"We'll tell them when you're ready, I guess. I really just don't like to hide things from them."

"I know, and I'm sorry I'm making you do it. I just think it would be better if we waited until all the stress from the audition is gone. We all just have so much going on right now, I really think it's best that we wait."

Jack nodded his head. He didn't honestly believe that's why Alex wanted to wait and tell their friends that they'd finally started a relationship. The truth was, Alex was afraid of what they'd think of him. It seemed kind of crazy, because Zack and Rian had already been through so much with the two, they expected and accepted everything that was thrown at them, but Jack had to be respectful of Alex's fear and wait it out with him. Besides, they did have the big audition to prepare for. There was less than a week left before their big day, and if they didn't walk into that room confident that the song they'd chosen would blow minds, there really wasn't any point in even going.

Alex leaned over the half-broken couch his mother had placed in the basement for when the guys had band practice, and planted a gentle kiss on Jack's cheek. Even though they'd been keeping their relationship a secret, the two were happier than ever. They were very loving towards one another, but the best part was that they never ran out of things to talk about. Their friendship had only expanded into the most wonderful relationship they ever could have dreamed. Point blank, they were happy.

"You know I love you, right?" Alex smiled, batting his eyelashes.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack grinned, shoving Alex back over to his side. "So have you been working on any lyrics?"

"No, not really. I've been waiting to see what you guys want to do a song about. We've all had so much going on, I thought maybe we could put it in a song."

"A song about teenage pregnancy?" A loud voice boomed through the basement, and as Alex and Jack turned their heads, they saw a happy Rian coming down the stairs. "I could dig that, I guess."

"Yo, Ri," Jack stood up on the couch and extended his arm to 'bro hug' his friend. "Where's Zack?"

"Right behind me. He's super happy today because he's talking to some chick who goes to his school."

"Zacky has a girlfriend?" Alex snickered as Zack appeared behind Rian. "I thought you didn't date because it was too much trouble?"

"It is," Zack shrugged. "But she's different, dudes."

"How so?"

"We can talk about that later. For now, I think Rian is going to need some opinions of something."

Now all eyes landed on Rian, who was grinning widely with his hands in his pockets. He shrugged, more so to himself, and sighed.

"Okay, listen. I've been trying to think of names for the baby, and I haven't been able to come up with anything. If it's a girl, I want it to be named after Kara somehow, so maybe the same for me if it's a boy?"

"Robert Alexander Dawson," Alex chuckled, nodding his head. "I like the sounds of that."

"Well why not Jack Rian Dawson?" Jack stuck out his tongue. "Sounds better!"

"Love you bros, but I ain't namin' my kid after you."

"Let's think about it while we play," Zack suggested, picking up his guitar. "Everybody just make some kind of noise so we can at least say we attempted to be ready for the audition."

Following Zack's example, Rian, Jack and Alex each went to their rightful spots and began to play. Zack already had a slow beat going, so Jack attempted to jump in while Alex only played a few notes. Rian wasn't beating on his drums, just a few taps here and there. Honestly, they sounded like had no idea what they were doing.

"You guys are making my ears bleed," Alex sang into the mic with a grin. "Please stop playing before I shoot myself in the toe!"

In the middle of their laughter, Rian pulled himself away from the drums and held his finger up to signal to his band that he would be right back. Alex turned his head to stare at his other friends, raising an eyebrow to see if either of them knew what was going on.

"No idea," Zack sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He's been doing that a lot lately."

"It's gotta be stressful trying to be in a band and play for a baby. I can't even begin to imagine what he's going through.. Or even what Kara's going through, for that matter."

"Rian's always been so mature for his age, though. I think he'll figure it out. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

As the three stood there waiting for their friend, the conversation died. Occasionally they would pick at a few notes, or Alex would sing a few lines of his favorite songs, but mostly they stood around and stared at the floor. The longer they found themselves doing nothing, the less they felt like writing a new song.

"So, uh," Rian broke the silence, standing just a few feet from his friends with a tear stained face. "Kara and I are no longer together."

"What? What the fuck happened? Why are you crying?"

Zack was the first to put his guitar down and go to Rian. He didn't care about the reasoning behind the break-up, he just needed to make sure his friend was okay, as he always did with his bandmates.

"She, fuck," Rian wiped his eyes with a sob. "She just called to tell me that- that she had an abortion...."

"Oh shit," Jack mumbled, tossing his guitar on the couch and running to Rian's side. "I'm so sorry dude."

"Did she tell you why she did it?"

Rian lifted his eyes to stare at Alex, who seemed to be frozen in front of his microphone.

"No. She was crying, she told me she already regretted it, but I just- Fuck! I can't forgive her for that. It was my baby, too! She just fucking killed my baby."

"I don't even know what to say," Alex averted his gaze, hanging his shoulders low. "I'm really sorry, Rian."

It was tragic. It was sickening. It didn't make any sense, but it would make the perfect song. Alex Gaskarth would make absolutely certain that the memory of that child would always remain, somehow.

Notes

Sorry guys, had to go there. ):