Voices • Jack Avery

28 • Summerfest

The picture above is Alex's outfit

Alex's Point of View

When I woke up, Jack was already gone. He had left a note saying he had to make it back before the guys had noticed he had left their hotel room or else he would never hear the end of it. I smiled to myself when I saw it, knowing he had thought about what I would think waking up alone.

I groaned as I rolled out of bed, not wanting to leave its warmth and enter the cool, fresh air of my room.

My nerves from the night before were almost completely gone thanks to Jack. I was definitely still a little anxious but I was nowhere near close to having an actual anxiety attack.

I don't know how Jack managed to calm me down so much considering it took London years to figure it out, but I was definitely grateful. Something about him put me at ease - he didn't even have to be with me, just thinking about him helped.

Eventually, I had gathered enough energy to wake myself up fully and get ready for the performance. I had chosen a green and blue checked skirt, black combat boots with knee-high socks and a cropped t-shirt.

As I was about to leave, something from the corner of my room caught my eye. The leather jacket I had bought to wear when Jack and I recorded the song was hanging out of my suitcase. I didn't even realise I had brought it.

Before I walked out the door, I pulled the jacket on and examined myself in the mirror. A smile crept onto my face as I remembered how much fun I had with Jack the last time I had worn it.

For once, I felt confident as I made my way to the Henry Maier Festival Park where Summerfest was in full swing. We were performing on the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage. It had a capacity of 9,000 people.

I was fangirling and freaking out simultaneously thinking about the acts that had performed her before like Panic! At The Disco. I looked up to those bands, but how could I live up to the standards they had set?

I made my way towards London and Jackson who were waiting backstage for me. It was weird seeing them in every-day clothes without their instruments when I was prepared to go out on stage and sing. I don't even remember the last time I was on a stage without them.

"Hey guys" I said, my voice shaking slightly. Jackson pulled me in for a hug instantly as London practically bounced beside us. "Are you excited? Because I am" London exclaimed as Jackson let go of me.

I opened my mouth to say something but I was cut off by an arm being slung around my shoulder. I looked up to see Jack grinning down at me with the rest of the guys next to him.

"Of course she is, she's singing with me" Jack said cockily. I scoffed and rolled my eyes at him but I found myself leaning more into him instead of brushing his arm off.

"I just can't wait to watch the other acts once you guys are done" Zach exclaimed. Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Nice to know you're here to support us Zach" I said sarcastically as Corbyn hit him in the back of the head.

"Besides, we're on at seven, there's only like two or three acts after us" Jack pointed out. "True, but we get to come back tomorrow as well" Daniel stated.

I was beginning to zone out now that it was getting closer to our performance. We had an hour to perform which meant that Jack and I had to prepare more duets and then we would finish with Just Give Me a Reason.

I needed to stay focused so nothing would go wrong and before I knew it, I was walking on stage next to Jack.

It was surreal hearing everyone scream and shout our names. Sure, I had experienced it before when London, Jackson and I did concerts, but it was different when it was only Jack next to me.

"Hey guys! So this is going to be a little different to other acts since we're only doing covers, but I hope you enjoy it" I said into my microphone, taking in the audience. Everyone screamed once again, signalling that they didn't mind.

However, once the cheering died down I heard one girl near the front yell "Jalex owns my heart!" This caused an uproar in the crowd of fangirls agreeing while I stood there blushing.

To make it worse, Jack decided that it was the perfect time to wrap an arm around my waist and pull me into him.

I glared at him and shoved him away playfully as the begging of the first song began to play. It didn't take long for me to lose myself in the music and soon I was completely at ease and having fun with Jack and the crowd.

We started with Dusk Till Dawn by Zayn and Sia, then it was We Don't Talk Anymore by Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez, then Lie To Me by 5 Seconds of Summer and Julia Michaels, then I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn and Taylor Swift, then Good Time by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepson, then Eastside by Khalid, Benny Blanco and Halsey, then I Know What You Did Last Summer by Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello and, finally, Rewrite The Stars by Zac Efron and Zendaya.

"You guys have been amazing! Unfortunately, it's time for our last song" I announced. As soon as I said this, the crowd began to boo and I laughed.

"Actually, it's not. I may have a little surprise for you" Jack said while smirking. The crowd instantly screamed when he said this but I just stared in confusion.

We had only prepared nine songs and we had performed eight of them; all that was left was Just Give Me a Reason. I couldn't just sing a new song with him without rehearsing it.

"Just trust me" Jack whispered in my ear so no one else could hear, but before I could protest he had already backed away from me.

I stood at the front of the stage, not sure of what to do, when the crowd started cheering louder than they had before. I didn't know what was happening until I heard the familiar opening to Trust Fund Baby begin to play.

I spun around to see Daniel, Corbyn, Zach and Jonah all walking on stage with microphones in their hands. I looked over at Jack to see he was already looking back at me with a wide smile on his face. He knew that Trust Fund Baby was my favourite song of theirs.

As the guys began serenading me, I began to harmonize with them. I had completely forgotten about the thousands of people watching us and it was like we were the only people there; just six friends messing around and having fun.

When Jack began to sing he took hold of my hand and began dancing with me. We probably looked like complete idiots bit everyone began screaming in excitement.

All too quickly, the song was over and the guys had said goodbye while walking off stage, leaving Jack and I with one song left.

"I promise now there's only one song left" Jack said while laughing. I rolled my eyes and smiled at him as the music began playing. As I was singing the opening verse and chorus of the song, I walked along the edge of the stage, reaching out to the fans.

Jack did the same when he sang his verse, but I noticed him glancing over at me every so often. Once the chorus came for us to sing together, it was like we were back in the studio, just the two of us.

Jack and I sang the rest of the song to each other, completly ignoring the screams from the fans. As the song came to an end, we were standing face-to-face in the middle of the stage.

I stared into Jack's dark brown eyes and everything else melted away. I wasn't on a stage anymore and there was no one watching us; it was just us in our own little world.

My stomach had begun to do flips and all I wanted to do was close the space between us. However, something inside me changed once I realised what was happening. My smile dropped into a frown and my eyes began to water.

I knew that I couldn't do this; not here. I couldn't let people see me break down on stage. Without thinking, I turned on my heel and ran off stage, leaving Jack standing there, alone and confused.

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A/n So in case you couldn't tell I've never been to a festival before so I have no clue how everything works but I researched it as much as I could so sorry if it's completly off.