𝑆𝑇𝐴𝑅𝑆𝑇𝑅𝑈𝐶𝐾, djs

[CHAPTER 27]

"Hey guys, I think we have a problem. I think Daniel.exe has stopped working,"

Corbyn called out, sitting on the bed next to Daniel the following morning after the interview.

Daniel sat still on his bed with a light pout on his lips, his guitar laying across his lap and an untouched cup of coffee steaming on the nightstand. His eyes were focused on his cellphone, a tired look on his face and his messy hair falling on his face. Jack, Zach and Jonah followed Corbyn's voice up the stairs, shutting the bedroom door behind them.

"What do you mean Daniel.exe has stopped working? He's not a fucking computer," Jack said, looking at his best friend with an arched eyebrow.

"Why is he pouting?"

"Is he high?" Zach asked blatantly, waving his hand in front of Daniel's face.

"Hurry up and load, Daniel." Without looking up, Daniel sharply punched Zach in the stomach.

He doubled over and groaned in pain, a hand clutching his stomach. Daniel gave Zacv a cold look, clear exhaustion in his eyes.

His face held no expression, or a "resting bitch face" as Zach called it. Jack raised an eyebrow, stepping past Zach who was doubling over, groaning and complaining.

Daniel turned his gaze to Corbyn. "Don't punch me, don't punch me!" Corbyn whined, stepping away from Daniel.

"Who the hell hurt you?" Finally Daniel spoke, "Your 'amazing', 'brilliant' and not to mention 'foolproof plan backfired.'

He glanced at Zach before proceeding to punch Corbyn in the stomach as well.

" wait what plan?" Jonah asked confused. " these two idiots gave daniel the dumbest advice ever"Jack sighed.

" And he listened to them! Everyone knows to not take advice from you guys" Jonah said waving his hand in front of the boys
"and especially not you two"

Zach and Corbyn looked innocent at eachother "it wasn't THAT bad"

Daniel once again glared at the two. He pointed to Zach and Corbyn, "Fuck you and fuck you."

He looked over at Jack and shrugged, "You're fine. But why would you let me take advice from Twiddledee and Twiddledumb?"

Daniel gestured to Zach and Corbyn. Corbyn groaned and leaned against the wall in pain.

"I should have seen that coming."

Daniel cracked his knuckles.

"Next time, I'll break your face in with my fist so shut it down."

"Okay okay, calm down puppy," Jack interrupted.

"I tried to tell you not to listen but you did anyway. And what happened? Daniel ran his hand through his hair.

" I felt guilty and texted her. She's been online but she's ignoring me now. And it's their fault! "
He gestured to Zach and Corbyn once more.

Jonah whistled.

" Damn that really did backfire. "He sat on the bed, making sure to leave space between himself and Daniel, seeming to have recovered from Daniel's punch.

Daniel shot Jonah a glare before muttering quietly, "I don't know what to do."

Daniel missed Alex. A lot. He almost craved her attention and stability; it made him feel better, and humane. Since the interview and discreetly admitting who his perfect girl was, his mind had been set on Alex and the thoughts of her that he usually ignored.

He wished to see her gorgeous smile in real life instead of the flashbacks and memories of it in his head. He held a feeling of longing in his chest, a longing for Alex.

"Hey Daniel?" Zach asked.

"What?"

"Random question, but during your interview, what was that smile about? Because the fans are talking about it non stop."

"are you guys single?" Daniel could feel his heartbeat quicken at the question, making him somewhat confused. He wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. He tried not to stutter, the image of the perfect girl coming to mind.

" What qualities do you look for in a girl? "

The woman asked again, the audience laughing lightly.

"Well," he glanced around, averting his gaze just passed the woman to avoid meeting her eyes, "I like a girl who's honest and doesn't sugarcoat or that kind of thing. Also a girl who's not boring and is fiery and can fight back. A girl who is sweet and kind and has a gorgeous smile. Someone who keeps me level-headed and is intelligent. "

Daniel slowly grinned as he talked, an image filling his mind. He remembered Alex's bright smile during his show, remembering the way their eyes would continuously lock during the performance. He remembered how comfortable she felt in his arms during their hugs and could almost imagine the scent of her perfume. Most of all, he remembered how close her lips had been to his, her warm breath lightly grazing his cold skin that night.

He snapped back to reality, letting the grin slip from his face as he straightened.

"Yeah, a girl like that." The audience let out another 'ooohh' at Daniel's words. He could feel his face turning hot and start to burn as he met the woman's face again.

He cleared his throat, letting a normal smile rest on his lips though his heart was beating rapidly and one name lingered in his thoughts.

Alex.

"You want to know what the smile was about?" Daniel asked, clear annoyance laced in his voice.

"I'll fucking show you."

He reached for his phone, swiping through it a moment before tossing it to Jack. Jack took the phone, swiping through the photos. Zach, Corbyn and Jonah peered over the phone.

Jack had begun to swipe through a locked folder containing photos of Daniel and Alex, many of the photos with Daniel's arm around Alex or Alex cuddled up in Daniel's arms.

Others were of Daniel and Alex drinking at the bar, backstage at a show, posing by the Hollywood sign and much more. Jack looked over at Daniel.

"Oh you're so whipped."

Zach frowned. "What's all this?" He looked at Daniel then on the phone again.
"I think I fucked up," Daniel began.

"You both gave me shit advice and I followed it even after I said she wouldn't give in. Now she won't talk to me and we have to tour soon and I miss her, goddammit!"

Everyone went silent for a moment, everyone's eyes on Daniel. Daniel looked down in shock, rubbing the back of neck.

"Wow," Corbyn finally spoke.

"Shut the hell up" Daniel replied quietly. He took his cellphone from Jack, placing it in his pocket. He went silent for a moment.

"I need a shot."

"It's 10am!" Jonah called after him.

"You'll have a headache."

Daniel made a fresh cup of coffee and added a shot of vodka to the cup. As the coffee brewed, he checked his phone once more before setting it down. Daniel needed an apology plan, and he needed one fast; he needed to see Alex again.

He let his eyes fall closed, his feelings beginning to scare him more and more. To Daniel, Alex was an addiction and he was hooked and it was unhealthy in his opinion. He sighed in annoyance as he felt his pulse begin to quicken at the thought of Alex.

Daniel had a problem to fix, and he was clueless how to.