The Boy with the Silver Lining

All Four Aces

Alex groaned as he turned over in the small bunk to find his phone. 2:48am flashed at him in bright white from the small screen. Ever since Hollie had left, over two weeks ago now, Alex would swear he'd seen every hour of the clock almost every night. If he wasn't still awake, drunk, or writing he was restlessly tossing and turning, the bunk feeling much bigger than usual.

Hollie had finally called on a Tuesday, but Alex's first response had been to go absolutely postal at her for what she'd done.

"Are you fucking serious, Hollie?" He'd almost growled at her timid 'hello.' "You disappear in the middle of the night, abandon me and don't speak to any of us for a week, and your first word is 'hello?!' What about 'sorry?' What about 'I miss you?' What about actually being here in person?!" Alex surprised himself at the vitriol that had poured from his lips, a very different reaction to the one he swore he'd have days ago if she would just call.

Hollie whispered an apology and hung up, Alex knowing full well that she'd burst into tears, and he'd gone looking for Morgan.

Looking harassed, probably due to her worry for him, Morgan almost brushed Alex off until she saw the look on his face. "What happened, Lex?" she murmured as she led him to a quieter part of the venue.

"I think I might've just made things worse between me and Hollie..." He replied sheepishly.

"How can you make things worse if you haven't spok...oh, she called didn't she?" Alex could only nod in response.

"And you went nuclear on her...?" Alex couldn't meet Morgan's eyes, but nodded again.

Morgan pulled her brother in for a hug so he wouldn't see the panicked expression cross her features. She'd been so sure this was fixable, just a blip, but Alex and his way with words occasionally meant that he could deliver seriously crushing blows within a couple of seconds that even those who knew him best struggled to swallow. With Hollie's current headspace, Morgan wasn't sure how she'd have coped with the call.

"It's gonna be okay, Brother Bear; she's strong enough to cope with that, and you know she was probably expecting it. She knows what she did was shitty - why else would she not be back yet? She's just scared." Morgan rubbed Alex's shoulder and smiled up at him.

"Did she tell you that? Is she going to come back? Because i'm starting to think I'm going crazy!" he muttered in response.

Alex had been in a funk ever since. The guys were so excited for the special show at Starland Ballroom in New Jersey, and had been rehearsing the Put Up or Shut Up songs to play the record in full. It had all been going fine until halfway through Lullabies one afternoon, Alex completely broke down and refused to play it again, which had added a somber note to the rehearsals following.

So now in the early hours of Friday morning, somewhere on the road to Connecticut, Hollie still hadn't called; Alex was scrolling through the pictures on his phone, willing it to ring. Not ten seconds later, his phone buzzed and a notification appeared on his screen; it was a text from Hollie.

Mrs. Gaskarth: I'm so sorry. I miss you and I love you, and I hate that I've made you so angry and sad. Are you okay? Xxxxx

Alex locked his phone and closed his eyes for a moment, convinced sleep deprivation was causing him to see things. After a minute passed he reopened the phone to check and, sure enough, the message was still there. He considered replying before changing his mind, sliding out of his bunk and heading for the deserted back lounge, closing the door behind him.

She answered within two rings, despite the time, and said nothing for a minute.

"Hollie...?"