Battle of the Bands (PTV, OM&M, SWS, AA, ATL, PVRIS) [boyxgirl/girlxgirl]

Day 60: Part 5

'And here you are' I thought to myself.

"Gabe?" Jackie asks.

"Yeah?" he replies urgently.

"So you hung out with me once and then never said anything. Why?"

"To be honest, I thought that since Jack and Justin were still in the battle at the time, and you and Justin hit it off, there was no reason for me. Plus, I figured you might get suspicious if there was more people in the band."

"You make a good point." Jackie agrees, "At one point, I did get suspicious."

"Wait," Tino interrupts, cutting Jackie off from anything else she might've said, "So. . . You're not mad? Like, I figured you'd be mad or sad, but you're having a casual conversation with us an-"

"Dude!" Gabe hisses, turning around to Tino.

"No, it's okay Gabe. He makes a point. To answer your question, I am both mad and sad. . . At all of you. I lashed out on the ones before me just because I could. Besides, Tino, you're not the person I'm most mad at. . ." she hinted, eyeing Vic. Everybody turned their head to Vic, who hung his head down low as if a kid just got caught stealing something.

Honestly, I was afraid. I'm sad about Jackie, but compared to Vic, she can just get over it. Once Vic was sad, he usually fell into a semi-depressed state. And if it wasn't dealt with as soon as possible, he would soon make a friendship with a nostalgic metal blade.

This has to stop.

"Jackie. . ." I warned, causing her head to look in my direction.

"What, Perry?" she hissed in disgust, shooting the familiar feeling of hurt into my soul. I just shook my head and looked at Vic again, who was looking at Jackie.

"You can go, Gabe." she says and he gratefully walks off.

"Mike, you were really sweet to me! I told you something that was fragile about me that I don't just tell everyone!" she whined. I knew what she was talking about. Everyone did. Apparently, she told him that she still had her virginity. "I trusted you!"

"I know." Mike sighed, "And I'm sorry. But a bet is a bet."

"A bet is a bet? What the hell? You know, you're a lowlife, Mike. You'll do anything for friends, and that includes doing some fucked up shit like this. You Fuentes brothers are sorry. Get out of my face, bitch." she murmured. Mike snorted and shook his head, running off to where the others were.

"Nick, that was some break up stunt that you and Austin pulled." Jackie commented, eyeing Nick. She was assumably talking about when Austin and Nick blatantly broke up with her. I remember it because that was the day when Vic got all sentimental on us. That's when we realized that he had feelings for her.

"Yeah. . . Sorry about that." Nick laughed nervously.

"You're sorry but you're laughing?" Jackie asked questioningly.

"Uh, yeah?" Nick nervously replied, his voice going shaking, making it sound like a question.

"It's the same thing with Austin: I don't want to see you guys again-"

"Look, wait. Just don't go public about this. SWS will do anything you wa-"

"I don't want anything from you except for you to leave." She snapped. Nick looked taken back at first, but he eventually walked off.

"As for Tino, Justin, and Jack: I really liked all of you. Tino and Justin, you two were my final choices. I honestly couldn't choose between you and I didn't know what to do until of course I talked to Jenna. Jack, you just ignored me. . . For good reasons, I guess. But just know this: if you ever want to break up with a girl, don't do it by fucking ignoring her. But whatever. You three can leave." she rambled. The three ran off, leaving Jaime, Vic, Kellin and I.

"Jaime, do you love Jessica?" she questioned.

"Yeah." he whispered.

"Do you know that thanks to Jenna, I have her number?" she smirked. Jaime's eyes widened.

"Jackie," Jaime begged, "Please don't tell her."

"Oh, I'm not. I'm not." Jackie defends and Jaime visibly relaxes. Jackie smiles, "You are."

Jaime was about to respond, but he nodded instead, walking off. Suddenly, her eyes narrow to me.

Ohshitohshitohshit.

"Tony," She slowly pronounced, "You want to tell me why at first you didn't join, but then you talked me into watching numerous movies with you?"

I was frozen in my spot. I couldn't say anything. Vic, Kellin and Jackie were all staring at me. . . And I couldn't even make a peep.

"Well, say something. Say anything." she huffed. I opened my mouth, but I just couldn't get anything to come out.

What could I say?

"Tony, c'mon man." I hear Kellin whisper.

"No, no. Let me hear what he has to say." Jackie corrected, holding out a hand out to Kellin as if to tell him stop.

I guess my lack of words, my flushed red face and the fact that I was frantically looking from Kellin and Vic got Jackie's attention, cause it looked like she was pretty intrigued as she stepped closer to me, curiosity written on her face.

"C'mon, Tony. It's written all in your eyes." she whispered as she got dangerously close to my face, "I can see it. I can see it in your eyes! There's something there. You want to tell me something, don't you?"

She was trying to get me to slip up.

She was trying to pin me down, like they do in those cop shows.

I frantically shook my head side to side, hoping she'd get the message and leave me alone. But no. Instead she laughed a small, lighthearted laugh, letting me know that she wasn't buying it. I could feel her lightly pushing her fingertips into my skin as she trailed her fingertips up my arm, my neck, my jawline.

"Stop." I demand, taking a stance as I pushed her hands away.

"Or what?" she asked as she smirked and continued to trail her fingertips up my arm.

She was trying to make me mad.

She was trying to make me do something I'd regret. . . Like hit her.

I was getting sweaty and I knew I'd have to say something or do something to make her stop.

So I did.

No, I didn't hit her, if that's what you're asking. I knew she probably wanted me to, but I didn't. I didn't even touch her. I did something worse: I said something to her.

Was it a good thing?

Maybe.

Was it a bad thing?

Possibly.

But one thing is for sure: my mouth jumped the gun and spoke before my heart could feel it or my brain could process what I was doing or saying.

"Vic's in love with you."