And Along Came You

The rain continued to crash against my window and I wasn't sure if the sudden storm was a kind of sign or an omen that what Stones for Grace was about to embark on was a mistake or not. The days and weeks had gone by in a blur and the day we had been waiting for was finally here. I was supposed to be sleeping, but there were way too many things going through my mind that I couldn't put to rest. I was excited and nervous and a little scared—but only a little—all at once. None of us had ever done anything like this before and I knew there would be a lot of changes in our lives to come, whether they are big or small, good or bad. Still feeling restless, I turned the light on and grabbed my notebook and a pen out from under my bed.

After it had been decided that we were opening for All Time Low, I thought about how this experience would be one I would remember for as long as I lived. I wanted to do more of those kinds of things. I wanted to be able to look back on my life and have it be memorable and exciting. I started scribbling down a few words on a blank page in my notebook and what began as a few notes soon turned into a complete list, labeled Things to do before I die.

Fall in love
Pull an all-nighter
Go on tour
Release a full album
Get a tattoo
Do something illegal
Meet my favorite band
Get kissed in the rain
Go skinny dipping
Get drunk
Turn 21
Conquer a fear
Crowd surf

I looked over my list again and again, studying my own words like a song I was committing to memory. I smiled content with these goals. Neatly ripping out the page, I folded it up and placed it on my nightstand. Writing usually put my mind at ease. Finally putting my ecstatic thoughts to rest, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

***
I got up that morning like any other morning. Combed my hair, brushed my teeth, got dressed, had breakfast with my mom—all the usual. After my mom left for work, however, I didn't catch the bus for school. No, instead I found myself in Andrew’s brother’s car, heading towards the airport. Besides the four of us, Andrew's brother, Mason, was the only one who knew about this endeavor. He had promised not to speak of it to anyone until we were ready to out ourselves, which would probably be as soon as we were far enough away from our parents.

The car ride was quiet and there was a very heavy tension in the atmosphere. We were nervous and scared. I for one didn't know what to expect when we got to the first stop of the tour let alone on the plane. I wasn't looking forward to making that phone call to my mom and I felt so guilty for making her come home to an empty house wondering where the hell I was. She worried a lot about me for obvious reasons and here I was giving her yet another thing to lose sleep over. Turning over on my side, I leaned against the door, resting my head on the window. It will all be worth it, I told myself with each exit we took.

***
Flyzik had told us that we would meet at the gate so after we took care of our luggage and equipment and went through security we found him waiting for us along with a few other people.

"Good to see you guys again," he smiled as we approached with knots in our stomachs and anxious looks on our faces. "You guys all set?"

I nodded for the four of us and cleared my throat. "We're all good," I said, my voice faltering a bit more than I would have liked.

"Well please, tone down your enthusiasm," a sarcastic voice came out from behind Flyzik. "You may draw a crowd."

I bit my bottom lip to keep my jaw from dropping. There, standing before me was the lead singer of All Time Low, Alex Gaskarth. I smiled and laughed nervously, hoping I didn't seem as star struck as I felt. That was all I needed. Alex Gaskarth thinking I was some sort of creepy fan-girl.

"We don't bite," Alex laughed, noticing the anxious looks on all our faces. "Well…I can't really make any promises about Jack," he joked as the guitarist emerged along with the rest of All Time Low. I quickly shook off the initial shock and cleared my throat.

"Thanks for giving us this opportunity," I said feeling stupid. Really? That's all you could think to say? Lame.

We introduced ourselves, but we didn't get to talk for too long because Flyzik was rushing us onto the plane. I had been to many concerts of theirs, but never had that one on one time with them. They were chill and down to Earth and as we all claimed our seats for the long flight ahead of us, I knew we had made the right decision. This would be one hell of a summer.

***
I could never sleep on planes. Not even on long car rides. I wasn't sure why, but I always needed to be up and alert in case something happened.

Paranoid much?

I looked over to my right to find my guitarist passed out. I sighed internally, turning away from the sleeping blonde. The rest of the cabin was silent and I felt as if I were the only passenger on the whole flight who was still conscious. Bored and desperate for a distraction, I reached under my seat for my carryon. Pulling out a folded piece of paper, I unlocked my tray and spread the paper out on it, smoothing over the creased. Rereading the words I had practically etched into memory, I felt a strange sense of comfort and security. It was my list and I had vowed to myself to take it with me everywhere I go.

"Hey," a pair of big brown eyes popped up over the seat in front of me. I looked up and saw Jack peering down at me. "Melanie, right?"

With a small grin I nodded. "Couldn't sleep either?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Nah, I slept the whole way to the airport, besides I'm always too wound up at the beginning of tour," Jack said. "Guess I'm not the only one?"

"Guess so."

"Hey, what's that?" he asked and I watched as his eyes shifted downwards to my tray. I quickly covered up the paper with my hand. I wasn't usually one to hide things or keep secrets, but my list was personal. I hadn't even shown it to Angela. "Oh, top secret?" he chuckled softly, his eyes meeting mine once again.

"You could say that…" I trailed off, quickly folding it back up.

"Any chance you'll let me in on it?" he pressed.

"Well…if I told you, then I'd have to kill you," I said coyly, narrowing my eyes at him a little.

"And if I was willing to risk that?" he retorted and I sighed inwardly. This boy just wouldn't back down. I paused for a moment to deliberate. What could it hurt? I thought, still feeling a little unsure.

"You don't give up easily do you?" I sighed as I handed over my list.

"I'm very persistent," he smiled, unfolding the paper. I rolled my eyes, trying to hold back the smile that was feverishly tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"More like nosy."

He simply shrugged. "You say to-mato, I say toma-to."

Finally I cracked a smile and soon felt my cheeks heat up as Jack's eyes moved along my sloppy print. "Things to do…before I die?" he read slowly, his voice saturated with curiosity. "Someone's ambitious."

"I have my reasons," I said with a shrug.

"Care to share?" he asked, taking his eyes off the page to look down at me. I shifted slightly in my seat. Why did he ask so many questions? Why did he want to know all this stuff about me? We had met merely a few hours ago and now I was being questioned like a criminal under interrogation.

"I'm afraid you've used up all of your questions for today," I came back with, snatching my list out of his hands. At first he looked taken back and a little shocked at my sudden action, but his expression was soon replaced with one of intrigue.

"So a mystery, huh?" he mused, cocking his head to the side. "Well that sounds fun…a little dirty…Jack like."

We both laughed softly, careful not to wake anyone and with a small wave he turned back around in his seat, leaving me alone and once again consumed by the stony silence. After safely tucking away my list, I pushed up the cover of the window and gazed out into the night sky. It was mostly all black with the exception of some blinking dots of light below. We wouldn't be landing for another hour or so, so I pulled out my iPod and set it on shuffle. The soft melody of a Good Charlotte song filled my ears, acting as a kind of strange lullaby, slowly taking me under.

I guess there was a first time for everything.