If You Run (An All Time Low Fan Fiction)

Chapter Eighteen

*Two Weeks Later*

"It's good to be home" Cris exhaled as she slowly made her way into her living room and sat down on the couch

"It's good to have you home!" I told her

"Are you sure you want to move in, I mean you won't miss your own space or anything?" She asked me for the fifth time since we left the hospital

"Honestly! I'm here most of the time anyway and the doctor said it'd be better to have someone here. Besides, you have the roof!" She smiled at me "I'm going to get the rest of my stuff and hand the key in to Rick" I'd already transferred most of my belongings to my new home while Chris had still been in hospital. 

I picked up the last bag and guitar to be taken upstairs from the middle of the floor. I took one last look around and left. As I locked the door my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered

"Alex! Fuck off!" The familiar voice on the other end yelled, I laughed "Hey" Jack spoke again, more calmly this time

"How's it goin' Jacko?"

"I'm good, you?"

"Great yeah. I'm moving into Cris' today"

"Is she out of hospital yet?" He asked

"Yup, we just got back ten minuted ago" I told him

"Good" he replied sounding relieved

"I listened to Dirty Work for the first time today!" I told him

"Really! What do you think?" He asked eagerly

"I love it! But... the guitar on it is shockingly bad" I joked

"That will be Alex. I don't really play any instrument I'm just here to attract the lady-women" 

"And they picked you for that job" I laughed

"Heyy" He wined

"I'm joking, Barakat, You're sexy"

"I know" he replied smugly. I could faintly make out the sound of Matt telling everyone to get their asses into gear

"Got to go, Tay. We're already late to a signing"

"Oh you and your rock star lifestyle. I can hardly keep up! Talk to you soon. Don't have sex with any minors" 

"I'll try to resist" He said last before he hung up.

Jack's POV 

I tapped the end call symbol on my phone and smiled. I missed Tay so much, it had only been a few weeks since she left but I found myself wishing she was here with me every day. 

"C'mon Jack" Rian called as everyone started to file out of the back office of the music store we were hiding in. We stepped out and the screams started. I don't know why but it didn't feel the same rush as I normally did when I heard fans shouting after us, I had too much on my mind and I couldn't seem to get it to settle. 

"You okay?" Matt asked patting me on the back when he noticed me staring at the floor in a daze

"Y..yeah" I smiled unconvincingly at him. I took my seat at the end of the table and picked up my pen.

The queue started to move and I went about it like a machine: signing photos and different merch, smiling for pictures. I looked to my right to see the other three talking with fans who were being ushered along to the next person, giving them their undivided attention. I wanted to be able to do that to but I just couldn't. 

One by one the others left as the last person passed them and moved on to whoever was sitting next to them. After signing the girl's shirt and talking for a moment Zack said goodbye as she moved in front of me and he left the table.

"Hi Jack" the fair haired, teenage girl greeted me cheerily

"Hey. You here by yourself?" I asked as I looked around for her friends

"Yeah" she laughed "I was going to come with my friend but he moved back to Spain the other week" She smiled sadly

"Tell me about it!" I chuckled

"Is this about the girl you posted a picture with?" she asked "I don't mean to pry into your private life or anything" she said quickly after.  I looked up at her, she was smiling sweetly

"It is. Her name's Taylor" I said quietly. She thought for a moment

"If it's meant to be, fate will bring you back together. Trust me" she nodded seeming incredibly certain about what she'd just said. I smiled genuinely at her, her eyes seemed to sparkle with hope and I could tell she was in the same situation with the boy who moved back to Spain

"Thank you..." I waited for her to say her name

"Marissa. My name's Marissa" she told me

"Well thank you Marissa. You really have brightened my day up. I hope I see you at a show some time!" I said handing her the white t-shirt 

"Try and stop me!" she giggled "I hope things work out for you and Tay" she said as she turned and left the store.

"Are you alright, Jack? You've been acting weird" Alex said as everyone climbed into the van ready to be taken back to Alex's. We were the last in the parking lot,

"Yeah. I mean I was feeling down before but someone said something to me and now I'm alright about it" I told him, truthfully. He nodded and jumped into the black van, I followed him.

"What's the plan for tonight then?" Zack asked everyone

"Movie night!" I yelled. There was a chorus of agreement which followed. "Hom-" I started

"No!" Everyone yelled together

"No way! I've seen that too many times to count" Alex laughed at my hurt expression "I vote Peter Pan"

"You're getting as bad as Jack with Home Alone" Rian said from the driver's seat. 

"What about... Silence of The Lambs" Matt suggested in a sinister voice.

I looked out at the passing streets of Baltimore while the sound of evil laughs drifted in and out of ear shot. Home sweet home, I thought. Not for long though; we were leaving for tour in just under two weeks. I still had no idea where that tour was, I never did until we were at the airport. Some would call it unorganised... I call it 'living in the moment' that, plus I just really couldn't be bothered to remember anything Matt told us.