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

Chapter 20

"I'm back and here to steal all your snacks!" I announced loudly as I gracefully entered the dressing room with a duffle bag hanging from one shoulder and a backpack on my back.

"Well, well, look who's gracing us with her presence!" Alex greeted with a wide grin as I entered, the teasing glint in his eyes unmistakable. He brought me into a big hug, swaying us from side to side.

I laughed and hugged him back as well as I could while making sure I didn't drop anything. "I had to make sure you remembered what your biggest fan looks like."

"How could we ever forget?"

He let me go and my eyes scanned the room, looking for Jack's familiar face. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Jack?" I asked, not forgetting why I came here in the first place.

"On the bus..." Alex's demeanour shifted as he gave me a weak smile.

"Guess that's where I'll be going, then." I put both my bags on the floor against the wall and started towards the exit again. "Is the code still the same?"

"Yeah, just don't forget to hit star at the end."

And so I left the same way I had just come. I was anxious, worried about how Jack would react. Was he going to continue dismissing me? Would he continue to act like he was doing okay? How bad was he truly doing? Alex confirmed Jack wasn't doing good, but he didn't give me any specifics.

"Hey, wait." Alex jogged up to me before I got more than a few steps down the hallway.

I stopped and looked at him, waiting for him to tell me to grab him something from the bus or check up on something. But he just looked at me, searching my eyes.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked softly.

I looked back at him and nodded. "Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm here if you ever need me, alright?" He gave me a small sympathetic smile.

"I know," I grinned back and lightly punched his arm, "I've got a lot of people there for me if I need them."

"Good." He touched my shoulder lightly before letting me continue on my journey.

Once I got to the tour bus, I punched in the code to unlock the door. Luckily, I still memorised it from when I had been there two weeks earlier. Carefully, I opened the door to enter the dark bus. Not a single light was on. I found Jack standing in the hallway in between the bunks, with his back towards me.

"Jack," I said, my voice a gentle breeze in the confined space.

He knew I was coming, but he still looked surprised when he turned around. He looked so different from when I left. His hair hadn't been brushed yet, his clothes looked like they were simply hanging from his body, and a vulnerability spilled from his gaze. It struck me like a lightning bolt.

"Jacie..." he murmured, his voice a fragile echo of its usual resonance.

I closed the distance between us, my hand reaching out to touch his arm. His reaction was one I hadn't anticipated. Without a word, he pulled me into a tight embrace, his grip desperate and clinging. In an instant, he crumbled in my arms.

He hid his face in the crook of my neck and sobbed loudly. His tears dampened my shoulder and the rawness of his emotions echoed off the walls. He'd cried around me before, but I'd never seen him like this. I held him tighter, hoping to become his anchor as the storm of emotions raged.