Inseparable

3. Connor

It was the morning of another show on the O2L tour! According to what Kian said last night, we were in North Carolina today. That meant a time difference between Jackie and I of three hours. I walked across the hotel to check my calendar to see what time we needed to be anywhere today as the rest of the boys were waking up. Before I could get to the calendar, I noticed *7 missed calls* pop up on the screen. All seven from Jackie last night what would have been 2:30am her time. I sent her a quick text asking what was up before checking the calendar. I announced to the boys "Okay! So, get dressed, do your hair and get pretty in twenty minutes. We're having breakfast with our tour manager and we're getting picked up in thirty. Make it fast fellas." They all moaned in unison.

As everyone slowly started moving and becoming aware of the little time we all had to get ready, we started cleaning the room as we got ready. My phone vibrated on the desk. Jackie had texted me back? It was like, 4am for her. As I was about to call her, Trevor took my phone, "Get ready and stop checking twitter!"

"Can I at least text Jackie back?" All together the boys sang out "Oh Jackie! oooooh!" Annoyed, I took the phone back from Trevor and texted her back. They all went back to getting ready after that. I definitely needed coffee to help my mood!

After all six of us attempted to do our hair at the same time in only two mirrors, we headed to the lobby to head out to breakfast. Jackie hadn't texted me back since I was getting ready and now we were almost finished with breakfast. Maybe she had finally fallen asleep. We finished up our breakfast meeting and headed back to the hotel to do some planning for the show that night. While in the car, JC texted me from five feet away, "everything okay man? ..how's Jackie?" Just then we pulled up to the hotel and the boys all raced to the elevator, except JC and I. He nudged my shoulder and had a questioning look on his face.

"She called me late last night and was still awake when we woke up this morning, which was like 4am for her. I don't know what's going on with her, she only responded to a few texts, then she must have finally fallen asleep."

JC nodded as if he understood everything I was thinking but not saying. We reached the elevator with the others nowhere in sight, he pushed the button for the elevator. "Hey, I know this tour's tough on both of you guys. If anyone can make this distance thing work out, it's you and Jackie." We stepped in the elevator. "Plus, it's more than halfway done anyway. Not much longer until she'll be picking us all up at the airport back home." He half smiled, trying to lift my spirits.

The elevator door opened, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just don't like the thought of her being all alone back home, ya know?"

"I know, man, I know." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we walked toward the room. "Let me know if you need to talk, okay?"

"yeah, sure." He took his arm off of my shoulder when my phone started ringing from my pocket. An unknown number. I answered anyway, hoping it wasn't a fan who had gotten my number somehow. "hello?" 

a voice I didn't recognize asked, "Is this Connor?"

"yeah, can I help you?" I asked hesitantly

"There's been an accident." The woman took a deep breath. "Do you know anyone by the name of..." (don't say it) "...Jackie?"

I stopped walking in the hallway, put my back to the wall, and slid to the floor. The phone slipped out of my hand and onto the floor as I buried my face into my knees and wrapped my hands around my legs. I could hear JC talking on the phone that had slipped out of my hands, but I couldn't hear anything he was saying. Then, he stopped talking and sat next to me and wrapped his arms around me as I cried on the hallway floor of the hotel.