Voices • Jack Avery

29 • Heartache

Alex's Point of View

I ran off of the stage with tears falling down my face. I no longer cared that Jack was alone on stage or that everyone in the crowd was left confused.

I ran past Corbyn, Zach, Daniel, Jonah, Jackson and London, ignoring the looks they gave me while they called after me. I knew that London was running after me, but I needed to get away.

It was only when I found myself outside, behind the stage where there were very little people, that I stopped running. I ended up falling to my knees and crying.

"Alex? What happened?" London said, walking up behind me cautiously. She crouched down beside me and placed a gentle hand on my back, rubbing it in circles.

I shook my head, not wanting to talk about it. "Alex, tell me what's wrong" she said softly. I took a deep breath and wiped my tear-stained cheeks in an attempt to calm down.

I knew that London would be able to help me, I just had to calm down first. Once my breathing grew steady again, I looked up at my best friend. "I like Jack" I breathed out.

Hearing myself say it out loud scared me even more; it made everything so much more real and definite. I think I used to believe that if I never admitted the truth then it wouldn't actually be the truth, but I couldn't deny it anymore.

"That's a good thing though" London said. I could tell she was trying to hold in her excitement for my sake, but on the inside she was definitely screaming like a fangirl.

"You don't get it. It'll never work out. Nothing ever does. Love is just a fantasy made up by people who want to believe in something good in the world" I stated while staring blankly at the ground.

London looked at me, confusion clear on her face. She hesitated for a second before speaking up once more. "Where is this coming from? You never used to think that" she questioned.

I screwed my eyes shut and sighed. There was no avoiding telling her now. "My parents are getting a divorce" I mumbled, not able to bring myself to look at her.

I heard London's breath hitch in her throat before she pulled me in for a hug. "I'm so sorry Alex" she said in an attempt to comfort me.

I didn't say anything to her; there was nothing I could say. There was no point in telling her that it was okay or that I was fine because I would be lying and she'd know it.

"Look, just because your parents didn't work out doesn't mean love isn't real. You shouldn't push Jack away because of them" she said in an attempt to convince me.

"London, I've been trying to convince myself of that since I found out a few weeks ago but it's not working. There have been times where I'm with Jack and he makes me think for a split second that it could work and that love is real but then I come back to reality and I know it won't" I ranted.

London seemed surprised by my sudden outburst but I had to let it out. Once I started talking about it I couldn't stop. However, it did make me feel slightly better to finally get it off of my chest.

We stayed like that on the floor for another fifteen minutes. I was glad that London was the one to run after me and not anyone else; she was the only one I could trust with this right now.

"We should go back to the others. They're probably worried" London eventually said, breaking the comfortable silence and taking me out of my peaceful world.

"I don't know if I can face Jack" I said truthfully. The only way I would get over him is if I avoided him as much as possible and I definitely didn't want to deal with the prying questions about why I ran off.

"You won't have to. The guys want to watch Charlie Puth perform at nine and, if we leave soon, we can make the last hour of Imagine Dragons at the American Family Insurance Amphitheatre so we'll be in completely different places" London explained.

I looked at her and smiled. She knew exactly what I needed right now and I was grateful for that. She smiled back at me and stood up, extending a hand towards me in order to help me do the same.

As we walked back towards the stage we linked arms, walking together like over-excited school girls. I knew that it would be awkward having to face Jack after abandoning him on stage, but hopefully London and I could leave before it became unbearable.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jack asked, rushing towards me the second London and I were in sight. I tensed up immediately but London squeezed my arm reassuringly.

I plastered a fake smile on my face and continued walking so we were with the rest of the group. "Yeah, sorry. I just felt sick. I'm fine now though" I lied, brushing it off.

I knew that Jack didn't believe me - I could see it in his eyes - but I didn't bother trying to reassure him since he didn't question it.

"Okay, well let's go see Charlie Puth!" Zach exclaimed. All of the guys agreed and began to walk towards the crowd but when I shot London a look, she stopped them.

"Actually, you guys go ahead. Alex and I want to see the end of Imagine Dragons" she said while smiling. Everyone agreed instantly aside from Jack who visibly hesitated. He tried to catch my eye but I looked away. Eventually, he nodded and followed after the others.

London smiled as she dragged me in the opposite direction. We could hear Imagine Dragons performing Natural as we got closer and I only got more excited. A few people recognised us in the crowd and stopped us for pictures, but aside from that it didn't take long to get there.

Soon, I was lost in the music while dancing and singing with my best friend. Jack had almost completly left my mind. I knew that the next few weeks would be awkward but I had to avoid him as much as possible; I needed to avoid any more heartache.