Told Me You Hated My G n' R Shirt. Shoulda Known Better, This Was Never Gonna Work.

It's been two weeks since Jackie called me and told me that her and Austin got married in Vegas. Now Madison and I are working My Darkest Days' merch booth at the show they're opening for Hinder. I'm hoping to see Jackie tonight, but everytime that I've tried to text her to see where she is, she never replies.

I look up towards the stage and see the crew setting up MDD's equipment, then I look over at Madison who is taking cash from a girl who just bought a CD.

"I hope we get to watch the show," I say to her, looking around the room at all the people filing in. "It's really filling up in here."

"I know. People never get that just because we're working merch, doesn't mean don't wanna see the show too." I roll my eyes and turn around to fix one of the strings of clear Christmas lights that Madison and I strung up around the back wall behind our booth earlier.

I grab a shirt that's hanging on a hanger and move it over a little, then fix the lights and hang it back where it belongs.

"Testing, 1, 2, 3," I hear Chizzy, MDD's tour manager say into Matt's mic. After he's sure that that one is working, he moves on to Sal's and does the same thing.

I crouch down and grab another stack of CD's from a box under the merch table, and set them out for people to see, keeping a close eye out for people trying to steal one.

"Jason!" I hear Madison say, and when I look over sure enough, Jason is giving her a hug.

"I didn't expect you tonight," I say to him.

"Well it's your lucky day then, isn't it?" I roll my eyes and smile at him.

"You guys going to watch the show from here?" he asks.

"I don't know. Our view is mostly blocked." He turns and looks towards the stage.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." I wipe my hands in the thighs of my jeans, wishing that I could drink while I'm doing this. The guys regular merch crew is working at some other venue tonight, so Madison and I stepped in to help. It's not my preferred job, but whatever I'll do it. Usually it's not so bad if the venue is a decent size and doesn't fill up, and you can still see the stage from the booth. Unlike what's happening tonight.

I feel a hand grab my arm and when I look over to see who it is, I see Jackie, with a big drunk grin plastered on her face.

"Ahhh!!" I scream and hug her, and she laughs. Madison sees us, and her reaction is similar to mine.

"Oh my God, I've missed you!" I say to her.

"I know I've missed you guys too."

"Where is the ring?" Madison asks.

"It's being custom made at the jeweler in California. We haven't gotten it yet."

"That sounds fancy," Jason comments, having been listening in on our conversation like he always does.

"I know, right? We went in right before we left for the tour to design it. It's going to be beautiful!"

"I bet it is. Where are you going to be for the show?" I ask.

"Sidestage of course. What about you guys? Are you trapped here all night?"

"Probably. The worst seat in the house."

"Get Battle to lend you one of his guys for a couple hours and I'll get you guys passes and you can stand with me," she says. "Jason where will you be?"

"Around."

"Uhh! Well I'll get you a pass too. Shayna, go right now and talk to Battle. If he doesn't let you have one of his guys, tell him Jackie will have his ass." I laugh and walk around the end of the merch table, and head off in the direction of Hinder's merch booth.

When I get there I slip around to the back of the booth without being noticed by anyone. I see Battle and two other guys working the much larger booth. I sidle up next to Battle and he finally notices me.

"Hey baby, what are you doing over here?" he asks me, grabbing a stack of shirts from under the table and setting them up on top of it.

"I was wondering if you would lend me one of your boys for a couple hours?" I ask as sweet as I can muster.

"Cody?" he asks. I roll my eyes at him and he laughs, moving on to the next style of shirt under the table. I back up a little, giving him some room.

"No, one of your merch guys. Madison and I want to watch the show with Jackie from the side of the stage. It's probably one of our last shows with her for a while."

"That's cool. You can have Rob." I smile and stand up on my tip toes, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Battle baby," I say, skipping over to Rob and telling him the situation. He follows me over to our booth and I go over everything with him, then Jason, Madison and I go with Jackie outside of the venue.

We walk around to the back of the building to where the busses are parked, and we enter a back door to the back stage area. We skip going to the dressing rooms and go straight to the stage.

We stand around and wait for about ten minutes, then the lights go down and a recorded synth track starts playing through the amps. We're standing on the opposite end of the stage as the guys will come out at, so they won't walk by us when they come out.

I watch as Doug gets situated behind his kit and starts pounding out a coordinating beat to the track that's playing. A second later Brendan and Reid come out, and the crowd starts cheering as they start playing the opening chords of Save Me. Sal comes out next and goes straight to his mic.

"New York City, what the fuck is up?!" he screams. Matt comes out on stage then with his guitar strapped to his body, and goes over to his mic.

"Get the fuck up!" Sal screams and both he and Matt start playing their guitars. The girls and I start dancing immediately, and Jason nods his head to the beat.

After their set we hang out with them back stage, which for me means hooking up with Sal in the dressing room. And afterwards we go back out to wait for Hinder. I'm really thankful that Battle let me borrow one of his merch guys for a little while, this has been a really good show so far and I know it's about to get a lot better when Hinder comes out.

It takes about twenty minutes for Hinder's crew to set up their whole stage and test all of the mic's and equipment. When their done the lights go down and a lot of old rock songs play for a while. After what feels like years, I see the guys' shadows as they go out on stage. I hear the beginning part of 2 Side's of Me playing an I see Austin strut out onstage. Jackie screams when she sees him, which makes the rest of us laugh.

"Hey!" he screams into his mic and the guys start playing as soon as he does. The lights come back on and the crowd starts screaming.

"This ain't a love song, but don't get me wrong," he sings. "I'm gonna fuck you, all night long while you're turning me on, 'til the lovin' and the liquor's gone."

We all dance and sing along, well, everyone except for Jason. He just stands there nodding along with his dumb, unreadable musician face.

About halfway through the set I feel two arms being closed around me from behind. When I look over my shoulder I see Sal standing there with Doug and Reid. I kiss him on the cheek and he smiles at me, then we go back to watching the show. During Lip's of an Angel, I can hear him singing quietly in my ear.

After the show, Madison, Sal, Doug, Reid, and I all head back to the merch booth to pick up so they can pack up the rest of their trailer, and Jason goes with Jackie back to the dressing room to hang out with the Hinder guys.

When we get to the booth I see Matt and Brendan hanging out, talking to fans and signing stuff. There aren't too many people hanging out anymore, now that Hinder's set is done, so we all start loading things up into their boxes and taking them outside to where the trailer is parked.

Once we're done I go back inside to the bar where Jason is. I sit down by myself on the stool next to him without saying a word.

"Bartender, I'll have another beer and whatever she wants on my tab," he says. The bartender nods and looks at me.

"Vodka and pineapple on the rocks, please," I tell her and she nods again, and goes off to get the drinks.

"Did the boys leave?" Jason asks me once she's gone.

"No, they're around here somewhere. I think they went back stage again." He nods and looks around the semi crowded bar. The bartender comes back with our drinks and we drink them peacefully for a few minutes.

"Hey groupie," I hear a familiar voice say from the other side of me. I grin and turn my stool towards him.

"Hey band boy. Good show tonight," I say.

"Thanks. Jackie got you sidestage I saw."

"Yeah." He picks up the My Darkest Days crew pass that I'm wearing around my neck and looks at it.

"Merching," I tell him. He nods and drops the pass against my chest.

"So, you and Sally..." I raise my eyebrow slightly and smirk.

"Hows that going?" I smile again.

"I'll let you know," I say, taking a sip of my drink. I feel someone grab my arm and yank me off of my barstool before I even realize what's happening. When I finally do, I see that Jackie has both me and Jason, and is dragging us across the bar towards a booth where Madison and Matt are sitting.

"Family portrait!" she yells.

"Jackie," Jason groans.

"You're part of the family, you have to be in the picture," she scolds him. He looks at me and rolls his eyes.

"Why does he get to be in the picture?" he asks, motioning at Matt. Matt grins at him charmingly and Jackie punches him in the shoulder.

"He doesn't," she says, shoving Matt out of the booth, making Madison laugh.

The four of us all huddle together in the booth and Matt aims Jackie's digital camera at us.

"Say.... Brendo has herpes!" he yells loudly. The girls and I burst out laughing, and even Jason laughs right as Matt snaps the picture, then looks at it on the tiny screen.

"It's rad," he says, handing the camera to Jackie. I look over her shoulder at it and smile.

"It is perfect." Sal and Reid come over then, both with a bunch of drinks in their hands. Sal hands me one of them, and Madison and Jason each one too.

"Toast!" Doug yells. I see Cody standing in the group with us, holding his own drink.

"Alright guys, stick 'em up," Matt says.

"You wouldn't know much about that, would you Matty?" Cody snarks off.

"Fuck you," he says back with a laugh. We all put our drinks up in the air together.

"Cheers fuck wad's."

"Fuck it!" We all laugh and clink glasses, then down our drinks.

We party for the rest of the night until Hinder's crew gives bus call, then we say goodbye to Jackie and Austin and the rest of the guys.

Jason, Madison and I walk back to the condo by ourselves at about three in the morning. All of us a little drunk, but not so slammed that we can't function.

"I'm gonna miss Jackie," I say to them.

"Me too. Are you gonna miss her Jason?" Madison asks.

"Yeah I'll miss her, but it means there is one less of you freaks that I have to look after."

"You don't mind looking after us, Jase."

"Lord knows why, but no I don't." We both lean our heads against his shoulders, and put our arms around his waist.

"Crazy girls."