Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal

Two months had flown by pretty fast, as the last show rolled around I stood at the side of the side waiting to be called on to go play with Alex for the last time, this would be the last time I’d be on stage with Alex and the last time until some festivals and gigs we had lined up. The day of my birthday would be when I saw jack again; even then I was going to a football game. I was upset by this but I was counted down from three and walked on stage to sing.

"I'm not coming back, I've done something so terrible,
I'm terrified to speak but you'd expect that from me,
I messed up, I'll be blunt,
now the rain is just washing you out of my hair"
I woke up the next morning, upset over tour having to end, I pulled my phone off the side to see it was only 6:30 in the morning, why was I up this early? I looked over to my left to see a peaceful jack fast asleep, he’s arms wrapped around my waist. I looked at the unread message from Becky.
From: Becky.
You may want to see this.

Attached was a picture of the sun, the newspaper, I opened it up nothing could have prepared me for this, ‘the real Melissa.’ I saw headlining the paper, underneath read the cuts and nights out. Shit. I breathed; I knew who had written this. My mind was going crazy. Jack was still asleep and I needed to get back home to sort this out, I texted Becky asking her to book me a flight, and she replied telling me she would. I looked at jack; there was no way he was going to wake up. I attempted to pull myself from his grip when he’s eyes shot open.

‘Sorry.’ I whispered.

‘What’s up?’ he asked me.

‘Something as happened. I need to fly home early, sorry.’ I told him, still whispering.

‘Let me come with you.’ He asked me, he knew the answer, they were performing tonight, it
was this one of thing.

‘You know I wish you could.’ I told him getting out of bed. I only had jack’s top on. I went over to my suitcase and pulled out my black play suit and blazer. I didn’t mind getting changed in front of jack anymore, I pulled the top off then put my underwear on and stepped into the playsuit and pulling my arms through the sleeve of the blazer, then stepping into my heels, tying my hair into a side plait. Jack was putting the last things into my suitcase; I found all my jewellery from the previous night and my bag. I zipped my suitcase up and looked at jack.

‘I’ll take you to the airport.’ he told me, the guys had rented a car for a few days. He put my suitcase in the boot and I got into the front of the car. We already had paps following us so I kept my head low, looking at jack every so often, I was leaving him behind, but this needed to be sorted out.

We pulled into the airport and I hugged jack goodbye before going into the boot and getting my suitcase out, I ignored the flashes from cameras, and went to book in. I pulled out my phone and called Becky, I waited she’d be moving to last lesson by now.

‘Hello?’ she finally answered with.

‘I’m getting a plane home now, I’ll be there soon.’ I told her.

‘Good. We’ll come get you.’ She hung up and I placed my phone back into my pocket.

JACK’S POV

What the hell was I doing, 2 more weeks that all I had to wait, until I could see her, my fucked up little mind was telling me to do the wrong things, I got out the car locking it and ran inside the airport, swearing at the paps. I saw her standing there it was almost like a movie, I ran over to her, she was at the back of the quene to my luck. I stopped seconds before and she turned around, I smiled at her, grabbing her for a hug.

‘Jack.’ She whispered.

‘I couldn’t leave you not like that.’ I told her whispering into her ears, I couldn’t wait two weeks. I pulled away from the hug and kissed her, holding her tight, it’s like the whole world stood still not a single sound was made, in fact it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was at this point I stopped caring. Melissa drew apart.

‘Two months that’s all it took for me to fall in love with you.’ I told her. Where the fuck was this coming from? She smiled. I wanted to tell her then.

‘Melissa. I don’t care what you come with, what your past is. I love you.’ I told her, watching as the tear rolled off her cheek.

‘Jack, I love you too.’ She told me, my whole world stopped, so this is what Alex must feel like.

‘Miss?’ the lady at the desk said, we both drew away from the moment. Melissa was about to say goodbye to this. We moved forward and I waited for her to book herself and her suitcase in. I looked at her.

‘Two weeks.’ She told me, kissing me on the cheek and leaving me standing there in the airport.

MELISSA’S POV

I stood in line to buy a Starbucks, I’d done it, I’d told jack I loved him and it felt right but as I was flying home to go sort out the shit I’d landed into did it seem right? I ordered myself a coffee, and looked at the boarding time, I should make it, I told myself, I couldn’t wait to see Becky, her face would be a picture, she was still trying to sort things out with her and Alex, she was the lucky one, she could speak to him all the time without being judged like me and Jack, the words two weeks kept repeating itself in my mind, that’s all I had to wait to see him again.

I landed in Heathrow airport, from a relaxed flight, I didn’t know what to do now, I was sitting waiting for my suitcase to come around the convert belt, but thinking it over had I made the right choice, coming here?

I spotted my bag and got up to get it down, I went through two double doors and waited to record me coming back home to the up, I was in the shorter line and was soon met by a woman who looked at me and smiled.

‘Welcome home.’ She told me and I couldn’t help but smile, she was right I was home but did I really belong here?

My phone started to ring and I pulled it out from my pocket to see it was Becky.

‘You’re here?’ she asked me.

‘Yea, 3.’ I told her, hanging up. I walked through another set of doors to see her sitting on the side, her face showed how upset she was, her rundown jeans and my black hoodie, I could just see a bit of Alex’s glamour kills top underneath, my heart broke. She pulled me in and the tears started to roll down my cheeks. Almost 9 hours ago I was in the arms of jack’s now I’m crying into the arms of my best friends.

‘How you feeling?’ she asked me.

‘Shit.’ Replying with one word that summed my whole day up.

‘What do you need to do?’

‘We have to go to see him.’ I told her the words I’d been dreading.

I’m not one of those people who like to sort out situations that I have landed myself into but this was the one I needed to sort out. I got into the back of Becky’s brothers car and he sped down the motorway towards Essex, my mind was going crazy, I pulled out my phone and called jack, I forget I was in England and him thousands of miles away from me, I didn’t have time to end the call as he already answered.

‘Hello?’ I heard him moan into the microphone.

‘Hey.’ I whispered.

‘MELISSA!’ he shouted to me.

‘I’m in the uk. Just thought I’d let you know.’ I told him, I was happy to hear his voice.

‘Thank fuck!’ he told me, he’d be playing a show soon; he must be hyped up for that.

‘Yeah, look I’ve got to go.’

‘Don’t’ he whispered to me.

‘Sorry.’

‘I love you.’ He told me.

‘I love you too.’ And ending the call.

‘Ready?’ Becky asked me as we pulled up in front of Liam’s house. I nodded back at her and opened the car door and made my way towards the front door. I took a deep breath and banged on it three times before someone answered it. It was Liam.

‘What?’ he asked me

‘Why the fuck did you sell a story on me?’

‘I wanted to.’

‘Well then considered you being sued.’ I shouted back to him running back to the car and getting in. we drove away and for once I didn’t cry of Liam.

ALEX’S POV

I looked at jack as he ended the phone call, Rian and Zack had already made their way towards the stage. I smiled at jack as he turned around, he smiled at me, he wasn’t really smiling.
‘Jack?’ I asked him.
‘Don’t worry, come on!’ he shouted at me, not in a bad way he was happy.
He pulled my arm and dragged me towards the stage. I’d forgotten about the whole thing until I looked at him in Poppin’ Champagne, he wasn’t he’s usual self, and I knew what was up. But I couldn’t help it, nor could Rian or Zack. Only one person could and they were millions of miles away from us. I felt stupid I wanted to stop the whole show put him on a plan and take him to her, I wanted him to be happy, I was happy with the crazy relationship I was in with Becky, well if you could call it that, it wasn’t really one it was more like I’m going to bang you every time I see you thing.