Don't Ever Lose Hope

Zack’s POV

I was sitting backstage tuning my guitar when a very irritated Jack walked in the room. Everyone, including me, stopped what they were doing to look at him.
“Dude, are you okay?” Alex asked concerned about what might have caused his attitude to get this way right before our first show….on a cruise. Knowing Jack, he would be bouncing off the walls excited right about now, but the look on his face definitely didn’t read excited. It read more along the lines of pissed off, which was totally unlike him.
“Listen Zack, I’m sorry, but Marissa has to go.” I looked at him as if he didn’t know what he was talking about. Marissa and Jack had always been good buddies, well up until their break up. I never really heard Marissa talk about him anymore, but I didn’t think the bond between them had gotten to this point. I knew Marissa was really excited to see him when arriving on the ship because the first thing that came out of her mouth when I saw her was “where is Jack?” She didn’t even say hi to me, her own brother, who she hadn’t seen in a while.
“What made you come to this conclusion?” I asked him wanting to know what Marissa did to make him this upset. Obviously, it was something bad. Jack was never the one to get mad easily; it took a lot to get him really upset. He looked up at me shaking his head and rubbing his eyes.
“She kissed me Zack, after I told her I have a girlfriend,” he told me like that explained why he was so angry. “Would you care to elaborate on that?” I asked not really knowing why he was so mad.
“After we finished “Dear Maria” I saw her. For a second, I thought I was hallucinating or something but as she continued to walk closer to me I clearly saw that was her. It was weird seeing her after what had happened between us, but that didn’t seem to matter to her. She then started to talk to me like we had just ran into each other, kind of like long lost friends who were reunited for the first time after not seeing each other for years. Don’t get me wrong, I was more than happy to talk to her, but then she started flirting, making me extremely uncomfortable.” I then stopped Jack’s story to interrupt him,
“What kind of flirting, was it like in a playful kind of way?” I asked him, defending my sister.
“Actually as much as I would have liked it to be, it wasn’t. She first told me how much she missed seeing my smile and then proceeded to put her hands on my chest. Then, she asked me, actually it was more like stating how much she wanted to get back together with me and how I was in the wrong for breaking our relationship off in the first place.”
He stopped to catch his breath, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. It seemed to be making him more irritated than he already was instead of calming him down when we had a show in less than twenty minutes.
“I wasn’t going to tell her I had a girlfriend unless it was absolutely necessary, and after she kissed me I felt like it was the right time to tell her. I wasn’t going to have her run all over me when I’m in love with Meagan. She then asked if I felt anything and when I told her no she was determined to get me back. Zack, no offense, but I’m afraid she’s going to ruin my relationship I have with Meagan, and that is the last thing I want her to do. I’ve never felt more alive and happy when I’m around Meagan and it seems like I’m falling harder for her every moment I get to share with her. She is not going to ruin what I have with Meagan; I’m not letting her.” Well it seemed he already has made up his mind about what to do with my sister, and I wasn’t too pleased with his decision to say the least. Yes, Jack is one of my best friends, but I wasn’t going to let him treat my sister like some torn up rag doll that didn’t have feelings.
“Well if it will make you feel any better I will talk to her about it,” I told him hoping that would get him to not be so hateful towards Marissa. Jack smiled at me for the first time since walking in the room.
“That would be great Zack, thanks,” he told me truly meaning it. I gave him a smile back, not wanting to cause any more tension before we perform.
“Guys your on in five,” Matt informed us making sure everything was ready for our performance.
“Okay guys, this is it. Are you ready to have the night of your lives?!” Alex exclaimed, obviously excited. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that we were getting ready to perform on a cruise ship; I was more than stoked and ready to go out there and give it our all and give the crowd something to talk about tomorrow.

Nicole’s POV:

I was anxiously waiting with Meagan right in front of the stage to see my boyfriend, the Alexander William Gaskarth. I couldn’t wait to see the expression on his face when he saw the beautiful dress I bought earlier today. I didn’t own that many dresses so was happy about the fact that I decided to purchase this one, even if it was a little pricey. My palms were sweaty and my heart was racing, and seeing Alex for the first time tonight didn’t help decrease the excitement I was feeling at the moment.
“Hey guys, we’re All Time Low. Thank you so much for coming out tonight, it means a lot to us. We’re going to start you off with a semi-old one; it’s called “This Is How We Do.” Alex then proceeded to look down at me and blow a kiss, causing me to blush majorly and look down at the floor, but as soon as I heard his voice I immediately looked back up at his gorgeousness and knew this was going to be a night neither one of us would ever forget.

Show us off to all your friends,
We're the trophy boys from here to if and when,
we break and break your dreams of,
keeping us a secret.
We're the back-pocket believers,
we're the locals who went postal,
call it treason while you can.

I'm just a face for every picture,
a smile for your scrap-books,
and a story to be told,
but I'm loving every second
so commemorate this hour,
as the last I spend regretting what I have.

Boys, raise your glasses,
Girls, shake those...
(Get up, get up, get up!)
We're the party,
you're the people;
let's make this night a classic.
We play, you move
(Come on let me hear you!)
We're the party, you're the people,
and this is how we,
this is how we do.

The curtain's rising,
I'm forgetting where I've been.
I watch the lights go up,
on a star without his screen.
Set it off and sing it back.
Direction's keeping me on track.
But I'll admit, I do it all for the attention.

I'm just a face for every picture,
a smile for your scrap-books,
and a story to be told,
but I'm loving every second
so commemorate this hour,
as the last I spend regretting what I have.

Boys, raise your glasses,
Girls, shake those...
(Get up, get up, get up!)
We're the party,
you're the people;
let's make this night a classic.
We play, you move
(Come on let me hear you!)
We're the party, you're the people,
and this is how we,
this is how we do.

As the song ended, there was immediate cheers and applause from the crowd. I smiled to myself; I was so proud of these four guys, who worked hard achieving their dream straight out of high school and never gave up, even if it was hard at times. Now look where they are, performing on a cruise ship, who would have thought this was possible. I guess it just comes to show that if you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything.
Almost an hour had passed, but I don’t think anyone was paying attention to the time. Everyone’s attention was on the four amazing guys performing their hearts out on stage. They ended the night with Dear Maria, Count Me In; the perfect song to a perfect evening. As everyone started leaving the venue area talking about how amazing the band truly was, Meagan and I walked back stage to find Alex, Jack, Zack and Rian sharing a group hug together. I smiled,
“How come I wasn’t invited to join in on this?” I said wrapping my arms around Alex and Jack, but soon was lifted off the ground. “Alex, put me down!” I told him laughing. He did as I told him, but still had his arms wrapped around my waist.
“Did I fail to mention you look absolutely stunning tonight?” he asked me with a smile plastered on his face. I didn’t answer him; instead put my lips on his, contempt at how well our lips fit together. I couldn’t think of anything that would make this night any better than it already was; I was so happy, as well as Meagan, that they guys had an incredible first show. However, I couldn’t help but get a glimpse of Marissa out of the corner of my eye, who looked more depressed/pissed off than anything.

Marissa’s POV

So, I wasn’t going to show up at All Time Low’s performance tonight because I really wasn’t in the mood to see Jack. I may have said I was excited to see him play earlier, but that was before; before he managed to shatter my heart in a million pieces, pieces that I have yet to find. However, I decided to go only to support my brother. I haven’t seen my brother perform in I don’t know how long and it was good to be able to see him do something he truly loved to do. I could get that vibe from him when I watched him play that bass.
The entire show I tried to only watch Zack, but every now and then I caught myself looking at him, the guy I didn’t come here to watch. How come every time I tried to get him off my mind he always managed to enter back in it? It was driving me crazy and I just wanted him back. If it couldn’t be a relationship, then I at least wanted to share a friendship with him, the first guy I truly had feelings for. The first guy I fell head over heels for.
However, as I watched him interact with Meagan backstage after the show it was getting harder and harder to block what I had with him out of my mind. As hard as I tried to erase the past out of my memory, the pain kept coming back, and then I knew that longing to be with him would never go away. As much as I wanted my heart to heal, Jack was making it that much harder to pick up the pieces. Why did this thing called love have to be such a difficult thing to come by? And why, once I finally found my prince charming, couldn’t I find my happy ending?