Noughts and Crosses (All Time Low Fan Fiction)

Chapter 2

I breathe in the fantastic Baltimore air.  It smells like gasoline, like smoke, like stagnant sea air; but most of all, it smells like home.  I love touring, don’t get me wrong, but that last week I was just so fucking homesick.  That was why I was feeling so exhausted a few nights ago.  I know, because I already feel refreshed.  Somehow, jet-lag fails to affect me for the first few days when I come back home.  It always feels so nice to be back that I get really hyped up and forget how worn out I am from tour.

“Ahhhhhhhhh,” Jack sighs from beside me.  “Home sweet home!  Hey, can we visit your parents, Alex?  I miss the whole Gaskarth fam!”

I laugh at Jack’s excited yips about visiting my family; they really did become his second parents when we became friends.  “Of course we can visit mama and papa Gaskarth!  I know they’ll be excited to see us all again,” Jack squeals, “especially you Jack,” I laugh.  My parents really are quite awesome.  And every time we get back from tour they always make us a big, homemade, welcome home dinner.  My mom has got to be the most amazing cook.

Because our cars are still at our respective homes, and we hate drawing attention to ourselves in our hometown, we hop in a cab and make our way back to my house.  I call my parents and as usual, they are expecting our arrival now that the tour has ended.  I can’t wait to see my parents…and my dogs!

When we get to my house, my mom is running out of the door before I even have time to get out of the cab and pay the driver.  I give him a tip and an autograph for his teenage daughter.

“Alex,” my mom practically screams.  “How was tour, honey?  Did you have fun?  You boys stayed out of trouble, right?”  My mum looks to Rian for the answer to the last question; he’s probably the most mature of all of us.  “Jacky, honey, it’s so good to see you!  And you too, Rian and Zach.  Oh my goodness, how are you all?!  Alex, come here and give me a hug, please!”

I walk over and hug my mom.  “It’s good to see you, mum.  How’ve you been?  Keeping busy, I’m sure.”  She squeezes me as tightly as she can and kisses my cheek.  “Muuuuuuuum,” I whine.  I know she’s left a mark on my cheek; she always does. 

“Oh stop your complaining, Alexander.”  I blush as she uses my full name.  “And of course I’ve been keeping busy!  After all, who is going to take care of those dogs of yours while you are on tour?”  I blush again.  She’s always giving me grief about having to care for Peyton and Sebastian, but I know she really loves them.  “Ah boys, come in, come in.  You all must be exhausted.”  My mom ushers us through the door and into the living room, where we take a seat on the couch.

There’s a lot of mindless chatter for a bit, but I’m distracted.  There are a plethora of lyrics running through my head and I need to just jot them down before they slip away.  I quickly excuse myself – saying I need to use the restroom – and run upstairs to my old bedroom.  I always have a pen and some paper in this room.  I pick the utensil up and let my mind flow…

After about twenty minutes in solitude, people must start to notice that I have been gone for some time.  Jack appears at the doorway.

“Dude, what are you doing?  We were all wondering where you had run off to.  For the first ten minutes, I just figured you were taking a shit, but usually you text me when you’re gunna be that long,” Jack snickers.  I giggle a little and shake my head.

“Nah man, inspiration just hit me and I had to strike while the iron was hot!”

Jack grins widely at me.  “Awesome!  Can I see what you’ve got?  Oh, by the way, dinner is ready…but the food can wait; let me see this!”

“Wow,” I say, “delaying food.  I think this is a first for you, Jack Barakat!”

“Shut up,” Jack mumbles.  “Just let me hear the song, Gaskarth.”

“Okay, okay,” I say.  “I don’t have much of a tune yet, but I have a good amount of the lyrics.”  I start singing to Jack: “Back in 95, a little boy from just outside of London, took a fated trip across the ocean.  Little did he know that he would find his voice in verse and chorus, making wishes on his broken stereo.  Can’t shake the noise from his bones.  Hear it all play out in distant echoes.”  I pause for a moment and say, “uhm and then I have the chorus written out on my computer.  I can’t completely remember it…  But I have other stuff.”  I continue singing: “Late 2005, the boy’s got plans as crazy as his friends’, they take their chances driving west alone.  Give em’ six more years and see what time will do for hopeless dreamers singing wishes to their broken stereo.  You can’t shake the noise from their bones.  Hear it all play out in distant echoes.”  I pause again.  “Ya.  That’s as far as I’ve got.”

Jack sits in silence for another minute, just staring at me.  “Alex, dude, you’re a genius.  That’s about us, right?  Well, like, the boy is you, but the ‘friends’ part is us, right?”

“No Jack,” I say sarcastically.  “It’s actually about my other friends.”

“Hey, you don’t have to be an asshole about it.  C’mon, let’s go eat.  Your mom made something and I don’t even know what it is, but I already know that it’s going to be amazing and I am fucking starving.”

I fold the paper it put it in my pocket before standing.  Jack and I walk down the stairs and join the rest of the crew.  Jack was right; my mom’s food is amazing, as usual.