(4) Out of Control: An All Time Low FanFiction Romance

Chapter 64: Gossip

        "I am so fucking glad we finished that song!" I exclaimed, jumping onto Maverick's back as we left the studio. He caught me easily, hands gripping under my thighs to stop me from falling. It was nearly evening, and we'd just finished up in the studio, all of us excited about the song.

        "You're welcome for that," Maverick said, turning his head momentarily to grin up at me.

        "Shut up," I muttered, glaring at him softly while digging my knees into his sides. It was the best I could do, seeing as I couldn't really be mad at him for helping me finish the song. As stupid as I said his idea was, the song was done, and I couldn't blame him for trying to help. Finishing the song had not only lifted a great weight off my shoulders, but it made me much more excited to work on the rest of the album.

        I slid off of Maverick's back as we walked out the front doors of the building, into the comfortable air. The sun was just barely starting to set, and the temperature had dropped, but there was a cool window blowing, making the climate feel much more comfortable.

        We talked loudly as we walked back to the apartment, our conversation changing from the day at the studio to what we were going to order for dinner, the four of us realizing how hungry we were. We decided on pizza, something simple, and Zave agreed to order it as we walked into the apartment. Porter and Maverick headed to the couch, turning the tv onto a sports channel.

        "Pizza in twenty!" Xavier called out as I shut my door. I closed the door completely, flicking on a light before reaching for my phone, scrolling through my contacts and clicking on Kinsley's name. I was excited tot ell someone else about the song, and since Kinsley was really the only other person who knew about it, she was my only option. I knew, as I waited for her to pick up, that she'd try to rope me into singing part of it, but I was too happy to be bothered by her persistence. I'd probably let her hear some anyway, so I had somebody else to be as excited about it as I was.

        "Okay, unless you're about to tell me that you finally got over yourself and admit that you want to be with Jack, I don't even want to talk to you," Kinsley answered, trying to mask the teasing tone in her voice. I laughed, rolling my eyes.

        "Guess what," I said happily, staring at the ceiling, my back pressed to the bed.

        "You got over yourself and your annoying ass stubbornness and you'll go out with Jack?" Kinsley assumed excitedly.

        "No," I responded, "better."

        "Hun, I don't know what could be better than that," she said, chuckling lightly. "Oh, hold on," she muttered, and a moment later I heard her pressing keys on her phone, texting.

        "So, you finished the song, huh?" her voice returned, making me sit up so quckly my head spun.

        "Asshole," I grumbled, glaring at the door in the direction of Xavier. He told Kinsley before I had the chance to. He probably knew I was going to tell her, and just did it to be annoying.

        "That was your news?" Kinsley laughed. "Well, that's great, Nat. Can I hear some, please?" she begged. "Just the chorus, and don't hang up on me like you did this morning." She warned. "Zave says it's up to you if you want to tell me so I won't be getting it out of him. I have no way to bribe him when we're on opposite sides of the country."

        "Kins, chill the hell out," I interrupted her. "You really want to hear it?"

        "Yes!" she shouted, the sound ringing in my ear.

        "Alright," I sighed, moving the phone to hold it in front of my mouth, the speakers a tiny distance away from my lips. I sang the chorus quietly before moving the phone back to my ear, listening, but Kinsley wasn't saying anything.

        "Kins?" I questioned, eyebrows bent slightly in confusion at her silence.

        "Oh, sorry," she said quickly. "I was listening. I promise, that was amazing. I really can't wait to hear the rest of it," she said happily. "Does Jack know it's about him?"

        "Yes," I sighed.

        "Has he said anything about it?" she asked next.

        "Just last night, while he was here. He didn't say anything today, though. Actually, he barely even looked at me," I said, trying to keep my voice even, but I chewed silently at my lip, trying to figure out the new feeling that was rising in my chest. Was I really upset that he'd ignored me?

        "Oh," I barely heard Kinsley say, and she sounded preoccuped and far-off as I was feeling, like she was thinking about something. I wondered why she was asking, and what she had on her mind.

        "Why, what's on your mind?" I asked, lying back down across the mattress again, pulling my feet and bending my knees so my ties were resting on the edge of the bed. I curled them around the comforter while I listened, waiting for her response.

        "Nothing, I was just, uh, wondering," she said, sounding as if she was focused on something else.

        "Okay, what the hell's up with you?" I asked, eyes traveling aimlessly across the ceiling.

        "Nothing, I was just reading something, sorry," she said quietly, sounding less distracted, but there was still something on her mind. I knew her well enough to know when something was bothering her without having to see her face, even if she was trying to hide it.

        "Don't bother lying, I can tell something's up, just tell me," I sighed.

        "It's really nothing, Nat," she responded quickly. "I was just distracted by some gossip site I was looking through cause I was bored."

        "Anything interesting?" I wondered, feeling that there was still something more that she was trying to avoid.

        "You know..the usual stuff. People and their jobs or somebody's getting engage or got arrested..something about jack and Holly being spotted together.." she muttered.

        "What?" I asked, speaking immediately after her voice trailed off.

        "Yeah, they were just out for lunch or something. Probably just talking, but you know the gossip sites, always taking things to the next level," she tried to brush it off.

        "So, it said they looked like they were getting back together?"

        "Well no..kind of," she said quietly. "But you know that doesn't mean anything. There's absolutely zero proof here, Nat. They could've been just talking. Are you okay?"

        "Yeah, I'm fine," I said evenly, hearing Maverick scream that the pizza was here. "I have to go, our dinner's here." I hung up before Kinsley could say anything else, but I didn't move from my position on the bed. Was that why Jack had barely looked at me in the studio today? Because he was getting back together with Holly? Those pictures or whatever Kinsley had seen must have been from today, because he'd just been here last night, trying to get me into him again.

        So, what exactly was he doing? I couldn't tell. And worse, I couldn't figure out how it made me feel.