The J.A.C.I.E. Project (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Chapter 7

Jack was right. Taking a break and going to the fair with him did make me come back and view my problem from a different angle. Rather than just sitting around and stressing–knowing that these internships either weren't actually what I wanted to do or that I wasn't going to be getting them–I took matters into my own hands. I searched for contact info of some places that interested me. Even though they didn't necessarily offer any positions, I still sent them an email to tell them I was interested.

And who would have thought? Just a few days after sending out the email, I somehow managed to get a paid internship at a recording studio. Out of all the people I reached out to, I thought this was the one I'd either get a hard pass from or a complete ignore. For some bizarre reason, Justin Mckenzie, a producer I had looked up to for ages, a guy who had produced so many great songs and albums, had decided to give me a shot.

Soon, I was learning all the ropes, helping out with some of the administration and planning stuff, but also getting the opportunity to see him work. It didn't take long until he let me actually work in the studio alongside him and even sit in on session with artists. Well, the latter didn't happen yet, but it was going to happen, it was planned.

And guess who he decided to let me join? All Time Low. It was a pure coincidence. Jack and I definitely didn't come together to make it happen. They had booked time at this studio way before Jack and I even met. And I for sure hadn't requested to work with them. I honestly would never have if I even had had the choice. They just happened to be the active artist at the time.

I was sitting at the 'reception' desk, finishing off some of the admin stuff when the doorbell sounded through the room. Although this was technically the reception area, it was really just an extension from the actual studio. There was a small kitchen and a few couches and chairs scattered around for everybody to take breaks. This studio was a one at a time studio. There weren't multiple artists at work at the same time, it was just in the backyard of Justin's house. Nice and personal.

I got up and skipped over to the dashboard that let me see who was ringing the doorbell as well as open the gate. As expected, I saw four guys waiting, looking around to see if there was anything else they needed to do other than press the button underneath 'McKenzie Studios'.

I pressed the button that let me speak to them. "Hey!"

"Hi!" One of the guys who wasn't Jack responded. He had that lead singer vibe. Standing just a step ahead of everybody else and taking control. "We're here for Justin."

"Yeah," I confirmed and buzzed them in. "Just go through the gate, walk all the way to the back, and you should see where to go from there."

"Thanks!"

All four of them walked through the gate. When I was sure that it had closed behind them, I opened the door so they could come straight in and so that there was no ambiguity about whether or not they had to wait outside. All I could do after that was take my seat back at the desk so I didn't seem overeager. I was excited. This was going to be my first time working at the control panel, and I got to see Jack as well. They didn't need to think that I was some crazy fan.

But when they came walking in, I couldn't stop grinning. Jack pulled off his sunglasses and immediately made eye contact, only making my smile grow. So much for trying to be subtle.

"Justin will be here in a second," I announced, letting my gaze break away and glancing over the others as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Alright," lead-singer-vibe guy said.

I went back to what I was doing. The sooner I got these things finished, the sooner I got to do the fun stuff. I wanted to see what went down when there was an actual artist in the studio. I wanted to witness the way they wrote songs and edited demos. I just wanted the whole experience. And as much as admin stuff was also a big part of owning a studio, it wasn't the part that I had been looking forward to all my life.