A Love Like Warped

It’s the beginning of the second week of Warped Tour.

Arizona.

It’s technically Jared’s hometown show since this is where his family is currently living, so he gets the day off to go see his family and friends while he’s close by. Spencer assures us that we'll all get the same treatment in our home towns.

By now everyone’s got the hang of how a typical day goes here on Warped Tour, even Taylor. Everything is running smoothly as usual, it’s just taking a little more rush and effort on our part to keep it that way with Jared gone.

It’s also the hottest day of the tour so far, and hopefully ever. Spencer warned us it probably would be in Arizona. Even for the area, the temperature is record breaking. I’m in a crop top and shorts, my hair piled high on my head in a messy bun, drinking water constantly, and I’m still sweating buckets. I woke up late this morning and I’ve been busy ever since, so it’s past one in the afternoon when I realize I haven’t eaten a single thing today.

“Hey, Spence?” I call out during a lull in the crowd, “I haven’t eaten today, can I head to lunch early?”

“Of course! We’ll be fine here for a while. Go! Eat!”

“Thanks! Text me if you need me back sooner okay?” Spencer nods and waves me off.

I head back to the van to grab a book I’m reading called, ironically enough, Lucas. I roll my eyes at my own life and start power walking my way through the buses to head to catering, I feel like I’m actually panting a little bit, so I gulp down some more water to combat the sun beating down on me. Up ahead, I spot a familiar crop of blond hair with a dark wavy haired companion.

“Hey, Marley!” Jaylen and Lucas greet me at the same time, waiting for me to catch up to them and then falling in step with me, matching my quick pace.

“Hey guys. What’s up?”

“We’re heading to our signing at Journey’s. You?” Jaylen asks.

“Catering. I’ve been so busy I haven’t eaten all day.”

“Damn, literally nothing?” Lucas asks, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“Literally nothing,” I reply and take another drink of water, noticing it’s empty again. Damn.

“Are you feeling okay, though? Maybe you should stay in the van and get someone to bring you something instead of walking all the way there?”

“No, I can make it,” I assure him even as I start to feel a little light headed and dizzy, “I’ll walk with y’all... to Journey’s... and then… I’ll...”

“Marley?” Jaylen lightly touches my arm and I notice we’ve considerably slowed our walking.

“What?”

“You’ll walk with us to Journey’s and then…?” Lucas says, stopping altogether. Or did we stop? Are the buses moving or is that me? I don’t think I can feel my…

_________________________

Holy fucking hell I passed out. I actually passed out.

I realize as I’m coming to that I’m laying on something cushioned, and there’s a slight humming in the background along with a voice I can’t quite make out. I slowly open my eyes, and try to figure out where the hell I am. There’s a guy in a tank top and jeans talking on the phone with his back to me. He’s too tall to be Lucas or Jaylen, and there’s brown hair sticking out from under his hat. I look around and notice that I’m on a bus, a nice one too. I turn my head to continue looking and see another guy sitting on the floor by my feet. He isn’t looking at me, he’s texting, but the stripe of blue in his hair is unmistakable. Jack FUCKING Barakat??? I immediately sit up, the sudden movement startling Jack into dropping his phone.

“Hey! Woah, just lie down for right now, okay? Actually, no. Here, drink this orange juice. It should help,” Jack rushes out, jumping up to grab my water bottle off of the table across from us. It’s been refilled with juice. I’m actually speechless, so I just take the bottle and drink. “Alex, she’s up!”

I almost choke when he says the singer’s name. Of course. The first guy I saw was Alex. I look over to see him turn to me, still on the phone, “Actually she’s awake now!... Yeah, she’s got some orange juice…. She seems okay…. okay…. Thank you so much,” he hangs up the phone, “Paramedics are on the way,” he says to me.

“Paramedics?”

“You scared your friends pretty bad,” he says, sitting at the table across from me as Jack takes the spot at the end of the couch where my feet used to be now that I’ve turned to sit normally, “They had already called for help.”

“Scared us too, to be honest,” Jack adds.

“Where… How… ? I'm sorry, I am so confused.”

Both boys chuckle. “Well, you were just unconscious for a while, so I guess that's to be expected,” Alex says, “First things first, I’m Alex. He's Jack,” he points to him, “You’re Marley, right?” I nod, “Apparently, you and your friends were walking through the busses when you fainted. They said you hadn't eaten all day?”

I nod again, still a little light headed. Jack must see it on my face because he quietly urges me to keep drinking the orange juice.

“It's been really busy today,” I say after taking a long drink, “It just slipped my mind. I've been drinking water, so I thought I'd be okay.”

“Water doesn't keep your blood sugar up,” Jack points out.

“Yeah, apparently not,” I laugh lightly. He smiles and, I hate to admit it, but my heart melts a little bit.

“Anyway, they wanted to get you in some AC as soon as possible,” Alex continues, “We were the third bus door they knocked on, and luckily we were still here.”

“Where are they, anyway?”

“They said they had a signing at Journeys. They really didn't want to leave you, but there's a schedule and people had paid for the wristbands and all,” Jack frowns.

“That's right, they had that signing! I forgot for a second, but I totally get it. It's fine.”

“You can call them if you want,” Alex offers, “I'm sure they'd like to know you're okay.”

“I'll shoot them a text,” I say setting down my once again empty bottle, “I don't want to interrupt the signing and get them in trouble.”

Over the past week I had met the rest of the band, Cory Roden on drums and Eric Bradley on guitar, who joined three years ago and replaced the members I had once known. I, along with various friends from TWLOHA, had all hung out with them a few times, usually running into each other at catering or having a small bus party at the end of the day. By now everyone had exchanged numbers. (And yes, Taylor and Jaylen have even hung out one-on-one. She gushed about it for two days straight, and he still grins shyly every time it comes up.) If anyone else noticed the tension between Lucas and I, they didn’t mention it. It’s like we’re trying to be friends again without acknowledging our past. I don’t see it working, but I can’t think of a way to stop him without making everything more awkward for everyone. So I’m going along with it until I do.

I pull out my phone and start a group text with Regardless,

1:36pm Marley: Hey boys! Just wanted you all to know I'm awake and feeling much better already. Jack and Alex are wonderful nurses! Paramedic arriving now. Thanks so much <3

I almost immediately receive a picture from Cory of all four boys and even a couple fans in line smiling and giving me the thumbs up. I smile to myself and put the phone away to greet the paramedic.

“You must be Marley,” says a red headed woman who could barely be older than me, stepping forward and shaking my hand, “My name’s Robin. I understand you passed out. Can you tell me what happened?” She smiles kindly and crouches down in front of me.

Jack hands me a full bottle of orange juice, he must have refilled it while I was texting the boys. I smile at him gratefully and tell Robin, “My sugar must have dropped. I’ve been running around all day and didn’t realize I forgot to eat. I was on my way to catering when I started feeling light headed, then I woke up here.”

She nods, “I see, and have you been drinking water?”

“Constantly,” I gesture to my 24 ounce water bottle, “I must have had at least four of these since 10 o'clock this morning.”

“Are you diabetic? Anemic? History of blood pressure problems?”

“No ma’am. I think the right term is hypoglycemia? If I don’t eat, my blood sugar drops and I can get really moody and shaky and, if it’s really bad, I pass out.”

Robin nods again, “Yes, that’s a typical hypoglycemic episode. It’s not very common in people who aren’t diabetic, but it can happen. Has this happened to you a lot?”

I shake my head, “Not passing out. I haven’t fainted from it in at least fifteen years. I usually eat or drink something as soon as I feel my sugar drop and it helps, but I just didn’t realize what was happening this time,” I can feel my cheeks flushing and I bury my face in my hands and groan, “I’m so embarrassed! I’m sorry for all the trouble. I should have known better.”

Robin smiles at me kindly, “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. People faint all the time, it’s half the reason we’re here today. That and those mosh pits,” she shakes her head, “Mosh pits and pavement just don’t mix.”

I laugh thinking about the fair amount of injuries I’ve seen over the years from just such a combination, “You’re right about that.”

“Did you hit your head when you fainted?”

“Um…” I look at Jack and Alex who both shrug, “I have no idea. I have a bit of a headache I guess? But I don’t know if it’s from hitting it.”

“That’s ok, we’ll figure out if there’s any injury. You just gotta come back to the ambulance with us.”

My eyes widen, “I have to? Are you sure? I really feel much better. I’ve had almost two full bottles of orange juice now. I’m okay, really.”

Robin laughs, “Yes we have to check your vitals, it won’t take hardly any time at all. And then, straight to catering for food, okay?”

“I’ll go with you,” Jack pipes up, “If that’s okay, I mean, if you want.”

Alex takes a breath like he’s about to say something, but then he jumps and yells, “Hey!” rubbing his shin and looking at Jack.

I decide to ignore that and just tell Jack, “You’ve been to enough trouble for me already.”

“No, it’s okay! It’s no trouble at all. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

I smile, “Thank you so much, Jack, that’s really sweet of you.”

“Like I said, it’s no trouble,” he smiles back. He offers a hand to pull me up off the couch, and though I don’t really need it I take it anyway. Obviously. “I’ll text you,” he says to Alex who’s watching him with a raised eyebrow.

Whatever that’s about. Boys are weird. I mentally shake my head at them as Jack and I follow Robin off the bus.

Notes

Enter Jack and Alex!
I've actually written the end of this fic already (spoiler: you're gonna love it!) so going back to how they met is giving me all the feels.
We'll see what the paramedics say next chapter! And why is Alex being weird with his eyebrows? Hmmm....

p.s. i'll probably change the chapter title again. at least twice more tbh. idk i just cant find anything that fits