A Little Less Obvious

One thing that Jack hated was that Michelle always had Zack on her mind. She was either with him, or texting him. Jack thought that it wasn't fair in all honesty; he doubted that Zack even liked her back, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

And as he watched her and Zack walk a few paces ahead of him, he couldn't help but feel jealous. They walked with their fingers intertwined, and their palms against each others, while their hands swung back and forth. He watched her constantly smile at him, and was more than disappointed - she never smiled at him, and he smiled at her all the time. But truthfully, Michelle thought that him constantly smiling at her was a little creepy.

Jack, though, settled for the view he could see from where he was standing. Sure he was upset he couldn't touch her, but he could look, and her short Hollister skirt didn't leave much to the imagination. She wasn't a slut though, no way. She was a virgin, and at everything, even making out. She had been kissed before, but nothing more than simple pecks here and there.

Jack liked that. He liked how inexperienced she was, and he wanted to be the one to change her, not Zack, nor some random other guy she met along the way.

"Stop staring; you're drooling," Alex said with a smirk, catching Jack off guard. He only irritated Jack when he laughed at how he had actually checked to see if there had been drool. And Jack thinks that Alex thinks he's so cool, and he just wants to punch the smirk off of his best friend's face.

"Shut up," Jack mumbled.

He really didn't need Alex rubbing it in his face that he couldn't have Michelle. Jack knew that Alex wasn't doing it intentionally, but it still upset him.

"Sorry man," Alex apologized, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze while sending an apologetic glance his way. Jack in return just shrugged.

//

Michelle and Jake were never really fond of bowling, but they weren't going to be the losers who stayed back at the bus while every member and crew member of all the other bands on tour went.

So instead of staying back, they figured that they could accompany everyone in going to the bowling arena, and just keep score. They managed to do a horrible job, and cheat the game so that the boys of Forever The Sickest Kids and There For Tomorrow beat the rest of their crew that had teamed up with All Time Low and Jay from There For Tomorrow. They really only did that because Nicole had called Jake and Michelle fat and lazy for refusing to play.

The two were glad that they had decided to not play because they could just sit and observe all of the hilarious things going on around them. Like when Jack had tried to bowl, and had slipped and fell on his butt. He had blushed 10 different shades of red when he noticed that Michelle had saw, and was laughing.

He was glad that he got her laughing though, even if it was at him and not with him.

"Nice one, Jack," she had said, and Jack, even though he was blushing and embarrassed, was ecstatic. She had initiated conversation, and usually it was him trying to start one. He grinned cheekily at her and tried to bowl without making a fool of himself this time.

//

Nicole had always found it entertaining to watch Forever The Sickest Kids' set. They, like the other bands, were always so energetic. But just the fact that they had to work around six people instead of four made her like them more.

Sometimes Jake or Drew would join her in watching them, but not today. They had been dragged away by Danny, All Time Low's guitar tech. She didn't mind watching alone though, less people to bother her.

She smiled as the crowd sang every word to the current song they were playing, and their sweaty bodies pushed against each other as they tried to get closer up.

For once, Nicole wasn't antsy about her performance; she usually got nervous around now, minutes before they were to be playing.

Today, Nicole's parents and little brother - though he's only 15 - had come to watch her and her band perform, and she had a surprise ready for them. She should be nervous about playing for three of the most important people in her life, but really, she wasn't.

//

When the song had finished, Nicole shot a glance to side stage where her parents and brother were, and when she saw those silent tears streaming down her father's face, and the proud smile that graced both her brother and her parents features, she felt more than happy, she felt unbelievable.

"There are three really important people to me that are here to watch me tonight, so we decided that to honor them, we'd do a cover of a song that perfectly describes...well, everything. Here's 'The Best Day' by Taylor Swift, enjoy."

Nicole shot a glance side stage at where her family stood, and gave them a small smile. As the first notes of the song began, Nicole prepared herself to sing the soft song.

"I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on..." she began.

Before the song had already began to start, Nicole's mom had tears streaming down her face. They weren't sad tears, oh no, they were happy tears.

"Don't know how long it's going to take to feel okay, but I know I had the best day with you, today. I have an excellent father. His strength is making me stronger. God smiles on my little brother. Inside and out he's better than I am..."