Six Feet Under The Stars

I could tell you I totally lost my happy feelings I had before I overheard that group of girls outside the airsoft gun game location. I refused to be in the same team with John as I made an excuse that I sometimes wanted to be against John. People didn’t know why I said that, but they all joked over John telling him that I didn’t love him anymore. I didn’t say anything about their jokes but John’s bitter laugh just made me realized that something wrong had happened.

We played for a nice two hours and ended it as my team won over John’s. Garrett, Pat and Kennedy celebrated it as they ran to the vending machine to buy some cans of beer and soda for our team. I immediately took a can from Pat’s hand and opened it to take a big gulp of beer. Damn, that somehow really made me felt better—even though the boys looked at me weirdly. I just didn’t care; I needed to distract my mind from bad thoughts.

I decided to go home when they say that they’re going to find something to eat. John nicely offered to take me home but I refused it.

“You can get lost!” He said as he tried to get closer to me.

“I won’t, John, this is my hometown. I won’t get lost in my own hometown, okay?”

“But still, I can’t let my girlfriend get home alone when I—her boyfriend—is here to do anything she’d like me to do.”

“Really? Are you sure?” I asked him coldly as he nodded. “Then let me go home alone.”

John’s face was uneasy; he was still trying to get closer to me while I kept sending him some glares every time he made a move. He started to give up as he kept locking his eyes on mine. We did this cold staring contest for several minutes until Jared called both of us and told John that he would take me home. He looked at me as he motioned that I should agree with him or we would never go to anywhere so I annoyingly nodded to him. I said a simple goodbye to the other boys and made my way out from there.

“Carol! Wait!” Jared called as he fastened his pace to get beside me. “Hey, what happened?” He asked me after trying to control his breath.

“That’s what I actually should’ve asked you, Jared.” I coldly said.

“Can you stop for a while? Hey, the game took all of my energy!” Jared called me again from behind. I slowed my pace before finally stopped and turned to see Jared behind me. He just stood there controlling his breath as his face showed me a confuse expression.

“Why didn’t you stay there and take some rest, huh?” I annoyingly asked. “I told you all I didn’t need a company.”

“I need to make sure that you won’t do anything stupid because you look so upset, Carl.”

“Do you think I’ll be such an idiot just because I’m upset that you guys are hiding things from me?!” I got my voice higher. Jared looked more confused as I crossed my arms in front of my chest and said, “Do not ever try to talk to me unless one of you guys would tell me about what happened last year on tour with All Time Low.”



I heard some footsteps from the inside after I knocked the house’s door for several times. He opened the door and raised one of his thick eyebrows just as he found out who was standing on his front door.

“What’s up? I thought you’re going to your boyfriend’s show, huh?”

I rushed inside his house to the backyard without even responded his question. He followed me to the backyard and sat on the porch beside me.

“Really, Carly, what happened?” His voice sounded worried. I could feel his worried eyes on me as I just sat there in silent.

“I cancelled it,” I finally said. “What’s your plan for today?”

“Just chilling; the boys will be here later and we’ll probably go to the bar if we got bored here. Wanna join us?” He offered.

I didn’t say anything but thinking for several minutes. “Is it fine if I join you?” I finally asked.

“Of course! I asked you on the first time, though!” Alex couldn’t help but chuckled. He excused himself to get inside to get some drinks for us.

I sat alone looking through Alex’s backyard as I felt my phone vibrated. It was Claire. I suddenly remembered that I forgot to tell her that I cancelled my plan to go to John’s show tonight.

“Where are you? I thought we’re going to The Maine’s show, huh?” She said once I picked up her call.

“No, sorry I forgot to tell you that I cancelled my plan to go,” I told her. “Where are you now? I’m at Alex’s, what if you come here so I won’t be the only girl here?”

“Okay, will be there later,” Claire added as she hung up. Alex came right when I shoved back my phone to my pocket. He asked me who it was as he gave me a can of orange juice.

“It was Claire, she’s coming here too,” I informed.

Alex and I continued chilling and chatting on his backyard until suddenly Rian ran from inside the house telling that the other guys had arrived. He ran again to the front door before coming back with Jack and Zack. Obviously Jack was surprised to find me with Alex.

“What are you doing here?!” Jack exclaimed and pointed his finger to me.

“Chilling,” I casually answered. “Don’t ask me questions, Jack. Alex didn’t even get anything from me too.”

Jack confusedly looked at me before glancing to Alex as the older boy just shrugged his shoulders. He stood there looking at me before finally grinning.

“Alright! All you have to do today is just having fun with us, okay?!” He exclaimed and rounded his long arm around my shoulder. “Anyway this is Zack the muscular man and Rian the douche one.” Jack introduced his friends which made me giggled.

“We’ve met each other before, Jack. Remember that time you and all the All Time Low family came to my house?” I reminded him.

“Really?!” Jack exclaimed again making Zack coldly told him to stop yelling. Jack pouted to him as he dragged me away from Zack to the picnic table. “Sorry, he’s probably having his PMS right now,” he whispered making me giggling again.

I sipped my orange juice and put the can on the table. I felt Jack’s eyes were on me so I looked up to see his I’m-trying-to-be-serious face. That expression of his made me grinned but he didn’t change his face at all. I showed no more expression to him as I cupped my chin. I could tell Jack could read my mind that I wanted to tell him something; so even before I opened my mouth, he already asked me what’s up.

“Don’t tell me you don’t wanna talk about anything, Carly,” Jack said with a serious face. “I know there’s something and you wanna share it with me.”

Jack kept looking at me and I kept zipping my mouth, still had a doubt if I should tell him about what bothered me or not. I didn’t tell him anything but drumming my fingers to the table and humming randomly. Jack started to get tired of my attitude as he groaned loudly.

“Caroline! Are you going to tell me something or not?!” He annoyingly crossed his arms.

“I don’t know how!” I argued, crossing my own arms.

“You never changed,” Jack stated. “You can’t make people curious to death for your stories, Carl.”

“Of course I can, that’s what writers do,” I said and stuck out my tongue.

“Fine,” Jack finally stated before he went away to get some beers for himself. I kept my eyes on him as my mind kept fighting about I should tell Jack everything or not.

Jack came back with four cans of beers and still had that pout on his face. I rolled my eyes and ignored him as I heard my phone ringing a special ringtone. I only shoved it out from my pocket and put it on the table, looking at the screen which was telling who was calling me. I let it ringing for a while until the screen told me that I just missed a call from my boyfriend.

“Why did you not answer it?” Jack asked once he saw who was calling.

“I don’t wanna talk to him right now,” I sighed, taking a beer can and opened it.

“Why? Did something happen?” Jack sounded curious and a bit worry.

“I guess so,” I said. “But I don’t know if you would want to talk about that, Jack.”

This Barakat boy suddenly gasped and got more curious. He then promised me that he would keep that as a secret and blabbed some more promises until I stopped him and told him to sit down calmly.

“John is cheated on me,” I started. “I heard that it happened in a bar last year. I just got a feeling that it had to do with Alex’s problem with John.”

Jack was frozen. His face was completely shocked and uneasy. He gripped his beer can hardly and took a gulp from it before looking at me again. I waited for him to say something as I took my own sip of beers to calm myself down.

“You know, Caroline,” Jack finally said, “Alex wouldn’t like me for telling this to you. He wanted me to keep it as a secret since the time he found out you’re John’s girlfriend.”

“What is that?” I asked. “Wait, am I right?”

Jack nodded slowly but surely. “She was Alex’s girlfriend, Lisa. Alex found her making out with John at the bar and we couldn’t prevent them from a bar fight because both of them were not that sober.”