A Daydream away

He fixed his black jacket that perfectly fit his lanky body. He had deep bluish bags under his puffy red eyes. He let out a deep breath as he started to tie his bow tie. He looked over his body that seemed to hold up through the days of decay. Flashbacks ran through his head of the little nymph that invaded his room just weeks, hell, even days before. The one that was finally turning her life around. The one who could watch Home Alone with him and never get tired of it.

“Jack-o! Your shirt is too small!” the girl giggled as she came into his room, pulling the shirt down. He raised his head off the pillow just a bit to see her standing in his “Who the fuck is Jack Barakat” shirt. It wasn't too tight, but it didn't go past her torso.

“Darth, it's fine. Why do you want it to go past your-” he stopped mid sentence as she crawled on the bed next to him. She had not been wearing pants. Now normally, he wouldn't of been effective, but when your hot best friend since you were 6 hopped into bed with you in just your shirt, you seem to get a little flustered.

Plus, it didn't help the fact he was half in the bag from their night out drinking.

“When are you going to stop calling me Darth?” she asked, snuggling into his chest. These were the moments he lived for. Sure, touring with your best friends is awesome, but he always felt like coming home was the best part. To relive his memories with her.

“When are you going to stop calling me Jack-o?” He countered back, brushing her hair along her face, knowing that was the one thing to make her go to sleep. It was something he learned in their childhood and kept knowledge of till now.

She was silent knowing she'd never stop calling him that. It was his nickname since he was little. Jack-o and Darth Vada. They were the dynamic duo of the century.

“JACK! IT'S TIME TO GO.” His best friend Alex shook him of his daydream as jack smoothed his gel hair back and walked out to the room. All four of his band mates were there dressed in all black. Ever since the beginning of high school, the beginning of All Time Low, they all were protective over Vada like she was their sister. But after high school, she tried dropping off the planet. Only person who would talk to her everyday from her group of friends was Jack. Jack knew never to leave her side.

Jack patted down his pockets trying to find his keys. He went over to the kitchen and looked in the corner near the washing machine and the island.

“Jack, you know something? I don't want to go to work tomorrow.” Vada said eating the chinese food they had just ordered. It was tradition for every Tuesday to eat Chinese on the kitchen floor together. Since they were little.

“Vade, it's only Tuesday. You can't survive my favorite day of the week?” He asked with a wink as he started making inappropriate gestures. He started singing at the top of his lungs all about hump day.

“Yeah, but like, I just want to go on tour with you and the guys, you know?” Vada said, her face emotionless as she spoke. She tried getting him to say yes a million times, but he wouldn't hear of it. He never wanted her to be on the road with hm just to be with him. Sure, they might have been best friends, but he couldn't have her give up her life for months at a time to be with him.

“Vada...” he said, eating a piece of his kung pao chicken. “I wish I could just say yes. But, you have a life here in Baltimore.” he started as she began to get sad. Shit, there he goes making her cry before he had to leave. “Don't get like this, Vada! You know how I feel. If I knew you'd stay clean, then yeah, but I have no fucking idea when your going to need a fix.” He started to raise his voice, something Jack solemnly did.

“Jack, I'm two months clean...” she started crying and pleading. She had just gotten out of rehab when he came back home, and she knew for a fact he had been home 67 days. She had been counting.

“You were three years before you were drunk one night!” he challenged back. He slid his chinese food over and got closer to her. “Pills are a serious fucking thing, Vada! And do you think we have time to get your stomach pumped as we go from California to Baltimore? No.”

Then she did it. The only thing they kept sacred.

She held up her pinky and looked passed her bangs. Her eyes were glossy but she bit her lip. She knew he couldn't resist her when she did that. “I pinky promise you I'll stay clean for the duration of the tour if you promise to let me go. You can even drug test me.” she said as he sighed.

Knowing he was defeated he lifted his pinky up and looked at her hard in the eyes. “Vada, if you fuck this up I'm fucked. Don't make me regret this.”

“Live life with no regrets, Jack-o.” she said before revealing a smile from ear to ear as she attacked him into a hug. Jack rolled her over so she was pinned under his weight.

“Stop grinning like a fool, it makes you look like a dork.”

“Dude, it's going to be okay.” Alex tried comforting his best friend as they drove to the site. “It's not your fault man, they say the success rate of recovery for shit like this is slim to none.”

In all honesty, Alexander William Gaskarth was king for knowing what not to say. Instead of not even bringing up the subject, his way of coping was to know she was like everyone else suffering with something similar. But the thing was, Vada wasn't like everyone else. She was different.

Maybe that's why their friendship never ended in anything more. Jack knew deep in his heart that she was better has a daydream. A thing in his fantasy. They were both so fragile it would of never worked. That's why he tried keeping her as a best friend. He was always in the safe place and wouldn't have to deal with her leaving or doing anything stupid.

“Today, we honor the life of Vada Marie Abrams. A girl full of life, joy, and love it's a shame we lost her so young.” the priest began as Jack leaned against the back wall. Honestly, if Jack could have it his way, he would of died for the girl.

“Jack! Can you come down, please? Something doesn't feel right.” she called her best friend who was stuck in Delaware doing something for a local radio show.

“I don't know how much help I can be, babe. I'm about 2 hours away.” he said back from the hotel they were currently at. He'd much rather be with her anyway.

“Please, Jack? Someone was following me home tonight. And the other day someone I don't know was looking at the apartment. I figured it was a new guy, but it's just kind of creepy.” she said.

Living in Baltimore wasn't as grand as everyone had a mindset of. There were a lot of murders, robberies, and sexual assaults that happened there, and of course, Vada lived in the worst part of the city. “Give me an hour and a half.” Jack said into the phone as he picked up his keys and left. But when he pulled up to the apartment building, it was too late. He ran up stairs and saw her door kicked in. Instead of seeing if anyone was there still, he ran in and saw her lyng on the floor with a pool of blood. They had shot her in the abdomen.

“Vada!” he cried out, holding down her wound with one hand as he called 911 with the other. He cried the information into the phone. As he hung up, she stirred a bit.

“Jack, if anything happens, just know I'll always be a daydream away.” she said softly as he cried and kissed her. He didn't want to hear that kind of talk. He kept kissing her and telling her he love her and said how he just wanted to be with her. That he'd give everything up for her.

“Jack-o, thank you for everything. I love...” she began before she gasped her last breath. He held her lifeless body in his hands and began crying even more. Screaming no and curse words till the medics showed up.

As the funeral ended, and everyone started to leave. Jack stood around. He took off his jacket and laid it on the grass before sitting on it. He took out his flask that had vodka in it. He laid his head against the black casket and sighed, before a trail of tears slipped down his face. “We never stood a chance out there, ya' know that, Darth? You can't expect to find love in the real time. Grown-up life just doesn't have the time. Thank you, for not only being my best friend, but for giving me the time of day to help you. I'd say cheers, but I know you only drink your vodka with salt and limes, so I'll just drink this one. I love you, Vada.” he said as he took a swig before standing up and grabbing his coat before kissing the casket.

“I promise, this isn't goodbye. And I know you'll always be a daydream away. I look forward to seeing you, Darth. Try not to be too much trouble up there.”

He stumbled back to Alex's car and grabbed the box out of his pocket,smiled, then shook his head. Alex peered over and grinned. “You were going to ask her that night, weren't ya'?”

Jack stared at the black box longer and saw the custom ring inside of it. “I didn't know what to say. I was just going to be like 'don't worry anymore everything will be fine.'” he said, grinning at his best friend, who patted his shoulder and did the whole she's in a better place speech. All the time he looked at the ring and thought:

You're just a daydream away, I wouldn't know what to say if I had you.

xx