Worthwhile: The Sequel (A Jonah Marais Fanfiction)

Chapter 2

"Now, I have to remember you for longer than I have known you."

The day was awful. 

Everybody would agree to that.

Except a tall, messy brown haired boy with mesmerizing green eyes. He had somehow found something good in it. With huge grins and and optimism, he tried cheering up his best friends, his bandmates. He chatted delightfully with Evan who appeared to be really uncomfortable.

His overly delightful demeanor for the past one month was getting way too annoying to his best friends.

They wanted him to just sit back and grieve if he wanted to. They wanted him to talk to them. He wanted him to be okay. They wanted him to cry over losing his heart to someone. 

They wanted him to stop pretending.

The fluffy haired boy whispered to his fake blond bandmate, "Something is really wrong with him, Daniel. Do you think we need to show him to some doctor?"

Daniel Seavey glared at his best friend, "Zach, shut up."

With a scowl on his face, Zach Herron shifted away from him and scooted nearer to the curly-haired bandmate, who was too busy texting his girlfriend.

"Jack, do you-"  

"Zach, shut up." Jack Avery glowered at the younger bandmate. 

Zach pouted, disliking the rejection he received from his best friends. 

Finally, the boy with blonde bangs and grey eyes lost it, "Jonah, stop it! You're getting on my nerves."

"Thank you, Corbyn!" Zach let out.

Jonah Marais's smile faltered for a second. But it came back on, "Sorry." 

And that infuriated Corbyn Besson more than anything.

Corbyn knew how much the heartbreak was affecting him. There were times when he had caught Jonah drinking to forget about whatever had happened in the past eight months. Corbyn had to keep an eye on him all the time. He was scared that Jonah might end up doing something, harming himself.

Daniel knew that Jonah hadn't slept for weeks. Often when Daniel would wake up, he would hear Jonah tossing and turning in his bed. He knew Jonah wasn't able to sleep because the he couldn't hear her voice.

Hearing her voice made him feel at ease. Without it, he was completely distraught.

He had gotten addicted to her like a drug.

But Daniel didn't know that his best friend didn't sleep for one more reason. 

Jonah didn't want to dream of the grey-eyed beauty that meant the world to him.

Jack had grown tired of the unnecessary optimism that Jonah portrayed. Before everything that happened, Jonah allowed himself to feel everything. But now, it felt as if he was forcing himself to be happy. It was as if he didn't want to show how vulnerable he could be. 

Always radiating confidence and forced happiness.

Zach wasn't able to understand why Jonah was acting so different. Sure, he was heartbroken. However, the question that really bothered Zach was why wasn't his bandmate allowing himself to feel the emotions that he was bottling up.

Corbyn abruptly stood up and pulled Jonah along with him, "We're going on a walk."

Jonah was puzzled. His face showed pure confusion. It made the remaining bandmates happy because it something other than fake smiles and unwanted cheerfulness.

It was midnight. Corbyn and Jonah walked the sidewalks in silence. 

The latter was losing his patience and courage. It was an awful day and he didn't have another ounce in himself to keep the act up.

So, he did what he always does when he needs the courage to hold on.

Jonah glanced around, making sure that Corbyn wasn't looking his way. He took out his wallet from his pocket and pretended to count the amount of money in it.

However, he was sneaking a glance at the picture in it.

The grey-eyed brunette in the photograph had a smile so wide that it brightened up the dull night. She was looking at straight at him through the picture. She was sitting cross-legged with a guitar in her hands, wearing his favourite hoodie. Her brown hair fell perfectly across her shoulders and it made Jonah want to run his fingers through them.

She looked so beautiful that it was hard for Jonah to tear his eyes away from her.

Tears begun to pool in his eyes and he quickly put his wallet back into his pocket.

The blond noticed this, "What's wrong?"  

Jonah grinned, "Nothing."

The two boys served into an empty park and settled into a bench. Corbyn looked at Jonah with pleading eyes, "Jo, just talk to me. We will sort this out together."

"Corbs, really, nothing's wrong! See, I'm perfectly fine!" Jonah faked.

Jonah had built walls around him. After that fateful night, he vowed not to let anyone in. He didn't shed a single tear. He made everyone believe that he was fine. He fooled everyone into thinking that he was feeling absolutely amazing. He forbade anyone from entering into the cave of misery and anguish that he had made for himself.

But he couldn't fool four guys who had his back from day one.

Corbyn scoffed, "Yeah. Keep telling everyone that! It's not like you care about us. You can push us away. That's all you've been doing for the past one month... You believe you can fool us with that absurd façade that you're putting up... But... do you... do you even know how much it hurts us to watch you like this?! Do you?! Because all you care about is yourself."

Jonah was startled by the revelation. He never meant for his best friends, his brothers to feel that way. 

He began, "Corbs, I-"

"Don't Jo. We know you're hurting and you're allowed to! You fell in love! You fell in love and got your heart broken! You're allowed to be heartbroken. You're allowed to cry. You're allowed to scream... You're allowed to get angry... You're allowed to feel... So, please, I'm begging you, please... drop the façade in front of us... We're your best friends... And it kills us to see you this way!"

That was the breaking point for Jonah. He went forward and hugged Corbyn tightly. Corbyn hugged him with the same intensity. The blond heard sobs and he patted the taller boy's back in an attempt to comfort. He quickly texted the other guys to come, sensing that it was going to be a long night.

This was the first time Jonah had allowed himself to feel the turmoil growing in his soul and heart. This was the first time he had let those locked up tears to fall. This was the first time he had dropped the act that he tried so hard to keep up.

It was the first time he said what his heart was screaming was the past one month.

"It is devastating to know I am so easy to let go."