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

Chapter 29

Me: Good luck with your show tonight! Love you!

The text I sent Jack wasn't that sincere. Yes, I wished him luck. Yes, I loved him. But I had lied to him. You see, All Time Low was playing a show in LA. It was just a one off show. And, obviously, Jack invited me. But... I had to decline. I was extremely busy with my songs and just didn't have the time to spare. My deadlines were nearing and I was freaking out.

Fortunately, Jack understood. Of course, he would have loved it if I had come. But he also knew I needed to get shit done. Especially if I didn't want to have a full on freakout about it.

But... I also had a tendency to freak out over deadlines a little too much, meaning I planned in too much time for them. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It just meant I missed plans with friends that I could make in the end. And that was exactly what had happened again this time.

Instead of telling Jack that I was able to come after all, I decided I would surprise him. Which is how I ended up buying a resale ticket that was much too expensive. Especially now that the All Time Low project had wrapped up and I was no longer getting paid. I still got to use the studio, but I wasn't working. That would only start up again after I graduated when I would officially start working with Justin again.

I sent the text to Jack just as I was leaving the apartment to go to the venue. It felt extra sneaky and I almost wanted to tell him what I was doing, but I liked the idea of a surprise more. I even made sure to go early so I wouldn't be hidden somewhere in the back, where he couldn't see me. The closer I could get to the stage, the better. The surprise wouldn't work if I was just another face amongst the crowd.

I had even brought a sign with me to increase my chances.

So, that's how I ended up outside in the queue long before the show started, all by myself. There were quite a handful of people already in front of me, but I felt like I was still in the perfect position, as long as I stood towards Jack's side of the stage. Behind me, the queue slowly kept getting longer and longer.

"Are you also here alone?" A female voice said next to me at some point.

I turned to look at her and saw a girl around my age smiling at me. Her hair was dyed bright pink and she wore an All Time Low shirt.

"I am, yes," I gave her a friendly smile back.

"Awesome!" Excitement sparkled in her eyes. "I couldn't find anybody to come with me, but I couldn't miss this chance."

"I know," I nodded in agreement, "they're amazing live."

"Have you seen them before? I can't even keep count of how many times I've seen them live."

"This is my first time... kind of..." I told her. It wasn't really a lie. I hadn't seen them like this from the crowd. I had always been side stage and working before.

"Really? That's awesome!" Her smile widened, totally missing my uncertainty. "If you want, we can stick together tonight."

"That would be nice." I grinned with a nod. "My name's Jacie, by the way."

"I'm Lily," she replied, extending her hand for a friendly handshake.

I shook it, feeling my nerves melt away now that I at least had somebody around. Of course, I couldn't tell her why I was really there, so I was still nervous about my plan. But having somebody to enjoy the show with helped a little.

We continued to speak as we waited, taking an occasional picture, and generally having a good time despite being two strangers. I could tell why the guys loved their fans so much. Lily could possibly be a friend I had never expected to make.