Impressions - An Alex Gaskarth One Shot
Summary
I get on the bus at my area’s stop. My name is Ciara Reikert, and I am just another person trying to make it in the music business. Living in New York, it’s most of the time hard to make it. My competition levels, though, aren’t as high as some pop music is- no, I sing pop punk music. I normally do covers of songs but I do create my own. But most that I’ve written are horrible. I am known most for my covers anyways. People love my covers, apparently I sing better than I thought.
Then there’s a man who gets on at the next stop. I’m sitting in the sixth row on the left, a window seat. I hate aisle seats.
This man looks familiar in a way. His short chocolate brown hair and eyes make me feel odd, because I seriously know him from somewhere. He’s wearing a grey beanie, a shirt that says, “No Regrets,” and skinny jeans, carrying a guitar and a notebook. I feel so clueless, being unable to comprehend where I’d know him from. I mean, with the guitar and notebook, it’s obvious he’s in or is trying to get into the music scene. “Hey,” he says to me.
I look at him and nod, releasing a, “Hello.” He sits down across the aisle from me, takes out his guitar, and grabs his notebook. He pulls out a pick and begins to strum a few chords to a song I know. Why can’t I remember?!
He sings softly, strumming his guitar, “Redesign me, state of the art, erase my mind, replace my heart… I want to start over…”
I look up at him, as if to say something, but he then stands up and play his guitar… to a song that I’m pretty sure I’ve covered… what is that song? I know it from somewhere. I literally do. Why can’t I place it? It- isn’t it a leaked song..?
He smiles as he begins to play and sing, “From the get-go I knew this was hard to hold, like a crash the whole thing spun out of control…it was like a time-bomb set into motion, we knew that we were destined to explode, and if I had to pull you out of the wreckage, you know I’m never gonna let you go, we’re like a time-bomb…”
He sang a lot more than that, but that’s all I could pick up. I was tranced by his voice. It sung every note to what sounded on key. It was truthfully brilliant. He sounded like he’s sang it a thousand times, and perfected every pitch and tone and key that took part in being as beautiful as it sounded. I had covered that song- Time-Bomb… What is his name..?
He sat down after he was done playing and applause echoed throughout the bus. I looked at him with confusion. I knew who he was. But yet I didn’t. Why can’t I just remember already? Mind, what are you doing..? Why won’t you let me think!?
He opens up his guitar case, puts it away, and then pulls out an envelope. It… it has my name on it. Literally.
I open it up to find tickets to a concert tonight and a note, written on loose leaf paper.
“Ciara, love the covers you sing. I have an extra two tickets to a concert tonight, they have a meet & greet pass on them too. Hope you can attend, I have meet & greet privileges too. See you there, hopefully!
-AWG :)”
I smile at him, and before I could thank him, he looks out the window. A man with mostly brown hair then a good amount of yellow blonde hair is standing at the corner. “Fuuuck... Jack’s there. Should get off…” He mutters.
AWG… Jack… it doesn’t ring a bell. The only Jack I know is Jack Barakat of All Time Low… but it can’t be them… can it? I mean- he did sing Time-Bomb really well… Could it seriously be Alex Gaskarth..?
He reaches up to pull the cord above him when his phone rings, playing the song “First Date” by blink-182. He reaches for his phone, “In the car, I just can’t wait, to pick you up on our very first date...is it cool if I hold your ha-” and he answers his phone. I start to sing the ringtone song as “AWG” pulls on the cord that alerts the bus driver that someone needs to get off. “Is it cool if I hold your hand, is it wrong if I think it’s lame to dance, do you like my stupid hair, would you guess that I didn’t know what to wear, I’m just scared of what you think, you make me nervous so I really can’t eat…”
The bus comes to a halt and he says, “Yeah, Jack, getting off now. See you in a sec.” He hangs up, and before getting off, he drops another note in my lap and winks at me. I look at him, confused, and he exits the bus, running around the front to find his friend Jack.
I watch him run up to Jack and nod looking around then pointing at our bus. I smile and wave, moving across the aisle to where he was sitting. Jack waves at me, and I now know for sure that that was Alex. But then I saw Alex bend his knees as if explaining something. Was he telling Jack about me?
I open up the note as the bus continues on the ride, now humming “First Date” rather than singing it.
“Hey Ciara,
I hope you can make it to the concert tonight- sorry about the lie, I actually don’t have meet & greet passes, but I do get in it anyways. How, you may ask? I’m the lead singer of the band playing at this venue tonight, and I want you to attend to sing a song with me on stage for our song Remembering Sunday. Would you like to? Thanks anyways! Just meet me behind the venue (at my tour bus; All Time Low) a few hours before the show! In about five hours is best. Thanks again! :)
-Alex Gaskarth”
I knew it… but I almost didn’t. I’m confused how I couldn’t figure that out earlier, that it was Alex...
Caught up in the moment, I guess.
* * *
“He woke up from dreaming and put on his shoes, started making his way, past two in the morning, he hasn’t been sober for days…” I hear Alex sing. Over the past few hours, it’s been brilliant to get to know him. I was performing their song “Remembering Sunday” with him on stage. He smiled over the crowd and I laugh to myself. Have to try to feel better before I embarrass myself, right? What’s the point in not? Nervousness releases when there’s laughter, I’ve heard.
I’m waiting backstage for him to sing the part of Remembering Sunday that’s the female part, where I’m supposed to sing. I continue reading over the lyrics, thinking calmly and listening for the part I go on stage for. Butterflies are fluttering in my stomach- I had never performed at a venue this large. It feels so… odd… and completely unordinary to me. I felt so odd.
“Oh, I can see now, that all of these clouds, are following me in my desperate endeavour, to find my whoever…” and I walk on stage. The crowd is cheering chaotically, and I feel speechless. It feels amazing, seeing so many people cheer for you. “Wherever she may be…”
I take a breath and sing, “I’m not coming back, I’ve done something so terrible, I’m terrified to speak but you’d expect that from me, I’m mixed up, I’ll be blunt, now the rain is washing you out of my hair, and out of my mind, keeping an eye on the world, from so many thousands of feet off the ground, I’m over you now, I’m at home in the clouds, and towering over your head..!” I was done. I did it. Alex continues singing his part until I join in for the final few lines.
“I guess I’ll go home now, I guess I’ll go home now, I guess I’ll go home now, I guess I’ll go home…”
Alex brought me in for a hug, and whispered, “You did great. That was beautiful.” and kisses my cheek.
He turns back to the crowd who’s cheering and screaming. He says into the microphone, “Ciara Reikert, everybody!” pointing at me. Everyone cheers and I feel on top of the world. I felt plainly brilliant. I couldn’t believe that I had met him on that bus. If I hadn’t… I wouldn’t be here right now.
All of this... all because I met him on a public bus...
