while on tour... || J.H, Q.G ||

chapter twenty-three

please read the authors note at the bottom when you're done with the chapter! love you

october eleventh

M A C K E N Z I E B A K E R

i groaned as i rolled out of bed and looked at the clock. it was almost noon, and i had the worst headache from crying myself to sleep the night before. i sat in bed until i convinced myself to start my day.

but what was i going to do? i had never experienced this before, nor known anyone who has. so what the fuck was i supposed to do after two tragic deaths and a tour to go back to?

i sat at my desk and pulled out my sketchbook and a few pens. for some reason, although i'm really bad at it, i wold sometimes doodle to clear my head. my first choice would be to write a song, but i already did that last night. so, now onto the next option.

during my little doodle session, i questioned if i was strong enough to go back on tour. i could just imagine myself breaking down at any moment that reminded me of my parents, but half of me knew that my mom and dad would want me to have the time of my life with my best friends before its too late.

in these situations, the saying is to follow your gut. so i called up Trent.

mackenzie - italic
trent - bold

"hello?"

"hi trent, it's mackenzie baker"

"oh! hi mackenzie, i hope you are doing well. what do i owe the pleasure?"

"i'll just cut right to it. so i know that i'm supposed to come back to tour soon, and i really want to.."

"but..?"

i took a deep breath before finishing the statement with glossy eyes. "but my parents passed away last night in a car accident. and i don't know if i'll be able to come back right away."

"oh my goodness, i'm so sorry. is there anything we can do at management?"

"no, i'm okay i promise. i still want to see everyone before moving back home completely, so would it be okay to just make my return the first of november, so that i have time before it ends on november 15th?"

"of course, of course mackenzie. does anyone know?"

"only my friends at home who were with me at the hospital. please don't tell the lights out crew though, i want them to hear it from me."

"we completely understand. we love and miss you. i wish you the best."

"thank you so much for understanding, trent. see you soon"

"no need to thank me. i hope you feel better, and call if you need anything."

"okay, thanks again."

as i hung up the phone, i heard my bedroom door open. i lift my head to reveal the boys standing in the doorway with content smiles on their faces.

"good morning mack" matt started.

i stood up and engulfed them in a group hug.

"we're so proud of you. we love you, you know that?" alex continued

i nodded. "yeah, i love you guys. thank you for everything."

we all pulled away and joey lead me downstairs to show my main kitchen. what i saw was four plates on the counter, each with two chocolate chip pancakes and one was accompanied by a Dunkin' iced french vanilla latte on the side. i smiled and sat down.

"thank you guys, really."

"you deserve it, mack." alex replied as we sat down.

"did you all do this?"

"we couldn't decide who wanted to cook them, so we all did our own and the two losers of the rock paper scissors battle each cooked one of yours." joey stated.

i chuckled as i shook my head. "boys will be boys"

"amen" they said in unison.

we spent the next hour or so just talking at the table and sharing laughs as if all was well with the world. i had mentioned that i still needed time off, and they offered to stay at the house with me until i leave, which i gladly accepted.

next order of business, telling ellie. i really didn't want everyone knowing yet, because i hate when people pity me for shit so i decided to only tell ellie and bryce, who i'm closest to.

i logged into my laptop, and clicked on ellie's number in my facetime history. me and the boys sat at the table anxiously until we heard the beep, signalling she answered. her and bryce went into the bathroom as instructed, i tried not, idk, dying(?) while breaking the news to them. ellie let a few tears slip because she was really close to them, and bryce looked really hurt too. thankfully they understood my extended time off, and promised to just tell everyone i wouldn't make it until november first, without specifying why. i'm really grateful for that, to say the least.

~~~~~~~~~~~

later on, i went over to the recording studio to meet with my manager to get the new song produced. i didn't want to release it yet so that i could sing it for the first time on tour. we produced and added intrumentals and background voices, and the set was ready to go. all there was left to do is transfer the music to the managers and then, perform. boom.

i was pretty worn out at the end of the day so i just picked up chipotle for me and the boys on the way home. after we ate i put on a DisneyPlus movie in the main living room, which the boys and i fell asleep watching.

authors note:
double post! how would you guys feel if i wrote a story strictly with social media, like a story with just instagram posts, texts, and twitter? tell me who it would be with! love you!

also!!new cover and title ❤️
word count: 994

-M