1So, this is just a little something I threw together for Hockey Chick because she's my #1 fan, my Twitter BFF, because our birthdays are a day apart, and because she didn't get to meet Jackson( I still feel bad about that!)
Its un-beta'd so any comma mistake or run-on sentence is my own.
This didn't really happen…but how cool would it have been if it did?
***HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, TWITTER BFF!***
The Adventures of Jamie & Jacki – The Summer of 100 Monkeys
"Yes! I just bought the tickets! Stop worrying!" Jacki said, for what felt like the hundredth time, into the pone.
"Okay, I just wanted to make sure. You know how excited I am about this," Jamie's voice said over the speaker.
"I know you are. Take a deep breath and calm down. Don't forget, you have to be here no later than three-o'clock," Jacki reminded her friend.
"I know, I know. AHHHH! I can't believe we're going to see Jackson!" Jamie squealed.
Jacki smiled and shook her head at her friend. Jacki was strictly "Team Edward," but Jamie totally loved Jasper. In three days, they would be seeing 100 Monkeys, the band Jackson Rathbone was in. The tickets had just been purchased, the plans set, and all that was left was the waiting.
"Alright, I have to go. See you Thursday," Jacki said, trying to get her screaming friend off the phone so she could regain hearing in her ear.
"Okay, see you then. AHHH!" Jamie squealed one last time.
Jacki pulled the phone away from her ear and ended the call. Meanwhile, Jamie was at home, dancing around her living room.
"I'm going to see Jackson in three days! Three days!" she yelled into the empty room.
Yeah, she was just a tad excited.
_oooOOooo_
The three days between buying the tickets and the concert seemed to fly by for Jacki. She went about her usual routine; went to work, walked the dog, and went to bed. She was excited to see just about any band live, and while she enjoyed 100 Monkey's music, she wasn't overly thrilled. Sure, she'd be in the same room as Jackson Rathbone, but she would much rather be that close to Robert Pattinson.
Jamie, however, was ecstatic. The three days seemed to drag on forever, and she couldn't wait for Thursday to get here. Jasper had always been her favorite vampire, and it also helped that she thought that Jackson was gorgeous.
"Let's see…camera – check. Sharpie – check. Stuff to have signed – check. Hmm…I think I have everything," Jamie mused, checking one last time to make sure she had everything before she started her two-hour drive to Jacki's house.
"I guess if I forget anything, I can pick it up on the way," she thought out loud, and glanced at the clock one more time. "Shit, I better go!"
Jamie grabbed all her stuff from the couch, threw it in her messenger bag, and ran out the front door to her car. After sending a quick text to let Jacki know she was on her way, and setting the address in her GPS, she was off.
Tonight is gonna rock! She thought.
Jamie hit the gas and floored it to her friend's house. She made it there in record time. Slamming the door to her car, she took the steps up to Jacki's apartment two at a time.
Jacki was just finished getting dressed when she heard incessant knocking at the door. The woodpecker-like sound could only mean one thing – Jamie was here.
"Hang on, I'm coming!" Jacki yelled through the door with a laugh.
As soon as she opened the door, Jamie was through it, breezing quickly into the small living room.
"Come on, we need to go so we're not late! Are you ready? Come on!" Jamie huffed, pacing the space behind the couch.
Jacki laughed again. "Calm down, we have plenty of time. The show doesn't start for four hours."
"Yes, but I want to get in line early. Monkey groupies are crazy chicks. I'm not above throwing punches for a good spot in line," Jamie said.
"I'll make sure I have bail money," Jacki joked, heading in to the bathroom to finish getting ready.
"Bitch, please. They'll never catch me."
Jacki was applying her eye makeup when Jamie came in the bathroom.
"Oh, my God, you can do that in the car! Let's go," Jamie insisted.
"I need five minutes. Trust me, we'll get there with loads of time to spare," she assured her impatient friend.
"Ugh!" Jamie huffed and stalked back out into the living room.
A couple of minutes later, Jacki emerged from the bathroom and grabbed her purse off of the couch.
"Finally!" Jamie rejoiced and walked to the door.
Both girls climbed into Jacki's car and set out to Indianapolis.
Jamie plugged her iPod in and set it to her 100 Monkeys playlist.
"I hope they play Orson Brawl or Keep Awake tonight. I love those songs," Jamie commented. "What do you want to hear?"
"I'm partial to Ugly Girl myself, but I'm just glad to be going," Jacki said, entering the highway.
The girls sang along with the iPod and laughed and joked on the hour-long car ride. They pulled up to the venue, and Jamie was nearly buzzing in her seat.
"Holy shit! Look over there – a tour bus! I wonder if that's theirs?"
"I don't know. Maybe. There are other bands here tonight, too," Jacki said, locking her car.
"I have a feeling. I know that's theirs."
"Jamie, have you been reading Alice/Jasper fic again?"
"Maybe," Jamie said with a sly smile. "But that doesn't matter. I know that's their bus. We should totally stalk that shit when we leave. I bet we could get an awesome picture. That or maybe we can ambush them and steal Jackson."
"I'll watch the door for you," Jacki jokingly promised.
"Aww, you'd do that for me?" Jamie asked sarcastically, batting her eyelashes.
"For you? Yeah."
"I heart you."
"I know," Jacki said, pulling on the double doors to the venue. "Shit, they're locked."
"Yeah, but look! We're first in line!" Jamie squealed.
"That, we are. Now we just have to wait. For oh…" Jacki trailed, looking at her watch, "…about two hours or so. Hope you don't have to pee."
"There's bushes around the corner. I fear no pee."
"You crack me up."
"I know."
_oooOOooo_
About an hour later, other girls started to arrive.
"Remember what I said. Throw punches. I refuse to give up my prime space in line," Jamie whispered.
"Yes, yes, I know," Jacki assured her friend.
"Those girls down there with the Jasper shirts on look like they're fifteen. Shouldn't they be at a Bieber concert or something?"
Jacki laughed. "I bet they'll be all like 'O.M.G. Jackson is soooo hot'," she mocked.
"Ha ha, yeah. They better not be close to us. Kid squeals are too high pitched for me," Jamie said, eyeballing the girls, trying to intimidate them.
"Be nice, they're just kids."
"Whatever. Hey, look, they're unlocking the doors!"
Sure enough, there was someone coming to unlock the doors. He came out with instructions to the waiting concert goers about not running, pushing, or shoving once they entered the venue. They also asked for i.d. for anyone who wanted to enter the bar section.
After what felt like an eternity to Jamie, he stepped aside to allow everyone in. Jamie walked quickly, grabbing Jacki's hand, and was the first in line to have her ticket scanned.
"Oh, my fucking God, we're here!" She said, entering the large room where the concert would be held.
Jamie grabbed Jacki's hand again, and nearly dragged her to the front of the room where the stage was located.
"Dammnit, the VIP's got in first, but it looks like we can still get close," she said, eyeing the line of girls in front of the stage.
"Which side of the stage should we stand at?" Jacki asked.
"It doesn't matter. From this close, we can see everything," Jamie told her, guarding her spot right behind the girls in the VIP line. "I can't believe we're this fucking close!"
"Yeah, this is pretty cool. Looks like we have to stand the whole time, though," Jacki said, looking around and noticing that there weren't any seats.
The girls stood in their spots and waited for the first band to start. It was still an hour before the first opener would go on, but neither one refused to leave, afraid that someone else would steal their prime location.
"Cover my spot; I'm heading to the merchandise table. Remember, throw punches to guard it if necessary," Jamie told her friend.
Jacki rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, yeah, get over there. And get me a shirt while you're at it," she said, handing her friend some money.
Jamie saluted her, and headed for the goodies.
One of the young kids from the line earlier wearing the Jasper shirt tried to weasel her way past Jacki. She shot the tween a glare, and the kid backed off. Yeah, that's what I thought.
Jamie returned a few minutes later with the spoils of her impromptu shopping trip.
"What'd ya get?" Jacki asked.
"Their new c.d., a couple of sticker things, your shirt, a shirt for me, and a Malibu and pineapple for me," Jamie said, handing her the tee shirt. "How much longer until the show starts?"
"I don't know how you can drink that," Jacki commented, checking her watch. "Fifteen minutes until the first opening band starts.
"Don't be hating on my drink," Jamie teased.
Jacki smiled.
The girls chatted about random nothingness until the house lights dimmed & the first band was announced.
_oooOOooo_
The girls listened to the first two bands, which they had never heard of before, and decided the first one was okay, but the second one was just horrid.
"If I never hear them again, it will be too soon," Jamie commented. Jacki agreed.
As soon as the horrible band was finished, there was a buzz of excitement in the air. The next band would be 100 Monkeys.
Jamie anxiously waited to get a glimpse of Jackson. "I still can't believe we're here!" she squealed, a giant smile plastered on her face.
Jacki couldn't deny that she was getting pretty excited, too. Even though Rob had always been her favorite guy in the movies, she thought Jackson was pretty hot, too.
"Oh, my God, look!" Jamie said, pointing to the left side of the stage. There, peeking around the side of the curtain was Jackson Rathbone. The crowd of mainly girls screamed as they collectively started noticing him covertly watching them.
Soon enough, the house lights dimmed again, and the stage lights went up. The band entered the stage to the crowd cheering. Finally, the Monkeys were beginning their set.
"Oh, shit, there he is!" yelled Jamie, pointing to Jackson arriving on stage, and grabbing his guitar.
The band played their set as the girls danced, laughed, and sang along. Jamie knew far more of the songs than Jacki did, but it didn't stop either one from having a blast.
Near the end of the set, Jackson jumped off of the stage, and ran down the line of concert goers, slapping their hands as he passed. Jamie realized what he was doing, and grabbed Jacki by the arm, forcing her to the pair to the front of the crowd. Just as Jackson was about to pass, the girls stuck their hands out, and got a quick high-five from him.
"Oh, my God, we just touched Jackson Rathbone!" Jacki squealed.
"Thought you didn't care so much about him," Jamie teased with a smirk.
"Okay, fine, I'll admit it. You were right. He's way better looking in person. Plus, I didn't realize he was so funny!"
"As long as you admit I'm right, that's all that matters."
Jacki laughed at her friend and enjoyed the rest of the show.
_oooOOooo_
Just before the encore, it was announced the band would be signing autographs after the show. This really excited the girls, and they debated on where they wanted to be in line.
"If we are close to the front, we can see them sooner," Jacki said.
"Yeah, but if we're in the back, we might get to talk to them longer," Jamie argued. "Maybe, we can even sneak a picture if we're very last in line."
"Yeah, but being that far back, we run the risk of them deciding to close the line off before we get there," Jacki countered.
"Look around! Half the crowd left before the encore. There isn't that many people here. They won't shut the line down early. Come on, how cool would it be to say we got to talk to Jackson? Please!" Jamie pleaded.
"Okay, fine. You win. End of the line, it is," Jacki said, caving in to her friend's "puppy dog" eyes.
"I knew I'd get to you," Jamie said with a smirk, turning her attention to the stage where two of the bands assistants were having some sort of dance contest.
The band came back on to do a three-song encore. The girls screamed with the crowd after the end of the last song, nearly going horse. Soon, barricades were set up in the large room, and the fans were ushered between them like a herd of cattle eagerly waiting for the band to reemerge from their dressing rooms.
Jamie and Jacki held off as the line formed, bound and determined to be the very last two in line. A couple of times, someone would stand behind them, and they'd slowly step out of line, only to rejoin it at the end again. The other fans were so excited to see the band, or maybe just Jackson, that they didn't seem to notice.
After what felt like eternity to the girls, they finally neared the table. Now, only two other girls stood between them and 100 Monkeys.
Apparently, the other two girls in line hadn't realized their advantage in line, and didn't ask for pictures with the band. They said hello, giggled like crazed maniacs, and got their autographs. One even screamed loudly in excitement after getting her eight-by-ten glossy picture signed by Jackson.
"Amateur," Jamie muttered under her breath, earning a sly grin from Jacki.
Finally, the moment they had been waiting for arrived. They were going to meet Jackson Rathbone!
First at the table was Ben Johnson. He sighed Jamie's sticker first. She thanked him as he slid it on to Uncle Larry. Next was Jerad and "the other" Ben. Last at the table was Jackson.
"So, how'd you hear about the band?" Jerad asked Jacki.
"Jamie's a big fan," she said, pointing to her friend.
"Cool. Did you enjoy the show?"
"Damn right, I did. You guys rocked!" Jacki praised.
Jerad smiled, and slid her sticker on.
Before they could even process it, both girls were standing in front of Jackson. Neither one could hardly contain their excitement.
Damn, he's really hot up close, Jacki thought.
"Wow, we really enjoyed the show," Jamie said to Jackson, nearly vibrating.
He looked up, and locked eyes with Jamie. Her heart beat so wildly in her chest; she thought it was going to explode. Donning his adorable sly grin, he thanked Jamie, and she nearly passed out.
Seeing that her friend was presently speechless, Jacki chimed in. "Hey, I know they said we weren't allowed to take pictures, but could we please get just one, since we're last in line?"
Jamie sent her friend a grateful look. "No pictures in the autograph line," a large looking man said from behind the girls.
Jacki looked back and assumed he was a bouncer. Jamie was silently weighing the odds against her, and whether or not a well-placed kick to his balls would drop him when Jackson's voice cut through her angry haze.
"I don't see how that's a problem. No one else is here," he said, delightfully slurred with his Texan accent.
The burly man shot Jackson a disapproving look, but sighed, and made a motion for the girls to carry on.
"Don't worry, Lurch, we left the rope and duct tape in the car," Jamie teased, finally finding her voice again.
The girls heard Jackson laugh at Jamie's assault on the security guard as he stood to take the picture. Jacki noticed the other band members were still seated.
"Um, do you guys not want to be in the picture?" she asked.
The guys quickly stood to join them. She assumed that they must have thought that they were only asking for Jackson's picture at first.
The girls handed their cameras to "Lurch," and he took a couple pictures with each one.
Jacki and Jamie about came out of their skin when Jackson stood between them and rested an arm on each of their shoulders to take the picture. Jacki took a chance, and gave him a small sniff. She expected to smell disgusting, sweaty guy, but was pleasantly surprised to smell cologne.
With shaky hands, the girls retrieved their cameras from the putt-out looking bouncer dude. Jamie barely resisted the urge to flip him off, deciding to smirk at him instead.
"Thanks so much for the pictures, guys, we really appreciate it," Jamie said, giving Jackson one last, longing, look. She doubted she would ever be this close to him again.
"Yeah, thanks. And great show, really," Jacki told them.
"Our pleasure. Thanks for coming, ladies," Jackson said.
Hmm….coming….for Jackson….WITH Jackson, Jamie thought.
She shook her head to clear the lust, gave the band a small wave, and followed her friend out of the room.
"Oh-my-fucking-God! That was AMAZING!" Jamie yelled once they were out on the sidewalk.
"I know! They were so nice! And how awesome was that of Jackson to let us take pictures? I don't think that security guy was too happy," Jacki added.
"Fuck him. I couldn't have taken him," Jamie teased while literally skipping to the car.
"So, do you think that's their bus?" Jacki asked, heading to the car.
"Maybe. Want to hang out and see if they come out?" Jamie asked her friend with a hopeful look on her face.
"Sure, why not?"
Jacki pressed the button on the key fob to unlock the doors, and the girls sat in the car, waiting to see who would board the bus.
"Hey, can I play the c.d.?" Jamie asked.
"Sure," Jacki said, turning the key in the ignition. Her effort with met with nothing but a click. "Oh, Fuck!"
"Um, is your car dead?" Jamie asked, though it was quite obvious.
"Looks like it. Dammit! How did this happen?" Jacki asked. She looked around the parking lot to see theirs was the last car there. They weren't in a particularly wonderful part of Indianapolis, and waiting alone, with a broken down car, did not sound like a fun night out to her.
"Pop the hood," Jamie instructed.
"Why?" Jacki asked.
"Just do it," Jamie told her.
"Okay…" Jacki trailed, pulling the release for the hood.
Jamie opened it up and looked around. Jacki exited the car and joined her friend.
"Do you even know what you're looking at?" Jacki asked skeptically.
"An engine," her friend deadpanned.
Jacki shot her a look and rolled her eyes.
"Remember when I was having car trouble a few months back?" Jamie asked. Jacki nodded. "Well, turns out I just had loose battery cables. A friend of mine tightened them up, and I haven't had any trouble ever since. I was looking to see if maybe that was your problem, too."
"Damn, aren't you a grease monkey?" Jacki teased, though she was grateful her friend at least knew something about cars. Jacki knew where to put the oil, transmission fluid, and washer fluid – and that was it.
"Damn, it's too dark out here. Think we can push it over there?" Jamie asked, pointing to a light pole a few spaces down from them.
"I guess we can try," Jacki said, doubting that the two women could push the heavy car that far.
Jacki turned the key in the ignition again and set the car into neutral. Together, the girls tried pushing the car. It wasn't a large car, but it was heavy. And though they were two independent women, they certainly weren't overly strong. The car barely budged.
"Maybe we can rock it a little, like we do in the snow?" Jacki suggested.
Jamie shrugged and the girls tried to rock the car a bit to gain some momentum.
"Need some help?" a male voice asked.
Jacki bristled at the unknown man at first, but Jamie recognized the voice instantly as Jackson's.
"The car's dead. We were going to try to push it under that light over there. I think maybe her battery cables are loose," Jamie said, trying to mask the excitement in her voice from seeing Jackson again.
Jackson seemed a bit impressed with Jamie knowledge of cars, and called the other guys over to help move the car, not allowing the girls to do anything but help steer.
Quickly, the car was moved under the light. Jackson moved under the hood to check the cables.
"The cables seem alright. Any chance one of you ladies left a light on or something?" he asked.
"Not that I know of. It was still light out when we got here," Jacki said, sighing sadly at their predicament.
"You know what? Just…hang on a second. I'll be right back," Jackson said, heading back over to the large tour bus.
So that was theirs, Jamie thought.
What the hell are we going to do now? Jacki thought.
Jackson returned a moment later.
"Look, it's late, and there's no way a garage will be open. How far are you two going?" he asked.
"About an hour away," Jacki answered, confused as to where he was going with this.
"Oh, wow, so you guys aren't in town? Okay, tell you what, how about you two come with us. I wouldn't feel right about two ladies being stuck alone at night," he suggested.
Both girls' jaws dropped. Was Jackson Rathbone not only offering to help out, but offering them to go back to the hotel with them?
Jacki came to her senses first. There was no way that was what he was offering.
"We can just call a cab and find a hotel for the night," she suggested, earning her a disbelieving glare from her friend.
"Nah, that's okay. You two can ride back with us. I'm sure the hotel we're at has rooms. My mother raised me better than to leave to women alone at night in a dark parking lot. Really, I insist," he told them.
The girls gave each other disbelieving looks before grabbing their necessities and valuables out of the car and following Jackson to his bus.
Once seated on the bus, the girls thanked the band for their hospitality. Neither one could believe they were really sitting on a tour bus with 100 Monkeys!
"So where are you ladies from?" Jackson asked.
"I'm from a town about an hour north, but Jamie's from Chicago," Jacki told them.
"You do realize we have a show there next week, right? Wouldn't that have been closer for you?" Jerad asked Jamie.
"Yeah, well, we're going to that one, too," she told them.
"Ahh, so will we see you at more shows this summer?" Jared asked the girls.
"Maybe," Jamie answered with a sly grin. "Depends on the price of gas, I guess."
"Yeah, and if we can get off of work. Our bosses aren't as supportive of us following a band around for the summer as we'd like them to be," Jacki added.
The guys nodded in understanding.
Within minutes, they were pulling up to the hotel. The girls thanked the band again, and went inside to see if a room was available. Luckily, one was, however, it only had a king sized bed.
"Looks like we're sharing," Jamie said, taking the key card from the man behind the counter.
"You better not kick me all night, or I'll roll your ass out of bed," Jacki warned playfully.
Jamie rolled her eyes and smiled. The girls entered the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor, where their room was located.
"I still can't believe Jackson and the band helped us out like that," Jamie said with a far off look in her eye.
"I still can't believe my fucking car died. I don't know what I'm going to do now," Jacki said sadly.
"Hopefully all it needs is a jump. I'm sure we can find a way to get it started," Jamie assured her as the doors slid open.
"I hope so," Jacki mumbled, following her friend who was searching for their room number. They found it toward the end of the hall. The room next door sounded like they were having a rowdy party. Men loud voices could be heard through the door.
"Just wonderful, there's a party next door," Jacki bitched.
"Don't be such a sour puss. Maybe they'll let us join in."
"I just want to sleep and forget this night ever happened."
The girls entered their room and were surprised at how big it was. It wasn't at all what they were expecting. To the right was the king sized bed, which had a dark, royal blue comforter on it. Across from it was a large dresser with a TV on it. Past the bed was a desk with a swivel chair and two comfy looking chairs by the window. The bathroom was bigger than they expected, too.
"Damn, not too shabby for ninety bucks," Jamie commented.
"It could have been worse," Jacki said.
"Really, why are you moping? Tonight has been an awesome adventure! We got to meet 100 Monkeys, and Jackson! Then, he came and saved the day like a character straight out of the movies! How can you be sad at a time like this?" Jamie asked, baffled.
"We don't have clothes to change in to, so we have to go home in these smelly things. My damn car is broken down, and could possibly even get towed. I don't know what's wrong with it or how we'll get home. On top of that, we just had to shell out money for a hotel room. That's how I can be sad and mopey," Jacki huffed, flopping down on the bed.
"We can wear our Monkeys shirts home. I'm sure the car isn't as bad as you think, and if it is, then we'll figure out where to go from there. Chill out and relax. Go take a shower, and I'm going to see about getting some food sent up. My treat."
"Fine," Jacki said, dragging her mopey ass into the bathroom.
While Jacki was in the bathroom, Jamie scoured the room service menu. Not seeing anything that really interested her, she found a phone book and decided to order pizza. With a call placed to Pizza Hut to deliver in about forty-five minutes, she left the room in search of a vending machine.
Jamie grabbed the key card off of the desk, left a note for Jacki just in case she was out quickly, and left the room. As she shut the door, someone was exiting the room next to theirs. She about shit herself when she saw it was none other than Jackson!
"Holy fuck, what are the odds?" she blurted out.
"Well hello again," Jackson said, his mouth curling up into his sexy, sly grin.
"Um, hi. I promise we aren't stalkers. This is the room the hotel gave us," she said, internally pissed that she couldn't stop the word vomit from spewing out of her mouth.
Jackson let out a laugh. "It's okay."
"Um, yeah, so I'm going to go find a vending machine now. Bye," she said, hurrying past him, embarrassed that she had just acted like a fool. But hell, she wasn't expecting to see him come out of the room next door!
"Actually, I was headed that way, too. There's one on the fourth floor. Come on, I'll show you," Jackson said, allowing her to go past him and down toward the elevator.
"Thanks," Jamie said, still a little stunned.
Get it together, woman! You were just talking to him a few minutes ago! Stop acting like a spaz!
"I really can't thank you enough for all your help tonight," Jamie said after giving herself an internal pep talk. She as standing right next to Jackson, and Jacki was right – he did smell good!
"It really wasn't a problem. I'm just glad we hadn't left yet," Jackson assured her.
The bell dinged, signaling their arrival at the fourth floor. Jackson showed her where the vending machines were, and Jamie grabbed a couple of sodas for her and Jacki, as well as a couple of bags of chips, too.
Jamie snickered when she saw Jackson buying several bags of skittles.
"What? Gotta taste the rainbow," Jackson teased.
They rode the elevator back down in silence. When Jamie arrived back in the room, she was having trouble juggling all of the junk food and unlocking the door at the same time.
"Here, let me help," Jackson offered, and took the key from Jamie.
"Thanks. Again," Jamie said as Jackson unlocked the door on his first try.
Jamie hustled into the room, grateful Jacki wasn't doing something like walking around in her underwear. She knew her friend would never forgive her if Jackson Rathbone saw her that way.
Jackson handed her back her room key and went to leave the room. "Have a good evening."
"I will," Jamie said, still not believing that anything that had happened tonight was even real.
When Jacki emerged from the steamy bathroom a little while later, Jamie filled her in about her Jackson encounter.
"Damn, I still can't believe our luck!" Jamie said excitedly.
"Yeah, he is a really nice guy," Jacki added.
"Damn right he is. Now, let's go to sleep so we can see about getting your car fixed in the morning."
The girls lay down, but it took a while for either one to fall asleep after their eventful evening.
_oooOOooo_
The girls were up, dressed, and out the door just in time to make the check-out time of eleven. Jamie cast one last glance at the neighboring door, silently hoping that Jackson would come through it one more time.
"You know, if this was fanfiction, Jackson would come running down the hall and stopping the elevator just in time," Jamie commented as the doors slid shut.
"And why would he be trying to stop the elevator?" Jacki asked.
"To profess his undying love for me, duh!"
"Oh, that," Jacki said, exiting the elevator.
The girls walked up to the counter and handed the concierge the key card.
"Did you enjoy your stay with us?" the desk clerk asked.
"Yes, we did. Thanks," Jamie answered, casting a sly look at Jacki. Jacki just laughed and shook her head.
The girls handed them their cash for the room. Jacki was about to ask him to call a cab for them when he spoke.
"Ladies, it seems there was a letter left for you," he said, handing Jamie the sealed envelope.
The outside of the envelope had the hotel's name printed on it, and in a man's obvious handwriting, their room number was printed on the front.
What the hell? Jacki thought as Jamie opened the envelope.
Jamie peeked inside then pulled a piece of hotel stationary out. On it, etched in the same writing as the front of the envelope, was a letter to the girls.
Jamie and Jacki –
Thank you so much for attending the show tonight. I can't help but feel guilty that you ended up stranded so far from home. Please accept the things I have left you, and I will see you next week in Chicago.
I wish you the best –
Jackson
"Holy fucking shit," Jamie said, not believing what she was seeing. Not only was there a personalized letter from Jackson Rathbone in the envelope, but VIP and backstage passes to their Chicago show, and a one-hundred dollar bill. On it was another note from Jackson indicating that they should use it for cab fare.
"What? What is it?" Jacki asked impatiently.
Speechless, Jamie handed the letter and envelope. Jacki's eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she read what Jackson wrote and saw what he had left for them. Tears welled in her eyes.
"That is the sweetest thing ever," Jacki said softly.
"I know, right?" Jamie added just as softly.
"He may not have stopped the elevator, but he definitely saved the day,"Jacki said, sniffing.
The girls had the concierge call them a cab and went back to Jacki's car.
"Pop the hood again, I didn't get a good look at the wires last night," Jamie instructed.
Sure enough, one of the battery cables was loose. Jamie tightened it with her hand, and to Jacki's surprise, the car started on the first try.
"Well, I'll be damned," she mumbled under her breath. She let out a long, grateful sigh that it wasn't something major as Jamie reentered the car.
"See? You were all stressed out over nothing," she said with a triumphant smile.
The girls left the parking lot and headed home, chatting the whole way about what an amazing, and odd, night they had.
_oooOOooo_
The next week, Jacki headed up to Chicago to meet with Jamie, and go to the 100 Monkeys concert. As soon as they got there, they flashed their backstage pass, and were ushered back to the Monkeys' dressing room.
"Hey, you guys made it!" Jackson said when they entered the room.
Both girls were surprised that he remembered them.
"So, I see you got my letter," he said, motioning for them to sit down on a worn leather couch.
"Yeah, we did. Thanks again for everything. You really didn't have to do that," Jacki said.
"It was my pleasure. I meant what i said, I felt bad you got stranded coming to see our show."
The girls hung out with the band while the other bands played. The guys allowed them to take a bunch of pictures, and Jamie even got Jackson to record "Jamie rocks, love, Jackson," on her phone. They left shortly before the band went on, and were awarded a spot front and center.
The girls laughed, and danced, and sang along with the songs. They had the time of their lives. Just before the band was finished with their set, Jackson thanked them for coming. He recounted the tale of them being stranded in Indianapolis after their last show, and how he was glad their car brought them here in one piece.
"I just hope it doesn't break down again, or I might be inclined to think it's a ruse to get my attention," he joked.
After the show, the girls went backstage one last time to say good-bye to the band. They received hugs from every member and got one last group shot of them all before they left.
As the girls boarded the train that would take them back to Jamie's they were still riding high from the great night they had. They knew that no matter how long they lived, or what they did in their lives, they would never forget Jackson Rathbone, or the summer of 100 Monkeys.