Don't Stop Now

2 weeks later…

I remember waking up to the sound of my ringtone. ‘Dakota’ by A Rocket to the Moon was blasting at the foot of my bed and I was too tired to get it. With my feet, I kicked it to the side and reached out for it, quickly bringing it to my ear.

“Hello…” I managed to say, rubbing my eyes.

“Norah! Thank God you’re awake. Are you busy?”

I groaned and laid my head back on my pillow. The worst part about being friends with bands, you get unexpected phone calls at 3 in the morning.

“Jared?” My voice lowered a bit, “Yeah, I’m sleeping…”

“But, but I NEED to tell you something super important and major. It includes a lot of information and I can’t hold it in anymore. I need to tell somebody!” Jared sounded super hyped up like he had just drank 10 Red Bulls and 15 cups of coffee.

My blanket was pulled up all the way to my chin. I made myself cozy underneath and rested my phone on the pillow and leaned towards its direction so I could listen to Jared.

“Fine… go ahead Jare.”

He started off by telling the exciting things that happened after they left Arizona. He told me how John got a throat infection and they had to cancel their sets for 4 shows straight, Jared explained how Kennedy went out on a date, the time when Pat’s fingernails were too long and the way Garrett’s been.

“He misses you… and he keeps on mentioning you…” He whispered.

I turned over, bringing my phone with me. I placed it on my cheek and sighed. Garrett was the last thing on my mind. The night the boys left, I made myself forget about him and everything that ever happened between us. I started hanging out with my real, normal friends and went out to meet some guys. I was finally starting a new chapter until Jared had to mention his name.

To make it a lot easier on myself, I decided to tell Jared that I didn’t want to hear his name or hear how he was doing. I know it might have hurt his feelings and I know it was a total bitch move, but I couldn’t deal with him.

“You know what, I really thought you’d be more considerate Norah, but I guess I was wrong. The guys were right; you are a selfish bitch.”

“Jared!” I sat up, gasping.

I heard him whisper something to someone. In the background, I heard the voices of all of them, including Tim. They were probably listening to this conversation anyway.

“I’m just saying what’s true, Norah.” He said, and then he passed the phone to Kennedy. “Norah, we all love you here but Jared’s not lying and we know you know this too…”

It was still around 3 am and my parents were just down the hall, but I just wanted to pull these guys out of the phone and strangle them.

“What are you guys talking about? I’m not a selfish bitch, Kennedy.” I replied.

Kennedy sighed, “Okay you know what. I, I mean, we, don’t want to argue with you right now. We’re fucked up and sleepy. Just be happy that Garrett’s isn’t with us.”

“Where is he?”

On the other end, I heard the guys gasp and laugh. “What would you want to know?”

These guys were just acting too ridiculous and I really didn’t want to deal with them. So I hung up on them and fell asleep. While I tried to think of something, all that popped in my head was Garrett.

The next morning I drove to Phoenix to do some shopping. I was alone, but that’s what I liked. I walked into Forever 21 and skimmed through the shirts and the dresses. The shop was full and in came the kind of people that lived off these kinds of clothes. I normally wasn’t one to follow trends, but I was a sucker for the types of clothes Forever 21 had. I remember being in middle school when I dressed in skinny jeans, striped long sleeves, and my converse. Once I entered high school, I found out about shorts, tank tops, and Toms. My wardrobe has changed completely and now being fresh out of high school, dresses were my thing.

I remember the first time the guys saw me in a dress. I was working at the merch table last year at Warped and when they came and started signing autographs, they stopped and stared at me.

“Norah… you’re wearing a dress.” Garrett said.

I smiled. “I know. Do you like it? Do I look weird? I bet I do, huh? I mean, look at the way John is staring.”

Garrett turned around and laughed at John’s expression. He snapped his fingers in his face and John shook.

“Norah, you look really good.” He said, winking and handing a poster to a fan.

“Thanks.” I said, smiling.

They made me feel beautiful. They never criticized me or made me feel uncomfortable. Those boys did whatever it took to make everything feel so infinite. I can’t remember the last time I felt unhappy when I was around them.

I walked out of the store and dialed Pat’s number on my phone.

“Nor, hey, what’s up? Hey look sorry about last ni-”

“Pat, I need to talk to Garrett.” I said, cutting him off.

I heard him say something to somebody and then he told me, “Sorry. He’s not here right now.”

“Where is he?”

Pat sighed, “He’s with Rachael.”