I Fought It For A Long Time Now

Alex Gaskarth learned his love for music at a very young age from his older brother Jared, the one person in that point in time that he looked up to. Though Jared was several years older, he enjoyed his younger brother's ambition and couldn't keep him out of his life. Alex often attended his brother's rehearsals, the start of it all was there, the young boy's eyes never strayed from the guitar.

By the age of five, young Gaskarth knew he wanted to be a rock star. Jared made sure to be of assistance, he taught him to play, though Alex was too young to learn to read music, he knew the notes by sound. At the age of seven, Alex and his family made their journey to America.

While Alex thrived in the new environment, Jared seemed to fall behind at a steady undetectable, at first, rate. the once close brothers quickly grew apart their first year in the new country. None the less, not even double-digited Alex fell apart when his role model decided to end his life.

He felt lost, drowning in his fears and sorrows. He no longer had the frame that kept him upright or the lullaby that hushed his nightmares. No child should experience such emotions, especially when both parents are intact, but he managed to pull himself through. At the end of all of this, Alex knew he wanted to take the world by storm with music, not just for himself, but for Jared.

Mister and Miss Gaskarth wanted the best for their, now, only son. A way they expressed that was placing him in private school, upon that they felt the private schools were most like the English teachings they grew up knowing.

Jack Barakat, born and raised in Maryland with his older brother Joe and younger sister May. The boy didn't take a thing seriously, he was forever in the mindset of a five year old.

School was nothing to him, he much rather socialize with his peers, along with that he had a hard time focusing on one subject at a time. As he grew older, popularity just came to him, a plus of being able to talk to every person that crosses your path.

By the time Barakat reached middle school, he was semi-serious about one thing: music. His parents, never seeing him so set on something, bought him a guitar for his birthday that summer. Jack quickly signed up for lessons, putting more effort into his music then his school work.

His siblings, Joe and May, supported him fully, though they didn't quite understand why he placed all his cards in one deck. May was the one who grew to understand, she looked up to her goofy brother more then the serious one who rarely spent time with her when not told to by their parents.

May sat with Jack while he spent hours learning how to play Blink's songs one by one without a sheet of music. His tactics lead her to never let go of her hopes, the ones she had yet to acquire.

While Jack loved Blink 182, Alex was rocking out to Incubus; slowly transitioning his clothes to the punk/rock scene while Jack wore whatever fit his lanky body. So what connects these two besides a love for music, you're wondering. I mean, one is in public school and the other is in private. How do their paths intertwine, right?

Alex grew sick of private school, everyone dressing as one identity, there also wasn't one person around that didn't want nothing more then straight A's. His parents felt that he was old enough to make the decision himself, and he did. Eight grade Alex was transferred into a public middle school.

Ergo the fall of the first domino to their endeavor.