Don't You Go • Jalex Short Story

Just Keep Breathing

Alex's POV

The crowd was chanting and whistling as we finished up our second last song of the night. I smiled and looked to my left to see my friend Zack Merrick smiling back at me, holding onto his brightly coloured bass guitar. I turned around and grabbed my water bottle. I looked up as I drank to see my other friend Rian Dawson, sitting behind his drum kit and gazing out at the crowd in awe. I smiled to myself as I screwed the cap back on the bottle before turning back to the stage. I looked over to my right to see my best friend Jack Barakat, making stupid faces at the crowd in front of him while waving his guitar in the air.

It was amazing having this life. It was amazing touring the world with my best friends. It was amazing to do the one thing you loved, and it was amazing to have people like what you did. Being a part of All Time Low was amazing and I wouldn't change it for the world. I also wouldn't change my friends for the world. They had by back through thick and thin, even when I came out to them as gay they still had my back.

Yes, I Alexander William Gaskarth am gay. And I had the biggest crush on my best friend. I had since high school. Only now it wasn't so much as a crush. I was head over heels in love with my best friend, Jack Barakat. There was just a few little problems... One: he didn't know, and two: he wasn't gay or remotely interested in me. He wouldn't stop talking about boobs for god's sake!

I looked over to Jack and smiled. He turned his head from the crowd and smiled back at me before making some joke in his mic about us being in a relationship, playing up to what the fans called 'Jalex'. I couldn't lie, him talking about us as a couple made my heart flutter. I walked up to him and kissed his cheek causing the crowd to erupting into squeals and shrieks. I stood back chuckling as I threw my arm around Jack's shoulders before addressing the crowd.

"Give it up for my skunk haired lover, Jack Barakat!" I yelled into my microphone.

I looked over to Jack to see he wasn't smiling anymore; in fact he looked like he was in a lot of pain by just standing there breathing. I pulled my mic away from my face and turned to him with a concerned look plastered on my face.

"Jack, are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

Jack turned to me and silently nodded before taking a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah I'm good. Just my stomach again."

I sighed. He'd been like that for a while now. We were all constantly telling him he should see someone about it but he refused to go. I looked Jack up and down in the glow of the stage lights. Even in this light he still looked ghostly pale, another thing that had me worded about him. Jack usually has a sun kissed tan from our adventures across the globe and it worried me that he was paler than the plain white t-shirt I was currently wearing. He was drenched in sweat head to toe, but that was expected when playing on stage for over an hour. And his hair was in it's usually messy style that showed off his eyes. Oh, his beautiful dark brown eye... Enough daydreaming Gaskarth!

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. "You know, I really thing you should see a doctor. You're not supposed to be in pain." I spoke.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Okay, mom." He joked, picking up another pick of his stand ready to play our final song.

I sighed and walked back over to my mic stand, placing the mic back in its place. What is the point? He never listens to me anyway. I smiled at the audience before speaking into my microphone.

"Thank you so much for coming out. We're All Time Low. We'll see you next time"

I looked over to Zack before glancing back at Jack. He still had that pained look in his eyes but I knew he wouldn't leave the stage this early to go take it easy. I grabbed my guitar pick and began to strum the opening chords of our last song of the night, 'Dear Maria, Count Me In'.