Our Last Note - A Jeremy McKinnon Fanfiction

Part 1

"Are you ready to track this, Jeremy?"

Jeremy nodded his head to his manager, Andrew, and stepped swiftly into the sound-booth that stood before him.

"We only have an hour before the next band arrives. It should be long enough, but be quick."

And then his entrancing voice was filling my ears. 

I couldn't help it. Just the thought of him gave me butterflies, and right now, as he was singing, I felt like I couldn't want him any more than I did right now.

"Hey, Ember! Will you look at these for me?"

My brother's voice rose above Jeremy's angelic cadence and I cranked my head around to find him and the paper he was waving in front of me.

"Another one fresh off the page, eh, Kellin?" I asked, sipping my coke as I read his lyrics. I had to admit, they were pretty good.

"They're awesome. What's the song called?"

Kellin beamed at my praise. I never gave him nice comment about his lyrics when I first read them. Constructive criticism all the way. I was just in a good mood today.

"It's going to be called 'Your Nickle 'Aint Worth My Dime'."

I had to stop myself from spitting out my drink onto the coffee table in front of me.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I know it's strange, but since when do we name our songs maturely?"

"Taking 'Captain Tyin Knots Vs. Mr Walkway' into consideration, I think that's getting off lightly."

He slapped the back of my head and I grinned as he sat down next to me. We both sat in silence and listened to Jeremy's harmonic voice. He was recording a song named 'NJ Legion Iced Tea'. A Day to Remember weren't much better with names, then.

A Day to Remember were a band from Ocala, Florida, and they'd become a worldwide hit in recent years. Their unique mixture of pop-punk and metal-core had critics raging and protesting back in 2003, but now they were a huge success and had become a massive phenomenon.

And I was lucky enough to be their best friends. And the sister of the lead singer of Sleeping With Sirens, of course.  

In primary school I had a lot of trouble attracting friends. Kids' parents had told them to stay away from me due to the strange outlook of my older brother. He was rejected by society and everyone hated him, tagging him an 'emo'. This enraged me just thinking about it now. Of course, back then, I wasn't old enough to portray my feelings or even know why they properly meant. I knew only happiness, sadness, and the feeling of physical hurt.

But all that changed when I saw Jeremy being bullied in the playground by a Year 6. We were only in Year 3. But I was determined to make a stand for some reason. I'd been admiring this boy and his friends from afar. Their laughter seemed to ring out to me above any other groups. I wanted to be part of that.

So I sure did make my stand. I'd stormed over and kicked the bully in the stomach, then took Jeremy by the hand and helped him to stand and walk.

He didn't say anything to me then. I didn't know if it was because he was hurt or it was because he didn't like me. So I took him to the school nurse and immediately walked out. I didn't expect anything. But then he'd stopped me and said,

"Hey, Ember."

I'd turned to him.

"Thanks."

I was shocked. Nobody at school had ever thanked me before, not even the teachers. They hated me too. The school nurse refused to help me when I was sick or hurt, which was stupid because it was her job.

After that, Jeremy made a habit of thanking me often. His friends didn't like me at first, especially Josh, who made sure to let me have a miserable time. But eventually they warmed up to me and we'd been best friends ever since.

I shook my head and left my memories at the back of my mind, focusing on Jeremy's amazing vocal talent. He hated his voice and always wanted to record things again. At first Andrew, his boss, let him, but he'd caught on and convinced him the recordings were good enough. And they were. They were perfect every time.

He'd even refused to record his vocals during For Those Who Have Heart as he hated it so much. But I urged him every time. He was brilliant.

This time he didn't falter, either. I felt my cheeks go warm when he looked at me. When he'd finished singing I clapped and cheered as he stepped out of the sound-booth. He smirked and flushed slightly. Fuck, he was adorable. I turned red again. Unluckily for me, Kellin saw my redness.

"Aww, does little Ember have a crush on Jeremy?"

I narrowed my eyes at my brother. "No."

"Come on. It's so obvious how much you love each other."

I couldn't snap a reply before Jeremy came down and sat on the other side of me.

"Damn crappy voice. That didn't go well," He muttered to himself, not intending for me to hear. I turned to look at him.

"Your voice is amazing, and you should know that. So next time I hear you say you hate it, you'll be getting a big scolding, Mr McKinnon."

He tried to retain his solemn expression, but in the end he gave up and started to laugh.

"Whatever you say, Miss Quinn."

I smiled and hugged him. When I released him, I saw Kellin shaking out of the corner of my eye and realised he was laughing at us. I slapped his leg warningly.

"Hey...um, Ember? Do you wanna come over later?" Jeremy asked me nervously. I blinked.

"Sure."

He looked way too excited. I had to admit, I was just as excited.

My leg vibrated and I pulled my iPhone out. My cousin. I pressed 'answer' and put it to my ear.

"Oh my God, Ember, I have the most amazing news to tell you!"

I sighed. "What is it, Rosie?"

"Well, I went to see Alex earlier and he said he had something really important to ask me. Then he got down on one knee and proposed to me."

My mouth dropped open in sheer happiness. Rosie had liked Alex Gaskarth for so fucking long now that I'd honestly given up hope on their relationship, but he obviously found the guts to fess up his true feelings.

"Rosie, that is amazing. I'll see you tomorrow at the recording, alright?"

"Sure. I'm so happy!"

"I gathered, ha ha! See you later."

"Bye bye!"

I put the phone down and grinned stupidly to myself. I looked at Kellin and Jeremy, who looked confused.

"What was that about?"

"Rosie's going to be a Mrs Gaskarth!" I announced. Their mouths dropped open just like mine did. I giggled.

"Seriously?! He's finally told her he loves her? After like, what, three years now?"

"Yup!"

We discussed this matter until the hour was up and I was soon in Jeremy's sleek black car.

"I have...something I need to talk to you about tonight, Ember. Something that I feel...very strongly about." Jeremy told me as he drove. My stomach did flips large enough to compete with an Olympic gymnast.

My emotions swirled at the thought of the night ahead. Who knew what could happen?