Oh, Calamity!

A couple weeks later, Luna and the boys were home and preparing for the engagement party. It was set for late evening on a Friday night at the house Luna and Alex shared, and I was honestly excited. Will was set to pick me up at work and then we’d head to the party, but I found the day dragging on slowly, the same boring routine I usually had.
7 o’clock, my alarm went off and I leapt out of bed, rushing to my closet. I had to dress professional, so I donned a black skirt, a gray sweater, and black boots, thinking it would also work for the party later that night. I did my hair and makeup quickly before rushing out the door, making a pit stop at the nearby Starbucks to wake myself up and be prepared for work.
8 AM, I arrived at the office for The Baltimore Sun, where I was a reporter. Since I didn’t go on tour with All Time Low, like I would have if Jack hadn’t of broken it off, I went to college and got a degree in Communications. I graduated a couple years before, got a job and apartment here, and my life was stable. I had met Will at a bookstore, and we were friends for awhile before we began dating. The rest was pretty much history.
I worked on my latest assignment and did some paperwork throughout the day, but many thoughts loomed in the back of my head. The past 7 years had been so weird, full of ups and downs and things like that. It had taken me so long to get over my break up with Jack, but I was thankful I always had Luna to talk, though it was always over the phone. She called me all the time, keeping me updated on the tours and how the boys were doing.
I learned all about what shows and meet and greets were like, which Luna saw a lot of because she worked the merch table with some guy named Vinny. She told me bands they were touring with that I needed to check out, what tour bus life was like, all of it. Sometimes, I was a little jealous because Luna had so much excitement, but I tried to convince myself I wasn’t meant for that life. It didn’t always work.
Most of all, she told me about what Jack was doing. I was the one who asked, but always ended up wishing I hadn’t. She would mention the countless groupies he’d had one night stands with, I heard all about his previous relationship with Holly Madison, and now, he had a girlfriend again. Not long after I met Will, Jack got together with some girl named Robin. I would be meeting her at the engagement party. How would I handle that? What would Jack think of Will? Why did I care?
Finally, Will arrived at the office, his books from his long day at med school in tow. He was studying to become an eye doctor and open his own practice. He greeted me with a kiss, and I clocked out of work before we finally headed to the party. I gave my boyfriend directions to Luna and Alex’s house and looked at all the cars parked outside once we arrived. One thing was for sure, this was going to be a huge party.
We rang the doorbell, and Luna swung it open excitedly, throwing her arms around me in a bone crushing hug. “I missed you so much! I’m glad you’re home,” I said.
“I missed you too! Come in, both of you. I’m going to go find the boys, and then I have some people you need to meet. Just stay right there,”she declared, scurrying off.
“She’s sure a hyper one, isn’t she?” Will mentioned.
I laughed. “That’s Luna for you. The guys are pretty crazy too, especially Jack.”
“Jack...” he trailed, trying to remember. “That’s the one that’s your ex, right?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” I commented.
“Need me to beat him up for you?” he questioned with a sly grin.
I rolled my eyes playfully and shook my head, and Luna appeared with a small group of people in tow. I recognized the boys of course, but I had no idea who the two women were. I grinned at my old friends, happy to see them again. Even Jack, surprisingly. “I missed you guys so much!”
Alex moved forward to hug me. “We missed you too! And thank you for agreeing to help with the wedding, it means a lot.”
“No problem,” I said, hugging Zack and Rian. I didn’t dare go over to Jack once I noticed he was holding hands with a girl. “Oh, and this is of course is Will my boyfriend.”
As Will shook hands with them, Rian introduced Cassadee to me and Jack finally introduced Robin. “It’s nice to meet you all.” WIll said.
“Look at Nora though, guys! She looks so grown up and professional!” Luna commented.
“Well we can’t all be rockstars,” I joked.
Luna dragged me off, making me meet all sorts of other people and leaving will by himself. I met Austin from Of Mice & Men, Vic and Mike from Pierce the Veil, Derek from Mayday Parade, and a bunch of other people from bands that I had listened to. Needless to say, I was starstruck.
I spent a lot of the night talking with Zack, Rian, and Cassadee, Will right by my side. Luna and Alex were busy entertaining all of their guests, and Jack hadn’t so much as looked at me the whole time I was there. It was clear to me that we were supposed to pretend to be strangers, so I avoided him as much as possible.
I noticed how he interacted with Robin, his girlfriend. It was like looking into the past. He was the same skunk hair, though now it was all spiked, same smile and laugh, everything. But it wasn’t me he was with this time, and it made my heart ache. I couldn’t go back to the past, but in that moment I wanted to. I averted my gaze and instead focused on my current boyfriend, and how wonderful he was. I was better off with him, wasn’t I?
At the end of the party, Luna and I made plans to see each other again soon to begin discussing the wedding, and then Will and I left. Despite his protests, I insisted he take me back to my apartment, giving him a kiss goodbye.
When I got inside I sat on my couch and cried. I felt so stupid, crying over Jack for the first time in years. Seeing him after all this time was a lot harder than i thought it would. I supposed I was just upset that he actually happy. I wanted him to be in pain like I was for so many months after we broke up. Maybe I hadn’t completely moved on.

Notes