Take My Hand

I sat on the couch staring aimlessly out the back window wondering how much time had passed since Jack went back to his bunk. Alex checked up on me constantly. As did Zack and Rian but I never really answered any questions they asked me. I didn’t answer them because for one, I didn’t know if I was fine. Two, I didn’t know if I was going to be okay any time now. Three, I didn’t know if I wanted to eat anything because my mind made my appetite vanish.

The clock read 5 PM. Thirty more minutes before we get to the venue and I can roam around and get some place to help me breathe. A place where I can just think without being interrupted or anything like that. Being in a bus wasn’t the type of place where I wanted to drown myself in silence since there was no silence. The guys were watching an action movie but I knew that half the time, they averted their focus on me with occasional whispering about what would happen if Kristy were to approach the guys and they’d see me. I didn’t want to listen to them whispering but it was hard not to seeing as though they were only one foot away from me.

The bus finally stopped at the venue. I shot up and walked towards the door stopping to look at Jack who was fast asleep. His pillows were wet which I found kinda cute but now was not the time to say how adorable it was to know that he still cried in his pillows.

“Brit, where are you going?” Zack asked me as I took my first step down the few steps.

“Um, I’ll be walking around the place,” I told him. “Don’t worry,” And with that I was on my way to find my escape.

A lot of familiar faces came out of the buses around us. They were stretching their limbs and walking around just like me but there was one thing that they had that I didn’t. They had smiles on their faces. I envied them for it but I knew that this would blow over soon. At least that’s what I hoped for.

I shot Garrett a smile as he passed by and waved at me but that was all I could give to him. He immediately turned around in his footsteps as soon as he saw my smile falter into a frown and came towards me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me placing a hand on my shoulder. He was probably trying to stop me from escaping the questions he was about to ask.

“It’s nothing,” I said with a shrug as I tried my best to convince him that the white lie I shared to him was true. He didn’t buy it. Was I that obvious?

“C’mon just tell me already,” he whined and I rolled my eyes as I smirked at him.

“It’s Jack,” I told him and he motioned for me to go on. “Um, I have doubts about our relationship,” I told him as we started to walk around slowly.

“What do you mean?” he asked me with an eyebrow raised.

“I mean he got this text this morning from his ex-girlfriend saying that she misses him and that she was coming to see him today and she lives in Seattle so…” I trailed off as I sighed heavily.

“Well, to be honest, I really don’t know what to say. I mean I could tell you a hundred things to get you optimistic and to get your hopes high but I wouldn’t want them to be cut down when something goes wrong. I mean I wouldn’t want to-”

“Don’t worry, Gary, I get it,” I told him with a smile. He was so cute when he rambled like that. It made me want to pinch his cheeks. Wait did I really just say that?

“But I will be willing to help you know, if you need any,” he said with a smile.

“Thanks,” I said and gave him a hug.

He held me longer than I expected but then again maybe that was just my mind playing tricks on me. Why would a guy like Garrett like me? That’s just absurd.

“So since we won’t really be able to be on the same bus and I won’t be free a lot, I’ll just give you my number so we can talk, okay?” he offered and I smiled as I took my phone out of my pocket and handed it to him. He gave me mine and we exchanged numbers.

I didn’t know if he was just trying to be nice or if maybe he was just making a move on me but I don’t know. I had too much in my mind to go and add another thought that I needed to dwell on and think about.

He told me that he needed to go do some stuff and I told him that I’d be around and that maybe I’d give him a call some time. Contemplating on whether or not I sounded stupid, I felt someone tap on my shoulder from behind me and I turned around to see who it was.

“Oh my God, Brittany?” said a familiar face. I know that I knew her from somewhere but I couldn’t place her. “It’s me, Kristine. Remember me?” she asked me and then that’s where it all snapped in place.

Kristine used to be my best friend. We went to this summer camp down in Maryland together and she used to visit me every summer but when we both turned 15, she stopped coming over for the summer since her Dad passed away. Her Dad and Mom were separated and her father used to live two blocks away from my place.

We never spoke to each other after that since we never really exchanged numbers or email addresses. I sorta regretted it but moved on eventually.

“Oh hey, how are you?” I asked her as I gave her a hug.
We caught for a while and talked about what had happened when we weren’t talking to each other anymore. It felt like hours passed since we saw each other and the lights were starting to go on. It was getting late and people were flooding in. This meant that the shows were going to start.

“So any special reason as to why you’re here?” she asked me and I nodded with a big smile.

“Yeah, I’m actually on tour with All Time Low,” I told her and she nodded. “Have you ever heard of them?”

“Yeah, I was hoping to see them right now actually,” she told me but there was something in her voice that told me that she wasn’t just a fan. It seemed like she knew them as well.

“Oh, well, let me show you where their bus is then.” I offered and she nodded as I walked back to my path and headed for the bus.

The guys were outside when I got there and when they turned and saw me each of their jaws dropped open. I was beginning to feel self-conscious so I turned to the side and looked at Kristine but when I stopped to look at her, she was already running towards Jack and choking him in a hug.

Kristine – my best friend – was Kristy – the one who broke Jack’s heart.

This can’t be happening.