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

Chapter 20

I'm going to tell you one thing. No matter how stressful being an assistant assistant tour manager was, it was nothing compared to a little text I got from one of my classmates.

Daniel: Hey, Jacie, which format did you use to upload tomorrow's assignment? Not sure which way to export.

Pure dread filled me. I was a great student. I worked my ass off, I got good grades, I went out of my way to do really well. But I had forgotten all about this assignment. I was so busy with my internships that I completely forgot there was one last assignment I had to hand in. The class had ended ages ago, it just wasn't on my mind anymore.

"Jeff," I stated to the guy standing next to me, "I can't work today."

"What?" he asked, looking confused since I was literally standing in front of him doing my job.

"I've got an assignment due tomorrow at eight a.m. and I forgot about it."

"Oh."

"And as much as I know you need me, my education comes first."

"No, no, no," he shook his head and grabbed my walkie-talkie and clipboard out of my hands, "you go do that. We can figure things out here."

I decided that I needed to leave the venue to be able to work efficiently. The venue was bustling with activity; crew members running around to set up the stage, the guys having fun, fans chanting outside. I needed a quiet place to focus, away from the chaos. The bus was the perfect refuge, specifically the back lounge.

I grabbed an acoustic and electric guitar I knew they wouldn't need for the show and hurried, feeling the weight of the impending assignment weighing me down. Soon, the back lounge was my own little make-shift home studio. I had put on comfortable clothing and taken my makeup off, and all my stuff was strewn about on the couches and the floor.

I sat there for around two hours before there was a soft knock on the door. I looked up and saw Jack walking in. I wasn't exactly in the most flattering position: on the floor leaning against the couch, right leg up and left one down with a guitar in my lap, my hair practically falling out of its messy bun, one pen behind my left ear and a pencil between my teeth. All that and I was wearing grey sweatpants and a light pink tank top. Jack had seen me naked, he'd seen me dressed up, and he saw me in his clothes, but this was a new one. But I had to own it.

Jack didn't seem concerned about it, instead he asked in a soft voice, "hey, how's everything going?"

I took the pencil from my mouth and put it behind my other ear. "About as bad as it can go."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

I started to shake my head, but then my phone started buzzing, a string of notifications coming in. Well, that was one of the things keeping me distracted. My head was only busy with what I kept seeing on that screen.

"Take my phone away," I instructed, reaching out over the guitar awkwardly to pick it up for what felt like the five-hundredth time and held it out for him.

He reluctantly took it from my grasp. "Are you sure?"

It buzzed a few more times in his hand.

"Yes." I gave one single nod. "It needs to go. My mom and dad are fighting again."

"Oh..." He was silent for a second and took a glance at my phone's screen. "Why not leave the group chat when they do that?"

"There's no group chat. They fight through me."

He looked at me like I had just said the strangest words.

"I told my dad about what happened with my mom," I clarified. The text I had sent my dad the same evening she had visited had led to them both messaging me about being afraid I was turning into the other. Which led to more texts and even more texts.