You Can't Be Missed If You Never Go Away

October 15, 2009 was the first stop on the Glamour Kills Tour. CT Webster Theater in Hartford, Connecticut was the venue, and everyone was pumped for the first show, even with the addition of two new All Time Low Merch Girls.

Alex smoothed the hair across his forehead as he walked towards the merch booth since his sound check was finished for the day. He stopped and watched Vinny and the two blonde girls setting up All Time Low’s merch booth.

“Vin, where do you want the shorts?” The taller of the two blondes said as she brushed her straight platinum bangs from her eyes.

“Somewhere ate easy access,” Vinny responded, adjusting his Yankees cap and picking up another box. “Possibly by the rack under the shorts.”

“It only makes sense, Steff,” the second blonde said, a smirk painting itself on her lips. “You want the shorts where you display the shorts.

“Did I ask you, Kyra?”

“Do I look like I care?”

“Do you wan…”

“If you two keep fighting, your asses are headed home,” Vinny interjected, causing both girls to get quiet and look at him. “I don’t care what your boyfriends have to say. This is my merch booth, I’m in charge, I make the rules.”

Kyra sighed and turned around to grab another box of hoodies when she noticed Alex standing there, staring at her. With a frown, Kyra pointed at her eyes with two fingers on her right hand then at Alex, like she was saying ‘I’m watching you, Gaskarth.’

“Me?” Alex mouthed, pulling his head back in shock. Kyra nodded then turned around to place the box.

“Steff, your boyfriend is looking at my ass,” Kyra whispered, causing Steff to frown. She turned around to pick up another box and looked through her bangs to look at Alex. Kyra had been right, Alex was staring at her.

Steff ran through the possible reasons why Alex could be looking at her. Maybe it was because her red JAGK shorts were super short and barely covered anything. Maybe it was because he couldn’t have her. She ran through countless possibilities except the real one.

The truth was that a part of Alex still loved Kyraleigh, but Steff didn’t know that. Steff didn’t even know that Kyraleigh was the ex Alex had told her about in the coffee shop. For all she knew, Kyraleigh could have been a friend of Zack’s from high school.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Kyraleigh giggle and say something to Jack.

“Just finished up sound check, Kyra,” he grinned, apparently answering the question she had just asked. “What about you?”

“Vinny’s threatening to send us home…”

“Vincent , what is your problem?” Jack asked. “You can not sent my girlfriend home.”

“My merch booth, my rules,” Vinny defended. “If I want to send the girls home because they are fighting over stupid shit, I will.”

“Then we fire you,” Jack teased as he poked Vinny’s shoulder. “Simple as that, you fire them, I fire you.”

“You really want to play that game?”

“Yeah, I do,” Jack smiled, causing Kyra to laugh as she sat on the table. Steff rolled her eyes and walked over to where her boyfriend was sitting, observing the whole scene.

“Alex, you okay?” she asked, sitting next to him and fixing her black tank top.

He nodded, tearing his gaze away from his best friend and his girlfriend to look at Steff. “I’m fine, Steff, don’t worry.”

“You seem, out of it,” she said, tilting her head a bit. “Not bad out of it, but just out of it, like you’re still asleep.”

“I’m fine, just a bit tired,” he said, stifling a yawn before wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. “I’ll be fine in a bit, it’s just… early.”

“Alex, it’s three in the afternoon,” Steff laughed.

“Yeah, that’s early for not being able to fall asleep in your bunk last night until, like, four.”

“You have issues,” Steff teased.

“I can’t help it that you snore,” he countered, with a laugh.

“Do not!”

“Do too!”