13 Days, 10 Hours, and 22 Minutes of Being Married to Alex Gaskarth

10 days, 16 hours, 21 Minutes

I think I have woken up with a pounding headache more in the past week then I have in the entire year. But this was the mother of them all. Blinding white pain shot through the back of my skull up through my forehead. I fumbled for the door of my bunk and slid it open, squeezing my eyes shut against the glaring light.

"Jesus." I muttered, and then pulled myself off the mattress and went stumbling into the front room, fumbling haphazardly for the advil that is usually on the counter. The whole room, which had been bursting with noise, suddenly fell silent.

"Where's the fucking advil?" I growled, a little aggitated by my headache.

"On the shelf." Rian replied. I looked up to see the small bottle on the wooden shelf above the counter.

"Who the fuck put it on the shelf?" I grumbled to myself before tossing 3 of the pills down my throat with a gulp of water. Yes, I know you're only supposed to take one. Kindly do not deride me with the ethics of medication.

"You okay, Taryn?" Matt asked hesitantly. I turned to look at every one, shaking my hair out of the confines of the pny tail, which eased the aching.

"Yeah, I'm fine...Why?"

"Because you nearly died!" Greico drawled dramatically. I thought back to the previous evening.

"Oh right, I fell. I'm fine, my head just hurts. Good thing we've got this he-man, eh?" I laughed, smiling at Zack, who shrugged sheepishly.

"Guys! Taryn's gone!" Jack shrieked as he came running into the room. Everyone stopped to look at him and paused.

"Oh. Wait, I found her!" He stepped toward me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, drawing me into a hug.

"I'm glad you're not dead." He said before pulling away and sitting next to Rian.

"What time is it?" I questioned, looking around. The sky outside the bus windows was dark, with only the lights from the passing streetlamp illuminating the road.

"About 8 o'Clock." Zack replied.

"What time are we getting back to Vegas?" I asked. Matt glanced at his watch.

"Should be about 20 minutes." I jumped and put my glass down.

"Mother fucker, I need to pack! How the fuck long was I out?" I gasped.

"Too long. I was getting worried." Matt replied. I jogged back to my bunk, grabbing my black bag from the lower drawer and started throwing clothes in it haphazardly. I'd organize it in the apartment later.

"Fuck, I need to call Ashley!" I exclaimed. Damn it I slept to long.

"Already done!" Jack's voice called from the front of the bus. I stood up. He was still talking to Ashley? About fucking what? I was about to turn and ask him about it when someone grabbed my elbow.

"Hey, you're awake!" Alex stood smiling behind me. Something in the pit of my stomach dropped and my heart rose in my chest. I smiled shyly. What the hell is wrong with me? SHY?!

"Yeah." I replied, turning to face him completely.

"Can...Can we go talk?" Alex asked. I tilted my head slightly and raised an eyebrow, my odd lack of confidence gone.

"What are we doing now?" I questioned. Alex rolled his eyes, grabbed my wrist and drug me into the backroom, closing the door behind him. I sat on the red couch and looked at him. He leaned against the door and was fiddling nervously with the hem of his sweatshirt.

"You know we're in Nevada, right? Like the middle of the desert?" I commented, smiling and eyeing his sweatshirt. Alex sighed and pressed his fingers to his eyes before moving over to sit next to me.

"Don't you want to talk about the song?" He questioned, raising his eyes to look into mine.

"The song..." And suddenly the rest of last night came back to me in a rush, making the throbbing in my head come back with a vengence.

"Jasey Rae." I breathed and then brought a hand to my forehead. Holy Shit how had I forgotten that? I grabbed my bag and flung it over my shoulder and looked at him as I stood up.

"What about the song?" I said flatly. Alex blinked, apparently surprised. He stood up and looked at me

"That's really all you've got?" He growled. I sighed and rolled my eyes heavenward, walking through the bus, trying to get away from this conversation.

"I don't know what the hell you were trying to say with that, Alex!" I exclaimed. The rest of the band pushed themselves as close to the walls of the bus as they could as Alex and I walked through. I headed down the stairs of the bus toward my apartment when Alex caught my arm.

"I'm saying I have feelings for you!" The whole bus fell silent and I froze, looking over my shoulder. Alex stood at the top of the stairs, his hand still on my arm, his eyes searching mine urgently.

"What do you want me to say?" I whisper. Alex took a step down, putting us a step apart, and looking directly at me.

"Tell me how you feel about me." He replied quietly. I chewed gently on my lower lip and looked away. Alex raised a hand and curled his index fnger around my chin and pulled my eyes back to his.

"Tell me." He murmered. I took a deep breath and placed a hand on his arm, using the contact as strength.

"I-"

"TARYN ROSE EVANS!" My head whipped around and my jaw dropped in shock.

"MOM?"

***********

10 days, 17 hours, 58 minutes

"Of all the IRRESPONSIBLE things you have done in your life, Taryn, this really tops it all." I sat on Ash and my couch as my mom and dad paced carpet in front of me, spitting their reprimands in my direction.

"Did you even think what this would do to your father if this got into the press?" My mother exclaimed.

Perhaps I forgot to mention a little something about myself, about why it is so important I get into law as quickly as possible.. My dad is the governor of Nevada. Trying having THAT weight on your shoulders.

"We couldn't go to the press, mom, because Alex-" I stopped mid sentance, trying not to worsen the situation.

"Because What?" My mom asked warningly.

"Because Alex is a musician in a popular band." I mumbled. My mother's mouth moved wordlessly, her shock rendering mute.

"A-a-a-BAND? Dear GOD if the press gets a hold of this!" She shrieked.

"They wouldn't have even the SLIGHTEST idea if you guys hadn't left Carson City!" I declared standing up to be level with her.

"Don't you raise your voice to me!" She demanded.

"I will raise my voice to who ever I want in my own home, mother. Now PLEASE get out of my apartment, we'll talk about this tomorrow." I forced my voice back to normal level, begging my inner lawyer to retake control. I was a little rusty in my reasoning after living with the unreasonable All Time Low for the last week and a half.

"I will most certainly NOT leave! We'll discuss this farce of a marriage this instant!" My mother literally stamped her foot.

"Mother, I am exhausted and have barely slept in the past week, please. I'll call you tomorrow." I hissed the words through my teeth, bringing one hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose. I growled deep in my throat as I saw my mother rearing back to yell again. I raised my eyes to my dad, who had been standing slightly to the side, surveying my mom's traditional breakdown. This is why I wasn't crushed when they moved from Vegas to Carson City after my dad's election.

"Julianne," My Dad placed his hand on my mom's shoulder. "Tomorrow. You need to unpack anyway." My head flew up. While I was grateful for his intervention, why does she nede to un PACK?

"Unpack?" I gasped. "Aren't you leaving tomor-"

"Oh no. We are staying until this whole mess is resolved. We'll call tomorrow, Taryn." He stated coldly, then used his hand to steer my mother's hyperventillating body out the door. I pushed it cloased behind them, leaning my back against the door with a groan.

No matter how old you get your parents always find some way to interfere with your life.

The door suddenly burst open behind me, sending me stumbling foreward until two arms wrapped around me.

"Oh my God, Taryn, I am so sorry!" Ashley cried, squashing me to her chest.

"Ash-" I coughed breathlessly.

"I didn't know they were coming! They just showed up at the door! What the hell are you supposed to do when the fucking governor shows up at your apartment!" She babbled ad noseum.

"Ash-" I gasped. Ashley is small, but the girl has got the strength of a protective gorilla. She immediately retracted her hands raising them to flutter at her lips.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry! It's just the stress of you getting married and then leaving and then coming back and then the Governor showing up and-" I rose my hand up to silence my best friends babbling.

"It's ok, Ash. Really. I should've been expecting this." I sighed and ruffled the back of my hair, folding down onto the couch. Ash sat next to me.

"So what now?" She asked. I shrugged uncommitedly.

"Sleep?" My head suddenly started aching again. I don't know whether the pain was from cracking it on the concrete the previous night or if it was the shock of having to endure my parents, but suddenly the cool sheets of MY bed, not a fucking BUNK, seemed to be a perfect remedy for the throbbing.

"What about you and Alex?" She questioned. I froze for a second, staring into the kitchen a few feet in front of us. I swallowed deeply before resolutely and flatly I declared,

"We'll get divorced Wedensday, what else would we do?" And then stood up and exited the room to my bed.