I Don't Need You To Save Me

Ten minutes later I stared to make my way downstairs, with a jacket in my hand just in case and my bag slung across my shoulder. Nick was stood waiting for me outside his room and started walking down the stairs with me. He didn’t say anything, but I knew that he wanted to start quizzing me about earlier. I could just see it in his face.

If he had quizzed me about it, I honestly don’t know what I would have said. ‘Oh yeah, I just totally kissed your brother and I think I kind of liked it, but I'm not entirely sure’?

I sighed, at first I thought it was just to myself, but Nick heard and raised an eyebrow. “Want to talk about it?” He simply asked. I shook my head too quickly, because his eyebrow stayed raised. So I simply smiled and he seemed to accept that.

We were the last out of the house, the rest of the family (minus Frankie, who was staying at a friends house for the night) were already in the car. Nick locked the front door once we were both out of the house and we both climbed into the car. I ended up squashed awkwardly in the middle between Nick and Joe, Nick looking at me all too knowingly and Joe not looking at me at all.

So that made the whole ride to the coffee shop pretty awkward and uncomfortable, not just because Joe seemed to be ignoring me and Nick was staring, but because of the instruments in the back of the car as well. I kept hitting my head against the neck of Nicks guitar.

I planned to demand that Joe speak to me once we arrived, but I didn’t get my chance. The boys wanted one more run through of a couple of their songs in the back of the shop before they went on stage.

“Yeah, I think one more practice will get us sorted.” Nick added when Kevin brought up the idea.

“But I think if its just us backstage, we’ll be more focused for when we actually go on.” Joe also added, looking at me for the first time since we set off. I looked down at the floor, slightly hurt that he didn’t want me there, but understanding where he was coming from at the same time.

“I’m just going to go find Jenna or Soffy then.” I tried to smile but it didn’t quite work. I turned away before any one of them could question it and went out to the front of the shop. It was already starting to get busy, I smiled to myself and remembered the boys had been worried about no one showing up.

I spotted Soffy sitting in a little booth that was quite close to where a small stage had been set up in one corner of the coffee shop. It was barely big enough to fit all the instruments on the stage. I walked over and smiled at Soffy before sitting down.

“Hey.” She smiled back and tucked some of her dark curtain of hair behind her ear. “You excited?” She asked me. I nodded, hoping I didn’t seem as confused as I felt.

“You have no idea.” I replied. “I know I’ve heard them practicing, at your house and at theirs so many times now I know the chorus’s to all their songs, it still feels like this is the first time I’m going to listen to them.” I explained and picked up a drinks menu, trying to occupy my mind with something.

“I'm just so excited full stop.” Soffy gushed. “Kevin told me that you’d asked someone from a record company to come up here to listen to them. Is that true?”

I looked back up at Soffy from the menu. “Yeah, my dad said someone’s coming up,” I replied and then quickly scanned the room for any familiar faces, I couldn’t see anyone I recognised, “I just don’t know who’s coming up.”

“Oh, well, at least there’s someone here.” Soffy smiled at me again.

I nodded in response.

“Is something wrong?” Soffy asked. I looked up at her and stared blankly. “You seem a little, I don’t know, like you’re worried about something.”

“No, nothings wrong. I’m just nervous for the boys you know?” I shrugged it off and then looked up at the stage, where the normal lights had dimmed and a single spotlight now lit up the stage. A small man, who I assumed to be Jenna’s father walked onto the stage.

“Good evening everyone.” He spoke loudly into the microphone, like he didn’t know that everyone would be able to hear him or not. “How are we all this evening?” He asked the crowd that had started to move towards the front of the stage. They all cheered. I turned back to Soffy.

“Shall we go stand up front?” I asked and she nodded in reply. We both got up from the booth and walked over to the front of the stage.

“Now, you know we usually have open mic nights on Thursday nights.” The small man continued talking, “But we decided to make an exception for this special group of boys, who have been working their backsides off for tonight.” The crowd, which seemed to be mainly high school girls, cheered once again.

I glanced around the rest of the coffee shop one last time just to double check I didn’t recognise anyone there, I didn’t want to be checking when the boys were actually on stage. That would be rude. I scanned the room, mainly looking for some middle aged men in suits, the kind that looked out of place anywhere. Those were the kind of people my father would send up. I could spot them from a mile away. I frowned when I couldn’t see anyone, but I just shrugged and guessed that they might not have arrived yet. The boys weren’t due on for another ten minutes, so there was time. Even if there wasn’t much of it.

“I know that you’re all very excited about them being here tonight, you’d think they were famous already with this turn out.” The man chuckled to himself. “So, I’m just going to check to see if they’re definitely ready, then I’ll bring them on stage.” The man announced and then fumbled around on the microphone looking for a off switch before walking off stage.

He wasn’t gone long. He seemed to just poke his head around a door and then walk back over to the stage. He messed around with the microphone once again, it seemed pointless that he turned it off in the first place, and held it up.

“It seems like they’re ready, so make some noise for the Jonas Brothers.” He shouted down the microphone, and the crowd burst into noise. I smiled to myself at and clapped when I saw the three brothers walk out onto the stage, each one of them looking both nervous and amazed. Kevin looked over in our direction and Soffy smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen. I looked over at the other two brothers, hoping to catch their eye’s and let them know through a smile that no matter what happened I thought they were amazing, but neither of them looked at me. But I still smiled away, clapping to myself.

“This song’s called Paranoid.” Nick announced as he stepped up to the mic. Kevin started to play his guitar and I stood completely still. I didn’t know this one. I looked over as Soffy, and she shrugged. It seemed like they had been keeping this one a secret from the both of us.

Nick began to sing, the lyrics floating round the coffee shop. The acoustics were definitely better in here then anywhere else I had heard them. It made them sound ten times better then normal, and I didn't think that would be possible. I smiled and swayed along to the lyrics, not going as full out as the majority of the crowd were. Then Joe took over the microphone and my heart quite literally skipped a beat, which surprised me.

Joe caught my eye as he was singing the chorus and his eyes sparkled in the light. He winked in my general direction, though something told me it was directed at me and not the screaming girl in front of me. I smiled and looked down at the floor, hoping he couldn’t see the blush creeping onto my cheeks.

Why did this keep happening to me? Why did he have this kind of effect on me?

When the song drew to a close I clapped as over enthusiastically as some of the other girls in the crowd. Some of them looked ready to throw themselves on the stage. I could see some of the employee’s of the cafe looking over at the sight with worried expressions.

I didn’t realise at first that the brothers had started to play their next song, even though I was bobbing along to the beat. I knew this song, I’d heard them play it before, I was sure of it. I hummed along to the chorus, I didn’t dare sing out loud because I knew it would be embarrassing, I have never been able to sing in tune in my whole life.

The boys played a few more songs before announcing they were going to have a short ten minute break and then come back on stage and finish off their set. I stood patiently by the door that lead to the back of the coffee shop, where the boys had just gone, waiting for them to come back outside so I could hopefully talk to Joe.

Nick and Kevin walked out and headed straight over to the counter to buy a drink. I was going to stop Nick and ask him where his brother was, but I saw out of the corner of my eye Joe sitting by himself backstage. I looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention and slipped through the door.

Joe didn’t see me at first, he sat facing the wall throwing a small ping pong ball backwards and forwards against it. I shut the door quietly behind me and walked up behind him. I didn’t know what to do from there, so I just stood around for a few moments thinking about what my next plan of attack should be. I left it too long, Joe sensed that someone else was in the room and turned round.

He opened his mouth to speak but I got there before him.

“Joe, I don’t know why you’re not talking to me now, but I’d prefer it if you just told me why you’ve suddenly gone all quiet. If it’s my fault I’ll do something about it.” I pleaded. Joe sighed and looked down at the floor.

“Its not your fault Hayleigh.” He sighed again and clasped his hands together and rested his arms against his knees. “If there is one thing I can promise you then that is it.”

“Then why the silent treatment?” I asked softly and walked over to him. I sat down on the floor next to where he was perched on a little wooden stool and looked up into his big dark eyes.

“I don’t know! Ok?” He replied and stood up from where he was sitting, throwing his arms up in the air, frustrated. He walked off in one direction with his back towards me before stopping. “You confuse me.” Joe spun round to face me. I blinked and looked at him, confused.

“So it is my fault?” I asked and Joe crouched down to my level, taking my face firmly in his hands.

“No. Just let me figure out things in my own head first, and then we’ll sort everything out later.” He promised me. I nodded slowly.

At that moment someone burst through the door. I pulled myself away from Joe’s hands and sat looking away from him.

“Joe? Dad wants you to come and meet someone.” Kevin’s voice echoed round the empty room. Great now that makes two of Joe’s siblings that will have guessed something’s going on, unless Kevin was the naive one. I heard Joe stand up from where he was sat and walk away. I was shocked to hear Kevin’s voice again after a few minutes, I thought he had left with Joe.

“You might want to come as well Hayleigh.” My eyes flashed up to him as he spoke. “Just saying.”

I automatically stood up and followed him from the room, wondering why on earth I would be needed as well.