Sick Little Games

It’s been two weeks since I’ve spoken to anyone but Zach from the band All Time Low. I’ve received hundreds of text messages from Jack, most apologizing for what he did, some asking if I’m still alive, and the rest wondering when he’s going to see me again. Alex hasn’t been trying as hard, but his texts are really sweet, and I can tell he means what he’s saying. However, I haven’t responded to either of them, and I don’t know that I plan on doing so.

Lauren and Sierra are over almost every day, but Claire hasn’t showed her face since the night of the incident. My 21st birthday is in two days, so the girls have been helping me plan something to do. My parents want to treat me to dinner, and then Sierra and Lauren want to take me to my first bar. Alex shares a birthday with me, and I can’t stop thinking how much fun it would be to party with him. Everything I do brings me back to Alex. I want to talk to him, but it will probably end terribly.

*2 days later*

My birthday dinner was an epic fail. My mom forgot to bring my birthday card, my dad forgot his wallet so I had to pay for my own dinner, and our waiter spilled red wine all over my brand new white dress. I wanted nothing more than to get out of there and get completely wasted. This year for my birthday I went to my parent’s house in New York. They’ve been asking me to visit for months, so I finally did so. I had no idea where anything was, so after dinner we picked up Sierra and Lauren from my parents house. They drove us to a bar downtown and told us to call a taxi when we wanted to come home. My parents are the best.

I started off slow, not wanting to completely black out. People were buying me drinks left and right, and since it was my birthday I was getting free beer. Score! The bar was packed and the music was blaring. I was having the time of my life with Sierra and Lauren. We were competing to see who could get the hottest guy to buy us a drink. Sierra found a model who bought us shots, Lauren found an Australian man with a strong accent who bought us martinis, and I, well I was still looking.

I stumbled over to the bar, needing a refill. I took a seat at the bar, waiting for the bartender to come over to me. A few seats down sat a very handsome young man. His hair was a bit out of control, but his style was phenomenal. He wore an adorable plaid shirt and incredibly skinny jeans. It was dark, so I didn’t get that good of a look, but from what I could tell he was adorable. I made my way over to him, hoping he would buy us a round of drinks and I would win the competition.

“Excuse me, would you mind-“ and before I could say anything else, I recognized the handsome man. “Evelyn?” Alex questioned, his words slurring a bit. “Hey.” I said, my tone flat. “How have you been?” he asked, jumping up and engulfing me in a hug. “I’ve been okay. How about yourself?” I wondered, trying to wrap my head around what was going on. “I’ve been okay. Finally finished with this leg of the tour.” He responded, running his finger around the rim of his glass. “I should be going.” I said, quickly turning to walk in the opposite direction. “Evelyn, please. Can you at least tell me what I did?” Alex asked, pulling me toward him.

We talked for hours, until bar close to be exact. We bought each other a few rounds of drinks, getting completely wasted. I explained everything to him, and a lot of hateful words toward Jack came out. Alex bought Sierra and Lauren a cab to my parent’s house. The two of us weren’t finished hanging out for the night. We walked to a nearby park, lying on the grass, gazing at the stars.

“I never meant to hurt you Evelyn. I honestly wanted to get to know you and see where things went from there. I never had any other intention.” Alex insisted, covering me with his jacket. “How am I supposed to believe you when Jack told me the exact same thing?” I asked, sitting up from the grass. “Jack and I are completely different people Evelyn. You have to understand that.” Alex said, trying to prove a point. “Yeah…I suppose you’re right.” I admitted, looking into Alex’s beautiful eyes. “Let’s continue to have fun tonight. No more drama, just two friends hanging out.” Alex proposed, jumping up off of the ground, nearly falling back down. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” I smiled, standing up next to him.

We walked all over New York until we found ourselves in a taxi cab on our way to a hotel room. We were exhausted, and I didn’t feel like bringing a boy back to my parent’s house. Alex was staying with a friend who he ditched at the bar, so we thought it were best to go to a hotel. Since Alex is, well, Alex, he chose one of the fanciest hotels I had ever been to. We had a hot tub in our bedroom for crying out loud! Our bed was absolutely huge and there was a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. I was in awe. I had never been somewhere so nice in my entire life, and we were only staying there for a few hours.

“I need a shower.” I admitted, feeling disgusting. I always did when I drank alcohol. “I do too.” Alex chimed in. “Ladies first.” He smiled, throwing himself onto the bed. “I’ll be quick.” I promised, running into the bathroom. “Hey Lex!” I shouted, a brilliant idea popping into my head. “Yeah, what is it Evelyn?” he responded, coming into the bathroom. “Let’s take a bath together.” I smirked, starting the water. “No way jose. I don’t want you to regret this in the morning.” Alex said, turning down my brilliant idea. “We can keep our underwear on!” I insisted, beginning to take off my shirt. “Too tempting.” Alex admitted, leaving the bathroom. “Grr…you’re no fun!” I shouted, removing my pants as well. “No fun huh?” Alex asked, returning to the bathroom.

He picked me and up and hung me over his shoulder. “Alex! Put me down!” I screamed, flailing around like a total idiot. “Tell me I’m fun!” Alex said, now holding me bridal style. “You’re so much fun Alex, you have no idea.” I smiled, burying my face in his chest. “That’s better.” He smirked, continuing to hold me. “You smell really good.” I complimented, looking up into his chocolate brown eyes. “You look really good.” Alex said, returning the gaze.

Before I knew it I was leaning in to the kiss the boy I hadn’t talked to in weeks. Our lips were only inches apart when there was a knock on our bedroom door. We looked at each other, completely confused. “You stay, I’ll go get it.” Alex said, gently setting me down. I draped a bathrobe around myself, peeking my head around the corner. “Who is it?” Alex asked, looking through the peep hole. “Room service.” The voice spoke, knocking once again. “At four in the morning?” Alex questioned, making sure the door was locked and chained. “I have some extra pillows for you.” The man said, sounding angry. “We’re good, thanks though.” Alex responded, stepping away from the door.

No more sound came from the other side. He headed back into the bathroom, looking a little freaked out. “That was really weird. I’ve never had that happen before.” He admitted, removing his shirt. We both took our clothes off, keeping our underwear on. We hopped in the Jacuzzi, talking about what just happened. Moments later we heard several screams and two loud bangs. “Was that-were those gun shots?” I asked, the color fading from Alex’s face.

Alex and I jumped out of the Jacuzzi, throwing our clothes on as quickly as possible. Alex peaked out the door, looking down the hallway. “Oh shit.” He spoke, quickly closing and locking the door. “What did you see?” I wondered, curiosity getting the best of me. “There’s people running around all over the fucking place! And uhh-I saw a man holding a woman, he had a gun to her head.” Alex said, trailing off toward the end of his sentence. “Oh my gosh. What do we do? We’re on the billionth floor of the god damn building!” I yelled, beginning to worry as I paced the room. “Calm down Evelyn. We’re gonna be okay.” Alex soothed, engulfing me in a hug.

Hours passed, but it felt more like days. It was 8 in the morning and I still hadn’t been able to sleep. We had received about three calls telling us to stay in our room. Obviously we weren’t going anywhere! I couldn’t believe the police hadn’t gotten this under control within the four hours the shooter has been here. I was just waiting for him to blow our door down and the kill the both of us. Alex and I wasted time playing board games and watching some basic cable. We were both extremely bored and hungry.

“Do you think it’s safe to leave now?” I asked, my stomach growling. “Well we haven’t gotten a call in over an hour. And it doesn’t exactly sound like anything is going on out there.” Alex pointed out, standing up from the bed. He walked over to the door, looking out the peep hole. “I don’t see anything.” Alex admitted, slowly opening the door.

We hesitantly walked out, making our way down the hallway very slowly. A few doors down were the vending machines. That was my first stop since I was starving beyond belief. We crept into the small, dimly lit room. It turned out to be the laundry room. I deciphered between animal crackers and potato chips for a good minute before I finally chose animal crackers. Alex was struggling at the soda machine, unable to decide what he wanted either. Before he was able to choose we heard the faint sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. We panicked, unaware of whom it was or where we should hide. I squeezed myself between the two vending machines, attempting to hold my breath and stay quiet. Alex crawled underneath a table, somewhat out of view.

We stayed in our spots for about twenty minutes, listening closely for more footsteps. “I’m so crammed in here.” I whispered, wiggling my way out. I poked my head out into the hallway. “I don’t see anybody.” I said, turning around to help Alex up. “We have to get out of here.” Alex stated, the color vanishing from his face. “What’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.” I said, turning around to see what he was looking at.

There stood a man in all black, pointing a gun directly at me. I froze, unable to comprehend what I should do. I didn’t want to make any sudden movements, I knew he would shoot. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t shoot the two of you right now.” The man said, looking between me and Alex. “I-I’m only 23, I’ve barely lived. Please don’t shoot us, we’ll leave immediately and I promise we won’t go to the cops.” Alex said, shaking as he grabbed my hand. “What about you?” The man asked, pointing the gun at me. “Don’t shoot, please. I-uhh-I’m pregnant.” I lied, holding my stomach.

The tall man dressed in all black slowly lowered his gun. He stared at me intently as I wondered what his next move would be. “Get out!” He shouted, stepping out of the doorway. I slowly walked past him, waiting for Alex to follow me out. “As for you…” the man said, walking further into the room. “Wh-what are you doing?” Alex asked, his voice shaky, full of terror.

Before I could run in and help him, I heard a single gunshot. I froze, wondering what I should do. I ran back to our room, locking myself in. I called 911 even though I knew there were police already outside. I explained to them exactly what happened. They said they would send an ambulance immediately, but I never believed their bull shit. I quickly called Matt, explaining everything to him. I told him to meet us at the hospital. I slowly left the room once more. I made my way over to the laundry room very quietly. I looked inside, only to find Alex lying on the floor, clutching his shoulder. “Oh Alex.” I breathed, dropping to my knees by his side. “Oh honey, help is on the way.” I whispered, trying to keep him calm.

Tears were streaming down my face as the paramedics wheeled Alex outside on a gurney. “I’ll ride with him to the hospital.” I told Matt, wanting to be next to him as much as possible. “I think it’s best if you just stay away from him.” Matt said, climbing into the ambulance. I stood there in shock as the ambulance drove away. Immediately I called Sierra, asking her to come pick me up.

“Sierra, I need a ride to the hospital.” I explained, my heart racing. “What!? Are you okay?” She asked, her voice full of panic. “I’m fine, but Alex isn’t. Please hurry.” I said, beginning to walk in the direction the ambulance had gone. “Okay I’ll be there as soon as I can. Where exactly are you?” Sierra asked. “I’m walking to the hospital, just GPS my location. I won’t make it much farther until you get here. I’m a wreck.” I admitted, doing my best to stop crying. “Kay sweetie. Hang in there. I’ll see you soon.” Sierra said, hanging up the phone.

I shouldnt b talking 2 u. but I want 2 know if u heard wut happened 2 alex.
To: Jack Barakat
August 3, 10:15 am

Fr: Jack Barakat
August 3, 10:23 am
Oh Evelyn. Im so happy u texted me. We need 2 talk about wut happened between us. And I just heard from Matt. He said alex isnt doing well.

I was too upset to text him back. A few minutes later Sierra pulled up and she sped to the hospital. I was nervous to see Jack, and I wanted Alex to be okay. Once we arrived at the hospital I was informed by a few different people that I could not see Alex until he was out of surgery. I freaked out each time someone told me the same thing I already knew. Sierra and I walked around the hospital, trying to calm my nerves.

“I just want to know what’s wrong with him.” I confessed, taking a seat in the waiting room. “He’s going to be okay Evelyn. You said he was grabbing his shoulder right? It’s probably nothing more than some torn tissue or something.” Sierra soothed, rubbing my back as I began to cry. There were two TV’s in the waiting room, both of them were on the local news station. The top story was about the shooting at the hotel. I cried even harder, wishing I was in Alex’s arms.

Hours passed until I was finally able to see Alex. It turned out he had a collapsed lung and he broke his clavicle. He was going to be alright, it would just take time to heal. The doctor ordered him not to sing for six whole months. All Time Low had to cancel the rest of their tour. I can’t imagine Matt was very happy about that.

“Thanks for coming to see me Evelyn.” Alex smiled, rubbing his thumb on the back of my hand. I didn’t say anything, I just hugged him as hard as I could without hurting him. “Can I get some time with my best friend please?” Jack asked, entering the room. My fist automatically clenched at the sound of his voice. I didn’t want to be mad anymore, but he gave me no reason not to still be upset. I kissed Alex on the cheek before walking out into the hallway, avoiding eye contact with Jack.

I sat on the cold ground in the hallway, waiting for Jack to leave. “You better leave before Matt see’s you.” Zach said, coming around the corner. “What are you talking about?” I asked, standing up from the ground. “He’s really mad at you.” Zach explained, trying to lead me out of the hospital. “I’m not going anywhere.” I stated, standing my ground. “What are you doing here?” Matt spat, appearing out of thin air. “I’m visiting Alex, what did you expect?” I questioned, noticing Jack coming out of Alex’s room. “You are not welcome anywhere near the members of All Time Low. You are nothing but bad luck.” Matt said, pulling out his wallet. “Where on earth did you get that idea?” I asked, confusion evident in my voice. “It’s all your fault Alex is in the position that he’s in. We had to cancel over 20 shows! How are they supposed to make money if they can’t tour?” Matt yelled, his face turning red. “How can you honestly say any of this is my fault?” I questioned, becoming irritated. “How much will it cost for you to stay out of their lives for good?” Matt asked, pulling out a wad of one hundred dollar bills. “Matthew Flyzik!” Jack yelled, walking over to the three of us. “Not now Jack.” Matt said, rubbing his temples. “You can’t honestly blame all of this on Evelyn. She is one of the nicest girls I have ever met and I know she would never do anything to hurt any of us. Leave her alone Matt.” Jack explained, pulling me away from Matt and Zach.

“Thanks Jack.” I mumbled, avoiding eye contact. “Anything for you Evelyn.” He responded, sitting down in the waiting room I was previously in. I thought about it before taking a seat next to him. “Jack…you really hurt my feelings sleeping with one of my best friends. And you barely even knew her! That’s what makes me think all you care about is sex. And that’s why I didn’t talk to you or Alex for those two weeks. I made myself believe the four of you have a bet each tour to see who can sleep with the most girls.” I admitted, realizing how foolish it sounded out loud. Jack looked down at the ground, clearly ashamed of something. “Honestly, what you thought is true. But before you get upset I want you to know that when I met you, I wanted to call off that bet immediately. I wanted nothing more than to talk to you and get to know you. I could tell you were an incredible person just by looking at you. I had to get to know you better. And when you started showing more interest in Alex than me, I didn’t know what else to do. I tried to make you jealous with Claire; I didn’t have any real feelings for her. I feel bad about lying to her, and you, but at the time it seemed like the perfect plan to win you over. I can see now that you care more for Alex than you could ever care for me, but I hope we can be close friends.”Jack confessed, a few tears running down his cheeks.

I sat in silence for a few minutes, unable to put the right words together. “Jack…thank you for being honest with me. I really appreciate that. Now it’s my turn to be honest with you. I like you, but I also like Alex. And I have no idea what to do! The two of you are amazing guys, and I’d be lucky to have either of you. But the fact that you’re best friends who are in a band together makes things so much more difficult than they should be. No matter what I’m going to end up hurting someone, and that’s the last thing I want to do. That’s why I should listen to Matt and stay out of your lives for good. I won’t get blamed for things I didn’t do, and I won’t hurt two of my favorite people.” I rambled, crying right along with Jack. “Evelyn, I can guarantee your leaving is not going to fix anything. In fact, you’re going to hurt us more leaving rather than staying with us and choosing one over the other. We have six months off of touring. We’re going to be able to spend so much time together!” Jack exclaimed, jumping up with excitement. “Let’s go talk to Alex, I have an idea how all three of us can be happy.” Jack smiled, pulling me in the direction of Alex’s room.

“Evelyn! I’m so happy to see you!” Alex greeted immediately after I walked in the door. “I’m happy to see you too Alex. I’m glad you’re okay.” I admitted, sitting on the bed with him. Jack sat on the other side of me, his leg bouncing nervously. “What’s the matter Jacky?” Alex asked, slurring his words a bit. He sounded drunk, but obviously he wasn’t. It must’ve been his medication. “I have an idea, but I’m not sure how either of you are going to take it. I’m not saying it has to happen right away, but maybe in the near future would be a good time. Don’t think I’m total freak for thinking this either, because I can guarantee it crossed both of your minds. Well, at least Evelyn’s.” Jack rambled, his leg continuing to bounce. “Spit it out already.” Alex demanded, placing his hand on my leg. Jack grabbed my hand; his palms were nice and sweaty. Whatever his idea was, it was making him very nervous. “Wha-what if we both dated Evelyn, at the same time?” Jack questioned, immediately looking away from the two of us, letting go of my hand.