(2) Overnight Sensation: An All Time Low Fanfiction Romance

Chapter 22: Join Him

        "You what?" I screeched into the phone, jumping from my seat on my bed. I fumbled with my phone, catching it in my shaking fingers. My breath was now uneven and trembling. I felt liek my lungs were about to explode.

        "I'm so sorry, Stella. I can't leave her alone. She is literally crying her eyes out," Adam whispered to me on the other line. I wanted to scream and tell him that his sister's break up wasn't as important as keeping me sane tonight. I wanted to yell and fight with him about it, and tell him he was a crappy boyfriend. "She keeps telling me she needs me here."

        I knew that I was wrong by thinking that, all he was trying to be was a good brother. His sister was his best friend, and the fact that she was in pain meant that I came second. Deep down, under all the anger I felt, I was okay with that.

        "Okay, okay," I let out my breath, tring to think of a plan. My mind came up blank. There was no plan to fix this. "I'll just tell Kara I'm sick. That's all. I have the flu, and a bad cough that..." Alex cut me off almost instantly.

        "Why are you trying to get out of plans because I can't go? It'll probably be better without me there, anyway. Maybe you and Alex will stay away from each other's throats tonight," He seemed to find entertainment in that statement and chuckled softly. I cursed at him in a low mutter, which made him laugh even more.

        "You'll have fun, Stell. Just go and enjoy your time with Kara. I'm sure she'll distract you for the night anyway," he encouraged. I felt terrible that he had to talk me up to going out with my friends. What kind of person was I? Some of them didn't even like Adam and he was trying to get me to do this.

        "You better keep your phone on you, because I'll be texting you the entire time," I muttered darkly. He laughed and let out a deep sigh.

        "You make me laugh. Have a good time, hon. I'll be waiting for your texts," he teased. I growled into the receiver a short goodbye before hanging up. I glanced down at my fitted ray and white flannel and gray undershirt. I was trying to look nice for Adam, how stupid was that?"        

        I typed a number into my phone and held it up to my ear while sitting on my bed. I ran my fingers over my face and held it there while the loud voice on the other side of the line answered.

        "Jack, can you come get me? Adam can't go and my car's in the shop," I said in a laugh. I was happy that my dad had some training thing he had to run. He wouldn't be home until at least noon tomorrow.

        "Of course, I'll be there in ten minutes," I could almost hear the grin on his face. I couldn't help but smile back. I missed Jack so much; it almost made up for all the thigs I was trying to avoid by not going to the party.

        I looked down at my scuffled grey Converse and sighed while clipping my keys to the loop of my dark wash jean shorts and shoved my money into my front pocket. I walked to the main house and flipped on the light to get a drink from the fridge.

        This will be fine, don't sweat it Stella, it'll be fine.

        I was dazed against the counter when I heard a car pull into the driveway. I let out a sigh, and shut off the light. I locked the door behind me and walked outside. Jack honked obnoxiously from the driveway, and I couldn't help but laugh while he did so. I ran to the car and jumped into the passenger's seat. The lights flicked on momentarily to see a beaming Jack and his pearly whites showing.

        "Hello beautiful stranger," he yelled loudly over his music while whipping out of my driveway.

        He always seemed to be this way before parties and shows. It was funny to see. I cracked up the entire car ride, and when we reached Alex's house, I barely felt anything in my stomach. I was too consumed with Jack's personality as he pulled in the driveway, where people were starting to drink. It was almost 11:30, it had to be.

        People were beginning to walk out of the house, hanging out in the yard and wandering to the back. The music wasn't too loud, but it most likely was because it was beginning to be drowned out by hundred some odd people running around the house.

        Jack got out of the car, and pulled me eagerly inside Alex's house. Everything looked so familiar fromt he third and last time I was in here. That was nearly a month ago, when I'd met his parents. They were sweet, English folks who loved Alex more than life. He thought it was overbearing, I thought it was cute as hell.

        Jack tugged me into the kitchen, where I could already see Rian with a beer. As we moved further into the room, Kara was standing next to him, laughing about something with a beer in her hand as well. Zack was leaning against the counter, doubled over in laugheter. It must have been a story Rian was telling.

        "Look who I found," Jack announced, holding my wrist high in the air. Kara glanced over and clapped happily before engrossing me in a large hug. She asked where Adam was, and I explained that he couldn't come. Nevertheless, Zack and Rian seemed pretty happy to see me. Zack wrapped his arms around me caringly and told me that he missed seeing me around. I felt myself blush under all of their attention.

        Jack stole me away for a moment and cracked open a beer and fished through a cooler for a Strawberry Smirnoff. He held it up to me and I snaged it happily. This stuff tasted better than any other alcohol I'd ever tasted.

        "We have the hard shit!" Alex's voice boomed throughout the house, and quiet a few people moving throughout the house yelled loudly. He, and one of his friends, carried in three big bottles of Captain Morgan, tequilla and a few liters of coke. Hard alcohol didn't seem like it would ever be my thing.

        I pushed my back against a few wall of the kitche, hoping that Alex wouldn't see me standing there, sipping my drink awkwardly. When he glanced around the room, his eyes met mine. His gaze never broke as he set the liquor on the table, but once his friend hit his arm to start cracking open the handle's, he sapped out of it and smiled at his friend.

        They began to pour the liquor into shot glasses, and quickly Alex put away four shots. Rian and Zack eyed him cautiously when he did, unsure of what to make of such a bold move. I hadn't ever done it myself, but Kara told me that when you take shots, it hits you all at once. You feel like you hit a wall, if that made sense. It didn't just tap you on the shoulder; it ran you over like a truck.

        Alex's eyes found mine again, and his face was completely blank while he took another shot and wiped his lips on his bare arm. His dark green v-neck had a small spot on the bottom where the liquor dripped. Before he said anything, he turned on his heel and walked into his living room, calling something out that made the entire house hoot and holler.

        I looked down at my drink and lifted it to my lips quickly. The bubbly, fruity liquid slid down my throat easily. I reached for another soon after, Jack cheering me on teasingly. Kara raised her eyes at me more than once but I shrugged and shook my head.

        If I can't beat Alex, I might as well join him.