Sparked Up

Joey dropped Gio off at her hotel at midnight and she was exhausted, but that didn't stop her from waking up freakishly early at 7 a.m. She didn’t know what the boys were doing so she thought that she would go around Las Vegas herself. She was currently in the hotel lobby getting help renting a car for the week; when everything was set up she drove over to a promenade the lobbyist recommended. The promenade was great; she found an amazing vegan place for breakfast and some shops that she looked through. She was about to call Alex and ask him if he wanted any souvenirs; because Alex was notorious for collecting the cheesiest tourist souvenirs ever, from shot glasses to key chains to snow globes; but she realized that she left it back at the hotel. She thought it didn’t matter and that she would just get him some shot glasses and one of the stupid pyramid snow globes. She spent the entire day out on the town and got back to her hotel at 10 p.m., after putting all of her stuff away she picked up her phone to see multiple text messages, voicemails and missed phone calls. A majority of them were from Joey asking where she was and if she was safe; some from Marshall telling her to call Joey because he was freaking out. She didn’t know that disappearing for a day would freak him out that much. She pulled up his number and waited for him to pick up. It took him half of a ring to pick up.

“Where were you? Do you have any idea how worried I was? Why didn’t you pick up your phone? Please don’t do that ever again!” Joey said softening his voice; she could already tell how worried he was.

“I’m really sorry, I was out around town all day and I forgot my phone. I didn’t mean to get you so freaked out.” She apologized.

“I’m just so happy that you’re fine. I’m just disappointed that I didn’t get to see you all day. You’re only here for a week and we wasted a full day.” He lamented.

“Why don’t we hang out tomorrow; all day if you want,” she suggested.

“I can’t I’m going to be in the studio all day,” he said sadly. Gio was disappointed but didn’t let it show in her voice.

“That’s fine, I’m sure we’ll hang out the day after.”

“Why don’t you come in with us? I’m sure everyone would love to have you there.” He exclaimed.

“Only if they don’t mind,” she replied.

“WE DON’T MIND!” the three Alexs replied. She laughed an okay and told them she would come; they gave her the address and she promised that she would be there no later than 11:00 a.m. Gio showered and brushed her teeth then laid in the bed with her laptop. She was going to do a video chat with Alex; the conversation started with them telling each other the events that have happened while they weren’t together; then about the party and how she hung out with Marshall; then it moved on to how Joey freaked out when she was gone for the day. Alex laughed it off and joked around that Joey had a crush on Gio; then he joked that there was going to be a love triangle between Joey, Marshall and herself. She told him that he was being ridiculous and that wouldn’t happen. When he asked if she thought they were attractive she said that they were but that was all; of course she liked them but she didn’t know if it was any more than just as friend. They were obviously charming and nice, but so was Alex and that didn’t mean she was attracted to her best friend.

“Your parents came to visit me today,” Alex said with a smile.

“Oh my gosh, I haven’t talked to them in so long; I need to visit them when I go back,” she said with a big grin, “So what’d they want?”

“Just to see how I was and to ask where you were, ‘cause you weren’t at home and you weren’t picking up your phone. But I told them that you were visiting your friend and that you probably had your phone off,” he explained.

“Thank you, well I’ll call them tomorrow to let them know I’m okay. But it’s getting kind of late here and you should be going to sleep I know it’s 4 o’clock over there, don’t you have work tomorrow?” she asked with a motherly tone.

“Nope, I have tomorrow off; but I’ll let you go to sleep. I love you Gio and I hope your trip goes smoothly.” Alex said. She said her good bye then turned off her laptop and put it on the nightstand and went to sleep. Gio woke up early again the next morning and thought she would surprise the boys; they told her that they’d be in at 8 so she went to go pick up coffee for them and a sweet passion tea for herself. The second she stepped into the studio the guys tackled her with quick hugs and grabbed for their coffees; it seemed as though they just finished their first cups and were in desperate need of a second one. Joey was tracking bass so she wasn’t able to speak to him; instead she sat in front of the sofa where Johnson was sitting and Marshall was sitting on the top of the table in front of them facing her, Singer was behind the mixing board with the producer listening to Joey. Occasionally Singer would join in the conversation and randomly sing an N’sync song causing them all to join in. Gio actually thought recording was boring, she didn’t understand why the whole band had to be there; until Johnson explained that they would all put input on how parts of the song would go so the process would be more of a band effort than one person making parts and putting them all together.

Joey was done for the moment and they all took a break and ordered take out; as they all ate Gio got a phone call and her face brightened. She excused herself and walked out of the room to take the call. Her smile was what made Joey suspicious. Did she have a boyfriend that he was unaware of? It was a mystery that throughout the entire time that they’ve known each other, they never spoke about relationships; but he assumed that she was single by the way that she was speaking at the party. She finally came back in after 15 minutes and sat down with a content sigh.

“Boyfriend?” Singer asked helping Joey out; it was pretty obvious to everyone that Joey had an interest in her. It wasn’t a crush but he did think that she was attractive and only thought of her as a friend but there were times when his thoughts would trail off and he would think of her as something else.

“Nope, my parents; it’s only been two weeks since I’ve seen them last but I miss them like crazy.” She said.

“So you’re big on family?” Gio nodded with a smile, “So are we; it’s a really big priority to us. All of our families are great friends and we’ve all become one big extended family,” Marshall explained, “So did you date anybody since the last time that we saw you?” Joey’s heart skipped a beat and he really hoped that she didn’t go out.

“A couple with this one guy; I don’t really like him as anything. I don’t even see myself being friends with him; I know I’m in the wrong in accepting the dates but I don’t want to crush him,” Gio sighed.

“You need to be strong woman! Tell him no the next time that he asks.” Johnson ordered.

“Fine I will,” Gio laughed. Joey was a little disappointed that she went out with a guy but glad that it didn’t work out; soon after he went back to recording bass. Gio was getting bored so she told the boys that she was going to go explore the town. Joey was hurt that she didn’t want to spend time with him, but he understood that recording could get very boring. Marshall went along with her because he previously promised to show her the true Vegas. Yeah, Joey had a slight interest in her yet was insanely jealous that she was spending more time with Marshall. It was the type of friend jealousy though; kind of how it was like in kindergarten; when two kids would fight over another kid to hang out with them. The only time they had alone was when they drove from the pond to the party and that wasn’t nearly enough for him.

On their outing, Marshall showed Gio all of his favorite places; from places where he hung out throughout his life to the best restaurants in the city. The last stop was a bit unexpected though; they went to his house where she was introduced to his family. She felt a little awkward because they all assumed that they were dating even after they denied it profusely; but in the end she enjoyed her time with his family. At 5:00 Singer called them and told them that they were finished and to meet them at the diner.

When they arrived at the diner, the boys were already seated and beckoned them over. It was Singer and Johnson on one side, and Gio squeezed in with Joey, followed by Marshall. They told the two how recording went and asked them what they did for the day; before they could respond the waitress came over and took their orders. Apparently she was flirting with the entire group; Johnson was the most disgusted because he had a girlfriend, but she didn’t notice because she was busy texting her brother Sam.

“That waitress is so sleazy; does she really think she has a chance with any of us?” Johnson asked with disgust.

“I know, and when is it okay to flirt with four friends at once?” Singer rhetorically asked. Gio was still in a daze and wasn’t paying attention to what her friends were saying. She was focusing on what the text from her brother said; upon reading it her mood completely dropped. Joey was the first to notice and ask her what was bringing her down. she avoided the looks from the other guys at the table and told him that she would tell him later when they were alone. Gio felt bad that she brought the mood down at dinner but she couldn’t help it. Dinner passed by slowly and it was time for them to part ways. The guys all gave her big hugs knowing she wasn’t feeling the best right now and went on their way.

Joey then climbed into driver seat of the rental car and drove them to the pond. When they got there, she went to pull out a blanket from the backseat and led Joey to the grass area right next to the water. It was kind of chilly so she wrapped half the blanket around herself and the other half over Joey. He pulled her close so she was lying against his chest while he stroked her hair with one hand and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“You want to tell me why you turned so emo on me all of a sudden?” Joey asked trying to lighten the mood.

“My brother’s in the Marines and I haven’t seen him in six months, he was supposed to come home this weekend but he’s on duty. I know I shouldn’t be this sad but I’m just really close to him and I miss him,” Gio confessed.

“It’s understandable. I know how you feel; when I’m out on the road I rarely see my family. Just be grateful that he’s safe and healthy,” Gio smiled up at Joey and snuggled more into him. It seemed as if words were never spoken when they were together; they always had things to say to each other when they were separated but when they got together they would remain mute and enjoy each other’s company.

FF End of the week.

Gio was standing at the airport with Marshall and Joey; the week went by fast and everyone hated that she had to leave. The final boarding call for her plane was called and tears were streaming down her face. Marshall gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead promising to keep in contact. She was bawling when it came time to say bye to Joey. Again nothing was said, a simple hug and kiss and she was gone. When she got on the plane she collected herself but still couldn’t help but feel sad; because the next time she would see them would be in July for Warped Tour. When Gio got out of sight Marshall and Joey let their walls down and showed their frowns. Over the past week, the three of them became this unstoppable trio. Only a month and a half would they see their friend.

Gio was at Imperial Gardens with Alex and his girlfriend Megan the week she got back from Vegas. Gio was getting along fine without her boys; considering it’s only been a week since she left them. But when they called or text her, it made it so difficult for her not to be sad. She considered cutting off all contact with them but she knew that would be wrong; and she wanted them in her life no matter how limited their time was together. Since she’s been home she decided to get a roommate so she wouldn’t be so lonely in her house. Mind you, it wasn’t a complete stranger. It was Alex’ childhood friend Keenan and he was attractive but wasn’t Gio’s type; beside he was practically married to his girlfriend.

The three were waiting for Keenan to actually meet them so they could order already. Ten minutes later he walked in and sat next to Gio. They finally ordered and talked while they waited. There were a few pre-teens a table away that were talking very loudly; then began to sing Bounce by The Cab. Of course Gio heard and a frown immediately showed up on her face. The rest of them looked at her with sad expressions.

“Can you guys please keep it down? My friend isn’t feeling very well,” Alex asked the girls very politely. The girls turned to Alex and began blushing; of course they would, Alex was stunning. They squeaked a yes and turned back around. The group knew not to mention the boys so they continued on with their previous conversation. Gio felt so pathetic for missing them so much for only knowing them for a total of three weeks. Everything about this was just moving too fast for her; she shouldn’t be feeling like this.

Ever since Gio left the boys, Joey and Marshall had been in a rut. They knew their moods were affecting the recording process so they manned up; but when they did get to do video chats with her, the music they made was better than ever. Joey didn’t know how to interpret Marshall’s feelings toward Gio. Were they only friends or was there more there? Marshall on the other hand, knew that Joey liked Gio. He didn’t like Gio, but he couldn’t help but smile at the mention of her name. He thought he was just missing his friend, right?

It was memorial weekend and that meant a three day weekend for Gio. She was planning on a weekend long thing at her house. This was the weekend that her brother would be coming back into town. Saturday was set aside for her brother’s arrival; Sunday was for family bonding; and Monday was going to be a bbq day. It was currently Friday night and she was going to the coffee house to meet up with Alex. When she got there, she found not only one but four Alexs and one Joey Thunder. She was so surprised that it didn’t even register in her mind to walk over there. She kind of just stood there in the doorway until Johnson yelled out her name. She slowly came back to reality and walked over. She sat down next to Alex, still staring at the band before her. They explained that they planned the trip with Alex and that they were going to be staying with him for the weekend.

“Why don’t two of you stay at my house? I have two extra rooms and I know Alex only has enough room for the two of you; plus I’m sure Megan can’t handle 5 guys at once,” Gio offered. They all began discussing who would stay with who; but Singer thought it was pretty pointless because in the end everyone knew that Marshall and Joey would end up leaving with her. After talking for hours they gathered up their luggage and went home. When they pulled up to Gio’s house, she helped pick up the smaller bags against their protests and opened the door. She flicked on the lights as the two boys followed her into the foyer and dropped their bags by the stairs.

“Gio are you home?” Keenan asked coming out in nothing but a towel with beads of water running down his chest.

“Yeah, Keenan. Some of my friends are going to be staying here for the weekend, is that okay?” Gio asked. Keenan immediately recognized them and had a smile plastered on his face.

“Sure, hey nice to meet you; I’m Keenan,” he introduced holding out his hand. Marshall and Joey just stared at him with disgusted glares.