Status: Active!
If We Jump
Four Letters, Forever
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"Yes mom. I know. I'm getting on the plane now". I said into my phone, trying to get her to hang up. I had finished with school last week and was boarding a plane back to Arizona. My mom had been begging me to move back for a couple of weeks now and I told her I'd think about it. This trip was a week-long visit to help me make up my mind.
I was on good terms with everyone now, so I no longer had a reason to stay away, but I didn't have a reason to go back either. Whichever choice I made, I was leaving friends a group of friends behind.
The Summer Set was just finishing up a tour and I'd make it back just in time for their hometown show in Phoenix to surprise them.
I put my luggage in the overhead compartment and settled into my seat for the flight. I was woken up a few hours later by the captain announcing our descent. Once we were safely on the ground I grabbed my bags and followed everyone into the airport.
When I got outside I looked around trying to figure out where to pick up my rental car, my own was still in Rhode Island. When I found it and got the key from the valet I loaded up all my luggage and sat down in front of the steering wheel.
I'd been trying to think of a plan for the last few days and I finally had an idea. I turned my phone back on and immediately called Brian.
"Hey! Long time no talk. What's up?" He answered.
"I need your help but you have to promise not to tell anyone"
"Alright no problem, what do you need?"
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I was hanging around back stage with the rest of my band watching Call Me Karizma open for us. Tonight was our Arizona show and then we had 3 more shows at the end of the week to finish up this tour.
Riz thanked the crowd and walked over to Stephen, John, and I.
"You were great dude! Why didn't we tour with you sooner?" John told him and we all had a quick hug. The guys all went over to pick up their instruments and get ready to go on next.
"Where have you been all day? Nobody's seen you since this morning" I said as Brian walked up to me.
"I just had to take care of something. We're gonna have a great show tonight!" He gave me a huge smile and walked over to talk with our manager.
Finally it was our call time and we all ran out into the stage. We played about eight songs, putting in all we could for our friends and family who came out to support us. Stephen started playing the bass line for our next song and I was just about to hit my drums when Brian stopped us.
"Hold up guys. Tonight's a special night and I want to try something a little bit different" he said to the crowd. I looked frantically at John and Josh to see what was going on but they both gave me the same look.
"Our next song was supposed to be Figure Me Out, but we have a last minute change of plans!" He turned towards the rest us and shot me a wink. "Almost five years ago, we were in our senior year of high school, hoping someday to be able to play a show as big as this one" the crowd erupted with cheers and I gave him a little drumroll on my cymbals. "We don't play The Way We Were live too often, but this is a special occasion!"
The fans screamed even louder now. I started to get an idea of what this 'special occasion' was. I smiled to myself and looked over at Stephen. He didn't seem at all phased by Brian changing things up. He walked to the amp in front of me to finish his drink while Brian talked. "Do you know what's happening?" He mouthed to me, looking confused. I shrugged my shoulders. If I was right, I didn't want to spoil it.
"Live in Phoenix Arizona! For one night only! Everybody, give a warm welcome to a very close friend ours - Dakota Harp!" The crowd screamed and I banged on my drums as she came walking on to the stage with a microphone in her hand.
I looked at Stephen and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He looked frozen, almost. He was smiling but also looked worried.
We used to rule the world
Every kiss was an adventure
Every night with you was like a holiday
Yeah, we used to fly like two birds of a feather
Making promises we swore we'd never break
Why did we say goodbye?
I should've held on tight
Let's go back tonight
I watched Stephen carefully through the song, but he seemed to be holding up pretty well. The crowd loved her. When the song ended she gave Brian a big hug and I ran down from my set wrapping my arms around her. The rest of the boys put down their instrument and we all walked off stage together, with the fans still screaming.
"I missed you so fucking much!" John said, attacking her in a hug.
"Were you in on this?" Stephen smiled at me and I shook my head. The gang was back together again.
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They all hugged me and told me not to go anywhere while they showered and changed. I walked around backstage aimlessly and thought about going outside to cool off while I waited. I pushed open the heavy door, accidentally knocking into someone.
"Sorry! Are you okay?" I asked. It was a boy with long blonde hair and glasses that I recognized from one of the opening acts.
"Yeah I'm fine, no worries" he smiled at me, "Dakotah, right?"
"Guilty"
"I've heard a lot about you." He said. Uh-oh.
"That's never a good thing" I said and he laughed
"I'm Morgan. Or Riz, whichever. Maybe I'll see you around later?" I nodded and he turned to walk away.
"I see you've met pop-punks newest heartthrob" Jess said from behind me.
"I guess so" I smirked. He was really cute, and apparently everyone else agreed. "Do you guys need to do stuff? I can come back later, I don't want to keep you"
"We're fine, come on, we want to spend time with you" she said, leading me back through the venue into a room full of people. I looked around for people I knew. I saw Stephen sitting at a small table drinking a beer. He was laughing with a girl with short black hair that I’d never seen before. I kept looking and saw Josh and John standing alone talking to each other so I walked over to join them.
"There she is! What's going on girl?" Josh asked, handing me a drink.
"Nothing much, what about you guys? I feel like I missed so much". Just as I said that, the boy I met outside joined the group.
"Hey guys, hey Kodah" he said. Nobody's called me that in a long time. I glanced over at Stephen and saw he was looking at me. I smiled at him and he started making his way over to us with the girl he was with.
"What's going on over here?" He wondered
"Hey, you're Dakotah, right? You were awesome on stage! I'm Kim" the girl with the black hair said.
I smiled at her, wondering why Stephen didn't introduce his girlfriend, "nice to meet you". They all talked amongst each other and I tried to keep up until Stephen said he was going outside for a minute. "I'll come with you" I said and he nodded, placing his hand on my lower back leading me out of the crowded room.
"You looked overwhelmed in there, I figured you could use a break" he said when we got out to the fresh air.
"I was, thanks" I smiled at him. He took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.
"I never thought I'd get to see you sing on stage like that. I'm glad I did."
"Well I couldn't think of any other way to surprise you so I enlisted Brian in my plans" I said and we both laughed. "I think I'm gonna get going soon, let you guys do your thing in there" I pointed to the doors we just came out of.
"No, you're not getting off that easy," he smiled, "you're a rockstar now, you're sticking through it until the end" I rolled my eyes at him. "How long are you staying for?"
"I'm supposed to stay here for a week, but I'm not sure" I answered honestly.
When he was finished, we walked back in together. He grabbed my hand and pulled to me to the makeshift bar. "What would you like?"
"I don't care, something strong" I laughed. He picked up a bunch of bottles be mixed them together in the cup before handing it to me.
Jess came up to us and apologized for leaving me stranded earlier. "Have you seen Kim, Stephen?"
"Yeah she was other there with John a minute ago" he said pointing and Jess crossed the room to her.
"She seems really nice"
"Yeah, Jess has good taste"
"Did she set you guys up?" I asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"No" he laughed, "we're not together, that’s Jess's girlfriend". I couldn't stop the small smile on my face, so I tried to hide it with my cup. He was looking right at me, and I knew he had seen it.
"What about you? Are you seeing anybody?" He asked, looking away from me to make his own drink.
"No, nothing serious" I said honestly. I had gone on a couple of dates with different guys but none of them seemed right for me.
"Good" he said quietly before sipping his drink. Most of the crew members were leaving now to go break down the equipment and load it up. "Are you guys leaving tonight?"
"No. We have a few shows at the end of the week and then we're finished but we're staying put until then" he walked over the couch to sit down and I followed. The alcohol in my cup was starting to get to me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head and then I felt him tense up. "Sorry. I didn't mean for that to be weird. Habit"
"No it's fine, don't worry about it" I said. But I was the one worried about it, I could feel it bubbling up again. We were finally in a good place, now was not the time to fall for him. I took another long sip of my drink. We stayed like this for a while, until the room was pretty empty.
“Do you wanna go for a ride?” he asked me.
“Oh you are not driving” I laughed at him and he shook his head.
“No, not me. I have an idea, stay here”, he smiled and walked out.
Dakotah’s POV
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"Yes mom. I know. I'm getting on the plane now". I said into my phone, trying to get her to hang up. I had finished with school last week and was boarding a plane back to Arizona. My mom had been begging me to move back for a couple of weeks now and I told her I'd think about it. This trip was a week-long visit to help me make up my mind.
I was on good terms with everyone now, so I no longer had a reason to stay away, but I didn't have a reason to go back either. Whichever choice I made, I was leaving friends a group of friends behind.
The Summer Set was just finishing up a tour and I'd make it back just in time for their hometown show in Phoenix to surprise them.
I put my luggage in the overhead compartment and settled into my seat for the flight. I was woken up a few hours later by the captain announcing our descent. Once we were safely on the ground I grabbed my bags and followed everyone into the airport.
When I got outside I looked around trying to figure out where to pick up my rental car, my own was still in Rhode Island. When I found it and got the key from the valet I loaded up all my luggage and sat down in front of the steering wheel.
I'd been trying to think of a plan for the last few days and I finally had an idea. I turned my phone back on and immediately called Brian.
"Hey! Long time no talk. What's up?" He answered.
"I need your help but you have to promise not to tell anyone"
"Alright no problem, what do you need?"
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Jess's POV
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I was hanging around back stage with the rest of my band watching Call Me Karizma open for us. Tonight was our Arizona show and then we had 3 more shows at the end of the week to finish up this tour.
Riz thanked the crowd and walked over to Stephen, John, and I.
"You were great dude! Why didn't we tour with you sooner?" John told him and we all had a quick hug. The guys all went over to pick up their instruments and get ready to go on next.
"Where have you been all day? Nobody's seen you since this morning" I said as Brian walked up to me.
"I just had to take care of something. We're gonna have a great show tonight!" He gave me a huge smile and walked over to talk with our manager.
Finally it was our call time and we all ran out into the stage. We played about eight songs, putting in all we could for our friends and family who came out to support us. Stephen started playing the bass line for our next song and I was just about to hit my drums when Brian stopped us.
"Hold up guys. Tonight's a special night and I want to try something a little bit different" he said to the crowd. I looked frantically at John and Josh to see what was going on but they both gave me the same look.
"Our next song was supposed to be Figure Me Out, but we have a last minute change of plans!" He turned towards the rest us and shot me a wink. "Almost five years ago, we were in our senior year of high school, hoping someday to be able to play a show as big as this one" the crowd erupted with cheers and I gave him a little drumroll on my cymbals. "We don't play The Way We Were live too often, but this is a special occasion!"
The fans screamed even louder now. I started to get an idea of what this 'special occasion' was. I smiled to myself and looked over at Stephen. He didn't seem at all phased by Brian changing things up. He walked to the amp in front of me to finish his drink while Brian talked. "Do you know what's happening?" He mouthed to me, looking confused. I shrugged my shoulders. If I was right, I didn't want to spoil it.
"Live in Phoenix Arizona! For one night only! Everybody, give a warm welcome to a very close friend ours - Dakota Harp!" The crowd screamed and I banged on my drums as she came walking on to the stage with a microphone in her hand.
I looked at Stephen and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He looked frozen, almost. He was smiling but also looked worried.
We used to rule the world
Every kiss was an adventure
Every night with you was like a holiday
Yeah, we used to fly like two birds of a feather
Making promises we swore we'd never break
Why did we say goodbye?
I should've held on tight
Let's go back tonight
I watched Stephen carefully through the song, but he seemed to be holding up pretty well. The crowd loved her. When the song ended she gave Brian a big hug and I ran down from my set wrapping my arms around her. The rest of the boys put down their instrument and we all walked off stage together, with the fans still screaming.
"I missed you so fucking much!" John said, attacking her in a hug.
"Were you in on this?" Stephen smiled at me and I shook my head. The gang was back together again.
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Dakotah’s POV
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They all hugged me and told me not to go anywhere while they showered and changed. I walked around backstage aimlessly and thought about going outside to cool off while I waited. I pushed open the heavy door, accidentally knocking into someone.
"Sorry! Are you okay?" I asked. It was a boy with long blonde hair and glasses that I recognized from one of the opening acts.
"Yeah I'm fine, no worries" he smiled at me, "Dakotah, right?"
"Guilty"
"I've heard a lot about you." He said. Uh-oh.
"That's never a good thing" I said and he laughed
"I'm Morgan. Or Riz, whichever. Maybe I'll see you around later?" I nodded and he turned to walk away.
"I see you've met pop-punks newest heartthrob" Jess said from behind me.
"I guess so" I smirked. He was really cute, and apparently everyone else agreed. "Do you guys need to do stuff? I can come back later, I don't want to keep you"
"We're fine, come on, we want to spend time with you" she said, leading me back through the venue into a room full of people. I looked around for people I knew. I saw Stephen sitting at a small table drinking a beer. He was laughing with a girl with short black hair that I’d never seen before. I kept looking and saw Josh and John standing alone talking to each other so I walked over to join them.
"There she is! What's going on girl?" Josh asked, handing me a drink.
"Nothing much, what about you guys? I feel like I missed so much". Just as I said that, the boy I met outside joined the group.
"Hey guys, hey Kodah" he said. Nobody's called me that in a long time. I glanced over at Stephen and saw he was looking at me. I smiled at him and he started making his way over to us with the girl he was with.
"What's going on over here?" He wondered
"Hey, you're Dakotah, right? You were awesome on stage! I'm Kim" the girl with the black hair said.
I smiled at her, wondering why Stephen didn't introduce his girlfriend, "nice to meet you". They all talked amongst each other and I tried to keep up until Stephen said he was going outside for a minute. "I'll come with you" I said and he nodded, placing his hand on my lower back leading me out of the crowded room.
"You looked overwhelmed in there, I figured you could use a break" he said when we got out to the fresh air.
"I was, thanks" I smiled at him. He took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.
"I never thought I'd get to see you sing on stage like that. I'm glad I did."
"Well I couldn't think of any other way to surprise you so I enlisted Brian in my plans" I said and we both laughed. "I think I'm gonna get going soon, let you guys do your thing in there" I pointed to the doors we just came out of.
"No, you're not getting off that easy," he smiled, "you're a rockstar now, you're sticking through it until the end" I rolled my eyes at him. "How long are you staying for?"
"I'm supposed to stay here for a week, but I'm not sure" I answered honestly.
When he was finished, we walked back in together. He grabbed my hand and pulled to me to the makeshift bar. "What would you like?"
"I don't care, something strong" I laughed. He picked up a bunch of bottles be mixed them together in the cup before handing it to me.
Jess came up to us and apologized for leaving me stranded earlier. "Have you seen Kim, Stephen?"
"Yeah she was other there with John a minute ago" he said pointing and Jess crossed the room to her.
"She seems really nice"
"Yeah, Jess has good taste"
"Did she set you guys up?" I asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"No" he laughed, "we're not together, that’s Jess's girlfriend". I couldn't stop the small smile on my face, so I tried to hide it with my cup. He was looking right at me, and I knew he had seen it.
"What about you? Are you seeing anybody?" He asked, looking away from me to make his own drink.
"No, nothing serious" I said honestly. I had gone on a couple of dates with different guys but none of them seemed right for me.
"Good" he said quietly before sipping his drink. Most of the crew members were leaving now to go break down the equipment and load it up. "Are you guys leaving tonight?"
"No. We have a few shows at the end of the week and then we're finished but we're staying put until then" he walked over the couch to sit down and I followed. The alcohol in my cup was starting to get to me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head and then I felt him tense up. "Sorry. I didn't mean for that to be weird. Habit"
"No it's fine, don't worry about it" I said. But I was the one worried about it, I could feel it bubbling up again. We were finally in a good place, now was not the time to fall for him. I took another long sip of my drink. We stayed like this for a while, until the room was pretty empty.
“Do you wanna go for a ride?” he asked me.
“Oh you are not driving” I laughed at him and he shook his head.
“No, not me. I have an idea, stay here”, he smiled and walked out.