Traffic moves in, the roads coming to a grinding halt, I stare out the window, the rain splatters on it, running down in front of me. Tears still break out, leaving me silently sobbing, head pressed against the window, the rest of the time i just feel numb, hollow, nauseous. Alex regularly glanes in my direction, checking up on me despite the few inches between us. I can tell he's anxious about what has happened and desperate to know the details. His fingers tap rythmically, impaitently against the dashboard as the traffic begins to subside. Alex's phone buzzes on the dashboard, again. Alex he looks at it before throwing it in the back of the car, his shoulders are hunched up and his face screws into a frown, his knuckles tightening around the wheel, clearly growing angrier. He swerves into a side road and towards a truck stop. it's now nearing 4am due to traffic, most people will still be at the party. 

Alex unbuckles his seat belt and looks towards me as I stretch my legs out. He unbuckles my seat belt and pulls me towards him, holding me close. I begin to cry once again, sobbing into his shirt, clutching on to it, not wanting to let go.

"I will kill him. How could he hurt you like this?" Alex says, resting his chin on the top of my head. I gasp through the sobs, trying to reply. 

"He...Cheated...on...me" I sob out, Alex's body immediatey tenses up, his hold tighter around me. I move away from him and try to wipe my eyes, I repeat word for word the sound message I was sent, unable to block it from my memory, I left my phone on he floor of the bus so I can't play it.

His expression gets angrier and angrier as he listens to me explain what happened today. He puts his hands on the top of his head and just stares out of the window, calming himself down. I simply look out, watching everyone go past. His phone suddenly rings, he picks it up and answers immdeiately.

"Hi." He barks out, the reply manages to make his body language relax more, his grip on the phone loosening and his expression changing, "Yeah i'm with her now, taking her to the airport, lets keep it between us, i don't think anyone else needs to get involved..." 

He then gets out of the car, and leans against the door, his conversation less audible to me, but still loud enough. I lean my head back against the head rest, closing my eyes to make it look as if i'm not listening. 

"He has? Yeah...Well he cheated on her...and said some other shit...yeah i know...Don't do that, it won't help...Actually, could you get her case? Okay that would be great , I don't know, i have a half a mind to hop on a plane with her...she's torn up, i've never seen her like this since...Well, since Jenna died...Okay yeah let me know, Bye Zack." 

A knock on the window quickly follows his goodbye. I open one eye and he puts his head round the door. 

"I know you heard all that, you were never good at pretending to be asleep," He tries to joke, mustering up a small smile, I nod in recognition, "Zack and jack were wondering how you were, do you want to go get some food?" He asks, I just shake my head and close my eyes again, he closes the door and walks towards the main building. 

......................

"Jess" Alex says all of a sudden, I open my eyes and we're in a parking lot in front of the airport, "we're here." I nod, unbuckling my seatbelt and step out of the car, grabbing my bag at the same time. Alex steps out and walks with me into the terminal. I look at the board to decide on my destination. 

" Paris" I say, nodding. Alex nods too, understanding my reasons why I would choose France.

"Are you sure about this?" He asks, knowing there's nothing that will change my mind, I just Nod slowly, hugging him for a long time, he strokes my hair and pulls away. 

"If I had my passport with you I would be hoping straight on that plane and coming with you, you know that." He tells me before going over as i buy my ticket, One last farewell and I pass through security. 

Taking out my debit card I hit the shops, buying all the clothes I'll need to see me however long it takes for my suitcase from Warped to find me, My flight is quickly anounced and I make my way through to the gates, The numb feeling inside spreading across my body, Not allowing the tears to fall any more, not for him. Boarding the plane I am directed towards the first class area, an upgrade is something I would have previously been ecstatic to recieve but all I feel is the desperation to leave America, leaving this summers memories behind and just to sleep, sleep until it feels better, untill I don't have to think anymore. 

.....................................

The humid breeze hits me as I step off the aid conditioned plane, having slept through the entire flight I appreciate the chance to stretch my legs, carrying my newly bought suitcase full of new clothes, I feel like i'm faking some well put together traveller, hiding the fact that i'm about to break down any second. I walk straight through into arrivals and out the doors, hailing a taxi I direct the driver in French to a set of apartments in the centre of town. 

"19 Burnsville appartements, Veuillez" I ask, my voice hoarse from crying, my eyes tired in the reflection of the wing mirror. The driver speeds off as I relax into the seat, gazing out onto the familiar city. I spot couples kissing on the street, walking along hand in hand next to the river Seine. I Turn my head away as tears begin to fall, focusing on the floor of the Taxi instead. Soon enough we pull up to the apartments, I pay the taxi driver with euros I got at the airport exchange desk and find myself standing on a busy street looking at the old granite building, the architecture outstanding as I last remembered it to be. I mentally remind myself of the apartment number and make my way over to the elevator inside. Stopping on the fourth floor I knock lightly on the door of 34B, whilst not expecting an answer and preparing myself to sit outside the door for a couple of hours. Surprisingly the door swings open. I'm englfued by a pair of arms, I breathe in their perfume, triggers old memories, before wrapping my arms around them, tear drops falling onto my bestfriends shoulder. Sam pulls away and smiles solemly at me. 

"Alex called ahead and told me everything, i took the day off work to make sure I was here for when you arrived as he told me you lost your phone." She tells me, beckoning me in as I say nothing. she takes the case from my hand and I step into her spacious apartment, heading right to the sofa where I curl up in her blankets, feeling instantly at home. Sam walks around her kitchen tidying up, she has been my bestfriend since I was 3, having seen me go through everything with my Dad and sister, I knew she was the automatic person to go to, I had no where to go in England, knowing I would just be alone, France is away from everyone, all contact, yet I have company from someone who knows when to talk to me and when to let me eat icecream and cry. She moved to france afer being offered a job as a fashion Journalist at 21, I visit her several times a year for a couple of weeks when I can and I knew there was no place I woud rather be right now. 

"I've got to go out and pick up a dress for an event tonight, but you know this place like the back of your hand so you'll be okay right? I won't be long." she says, looking up at me with a concerned expression as she grabs her bag and heads towards the door. I nod weakly in her direction, my eyes stuck on a chip in her coffee table. I hear the door click shut and a few minutes later my stomach rumbles loudly. I force myself up and towards the fridge, in search of the chocolate supply she keeps in there. I stop suddenly as my hand reaches towards the handle of the fridge door, it is covered in my post cards and letters from america, writing about Josh and the music, the little notes All Time Low added on the end, saying Hi to her and asking their own questions. My summer sits in front of me, my happy memories, now gone. I break down, falling to my knees, crying on the floor, for how long I'm not sure, eventually I fall asleep through the tears, my throat painful and eyes stinging. 

"Jess?...Jess." I slowly wake up, my body aching against the hard wooden floor beneath me, sitting up I meet sams gaze, she crouches in front of me, holding a drycleaning bag and a fresh haircut on her head. 

"Shit, I'm so sorry, I should've taken those down, I didn't think...I didn't realise it was that bad, I should've thought..Shit Jess." She says, over apologetic as always. 

"..I-it's fine, honestly, I overreacted, it's just really hard." I tell her, my voice croaking. Standing up I make my way out of the room and towards the guest bedroom, leaving Sam in the kitchen. I lie down on the top of the bed next to my suticase and go to sleep once again. 

..................................................

SAMS POV

I watch her as she drags herself to the spare room, her shoulders slumped, mascara stains running down her face, underneath her swollen eyes. Dumping my dress down on the sofa I sit next to it, realising how much she must have loved Josh, the last time I saw her act this way was when her sister died. Jess is strong, she;s battled through years of mental and physical abuse, losing so many people in her life, but I worry this will break her, sending her back to the days of depression after her sister died. I make a mental note to remove all razor bales from the bathrooms in the house and her bags if possible, I can live with waxing for a few weeks. Relaxing into the sofa I take a few seconds to at least appreciate that i'm seeing her again, regardless of her state of mind. I feel my phone vibrate in my trousers and I pull it out. 

Alex:

Has she arrived? xxx

I reply instantly telling him she has. 

ALEXS POV

Stepping out of Flyziks car I feel my phone vibrate in my hand, suprised at the rapid reply from Sam but happy to know that Jess got there okay. I also take a second to message Katie telling her how sorry I am that I had to leave her yesterday...again. I can't stop thinking about her and ahh I'm stupid, she doesn't like me. 

I spot flyzik heading over, clipboard in hand and a frown on his face. Undoubtably i'm about to be screamed at for stealing his car and missing a day of rehersals to drive to the airport and back. He's wearing the unhappy-why-would-you-do-that face that I last saw when Jack pretended to have sex with his Giant mickey mouse. 

"Hey alex, How's Jess? Zack told me what happened and where you were after you left at the airport." He says, his unhappy face turning into a concerned one and clearly not as bothered about my disapearance as expected. 

"Urm, she's as good as she can be." I say as I hand him the keys to the car and wak with him in the direction of the buses, "What's happened since I've been gone?" 

"Not much, Rian text Matt asking him to drop Jess's things round, they said they couldn't find her phone but we have all her clothes, her laptop etc. No one has seen Josh, The ymas guys came round and asked us to fill them in on what happened and they're extremely pissed off at josh and apparently won't speak to him but he doesn't come out of his bunk anyway. They've had to miss out on an interview and an acousic set becase Josh refuses to do anything and Eric is getting frustrated." He lets me know, ticking something off his clipboard that looks suspicously like "ask Alex about Jess". We reach our bus, I glance over to You Me At Six's and resist the urge to go inside and beat Josh up. 

"He deserves it, frankly, he's hurt her more than I thought possible and he should be hiding away." I tell him before going inside and slaming the door behind me. 

.........