowned.
“Nah, it just looks different,” Alex assured me.
“Okay, if you say so.”

“Hayley, I’m sorry. You’re gunna have to be a guy,” Jack held out a bald cap and a short, dark wig.
“It’s alright! I don’t mind,” she smiled.

I helped her put on her bald cap and once again we all burst into laughter. Hayley looked so weird as a guy!
“Do you guys have a hoodie or something I could put on? Last time I checked, guys didn’t have boobs.”
“Yeah here you go,” Jack pulled out a baggy hoodie from the bag and passed it to her. She took it and pulled it over. Her wig got a little out of place and I fixed it. Other than that, she looked pretty decent.

Alex and Jack insisted on being girls, so Hayley helped Alex pick out an outfit and I helped Jack.

Jack had on a bleach-blonde wig with a hot pink hoodie and Alex had on a wavy brown-haired wig with a purple hoodie.

“Can you take a picture of us?” I held out my phone to one of the security guards. He chuckled and took the picture. I thanked him and locked it, not daring to see what I looked like.
“Let’s just go before I change my mind,” I shook my head and walked out into the crowd.

No one noticed us as we made our way down to the merch area. The food court was just across the way. I felt Jack lace his hands in mine as we walked; I totally forgot that he was dressed as a girl.

We were just about to cut across the merch area when we heard a wolf whistle. I turned and saw Vinny and a few other merch guys roaring with laughter. I crossed over and stepped up to the table.

“Do you have a problem?” I asked, putting on a fake snobby tone.
“No, no, no. Just admiring from afar,” he shook his head. I saw the girls in line to buy merch giving me weird looks.
“Well, keep it to yourself! You’re making my girlfriend uncomfortable!” I pointed to Jack who widened his eyes in fake horror.
“I’m sorry,” Vinny shook his head.
“Yeah you should be,” I sneered before walking off.

“That was hysterical, I’m sorry,” Hayley laughed over the music as we got on line to buy food.
“This wig is so itchy!” Alex complained. He reached up to scratch his head and I slapped his hand.
“Ow!”
“Oh stop that didn’t hurt! If you mess up your hair you’ll blow our cover.”
“Okay, okay,” he sulked.

We waited on line for about 10 minutes before we ordered practically everything on the menu. We weren’t just buying for us; we were preparing to share with everyone else who was too smart to tag along.

We got our food and walked back over to the merch table. There was no line so we were able to all use our normal voices.

“What the fuck, guys?” One of the other merch guys crossed over to us.
“It was Jack’s idea,” I rolled my eyes.
“You guys look so weird.”
“But, I must say, Alex, you’re looking rather beautiful,” Vinny wiggled his eyebrows and blew a kiss at Alex, who gave him the finger.
“This wig itches like fuck.”
“Now you know how it feels to have long hair all the time,” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Not to get off topic or anything, but can I have some food?” Vinny reached over and took some nachos and dipped them in cheese.
“Go ahead. We look like such fatasses,” Jack chuckled.
“Seriously!” I laughed along.

We talked for a few more minutes, and it was then I began to feel Alex’s pain.

“Guys, this bald cap is killing me.”
“Same! This hoodie is gunna suffocate me,” Hayley pulled at her collar uncomfortably.
“Alright, let’s go back. We’ll see you guys at the after party!” Jack waved as he took the lead.
“Peace out guy- girls,” Vinny corrected himself.

I rolled my eyes and walked off after the others. Mindless Self Indulgence was just finishing their act.

“I’m sorry, but they are so weird,” Hayley shook her head as she watched the stage.
“Hey, it’s alright. Just don’t tell Lindsey,” I replied.
“Lindsey seems so normal, though. It’s weird watching her act like that up there.”
“Ha ha, yeah. But it is just a stage act.”

We made it back to the stage door and we took off our disguises.

“Hey! Food!” Frank ran over to me and took a handful of fries.
“Don’t you have to go on stage?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he nodded.
“Um, I don’t think you should be eating,” I laughed.
“Listen, I’ve been doing this for a while; I think I can handle a few fries.”
“Alright, alright. Just a suggestion!” I held up my free hand in defense.

“Frank! Get your ass over here!” Mikey called out, a smirk on his face. Him and the rest of the band were waiting by the side of the stage.
“I’m going, I’m going. Thanks for the food!” he gave me a quick side-hug before running over to join his friends.

“Hey, can I have some fries?” Zack asked me, a bandana wrapped around his head.
“Sure thing!” I smiled.
“Can I have some?” the other Zac asked.
“Yup!” I nodded.
“Oh! Fries!” Rain shouted and ran over to me.
“Did you get any soda?” Jeremy asked.
“Um, yeah, I think Alex has it.”
“Okay, thanks,” he smiled and walked off.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn’t know Jules was such a guy magnet!” I heard a familiar voice call out.
“Oh shut it, Jimmy,” I replied to the Rev, who suddenly came into view.
“Can I have some fries?” he asked.
“First you make fun of me, then you think you’ll be able to share my food? I don’t think so,” I smirked.
“What? It’s not like you climbed Mount Everest to get there, just give me some fries!” he made a snatch at the plate and I dodged his hand with ease.
“You don’t know what I went through to get these!” I called over the music.
“Psh, you had to walk a few feet, big deal.”
“You know what? I’m not gunna argue with you over some fries, just take them,” I shrugged and handed him the plate. Immediately everyone who had previously been eating off of the plate came flocking over to him. I gave him a smile and a thumbs up and went to join Hayley, Jack, Alex, Tyson, Jeremy, and Nick on the side of the stage.

“Hey, Julie!” Tyson smiled at me.
“Hi!” I returned the grin.
“How’re you feeling?”
“Better,” I smiled.
“That’s good, that’s good. Are you gunna party with us tonight?” he gestured to the rest of the band members around us.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Awesome! Can’t wait!”
“Ha ha, same here!”

I saw Jack do a double take as he saw me talking with Tyson. He walked over and put an arm around my waist.

“Hey guys,” Jack grinned. I felt my face blush as Tyson awkwardly took a step back.
“What’s up?” Tyson asked.
“Nothing much, want some?” Jack extended the plate of nachos to him.
“Nah. I’m actually thirsty, I’ll be right back,” he excused himself.

I was left standing there with Jack’s arm around my waist. I looked at him, and then back out to the guys on the stage. Gerard’s singing was okay, he’s been better but it was still okay…

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked, getting my attention by squeezing my side a little bit. I squirmed and turned to face him.
“You scared Tyson away.”
“What? No I didn’t.”
“Jack, your whole aura screamed ‘go away’.”
“He was totally coming on to you!”
“He was asking how I was feeling and if I was well enough to hang out with everyone after the show, how does that translate to flirting?” Jack opened and closed his mouth, unable to form words.
“Exactly. Just because Alex made out with me doesn’t mean that I’m gunna go around and start making out with every guy on this tour!” I broke away from his grip and walked briskly past everyone.

“Jules!”
“Julie!”
“Juliet!” I heard people calling after me, but I didn’t stop.

I walked over to the stage door and security hesitantly opened the door for me. I slipped out, tucked my backstage pass inside my hoodie, and pulled my hood over my head. I walked straight past the merch tables, which earned me another round of name-calling.

“Julie?”
“Jules!”

I kept walking. How could Jack think that I was going around flirting with other guys? Yeah, Tyson had beautiful eyes, and Jeremy was handsome, and Alex was funny, but that doesn’t mean I was going around behind his back and making out with everyone who asked me how I was doing.

I walked down the sidewalk along the side of the building and sat down. I leaned hunched over on my knees and sniffed. It was cold in Jersey at night. I clasped my hands together inside my front pocket and hunched my shoulders against the breeze.

I saw fans lining up outside the main stage door, no doubt waiting for all of the bands to come outside and sign some autographs. I sighed. Things were going so great today and then I had to go and get all upset. I heard footsteps and saw a group of fans walking out to their cars.

“Should we stick around and try to meet them?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think they’ll come outside, they were an opening act.”
“Maybe they will. Their bass player was so hot!” I knew they were talking about All Time Low as soon as the girl said it.
“I know, I know! I can’t wait to put their CD on my iPod!”
“Same… but guys seriously do you think they’ll come outside?”
“I don’t-”
“-‘Scuse me,” I heard a familiar voice say. I didn’t look up as Jack’s feet appeared in my peripheral vision.

“Julie, can we talk?” I didn’t respond.
“Juliet, please.”
I looked up and met his eyes. He took it as an invitation to sit down.
“Julie, I’m sorry. I was being a real douche bag.” I stared down at the black pavement underneath my feet.
“Julie, I’m sorry I acted like that but… but you’re the best thing that’s happened to me since we got signed. You make me happy and I don’t want anyone – or anything – to ruin that…”
I looked up at him and felt a cold tear slide down my cheek.
“It’s okay, thank you for apologizing,” I rested my head on his shoulder and I felt him wrap his arm around me.

“Oh my God. That was adorable!” I heard one of the girls – who I thought had walked past us already – whisper loudly.

I looked up at Jack and smiled. He returned the expression and reached out a thumb to wipe away the tears from my face.

“Oh my God, I can’t! They are so perfect!”
“Shut up! Let them have their privacy!” I heard one of the girls’ friends say. I heard their footsteps become softer as they went to join the crowd by the stage door.

Jack leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips, it was reminiscent of our first kiss.

“I love you,” he said as he rested his forehead on mine.
“I love you too,” I smiled, my bangs hanging at an awkward angle due to Jack’s forehead on mine.

“You look like a Cyclops from here,” I laughed.
“A what?” he asked, not moving his forehead from mine.
“You know, that thing that has one eye.”
“Oh, okay I get it. You look like one too!” he grinned.
“Thanks,” I laughed.

The wind suddenly picked up force and I shivered.

“Wanna go back inside?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, sniffing.
“If you get sick again, Lindsey will kill me.”
“No she wouldn’t. And even if I did get sick it’d be my fault. I’m the one who ran outside, not you.”
“Yeah, but I’d still feel bad.” I looked up and gave Jack a loving smile. Even if he was a bit over-protective, he still cared. He still loved me. That fact alone made me feel on top of the world. Jack laced his hand through mine and together we walked back inside the venue.

“Hey, everything alright?” Vinny called out to us. We both turned and walked over to the booth.
“Just some trust issues,” I replied.
“But everything’s alright?”
“Yeah, man. Why does everyone get so worried about us?” Jack laughed.
“Cause we love you guys,” Vinny smiled.
“Oh shut it, you know you just wanna get in my pants.”
“True, true,” Vinny laughed at Jack’s crude humor and I couldn’t help but join along.

“U-um, excuse me?”

We all turned and I felt my hand tighten around Jack’s nervously. It was a group of girls, who were presumably fans. Thankfully, he was standing in front of me so I was able to let go of his grip nonchalantly.

“Hey, what’s up?” Vinny asked.
“U-um could we um, um-”
“-Take a picture?” the other girl’s friend finished her sentence for her.
“Sure thing!” Vinny grinned and made believe to walk around the counter.

“Not with you, dumbass. They want to take a picture with me,” Jack shook his head and rolled his eyes. The girls giggled and they stepped closer, still huddled in an awkward trio.

“So, did you guys like the show?” Jack asked.
“Oh my gosh, yeah!”
“You guys were awesome!”
“I love you!” One of the girls blurted before she clapped her hand over her mouth in horror. Her friend turned to look at her and her face turned scarlet. I felt my heart ache with pity. I knew what it felt like to embarrass myself around Jack.

“He get’s that all the time,” I piped up with a reassuring smile, “But please, don’t boost his ego.”
“Yeah, seriously,” Vinny laughed. The girls joined in and Jack cracked another joke, and soon the moment of horror had passed.

“Um, how should we do this?” One of the girls held out her camera at an awkward angle, trying to fit everyone in the frame.
“I’ll take it,” I stepped forward and took the camera gingerly from the girl’s hands.

“Don’t fuck it up,” Jack teased, “you better get my good side.”
“Watch who you’re talking to,” I warned with a grin, holding up the camera and letting it focus. “Okay, ready?”
“Yeah!” They all replied.
“Jack, take your hood off,” I sighed.
“What if I don’t want to?”
“You look like an idiot with your hood on inside,” I laughed.
“If you say so,” he shrugged pulling his hood off and fixing his hair with one hand before wrapping a lanky arm back around the fan to his right.
“Okay, now we’re all ready... One, two, three!” I held down the button and saw the flash go off.

“Thank you so much!” The girl rushed forward.
“No problem,” I smiled.
“Bye, guys!” Jack waved.
“Bye!” they squealed excitedly.

“You handled that well,” Vinny nodded at me approvingly as Jack and I met up at the booth again.
“Yeah,” Jack nodded.
“I’m a natural,” I smiled.
“Okay, let’s not go that far,” Jack laughed. I scoffed and playfully hit him on the arm.
“We should go before everyone starts leaving and we get stuck here,” I added as I heard Gerard announce the last song.
“Alright. We’ll catch you in a few,” Jack nodded at Vinny and the other merch guys before taking my hand in his and leading us back to the stage door.

“Do you have to go out and sign some autographs?”
“Um, yeah I think so. Why?”
“Oh, just wondering.”
“It’s so cool to have people come up and tell you how our music saved them.”
“I can only imagine,” I smiled. Jack was being quite sentimental and it was adorable.

“Hey!” Rian came out of nowhere and tackled him. Jack immediately began fighting back – so much for being sentimental. I shook my head and walked over to Hayley and Flyzik, who had appeared out of nowhere.

“Hey, Matt! Where were you?” I asked as I gave him a hug.
“Oh, the usual, running around,” he smiled.
“The guys were so awesome tonight! Everyone was awesome!” Hayley beamed and stood up tall.
“Yeah, they were. If I could only get them to stay civilized…” We followed Matt’s gaze to the floor. The fight between Rian and Jack had grown into a full out dog pile between all of the guys.

“Hey! Break it up!” Matt walked over to the guys and stood there, hands crossed over his chest. It was almost a mock-menacing pose, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

Zack held out his hand to Matt, who immediately reached out to try and help him up. However, Tyson appeared from the bottom of the pile and pulled him into the brawl.

“Hey!” Matt growled.

By this time, Hayley, me, and all of the crewmembers were laughing hysterically.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” The Rev asked as he exited the Ax7 dressing room.
“Well, it started out with Rian and Jack…”
“Of course it did,” he shook his head knowingly, a grin on his face.
“We just showered and now they are all sweaty and gross and we have to go out and meet the fans,” Hayley sighed.
“Oh my God I totally forgot about that! Guys! Guys you have to go out for a meet and greet!” I ran over and stood five feet away from the perimeter of the fight. I dared to step in closer and repeat myself, still nothing. MCR was almost done with their last song.

“Guys!” I whined impatiently.
“What – argh – happened?” I heard Josh ask. He was struggling to fight off Alex and Hunter, who were tag-teaming against him.
“You have to go out for meet and greet after this song ends!”
“Crap.”
“Guys, guys stop. C’mon,” Josh stood up and brushed himself off.
“What happened?” Jack yelled over the music.
“You have to go out and take pictures with your fans,” I frowned.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that,” he grinned sheepishly.
“Come here, let me fix your hair.” Jack stood up and brushed himself off.

I stood on my tip-toes and began smoothing out his highlighted hair.

“Oh my God! You guys are so cute!” I turned and saw Jamia and Alicia walking over to us. MCR just finished playing and they were running off stage to hit the shower.

“Hey!” Frank stopped to give Jamia a sweaty kiss on the check - ‘Ew!’ and kept running off towards the dressing room.

I finished fixing Jack’s hair and I stood flat on my feet.

“There you go,” I smiled.
“Thanks, babe,” he winked.
“Oh God. Don’t start with the names,” I laughed.
“What happened, baby? You don’t like being called baby?” He wiggled his eyebrows and went to go and wrap his arms around me. I slapped his arm playfully and pushed him away. Jack caught hold of me and began tickling my sides.
“Stoooop!” I squealed.

“You guys need to stop being so damn adorable!”
“Yes, please do stop before Jamia has a heart-attack.”

I turned and saw Lindsey, Jamia, and Alicia watching us.
“Oh, hey guys,” I felt my ears turn red.

“C’mon, Romeo let’s go!” the Rev said as he pulled Jack’s arm away.
“How come none of the other bands are going out?”
“Do you want there to be a stampede?” Matt asked.
“True, true. Alright, well, have fun!” I waved as All Time Low and Avenged Sevenfold walked out the stage door. Screams erupted as soon as the doors opened and I had to cover my ears and cower away.

“Yeah, it’s rough on the ears sometimes,” Lindsey laughed as she led me away from the door.
“No kidding!”
“We go out with you guys after they come in,” Hayley walked over and stood with Lindsey and me.
“It makes sense to have Paramore and Mindless Self Indulgence go out at the same time because you guys are from pretty different genres. Different sounds with different fans and stuff,” I nodded.
“See? It all makes sense in the end,” Lindsey smiled.

After two hours of waiting for everyone to catch up with their fans we all headed back to the buses. Almost immediately Avenged Sevenfold and AAR broke out the alcohol. I noticed that Gerard decided to stay out of the drinking activities so far and I felt a small smile form on my lips. Good, he was almost completely sober before tour; maybe he’s finally getting over it.

“Jules! You gunna have some?” Alex walked over to me, a case in his hand.
“Umm I don’t think so,” I smiled.
“Aww por qué?”
“Porque no tengo sed!” I replied breezily.
“Whoa! Where did that come from?”
“My mom was Puerto Rican,” I laughed softly.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t-”
“-Hey, it’s fine! I don’t actually speak it, I just know some phrases.”
“-What type of phrases?” Jack intruded on our conversation.
“Yo’ mamma phrases,” I grinned.
“Ohh gurl don’t even get me started!” Jack put on a fake ghetto voice as he rolled his head.

Before Jack and Alex could say anything, Tyson walked over to us, his eyes already glassed over.

“Yo mamma is s’ugly,” he slurred, “that when she entered an ugly contest they said no professionals.” He cracked up at his own joke and I couldn’t help but join in.
“Yo mamma’s so fat, she had to get baptized at sea world!” Alex retorted.
“Yo mamma is so ugly, she went to the bathroom and scared the crap out of the toilet!” Jack added as he popped open a bottle of beer. By now, we had a crowd and we were all roaring with laughter.
“Yo mamma is so greasy, she sweats Crisco!” Tyson came back.
“Yo mamma so hairy you almost died of rug-burn at birth!” As soon as Alex said it we all fell to the floor in laughter. I was leaning on to Jack’s leg for support as I clutched my stomach in pain.

Guys!” I gasped, “You-need-to-stop! Oh-my-God!”

The sound of everyone’s laughter did not help the situation.

“Guys I have to pee now, oh my God.”
“Let’s not let the girl have an accident now,” Alex reached out a hand to help me up, but I couldn’t look at him.
“I can’t believe you said that, oh my God!”
“Alex, where the fuck did you get that one from?” I heard someone ask.
“He pulled that one out of his ass,” Jack replied, still roaring along with the rest of us.

“Okay, okay, okay,” I sighed, “I’m okay…. no, no I’m not!” I burst into another round of laughter.

Finally, after about another 20 minutes, we were able to regain our composure and join the rest of the party. Who knew that I could still have this much fun without drinking anything? This day had been the best day of tour yet.

“Hey guys come over here!” I turned my head and saw everyone sitting in a circle, a board game and bottle in the center. This would not end well.
“Jules!” I turned and saw Tyson, waving in my face. “You-you spaced out, didn’ you?” he laughed childishly. He was so gone.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Well, c’mon! Let’s go purty wid everyone!” he pulled on my hand and dragged me over to the big circle, where I found Alex, Hayley, Vinny, Jack, Nick, Rian, Zack, and almost everyone from the opening bands sitting.

“Alright. Now that everyone’s here let’s play…. Spin the bottle?” Alex asked as he placed one of his empty beer bottles in the center of the circle. Immediately I felt my stomach drop. I did not want to play this.

“How about truth or dare?” Jack asked, seeing my face.
“Truth or dare? Fuck no,” Alex shook his head.
“Yeah, that’s ‘cause you’re too chicken to even do a dare!” Everyone burst out into “Oos” and chicken noises.

“Fine! We’ll play fucking truth or dare!” he huffed.
“Who’s gunna spin first?” Nick asked.
“You can,” Jack nodded.
“Alright!”

Everyone clapped as we waited for the bottle to stop spinning. It landed on Hayley and everyone started screaming.

“Truth or Dare?” Nick asked her.
“Dare,” she replied without even missing a beat. He sat back in thought and people began shouting out dares. Nick turned around to see who was around. Matt from Avenged Sevenfold was making out with some girl, Frank was talking and giggling with Mikey, Jamia, and Alicia, and Jimmy from MSI was sitting by him self, staring out into the distance thinking about God knows what.

“I dare you to go over to Jimmy and pretend his dreads are udders!” Everyone burst out laughing – except for me – and waited for her response.

“Fine,” she replied hesitantly. Everyone cheered her on and turned to watch as she nonchalantly made her way over to Jimmy.

She waved at him and walked right past him.

“What the fuck?”
“I knew she wouldn’t do it!”

I put a hand over my mouth to hide my frown. Maybe I could sneak away now? Suddenly, we saw her creep up behind Jimy and take two of his dreads – which were gelled up straight – and quickly pretended to milk a cow. We saw him jump ad turn to see who it was, but she ducked and crawled away just in time for Jimmy to see the Rev standing not too far behind him.

“Really?” he asked him.
“What? I didn’t do anything!” the Rev replied.
“Yeah, okay sure,” the other Jimmy rolled his eyes.

By now everyone was roaring, and I felt a small smile break out on my face. Maybe this game wasn’t so bad after all.

Hayley crawled back – half of her pants covered in dirt – with a grin plastered on her face.

“I cannot believe you just did that,” Jeremy shook his head.
“Me either!” She laughed, “Okay, It’s my turn!” She spun the bottle and it landed on Tyson. I felt my heart pounding in my chest; that was too close for comfort.

“Truth or Dare?” She asked, her eyes tinted with mischief.
“Ummm … truth.”
“Darn it I had a good dare for you!” she snapped her fingers.
“Oops!” he giggled. I felt a smile break out on my face, he was a funny drunk!
“Is it true that you secretly love Nick?” she asked.

Nick leaned over to wiggle his eyebrows at Tyson, who bit his lip in response. I saw Rian, Jack, Alex, Hunter, and Josh wolf-whistle.

“Ooookay, I guess that answers that!” Hayley laughed before sitting back in her spot.

Tyson took the bottle and it landed on Alex. Alex took the bottle and it landed on a random crew guy I didn’t know. Random crew guy took the bottle and landed on Nick. Nick took the bottle and it landed on Jeremy. Jeremy took the bottle and it landed on Jack.

“Truth or Dare?” Jeremy asked.
“Motherfucking Dare!” Jack threw both fists up in the air and everyone started cheering like it was a pow-wow. I laughed along – I had been safe so far so I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary.

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Jeremy tapped his chin.
“Hey, c’mere I got one!” Alex leaned over and whispered in his ears. I saw Jeremy raise his eyebrows and glance at Jack, who returned the eyebrow raising. It was while I was staring at Jack I missed Jeremy glancing over to me with the same expression.

“JACK! Get your ass over here for this dare.”

Jack stood up and shuffled over to Alex, who whispered the dare into his ear.

“Shit man,” Jack laughed.
“Just do it!”
“It wasn’t my idea,” Jeremy held up two hands as Jack crossed over to me.

“Jack,” I felt my heart beat increase as he got closer and closer to me. “Jack, please,” I shook my head.

“It’s just a dare,” he shrugged his shoulders.
“Please,” I frowned. I saw Hayley watching hesitantly, a look of uncertainty on her face.

Jack kneeled down in front of me with a serious face. I felt everyone’s eyes on us and I felt my palms break out in sweat. I hated dares. I hated surprises. I hated being the center of attention like this.

“Just pretend no one’s here,” he whispered before he pounced on me and tackled me to the floor.

Before I could even yell at him I felt Jack’s mouth on mine and one of his hands was supporting the back of my head, which was pressed to the gravel of the lot. He kept on kissing me and kissing me and I felt my ears become scarlet as everyone started yelling and edging Jack on. Finally, I gave in and kissed him back. That was when he pulled away.

I felt tears fill my eyes as he sat up and helped me sit up as well. We both had gravel stuck to us and I brushed it off along with my tears of embarrassment. It was a kiss I shouldn’t be embarrassed! He was my boyfriend after all, I shouldn’t be ashamed that we love each other.

“Damn!” Vinny shook his head as he took a swig.
“Yeah, Julie! Getting her freak on!” Tyson laughed drunkenly.

It was then I tasted and smelled the alcohol Jack had been drinking.

“Jeez, Jack. What did you drink?” I asked, wiping my mouth off with my shirt. Everyone started laughing as I dramatized the situation with coughs and sputters.
“Jack,” he replied with a shrug and a grin. I rolled my eyes and pushed him away.
“Never do that again! And Alex, watch your back. You’re next,” I warned and gave him the ‘I’m watching you’ fingers.

“Yo, man! She’s not kidding!” Vinny leaned over, eyes wide with horror.
“What? Jules can’t get me back,” Alex rolled his eyes.

“She sure scared the crap out of Vin today!” One of the merch guys laughed.
“Shut the fuck up!” Vinny fake punched him.
“She jumped out from behind the t-shirts and scared him so bad! I think he needed to change his pants after that one.”
“The girl in line got scared too!” another merch guy added.

“Don’t underestimate my abilities!” I warned with a laugh.

“Alright, we’ll see what you got,” Alex shrugged.
“It’s on!” I grinned, my words coated with cockiness and warning.

“Damn, it’s hot when you talk like that,” Jack nodded. He was still sitting a few inches away from me. I burst out laughing and everyone turned to see what happened but I just shook my head and let the game continue. Thankfully, I didn’t get picked again.

After the party died down and everyone was starting to pass out, I found Jack leaning up against the side of one of their vans. It was the one Matt drove on the side for when some of the crew guys needed a lift.

“Hey,” I smiled.
“Heyyyy,” he grinned and pulled me into a hug. I was fully pressed against him and my arms were stuck to my sides.
“Whatcha’ doin?” I asked.
“Nothing much, just waiting for Alex to come back with more beers.”
“Alex isn’t coming back, he passed out,” I laughed, recalling the image of a drunken Alex sitting upright at the table on Avenged’s bus.

“So, it’s just me and you?” he wiggled his eyebrows.
“Yes, yes it is,” I giggled.
“I was afraid you weren’t gunna kiss me back.”
“Huh? When?”
“Durin’ the truth or dare thingy. The dare was t’ kiss you until you kissed back.”
“I was mortified!” I buried my head in his chest.
“Why?”
“I was embarrassed to do that in front of everyone!”
“I knew you would be,” he sighed.
“But then I realized I shouldn’t be.”

He looked down and eyebrows raised.

“Because 1: everyone else was piss drunk except for me, so they won’t remember anything. And 2: you’re my boyfriend, I shouldn’t be embarrassed about that.”

Jack didn’t say anything, just pressed his lips against mine and kissed me with the same force he had back when we were on the side of the stage. This kiss was filled with need and angst. I felt Jack’s hands snake up to my hair, which was in a ponytail. I reached behind me and pulled it loose. Instantly his hands massaged my head, making me relax almost completely.

“How about we go inside? It’s cold,” Jack panted in between kisses. He was right; the sun had been down for at least four hours already and it was freezing outside.

I pulled away from Jack, breathing heavily, and opened the van door. Thankfully, no one was inside that we could see. I climbed up into the van and Jack followed. He shut the door and tackled me almost instantly. This time, however, it was much comfier.

As we continued to make out, hoodies got discarded and shoes got discarded. I gasped as Jack attacked my neck and kissed furiously. We had never let things get this far except for maybe Valentine’s Day. Jack moved back up to my face again and connected our lips.

Suddenly, kissing wasn’t enough and Jack began grinding his hips onto mine. I felt myself go limp at his touch.

We continued on like this for at least another fifteen minutes before Jack passed out from lack of sleep and drunkenness. I wrapped my arms around him and smiled, I could not have asked for a better boyfriend.

*

We spent two more days in Jersey before it was time for us to move on to Pennsylvania. As we drove, I reflected on all of the good jokes and laughs we had. I don’t think I had ever laughed so hard in my entire life. The next stop could only mean more good things to come. So far, tour. was. amazing. ☺

Comments

.

MyChemFREAK MyChemFREAK
2/7/15

Please keep writing it cant end here I've spent two days reading this, PLEASE I need to know what happedns.

McRbAnDfReAk McRbAnDfReAk
10/21/14

NOOO! This can't be the end! Please keep writing, you're amazing at it!!!

AShotToRemember AShotToRemember
4/27/14

At some point I do believe fall out boy should make an appearance