Status: :D
Live, Laugh, Love
Live, Laugh, Love
Everyone learns from life. They learn from mistakes that they make, from the hurt they receive, and from the death they see. Everyone has one lesson that they learn from life that they carry on with them. Some learn it early on, while others learn it later. I unfortunately learned mine at the mere age of 17. I learned that life is unfair. Those who mean a lot to you and the things you hold dearly to your heart can be taken away in a split second. I also learned that life is too short. That anyone, even those who you thought invincible, can die at any moment in time. What I seemed to learn in the aftermath is that life should also be lived to the fullest and love will always be found.
***
omgitsjersey: Lesson of the day: life goes on.
I turned my tear stained face to the door as I heard it open and close. I saw Stella, Vinny, and Emelly. I small smile made its way onto my face, but disappeared at their expression. All three of them had sorrow painted on their faces.
“C’mon AJ. It’s been a month now. You have to get on with your life. We have spent a month with you refusing to hang out, having a hold on band practice and writing new songs. This has to stop. We know you miss Alex. We all do, but please, I’m begging- we’re all begging you, please start living again.” Vinny said, tears filling her eyes. I knew it killed them to see me like this. They were as close to Alex as I was, I just couldn’t let go.
“I’m sorry.” My voice was barely above a whisper, yet somehow they all were able to hear me. “I’m sorry. I know you all miss him, and that it’s been a month now, but I just can’t seem to get over it and live my life. I feel like I’m missing half of who I am. Then again, he was my twin. I just can’t…. I promise I’ll try to get on, and I appreciate all your help, and I just want you all to know that I am trying.” I told them truthfully. I saw them all sadly smile at me. All three of them walked up to me and held out their pinkies.
“We all know that you always keep your pinky promises and not ordinary ones, so c’mon, hand over your pinky and pinky promise us that you will try and allow us to help you get on with life.” I smiled at my three friends and wrapped my pinky in theirs.
“I promise.” I whispered, once more.
***
Two weeks later
omgitsjersey: In New York recording some bass tracks for the new album. Super excited!
We all finished practicing some songs that were becoming a little rusty and some new songs that were written a few weeks ago. As if on cue, my phone began ringing. Looking down, I smiled when I saw it was our manager, Elliot.
“Hello.” I said the smile still on my face.
“Finally, someone answers their phone!” Elliot exclaimed. I laughed lightly at that. “Okay, so you need to tell my sister, Stella, and Emelly that they need to answer their phones.”
“Alright. I’ll do that. So I assume you would like to talk to all of us as a whole?” I asked him, getting ready to put him on speaker phone.
“Yes please.” Elliot replied.
“You’re on speaker.”
“Okay, well, I just received a call from a representative from Decaydance. They want to sign you because they somehow heard some of your songs. So we go to New York in one week, see if they like you hopefully get you signed, and according to them, you will be an opening band for a tour they are sponsoring in a few months. Turns out they need a new band, and your sound is perfect for that.” Shock overcame us all as we took in what Elliot said.
“So, we might meet Pete Wentz?” was the only thing I was able to get out of my mouth.
“Yes, you might meet Pete Wentz, and maybe one of the bands you might tour with. So do you all agree with this? Are you up for actually living the life of a musician that actually gets paid a good amount, or do you guys not think you’re ready for it after everything that has happened?” Elliot asked, referring to the death of my brother. Everyone looked at me and I nodded.
“I think we are actually up for this. Everyone has asked me to get on with my life, and I know my brother. If he was alive right now, he would smack me silly until I agreed to this.” I stated, a small smile coming onto my lips. Stella nodded.
“Okay, that confirms it all. We head to New York next week and hopefully blow the people at Decaydance away.”
“Good. I’ll call them back and tell them that you accept their offer. Keep practicing and plan what you wanna pack. I will not pack for y’all again.” Elliot said, causing us all to laugh.
“Bye Elliot. See you next week, or whenever you pop up over here.” I said as I closed the phone. We all looked at each other, still trying to soak it in.
“Oh my god.” Stella said, after a moment of silence. “We actually have a chance to make It.” she said, looking up at us. I smiled at her, still in shock.
“Do you think we will make it?” I asked her softly. “Well, do you think I’m still put together enough for us all to make it? I am the back bone, you know.” I told her. She looked at me and nodded.
“Honey, we all have faith in you. Don’t you dare go off and think less of your abilities. You surprised us all when you learned how to fucking play the drums within one year and become as good as any drummer that’s been playing for life. You have an astounding musical ability. Don’t ever put yourself down.” Stella told me, the honest truth in her words. I looked at my other two band mates, who were nodding in agreement.
“You put yourself down a lot nowadays. You are fucking amazing. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.” Vinny added in. I gave them all hugs.
“I’m sorry. It still affects me.” they all nodded in understanding and left to go back to their respective homes.
***
omgitsjersey: Listening to some unknown band on youtube. These kids have some serious talent.
“Holy shit this place is nice.” I said quietly to myself as we all followed Amanda Jones, one of the representatives at Decaydance. We entered a room that was split in half between a recording studio and an office.
“Mr. Wentz will be in here shortly to discuss your band and whether you would be suitable to be a member of the Decaydance family.” we all looked at her in shock.
“Pete Wentz the Pete Wentz wants to discuss our band with us?” I asked her timidly, still trying to wrap my mind around the news.
“Yes. He seemed to take a liking to your songs. Now if you will please excuse me.” she said as she left the room.
“Holy shit.” Vinny said. “Pete Wentz heard our songs. How the hell did he hear our songs?” she asked us all dumbfounded by this news.
“Wait,” Stella said, slowly, deep in thought. “AJ, didn’t you put our songs up on youtube, Facebook, and MySpace?” she asked me. I nodded in reply. “Well, we know that a lot of people have listened and downloaded our songs from those sites. He could have passed over them while just listening to music or another one of his bands heard us and mentioned us to him.” We all looked at her in thought.
“I guess you’re right. That would be the only way for him to hear us, or unless he magically showed up to the rock undetected and heard us at one of our gigs.” Vinny said shrugging her shoulders. “But, right now, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are here in New York, at Decaydance, with a very good chance of being signed. So let’s keep thinking happy thoughts.”
We all nodded in agreement, and did all we can to try to calm our nerves. Stella began humming the tune of a lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she was little; Emelly took out her ipod and began listening to some French songs she to calm her down. Vinny and I began running around the room, trying to get rid of the access energy we gained from being nervous.
Everyone was so caught up in trying to suppress their nerves that no one noticed the door open and close and Elliot move over to talk.
“Wow. This has to be the first time I have walked into a room to talk with a band and I see two members acting like their running from lions.” Pete said, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. Next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the floor with Vinny, looking up.
“THAT WAS FUN!!! AJ WE SHOULD TOTALLY DO THAT AGAIN!” Vinny exclaimed as she helped me up. I smiled and hugged her.
“We should, but please, can we do it where there are matted floors?” She laughed and nodded.
“Okay, now that you girls have had your moment, we should get to business.” Stella said, turning to Pete Wentz.
“Yeah… well, I think I should tell you where I heard your music first. I was in the studio recording with one of my bands and whenever we need a certain person, the other members just go do whatever. Anyways, one of them showed me a recording of your songs, and I know that not everyone has the best recording systems in the world, but you all sounded fantastic.” We all looked down and blushed at the compliment. “Now, I know you all have run into a problem in the past few months, and I appreciate you guys coming here. I really want to sign you to this label, but in order to do that; I need to hear what you guys sound like live. So if you will please follow me.” He told us. we all automatically followed him to the little recording studio.
I took a deep breath as I sat behind the drum set.
“Okay, so this song is called Bring the music.” Stella said from behind her guitar and microphone. I counted us in, and we all began to play the music that brought us all together.
“Okay, this one is called Amy’s Song.” I smiled as we played this song, knowing that the girl we wrote it about is the exact opposite of the blond bimbo many would think about.
Three songs and four girls out of breath later, we sat in the office with Pete Wentz.
“Well, I’d like to say I wasn’t disappointed. You guys have serious talent. You know what? Screw all this fucking record producing process. I’m gonna go have the secretary type up a contract for you guys and It’ll be ready in a few hours. So would you all like to grab some dinner so we could get to know each other?” Pete asked us, completely changing from his business man character to his actual personality. We all nodded and walked out after him.
***
“You’re shitting me!” Pete exclaimed, his body shaking with laughter.
“Nope. She seriously woke up one day, went to the ice rink did a rock show on ice with her brother. It was classic. By the end of the day, we were all part of it. I think that’s what actually started this band.” Stella said, talking about the day we almost got kicked out of the ice rink in Tucson for trying to make a rock show on ice.
“Yeah. But the most epic part of it was that we were almost kicked out.” Vinny added. “and it was all because of her, so if you ever see us kicked out of any store, it’s all because of her!” Vinny said pointing at me.
“HEY!” I said raising my hands in defense. “How should I know that they might kick us out? It said ‘All Recreational Rink’ on the sign!” I defended myself. Everyone broke out into laughter, and a while later I joined them.
“Okay, so you know the crazy stuff I’ve done.” I said to Pete, “Now tell us one of the most embarrassing or crazy thing you’ve done.” Everyone turned their attention to Pete, waiting for an answer.
“Well, mine would have to be the time when Patrick and I-” Pete was cut off by a phone beeping. He looked down at his phone. “Sorry, this is important. I have to take this, but I’ll finish the story for you guys later.” We nodded and watched him walk out to hear better.
“Wow.” I said completely out of nowhere. “Who would of thought that we would be having dinner with Pete Wentz?” I asked them all, who nodded in agreement.
“Sorry about that.” Pete said walking back. “It turns out we have to cut dinner short. There are some people at Decaydance who want to meet you.” We nodded and stood up.
***
omgitsjersey: About to meet a band that might become part of the Decaydance family!
“PETE!” a petit girl of 5’2 with blond streaks in her dark brown hair ran up to us. She engulfed Pete into one of the tightest hugs I have ever seen.
“It’s good to see you too Cassadee. This is the band I was talking to you about. This is With Good Intensions. They have some serious talent and I want you guys to hear what I recorded from them earlier today when they were showing me what they got.” Cassadee nodded in agreement turning to us.
“Hi guys. I’m Cassadee Pope, singer of Hey Monday. Pleased to meet you! And I mean it when I say that. If you join us on tour, I won’t have to be the only girl, and you seem to be tomboyish so I’m pretty sure we’ll get along.” We all smiled at the petit singer, well I can’t really call her petit. She was taller than me, by two inches.
“Hi, I’m Stella Robinson, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of With Good Intensions, and I’m pretty sure we’ll get along just fine too.” Stella said, shaking her hand.
“Hi, I’m Emelly Newton, bassist of With Good Intensions. I agree with Stella. We’ll get along just fine.” Emelly said, shaking her hand.
“HI!!!” Vinny said, tackling the poor girl in a hug. “I’m Vinny Barrows. I’m the lead guitarist of With Good Intensions. I really like you, and I’m pretty sure we will get along fine, and I have ADHD so good luck!” Vinny said, jumping off her and doing a cartwheel. Cassadee laughed and turned her attention to me.
“Hi, I’m Alexis Juliette Anna Maria Varero, but please for all that is good in this world, call me AJ. I’m the Drummer for said band, and I’m normally a lot like Vinny, and you will see that behavior a lot, but right now I’m dealing with a death, so I’m sorry if I seem like a downer.” I said looking up at her. She smiled and gave me a hug.
“Don’t worry, I think we will get along great, and you have the most amazing eyes ever! They are like the iciest blue I have ever seen!” She said to me. I blushed slightly at the complement.
“Okay, now that you all are acquainted with Cassadee, let’s go find the rest of the boys.” Pete said, walking towards the office.
“Oh yeah, about the boys, they’re off listening to their recordings. I just decided to find you first so I don’t get in trouble.” Cassadee said, ruffling her hair a bit.
“That sounds like them.” Pete said with a chuckle. “C’mon girls, lets bust these boys.
***
heycassadee: watching my boys act like boys
We walked into the office and saw three boys wrestling on top of each other.
“C’MON! IT’S MY TURN TO PRESS THE BUTTON!” I heard one of them yell. Next thing I knew I was laughing hysterically. They all stopped fighting and turned to look at me.
“I’m sorry. That was funny. It also reminded me of my brother and I.” I said, remembering the times I’ve tackled Alex because it was my turn to do something. Tears began to burn my eyes and slide down my face. Next thing I knew I was being hugged by someone. I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. The boy hugging me had dark brown hair pointed in every corner. He had thick black rimmed glasses and snake bites. He had a lot of necklaces hanging from his neck and he wore a purple v-neck and skinny jeans and some chucks.
He pulled away and smiled nervously.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I just hate seeing girls cry.” His voice, a tad bit high, sounded like velvet to my ears.
“It’s okay. I’m just going through a tough time.” I told him truthfully. He smiled at me and pulled me into a short hug.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you start crying when you mentioned your brother?” I took a deep breath and looked at my band mates, who had encouraging looks.
“Well, you see, my brother and I turned 17 on October 31st. For our birthday present, our parents surprised us with the key to the car, and two tickets to go see Mayday Parade, Stereo Skyline, Forever The Sickest Kids, and The Friday Night Boys. It was just the two of us. We flipped a coin to see who drove first and it turned out to be me. We both enjoyed the concert, I’ll tell you that. One of the best I’ve been to in a long time.” I said smiling slightly. “However, on the way home, a drunk driver ran across his red light and his car smashed into ours. I woke up a week later after being in coma and it turned out that my brother didn’t make it. He died within the next two days. It’s been about two months now and not a day goes by where I think that it should have been me. I miss him so much, and I think it impacts me so much because he was my twin, my other half. We looked exactly alike and the only way you could eventually tell us apart was because my hair is so long, and he was actually a good foot and a few inches taller than me.” I said, smiling a little, remember Alex’s growth spurt. Next thing I knew I was being hugged by eight people.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry! That must have been terrible!” I heard Cassadee say. I looked up at all of them as they slowly began to release me.
“It’s okay. I’ve been slowly getting my life back on track. And I’m glad that I am. My brother was my main support system because my parents aren’t really around that much and my older brother, Seth, is always in some state because of his job.”
“Well, now that we have heard your story, I think the rest of us should introduce ourselves.” I turned to where the voice came from and saw a short man with piercing blue eyes.
“Hello, my name is Mike Gentle and I am the guitarist for Hey Monday.” He said, shaking all our hands.
“Hi, I’m Alex Lipshaw and I’m also the guitarist for Hey Monday.” The tall boy with honey brown hair and brown eyes said. I smiled and shook his hand.
“I’m Jersey Moriarty, and I’m the Bassist for Hey Monday, and if you guys get signed, it would be a pleasure to tour with you.” He said giving everyone hugs.
“In that case, I got some good news for everyone.” We all looked at Pete. “With Good Intension’s contracts just got printed and are being brought here right this seconds. So, you guys get to tour with them. and I’m thinking instead of having them make an EP we just make a full length, because I know for sure that they have enough songs to make one.” We looked at him, amazed that he knew that we did have enough songs.
“How did you-” Stella began asking him.
“I looked through your stuff while you guys were talking. I saw the demo you guys had for a full length and I listened to most of it, and I also checked out some songs on the CD case that had no title. Who is the boy that is singing the duet?” Pete asked us. I looked at him with a sad smile.
“That was my brother, Alex. His full name is Alexander Julian Aaron Michael Varero, just in case you ever need to credit him in something. We always had him sing the male parts we needed in the duets, and whenever we had gigs, we’d force him up on stage and make him sing. The crowd always loved him. That CD is kind of like a tribute to him.” I told him quietly, falling back again to a memory. I felt someone squeeze my arm slightly and I snapped back into reality.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to take this in, and fix the recording. Just to remove some static, and make the sound fuller. Then, when it’s all fixed, I’ll make sure it’s an album and we can put it out as a tribute to your brother.” I ran up to him and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you so much Pete. You have no idea how much that would mean to me, my brother Seth, and, if he were alive, Alex. He would be honored to have you do this for us.” I told him.
“Okay, well how about we spend this whole week, and try to get your Full length done, then make about one million copies, send one song that is really catchy to radio stations, and then have you join Hey Monday and the rest of the bands on the GK tour?” Pete asked us. We all nodded in agreement and went to our respected chairs to get this done.
***
petewentz: signing a new band.
An hour, 60 pages later, and four cramped hands, we had signed the contract and became a part of the Decaydance family.
“Good, now all we need is you guys to get sponsored by Glamour Kills which I don’t think will be a problem. I’ll talk to Marky and see what can be done.” Pete said as he walked away with the contracts in one hand and his cell phone in the other.
“That went well.” Elliot said, taking out his phone to save our new schedule. We all looked at him like he was crazy.
“How the hell can you be so calm about this?” Vinny asked her brother. “I mean, we were just in the presence of Pete Wentz and Hey Monday and all you can say is ‘that went well’?” she asked him, completely shocked.
“Uh, yeah.” He replied. “See, I’m not one of the band members. I’m the manager. This doesn’t really mean much to me except that I’m gonna have a shitload of work coming towards me for booking you guys and getting your merch in on time and making sure the roadies don’t screw up. Now speaking of merch, who do you want your merch person to be?” he asked us.
“Vixx.” We all said at once.
“We need her.” Stella said.
“She’s like a mother, and we kinda need someone to keep us grounded…” Vinny continued,
“When we’re getting too hyper, arrogant…” Emelly said.
“Or when you decide to take a day off and drink a few beers.” I finished. Elliot looked at us in shock.
“Wow. You guys actually put some time, effort and thought into this.”
“Way to show that you have faith in us.” Vinny said, rolling her eyes. Elliot just chuckled and went back to marking all the dates we have to be here within the next week.
***
omgitsjersey: So stoked that @WithGoodIntentions is now part of the Decaydance family and that they will be joining us on the GK tour!
“Oh my god! We’re finally done.” I said, collapsing onto the couch in the hotel room suite we’ve been in.
“Yeah. Even though that was loads of fun, it was so tiring and hard work. Damn everyone makes it look easy!” Vinny said as she plopped down next to me.
“Oh yeah girls, you also need to make twitter accounts for your band because all your fans on MySpace and Facebook want to stalk you and find out what you’re doing.” Elliot said walking in, carrying his laptop. “So get to it. Start it WGI and your name.” he said handing Vinny the laptop.
Each of us set up a twitter and made sure we could tweet from our phones.
“I like mine.” I said admiring my new twitter page. “WGIAJ. It looks cool. And its short sweet and simple!” I stated, using hand motions.
“You really are the one who is easily amused by the simplest things. Elliot was right.” I heard Pete say, walking into the room.
“Um… yeah?” I said sheepishly, a light blush covering my cheeks from embarrassment.
“Don’t worry. I think it’s adorable and so do your fans. They all said so on your new website, and I even added your twitters to it, so whenever you tweet, they get updated.” Pete said to us. “Oh, I also got a hold of Marky. He said that he wants you to become part of the GK family too, so he set up a shoot for you all in three days, so your stay here has been extended.”
“YES!” Stella exclaimed. “What? We get free GK clothes, AND we get to meet Marky! You all know that has been a dream of mine since we started this band!”
I laughed and bounced up and down in my seat.
“WAIT!” I said mid bounce. “THAT REMINDS ME! I NEED TO GO SHOPPING!” I said, my eyes wide with realization. “PAPA WENTZ!” I yelled. Pete looked up from talking to Elliot about the rest of the days we were going to be here.
“Papa Wentz? That’s a new one. Well what do you want?” he asked me, amused
“Where is the nearest mall? I need some new jeans and shoes, and some other lady stuff that I’m pretty sure we’ll need.” I said to him, looking at the girls in confirmation.
“Uh..” Pete said a bit flustered, “there’s one near this hotel, it’s on Madison Avenue and Park. I’ll call Ashley to take you girls. She has been meaning to have a day out.” He said, pressing the familiar number onto his phone.
***
WGIAJ: about to go shopping with Ashley Simpson-Wetnz, @WGIStella, @WTGEmelly, and @WTGVinny. Super excited!
“Hey honey.” Ashley said to Pete as she came into the door carrying Bronx.
“AWWW!” I squealed, “He is so cute! Can I hold him? Please? Please? Please?” I asked her. She chuckled and nodded.
“Sure, but be careful.” She said handing him to me.
“Of course, we don’t want baby Wentz to get hurt now do we?” I said in a baby voice, laying down on the floor near the couch, setting him on my tummy. I heard some laughter and a couple awws. I looked up and saw Pete with a smirk on his face.
“Honey, I think I just found Bronx’s new baby sitter.” Pete said. Ashley chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Anyways, these are the girls from the new band I just signed, With Good Intensions. I told them you would take them shopping.” He told her.
“Okay, I’ll take them, but you’re watching Bronx while I’m gone.” I stood up and handed Bronx to Pete.
“Bye bye Papa Wentz, baby Wentz and Elliot!” I said skipping out the door. After noticing that no one followed me I stuck my head in.
“Mama Wentz, are we going shopping or not yet?” Ashley laughed and began walking to the door.
“Mama Wentz… that’s a first, but I like it.” She said quietly to herself, smiling at the four girls.
***
WTGStella: I am never going shopping again with @WGIAJ and Mama Wentz. Those two are crazy!
“I am never doing that again. Ever.” Stella said walking into the suite. We all followed her carrying multiple bags.
“C’mon Stella, that wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t like the time when she just HAD to get those neon green vans and she literally ran down everyone in the store!” Vinny said setting down her bags.
“You guys suck! You’re all worse than I am and just when I need to get a few pairs of jeans, some new shoes, and an adorable monster shirt you all start complaining!” I whined setting my stuff next to Vinny. “Elliot tell them to stop being mean to me!” I whined to Elliot. He turned to Pete.
“See what I have to go through?” Elliot asked Pete as we began to complain. Pete laughed and shook his head.
***
WGIEmelly: gonna officially be on tour tomorrow. The band is meeting up with the other bands on this GK tour.
“TOUR, TOUR, TOUR!” Vinny and I yelled as we did a mini conga line waiting for the other bands.
“You guys are officially insane.” Stella said from her spot on the couch.
“Your just jealous you don’t have a the skill to lead an amazing tour-based conga line!” Vinny retorted. “C’MON! TOUR, TOUR, TOUR, TOUR!” Vinny and I continued our conga line, ignoring everyone in the room.
“OH MY GOD! A TOUR-BASED CONGA LINE! I WANNA JOIN!” I heard an unfamiliar voice say, jumping behind me putting their hands on my shoulder.
“TOUR, TOUR, TOUR, TOUR!” we yelled until Pete Cleared his throat.
“Okay, guys. Let’s get to business. We have everyone who will be on this tour present, correct?” Pete asked looking around. Everyone nodded in affirmative.
“Wait, when did everyone get here?” I asked slightly confused on how more people appeared in the room.
“Well, you had that wonderful tour-based conga line that Jack felt the need to join.” I heard a voice say. I turned around just to see that Alex Gaskarth was the one who spoke.
“Uh... oh… well…” I said not knowing what to say, partly because I was so oblivious and partly because I was in the presence of Alex Gaskarth, causing everyone to laugh. “Damn it, I got star struck when I promised myself I wouldn’t!” I said to myself, accidentally to loud, causing everyone to laugh.
“Okay, now that we all have everyone here, I want to introduce the newest band on this tour.” Matt, the overall manager said. “This is With Good Intensions. Girls if you would introduce yourselves.”
“Um, well, I’m Stella. I’m the vocalist and rhythm guitarist.” Stella began, just like always.
“Well, I’m Vinny, and I’m the lead guitarist and backup vocals.” Vinny said, waving to everyone.
“I’m Emelly, and I play the bass.” Emelly said, her rarely there accent slightly covering her words.
“I’m AJ, and I’m the drummer. Nice to meet y’all.” I said, giving everyone a slight wave.
“Okay, now that we all know each other, let’s go choose your busses.” Matt said, ushering us all out the door.
“WE CALL THE NEON GREEN BUS!” I yelled running up to the bus giving it a hug. I heard laughter from behind me. “Hey! Don’t laugh at me hugging Zane! He needs some love too!” this just caused everyone to laugh even harder.
“Okay, so I guess we get Zane.” Elliot said, walking up to us, shaking his head. I cheered and danced around with Vinny, who I guess liked the bus as much as I did.
***
WGIAJ: first day of tour, first show ever, first time to show people what we got and to rock their worlds!
“C’mon darling. Wake up. It’s your first day of tour; you need to be ready for it.” I groaned and hit the person with my pillow. If anyone knew me well enough, you would know to not wake me up in the morning and just let me roll out of bed. “C’mon AJ. Elliot has coffee ready for you.” My eyes shot open.
“I’m up. Where’s the coffee?” I asked Vixx. She laughed and pointed to the front lounge. I got out of my bunk and walked to the lounge.
“ELLIOT I WANT MY COFFEEE!” I heard him chuckle and he walked out of the ‘kitchen’ carrying a cup of coffee.
“There you go. And we’re going outside. And yes you can come in your pjs.” He said, answering my unasked question. I smiled gratefully and pulled on my worn out converse.
“Morning.” I looked up and saw Jersey standing there with Cassadee. I could feel butterflies filling my stomach.
“Morning guys. So do y’all know why we’re up and about when the concert doesn’t start until 6?” I asked them, taking a sip of coffee, trying to calm the butterflies.
“Always on the first day of tour, we all get up early and go through the whole process and practice getting on and getting off and them telling us what to expect.” Cassadee said.
“Oh that’s cool. Hey guys wanna hang out with me during the other performances?” I asked them as we reached the big group in front of us.
“Sure, I’m in. by the way, I love your pajamas.” Jersey said, smiling.
***
omgitsjersey: watching @WithGoodIntensions kill it out there. so surprised that this is their first show.
“HELLO NEW JERSEY!” Stella yelled into the microphone “ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR TONIGHT?” she asked the crowed. We were greeted with cheers from the crowd. I looked over at Vinny from my right and laughed. She responded with sticking her tongue out at me.
“Hey Stella, get on with it and let us introduce ourselves. I bet these kids are wondering who we are.” Vinny said, in which Stella just rolled her eyes.
“Okay, I guess everyone up here is getting overly excited. So we’re With Good Intensions! We just recently got signed, and this is our first tour and so you guys are our first crowed. So are you guys ready to make this the BEST TOUR EVER?” she yelled? We received screams and shouts, while I played some beats.
“Okay, so Stella failed to introduce everyone, so I’m gonna do it. As everyone knows that is Stella, our leading lady, our front woman with the amazing pipes!” Vinny said pointing to Stella. “Over there is Emelly. She’s our bassist, a pretty little thing, ain’t she?” she asked pointing to Emelly. “I’m Vinny, and I play guitar.” she said pointing to herself.
“YEAH AND SHE IS AMAZING AT IT! THAT CHICK CAN SHRED!” I yelled from my set, loud enough for the crowd to hear me.
“Thanks darling and that little one is AJ. She’s our drummer, and let me tell you, that girl can keep a serious beat! And look at how tiny she is! It surprises everyone that she’s the backbone of this band.” Vinny said, pointing to me. I stuck my tongue at her for making fun of my height.
“Thanks Vinny for those introductions. Now let’s kick it off with Amy’s Song.” Stella said with a smile. Vinny and Emelly and I entered in sync. Stella opened her mouth and began to sing. Adrenaline rushed through my veins when we the fans sang along with us.
We finished our set and I grabbed one of the water bottles next to me.
“THANK YOU EVERYONE. ARE YOU READY FOR HEY MONDAY?” The crowd cheered. “HOW BOUT WE THE KINGS?” She asked. The crowed screamed harder. “AND LAST BUT DEFINATELY NOT LEAST, ALL TIME FUCKING LOW!” This caused the crowed to scream even louder, probably causing me to get some hearing damage.
“Okay, well you guys have been an awesome crowed, but we gotta jet!” We all waved and got off the stage. I felt someone pull me into a hug as I came off backstage.
“That was amazing!” I looked up and saw Jersey. Butterflies automatically filled my stomach again.
“Thanks. I was so nervous! And I can’t believe that all those kids know our songs! this is all so surreal!” I said giving him a hug. We pulled away from each other and smiled at each other.
“I know. I felt the same way the first time our band preformed. The whole surreal part of it never leaves because you never get past the fact that you actually made it.” He said before going on stage. Slowly the fluttering began to fade.
“Hey girl. I gotta say, you can drum.” I turned around and saw a grinning Rian Dawson. I could feel a blush making its way to my cheeks.
“Thanks…” I said embarrassed and slightly shocked.
“Hey, don’t embarrass the poor girl. She just got done doing her first show.” I heard a voice come from next to me. I turned and saw Jack and Zack walking out of the dressing room.
“Oh it’s okay. It wasn’t that. It’s just, and this is gonna sound a bit stupid, when I first started drumming, my main goal was to be like Rian and The Rev. Each and every day I strived to get as skilled as them, so it means a lot to me when Rian said that.” I explained to them. Next thing I knew Rian had engulfed me into a hug.
“You have no idea what it means to me that you actually look up to me as a musician.” He said as he released me. I smiled and looked around me.
“So, how does it feel to be the headlining band?” I asked them, they all shrugged.
“It doesn’t change anything. We’re here to play music. Whether we play first or last doesn’t change. Either way we hope to impact the kids that are out there.” Alex said, with everyone nodding.
“AJ, I NEED YOU TO HELP ME HIDE! STELLA IS AFTER ME CUZ I TOOK THE LAST OREO.” This got my attention.
“YOU ATE THE LAST FUCKING OREO? THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO ME MINE!” I yelled tackling her to the ground. We wrestled a bit with some profanities being yelled at each other.
“Whoa. That’s hot.” I heard a new voice say. I looked up and saw We The Kings enter the backstage.
“TRAVIS!” I yelled running up to him, and jumping into a hug. “Can I play-slash-style your hair? It’s so long, and big and RED!” I exclaimed. Everyone around me laughed.
“Vinny, you should thank god she has a short attention span and she gets excited by the littlest things. If she didn’t see Travis and his hair, you would still be under her with her beating you for eating the last Oreo” Stella said to her, chuckling a bit.
“Oh yeah. I’m still not over that. I’ll get you back after I play-slash-style Travis’s hair.” I told her looking over my shoulder.
“Alright, let’s sit down so you can style my hair.” Travis said, as he put me down. I ran over to a crate and sat on top of it and made him sit down on the ground so he can be at a reasonable height.
***
WTGAJ: just played our first show of this tour, and styled @travisrclark’s hair. You guys were awesome, and tell me what you think of his new ‘do.
Hey Monday’s set ended and We the Kings got on stage.
“I love what you did with Travis’s hair.” Jersey said from my right. I turned and smiled at him, the butterflies returning again.
“Thanks. I really wanted to know what he would look like with corn rows. I gotta admit, he looks pretty good.” I replied with a grin on my face. I looked at Jersey and he smiled at me, causing the fluttering in my stomach to go faster.
Past him I saw Cassadee lighten up and motion me over. I excused myself and made my way towards her.
“Hey sweetie, I love what you did with Travis’s hair, but that’s not what I want to talk about with you.” She said as I stood next to her. I tilted my head in confusion.
“Okay, I’m not gonna beat around the bush, but do you like Jersey?” she asked me. I looked at her, my eyes widening. I looked over at the said bassist. I saw how his dark hair stuck all over the place, making me want to go and run my hands through it, how his silver snakebites shined in the dim lights, how all the bracelets and necklaces his fans have gave him covered his arms and neck. I saw him turn at me, and send me a smile that could light up this whole town, and his dark brown eyes sparkled with happiness. That’s when I figured out I that I have feelings for this boy.
“Yeah, I really, really like him.” I told Cassadee, realization covering my voice. She looked at me with a knowing smile. “Why do I have the feeling you know something I don’t, and that you’re not gonna tell me?” I asked her, fear filling me.
“Oh, it’s not that bad. And because of that I need to know when your birthday is.
“That’s not helping. And my birthday is on Halloween. October 31st and if you need to know the exact time, it was like a minute away from midnight.” I told her. she looked at me in surprise.
“YOU’RE A HALLOWEEN BABY? THAT’S SOO COOL!” She exclaimed getting the attention of those around us. I smiled and nodded. I walked back to Jersey who I could tell was confused.
“Cassadee knows something I don’t, and I’m pretty sure she’s gonna plan my birthday party now.” I said, getting a feeling of emptiness. “I don’t think I’m emotionally ready for a party this year. I’ve never had a birthday party without Alex.” I told him sincerely. He gave me a sad smile and a hug.
“Darling, all you can do is live your life to the fullest.” He told me, tightening his hold on me.
***
travisrclark: played our first show of tour and got a lot of complements on my hair. I think I’m gonna have @WGIAJ style my hair again.
Travis came over during the signing and put me up on his shoulders.
“HEY EVERYONE! THIS IS AJ! SHE STYLED MY HAIR.” He yelled to the crowd who cheered. I laughed from the support and smiled.
“Okay, you can put me down. I need to go surprise tackle Rian.” I told him, jumping off his shoulders. He smirked and followed me, tacking out a video camera.
“Ready?” he asked me. I nodded. “Go.” He turned on the camera and I ran like my life depended on it.
“RIAN!” I yelled as I tackled the drummer to the floor. “Wanna go get ice cream?” I asked him. "
THAT WAS AWESOME!” Travis said from where I was. “This is so going on buzznet.” He said turning off his camera.
***
WTGAJ: so happy that I got @riandawson to buy me ice cream. I’m a very happy kid right now.
“Wow, you actually refer to yourself as a kid?” Rian asked from my right. I looked up at him surprised.
“You follow me on twitter?” I asked him shocked. He chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, but that’s not the point. You call yourself a kid?” he asked me and I nodded.
“Yeah I do. I’ve been called one by everyone, ‘cause of my height and shit, and I like it. To me its affectionate, and I am a kid at heart.” I told him.
“You are like a kid. You run around in circles, you tackle people for ice cream, and you fight over who is gonna eat the last Oreo.” Pete said from in front of me.
“HEY DON’T POINT OUT MY FAULTS! VINNY DOES THE EXACT SAME THING. Except for the ice cream part.” I said pouting. Rian laughed and shook his head.
“Come on. We’re here. Let’s get you your ice cream.” He said laughing taking my hand. I felt someone stare at me and I turned around and saw Jersey with an unidentifiable look in his eyes. I smiled at him and turned around to get my ice cream.
***
omgitsjersey: getting ice cream with the peeps on this tour. Come say hi if you see us!
JERSEY’S POV
When I saw Rian take her hand, an indescribable feeling came over me. I felt like going over there and ripping his arm from its socket. I shook my head and turned to Cassadee.
“Hey I need some advice.” I murmured to her.
“Sure, whaddya need?” she asked me reading the menu.
“I feel like I’ve been betrayed and that I really want to hurt Rian. Why am I feeling like this? I’ve never felt like this!” I told her quietly. She looked me intently in the eyes. When she didn’t look away I began to fidget.
“Oh, that’s easy. You really like AJ. You’re getting over protective and kind of possessive. You don’t want her to get hurt, and you wish it was you who was holding her hand.” I looked at her in awe.
“Oh god. This is bad. What if she doesn’t like me back? Because knowing me, I will probably have it slip out in a conversation.” I groaned and looked up at the menu.
“Don’t worry. She likes you back. I had a little talk with her today. Personally, I think you both need each other.”
“I guess you’re right. When should I ask her out on a date?” I asked, knowing fully well that Cassadee had an idea in mind.
“Take her out when we get to Florida. We have a free day there, so take her out to a picnic on the beach. I know for a fact she’ll love that.” She said and walked away. I stared after her a small smile making its way to my face.
“Florida, eh? We’ll this will be interesting.” I muttered to myself, ordering my usual.
***
WGIStella: number one way to get @WGIAJ’s loyalty: feed her.
“RIAN, YOU ARE MY FAVORITE PERSON BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT ME ICE CREAM!” I exclaimed taking a bite of my rainbow and wild berry swirl sorbet with rainbow sprinkles.
“Wait, so I’m not your favorite person anymore?” Vinny asked me. “I mean c’mon! I fed you chicken nuggets!” she said raising her hands up in surrender. I laughed at the memory.
“You mean I fed you chicken nuggets. Face it, without me and Vixx, we’d all starve.” I said shrugging. “But, until someone feeds me something better than ice cream, or does something that makes me speechless, Rian is my favorite person.” I stated. I saw Jersey smile at me and I smiled back.
“Okay kids, we gotta start heading back. We have a show in Baltimore.” Matt said to us all, ushering us to the busses.
“Hey With Good Intentions wanna come on our bus and have a movie night?” Cassadee asked us, sending a wink in my direction. I smiled at the girls, hope in my eyes that they would say yes
“Yeah you guys should come. Elliot will have a chance to hang out with us guys and we could all watch a movie. And we have snacks…” Jersey said, with Mike and Alex agreeing in the background. I looked at everyone and did the puppy eyes. Stella looked at everyone and Elliot shrugged.
“Alright. We’ll go.” She said with a smile. I jumped and danced around.
“YES! MOVIE NIGHT, MOVIE NIGHT! WE’RE GONNA HAVE A MOVIE NIGHT!” I said dancing around everyone.
“Rian, I think buying her that ice cream was a mistake.” Alex Gaskarth said. “She’s worse than Jack. That is seriously saying something.” I stopped and pouted.
“You are so mean to me!” I exclaimed to him. “What did I ever do to you?” Alex shrugged and smiled.
“You’re a better drummer than Rian, and you are not in my band.” He told me. My jaw dropped and I heard Rian rant how he isn’t appreciated enough by his band.
“Well, your day has been made. You have been declared a better drummer than Rian Dawson, had ice cream paid for you by Rian Dawson, and been complemented on your drumming by Rian Dawson. Anything I missed?” Stella asked everyone around us.
***
WGIVinny: finally in Florida. One of the top ten places I’ve always wanted to go to.
“Hey AJ!” I heard someone yell from behind me. I stopped and turned to see Jersey making his way towards me. “Can I ask you something?” he said shyly looking at the ground.
“Sure. Ask away.” I said smiling. He ran his hand through his hair nervously and smiled sheepishly at me.
“Will you go out to lunch with me?” he asked me. I smiled at him and gave him a hug.
“Sure. I would love to.” He smiled and hugged me tighter.
“Great. Meet me outside my bus at around one? And wear something fit for the beach.” He let me go and walked away towards his bus. I turned back around and saw my band mates waiting for me with smiles on their faces.
“What? Why are you guys looking at me like that?” I asked them, feeling like an ant under a microscope.
“Somebody has a date today!” Vinny sang and danced around me. “AJ has a date today!” she continued to sing and dance around me until I pushed her.
“Shut up. I don’t have a date today.” I told her. Stella and Emelly smirked at me.
“Oh really, then what was Jersey telling you when he stopped you.” Stella asked me.
“He was just asking me if I would like to have lunch with him. And he told me to wear something fit for the beach.” I said like it was no big deal, until I heard the words that came out of my mouth. “Oh shit. It is date like isn’t it?” I asked them. They all smirked and nodded.
“It’s about time.” Emelly said. “You need a guy, and honey, I can tell that he really likes you.”
“Can I help you get ready? When do you need to meet him? And you should wear your red summer dress! It will look great in contrast with your skin and hair!” Vinny rambled, not caring about my answer to whether she can help me get ready or not.
“Don’t worry; you’ll have a good time. Just make sure you tell Elliot so he doesn’t flip out on you when he doesn’t find you.” Stella told me giving me a hug. I nodded and went to find Elliot, leaving Vinny to her thoughts.
I found Elliot on the bus talking into the phone. He put up a finger signaling that he would be done in a moment. I nodded and got myself a bottle of water and waited for him to finish.
“So, what brings you here? You don’t ever come find me unless you want something.” he said as he put his phone away.
“Jersey invited me to go have lunch with him around one. I’m just telling you in case you need me. I’ll have my phone so just call me or text me.” I told him.
“Okay. Have fun, and it’s about time you went on a date.” He said as he walked off the bus. I stared after him in shock.
“Why the hell does everyone say that?” I asked myself as I made my way off the bus to find Vinny so she can help me get ready for lunch.
***
omgitsjersey: about to have lunch with a very pretty girl.
I made my way to Hey Monday’s bus only to find Jersey waiting outside for me.
“Hey, you ready to go?” he asked me taking in what I was wearing. I smiled and nodded. “oh, and you look really pretty.” I smiled and thanked him.
We arrived at a nice secluded beach. The waves crashed to the shore in rounds, the sea breeze played with my dress and hair.
“Okay, I need you to tie this around your eyes, and no peaking!” he told me as he handed me a blind fold. I looked at him like he was crazy, but complied.
“Alright, I can’t see anything. If I fall, it’s your fault.” I told him. He took my hands and began leading me.
“Okay, you can take off the blind fold now.” He said softly from beside me. I took off the blind fold and gasped at the sight in front of me. there was a checkered picnic blanket spread across the sand, close to the shore, but not so close it would get wet. A wicker basket sat in one corner with a cooler.
“Oh my…” I trailed off. “This is so beautiful.” I said my voice barely above a whisper. He continued to lead me to the blanket. I sat down and he made his way to the other side so he was facing me.
“I wanted your first time out to have lunch in Florida to be memorable.” He told me in a soft voice. I smiled and began taking food out of the basket.
“Wow. All this stuff is really good… and my favorite foods. Are you stalking me?” I asked jokingly. A slight blush crept up his face.
“No, I asked your friends what your favorite foods are and just made sure I had them prepared for this.” I couldn’t help but let out an aw. This boy was too adorable. We began eating and telling stories of our childhoods, our dreams, and our goals in life. We finished eating and packed everything up, and began taking a walk on the beach.
“Now I feel really stupid telling you this, but I’ve liked you for a really long time.” Jersey said to me. I could feel a smile playing at my lips. “I was wondering if you would consider the idea of being my girlfriend?” I looked at him shocked. I couldn’t believe that this amazing guy liked me back. A small smile made its way to my face and I gave him a hug.
“I would love to be considered your girlfriend. And that was completely not stupid. I thought it was sweet, and I have liked you for a long time too.” I confessed to him. His hold around me tightened and I felt him press his lips to my temple. “Oh, and your now my favorite person. You beat Rian by a mile with this picnic lunch.” I heard him chuckle and I smiled up at him.
“I think we should start heading back. You have a show to play in a few hours and I don’t want to be the blame when you are MIA.” Jersey said and he began to lead me back to the venue.
***
WGIEmelly: saying goodbye to everyone and heading back home. Gonna miss everyone on this tour.
Thunder boomed and heavy gray clouds covered the sky. It seemed that my mood matched the weather. I felt tears fall down my face as we all gathered to say goodbye. A lot of “I’m gonna miss you.” and “We’ll see each other soon on some other tour!” were passed around.
I eventually reached the Hey Monday Crew. They were probably the closest ones to us on this tour. I smiled sadly at Mike. He opened his arms and I went in for the hug.
“Hey don’t cry. We will see each other again. I promise. Especially that you are a part of the Decaydance family.” He said to me as he released me. “Don’t forget to text me that you have arrived safely okay?” he said. I nodded and gave him one last hug. Next I walked to Lipshaw. I gave him a hug right away and I could feel the tears fall down harder.
“Hey, calm down. I’ll see you again. Pete kind of spilled about something that involves With Good Intentions and Hey Monday. Just don’t tell him I told you.” he whispered to me. I laughed and let him go.
“I promise I won’t.” I said. I walked up to Cassadee and without a word we engulfed each other in a hug.
“I’m gonna miss you AJ. You are truly like a sister to me.” she said. I smiled and hugged her tighter.
“I’m gonna miss you too Cass. You are like the big sister I never had. Thank you for everything.” I could feel her nod.
“Hey, text me when you get home so I know you got there safely, okay?” she told me tears filling her eyes. I nodded and made her promise to do the same. I let her go and slowly made my way to Jersey. I gave him a hug and the tears began to fall even harder. I could hear everyone around us leave to give us some privacy.
“Hey baby, don’t cry. Please don’t cry.” He said to me as he ran his hand through my hair.
“I can’t help it. I don’t like the idea of not seeing you for a long time.” I mumbled into his shirt. I heard him sigh.
“Darling, please look at me.” I slowly lifted my head to look at him. “I love you so very much. I will do everything in my power to keep in touch with you. I will try my hardest to always be there when you need me. now I just need you to be able to trust that I will always be there.” he said to me. “Do you believe me? Do you trust me?” he asked me quietly. I nodded my head.
He smiled his adorable smiled. Slowly around us the rain began to fall. I lifted my head and closed my eyes, letting the rain wash my face. I opened my eyes and saw Jersey looking at me with unconditional love and adoration. He slowly lowered his face to mine, and I slowly started to rise. I closed my eyes and I felt his lush lips on mine. My hand slowly made its way up to his neck and grabbed a hold of his hair. His arms slowly made their way down to my waist. The kiss was sweet and passionate, filled with love. We broke apart and I smiled up at him.
“Now I want you to call me when you land. I don’t want a measly text message, I want a phone call so I can hear your voice. And I’ll call you every day, and I’ll come and visit during all holidays.” I smiled up at him and broke away from his embrace.
“I love you. and thank you.” I told him. He looked at me curiously. “For loving me, and putting up with me, and for always being there.” he pulled me in for one last kiss before breaking away.
“I’ll talk to you later. Have a safe flight.” He said to me. I nodded and got onto the bus that would take us to the airport. I sighed and looked out the window. My phone buzzed and I smiled as I read the twitter notification.
omgitsjersey: missing the most amazing, wonderful, beautiful girl in the world, @WGIAJ.
A few minutes after that my phone buzzed with a text message.
I love you.
***
omgitsjersey: Lesson of the day: life goes on.
I turned my tear stained face to the door as I heard it open and close. I saw Stella, Vinny, and Emelly. I small smile made its way onto my face, but disappeared at their expression. All three of them had sorrow painted on their faces.
“C’mon AJ. It’s been a month now. You have to get on with your life. We have spent a month with you refusing to hang out, having a hold on band practice and writing new songs. This has to stop. We know you miss Alex. We all do, but please, I’m begging- we’re all begging you, please start living again.” Vinny said, tears filling her eyes. I knew it killed them to see me like this. They were as close to Alex as I was, I just couldn’t let go.
“I’m sorry.” My voice was barely above a whisper, yet somehow they all were able to hear me. “I’m sorry. I know you all miss him, and that it’s been a month now, but I just can’t seem to get over it and live my life. I feel like I’m missing half of who I am. Then again, he was my twin. I just can’t…. I promise I’ll try to get on, and I appreciate all your help, and I just want you all to know that I am trying.” I told them truthfully. I saw them all sadly smile at me. All three of them walked up to me and held out their pinkies.
“We all know that you always keep your pinky promises and not ordinary ones, so c’mon, hand over your pinky and pinky promise us that you will try and allow us to help you get on with life.” I smiled at my three friends and wrapped my pinky in theirs.
“I promise.” I whispered, once more.
***
Two weeks later
omgitsjersey: In New York recording some bass tracks for the new album. Super excited!
We all finished practicing some songs that were becoming a little rusty and some new songs that were written a few weeks ago. As if on cue, my phone began ringing. Looking down, I smiled when I saw it was our manager, Elliot.
“Hello.” I said the smile still on my face.
“Finally, someone answers their phone!” Elliot exclaimed. I laughed lightly at that. “Okay, so you need to tell my sister, Stella, and Emelly that they need to answer their phones.”
“Alright. I’ll do that. So I assume you would like to talk to all of us as a whole?” I asked him, getting ready to put him on speaker phone.
“Yes please.” Elliot replied.
“You’re on speaker.”
“Okay, well, I just received a call from a representative from Decaydance. They want to sign you because they somehow heard some of your songs. So we go to New York in one week, see if they like you hopefully get you signed, and according to them, you will be an opening band for a tour they are sponsoring in a few months. Turns out they need a new band, and your sound is perfect for that.” Shock overcame us all as we took in what Elliot said.
“So, we might meet Pete Wentz?” was the only thing I was able to get out of my mouth.
“Yes, you might meet Pete Wentz, and maybe one of the bands you might tour with. So do you all agree with this? Are you up for actually living the life of a musician that actually gets paid a good amount, or do you guys not think you’re ready for it after everything that has happened?” Elliot asked, referring to the death of my brother. Everyone looked at me and I nodded.
“I think we are actually up for this. Everyone has asked me to get on with my life, and I know my brother. If he was alive right now, he would smack me silly until I agreed to this.” I stated, a small smile coming onto my lips. Stella nodded.
“Okay, that confirms it all. We head to New York next week and hopefully blow the people at Decaydance away.”
“Good. I’ll call them back and tell them that you accept their offer. Keep practicing and plan what you wanna pack. I will not pack for y’all again.” Elliot said, causing us all to laugh.
“Bye Elliot. See you next week, or whenever you pop up over here.” I said as I closed the phone. We all looked at each other, still trying to soak it in.
“Oh my god.” Stella said, after a moment of silence. “We actually have a chance to make It.” she said, looking up at us. I smiled at her, still in shock.
“Do you think we will make it?” I asked her softly. “Well, do you think I’m still put together enough for us all to make it? I am the back bone, you know.” I told her. She looked at me and nodded.
“Honey, we all have faith in you. Don’t you dare go off and think less of your abilities. You surprised us all when you learned how to fucking play the drums within one year and become as good as any drummer that’s been playing for life. You have an astounding musical ability. Don’t ever put yourself down.” Stella told me, the honest truth in her words. I looked at my other two band mates, who were nodding in agreement.
“You put yourself down a lot nowadays. You are fucking amazing. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.” Vinny added in. I gave them all hugs.
“I’m sorry. It still affects me.” they all nodded in understanding and left to go back to their respective homes.
***
omgitsjersey: Listening to some unknown band on youtube. These kids have some serious talent.
“Holy shit this place is nice.” I said quietly to myself as we all followed Amanda Jones, one of the representatives at Decaydance. We entered a room that was split in half between a recording studio and an office.
“Mr. Wentz will be in here shortly to discuss your band and whether you would be suitable to be a member of the Decaydance family.” we all looked at her in shock.
“Pete Wentz the Pete Wentz wants to discuss our band with us?” I asked her timidly, still trying to wrap my mind around the news.
“Yes. He seemed to take a liking to your songs. Now if you will please excuse me.” she said as she left the room.
“Holy shit.” Vinny said. “Pete Wentz heard our songs. How the hell did he hear our songs?” she asked us all dumbfounded by this news.
“Wait,” Stella said, slowly, deep in thought. “AJ, didn’t you put our songs up on youtube, Facebook, and MySpace?” she asked me. I nodded in reply. “Well, we know that a lot of people have listened and downloaded our songs from those sites. He could have passed over them while just listening to music or another one of his bands heard us and mentioned us to him.” We all looked at her in thought.
“I guess you’re right. That would be the only way for him to hear us, or unless he magically showed up to the rock undetected and heard us at one of our gigs.” Vinny said shrugging her shoulders. “But, right now, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are here in New York, at Decaydance, with a very good chance of being signed. So let’s keep thinking happy thoughts.”
We all nodded in agreement, and did all we can to try to calm our nerves. Stella began humming the tune of a lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she was little; Emelly took out her ipod and began listening to some French songs she to calm her down. Vinny and I began running around the room, trying to get rid of the access energy we gained from being nervous.
Everyone was so caught up in trying to suppress their nerves that no one noticed the door open and close and Elliot move over to talk.
“Wow. This has to be the first time I have walked into a room to talk with a band and I see two members acting like their running from lions.” Pete said, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. Next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the floor with Vinny, looking up.
“THAT WAS FUN!!! AJ WE SHOULD TOTALLY DO THAT AGAIN!” Vinny exclaimed as she helped me up. I smiled and hugged her.
“We should, but please, can we do it where there are matted floors?” She laughed and nodded.
“Okay, now that you girls have had your moment, we should get to business.” Stella said, turning to Pete Wentz.
“Yeah… well, I think I should tell you where I heard your music first. I was in the studio recording with one of my bands and whenever we need a certain person, the other members just go do whatever. Anyways, one of them showed me a recording of your songs, and I know that not everyone has the best recording systems in the world, but you all sounded fantastic.” We all looked down and blushed at the compliment. “Now, I know you all have run into a problem in the past few months, and I appreciate you guys coming here. I really want to sign you to this label, but in order to do that; I need to hear what you guys sound like live. So if you will please follow me.” He told us. we all automatically followed him to the little recording studio.
I took a deep breath as I sat behind the drum set.
“Okay, so this song is called Bring the music.” Stella said from behind her guitar and microphone. I counted us in, and we all began to play the music that brought us all together.
“Okay, this one is called Amy’s Song.” I smiled as we played this song, knowing that the girl we wrote it about is the exact opposite of the blond bimbo many would think about.
Three songs and four girls out of breath later, we sat in the office with Pete Wentz.
“Well, I’d like to say I wasn’t disappointed. You guys have serious talent. You know what? Screw all this fucking record producing process. I’m gonna go have the secretary type up a contract for you guys and It’ll be ready in a few hours. So would you all like to grab some dinner so we could get to know each other?” Pete asked us, completely changing from his business man character to his actual personality. We all nodded and walked out after him.
***
“You’re shitting me!” Pete exclaimed, his body shaking with laughter.
“Nope. She seriously woke up one day, went to the ice rink did a rock show on ice with her brother. It was classic. By the end of the day, we were all part of it. I think that’s what actually started this band.” Stella said, talking about the day we almost got kicked out of the ice rink in Tucson for trying to make a rock show on ice.
“Yeah. But the most epic part of it was that we were almost kicked out.” Vinny added. “and it was all because of her, so if you ever see us kicked out of any store, it’s all because of her!” Vinny said pointing at me.
“HEY!” I said raising my hands in defense. “How should I know that they might kick us out? It said ‘All Recreational Rink’ on the sign!” I defended myself. Everyone broke out into laughter, and a while later I joined them.
“Okay, so you know the crazy stuff I’ve done.” I said to Pete, “Now tell us one of the most embarrassing or crazy thing you’ve done.” Everyone turned their attention to Pete, waiting for an answer.
“Well, mine would have to be the time when Patrick and I-” Pete was cut off by a phone beeping. He looked down at his phone. “Sorry, this is important. I have to take this, but I’ll finish the story for you guys later.” We nodded and watched him walk out to hear better.
“Wow.” I said completely out of nowhere. “Who would of thought that we would be having dinner with Pete Wentz?” I asked them all, who nodded in agreement.
“Sorry about that.” Pete said walking back. “It turns out we have to cut dinner short. There are some people at Decaydance who want to meet you.” We nodded and stood up.
***
omgitsjersey: About to meet a band that might become part of the Decaydance family!
“PETE!” a petit girl of 5’2 with blond streaks in her dark brown hair ran up to us. She engulfed Pete into one of the tightest hugs I have ever seen.
“It’s good to see you too Cassadee. This is the band I was talking to you about. This is With Good Intensions. They have some serious talent and I want you guys to hear what I recorded from them earlier today when they were showing me what they got.” Cassadee nodded in agreement turning to us.
“Hi guys. I’m Cassadee Pope, singer of Hey Monday. Pleased to meet you! And I mean it when I say that. If you join us on tour, I won’t have to be the only girl, and you seem to be tomboyish so I’m pretty sure we’ll get along.” We all smiled at the petit singer, well I can’t really call her petit. She was taller than me, by two inches.
“Hi, I’m Stella Robinson, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of With Good Intensions, and I’m pretty sure we’ll get along just fine too.” Stella said, shaking her hand.
“Hi, I’m Emelly Newton, bassist of With Good Intensions. I agree with Stella. We’ll get along just fine.” Emelly said, shaking her hand.
“HI!!!” Vinny said, tackling the poor girl in a hug. “I’m Vinny Barrows. I’m the lead guitarist of With Good Intensions. I really like you, and I’m pretty sure we will get along fine, and I have ADHD so good luck!” Vinny said, jumping off her and doing a cartwheel. Cassadee laughed and turned her attention to me.
“Hi, I’m Alexis Juliette Anna Maria Varero, but please for all that is good in this world, call me AJ. I’m the Drummer for said band, and I’m normally a lot like Vinny, and you will see that behavior a lot, but right now I’m dealing with a death, so I’m sorry if I seem like a downer.” I said looking up at her. She smiled and gave me a hug.
“Don’t worry, I think we will get along great, and you have the most amazing eyes ever! They are like the iciest blue I have ever seen!” She said to me. I blushed slightly at the complement.
“Okay, now that you all are acquainted with Cassadee, let’s go find the rest of the boys.” Pete said, walking towards the office.
“Oh yeah, about the boys, they’re off listening to their recordings. I just decided to find you first so I don’t get in trouble.” Cassadee said, ruffling her hair a bit.
“That sounds like them.” Pete said with a chuckle. “C’mon girls, lets bust these boys.
***
heycassadee: watching my boys act like boys
We walked into the office and saw three boys wrestling on top of each other.
“C’MON! IT’S MY TURN TO PRESS THE BUTTON!” I heard one of them yell. Next thing I knew I was laughing hysterically. They all stopped fighting and turned to look at me.
“I’m sorry. That was funny. It also reminded me of my brother and I.” I said, remembering the times I’ve tackled Alex because it was my turn to do something. Tears began to burn my eyes and slide down my face. Next thing I knew I was being hugged by someone. I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. The boy hugging me had dark brown hair pointed in every corner. He had thick black rimmed glasses and snake bites. He had a lot of necklaces hanging from his neck and he wore a purple v-neck and skinny jeans and some chucks.
He pulled away and smiled nervously.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I just hate seeing girls cry.” His voice, a tad bit high, sounded like velvet to my ears.
“It’s okay. I’m just going through a tough time.” I told him truthfully. He smiled at me and pulled me into a short hug.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you start crying when you mentioned your brother?” I took a deep breath and looked at my band mates, who had encouraging looks.
“Well, you see, my brother and I turned 17 on October 31st. For our birthday present, our parents surprised us with the key to the car, and two tickets to go see Mayday Parade, Stereo Skyline, Forever The Sickest Kids, and The Friday Night Boys. It was just the two of us. We flipped a coin to see who drove first and it turned out to be me. We both enjoyed the concert, I’ll tell you that. One of the best I’ve been to in a long time.” I said smiling slightly. “However, on the way home, a drunk driver ran across his red light and his car smashed into ours. I woke up a week later after being in coma and it turned out that my brother didn’t make it. He died within the next two days. It’s been about two months now and not a day goes by where I think that it should have been me. I miss him so much, and I think it impacts me so much because he was my twin, my other half. We looked exactly alike and the only way you could eventually tell us apart was because my hair is so long, and he was actually a good foot and a few inches taller than me.” I said, smiling a little, remember Alex’s growth spurt. Next thing I knew I was being hugged by eight people.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry! That must have been terrible!” I heard Cassadee say. I looked up at all of them as they slowly began to release me.
“It’s okay. I’ve been slowly getting my life back on track. And I’m glad that I am. My brother was my main support system because my parents aren’t really around that much and my older brother, Seth, is always in some state because of his job.”
“Well, now that we have heard your story, I think the rest of us should introduce ourselves.” I turned to where the voice came from and saw a short man with piercing blue eyes.
“Hello, my name is Mike Gentle and I am the guitarist for Hey Monday.” He said, shaking all our hands.
“Hi, I’m Alex Lipshaw and I’m also the guitarist for Hey Monday.” The tall boy with honey brown hair and brown eyes said. I smiled and shook his hand.
“I’m Jersey Moriarty, and I’m the Bassist for Hey Monday, and if you guys get signed, it would be a pleasure to tour with you.” He said giving everyone hugs.
“In that case, I got some good news for everyone.” We all looked at Pete. “With Good Intension’s contracts just got printed and are being brought here right this seconds. So, you guys get to tour with them. and I’m thinking instead of having them make an EP we just make a full length, because I know for sure that they have enough songs to make one.” We looked at him, amazed that he knew that we did have enough songs.
“How did you-” Stella began asking him.
“I looked through your stuff while you guys were talking. I saw the demo you guys had for a full length and I listened to most of it, and I also checked out some songs on the CD case that had no title. Who is the boy that is singing the duet?” Pete asked us. I looked at him with a sad smile.
“That was my brother, Alex. His full name is Alexander Julian Aaron Michael Varero, just in case you ever need to credit him in something. We always had him sing the male parts we needed in the duets, and whenever we had gigs, we’d force him up on stage and make him sing. The crowd always loved him. That CD is kind of like a tribute to him.” I told him quietly, falling back again to a memory. I felt someone squeeze my arm slightly and I snapped back into reality.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to take this in, and fix the recording. Just to remove some static, and make the sound fuller. Then, when it’s all fixed, I’ll make sure it’s an album and we can put it out as a tribute to your brother.” I ran up to him and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you so much Pete. You have no idea how much that would mean to me, my brother Seth, and, if he were alive, Alex. He would be honored to have you do this for us.” I told him.
“Okay, well how about we spend this whole week, and try to get your Full length done, then make about one million copies, send one song that is really catchy to radio stations, and then have you join Hey Monday and the rest of the bands on the GK tour?” Pete asked us. We all nodded in agreement and went to our respected chairs to get this done.
***
petewentz: signing a new band.
An hour, 60 pages later, and four cramped hands, we had signed the contract and became a part of the Decaydance family.
“Good, now all we need is you guys to get sponsored by Glamour Kills which I don’t think will be a problem. I’ll talk to Marky and see what can be done.” Pete said as he walked away with the contracts in one hand and his cell phone in the other.
“That went well.” Elliot said, taking out his phone to save our new schedule. We all looked at him like he was crazy.
“How the hell can you be so calm about this?” Vinny asked her brother. “I mean, we were just in the presence of Pete Wentz and Hey Monday and all you can say is ‘that went well’?” she asked him, completely shocked.
“Uh, yeah.” He replied. “See, I’m not one of the band members. I’m the manager. This doesn’t really mean much to me except that I’m gonna have a shitload of work coming towards me for booking you guys and getting your merch in on time and making sure the roadies don’t screw up. Now speaking of merch, who do you want your merch person to be?” he asked us.
“Vixx.” We all said at once.
“We need her.” Stella said.
“She’s like a mother, and we kinda need someone to keep us grounded…” Vinny continued,
“When we’re getting too hyper, arrogant…” Emelly said.
“Or when you decide to take a day off and drink a few beers.” I finished. Elliot looked at us in shock.
“Wow. You guys actually put some time, effort and thought into this.”
“Way to show that you have faith in us.” Vinny said, rolling her eyes. Elliot just chuckled and went back to marking all the dates we have to be here within the next week.
***
omgitsjersey: So stoked that @WithGoodIntentions is now part of the Decaydance family and that they will be joining us on the GK tour!
“Oh my god! We’re finally done.” I said, collapsing onto the couch in the hotel room suite we’ve been in.
“Yeah. Even though that was loads of fun, it was so tiring and hard work. Damn everyone makes it look easy!” Vinny said as she plopped down next to me.
“Oh yeah girls, you also need to make twitter accounts for your band because all your fans on MySpace and Facebook want to stalk you and find out what you’re doing.” Elliot said walking in, carrying his laptop. “So get to it. Start it WGI and your name.” he said handing Vinny the laptop.
Each of us set up a twitter and made sure we could tweet from our phones.
“I like mine.” I said admiring my new twitter page. “WGIAJ. It looks cool. And its short sweet and simple!” I stated, using hand motions.
“You really are the one who is easily amused by the simplest things. Elliot was right.” I heard Pete say, walking into the room.
“Um… yeah?” I said sheepishly, a light blush covering my cheeks from embarrassment.
“Don’t worry. I think it’s adorable and so do your fans. They all said so on your new website, and I even added your twitters to it, so whenever you tweet, they get updated.” Pete said to us. “Oh, I also got a hold of Marky. He said that he wants you to become part of the GK family too, so he set up a shoot for you all in three days, so your stay here has been extended.”
“YES!” Stella exclaimed. “What? We get free GK clothes, AND we get to meet Marky! You all know that has been a dream of mine since we started this band!”
I laughed and bounced up and down in my seat.
“WAIT!” I said mid bounce. “THAT REMINDS ME! I NEED TO GO SHOPPING!” I said, my eyes wide with realization. “PAPA WENTZ!” I yelled. Pete looked up from talking to Elliot about the rest of the days we were going to be here.
“Papa Wentz? That’s a new one. Well what do you want?” he asked me, amused
“Where is the nearest mall? I need some new jeans and shoes, and some other lady stuff that I’m pretty sure we’ll need.” I said to him, looking at the girls in confirmation.
“Uh..” Pete said a bit flustered, “there’s one near this hotel, it’s on Madison Avenue and Park. I’ll call Ashley to take you girls. She has been meaning to have a day out.” He said, pressing the familiar number onto his phone.
***
WGIAJ: about to go shopping with Ashley Simpson-Wetnz, @WGIStella, @WTGEmelly, and @WTGVinny. Super excited!
“Hey honey.” Ashley said to Pete as she came into the door carrying Bronx.
“AWWW!” I squealed, “He is so cute! Can I hold him? Please? Please? Please?” I asked her. She chuckled and nodded.
“Sure, but be careful.” She said handing him to me.
“Of course, we don’t want baby Wentz to get hurt now do we?” I said in a baby voice, laying down on the floor near the couch, setting him on my tummy. I heard some laughter and a couple awws. I looked up and saw Pete with a smirk on his face.
“Honey, I think I just found Bronx’s new baby sitter.” Pete said. Ashley chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Anyways, these are the girls from the new band I just signed, With Good Intensions. I told them you would take them shopping.” He told her.
“Okay, I’ll take them, but you’re watching Bronx while I’m gone.” I stood up and handed Bronx to Pete.
“Bye bye Papa Wentz, baby Wentz and Elliot!” I said skipping out the door. After noticing that no one followed me I stuck my head in.
“Mama Wentz, are we going shopping or not yet?” Ashley laughed and began walking to the door.
“Mama Wentz… that’s a first, but I like it.” She said quietly to herself, smiling at the four girls.
***
WTGStella: I am never going shopping again with @WGIAJ and Mama Wentz. Those two are crazy!
“I am never doing that again. Ever.” Stella said walking into the suite. We all followed her carrying multiple bags.
“C’mon Stella, that wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t like the time when she just HAD to get those neon green vans and she literally ran down everyone in the store!” Vinny said setting down her bags.
“You guys suck! You’re all worse than I am and just when I need to get a few pairs of jeans, some new shoes, and an adorable monster shirt you all start complaining!” I whined setting my stuff next to Vinny. “Elliot tell them to stop being mean to me!” I whined to Elliot. He turned to Pete.
“See what I have to go through?” Elliot asked Pete as we began to complain. Pete laughed and shook his head.
***
WGIEmelly: gonna officially be on tour tomorrow. The band is meeting up with the other bands on this GK tour.
“TOUR, TOUR, TOUR!” Vinny and I yelled as we did a mini conga line waiting for the other bands.
“You guys are officially insane.” Stella said from her spot on the couch.
“Your just jealous you don’t have a the skill to lead an amazing tour-based conga line!” Vinny retorted. “C’MON! TOUR, TOUR, TOUR, TOUR!” Vinny and I continued our conga line, ignoring everyone in the room.
“OH MY GOD! A TOUR-BASED CONGA LINE! I WANNA JOIN!” I heard an unfamiliar voice say, jumping behind me putting their hands on my shoulder.
“TOUR, TOUR, TOUR, TOUR!” we yelled until Pete Cleared his throat.
“Okay, guys. Let’s get to business. We have everyone who will be on this tour present, correct?” Pete asked looking around. Everyone nodded in affirmative.
“Wait, when did everyone get here?” I asked slightly confused on how more people appeared in the room.
“Well, you had that wonderful tour-based conga line that Jack felt the need to join.” I heard a voice say. I turned around just to see that Alex Gaskarth was the one who spoke.
“Uh... oh… well…” I said not knowing what to say, partly because I was so oblivious and partly because I was in the presence of Alex Gaskarth, causing everyone to laugh. “Damn it, I got star struck when I promised myself I wouldn’t!” I said to myself, accidentally to loud, causing everyone to laugh.
“Okay, now that we all have everyone here, I want to introduce the newest band on this tour.” Matt, the overall manager said. “This is With Good Intensions. Girls if you would introduce yourselves.”
“Um, well, I’m Stella. I’m the vocalist and rhythm guitarist.” Stella began, just like always.
“Well, I’m Vinny, and I’m the lead guitarist and backup vocals.” Vinny said, waving to everyone.
“I’m Emelly, and I play the bass.” Emelly said, her rarely there accent slightly covering her words.
“I’m AJ, and I’m the drummer. Nice to meet y’all.” I said, giving everyone a slight wave.
“Okay, now that we all know each other, let’s go choose your busses.” Matt said, ushering us all out the door.
“WE CALL THE NEON GREEN BUS!” I yelled running up to the bus giving it a hug. I heard laughter from behind me. “Hey! Don’t laugh at me hugging Zane! He needs some love too!” this just caused everyone to laugh even harder.
“Okay, so I guess we get Zane.” Elliot said, walking up to us, shaking his head. I cheered and danced around with Vinny, who I guess liked the bus as much as I did.
***
WGIAJ: first day of tour, first show ever, first time to show people what we got and to rock their worlds!
“C’mon darling. Wake up. It’s your first day of tour; you need to be ready for it.” I groaned and hit the person with my pillow. If anyone knew me well enough, you would know to not wake me up in the morning and just let me roll out of bed. “C’mon AJ. Elliot has coffee ready for you.” My eyes shot open.
“I’m up. Where’s the coffee?” I asked Vixx. She laughed and pointed to the front lounge. I got out of my bunk and walked to the lounge.
“ELLIOT I WANT MY COFFEEE!” I heard him chuckle and he walked out of the ‘kitchen’ carrying a cup of coffee.
“There you go. And we’re going outside. And yes you can come in your pjs.” He said, answering my unasked question. I smiled gratefully and pulled on my worn out converse.
“Morning.” I looked up and saw Jersey standing there with Cassadee. I could feel butterflies filling my stomach.
“Morning guys. So do y’all know why we’re up and about when the concert doesn’t start until 6?” I asked them, taking a sip of coffee, trying to calm the butterflies.
“Always on the first day of tour, we all get up early and go through the whole process and practice getting on and getting off and them telling us what to expect.” Cassadee said.
“Oh that’s cool. Hey guys wanna hang out with me during the other performances?” I asked them as we reached the big group in front of us.
“Sure, I’m in. by the way, I love your pajamas.” Jersey said, smiling.
***
omgitsjersey: watching @WithGoodIntensions kill it out there. so surprised that this is their first show.
“HELLO NEW JERSEY!” Stella yelled into the microphone “ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR TONIGHT?” she asked the crowed. We were greeted with cheers from the crowd. I looked over at Vinny from my right and laughed. She responded with sticking her tongue out at me.
“Hey Stella, get on with it and let us introduce ourselves. I bet these kids are wondering who we are.” Vinny said, in which Stella just rolled her eyes.
“Okay, I guess everyone up here is getting overly excited. So we’re With Good Intensions! We just recently got signed, and this is our first tour and so you guys are our first crowed. So are you guys ready to make this the BEST TOUR EVER?” she yelled? We received screams and shouts, while I played some beats.
“Okay, so Stella failed to introduce everyone, so I’m gonna do it. As everyone knows that is Stella, our leading lady, our front woman with the amazing pipes!” Vinny said pointing to Stella. “Over there is Emelly. She’s our bassist, a pretty little thing, ain’t she?” she asked pointing to Emelly. “I’m Vinny, and I play guitar.” she said pointing to herself.
“YEAH AND SHE IS AMAZING AT IT! THAT CHICK CAN SHRED!” I yelled from my set, loud enough for the crowd to hear me.
“Thanks darling and that little one is AJ. She’s our drummer, and let me tell you, that girl can keep a serious beat! And look at how tiny she is! It surprises everyone that she’s the backbone of this band.” Vinny said, pointing to me. I stuck my tongue at her for making fun of my height.
“Thanks Vinny for those introductions. Now let’s kick it off with Amy’s Song.” Stella said with a smile. Vinny and Emelly and I entered in sync. Stella opened her mouth and began to sing. Adrenaline rushed through my veins when we the fans sang along with us.
We finished our set and I grabbed one of the water bottles next to me.
“THANK YOU EVERYONE. ARE YOU READY FOR HEY MONDAY?” The crowd cheered. “HOW BOUT WE THE KINGS?” She asked. The crowed screamed harder. “AND LAST BUT DEFINATELY NOT LEAST, ALL TIME FUCKING LOW!” This caused the crowed to scream even louder, probably causing me to get some hearing damage.
“Okay, well you guys have been an awesome crowed, but we gotta jet!” We all waved and got off the stage. I felt someone pull me into a hug as I came off backstage.
“That was amazing!” I looked up and saw Jersey. Butterflies automatically filled my stomach again.
“Thanks. I was so nervous! And I can’t believe that all those kids know our songs! this is all so surreal!” I said giving him a hug. We pulled away from each other and smiled at each other.
“I know. I felt the same way the first time our band preformed. The whole surreal part of it never leaves because you never get past the fact that you actually made it.” He said before going on stage. Slowly the fluttering began to fade.
“Hey girl. I gotta say, you can drum.” I turned around and saw a grinning Rian Dawson. I could feel a blush making its way to my cheeks.
“Thanks…” I said embarrassed and slightly shocked.
“Hey, don’t embarrass the poor girl. She just got done doing her first show.” I heard a voice come from next to me. I turned and saw Jack and Zack walking out of the dressing room.
“Oh it’s okay. It wasn’t that. It’s just, and this is gonna sound a bit stupid, when I first started drumming, my main goal was to be like Rian and The Rev. Each and every day I strived to get as skilled as them, so it means a lot to me when Rian said that.” I explained to them. Next thing I knew Rian had engulfed me into a hug.
“You have no idea what it means to me that you actually look up to me as a musician.” He said as he released me. I smiled and looked around me.
“So, how does it feel to be the headlining band?” I asked them, they all shrugged.
“It doesn’t change anything. We’re here to play music. Whether we play first or last doesn’t change. Either way we hope to impact the kids that are out there.” Alex said, with everyone nodding.
“AJ, I NEED YOU TO HELP ME HIDE! STELLA IS AFTER ME CUZ I TOOK THE LAST OREO.” This got my attention.
“YOU ATE THE LAST FUCKING OREO? THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO ME MINE!” I yelled tackling her to the ground. We wrestled a bit with some profanities being yelled at each other.
“Whoa. That’s hot.” I heard a new voice say. I looked up and saw We The Kings enter the backstage.
“TRAVIS!” I yelled running up to him, and jumping into a hug. “Can I play-slash-style your hair? It’s so long, and big and RED!” I exclaimed. Everyone around me laughed.
“Vinny, you should thank god she has a short attention span and she gets excited by the littlest things. If she didn’t see Travis and his hair, you would still be under her with her beating you for eating the last Oreo” Stella said to her, chuckling a bit.
“Oh yeah. I’m still not over that. I’ll get you back after I play-slash-style Travis’s hair.” I told her looking over my shoulder.
“Alright, let’s sit down so you can style my hair.” Travis said, as he put me down. I ran over to a crate and sat on top of it and made him sit down on the ground so he can be at a reasonable height.
***
WTGAJ: just played our first show of this tour, and styled @travisrclark’s hair. You guys were awesome, and tell me what you think of his new ‘do.
Hey Monday’s set ended and We the Kings got on stage.
“I love what you did with Travis’s hair.” Jersey said from my right. I turned and smiled at him, the butterflies returning again.
“Thanks. I really wanted to know what he would look like with corn rows. I gotta admit, he looks pretty good.” I replied with a grin on my face. I looked at Jersey and he smiled at me, causing the fluttering in my stomach to go faster.
Past him I saw Cassadee lighten up and motion me over. I excused myself and made my way towards her.
“Hey sweetie, I love what you did with Travis’s hair, but that’s not what I want to talk about with you.” She said as I stood next to her. I tilted my head in confusion.
“Okay, I’m not gonna beat around the bush, but do you like Jersey?” she asked me. I looked at her, my eyes widening. I looked over at the said bassist. I saw how his dark hair stuck all over the place, making me want to go and run my hands through it, how his silver snakebites shined in the dim lights, how all the bracelets and necklaces his fans have gave him covered his arms and neck. I saw him turn at me, and send me a smile that could light up this whole town, and his dark brown eyes sparkled with happiness. That’s when I figured out I that I have feelings for this boy.
“Yeah, I really, really like him.” I told Cassadee, realization covering my voice. She looked at me with a knowing smile. “Why do I have the feeling you know something I don’t, and that you’re not gonna tell me?” I asked her, fear filling me.
“Oh, it’s not that bad. And because of that I need to know when your birthday is.
“That’s not helping. And my birthday is on Halloween. October 31st and if you need to know the exact time, it was like a minute away from midnight.” I told her. she looked at me in surprise.
“YOU’RE A HALLOWEEN BABY? THAT’S SOO COOL!” She exclaimed getting the attention of those around us. I smiled and nodded. I walked back to Jersey who I could tell was confused.
“Cassadee knows something I don’t, and I’m pretty sure she’s gonna plan my birthday party now.” I said, getting a feeling of emptiness. “I don’t think I’m emotionally ready for a party this year. I’ve never had a birthday party without Alex.” I told him sincerely. He gave me a sad smile and a hug.
“Darling, all you can do is live your life to the fullest.” He told me, tightening his hold on me.
***
travisrclark: played our first show of tour and got a lot of complements on my hair. I think I’m gonna have @WGIAJ style my hair again.
Travis came over during the signing and put me up on his shoulders.
“HEY EVERYONE! THIS IS AJ! SHE STYLED MY HAIR.” He yelled to the crowd who cheered. I laughed from the support and smiled.
“Okay, you can put me down. I need to go surprise tackle Rian.” I told him, jumping off his shoulders. He smirked and followed me, tacking out a video camera.
“Ready?” he asked me. I nodded. “Go.” He turned on the camera and I ran like my life depended on it.
“RIAN!” I yelled as I tackled the drummer to the floor. “Wanna go get ice cream?” I asked him. "
THAT WAS AWESOME!” Travis said from where I was. “This is so going on buzznet.” He said turning off his camera.
***
WTGAJ: so happy that I got @riandawson to buy me ice cream. I’m a very happy kid right now.
“Wow, you actually refer to yourself as a kid?” Rian asked from my right. I looked up at him surprised.
“You follow me on twitter?” I asked him shocked. He chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, but that’s not the point. You call yourself a kid?” he asked me and I nodded.
“Yeah I do. I’ve been called one by everyone, ‘cause of my height and shit, and I like it. To me its affectionate, and I am a kid at heart.” I told him.
“You are like a kid. You run around in circles, you tackle people for ice cream, and you fight over who is gonna eat the last Oreo.” Pete said from in front of me.
“HEY DON’T POINT OUT MY FAULTS! VINNY DOES THE EXACT SAME THING. Except for the ice cream part.” I said pouting. Rian laughed and shook his head.
“Come on. We’re here. Let’s get you your ice cream.” He said laughing taking my hand. I felt someone stare at me and I turned around and saw Jersey with an unidentifiable look in his eyes. I smiled at him and turned around to get my ice cream.
***
omgitsjersey: getting ice cream with the peeps on this tour. Come say hi if you see us!
JERSEY’S POV
When I saw Rian take her hand, an indescribable feeling came over me. I felt like going over there and ripping his arm from its socket. I shook my head and turned to Cassadee.
“Hey I need some advice.” I murmured to her.
“Sure, whaddya need?” she asked me reading the menu.
“I feel like I’ve been betrayed and that I really want to hurt Rian. Why am I feeling like this? I’ve never felt like this!” I told her quietly. She looked me intently in the eyes. When she didn’t look away I began to fidget.
“Oh, that’s easy. You really like AJ. You’re getting over protective and kind of possessive. You don’t want her to get hurt, and you wish it was you who was holding her hand.” I looked at her in awe.
“Oh god. This is bad. What if she doesn’t like me back? Because knowing me, I will probably have it slip out in a conversation.” I groaned and looked up at the menu.
“Don’t worry. She likes you back. I had a little talk with her today. Personally, I think you both need each other.”
“I guess you’re right. When should I ask her out on a date?” I asked, knowing fully well that Cassadee had an idea in mind.
“Take her out when we get to Florida. We have a free day there, so take her out to a picnic on the beach. I know for a fact she’ll love that.” She said and walked away. I stared after her a small smile making its way to my face.
“Florida, eh? We’ll this will be interesting.” I muttered to myself, ordering my usual.
***
WGIStella: number one way to get @WGIAJ’s loyalty: feed her.
“RIAN, YOU ARE MY FAVORITE PERSON BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT ME ICE CREAM!” I exclaimed taking a bite of my rainbow and wild berry swirl sorbet with rainbow sprinkles.
“Wait, so I’m not your favorite person anymore?” Vinny asked me. “I mean c’mon! I fed you chicken nuggets!” she said raising her hands up in surrender. I laughed at the memory.
“You mean I fed you chicken nuggets. Face it, without me and Vixx, we’d all starve.” I said shrugging. “But, until someone feeds me something better than ice cream, or does something that makes me speechless, Rian is my favorite person.” I stated. I saw Jersey smile at me and I smiled back.
“Okay kids, we gotta start heading back. We have a show in Baltimore.” Matt said to us all, ushering us to the busses.
“Hey With Good Intentions wanna come on our bus and have a movie night?” Cassadee asked us, sending a wink in my direction. I smiled at the girls, hope in my eyes that they would say yes
“Yeah you guys should come. Elliot will have a chance to hang out with us guys and we could all watch a movie. And we have snacks…” Jersey said, with Mike and Alex agreeing in the background. I looked at everyone and did the puppy eyes. Stella looked at everyone and Elliot shrugged.
“Alright. We’ll go.” She said with a smile. I jumped and danced around.
“YES! MOVIE NIGHT, MOVIE NIGHT! WE’RE GONNA HAVE A MOVIE NIGHT!” I said dancing around everyone.
“Rian, I think buying her that ice cream was a mistake.” Alex Gaskarth said. “She’s worse than Jack. That is seriously saying something.” I stopped and pouted.
“You are so mean to me!” I exclaimed to him. “What did I ever do to you?” Alex shrugged and smiled.
“You’re a better drummer than Rian, and you are not in my band.” He told me. My jaw dropped and I heard Rian rant how he isn’t appreciated enough by his band.
“Well, your day has been made. You have been declared a better drummer than Rian Dawson, had ice cream paid for you by Rian Dawson, and been complemented on your drumming by Rian Dawson. Anything I missed?” Stella asked everyone around us.
***
WGIVinny: finally in Florida. One of the top ten places I’ve always wanted to go to.
“Hey AJ!” I heard someone yell from behind me. I stopped and turned to see Jersey making his way towards me. “Can I ask you something?” he said shyly looking at the ground.
“Sure. Ask away.” I said smiling. He ran his hand through his hair nervously and smiled sheepishly at me.
“Will you go out to lunch with me?” he asked me. I smiled at him and gave him a hug.
“Sure. I would love to.” He smiled and hugged me tighter.
“Great. Meet me outside my bus at around one? And wear something fit for the beach.” He let me go and walked away towards his bus. I turned back around and saw my band mates waiting for me with smiles on their faces.
“What? Why are you guys looking at me like that?” I asked them, feeling like an ant under a microscope.
“Somebody has a date today!” Vinny sang and danced around me. “AJ has a date today!” she continued to sing and dance around me until I pushed her.
“Shut up. I don’t have a date today.” I told her. Stella and Emelly smirked at me.
“Oh really, then what was Jersey telling you when he stopped you.” Stella asked me.
“He was just asking me if I would like to have lunch with him. And he told me to wear something fit for the beach.” I said like it was no big deal, until I heard the words that came out of my mouth. “Oh shit. It is date like isn’t it?” I asked them. They all smirked and nodded.
“It’s about time.” Emelly said. “You need a guy, and honey, I can tell that he really likes you.”
“Can I help you get ready? When do you need to meet him? And you should wear your red summer dress! It will look great in contrast with your skin and hair!” Vinny rambled, not caring about my answer to whether she can help me get ready or not.
“Don’t worry; you’ll have a good time. Just make sure you tell Elliot so he doesn’t flip out on you when he doesn’t find you.” Stella told me giving me a hug. I nodded and went to find Elliot, leaving Vinny to her thoughts.
I found Elliot on the bus talking into the phone. He put up a finger signaling that he would be done in a moment. I nodded and got myself a bottle of water and waited for him to finish.
“So, what brings you here? You don’t ever come find me unless you want something.” he said as he put his phone away.
“Jersey invited me to go have lunch with him around one. I’m just telling you in case you need me. I’ll have my phone so just call me or text me.” I told him.
“Okay. Have fun, and it’s about time you went on a date.” He said as he walked off the bus. I stared after him in shock.
“Why the hell does everyone say that?” I asked myself as I made my way off the bus to find Vinny so she can help me get ready for lunch.
***
omgitsjersey: about to have lunch with a very pretty girl.
I made my way to Hey Monday’s bus only to find Jersey waiting outside for me.
“Hey, you ready to go?” he asked me taking in what I was wearing. I smiled and nodded. “oh, and you look really pretty.” I smiled and thanked him.
We arrived at a nice secluded beach. The waves crashed to the shore in rounds, the sea breeze played with my dress and hair.
“Okay, I need you to tie this around your eyes, and no peaking!” he told me as he handed me a blind fold. I looked at him like he was crazy, but complied.
“Alright, I can’t see anything. If I fall, it’s your fault.” I told him. He took my hands and began leading me.
“Okay, you can take off the blind fold now.” He said softly from beside me. I took off the blind fold and gasped at the sight in front of me. there was a checkered picnic blanket spread across the sand, close to the shore, but not so close it would get wet. A wicker basket sat in one corner with a cooler.
“Oh my…” I trailed off. “This is so beautiful.” I said my voice barely above a whisper. He continued to lead me to the blanket. I sat down and he made his way to the other side so he was facing me.
“I wanted your first time out to have lunch in Florida to be memorable.” He told me in a soft voice. I smiled and began taking food out of the basket.
“Wow. All this stuff is really good… and my favorite foods. Are you stalking me?” I asked jokingly. A slight blush crept up his face.
“No, I asked your friends what your favorite foods are and just made sure I had them prepared for this.” I couldn’t help but let out an aw. This boy was too adorable. We began eating and telling stories of our childhoods, our dreams, and our goals in life. We finished eating and packed everything up, and began taking a walk on the beach.
“Now I feel really stupid telling you this, but I’ve liked you for a really long time.” Jersey said to me. I could feel a smile playing at my lips. “I was wondering if you would consider the idea of being my girlfriend?” I looked at him shocked. I couldn’t believe that this amazing guy liked me back. A small smile made its way to my face and I gave him a hug.
“I would love to be considered your girlfriend. And that was completely not stupid. I thought it was sweet, and I have liked you for a long time too.” I confessed to him. His hold around me tightened and I felt him press his lips to my temple. “Oh, and your now my favorite person. You beat Rian by a mile with this picnic lunch.” I heard him chuckle and I smiled up at him.
“I think we should start heading back. You have a show to play in a few hours and I don’t want to be the blame when you are MIA.” Jersey said and he began to lead me back to the venue.
***
WGIEmelly: saying goodbye to everyone and heading back home. Gonna miss everyone on this tour.
Thunder boomed and heavy gray clouds covered the sky. It seemed that my mood matched the weather. I felt tears fall down my face as we all gathered to say goodbye. A lot of “I’m gonna miss you.” and “We’ll see each other soon on some other tour!” were passed around.
I eventually reached the Hey Monday Crew. They were probably the closest ones to us on this tour. I smiled sadly at Mike. He opened his arms and I went in for the hug.
“Hey don’t cry. We will see each other again. I promise. Especially that you are a part of the Decaydance family.” He said to me as he released me. “Don’t forget to text me that you have arrived safely okay?” he said. I nodded and gave him one last hug. Next I walked to Lipshaw. I gave him a hug right away and I could feel the tears fall down harder.
“Hey, calm down. I’ll see you again. Pete kind of spilled about something that involves With Good Intentions and Hey Monday. Just don’t tell him I told you.” he whispered to me. I laughed and let him go.
“I promise I won’t.” I said. I walked up to Cassadee and without a word we engulfed each other in a hug.
“I’m gonna miss you AJ. You are truly like a sister to me.” she said. I smiled and hugged her tighter.
“I’m gonna miss you too Cass. You are like the big sister I never had. Thank you for everything.” I could feel her nod.
“Hey, text me when you get home so I know you got there safely, okay?” she told me tears filling her eyes. I nodded and made her promise to do the same. I let her go and slowly made my way to Jersey. I gave him a hug and the tears began to fall even harder. I could hear everyone around us leave to give us some privacy.
“Hey baby, don’t cry. Please don’t cry.” He said to me as he ran his hand through my hair.
“I can’t help it. I don’t like the idea of not seeing you for a long time.” I mumbled into his shirt. I heard him sigh.
“Darling, please look at me.” I slowly lifted my head to look at him. “I love you so very much. I will do everything in my power to keep in touch with you. I will try my hardest to always be there when you need me. now I just need you to be able to trust that I will always be there.” he said to me. “Do you believe me? Do you trust me?” he asked me quietly. I nodded my head.
He smiled his adorable smiled. Slowly around us the rain began to fall. I lifted my head and closed my eyes, letting the rain wash my face. I opened my eyes and saw Jersey looking at me with unconditional love and adoration. He slowly lowered his face to mine, and I slowly started to rise. I closed my eyes and I felt his lush lips on mine. My hand slowly made its way up to his neck and grabbed a hold of his hair. His arms slowly made their way down to my waist. The kiss was sweet and passionate, filled with love. We broke apart and I smiled up at him.
“Now I want you to call me when you land. I don’t want a measly text message, I want a phone call so I can hear your voice. And I’ll call you every day, and I’ll come and visit during all holidays.” I smiled up at him and broke away from his embrace.
“I love you. and thank you.” I told him. He looked at me curiously. “For loving me, and putting up with me, and for always being there.” he pulled me in for one last kiss before breaking away.
“I’ll talk to you later. Have a safe flight.” He said to me. I nodded and got onto the bus that would take us to the airport. I sighed and looked out the window. My phone buzzed and I smiled as I read the twitter notification.
omgitsjersey: missing the most amazing, wonderful, beautiful girl in the world, @WGIAJ.
A few minutes after that my phone buzzed with a text message.
I love you.
♠ ♠ ♠
did this for a contest. not one of my best things, but hey, we grow as we write. comments are appreciated. :D