"Are you really sure that this is such a good idea, bro?"

Jack was pulling on his shoes in the kitchen area, his hair freshly dried and his body freshly cleaned. The sun was starting to sink deep into the sky, leaving only a flicker of light through the bus windows. He and Alex had been doing so well that he'd decided to take a leap of faith. Alexa had called him after her set and invited him to spend the night on her bus so he could finally meet the rest of her band, and quiet possibly sip on a couple of beers. He was nervous about the idea at first -- How Alex would be around Alexa, given he doesn't like her, and how he, himself, would feel around Elana. He and Alex had finally come to an agreement that they would put up with the females for each others sake, but truthfully the only thing that kept Jack going were Alex's words playing over in his head.

'You just have to trust me, Jack. Can you do that?'

With those eleven words lingering in his head, Jack had stopped looking at Alex's phone. He stopped questioning what the older boy was doing when he wasn't with him and he stopped being so clingy when it came to parties. Half of him believed it was because he really trusted Alex, but the other half believed he putting Alex to test. Which half would win, he wasn't sure, and frankly, he didn't care. Things had been so good, he felt so happy, nothing was going to change that.. He hoped.

"I feel like it'll be okay," Jack shrugged, staring Rian down. In the pit of his stomach, he knew Rian knew something he didn't, much like Alexa. Once again, he would choke down that feeling and hold his head high. "Besides, if shit hits the fan I'll have you and Zack there."

"Oh right," Rian grinned, "I forgot we're the only real men of this group."

"Fuck you!" Jack snorted, flipping his bangs out of his eyes with his breath. "Seriously though, Alexa is a really good friend of mine. I want her and Alex to get along like you wouldn't believe. In order for that to happen, I have to suck it up and get along with Elana. Besides, Lexa is her best friend. She'll keep her in check."

"You two have nicknames for each other now?" Rian riased his eyebrow, a playful grin on his lips. "You sure it shouldn't be the two of you that Alex needs to watch out for?"

"Ha-ha. I can promise you that. No one makes me as happy as Alex does. The way I get butterflies, the way his smile can make me melt right into the floor. The way that, even though I know he's flawed as a mother fucker, that asshole is absolutely perfect to me."

"Yeah.." Rian trailed, smirking wildly. "You're the vagina of that relationship."

Jack was about to snap back with something insulting, but Zack and Alex coming into the area fully dressed and ready for the night made his lips curve into a smile. Alex, despite the heat, had a beanie on top of his messy hair. His Blink shirt was almost as tight as his jeans and his smile was one that held love. Having been swept off his feet, Jack darted over to him so he could place a gentle kiss on his cheek. Alex smiled in return, nodding to say that it was time to roll out.

The four of them walked slowly to Alexa and Elana's bus. Admittedly, they were all nervous to see what the night would hold. Jack more so than anyone. He felt he'd be in a room where everyone knew something he didn't, and he'd feel that Alexa's band would only like him out of pity. Regardless, he forced a smile as they neared the bus, seeing Alexa standing outside singing softly to herself. For the first time, he got to see her home on the road. It looked a lot like his own, but on the side there were cursive letters forming the word: INSOMNIA. Finally, he knew the name of her band.

"Hey stranger," Alex oddly broke the silence. A fake, but still charming smile, plastered to his lips. "Long time no see."

Seeming unhappy about the words spoken to her, Alexa tugged on her lip with her teeth and nodded, awkwardly accepting the hug Alex was offering her. She pulled away quickly and turned to Jack, her grin almost as full of life as Rian's.

"Jackie-Boo!" She cried, tossing her arms around her waist, as she was too short to reach his neck. "I'm so excited for you to meet everyone!"

"Yeah, well.. I'm not sure if you've met them or not, but these are my other bandmates. Rian," he motioned to his friend. "And Zack."

"Pleasure," Alexa beamed, pounding both of their fist. "Come on. Everyone is so excited to meet my mystery best friend!"

Rian and Zack followed the short girl as soon as she turned, but the sad look in Alex's eyes made Jack stop the boy in his tracks. He huffed slightly, knowing that Alexa had already started the night off wrong, but he knew Elana would probably do the same to him.

"She's just upset that Elana ran off with you without telling her," Jack lied, not really knowing the full reason as to why Alexa didn't like him. "Come on. She'll loosen up. Everyone loves you."

"I'm doing this for you, baby," Alex smiled faintly.

Nodding to himself, Jack pulled his lover onto the bus. His friends were already talking to the strangers, but he took a moment to take them in. The first one he really spotted was one he would be nervous to have his boyfriend around, even though he'd promised to trust the other man. Her hair was black, but with faded blonde streaks, which he noticed brought out her deep, brown eyes. There was a stud flickering in the light from her nose, and the Blink shirt she was wearing was almost the exact same as Alex's.. Only it was low cut, which distracted him from the rest of her appearance because her breast were nearly popping out of them. He simply tried to tell himself that, even though he was in love with his best friend, he still had a fondness for big boobs. It was part of being a guy, and that would be no excuse to feel uncomfortable having his boyfriend around her. Surely, she had to be a sweet girl under all of that busty luxury. Having thought that, he forced himself to look away from her chest.

Next, there was a man with long, black hair. His outfit matched his strands, as did his nails and the thick painting under his eyes. On his wrist were rows and rows of bands. The boy was seated on the edge of the table. His leg was bouncing as if he were nervous, but he had a large, welcoming smile that made Jack feel right at home.

Lastly, there was a girl even shorter than Alexa. Her hair was short, brown and curly, with bright red streaks coming through the mop. She wore thick rimmed glasses that reminded him of his own. She stood awkwardly in the corner with her face buried in a clipboard. Honestly, she seemed like the type of person Matt would get along with. He wished the manager had tagged along.

"This," Alexa tore him from his thoughts, dragging him through the bus to meet her band. "Is Nicole. She is our very talented lead singer. Nic, this is Jack."

"Saw you staring," Nicole winked, pointing to her boobs. "They're all natural, baby."

A blush came to his face as he turned his attention to Alex, who was awkwardly scratching around his beanie and laughing silently to himself.

"Oh, don't worry," the girl mumbled. "I know you two are totally gay for each other. He'll only use these for a pillow, Alex."

"At least someone here knows my name," Alex chuckled. "And no worries. You were blessed with an amazing rack. I'd be ashamed if he didn't stare."

Nicole shrugged with a confident grin on her face. Alexa giggled nervously and pulled Jack away from the girl, leading him to the other female figure who'd been hanging out away from everyone. From the corner of his eye, Jack could see that Alex was trailing behind them.

"So you're the one who has been distracting our bassist from her work," the girl said without looking up at him. "There have been many times where I wanted to track you down and beat you, but I must admit, it's good to finally see the face behind the late night text messages. I'm Ari-"
"The manager?"

"What tipped you off?" Ari asked, finally looking up from her clipboard. "Was it the glasses or the thrill in my voice?"

"She's not like this all the time, Jack," Alexa glared at her manager. "She just has a dry sense of humor. You have to get used to it, I guess."

"Oh, no worries." Jack turned to his boyfriend once more. "She needs to meet Flyzik, don't you think?"

"A match made in Heaven."

With snickers coming from both boys and a confused look on Ari's face, Alexa led him to the last person in the room. The boy pushed his hair from his face and offered the same smile Jack had seemed earlier.

"This is Jasper. You two have a lot in common. He's our lead guitarist. Oh, and don't let his appearance fool you. He's a teddybear."

"Really, that's what they call me," Jasper snorted. He turned his back on the three for a moment, coming back with a hand full of beer. Willingly, they each took one. "I'm glad we finally get to meet you Jack, and you too, Alex."

Jack grabbed Alex by the hand and pulled him close. Resting his head on Alex's shoulder, Jack smiled to Jasper, a strange feeling coming over him when he noticed Elana's eyes burning daggers into his body.

The night progressed slowly. Only an hour after meeting the other band did the bus start rolling to the next destination. Only an hour and a half after saying hello did the liquor start to flow heavily, relaxing everyone and their tongues, including that which belonged to Ari. With music blasting loudly through the speakers, everyone was having a blast. The only thing Jack Barakat could really compare it to was a High School party, where you just don't give a shit what happens because your only goal is to have fun.

"I don't meant to be so uptight," Ari slurred, the contents of her red cup threatening to spill over the edges. "It's just so hard being a young girl, trying to tell other young chicks what to do, ya know? Somtimes, sometimes I feel like I just get on their nerves. Like we're not even friends anymore, I'm just the annoying girl with the schedule."

"Oh, no, don't feel that way!" Nicole sat her beer down on the table, not even caring that half of it sloshed onto the table. She pulled the short brunette into her chest and brushed hair from her eyes. "We love you. I'm letting you cuddle my tits, that's real love. I think sometimes you just forget that this isn't only our job, it's supposed to be fun. You've forgotten how to have fun."

"There's an easy solution to that," Elana chimed in from across the room. She had been strangely quiet all night, constantly staring down Jack and Alex as they swayed to the music or held each other tightly. "Gaskarth knows how to have fun, don't ya? Let him take you out for a night. You'll wake up feeling like a brand new person!"

"Elana," Jasper yelled in a whisper. The red head shrugged her shoulders and put her beer to her mouth, grinning through the liquid. "Anyway. Who wants to play Kings? That's always fun."

"I do!" Jack forced a smile, trying desperately to get Elana's words out of his head. It wasn't something he wanted to remember in the morning. "Alex?"

"Uh, yeah," the older by nodded. "I'm just gonna run to the bathroom first."

The game started without him. The group sat in a circle with one beer in the center, and so far the only person to pop a tab was Jack Barakat. He chugged the beer as quickly as he could, however, this left his bladder with a heavy feeling. With a grunt, the man excused himself from the game and stumbled through the hallway. He noticed that the bathroom door was open and the light was off. Where was his boyfriend? Deciding to hold it in, Jack ventured into the back room, thinking that maybe Alex had drank too much already and passed out, but what he found would leave him forever wounded and scarred.

She was on top of him with her breast exposed, grinding roughly against his hips. Alex would buck into her ever few minutes, causing the girl to cry out in a whisper. Their clothes were scattered all over the floor, and the room stunk like skunked beer and sex. Jack tripped over his own feet and hit the door, panic forming in his gut. They still hadn't noticed him, which became more than clear when Alex propped himself up and began kissing her chest roughly. Tears were starting to spill from Jack's eyes. He'd seen enough.

The boy locked himself in the bathroom, pulling out his phone long enough to text Matt and ask him to stop the bus. When Flyzik replied that they would be stopping at the next store, Jack bolted from the bathroom to the kitchen area, where the party was still taking place. He glanced through the windows to see if they were in town yet, and in fact, they were.

"Stop the fucking bus."

"What's wrong, bro?" Zack looked up with blood-shot eyes. "You home sick?"

"Just stop the fucking bus!"

"Oh shit," Alexa got up. She ran to her friend, trying to comfort him and see what was going on. "Boo, you okay?"

Apparently the driver had heard Jack's cries, because the bus began to pull into the store parking lot. Before they could come to a complete stop, though, Jack had his shoes on and he was heading for the door.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Rian looked worried. "Just let me grab my stuff."

"No," Jack growled, his cheeks now a bright shade of red and his eyes overflowing with tears. "Everyone just leave me the fuck alone, okay?!"

He threw the door open and took off running in the direction of All Time Low's bus. Alexa slowly backed away from the scene, knowing that something horrible must have happened to make Jack scream at them as he had. The tiny girl moved her feet through the group, who were now starting to slowly stand up. Even with all the booze in her syster, her blood ran hot with anger. Alexa through the back room door open and flipped on the light, revealing the two young bodies tangled in each other. She reacted before she even had time to think, ripping her best friend from Alex's body. In her exposed nudity, Elana ended up the floor. Alex jumped up from the couch and quickly covered his own nudity with his boxers. Sweat was pouring from his forehead and he looked as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Do either of you have any idea what just fucking happened?" Alexa screamed, towering over her best friend. "A perfectly nice boy just got his heart shattered in pieces because you two horndogs couldn't keep it in your pants!"

"Whatever," Elana groaned, pulling her shirt over her head. "He was going to find out we fucked eventually."

"But not like this! Do you really not feel shameful, Elana? Do you not feel bad that you just tore apart two people who really loved each other?"

"Don't scream at me," the red head stood up, pulling her underwear up her legs. "I'm not in a relationship, and clearly Gaskarth doesn't love him like he claims."

"That's not true," Alex breathed. His face was pale, and his eyes were glazing over with his own tears. "I do love him, I just.. I don't know anymore."

"Well way to go, you son of a bitch!" Alexa ran for him, her fist high in the air, but the stong arms of Zack Merrick wrapped around her before she could reach him. "I haven't known Jack for that long, and already I can tell how fragile he is! For someone he met just a few weeks, I can honestly say I would never hurt that boy the way you did! You're pathetic, Alex, totally pathetic! Jack deserves so much better than you!"

"Fucking Hell, Alexa," Elana piped up, "are you sure you're not the one in love with him?"

"Fuck you," Alexa spat, glaring at Alex. "Now he's on another bus probably crying himself to sleep. I hope your orgasm was worth it."

She pulled herself from Zack's grip and took off toward her bunk, being followed by Jasper and Nicole who were now more worried about her than the boy who left the bus in a fit. Ari appeared from the corner and adjusted her glasses, still highly intoxicated, but now understannding why she'd been such a hardass this whole tour.

"Off to bed, Elana. You can't play drums with a headache. Up, let's go."

Elana huffed. She unwillingly followed her manager through the bus, leaving only the boys of All Time Low in the back room. Rian rubbed his eyes, taking a seat beside the frontman. A part of him, much like Alexa, wanted to beat the shit out of his friend; but he knew there was something much deeper going on, something emotional that would cause Alex to act out in such a way.

"You really fucked up tonight, Alex. I don't know what we're going to do now. Jack will probably want to go home. Consider this our last night on tour."

"I'll talk to him," Alex whispered, wiping stray tears from his cheek. "I can make him understand."

"I really don't think you can, Alex.." Zack sat on the floor in front of his friend. "He's going to be mad enough when he finds out we covered for you the first time this happened, but now there's nothing we can do to help you. He's known for a while something is going on, but he loves you so much that he tucked it all away and put his faith in you. I don't know that you'll be able to fix this..."

"I love him so much, I swear I do," Alex tumbled over, laying his head on Rian's lap as he let his tears freely fall. "I'm just such a fuck-up. Everything I touch turns to shit."

Zack, nor Rian, knew what to say to make their friend feel better. Instead, they curled up around him and let him cry until his tears turned into slumber. They knew as they both drifted off into a sleep of their own, that All Time Low had come to an end.

　

Notes

Dramaaa! Leave your thoughts in the comments, my loves. <3.