Unveiling J.A.C.I.E. (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Chapter 9

Occasionally spending the night and day in the van with my band instead of on All Time Low's tour bus did Jack and I good. The distance helped us realise how much we just wanted to be with each other. Every time we'd be in the same place again was like a long awaited reunion. Granted, it had only been a few hours, but it felt like a lifetime.

Usually, we'd be waiting for each other either outside the meeting point – generally the venue – or inside one of the green rooms. But this time, after a particularly long journey and a restless night in one of the backseats, I couldn't find him in either location. The tour bus was definitely outside, I had encountered Zack at some point, and I had spotted their items lying around.

But there was no Jack. Not even a text letting me know what was going on.

I was fully capable of being by myself, but it felt so foreign after we had been inseparable for so long. The most concerning thing was that he hadn't let me know anything. If I just knew he was busy, then I wouldn't have cared. We had our own things to do as well. But this just felt a little out of the blue.

I checked my phone again after half an hour of searching. Maybe there was something I had missed. Maybe he had mentioned it the evening before. But there was nothing in our old messages and nothing new. I started to feel a mixture of worry and frustration. He knew how important communication was to me.

I decided to text him first, keeping it light and fun despite my growing unease.

Me: Hey, where are you hiding? I miss you

I hit send and waited for a response, hoping it would come soon. But the seconds ticked by and there was no reply.

I sighed and gave him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe his phone was dead or he was actually super busy and unable to check his phone. I figured somebody had to know about his whereabouts, so I went back to All Time Low's dressing room which was now no longer empty. Both Alex and Zack were inside, the latter looking for clothes to change into, and the former playing a video game on the couch.

"Hey guys," I greeted them, trying to keep my tone casual. "Have either of you seen Jack?"

"Not recently," Alex responded, not taking his eyes off the screen in front of him. "He was here earlier but haven't seen him since."

So that must have meant I just missed him. When I was there earlier, there was nobody to be found. I was afraid it was going to be a day of cat chasing mouse. This venue was relatively big and there were so many places he could be.

"He's been kind of reserved and elusive today," Zack added, not helping the unrest I was feeling, "we figured he was with you."

I shook my head, holding tightly onto my phone in case I would miss it buzz. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. I'll keep looking around. Let me know if you see him?"

As they told me they would, I left to continue my search again. At least that was one room covered for a while. I checked out other empty rooms, side stage, the actual stage, more rooms, and even the bathrooms. But he either wasn't inside the venue or he was amazing at being wherever I wasn't.

My last resort was to go outside and check if he went out to get some fresh air. The heavy door closed behind me, but he was nowhere to be seen around the back. I even decided to risk it and check at the front entrance. He usually didn't stop to talk to anybody there, but maybe today was different.

There were already a handful of fans waiting outside, some ready to go in for soundcheck while others were waiting for general admission. Only one person noticed me having a snoop around. Still, when I made eye contact with them, the residence of the rings against my chest felt more present than ever.