i don't mean to be a bother, but have you seen this girl? || closed

Rose sat up in bed as she looked out of the window in her bedroom, the pale morning light coming through. The other side of her bed was cold. She hated it. With a soft sigh, she looked over at her alarm clock. 5:00. In about two hours, she'd have to be up and out of the house headed to work. Since Rose'd split with Jack, she had gotten a job at a small salon in downtown Baltimore. "Stop it, Rose." The young girl whispered to herself. She didn't allow herself to think of her former love-- it simply hurt too much. Even the mention of his name caused a painful twinge in the twenty-something brunette's heart. She wanted nothing more than to run back to his apartment and collapse at his feet, crying and begging for forgiveness. But she couldn't. Jack was better off without her. And even if she did do that, there was no chance he'd take her back. He'd be an absolute moron if he did.

After sitting in bed for about another forty five minutes, Rose decided she couldn't stand it anymore. She got up and headed to take a shower, finally allowing little blips of Jack to seep into her mind.

Jack screamed as he instantly sat up. With his heart racing and sweat dripping from his forehead, he looked at the clock which read 2:00 on the dot. He slipped on his slippers before running his clammy hands through his messy, over grown hair. He made his way into the bathroom where he looked himself in the mirror. His eyes were stained red from the mixture of crying and the overabundance of alcohol he'd been drinking. His facial hair was growing into a nice beard since he hadn't shaved since she left. Rose what he would do just to hear her voice again. He splashed cold water on his face before making his way to the kitchen. He fixed himself a scotch before looking around the kitchen. He gripped his glass tighter, his knuckles turning a pale white as he saw the remains of Sunday's breakfast still in the sink. He told Alex to take care of that a couple of days ago. Now he wasn't just depressed, he was also angry at his best friend.

Jack felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and saw the one and only Gaskarth texting him from the other room. You alright, man? Another bad dream? Jack chuckled to himself before rolling his eyes and texting back This whole situation is a bad dream, Lex. I want her back. he said before searching through his phone and looking at the name, debating if he was going to call the woman who broke his heart or not.

Six days. It had been six days since Rose had walked out on the best thing that had ever happened to her. She sighed as she hovered over his name in her phone, debating on whether or not she should call him. Rose decided not to, and merely slipped her phone back into her pocket. "Honey...you're going to run into him eventually." her mother said, putting a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. Eggs. Jack had cooked eggs for her that final morning. Rose hid her heartbreak and bit her lip, looking over at her mother. "Baltimore is a big city, but it isn't that big. You're going to see him eventually...or at least one of his friends. He needs an explanation. He needs to know why you did what you did. I love you, Rosie, you know that...but he's owed an explanation." Rose's mother kissed her daughter's head before leaving the room, now inhabited solely by Rose and her misery.

The young brunette picked at her eggs, afraid to take a bite. She feared she'd throw up if she did--and she'd done an awful lot of throwing up recently. Rose screwed her eyes shut and tried to block the oncoming tears--but it didn't work. A few slipped out as she headed out the door and towards work.

Jack sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. He wasn't going to be the first one to cave. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing how crazy he was without her. She left him. Not the other way around. One second, he was cooking eggs and asking her what they were going to do for the day, the next she told him she couldn't do it anymore and was out in the same breath. He asked everyone who he knew why she left and no one could give him a reason. He could understand if he was flirting with someone, or if he was being his old self, but he completely changed for her. She was his best friend, his favorite person. She made him want to become a better guy for her, but she left him high and dry. He sighed going to the bathroom, up-chucking the scotch he had recently consumed before brushing his teeth and showing to get ready for the day.

He shaved his caveman beard off, finally, before slipping a beanie over his wet hair. He knew tour was just a few days away and if he showed up the way he's been looking, Flyzik would kill him. He jumped into his car and fiddled with the radio before hearing 'i miss you' by Blink 182 on the radio. He could of cried, but instead, he decided to sing along at the top of his lungs as he whips into his normal hair dressers. He walked up to the counter and fought with the tiny lady behind the counter. "Elsa is in the Caribbean getting married. She won't be back for another two weeks." the girl tried reasoning with him before he rolled his eyes. "I don't have two weeks. Can you get me an appointment with someone amazing, then? I don't trust anyone with my hair." he said, before slouching in a chair next to the desk, playing on his Iphone.

"Rose, come here, darling! We have someone for you...a Mr. Barakat?" Liz called back to her. Rose almost dropped the container of combs she had been carrying. Please let it be Joe or Bassam, please let it be Joe or Bassam... Rose asked as she walked up to the front. Nope. Rose cursed inwardly. It was Jack. She felt Satan squeeze her heart as she looked over at Liz. "This man needs his hair done as soon as possible, and you're the only open appointment today." Liz turned to Jack. "Our little Rose here will take care of you... she's wonderful with hair." Liz beamed.

Rose felt the few bits of eggs she had eaten that morning turning over in her stomach. She wiped her sweaty hands off on her jeans before walking over to him. "H-hi.... c-c-ome on back with me, Mr. Barakat." She spoke. She didn't want the whole entire salon to known their dirty laundry. Rose sniffled, trying not to cry as she sat him down in her chair. "So, what do you want done today?"

As he heard the woman say Rose, his eyes shot up and locked eyes on the she-devil herself. Public enemy number 1. The one who put him in this damn slump to begin with. He went as pale as the white tile on the floor but smiled curtly at the older woman before he nodded. "Oh I bet she's just peachy." He said back, glaring at the girl again. Was this honestly happening to him? He needed to remind himself to text Elsa and yell at her for being all happy and married and all the bullshit that went with it. Love wasn't real to Jack anymore. It was all bullshit.

"What, Rose, do I make you nervous?" He asked in a cocky attitude. He was always the fun loving guy until he was really hurt. And it took a lot to hurt him as much as Rose did. When he was hurt, he dished out attitudes left and right, especially to who hurt him. "Or are you just feeling guilty?" he asked, so quietly that he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't hear it. He sighed and looked in the mirror. "I need my blonde bleached again and i need it cut. Not too much where I can't style it, but not too little where I have to call Elsa on the road to fix it." he said biting his bottom lip, looking her over in the mirror. It pissed him off even more that she looked miserable. She was the one who left him, not the other way around.

Rose nodded as she started to get the bleach out from under her station. She looked up at Jack. "Yes, I feel guilty okay?" Rose hissed, mixing the bleach. She turned and looked at Jack. "If you feel like staying after I'm done, I'll explain it to you. And if you still want to hate me, then go ahead." Rose whispered. She started to apply the bleach to the blonde section of Jack's hair, having to stop and steady her hand multiple times so she didn't fuck up. This was the point where Rose would normally ask her client how they were doing, but she knew better. She KNEW how Jack was doing. He was doing the same as she was--terrible, absolutely awful.

Once Rose finished bleaching that part of his hair, she sat down next to him and looked down at her lap, searching for some form of conversation. She bit her lip and tried to keep her breakfast from coming up. "You'll have to sit for about fifteen minutes, let it touch up....excuse me." Rose whispered, unable to hold it in anymore. She ran into the bathroom in the back and got sick, starting to cry, hugging the toilet bowl. Rose knew she deserved the attitude Jack was giving her. Hell, she deserved more. But she couldn't help but fee, as if she;d been slapped in the face somehow. With a sigh, Rose wiped her eyes and got up, heading back over to Jack.

He was just talking to be an asshole. He was never expecting her to actually feel guilty. "Yeah, well." he said, not knowing what to say. He wanted to apologize for being an asshole. He never wanted to act like that towards her. Even when she left, he tried blaming it on himself. Maybe he did something to make her leave. He never was good with relationships, but he tried with her. "Fine." He mumbled. He wanted to run, flee, but he had the blonde in his hair and he'd be damned if he was going to leave to get ridiculed by Flyzik just cause he was mad at her.

He went to say something cocky, but she left as soon as he opened her mouth. He sat there on his IPhone, texting Alex. Rose is fucking cutting my hair. I will kill Flyzik for making this appointment for me. he typed, before typing Flyzik a very, very rude text message as she came back over, wiping her eyes. He felt guilty for being an asshole towards her. She didn't deserve it no matter how much he was hurting. He'd always hate seeing her cry. He got up from his chair and wrapped his arms around her, making sure the blonde didn't get on her. "Look, I'm sorry about everything. I didn't mean to make you cry. I just, I haven't been sleeping lately and I'm taking it out on you." he said, rubbing her back softly.

Rose looked up at Jack, still wiping her eyes. She was surprised, but extremely glad that there was some physical contact between them. "No...you don't have to apologize Jack. I deserve more, worse..." She whispered. Rose sat down across from him and took in his appearance, her heart breaking all over again. He looked like hell. His eyes were rimmed red and swollen. "Oh, Jack..." Rose bit her lip and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." She looked up. "I'll explain everything once I'm done with your hair. I promise." The young girl put a hand on her stomach as she stood up and walked over to Jack.

She rinsed out the excess bleach before giving Jack's hair a shampooing. For a brief while, Rose pretended things were how they used to be. She pretended that she and Jack were together again, that they were happy and safe. While she was cutting his hair, she listened to him talk about the upcoming tour. Rose blow-dried his hair and did it how he normally did, smiling when she saw it was right. "Okay... I'm going to go wash my hands. You go pay, and meet me out back. No tips...I don't deserve it."

"You don't deserve it, Rose." he said, holding her shoulders so she'd look at him. Sure, he probably had to be the craziest looking guy on the planet. If someone didn't think he was on drugs, it'd be a miracle. He let a little smile creep out as he sat her down across from him. He had one hand on her knee, rubbing it gently. "It's fine, Rose. I promise." he said, tucking a piece of hair back before grinning. "Yeah, well, you better be prepared for me trying everything to get you back. I don't think I can make it on tour without knowing you'll be here waiting for me." he said, smiling, trying to make her stop worrying. He hated seeing her like this.

He leaned his head back and felt her run her fingers through his hair. He never understood why girls liked it so much until he had Rose wash his hair. He was goofing around with her and talking about their upcoming show with Pierce The Veil and You Me At Six. All their friends on tour and how excited he was. He even offered to pay for a ticket if she wanted to come meet them somewhere. He smiled in the mirror as he saw his hair perfect. "You're a lifesaver, Flyzik isn't going to kick my ass now." he said, pulling her into a side hug before grabbing his wallet. "Oh yeah, you suck. No tip for you." he rolled his eyes before going to the counter. "Twenty dollars please!" the girl rang up, he slipped her a one hundred dollar bill. "Give that to Rose. Slip it into her tips if she won't take it up front." he said, grabbing a lolipop from the desk and walking out to the back, leaning up against the wall waiting for her.

Once Rose was back in the work bathroom, she let a small smile creep onto her face. Yes, she thought, Jack didn't hate her. She washed her face and hands before walking back out. "Rose, your client left this for you!" Liz said, handing the brunette the hundred dollar bill. Rose gasped, happy tears filling her eyes. She walked outside and around to the back, smiling when she saw Jack sitting there. "Hey, you...." Rose sniffled, hugging her knees as she sat beside him. "You didn't need to give me that money, Jack...." She whispered. God, how she wished she could have a cigarette.

"Jack...there's two reasons why I left." Rose whispered, biting her lip. She took his hand in one of her one and squeezed it tightly. "The first reason is your fans. I mean, most of them are wonderful people. But there's about fourty percent of them that have it in for me....there's hardly a day that went by where people weren't telling me to kill myself, or that I was worthless, stupid.... One even found out my old work address and slashed my tires. I just... I couldn't handle it." Rose sniffled, wiping her eyes. "And the other reason.... I'mpregnant." Rose whispered the last part extremely fast, hugging her knees and looking down.

He laughed quietly as she came to the back and called him out. "I can give you whatever I want, Rose." he said with a wink, leaning his head on her shoulder. "You gave me a better haircut than Elsa does, and I tip her well, you deserved better." He said, trying to make sure she accepts the money before he had to hide it in her car or something. He grinned and grabbed her hand bringing it to his lips. "Stop looking so stressed. I'm here now." he said, trying to calm her down. He would do anything to have her back.

He nodded, letting her know he was listening. He was mentally preparing himself for the worse. She'd fallen in love with someone else, she was offered a job in another state, she found out she was dying. Something that could make sense to him. When he heard about his fans, he raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Rose? I try and stop them on twitter when they make it public, but if they make it private you need to tell me. Did you report your tire being slashed? I'll post a tweet tonight telling them to leave you alone." he was rambeling at this point. He would do anything to make her come back. He didn't care. When he heard the second reason, his eyes were the size of dinner plates and his throat went dry. "w-what?!" he whispered, hoping he hear her wrong.

Rose nodded, sighing and wiping her eyes. "I didn't want to add more stress. You were working on the new album and had a whole bunch of other things going on." She looked over at him. "I stupidly thought that removing myself from the situation would make it better... And it didn't." Rose kissed Jack's hand and looked over at him. "Yeah, I did report it. But I didn't say anything cause I didn't want those little twats to know that they got to me. And they didn't at first. But you can only be told your stupid, ugly, and to kill yourself so many times before you begin to think it, you know? The slash on my tire was the final straw. I couldn't handle it anymore..."

She looked over at him after she said her final reason. That was the reaction she'd been expecting. "I'm pregnant, Jack." Rose whispered, looking up at him. "That was another stressor. You always told me how you didn't want kids, for a long time at least anyway. And I knew it'd be another hassle that you didn't need...So I left." Rose looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry Jack, I'm so fucking sorry... I never should have done this to you. This past week has been the longest of my life.... every morning I wake up and you're not next to me, and it kills. But then I remember that it was my own doing that caused it, and I deserved that hurt feeling. Hell, I still do, and I deserve more."

Jack was pissed that his fans could cause her so much hurt. He bit his lip and shook his head. "This shit happens to Lisa all the time. I'll put a stop to it." he said, shaking his head. "I'll let them know it got to me. Seriously, Rose. You are the best thing in my life. I don't want to lose you over some underaged fans who are obsessed with me." he said, pulling her in and hugging her close. Running his fingers through her hair. He wasn't going to let anyone take away his right to be happy, especially when he had the right to be happy with the best girl he met.

He ran a hand through his hair and sat in silence. Pregnant, how the fuck was she pregnant. He always used protection. Always. He didn't have the time NOT to use protection. He sighed and looked at her for very long. He knew what the right thing was but did he want to do the right thing? Guys left their girlfriends all the time for shit like this. "I'm in, I want you and me and whoever else decides to come along." he said, placing a hand on her stomach. He didn't even have time to think about not doing the right thing because his mouth was already speaking for him. He placed a hand on the side of her face and leaned his forehead against hers. "But, it has to be named something cool. Like Optimus Prime. No pussy ass names." he said with a small smile before leaning down and kissing her.

Rose smiled at the feel of Jack's lips on hers. It meant that she was safe. That everything was okay, and they were back together. "Jack, my love, we are NOT naming our child Optimus Prime or Megatron...OR Batman. We could name him Tony Stark, though." She teased, curling up to him. "Babe, you need to go home and take a shower. You smell. I'll be over after work okay?" Rose whispered, running her hands through Jack's newly done hair.

She stood up and helped him do so as well. "I love you, Jacky." She whispered, giving Jack a soft kiss, "I'll see you after work. I love you." Rose hugged Jack tightly, watching him get into his car and drive away. She walked back into the hair salon, a smile still on her face. Everything was okay.

Rose smiled at the feel of Jack's lips on hers. It meant that she was safe. That everything was okay, and they were back together. "Jack, my love, we are NOT naming our child Optimus Prime or Megatron...OR Batman. We could name him Tony Stark, though." She teased, curling up to him. "Babe, you need to go home and take a shower. You smell. I'll be over after work okay?" Rose whispered, running her hands through Jack's newly done hair.

She stood up and helped him do so as well. "I love you, Jacky." She whispered, giving Jack a soft kiss, "I'll see you after work. I love you." Rose hugged Jack tightly, watching him get into his car and drive away. She walked back into the hair salon, a smile still on her face. Everything was okay.

Jack looked at her as if she had ten heads. "Wow. Cutting out all my choices. I guess we can settle on Tony Stark if Batman's out of the picture." He acted as if it was the toughest decision in the world before standing up and pulling her to him, hugging her tightly. "You love my stink. Enjoy my filth." he said kissing her on the tip of the head. "I love you too, Rose. You better bring your bags back home. My bed is too big without you hogging it." he said with a grin, kissing her softly. He grabbed his keys walking backwards till he got to the passenger seat of the car. "I love you, Ms. Winston." he said with a goofy grin before bowing playfully and driving in his car.

When he got home, he ran to Alex's room and jumped on the sleeping singer. "ALEX! ALEX!" he yelled, hitting the boy with pillows. "Rose...Is...Pregnant!" he said, in between the swings of the pillow. Alex sat up straight bug eyed. "So, are you guys getting back together or what?" He asked before he actually realized his best friend was smiling, knowing they made up. Alex hugged him before slipping back into bed. "Congrats, bro." Alex said before Jack shut the door. He was going to make the night special for her. He began cleaning and called his mom asking what he should make for dinner for her.

Work went by much faster for Rose-- before she knew it, it was four o'clock. She clocked out and jumped in her car, zooming back to her mother's place. She wrote her mom a quick note. Mom, I'm going back to Jack's house. I'll call you in the morning. Love you. Love, Rose. Once Rose stuck the note to the refrigerator, she booked it to the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed. Once she finished styling her hair to perfection, Rose headed back to her bedroom. She stuffed her things into her bag, stopping when she saw the heart necklace Jack had given her, saying that she had the key to his heart. The young brunette smiled happily, putting the necklace back on. Rose then loaded her few bags into the back of her truck before getting in and heading to Jack's place.

Rose showed up twenty minutes later. She parked beside Alex's jetta and walked up the steps to the house, her heart thudding in her chest. She stood on the porch for a few minutes and tried to collect herself. Once Rose had calmed down she knocked on the door. "Jack, love, it's me!" She called, taking a second to fix her hair in her phone's front camera.

Jack blasted songs from his Ipod as he started taking out pots and pans. He started boiling some pasta and melting cheese in another pot. He was going to make his mom's famous mac and cheese. As he was doing that, he took out some chicken, breaded it, and popped it in the oven before he took the cheese off the hot burner and started cleaning up the kitchen, waiting for the pasta to cook. He realized how dirty it was since Alex doesn't like to clean and Jack had been sulking all week. After the kitchen was finished, he washed his hands, drained the pasta before putting it back in the same pan, before pouring cheese and mixing in Parmesan cheese before crushing some potato chips and putting it across the top and putting it in the oven. He then passed the vacuum through his room and the living room, before putting it back in the closet, making his bed, and spraying whatever spray he could find.

When he checked the time, he turned the oven off, but kept the food in there to keep warm. She'd be there in about 40 minutes, he figured, so he jumped in the shower, quickly washing himself, before hoping out, getting dressed in a pair of jeans and a random shirt from his line before doing his hair. He made sure everything looked perfect before seeing her car pull into the drive way. As soon as she knocked, he opened the door, leaning against the doorway and smiled. "You know, I can check you out if you'd like." he said, looking her up and down, before kissing her. "Beautiful as always." he said, moving so she could come into the house.