You Belong With Me

Taylor’s P.O.V.

The next week passed smoothly and nothing of major consequence happened. Anyone could easily see how nervous the boys were for their meeting. Whenever we talked about it, Alex would start pacing, Rian would anxiously tap his hands against the table or anything else he could find, Jack wouldn’t shut up, and Zack went for more runs than usual to calm his nerves.

The following Monday, I met Alex at his house before school. We had decided to continue our carpool because we both missed it and it was my turn to pick him up.

“Guess what?” he said brightly as he got in and threw his backpack in the back seat.

“What?” I asked as I pulled away from his house.

“Louis from Hopeless Records called me again this morning and told me that our meeting will be in New York City on Valentine's Day. We’ll be meeting them in an actual recording studio. They said if everything goes right, we could experiment with some of the recording equipment and maybe start recording a song!”

“That’s awesome!”

“Wait, there’s more. I want you to come with us.”

“Oh, Alex, I don’t know...”

“Come on, Taylor. You were the one that made this possible for us. I really want you to be there. Besides, Rian said he’s going to ask Kara to come too, so you won’t be the only girl and you won’t be alone in case you aren’t allowed into the meeting. I mean, if you have special plans for Valentine’s Day or something, I guess that’s cool, but I want you to come.”

“I still have to ask my parents though.”

“Too late. I already talked to them and they said it’s fine.”

“How did you talk to them so fast if the guy just called you this morning?”

“I called them right after I talked to him. You were still getting ready.”

“You’re pretty sneaky, Garth.”

He shrugged. “Nah, I just know you too well, that’s all. So will you come?”

“I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?” I laughed. “Of course I’ll come. Besides, how can I pass up a trip to my favourite city?”

“Yes!” he cheered pumping his fist in the air. “This is going to be amazing.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “Yes, it is.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It seemed like it took forever for Sunday arrive, but it was finally here. We decided it would be cheapest to just take a bus from Baltimore to New York City. The bus left at 7:00AM and it would take about four hours to get into the city. We planned to get there by 11 and then grab some lunch before their meeting at 1:00.

Zack and Jack found a way to turn their seats around on the bus, so they sat facing me and Alex, while Rian and Kara sat across the aisle. As soon as the bus left the station, we all fell asleep because it was too early for us. Somehow, my head ended up on Alex’s shoulder. He turned out to be a pretty comfortable pillow.

I woke up about three hours later when the guys started talking. Apparently, Jack had forgotten how to whisper.

“Ssshhh, Jack, be quiet, she’s trying to sleep,” said Alex, motioning to me.

“No, it’s ok, I’m awake now,” I sighed. “Jack, didn’t anyone ever teach you to be quiet when someone else is trying to sleep?”

“Nope, not when I’m this nervous.” As he said that, he began to tap his foot anxiously.
“Everything will be fine,” I replied. “You guys will be great, you’ll see.”

Jack shook his head. “You’re only saying that because you’re biased. You’re supposed to say that because we’re your best friends.”

“It’s true that you guys are my best friends, but I promise you that I sincerely think you guys will do great. Any record company would be lucky to sign you. You’ve got the whole package.”

“And what does this quote unquote ‘package’ consist of?” wondered Alex.

“Well, you’ve got the talent, the looks, the brains, or at least sometimes, and the personalities.”

“Oh, so we’ve got the ‘looks’, do we?” Alex asked raising an eyebrow and Jack whistled.

Oh shit, word vomit. I felt my face grow hot as I blushed a deep red. There was no way they were going to let me get away with this.

“Taylor, I always knew you thought we were hot, but you were never so out there about it before,” Zack teased.

“Will you guys just shut up about it,” I demanded trying not to laugh.

“Nope, you said you think we’re hot,” responded Jack. “My self confidence has been raised to new heights.”

“Yeah, Jack needs all the compliments he can get,” said Alex. “It’s not very often that girls tell him he’s hot. His hair is so long that they think he’s one of them.”

“Asshole,” said Jack as he kicked Alex in the leg.

“What? I was just kidding,” Alex said as he lifted his leg up on the seat before Jack could kick him again. “You get hit on almost as much as I do when we go out. Besides, apparently Taylor thinks you’re hot, so nothing else should matter.”

“Ok, I think I’m going to go hide under a rock and die now. I’ll see you in my next life,” I said as I got up and trudged off to the small bathroom in the back of the bus.

An hour later, we finally arrived into the city. Since we still had about two hours to kill, we decided to find somewhere to grab lunch before the boys met up with record executives. All six of us stepped out of the bus into Times Square and immediately nearly got run over by all the tourists. Of course, I brought my camera, so I took pictures of a whole bunch of things, including Alex and Jack pretending to jerk off a miniature statue of liberty while passer-by gave them strange looks. We decided to eat at a Starbucks near the recording studio, which probably was not such a good idea. Nervous Jack+caffeine=very bad idea. By the end of lunch, he could barely sit still.

“Let's go, let's go, let's go!” he urged bouncing around in his seat.

“Ok, Crazy, we're going, we're going,” I said as everyone got up from the table after we paid the bill.

We were going to shop around a little bit because we were early for the appointment, but we eventually decided it would be better to just go straight there considering Jack was about to have a heart attack if he had to wait any longer. They were not ready for us when we got there, so we had to wait outside the studio for a little while. Kara and I sat on the steps while all the boys picked up their nervous habits again. Alex started pacing back and forth, Rian was tapping against anything he could find, Zack was sitting away from everyone sullenly, and Jack was running off at the mouth.

“I'm so nervous, I'm so nervous, I'm so nervous,” he said. “We can't mess up, we can't mess up, we can't mess up! What's the opening chord for 'Dear Maria' again? Shit, shit, shit I can't remember it!” Each time he said “shit”, he stomped his foot.

“Ok, everyone just stop!” I exploded standing up. “You guys will be fine, now stop whatever it is you are doing. I'm sorry if I sound mean, but you're driving me insane and you're psyching yourselves out too much! You guys know your music like the back of your hand.”

“I can't help it,” Jack responded. “You know how I get when I'm nervous. This is my dream and I don't want to screw it up.” He grabbed the top of his hair and nearly ripped it out. “Fuck! What is that chord?”

“It's Bm, now would you please relax? You're starting to scare me,” I responded putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, we don't want to go to any hospitals on this trip,” joked Kara.

“Now everyone just sit down by Kara and I and try to relax,” I demanded. They all slowly same toward us. “There,” I said once they all sat down. “Now we can wait patiently.”

Alex chuckled quietly. “This group doesn't know the meaning of patience.”

“Which is why we'll talk about something else. What do you guys want to do after this?” I asked.

“One word,” responded Kara. “Shopping.” At this, Zack made a noise at the back of his throat. “What?” she said. “Oh come on, Zack! We're in New York City. Of course we have to go shopping! I'm sure even you will find something you want.”

“Fine, I'll go, but you guys owe me,” he responded. Zack could not stand shopping, but no one else seemed to really mind it.

Someone came out to tell us that the band needed to be ready to play in five minutes, so all their nervous habits started up until I was able to calm them down again.

“Ok, I think this calls for a group hug. Everyone get over here and join me.” Everyone came toward me and we grabbed onto each other for a group hug. Alex made sure he was the only one standing next to me apart from Kara.

“You guys are going to be awesome, I can feel it,” I said. “Each and every performance that we have done together has blown me away. You get better and better each time I hear you.”

“I completely agree,” chimed in Kara. “You guys are so amazing to see live. I'd hate to deprive other people of the opportunity to see you because the world would really be missing out. Just pretend those record people are Taylor, me, and your families. Don't make this out to be such a different performance than all your others. You'll do great, I know it.”

“And don't forget that we love you and we're rooting for you,” I added.

“Thanks, girls,” said Alex. “Now, everyone put a hand in and shout 'All Time Low' on the count of three. Ready? One, two, three!”

“ALL TIME LOW!” we shouted as our hands flew in the air. The boys went inside with a new enthusiasm from our words. Before Alex left, I grabbed his shoulder and took him into my arms for a comforting hug.

“You will be amazing, I guarantee it,” I whispered in his ear. “Your voice is the thing that calms me down when I'm upset, I hope you know that. Kara and I will be waiting for you right here when you guys get back, I promise.”

“Thanks, Tay. That means a lot.” He kissed my forehead and I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Go get 'em, Tiger!” I said, clapping him on the back. He smiled at me and turned around and followed the other boys into the building. Kara and I sat back down on the steps to wait because we were not allowed into the studio.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

“You just did,” I joked, “but go ahead.”

“Do you still like Alex?”

I took a deep breath and hesitated before answering her. “Yes,” I finally said. “Yes, I do. I'm trying not to, but it's really hard. He's so charming, but it sucks to see him flirting with other girls.”

She looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. “I can imagine. I would feel awful if I ever saw Rian with another girl.”

“Yeah, plus, Alex is still in therapy and stuff like that and he's still getting over Katelyn cheating and Eric's death, so I don't think this would be the best time for a relationship for him. I'm trying my best to respect that, but, at the same time, all I want is to be with him.”

“He seems like he has changed though thankfully. He might be working toward getting to a point where he'd be ready for a relationship with you.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I noticed the way he made sure to be standing next to you when we had our group hug and how he kissed your forehead before he went inside. I can't say for sure that he likes you, but it's obvious that you are the most important person to him. He was like Katelyn's slave, but, with you, he's a lot more himself.”

“Do you really think so?” I asked skeptically.

“Ever since you guys made up from that fight you had, from what I see, he has been treating you a little bit differently. It's almost as if not talking to you for all that time made him realize just how important you are to him. Now he at least appreciates you a little more because he knows what it's like to be without you.”

“I hope you're right. I'm just trying not to get my hopes up about anything because I'm afraid the next time I get my heart broken will be worse than the last one was.”

“How do you know there will be a next time?”

“I don't know, but I can't afford to let myself be so vulnerable around him again because I don't know if I would be able to go through all that again and still be around him. I told him how I felt last time and now it's his turn to tell me if his feelings change.”

“I don't blame you. I just don't think you should completely give up hope just yet,” she responded.

“To be honest, I'm just trying my hardest not to think about it because, if I think about it, I'm going to want it and, if I want it, that will make it harder for me to be around him. It would be really nice if he finally had the same feelings for me, but I don't want to read too much into things.”

“Understandable. Boys are so complicated sometimes.”

“I know and it really annoys me. They say that we are hard to deal with, but they aren't exactly a piece of cake either!”

“I know! Rian got so mad the other night when I wanted to go out with some people because he thinks that means that I don't want to see him. Can't I just have one night out alone with my friends?”

“Ugh that's so annoying when they do that. They just expect you to hang out with them and they don't think they have to ask or let you know.”

Our conversation continued like that for awhile. It was nice to have a girl to talk to about all my problems. Kara and I had been friends ever since freshman year of high school when Rian introduced her to us and I could not have asked for a better friend. She was the girl I went to if I had an issue that I could only talk about with girls and we had so much in common since we were both so close to the band. We did the normal girl activities like going shopping together and having sleepovers on weekends, even though we were in high school. She was almost like the sister I never had. She always understood me and never doubted my judgment and she was always there when I needed her. Even though we did not hang out all the time, we knew we could always turn to each other.

The boys finally came bounding out the door a little while later and Jack nearly hopped on my back in pure excitement.

“'What happened?” Kara and I asked at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed.

“We got it!” cheered Alex. “We did it! We are now officially signed to Hopeless Records!”

“Oh my God, that's amazing!” I said jumping up to give him a hug. “See, I knew you guys could do it!”

“It was so awesome. I can't even explain the bliss I'm in right now.”

“Yeah, I can't believe this. Everything is finally happening for us. All that hard work has paid off. Now, I'm going to get lots and lots of money for doing something I love. Life is awesome,” grinned Jack.

Kara and I each went around giving everyone congratulatory hugs.

“I swear, I feel like this is one of the best days of my life,” said Rian. A smile was plastered on each of our faces and we couldn't seem to stop even if we wanted to.

We started walking on the street and decided to head back towards Times Square to take more pictures and go shopping. Kara saw a store she wanted to go in before, so we went back so that she could look in it. Everyone, even Zack, found something to try on at the store besides Alex and me. Jack and Kara both always took forever with everything, so Alex and I decided to take a walk and have them call us when they were done. We decided to walk towards Central Park.

“So tell me about the meeting,” I said as we walked. “How did it go?”

“It was like more than I could have ever hoped for. We all played our hearts out and, by the time we were done, they were already making negotiations to sign us.”

“I'm so proud of you guys. That's amazing. Did they let you use the recording equipment?”

“Yeah they let us play around with it just to get used to it. We recorded a part of 'Dear Maria' and then went back and listened to it and it was just so weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was weird to hear my voice recorded like that, surreal actually.”

“I can understand that. It was a new experience.”

We walked through the crowds of tourists and finally reached the entrance of Central Park. The hot dog stands and horse carriages stood off to the side with their leaders. I looked at them with longing, but I knew that they were too much money. How nice it would be to feel like Cinderella for a day...

In true tourist fashion, Alex and I got a picture together under the sign for Central Park and then entered the park together. Central Park was one of my favorite places to be. Everything about it was beautiful from the skating rink to the fountains to the pretty bridges and trees with snow on them. There was always something new to see because it was such a big place. If I lived in New York, I would come here every day and never get sick of it.

You could always find a band playing or hear some kind of music playing throughout the park. If they were really good, people would crowd around them and put money in their guitar cases. As their crowd grew, so did their energy. They were always just people trying to get their music out there and play for the world in the bright sunlight. In a way, I was jealous of them; they were playing just to play and having the time of their lives. They always made me wish I could join in.

“I love this,” I said as we walked. “Everything is so beautiful here and everyone is so happy that it's contagious.”

“Yeah I know what you mean. It's like a fat kid eating his favorite chocolate cake. He just can't seem to get enough of it, no matter how much he eats. He could eat it until he throws up, but then he'll still want more.”

“Not exactly the image I wanted to have in my head, but sure.”

He chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn't help it.”

“It's ok, I'm used to it.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means you are a vulgar human being who explains things in graphic detail. I don't want to associate Central Park with fat kids and cake.”

“When do I ever do that?”

“Well, there was that one time that you told me sex was like sticking a hot dog through a donut hole. It took me awhile to be able to eat hot dogs and donuts again. Then, there was that other time when Jack spilled milk on his crotch and it left a white stain. You practically screamed that it looked like he came in his pants when we were at a very nice restaurant. I almost threw up because it was the milk I was drinking that he spilled on his lap.”

“Oh yeah that,” he chuckled. “Ok, so maybe I have a vivid imagination. What's so wrong with that?”

“Nothing when you are putting it to good use. Jack has been a bad influence on you. He's made you so much dirtier than you used to be. You were so innocent before you met him.”

“Me? Innocent? I used to sneak into my parents room when they weren't there and steal stuff from them or look to see if they were hiding anything. I was in trouble every other day.”

“Ok, point taken.”

“Why do you think my parents pushed me to hang out with you so much? You were a good influence on me; when I was with you, they knew I wasn't doing anything bad because you wouldn't let me. If anyone was innocent, it was you. You didn't start going to parties or doing anything remotely bad until Jack and Eric forced you to in high school.”

“Oh shush! I wasn't that innocent!”

“Taylor, you never got in any real trouble until high school when your parents caught us sneaking out of the house,” he said giving me one of those 'are you for real' kind of looks.

“Ok, so maybe I was innocent, but what's so bad about that?”

“Nothing, you're just very pure, that's all. I'm glad you live at least a little more on the edge now though.”

We walked in silence for a few minutes just enjoying the beauty of the outside.

“What time is it?” he asked after a few minutes.

I looked at my silver watch. “It's around 3:00PM, why?”

“We're going to have to leave soon because there's somewhere we have to be at 4:30 and it takes forever to get anywhere in New York City.”

“Where are we going at 4:30 and why didn't anyone tell me about this before?”

“We have an appointment with Big Machine Records at their studio.”

“But, you just signed with Hopeless, so why do you want to meet with another company?”

“The meeting isn't for All Time Low.”

“Then what is it for? I'm so confused.”

“They want to meet up with you. That's why I basically forced you to come with us”

“Why would they want to meet with me?”

“Because I sent them your demo and they loved it.” He gave me a sheepish smirk and watched as my mouth fell open in shock.

“You didn't!” I nearly screamed.

“Of course I did! I meant what I said about wanting to tour with you. The only way that will happen is if you get a contract too. It's all happening for me, so it should be happening for you too.”

“I can't believe you did this. Oh my God!” I said as I became fully aware of what all of this meant. My dreams were finally within my reach. All of a sudden, I stopped dead in my tracks. When Alex noticed I wasn't beside him, he came back to me.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

“Everything. I don't even know what song I'm going to sing. I didn't get to practice at all and I don't have my guitar with me. How am I going to impress them if I mess up every other note?”

“Taylor, you don't even need to practice. You know all of your songs and there's nothing that needs to be changed.”

“Yeah, but it has to be amazing if I'm going to get signed.”

“You're always amazing. You don't even have to worry about that. You sound good even when you're sick and lose your voice. They're going to love you.”

“I hope so.”

He put his arm around me and we continued walking. “I know so,” he said. “Just sing with your heart. That's all you need. If it makes you feel any better, they said that one person could be in the room with you for moral support while you audition. I will come in with you if you need me to.”

That actually made me feel a lot better. No matter what would happen, at least I would know that he was there for me and in my corner. “I'd like that,” I said meekly. What song do you think I should sing?”

“That, my dear, is up to you. Maybe pick something that's close to you or represents what is happening in your life right now. Sing a song that means a lot to you.”

“Hmm that's a good idea. The funny thing is that I did write a new song pretty recently that I haven't played for you yet. It's called 'A Place In This World'. Maybe I'll use that one.”

“As long as you feel comfortable playing it, go for it.”

“I don't know how comfortable I am with it, but I hope they will at least like the lyrics.” I could feel the strong butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I continued to think about it. “God, I'm so nervous.”

“I think I know what will make you feel better,” Alex said as we approached an ice cream stand and he stopped. “Nothing like a nice cup of ice cream to calm you down. What do you want? It's my treat.”

“Alex, you don't have to.”

“But I want to, so just pick something before I pick it for you.”

“Fine. I'll have a vanilla and chocolate twist in a cup. Thank you!”

“There,” he said handing it to me once we both got ice cream and sat down on a nearby bench. “Now everything will be fine. You will get the deal and then we'll have a lot to celebrate tonight. I'm excited.”

“I hope so.”

“Would it make you feel better if you sang with me right now?”

“But, Alex, we don't have anything to back us.”

“Yes we do,” he said. He nodded to a tree diagonal from us. For some reason, an acoustic guitar was lying there abandoned underneath the tree for anyone to use. I nodded and Alex and I finished my ice cream and walked over to it. I picked it up and looked at it.

“It seems to be in good shape,” I said. “I wonder why someone just left it here.”

“Maybe he or she wanted to give someone else the opportunity we have now; he or she wanted to spread the gift of music. So what song do you want to sing?”

“Do you know 'I'll Be There?' Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz did a version of it and I absolutely love it.”

“Sure, yeah,” he nodded. We walked back to the bench and I sat down and started to play.

Both: You and I must make a pact
We must bring salvation back
Where there is love
I'll be there
I'll reach out my hand to you
I'll have faith in all you do
Just call my name
And I'll be there

Me: I'll be there to comfort you
Build my world of dreams around you
I'm so glad I found you yeah
I'll be there with a love so strong
I'll be your strength
You know I'll keep holding on

Alex: Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, well it's all I'm after
Just call my name and
I'll be there
I'll be there to protect you
With an unselfish love that respects you
Just call my name
And I'll be there

Both: Chorus:
I'll be there to comfort you
Build my world of dreams around you
You know I'm so glad that I found you
I'll be there with a love so strong
I'll be your strength
You know I'll keep holding on

Me: See, if you should ever find someone new
I know she better be good to you
'Cause if she doesn't then
I'll be there

Alex: Don't you know baby yeah yeah
I'll be there
I'll be there
Just call my name and
I'll be there

Both: I'll be there, baby
You know I'll be there
Just call my name and
I'll be there
Just look over your shoulder
Just call my name and
I'll be there

By the time we were done, a large crowd had gathered around us, which could have only met one thing; they liked us enough to actually stop and listen. When I played the last chord, they cheered loudly. Some people even left money at our feet and asked us to play another song, but we couldn't because there was not enough time. I looked at Alex in amazement and he smiled and gave me a one-armed hug in return.

“Are you ready now?” he asked a few minutes later after most of the crowd finally left.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” I responded smiling at him. To my surprise, I felt his hand slip into mine like a glove as we got up and began to walk out of the park toward my future.