You Can't Be Missed If You Never Go Away

The closest coffee place was about five blocks away, and funny enough, it was the same coffee shop that Alex met Steff in.

The two boys entered the quaint little white brick corner shop with the large glass doors. Both of them took a seat in one of the black barstools with red cushions that sat at the counter to wait for one of the girls working behind it to come over and take their orders.

Alex ran his palms over the smooth black stone countertop where he had penned at least half of ‘Nothing Personal’ and numerous other songs that had been cut from the album. Jack watched his bandmate awkwardly until the girl behind the counter cleared her throat to get their attention.

“Can I ask what you two would like to order?” she asked in a melodic voice before snapping her gum. Her right hand floated to her soft brown bangs and brushed them to the left side of her forehead before she pulled a small notepad and pen out of the pocket on the front of the black apron hanging from her waist.

“Twelve medium coffees,” Alex said, flashing her the infamous Gaskarth smirk.

“T-twelve?” she asked, stuttering a bit and cocking her to the side as her freckled cheeks turned pink.

“Yeah, twelve,” he repeated, running a hand through his shaggy coffee colored hair. “It’s a work run. I need three hazelnut, two decaf, three mocha, and three regulars.” He watched her scribble down the order with the blue pen and repeat it back to him.

“Okay, your order should be ready in ten minutes, we need to start a new pot for an order this size.”

“That’s fine,” he smirked, glancing at the silver name tag pinned on her dark green polo shirt. “We’re in no rush, Aimee.”

She gave him a toothy grin and walked towards the machines on the other side of the room.

“You have a girlfriend and you flirt with the coffee girl? Do you have no shame?” Jack sighed, tapping his fingers and looking out the large windows to watch the cars drive by. His black hair fell into his eyes, so be blew them out of his face before taking the mirrored sunglasses that covered his chocolate eyes off. Alex just let out a small laugh and smiled.

“It’s harmless, Barakat, she knows nothing will come of it, so do I. It’s not like I’m making out with the girl.”

“You know she was in our class, right?” Jack asked, looking at Alex with a frown on his face.

“Really?” Alex asked, glancing over at the brunette to get a better look at her. “She was?”

“Uh huh; she was ranked, like, number two in the class standings at graduation. She just lost out on valedictorian by a .05 on her GPA or something. It was real close, I remember her telling me about it in English.”

“She was in our English class?” Alex asked. Jack sighed and nodded his head, “Yes, Alex. She sat behind you the whole year.”

“She did?”

“Yes, we just established this.”

“Why don’t I remember her?” Alex asked, pondering as he stared at the girl who leaned on the counter watching the water drip into the coffee pot.

“Because she wouldn’t give you the time of day,” Jack said, a smirk growing on his face as he slid one of the arms of his glasses into the collar of he blue shirt. “Aimee didn’t like you at all; you screwed over two of her friends, taking advantage of one of them at a party because they were drunk…”

“I did?” Alex asked. Jack sighed and shook his head. “It’s a wonder how Kyra and Steff even remotely like you.”

“So you are admitting she still likes me?” Alex smirked.

“No, I’m not,” Jack defended.

“Sure,” Alex said, dragging out the word as he fished his wallet out of his jeans. The two sat there awkwardly until Alex spoke up again.

“Um, about last night, I-I’m sorry. I was a total ass, I shouldn’t care if you and Steff are together. It’s just… It’s just that you seem to date the girl I dump, like a rebound or something, and I don’t think that’s fair because I dump someone and you date them I have to see them all the time and they have to see me and if it wasn’t a clean break a lot of shit goes on and we argue and nothing ends good. I-I’m just afraid that Steff means more to you than the band does and you’re going to pick her over me and Rian and Zack and our band will just fall apart.”

“Alex, do you seriously think I’d leave you guys because of a girl?”

“Well… I-I don’t know. When you were with Kyra you seemed distant…”

“Because she didn’t want to be around you. I though it was because she hated you, turns out it was because she wanted to make you jealous.”

“So you didn’t just want to ditch us?”

“Of course not,” Jack said, ruffling his messy hair. “I’d never ditch the band, you guys are my best friends.” Alex smiled, and it wasn’t his normal smirk, it was a full blown toothy grin.

“Can I ask why you tried to punch my face in and accused me and Steff of putting up an act?”

“Because I didn’t know how else to react,” Alex shrugged, watching Aimee put the lids on their coffees and go to find two carrying crates for the boys.

“So you wanted to punch my face in?” Jack asked, wrinkling his forehead and cocking his head to the side..

“Remember, I was running on four hours of sleep, a red bull, and a monster, at two in the morning.”

“That’s always your excuse,” Jack teased, elbowing Alex as Aimee came over with the coffees.

“Okay boys, that will be twenty five dollars and twelve cents,” she said, placing the totes in front of them. Alex pulled a master card from his wallet and handed it over to the brunette. She glanced down at the raised silver letters, causing a small frown to appear on her lips, before walking back to the register and swiping the card as the boys stood up.

“So we’re cool?” Alex asked Jack.

“Yeah, unless you try to punch me again.”

“I won’t, I promise,” Alex said as the brunette came back and slid the credit card across the counter, “Thanks, Gaskank, have a wonderful day.”

“How do I not remember you?” Alex asked as she turned to go back to the register, but she stopped and turned to face him once more.

“Junior year, we were together three months,” she stated, grasping the edge of the counter so she wouldn’t pick something up and throw it at him. “You dumped me Christmas Eve because I wouldn’t sleep with you and told me you’d never remember me; you said I was forgettable.”

“I did?” Alex asked, trying to remember it, but he couldn’t remember all of it. He vaguely remembered her, he remember the break up, but he didn’t remember saying that. “I said you were forgettable?”

“Yes, you did,” she took a deep breath and looked at Jack. “How’s Steff doing? I haven’t heard from her in a few weeks. Last I heard you and her are together.”

“Yeah, we are,” Jack smiled at the mention of Steff‘s name. “She’s doing pretty good, probably a lot better than when you talked to her last.”

“Well that’s good to hear, tell her I said hi,” Aimee grinned, letting go of the counter.

“I said you were forgettable?” Alex repeated.

“Yes, Gaskank, you did. Now get the hell out of my uncle’s coffee shop!” She snapped, turning on her heels and walking to the other side of the room to take some one else’s order.

Jack laughed, “I should have mentioned that as a reason she hates you too.”

“Why don’t I remember her?” Alex asked, picking up one of the cardboard totes and following Jack out to the street.

“Because you dated her in the midst of sleeping with half of Dulaney. She didn’t want to sleep with you so you didn’t want to see her anymore.”

“Wow, was I really that big of a douche bag?” Alex asked. Jack nodded his head and laughed, “Only took you four years to realize it.”x-x-x

Steff sat on the couch in the front of the bus with Kara and Kyra as the rest of the guys were moving the stage equipment into the building.

“I’m so glad to be home,” Kara smiled, swinging her legs back and forth. “I miss sleeping in my bed.”

“I know, right?” Kyra agreed, pulling at a string on the frayed part of her jeans. “These bunks are so uncomfortable.”

“They aren’t that bad,” Steff commented. “I mean, it’s not like we have to sleep in the back of a van or something.”

“That was brutal,” Kara said pulling the bottom of her purple shirt down. “I went with them for a week down to the Carolinas and back in high school. That van was the most uncomfortable place to sleep. And then there was that trailer with bunks in it when they started on Warped. That was better, but still you felt every bump you hit in the road.”

“Poor, poor Kara,” Steff teased as she looked at the ends of her blonde hair checking for split ends. “You come on every tour, don’t you?”

“At least for part of it.”

“Not trying to be rude, Kara,” Kyra said, standing up and dusting off the back of her jeans, “but do you do anything for the boys while on tour?”

“Depends,” the brunette shrugged. “I usually work merch on the full tours I come on when they don’t have anyone else working, or like this tour I’ve been helping Matt out with random things, like making sure everyone knows when to be somewhere and bus calls and sutch.”

“Ah, I see,” the shorter blonde smiled. “Well I’m going to go get some fresh air, I’ll be back in a bit.”

Once she had walked out the door, Kara turned to her friend, “Let me guess, she’s going to light up, right?”

“Kara!?”

“She has to be! She’s acting really nice, like way too nice to be Kyraleigh, unless she‘s drunk or high.”

“She said she’s just trying to be civilized and even though she used Jack, she doesn’t want to see him get hurt or have me leave tour.”

“But why now? It’s the last day of tour!” Kara complained, grabbing her caramel hair and throwing herself against the back of the couch. “Why?!”

The blonde’s shoulders raised then dropped. “Beats me, it would have been nice about a month ago, but whatever. She’s trying atleast, maybe it’s because she realized I’m not going to try and steal Alex away…”

“But that’s what you are trying to do,” Kara reminded. “Unless…” She looked at Steff for a moment before dropping her voice to a whisper, “Unless you really like Jack. Like, like-like Jack.”

“What? Me? Psh, no…” Steff replied, dragging out the ‘o’ as her cheeks started to flush.

“You like Barakitten, admit it,” Kara smirked.

“Shut up,” Steff sighed, covering her face with both of her hands. Kara smiled and rubbed her friends back. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

“But what if he doesn’t like me back?” Steff whispered as she felt tears start to form. “What if he pulls an Alex move and just…”

“He won’t,” Kara reassured. “He’s Jack Bassam Barakat, not Alexander William Gaskarth. He won’t pull a total dick move on you or else I will kick his ass.”

Steff looked at Kara in shock for a moment, surprised by the words that had just came out of her friend’s mouth, but smiled and thanked her just before Alex and Jack walked in with the coffees.

“We have coffee!!” Alex shouted as Kyra climbed back on the bus. “I know you three wanted hazel nut, those would be these ones.” He looked through the totes and pulled out the three coffees, handing one to each girl. “Okay, I need to go find the guys. Jack…”

“Here, I’ll help,” Kyra offered, grabbing the tote from Jack. “Relax, spend some time with your girlfriend.” She smiled and followed Alex off the bus.

“She has to be on drugs,” Kara stated, causing the other two to bust out laughing.