Voices • Jack Avery

3 • The Pictures

Third Person Point of View

It was a few days after the festival and Alex had returned to LA. She had gotten a call from management and had been called in along with London and Jackson for a meeting. A pit of worry instantly grew in her stomach. She was told they needed to discuss "pictures from the festival" but it was so vague that Alex didn't know if it was good or bad.

Alex being Alex, immediately assumed the worst. They hadn't done anything bad at the festival to be photographed, but that didn't stop the endless possibilities playing out in her head.

Alex always dreaded getting calls from management. Her worst nightmare was being dropped by the label. Performing the songs she wrote was the only thing that allowed Alex to feel normal; it kept her sane. If their band was dropped, all of that would suddenly disappear and her inner demons would emerge.

"Calm down, it's just a meeting" London smiled, placing a hand carefully on Alex's back and rubbing small, reassuring circles around it. As they walked through the massive glass doors together, she couldn't help but bite at her fingernails in anticipation.

There were endless possibilities as to what could be lying in wait behind the door to the meeting room. However, the outcome was one of the few Alex hadn't thought of at all.

Jackson pushed open the door to reveal their manager sitting with a man they had never seen before, and five other very familiar boys. It's was Corbyn, Daniel, Zach, Jonah and Jack.

"Hey guys!" Jackson exclaimed, smiling brightly at them all before taking the seat next to their manager, John. London smiled and waved, not saying anything. She wasn't the type of person who would actively try to make conversation with people she didn't know. She wasn't shy or anxious, she just didn't bother.

Alex hesitated for a brief moment, staring a little in confusion. Why on earth were they here? She didn't have a problem with them, but she didn't see why they needed to be at a meeting with her band's manager.

She stuttered out a confused hello before joining them, taking the only chair left which happened to be next to Jack. When she sat down, he smiled brightly at her but didn't say anything.

"Hey guys. You obviously know who the boys are, and this is their manager from Atlantic Records" John began, introducing the man they didn't know. Alex could tell by the awkward tension in the room that the boy's didn't know why they were here either, only adding to her nervousness.

"You're probably wondering why I called you here, right?" John continued. Everyone exchanged confused and anxious looks, but nodded nonetheless.

"Its nothing to worry about. Some fans took pictures of you guys talking after your performance and they've spread like a wildfire" he stated, still leaving them confused. Jackson, being the goofiest of them, let out a chuckle. "There's no crazy girlfriends or ex-girlfriends London and Alex need to worry about is there?"

The guys all laughed but Alex's eyes widened in fear as London rolled her eyes. Alex's head snapped in the direction of the boys with a questioning yet worried look on her face. The last thing she needed was some crazy girl running after her.

Upon seeing the look on the face, the guys laughed even more. "Dont worry. I'm the only one with a girlfriend but she definitely won't freak out over a few pictures" Corbyn explained through his laughs.

Alex sighed a breath of relief, leaning back in her seat. She could feel the blood rush to her cheeks as they flushed a light shade of pink out of embarrassment.

"Anyway, it's actually quite the opposite" John spoke up, bringing everyone's attention back to the meeting. "Everyone seems to love the idea of you guys being friends, so we we're thinking of giving them what they wanted."

Everyone exchanged awkward and uncertain glances. They all had an idea of what he meant, but none of them were certain they were right. After a few moments of silence passed, John spoke again, clearing the confusion.

"Basically, we want you guys to be friends; hang out more; post things together. In general, be seen together. Just to gain promotion" he explained.

Alex thought about it for a minute. Usually she would hate when their manager arranged their personal lives like this, but for some unknown reason, she didn't mind this time. Who knows, it might even be fun.

"I'm down if you guys are" she eventually shrugged, looking to her bandmates before turning to the guys. Everyone seemed to agree instantly, causing her to smile. She knew after the conversation they had had back in Boston that the guys were really nice people and she wanted to get to know them but she never thought it would happen.

Surprisingly, even London seemed to agree without hesitation. She generally didn't want to get to know new people unless she thought they were really worth it. That alone was enough to reassure Alex that she had made the right decision.

"Great. We want to start right away and hopefully you guys will eventually become close enough to actually want to hang out instead of us organising it" John laughed, clapping his hands together in satisfaction. "We want it to be public, so tomorrow meet at The Grove and hang out for a few hours."

Everyone silently nodded, no objections being made. The meeting finished up as they organised the next day, and Alex couldn't help but grow excited. She didn't understand the urge she had to get to know these guys, but she was really happy that she would be.

Maybe they would turn out to be complete idiots or maybe they might end up hating her, but that was something to worry about later. For now, she focussed on the positives - something she didn't find herself doing very often.

As they all parted ways and Alex returned home, she didn't feel heavy or burdened. In fact, she felt quite the opposite. She had a smile plastered on her face for the rest of the day, and something told her that tomorrow would go better than she could ever imagine.