Summer Is When Everything Could Happen

After the ATL set, I found Jack at the backstage, wiping his face with a towel as he sat down on an equipment box. It was already long enough since we talked to each other and this got awkward since then. I wanted to go back to the times where we would just hang out as best friends.

“Hey, Jacky.”, I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear as I titled my head to the side. He looked up to me and he smiled a bit.

“Hey, Ally cakes.”

I sighed and sat next to him. “Can we just go back to normal?”

“What do you mean?”, he cocked his brows and set down his towel next to him. “We’re still friends, Ally.”

“I meant, could we go back to our best friend term? You know, before all of this happened. Where we could make fun of each other and steal Alex’s gummy bears again.”

Jack grinned and pulled me into a bear hug. “Sure we could. I’m sorry for ignoring you, Ally cakes.”

“I miss you, Jack-Jack.”, I giggled and hugged him back. after our heart-to-heart session, we decided to get an ice cream together. The sun was blazing down when we got out from the backstage but Jack wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I had my arm around his waist.

People were whispering about our action, but I just needed to brush them off for once. John knew that Jack and I are best friends and he would understand about this. When we got to the drinks tent, we ordered two orange popsicles.

Jack looked like a little kid when he ripped off the plastic wrapper and shoved the popsicle into his mouth. When I put the popsicle into my mouth, it felt like someone punched me right in the gut. I coughed out the popsicle and covered my mouth as my body shaking hard because of the cough.

“Ally, you okay?”, Jack’s brows scrunched together as his eyes narrowed at me. I shook my head and I ran off to a public stall with my hands still covering my mouth. The people who lined up to go in dispersed when they saw me stumbling into one of the blue stalls.

It was no use cause what I had inside my mouth were out before I could even duck my head into the toilet bowl. Someone pulled my sweaty hair off my face and I realized it was Jack. I kept on vomiting until my throat was dry and my stomach was empty.

Jack handed me a piece of tissue and a fan gave me her bottle of water. Some of them were surrounding the stall, probably wondering what happened to me. after I took a drink of the water and wiped off my mouth, Jack helped me got back to the van.

My hips were aching and my head felt heavier than a brick. When we were already inside my van, I lie down with my head on Jack’s lap. His cool hand brushed my forehead, checking my temperature. “Feeling better?”

I nodded. “Thank you, Jack. You shouldn’t see me like that.”

“No, no. like I’ve said, I’m your ‘brother’, so I need to take care of you. Now, what have you eaten? I mean, this is the first day after the break.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t eat anything all day, actually.”, I muttered. “I don’t feel so good.”

“Maybe it’s food poisoning. Did you eat anything funny while you were at home?”

“Probably I ate up an old poptart without checking the expiration date.”, I chuckled and sat up straight. “Thanks Jacky.”

Jack smiled a bit and ruffled my hair in a brotherly manner. “No problem, Ally cakes. Anyway, there’s a barbeque tonight before we leave the arena. I hope you’ll come.”

“Sure.”

He nodded and got out from the van. I decided to change before I go exploring again. After I changed, I walked around the arena alone. Dana was nowhere to be found, probably hanging out with her own boyfriend. Pat and Lance were busy playing Rock Band with the guys from Anarbor and Artist Vs Poet.

I wandered around until I reached the gate. My mind needed some time alone so I decided just to go out on my own. The clouds covered the sun a bit, making the weather a bit cool. I had my arms crossed and I kind of regretted that I left Gummy home, asking my neighbor to feed him and all.

When I walked into a convenient store, I sauntered off to the drinks aisle. I grabbed a bottle of Snaple before moving off to the snack aisle. To get there, I passed the women aisle and passed a blue box that caught my attention.

The box sat on the shelf delicately but my eyes widened on it. I forgot what day it was, I forgot how long that it had passed after that. I forgot about it all. The bottle slipped from my hand and crashed on the tiled floor. I gasped as it made me snapped out from my thoughts.

“Is everything alright, dear?”, a Latin woman asked with her accent as she looked at me in worry.

“I’m so sorry! I’ll pay for the drink, I just…I just remembered something.”

She smiled warmly and patted my shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

I nodded and thanked her before rushing out from the store. My mind was filled with crazy thoughts and outcomes, it felt like my brain was going to explode any second. The run to the arena weren’t that far and when I was already back, my head was heavier than before. Before I could gain everything back, I stumbled back and fell onto the hard cement.
**************
“Ally.”, the warm and familiar voice echoed through my ears. “Ally, can you hear me?”

My eyes fluttered and greeted by the dark surrounding. All of the familiar faces hovered over me, painted in worry and fright. I sat up straight and stretched a bit.

“Where am I?”, I looked around and realized I was at my band’s tent, laying out on the emergency bed Max always used for napping off.

“Are you okay? Some fans found you passed out.”, John asked as he carefully sat next to me.
I nodded. “I guess so. It happened so fast, I was about to go to the van before suddenly, I blacked out.”

“You’re tired, that’s why.”, Dana smiled a bit and let her head tilted to the side, making some of her hair fell because of the action. “You need more rest.”

“I know.”, I chuckled and sat up. “What time is it?”

“Almost 8, do you want something to eat? You look pale.”, John’s hand cupped one of my cheeks and his thumb made an imaginary circle beside my eye.

“Yeah, I’m famished.”

John smiled and helped me get up. when we walked out from the tent and headed to the buses lot, some bands were already set up their beach chairs in front of their buses or vans, talking with each other with beer in hands.

I sat down next to Pat’s beach chair as John excused himself to get me something to eat. My mind did some mental math as I got his time alone. It was already a month or so ago after Stephen and I did it. my last period was a month before we did it. There was some possibility about this.

“Here you go.”, John handed me a plate of hamburger as he sat down next to me. the food looked great and delicious, but when I was about to take a bit, the lurch in my stomach hit again. I coughed up and snatched Pat’s soda from his hand before drenching it down my throat.

“You okay?”, Pat asked.

I nodded. “Think so. I’m just…thirsty.”

Pat narrowed his eyes at me before returning to his conversation with Kyle from Breathe Carolina. I leaned back to the beach chair and took John’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”, he whispered and kissed my temple. “I just want you to be okay.”

From across us, Maika from There For Tomorrow sat down on his beach chair and settled his acoustic guitar on his lap before strumming to the intro of Burn The Night Away. I scooted closer to John and nuzzled my head at the crook of his neck.

“I love you, John.”, I whispered as I closed my eyes.

John kissed the top of my head and rested his head there. “I love you too.”