Lost in Stereo

Jade's Point of View

"What? They don't have burritos?" my brother Jack demanded as he slammed his Friendly's menu down on the table. “This is horse cocks, you guys.”

My mom scowled at Jack. “Not in public. They know us here.”

I scoffed. “No, they don’t. We never come here. We always end up at that Greek place.” I threw my hands up. “We’re not even Greek!”

“I voted for Mexican food,” Jack said. “But no one listened to me.”

“Because we always go for Mexican,” I replied. “And no one wants Mexican but you. You always get to choose.”

“I’m never even home!” Jack argued.

I started to open my mouth to yell at him, but my mom finally stepped in. “Really guys. This is supposed to be a nice family dinner before your brother leaves tomorrow.”

“Hence why I should have gotten to pick,” Jack said. Mom rolled her eyes and Jack was silent for a moment and then said, “Wait a minute, I thought Jade was supposed to come, too.”

“Excuse me?” I raised my eyes. I had heard absolutely nothing about this. I turned to my mom. “What’s he talking about?”

Mom sighed. “I was going to tell you after dinner.”

At that moment, the most unhelpful waitress walked over to our table, asking to take our drink orders. Jack asked for a milk shake, my mother ordered hot chocolate even though it was fucking June, and I tried to calmly ask for water through gritted teeth. Unfortunately, it sounded more like I was growling at her. She walked off, looking scared. I turned my attention back to my mother. “Now what’s this about me leaving with him tomorrow?”

Mom’s shoulders drooped. “I really was going to tell you after dinner.” She placed a hand over mine in that supportive mother type way. It took all my strength not to snap my hand back and hide it under the table again. “Honey, I’ve just been so worried about you lately. You’re so sad all the time. It’s not healthy.”

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prick up. “So what, you’re sick of me?”

“No, Jade, that’s not it at all,” Mom tried to explain, her eyes drooping sympathetically. “You’ve been under a lot of stress with college and your graduations and everything else.”

After my sophomore year of high school, I’d decided to take advantage of the school’s post secondary options, meaning I could be a full-time or part-time college student and get high school and college credit. I’d opted to go to the local community college full-time and graduated with my two-year degree about a month before I received my high school diploma. I’d decided to go for my four-year at another local school, but classes didn’t start until the fall.

She continued while Jack fiddled with his silverware. “I just don’t want to see you crash and burn at eighteen.”

“I won’t,” I interjected.

“I just thought it would be a good idea for you to take the summer off and see the country with your brother,” Mom finished. I searched her eyes for a moment. In my first psychology class, I’d learned that when a person looked up and to the right when speaking to you, they were lying. But my mother was looking me dead in the eye. Either this was a rehearsed lie or she really meant it.

Mom was still talking as the waitress brought our drinks over. She set our drinks in front of us, took our orders, and promised to get one of the cooks in the kitchen to make an impromptu burrito for Jack. Band perks, man. “Besides, I know your brother will take good care of you.”

I looked over at Jack to see him drop a whole glob of milkshake down the front of his shirt. “Fart monkeys!”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

“Just give it a chance,” Mom smiled. My mother was so nice; I had no choice but to go along with this.

After dinner, we returned home and I went to my bedroom to pack my things. I was in the middle of packing my jeans when Jack knocked on the door and came in, sitting next to my open suitcase. He glanced into it. “You’re gonna pack tampons and stuff, right? ‘Cause we don’t have that on the bus.”

“I’m not dumb, Jack,” I grumbled, folding my favorite pair of jeans and putting them on top of the stack already present in my suitcase.

“I’m not saying you are,” Jack furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s up with you? Mom’s worried.”

“Nothing,” I replied. “Nothing at all.”

Jack sighed knowingly. “Is this still about Alex?”

I swallowed nervously when he said Alex’s name. “No.”

Alex Gaskarth, Jack’s best friend, my best friend Skye’s twin brother, and the singer of All Time Low was my ex-boyfriend. Our two-year relationship had always been far from perfect. We fought a lot, but we also loved each other, or so I’d thought. A year and a half ago we’d had the fight to end all fights and broke up after he’d revealed he’d been cheating on me. I was crushed, but I wasn’t the type to write in the skies and broadcast it all over the world. I never really talked about it with anyone, especially anyone that was close to Alex, too. Hell, my mother didn’t even fully know what happened.

“I understand,” Jack empathized. “I mean, you’ve hardly seen him since you broke up and I know it’s gonna be awkward and that you really loved him and all…but it’s been a long time. I think you should just kind of, you know, let it go.”

“Let it go?” I raised my eyebrows. “Please, enlighten me on how to do that.”

Jack threw his hands up. “I don’t know, Google it or something.”

I let out a small laugh. Jack said nothing else, just watched me as I packed some shirts, pajamas and under-things. He looked like he was really restraining himself from taking my bra and putting it on his head like a hat. I also grabbed some of my favorite books and packed them, figuring that I would definitely need those on the road.

“You’re not gonna take makeup and stuff?” Jack asked.

“I’m gonna pack it tomorrow after I put it on,” I said.

"Oh, Skye's coming, too," Jack added randomly. "So at least you'll have some company to keep you away from Alex."

I nodded. "Cool. Hey, what time are we getting up, anyway?”

“Four thirty,” Jack answered.

“That’s for real?” I asked. “I thought that was a rumor.”

“Sadly, no,” Jack laughed. “Do you want me to wake you up?”

“Please don’t,” I groaned. “You’re gonna come in and sing that song from Caddyshack, I know it.”

Jack grinned and started singing. “I was born to love you; I was born to lick your face. I was born to rub you, but you were born to rub me first.”

I shuddered. “Please, don’t ever sing me that again. That’s so fucking creepy.”

“Isn’t it?” Jack continued smiling. “Welp, I think I’m gonna be off to bed now. See you bright and early.”

“It’s not gonna be bright,” I pointed out.

“Well, then see you dark and early,” Jack walked out, closing the door behind him. I continued rearranging things in my suitcase until I was somewhat satisfied with the weight distribution and then got out a backpack to put all my last minute bullshit in when I woke up. I grabbed my journal from my bedside table and flipped through it, re-reading all the entries I’d written, mostly about Alex, and all the poems I’d copied down or written myself. Finally my eyes felt heavy, so I shoved the journal and some pens in my backpack and tried to go to sleep, anticipating the morning’s stress and havoc.