Dirty Work

Return The Favour

(Maybe its all pretend and the games should end, I guess nobody wins, won't you let me know....)

As the days went by, I got into a routine while settling into my life back in Maryland. I'd walk the dogs every morning, grabbing a coffee on the journey and then after that I unpacked my stuff and began to feel at home again. I got a job in the first few days thanks to my mom at a music magazine, so my degree in journalism and my passion for music finally came together. My life seemed as if it was finally getting back on track, there was only one problem. Alex.

For the first few days after he left, he called me more than once a day and we skyped, but by the time I was packing to come and meet the guys on tour, the calls became more infrequent, and at times I couldn't even get hold of him, and when I did our conversations only lasted a few minutes and he didn't seem...there. In a last-ditch attempt before catching the plane to LA the next day I tried to call him to tell him everything was in order. After twenty rings, he finally picked up. "Hey Jen, what's up?" He said, sounding slightly hungover and tired.

"Hey Alex, just packing for tomorrow, anything you want me to bring?" I asked cheerfully, trying not to act as if I thought something was up. "It's been two weeks already? Jezz. Erhm...not that I can think of..." he paused and I could hear voices in the background, one sounded like a girl, which confused me seen as there were no female crew or band members on this tour, but I guessed it could have been one of Jack's pick-ups. I heard some more murmuring, before Alex came back to the phone. "Listen, I gotta go. See you tomorrow." And hung up. Just like that. "Yeh, love you too." I mumbled, putting the phone in my pocket and lying back on the bed. What was up with him? Less than two weeks ago, he'd been pining for me to come with him and experience everything with him, now he didn't even seem interested, then I thought back to what Jack said. "I hope you know what you're doing Jen. Alex is my friend -like I hope you are- but he has a reputation remember that. I just don't wanna see either of you hurting one another again."

What if Alex had found a girl? I shook my head, he wouldn't do that after all he said to me before he left. I sighed, looking at the clock, 11:45pm. Less than twelve hours 'til I saw him again, I just hoped nothing bad would happen when I did. I looked in my case, seeing I needed to get a few more tee shirts to bring with me so I went over to my closet to grab some, when saw something jammed in one of the drawers. Curious, I yanked at it, falling backwards onto the floor as its contents came flying out. I fell to the floor with a large thud, my head just shy of the bottom of my bed, and blew my fringe out from my eyes and slowing sat up, sqirming as my buttcheeks were in pain. I looked at the drawer upside down by my thigh, so I crawled over to it and turned it over. That's when I realised what it was, it was my 'Alex' box.

I just stared at it at first, not knowing what to do, but my hands instinctively went for the black hoodie under the photographs, letters and other trinkets. I took it in my hands and brought it up to my face, inhaling Alex's scent from the night he gave it to me as the memory came back as clear as ever.

"Alex...where are you taking me?" I asked as I yawned. It was 3am, and Alex had woken me by repeatedly throwing small stones at my window from our back yard until I opened my window confused and looked down to see him standing there smiling up at me. "Alex, you do realise it's like, nearly 3am right? Why are you not asleep or atleast in your own house?" I whispered sheepishly at him. "Get dressed, I wanna show you something." Was all he said as a reply. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Hell no. If yu hadn't realised, we have school tomorrow and I'd rather not be a zombie in math class tomorrow." I glared before beginning to close my window. "NO! Jen wait!" He said at normal level, trying not to be too loud and wake my mom up. I sighed as I realised he wasn't going to give up easily, so I opened the window out again looking down at him. "I'll be down in five minutes, wait by the back door." Before closing the window, before grabbing a pair of jeans and a tee shirt and putting them on, tying my hair in a ponytail and going downstairs. I grabbed the key out the back door after slipping on a pair of pumps and went outside,locking the door behind me and looking around for Alex. "Uhm. Alex?" I said looking around confused, before he grabbed me from behind and I let out a small shriek before he put his hand over my mouth. I took a deep breath before turning to face him, glaring. "Not funny." I pouted as he grinned. "You loved it." He teased before handing me one of his hoodies and taking my hand as we ran to his car and got in, heading off into the night...

I put the hoodie on to make me feel closer to him as I looked through the pictures of our many adventures and being foolish, whether it was in school, at the local diner or just around Maryland. I laughed as I picked up the pictures we'd taken in a photobooth with our funny faces messing around, and in the last picture, we were just looking into each other's eyes smiling. It was so simple, but so us. So in love. A tear came to my eye and I shook it off, putting it all in the drawer, but I left it on my beside table only taking those photobooth pictures out and putting them in my pocket and closing up my case.

* * * * *

The plane landed just after half 10, and I went straight to baggage reclaim to get my case as I was anxious to see the guys again. It had only been two weeks but it felt longer than the five years I'd stayed away, it shows how hard I'd fallen back into the routine of those teenage years. I put my hand in my pocket and enclosed my fingers around those photobooth pictures before taking a deep breath and heading out into the airport arrivals area.

I looked around for Alex, as he had promised to meet me so we could spend some time together before the show tonight, but as I saw the crowds dwindle, a realised he wasn't going to show. I sat down on one of the hard plastic seats and took my phone out, calling Jack who answered after the second ring. "Hey Jen, what's up?" He answered cheerfully, seems like atleast someone was happy to hear from me. "Hey, I'm uhm, in LAX. Do you know if Alex is on his way to pick me up or stuck in traffic or-"

"Dammit!" Jack said cutting me off, "No Jen, I don't know where he is. I'll come get you though, you okay for 15 minutes?" He asked. I knew he was hiding something, what I wasn't sure. "Look, just tell me where to get a cab to and I can meet you at the venue, okay?" I said slightly annoyed. I didn't mean to take it out on Jack, he was just the first person I'd talked to.

"Oh, okay. It's club Nokia, the driver should know where that is. And hey, he's missed you okay?" I sighed, he had a funny way of showing it.

"Yeh well...I'll see you guys soon. Thanks Jack." I hung up before rooting around in my bag for some money and heading outside to catch a cab to the venue.

As soon as I'd told the driver where I was heading, I tried to call Alex and to no surprise, he didn't answer. Well then. I texted Jack to meet me outside the venue so I could actually get in, and then put everything in my bag and just watched the scenery pass by through the dirty cab window. LA was certainly beautiful, especially on a sunny day like today.

I got to the venue around half an hour later and saw Jack kicking a can behind the gates. I gave the driver some notes and grabbed my stuff out and heading over to him. "Hey Jack Attack" I said as I walked over pulling my case behind me. He turned around seeing me and the worried expression on his face turned to one of joy. "Jen! Thank fuck you made it, I was worried you'd get kidnapped or something!" He said as he opened the gates. Jack was always the drama queen. I let out a small laugh as he took my case and began to wheel it to the bus so I could get settled. "Everyone's in the venue for rehearsals. Here's your pass." He said handing me a yellow laminate saying 'guest' on. I put it over my head and smiled as he stood in the lounge awkwardly. "So...that one" he said, pointing at the bottom bunk two rows back "is yours and Alex's bunk. I don't know what it's like, I tend not to go in there as much as I used to..." He said winking. "I'd better go inside, see you soon?" I nodded, but he knew something was up, and came over to me engulphing me in a Jack hug. I sighed, hugging him back before pulling away. "What's up with him Jack? It was his idea for me to come out, yet he can't come and meet me at the airport or return any of my calls?" Jack looked at the floor and didn't say a word, he just shook his head and walked off the bus. Now I knew something was up.

I went over to his bunk and began to try and tidy the mess inside it when I found something that shouldn't belong there. A red thong. My mouth fell as I took it out, right, that was it. Something was definitely up. I just hoped that when I found him, he wasn't going to break my heart.