Coffee Shop Soundtrack

Third Person P.O.V.

The expression on Jessica's face was void of any emotion whatsoever. Beside her Alex was mumbling ramblings of how Rian must have invited them over or something. All Jess actually managed to catch was that Rian was quite possibly a dead man.

Jessica walked in the house beside Alex, refusing to let him go. She did however when she set off an attack and her anger poured out of her, seeing as she had yet to get used to the new medication.

"YOU! YOU JUST HAVE TO GET IN TO MY BUSINESS DON'T YOU?!"

Jessica was furious beyond belief as she yelled at Zack in front of the rest of the band. She didn't let him get a word in edge wise as she started up again.

"YOU JUST HAVE TO GO AND COMPLAIN AND CALL ASHLYN AND DO WHATEVER AND YOU HAVE THE GODDAMN NERVE TO BLAME ALEX?! YOU CAN'T JUST STAY OUT OF MY PRIVATE BUSINESS?! YOU HAVE TO GO BEHIND MY BACK WITH MY FRIENDS AND LIE TO ME?!"

Jessica looked expectant, waiting for a reply.

"I never lied to you." was the only reply Zack gave.
"OH REALLY? BECAUSE THAT'S NOT HOW I'M SEEING IT!"
"IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'VE NEVER LIED TO ME!"
"WHEN THE HELL HAVE I EVER BEEN ANYTHING BUT TRUTHFUL WITH YOU?!" Jess asked.
"OH PLEASE. WE ALL KNOW YOU LIE ABOUT WHATEVER THE HELL IT IS YOU AND ALEX DO ALL DAY!"

Jessica looked for a minute, looking a bit dumbfounded at what had just been said.

"I have never lied about anything Alex and I do when we hang out."
"Yeah right, you're not completely truthful either." Zack scoffed at her.
"And what makes you think that?" Jess asked, she was dangerously calm.
"Please. Keeping pictures on your phone isn't exactly secret - ."

Zack stopped mid-sentence and covered his mouth, realizing what he had just said. Jessica stopped and froze, realization clicking in.

"You went through my phone?" she asked quietly. Quiet was dangerous right now with her.

No one dare speak, Zack simply nodded in response to the question.

Jessica closed her eyes, not daring to open them and face what's happening. One thought was running through her mind: 'I have to get out of here.'

This was it. She was done. Jessica couldn't take it all anymore. The pressure. The guilt. The fact that she was hurting everyone around her. She just couldn't be here anymore.

"I-I-I- I'm leaving."

With that Jessica disappeared out the door and down the street, catching a bus to get home.

Meanwhile back at the house the 4 boys stood in the room shocked. It wasn't the fight that happened, it was what Jess had said. Normally she left with an "I'll see you later." something along those lines. Something that told she was coming back. This time though, she just said "I'm leaving.". There was no sign that she was coming back. That was the worst part.

Hours later they were all still sat in silence. They had nothing to say to each other. Nothing at all. A tugging feeling of depression hit in a wave over the boys. They all looked pretty beat up.

Alex though, Alex was the worst of everyone. His eyes were rimmed in red and he sat on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest, rocking back and forth. His face was tear-stained as was his shirt, but he could care less. Alex's hair -his oh-so-perfect hair that must be taken care of at all times- was a mess, strew all over from his hands running through it. That wasn't even the worst part. The worst had to be the fact that he was mumbling, just muttering under his breath. Alex looked just near insanity right now, that was the only way to describe it.

It didn't get much better as the time progressed. It only seemed to get worse. The absence of that blonde bubble of humor and beauty was taking its toll on everyone. Alex had taken to locking himself in his room. Judging by the guitar chords every now and then they knew he was writing.

Little did they know they weren't the only ones grieving.

At about noon the next day, there was a pounding at the door. Alex was still holed up in his room and no one felt like even moving. Jack however got up to answer the door, a childlike hope that maybe it was the purple-and-black haired girl that made his best friend so happy.

However much to his surprise he found a sobbing brunette on the porch. Jack smiled a bit though, seeing the girl he'd grown to be a bit obsessed with.

"Lacey, what are you doing here?" He questioned, pulling her in for a hug.
"She- she- she.... Jessica's gone!"

With that a new wave of tears came over and Lacey broke down sobbing even more.

Just hearing the name Alex had rushed down the stairs, looking for anything to know about Jess. He was surprised to find Jack holding a tired-looking Lacey as she curled in to his side on the chair they were sitting on.

While Jack was more concerned with Lacey, Alex was more perceptive to the piece of paper clutched in her hand.

"Lacey, what are you holding?" Alex asked, slowly making his way over to them.

Without a word Lacey uncurled her hand from the paper, instead just holding on to Jack more. Suddenly all attention was on Alex as his eyes scanned across the page. His eyes grew darker with every word and he wanted to rip it up and pretend it had never been read. He knew he couldn't do that though, not to something Jessica had wanted him to hear. So instead, after grazing over the words a few times, Alex read the note out loud.

"Dear Lacey,

I know you are going to make the boys read this, and that's ok. I'm writing this for all of you.

As of right now, as you are reading this, I'm gone. I've packed all my bags. I realized that maybe I need to leave Baltimore for a little while.

I can't take it anymore. The pressure of coming back to the home I once shared with a man I loved. I forgot what it was like to have that spirit present. The expectation for me to break down is everywhere I go. That doesn't mean I'm two steps back, no. It simply means I need to re-evaluate myself and how I want to handle this.

Secondly I, Jessica Rae Ramsay, will not be responsible for All Time Low becoming another break-up band. I won't tear you apart, no you've come too far and worked too hard. You have saved so many lives and I want that to continue. I don't want to be responsible for ruining your high school dream.

So because of this, I have decided to hop on the first plane back to Vancouver. I need to go back home. So right now, I am several thousand feet off the ground flying back to a rainy coastal city in Canada.

Lacey: my best friend Lacey. Take care of Jack and the other boys, but more importantly take care of yourself.

Zack: I know we didn't leave on the best of terms, but that doesn't mean a good 8 or so years is washed down the drain. You're still my best friend.

Ashlyn: I know what you're going through, but you need to take a step back and look at another angle. Maybe me leaving can do that for you. You'll have a different view of the world.

Finally, Alex: Where do I even start? You've done so much for me and I probably look like a coward running away from my fears. Whatever you might think about me right now or even in the future, please know that you give me something no one else does. Hope. A second chance. You have no idea how grateful I actually am to have met you. Even if you first stalked me in a Starbucks. Know this, Alex. As I'm sitting in that plane the only thought I have right now is how much I love you. I said it, I. Love. You. I'm not going to change my mind anytime soon, even if you do.

With all my love,
Jessie Rae"

Lacey broke back down in another set of tears. However her face was contorted in anger.

"This is all Ash's fucking fault. If that bitch could just learn to control her hormones and keep her legs closed this wouldn't have happened."

All heads snapped towards Lacey as she covered her mouth with her hand. She was not supposed to say that.

"Zack did it."

All eyes now turned to Zack, eyebrows raised. He didn't say a word.

"Fine. You know what. I'll tell them." Lacey wasn't crying anymore, now she was serious.

"Jessica was gone you know, she'd left about a month earlier than she met you. She was visiting home for the holidays. All I remember is Ash coming home and for the next week or so puking her guts out. I had been talking to Jess all that time, she figured it out faster than I ever did. As of right now, Ashlyn is 4 months pregnant and before anyone asks, yes your dumb-ass bassist knocked her up."

Amongst all the screaming and confusion, Lacey was the only one to see Alex disappear. She followed him in to the empty hallway, knowing there was one thing left to do.

"She needs time, Alex." Lacey mumbled, "Imagine coming home with everyone expecting the worst of what they've seen. She just needs to go spend some time with Josh."

Alex looked at Lacey for a second, hadn't she just spent like 4 months with her brother. Lacey caught the question in his look and answered it.

"They're joined at the hip, those two. Since the day she was born they've been insperable like twins. Josh taught her to play the piano and the guitar. Hell they even got their tongues pierced together. Her brother is her best friend. She needs to go talk to him."

Alex simply nodded, but he couldn't help but wonder where Jessica was right now and if she was all right. He knew she was trying, she tried so hard to just make it all better faster. When in reality she needed to take a step back and figure out what to do.

Lacey smirked a bit, knowing what was going to happen. She knew her best friend better than anyone. Right now Jess was unsure of what was going through her head. She needed the reassurance, and that's why she left another piece of paper behind. One that Lacey knew only Alex would understand.

"Alex," Lacey began, "She left one more note. And I think you'll know what to do."

Lacey winked at him and stuck the neon green sticky note to his hand. Alex peeled the paper off and looked at the front of it. One simple sentence was written in the same hand as the letter.

"Don't follow me.
xoxo, Jessie"

Alex laughed a little, remembering every time she'd told him that and he never listened. That's when it clicked in, he never listened. She didn't want him to listen, she wanted him to do the exact opposite. She wanted him to make up her mind. Jessica wanted him to come after her.

Not now though, he couldn't leave now. Alex had a plan.

He bolted for his notebook, looking over all the words he'd written in the past few days, and starting on another. At this point, Alex knew exactly what he had to do.