You're Not Alone

Meeting All Time Low

(Austin's POV)

"I'm nervous. Why the fuck am I nervous?" Alex said, pacing the room.

Phil scoffed. "I don't think I've ever seen you so stressed, Gaskarth."

"What if she doesn't like us? What if she hates our music. We're gonna be on tour for two and and half months! I don't know if I can handle that much pressure!" Alex exclaimed, still pacing.

Tino slapped Alex on the back. "Dude, relax. I don't think there's a living soul that Jen hates." He got really quiet all of a sudden and sighed. "Not even her mother."

Rian peered in through the small rectangular window, watching Jen and Mason play Candyland. "How did she survive? No food, constant rape, being beaten into oblivion. How did she do it?" He asked, shaking his head.

I shrugged. "Like the Doctor said. She's a living miracle."

"Can we see her now?" Jack asked impatiently. I nodded. "Hey, is that Mason Bohn? God, I love that kid!"

I smirked. "You and me both."

Alan shook his head. "They're like Jay Z and Beyoncé."

"He looks at her like every girl in the world dreams of being looked at. And she looks at him the very same way." Aaron chimed in.

"Can we go in now?" Zack asked impatiently. "I wanna meet her."

I smiled, nodded, and turned the door knob.
__________________________

(Jen's POV)

Mason's plastic figurine collided with my cheek after I won another game of Candy Land. He was a bit of a sore loser.

I was just about to reset the board, when my dad and four men I'd never seen before walked through.

"Hey, baby," Austin greeted, messing up my hair. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I've got some people here who want to meet you."

I turned my gaze towards the men who stared at me. They looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't remember who they were.

"This is Alex, Jack, Rian and Zack. Their band All Time Low is gonna be joining us on our next tour."

The one he called Alex crouched next to the bed. "Hey, Jen." He flashed a charming smile and I knew instantly that he was a good guy. "Sucks that this has to be the place where I finally get to meet you." I laughed nervously and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "How are you holding up?"

I shrugged and ran my fingers over the wound on my neck. "It hurts from time to time and I've been sleeping a lot from all the medication. But it's not too bad. The only thing I'm not enjoying is how boring this damn place is."

The man I remembered as Jack handed me an envelope and a box from a cupcake store.

"Austin told us your birthday was soon, and we just so happen to be recording on the actual day. So we brought you a cupcake and a card."

I peeled open the envelope and pulled out a card. The front had a picture of a cat wearing a blue sweater. It read, "I was worried you weren't going to get a card with a cat in a sweater on it for your birthday this year." The words "I" and "was" had been crossed out and changed to "we" and "were". I opened the card and read, "so here you go." On the bottom, each of the guys had signed it.

"Thank you guys so much." I smiled, closing the card.

"We'll let you get some rest now." Rian said. The guys waved at me before turning to exit.

"I think she likes us!" Alex exclaimed as he walked out.

I told you guys I wouldn't be gone for long!

I'm feeling better. I'm not completely okay yet, but I'm better.

An update on my friend: She's responsive, but in and out of sleep due to all the medication she's on. I could possibly get to visit her on Sunday. Still not sure when she'll be able to go home, but I got her a bunch of stuffed animals and food yesterday. I'm just trying to be there for her and her little sister (whom I'm also extremely close to) the best I can.

In regards to the video on this chapter, I've gotten a lot of questions from you guys about what I do outside of writing. I mentioned in a previous chapter that I'm involved in colorguard and I'm on my school's varsity team for winter season. Many of you don't know what colorguard is, so I've put a video of one of my favorite winter guard (indoor colorguard) shows in the side. The show is called "Preaching to the Choir" and it's about the debate of whether there is or isn't a God.

Thank you guys for standing by me throughout these past few days. I love you all endlessly and more than you could ever know.

-Gracie