Just The Way I'm Not

“Attention passengers please put all electronic devices away and put your tray tables up to the upright position as we begin our decent into Heathrow International Airport.” Some random woman with a British accent said over the intercom. Jack grinned as he punched Alex next to him who had been sleeping soundly before he had.

“What the hell dude?” Alex asked as he rubbed his arm and shot a glare at Jack.

Jack just shrugged and started to bounce in his seat. “We’re landing!” Was all he said as he started to bounce more.

“And you couldn’t have thought of a better way to wake me up? That freaking hurt!” Alex continued complaining as Jack just rolled his eyes.

He went back to watching the clouds out the window as the ground got closer and closer and he could start making out buildings and cars. The people looked like little dots from that high up and Jack just smiled as he saw the airport and runway come closer. Soon the familiar jerk of the plane’s wheels hitting the runway jolts Jack forward in his seat and he continues to watch out the window as the airport vehicles and people walk around as they get closer to their gate.

The voice over the speakers comes again telling them the time and temperature along with welcoming them to England. There are a few instructions also given telling them to stay in their seats until the plane comes to a full stop. Jack was bouncing in his seat again as he looked away from the window when the plane stopped. His seatbelt was already off and he was just waiting to get off the plane so they could get to the hotel and the next day would come so they could start their tour.

“Jack I swear to God if you don’t sit still,” Alex threatened.

“What, I’m excited.” He simply replied with a shrug as he watched the flight attendants walking around and waiting to get the ok to open the door.

He glances over at his best friend again and notices the tired look in his eye. As he stands up when they finally open the door he suddenly also feels how tired he is. His legs are sore from sitting so long and as he’s walking up the ramp towards the actual airport, he feels how heavy his eye lids actually are and can’t help the yawn that escapes.

“Ok guys, let’s go get our bags. I believe that the van that’s going to take us to the hotel should be here by the time we get everything.” Flyzik says as they head through the crowd toward the baggage claim.

As they walked through the airport, they were stopped by a few fans but were able to make their way down to the baggage claim a few moments before the first bags started to come. Jack ran a hand through his hair as he watched the bags go by. Everyone else had found their bags and he only had one of the two bags he had brought. The crew went to go get their equipment while the band stayed back to wait for the missing bag. When the crowd was beginning to thin out and the same bags kept passing them by Jack began to realize that his bag wasn’t going to show.

Just what he needed. All he wanted to do was go and sleep. They had been flying for eight hours and even after how hyper he had been on the plane, he was dead tired and just wanted to sleep. But no. Now he had to go to the baggage desk to find out where the hell his other bag went and see if they could find it and ship it to him if they ever found it.

Thankfully, he kept all his important things with him in his carry on so his laptop and the other things were safe in his backpack. The bag that was missing wasn’t that important, just had a few clothes and sheets in them. Even if it wasn’t important it was still the fact that they lost his freaking bag. Every single time they flew something happened.

Last time it was Alex who fell victim when the airline lost both his guitars. The boy had been a living nightmare the two days that it took them to find the lost guitars. And now it looked like it was Jack’s turn to be screwed over. It was his lucky day.

After spending a half hour trying not to snap at the lady at the desk, he was able to leave after giving his phone number and promised that he would be contacted whenever they found anything on his missing bag. He walked outside to the white van that was waiting there and opened the door and got in pulling the door closed a little harder than necessary.

They guys just gave him a glance but didn’t say anything as their driver, who Jack figured was going to be their bus driver when they got it the next morning, made his way through the traffic toward their hotel. Flyzik was filling them in on the things that were going down.

Apparently You Me At Six was meeting them at the venue the next day and We Are The In Crowd were already at their hotel, which happened to be the same one they were going to stay at. While the other band, who Jack found out their name was Code Name For Crushes, were going to get in late that night and also meet them at the venue the next day.

When they finally arrived at the hotel, Jack sighed in relief as he pulled his bag from the back and carried it inside following behind the rest of the guys. It was the same room pairings and as soon as Alex and he got their key, they went to the elevator and made their way up to the third floor.

“Mm, do you mind if I steal the shower first?” Alex asked once they were inside and were getting settled in. Jack just shrugged and shook his head as his best friend grabbed a few things before shutting the bathroom door behind him.

Jack went to his bag and opened it to see just exactly that bag held so he could figure out what was in the other bag and what needed replacing if the bag was never found. As he went through the bag, he found a familiar picture inside the box he always took with him. He took it out and smiled back at the faces frozen in place in the photo and looked at the person standing next to his ten year old self. He remembered exactly when that picture had been taken.

She had just been in the middle of laughing at something he had said and her grandma had snapped the picture just as her smiling face broke out into an even bigger grin as she began to laugh. And even after so long he never forgot the adorable giggle she had and how he had always made a point of cracking jokes just so he could hear it again.

He always brought some photos along with him whenever he went on tour. The current photo he was holding and the picture of him in front of the Home Alone house were ones that always accompanied him along with updated photos of his family and some of his close friends that he left behind as they toured around the world.

It was his own way of keeping them close when he was away. If he ever felt homesick he would look through the small stack that he kept in a small box in his bag. And he couldn’t help but feel thankful that that bag wasn’t the one that had gotten lost. He would be much more broken up about the missing bag if it had been the one with his favorite photos in it.

“What’s that?” Alex asked as he walked back into the room. Jack looked up and didn’t realize that he had been looking at the photo that long and that Alex was already done with his shower. He just shrugged and showed him the photo before gently placing it back in the box on top of the others.

“Are you done in the bathroom diva?” Jack asked as he pulled out a few things from his bag. Alex just rolled his eyes and nodded as he began to head to the bathroom. “You better have left me some hot water!”

“You’ll just have to wait and see!” He heard Alex call back as he shut the door.

There was steam still on the mirror and Jack sighed as he went to the shower and silently prayed that there was still hot water left. It would just be the icing on the cake if there wasn’t. First his bag, then no hot water, what could be next? Jack honestly didn’t want to know and smiled to himself when he realized that there was some left. His diva of a best friend didn’t use it all thank God.

Taking a quick shower since he knew that it wouldn’t last long, he got dressed in a pair of boxers and a plain white shirt and made his way back into the main part of the room. Shoving all his things back into his bag he flopped on the bed and turned his attention to the tv. He spent the rest of the night trying to fight to keep his eyes open as he texted everyone he promised to once he landed.

After he did, he finally gave up on trying to stay awake and rolled over and snuggled under the covers. Alex followed soon after when Jack heard the tv shut off along with the only light they had on in the room. He heard his phone buzz once more from where it was set on the night table but before he could even think of rolling over to check it, he fell asleep not really caring.

The next morning he woke to hear singing filling the room. He rolled over and sighed as he shot a glare to Alex who was wandering around the room in his boxers smiling to himself. Jack knew that look anywhere and figured he must be far enough away to talk to Zo and rolled his eyes at how sickeningly cute it was. They had only been an official couple for about a week and Jack knew that they would end up getting married someday.

He was really happy for his best friend. Zo was a great girl and he’d never seen Alex happier to be with anyone than when he was with Zo. All his other girlfriends he had never acted like that, yes he knew that some of them had been serious and really committed, but something about Alex and Zo made Jack know that things would last.

He just wished he would find that someone soon. He was getting sick of being single. Yes the single life had its perks but he wanted someone to look at him the way Zo looked at Alex. And for some reason as he was thinking this he couldn’t help but think back to her. Of the photo he had been looking at the night before. They had been only seven and ten in the photo but at the time everyone had teased them about dating. And they both had just blushed and laughed it off saying that they were best friends that was it. That it would be gross to date their best friend.

But now, thinking back, Jack wondered if it really would have been gross if she hadn’t moved away and they had tried out dating. Would it have turned out like Alex and Zo and be totally in love with each other? Or would it turn out how they had always thought it would turn out and only consider each other as friends? Jack guessed he would never know now. She had moved away when she was ten, a mere three years after the photo had been taken, and they had unfortunately lost contact.

Jack pushed his thoughts of her away and reached over to grab his phone. Ignoring the texts he had, he opened a new text and started typing.

To: Zo
Tell your boyfriend to stop being so loud in the morning. He’s killing me with his annoying voice singing at shit o’clock in the morning.

He pressed send and set his phone next to him and noticed that Alex still didn’t know that he was awake. But it only took a few seconds for Zo to get the text since when she read it Alex turned to glare at Jack.

“Really? I’m being annoying? Says the one who was mumbling crap in his sleep last night.” Alex replied as Jack just laughed and a new text came in and he grabbed his phone and opened it.

From: Zo
Sorry Jackary, I’ll tell him to keep it down. He can be a pain sometimes. He woke me up too.

To: Zo
I say we do something to get back at him for waking us up! :D

From: Zo
What do you have in mind?

Jack laughed as Alex shot him another glare and they began to plot their revenge. Flyzik called a while later to wake them up and tell them that they were all meeting in the lobby at ten. Which meant that Jack only had a half hour to get ready. Pulling himself out of bed, he wandered over to his bag and grabbed some things and went to the bathroom telling Alex what Flyzik had told him.

After he was dressed in his signature skinny jeans and a JAGK shirt and his hair was fixed in its usual style, he went back out to get all his things together. When they both were done they packed up the rest of their things and then went down to the lobby.

“Jack! Alex!” A familiar voice yelled and Jack couldn’t help but smile when he saw Tay, the lead vocalist from We Are The In Crowd, standing there waving them over. She was there with the rest of her band, Jordan, Rob, Mike, and Cameron, along with their crew.

“Hey Tay!” Jack replied as he pulled the short dark haired girl into a big hug as Alex and he went to greet the rest of the guys. Jack noticed that everyone from there band and crew was there except for Vinny and Zack.

“Yo Jack!” Zo called as he looked up to see her walking over with a cup of coffee in hand. She handed it to him and he took it thanking her before taking a sip. “So about that plan to get Alex back,”

“Hmm yeah, we have to figure out when and where first though!” Jack replied as Alex started complaining and everyone laughed at him.

“What plan? Can I participate!?” Tay asked as she bounced over and Jack high fived her before explaining and Alex just continued to grumble.

It only took five minutes for Zack to show up and an added twenty for Vinny. Once everyone was finally there, Flyzik and Curran, WATIC’s tour manager, called everyone to attention and started to go through the day’s schedule. Once they did, they all piled on to their busses so they could head to the venue and get ready for the show that night.