Damned If I Do Ya [An All Time Low Fanfic]

Chapter Eleven

The next morning I woke up alone. Jack hadn’t curtained his window and bright light shone through.

I moaned and hid under the covers. Where was Jack? I sat up and looked around. The room still looked the same. The same framed pictures of Jack and his mum, same clothes on the floor. On the bedside table Jack had left a note,

“Gone for a photo shoot with the guys. Don’t miss me too much. Make sure you feed your friend. Showers down the hall if you need one. Be back at about 3. We’ll bring food.”

I looked at the clock. It was already 12 o clock. I rolled out of the bed and showered quickly. I dressed and slowly opened Alex’s door. Claire was sitting on the bed; she had already putten on the clothes she wore the night before. Her hair was a mess and she looked sick.

“What happened last night Holly?” she asked holding her head. Before I could answer she jumped off the bed and ran to Alexs bathroom. I held her hair as she got sick.

“Cmon, I’m sure they have tablets downstairs.” I said and we walked down to the kitchen.

Thankfully, they did have tablets but no food. I climbed up on the counter and searched the top cupboard. Nothing. I checked in the microwave. Jack had put the leftovers of my cake in there. It would have to do. Claire and I shared the last two slices. I told myself that I had to thank him later.

As I cleaned up the crumbs, Claire walked away into the living room and started to watch TV. I wondered where Matt had gone. I didn’t want to see him again. So he was their new guitar tech? I always imagined that Matt would be a guitarist in a famous band. Then again, he was hard to get along with. So why did All Time Low hire him when he is such a horrible person? I would have to talk later to Jack about it. Damn, I still needed to give Alex back his $500. I walked into Claire. She was lying down on the sofa watching Home and Away. The living room was a mess from the night before. Beer bottles were smashed on the floor. Plastic cups were squished under the trampling of the crowd. Some of the partygoers had smeared some of the chocolate cake on the walls and someone with bright red lipstick had kissed the wall. I felt bad as the party was mostly for my birthday so I decided to clean it up. It took about an hour and Claire watched from the sofa.

“You’re not going to help me?” I asked her as I threw the beer bottles into a black bag.

“Nope. I’m sick.” She said and fake coughed.

“You’re hungover.”

“Holly?”

“What?” I asked, agitated.

“Sing soft kitty to me.”

I sat down beside her and began to sing it to her. Whenever she was sick she made me sing it to her. Every time she comes to L.A, we go to Kims house and watch re runs of The Big Bang Theory.

“Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr.”

She laughed and jumped up off the sofa.  “Okay, I’ll help you now.”

By 2:30, the living room was neater than I had ever seen it.  Claire and I watched TV together until the guys came home. They all carried plastic bags full of food. They walked into the living room and looked around.

“They can stay.” Rian smiled.

“I don’t think it’s ever been this tidy since I bought it.” Jack said.

Alex walked away into the kitchen with Zack.

“Alex is having a bad day. Want me to drop you home? You’re Claire right?” Jack asked Claire.

“Yeah , sure. Bye Holly!” Claire waved as she walked out the door with Jack.

What was wrong with Alex? Jack said he was having a bad day? I walked into the kitchen but Zack was the only one there. He was unpacking the food. I decided to help.

“Thanks.” He smiled and lifted a crate full of beer onto the counter, like it weighed nothing.

They had bought the basic stuff and a lot of ‘junk food’

I packed away ten big bags of Lays and four bags of Doritos. Did they really need all this stuff?

More jellies and more beer.

“So, where’s Alex?” I asked Zack casually.

He hesitated and stopped packing.

“Upstairs. Look, he’s not having the best time now. So just be careful. He’s already pissed off at all of us.”

Zack said sadly. He took the bag of Lays and started to eat them.

“Congrats by the way.” He added as I walked out of the kitchen.

“Sorry, what?” I asked, turning around.

“You and Jack.” He laughed.

I rolled my eyes and walked away as Zack continued to laugh. Had everyone heard?

I poked my head into the living room where Rian was watching TV.

“Thought it was a secret Rian?” I asked him.

“Holly, we never pinky swore it. Therefore I was entitled to tell Zack.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and walked upstairs.

I heard music coming from Alexs room as I passed. I ran to my suitcase and got the money he had given me and knocked on his door.

“Who is it?” he asked, “Never mind Holly, come in. No one else ever knocks.”

I opened the door and saw Alex on the bed playing his acoustic guitar. His bed was unmade and he was facing away from the door.  I bit my lip, he sounded sad. Maybe I could give it to him another day. No, I had to give it to him now.  I hesitated but walked over to his bed.

“Here.” I said holding out the wad of money.

He glanced back and muttered, “Don’t want it, you keep it.”

“No, it’s yours, you earned it.”

“I didn’t earn that money.”

“Well , how did you get it?”

He swallowed and whispered, “It’s some of the money my brother left for me.”