Trivium (All Time Low Fic)

My Publisher Made Me Change The Name Of This Chapter So I Wouldn't Get Sued

(a/n: Sorry for not updating faster :( Wattpad wouldn't let me get to my drafts for some reason.)

JACK's POV

"Shouldn't she be awake by now?", Alex asks, his voice quiet. My gaze follows his to find Ruby still sound asleep on his bed. "It's been like, an hour."

"I don't know," I admit. "If she doesn't wake up in another half an hour, then we'll call your mom. You and I both know how much attacks drain her energy. It could have just been that."

Alex looks at me, and I can't tell if he's angry or hurt. Maybe it's both.

"Jack, I know you and Ruby aren't getting along right now," he says, his voice even quieter than before.

"No," I cut him off. "Getting along or not, I have seen how much those attacks hurt her. I wouldn't try to provoke one. I wasn't even trying to pick a fight. She went in, she picked up her face wash, and she turned around to leave. I don't know if I provoked it somehow. I was standing in the doorway. Either way, I wasn't trying to."

Alex sighs and runs his hands through his hair. His eyes drift to the floor and I sit down, my back leaning against the bed.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

"Don't be," I shrug. "You're protective of Ruby. I don't blame you. Sometimes... well sometimes she just needs it."

I hear a door slam shut downstairs and Alex lets out a breath. "At least we don't have to worry about calling my mom."

Alex stands from his spot across the room. He opens the bedroom door and peeks his head out.

"Helen?", he questions, obviously confused.

My gaze shifts from the carpet to Alex's doorway. I hear light thuds on the staircase and Alex opens the door the rest of the way.

"Hey nerds," Helen greets from the hall. "Have you seen Ruby?"

Alex uses his hand to gesture the inside of his room and Helen steps forward, her eyes finding a spot just above my head. Her face scrunches up in confusion.

"We think she had an attack," I explain. "It was different than before, though."

"How so?", Helen asks as she enters the room.

Alex closes the door behind her and returns to his spot nearby. His eyes wander around the room, each gaze returning to Ruby.

"It was like she was trying to force herself out of it," I carry on. "Every time I've seen her have one, she's shut down. But she was trying to move... Like she was trying to run away."

"Either something changed, or it wasn't an attack," Helen guesses. I nod in agreement. "Well we can ask when she wakes up."

"She was looking for you," I recall vocally. "Do you know if that has anything to do with it?"

Helen looks confused for a second before realization spreads over her features.

"Oh," she whispers. "I guess it didn't go well."

Alex doesn't seem to hear her as he pushes off of the wall. "I left my laptop on the dining room table," he announces. "Maybe Google can help us figure some of this out."

Alex walks out of the room, trudging towards the staircase. Helen lowers herself to the floor and cross her legs.

"What were you talking about?", I ask urgently despite my hushed voice. "What didn't go well?"

"Ruby was trying to get a job, and she had an interview at The Masquerade Club today," Helen explains, her voice quiet like mine. "She's been worrying about relying on my mom for everything. If she didn't get the job, or if the interview went sour, then that might have brought one on."