》A Year Later《

*Jake*

"And.... Finished!" I called out as Jessica helped set the table.

"Remember the cinnamon," she said.

"Right," I said, grabbing the cinnamon powder as Inna walked in, leading Jackson with her.

A year has gone by since Jack and Jessie started to live with us, and things have gone pretty well so far. Both of them seemed to had settled down pretty well since we came back from Portland.

We still keep in touch with the Goldman's, who were even here last month for the twins's 19th birthday.

The kids had also gotten the chance to meet my family, and they all got along pretty well. My dad and Sarah were pretty surprised about the fact that I'm actually a father, but were happy, as well as glad that everyone was safe in the end. It did get emotional when the realization that my mom wasn't around anymore to meet Jessica and Jackson, but knew she would have love to if she was alive.

During the year we've also managed to get through a lot.

Jessica had agreed to see a psychologist twice a week, and seems more at ease now. As far as I know, she hasn't had anymore nightmares, which is a relief. She's also mastered the guitar pretty well, and also learned about music production during AELONIA recording sessions. She's also taking online college courses.

Jackson had also gotten really good at keys, to a point where he almost doesn't need the resin Braille dots on the keyboard anymore. He's also made pretty good friends with his Braille instructor, Noah, who I hired a while after the twins got settled. Noah is a student at the local Los Angeles college who's really good at Braille, ASL, and Morse code, studying for his Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Literature.

AELONIA finally overcame the contract issues and released a music video and a few covers just for fun. We will soon be releasing an EP.

We sadly lost Trixy a few months back, which we all took pretty hard, but managed to be able to move on.

In two weeks now, BVB will be going to Warped Tour, and management is allowing me to bring Jessica and Jackson along.

Inna and Jessica seemed worried about bringing Jack along, because he could wander off, but I didn't want him deprived of this life he's got now just because he can only hear it.

I made sure with our crew and security that they stay with him in case he's alone, and him and Jessie stay at the side stage or tent to avoid any crazy crowds.

"Alright, Jack's french toast is done," I said, serving it on a plate with some whipped cream before handing it to Inna as Jessie got the rest of the food on the table and we all sat down to eat, me guiding Jack to his food.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Inna asked.

"Well, I have a meeting for Warped Tour today, and Jack has a Braille lesson with Noah at 2 pm," I said. "Jessica may have to come with me considering they asked her to work merch with Jesse."

"Well, I can stay if you want, make sure he and Noah are settled," Inna shrugged.

"Remember, Jack, be good," Jessie said in a motherly tone.

"Hey, Noah is cool," he argued. "He likes Game of Thrones."

"You don't know what it looks like," Jess laughed.

"Maybe... But the dragons sound cool," he shrugged, making us laugh.

"And no offense to Mrs. Harmon, but she was a little boring when she taught me," He said.

"Mrs. Harmon was nice," Jessie scolded.

"Well, at least with Noah its helped Jack a lot on the keyboard," I said with a smile.

"True," Jess laughed as she ate her toast.

Soon we finished breakfast and me and Jessie left as Inna and Jack stayed at home.

*Jessica*

According to my dad, I get my note taking habit from my mom.

She always took notes for EVERYTHING, even when watching television. It was a weird habit, but not a terrible one.

I took notes as John and the other managers explained how things will go on each Warped Tour stop as the band sat around, as well as Alice, Tiffany and Juliet.

"So, now that we got that out of the way, we will be moving on to the next topic. We will have Alice, Tiffany and Jessica working merch tent with Jesse, as well as working as tech crew, and the bus will have extra bunks so both of the twins have somewhere to sleep."

I nodded as he continued.

"We have enough funds for a bus with bigger bunks this time, though, so sharing is alright to, so long as it's kept PG at night, Ashley," John said, looking at Ashley with emphasis in his name.

Ashley raised his hands up in defense. "It was one time, and it wasn't my fault she fell out and knocked herself out with CC's suitcase!" he protested.

I raised an eyebrow with a chuckle as everyone held back their laughs.

"Way to read him to filth, John," Jesse snickered.

"Alright, alright, you can discuss weird sex stories at your own time," another manager spoke as everyone calmed down.

"Moving on," John said. "Now, on to line ups. You guys are aware of who's going, and there is still people being added."

"Really? I thought they finished," Jinxx asked.

"They did, but majority are only going to perform for a few local dates since they have other tours of their own, so they won't be there for the entirety. Of the few joining the full tour will be Asking Alexandria, William Control, and Juliet Simms."

"Of course," Ashley scoffed with an eye roll, making my dad shush him.

I furrowed my brows as I tilted my head in confusion.

Weird...

"Juliet will be sharing the bus with BVB throughout the tour," John said, and I notice almost everyone seemed quietly solemn and annoyed.

The meeting dragged on before it ended and we all went home.

"Well, Jack probably has about another hour and a half with Noah, so how about some lunch to kill time?" Dad asked with a shrug.

"Sure," I smiled as we walked out of the building.

***

We chose to eat at an Olive Garden and I decided to then ask Dad about the meeting.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure," he said after swallowing his food and dabbing at his mouth with his napkin. "What's up?"

"Well.... How come everyone seemed so upset with Juliet joining us on Warped Tour?" I asked.

I pursed his lips and sighed. "Well, uhh... Okay... I wanted to keep you and Jack away from this because it's a serious pain, but you two are old enough, so..."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He sighed. "While Black Veil Brides has its fans, it also has people who hate us all, including the people we have in our lives."

I frowned. "I mean, that's normal for rock bands, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, but.... For us, it kind of gets out of hand at times," he said. "Especially for my case, or Andy's, or Ashley's."

"You?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah... Been having some issues since before I even met Inna. It grew a bit since I met her and I found you guys," he said.

"Oh," I said.

"Its not your fault though," he said quickly. "Or Jack's. Its just people who think its okay to say something rude and be immature towards us, and then say we're the rude and immature ones when we either defend ourselves or just block them out of our lives just to stop the negativity."

"That sounds pretty stupid," I frowned. "But then... What about Juliet and Andy? And Ashley?"

"Well, Ashley has personal problems, but its something I'll save for another day," he said. "Andy and Juliet, however... They're a completely different story."

I looked at him confused as he continued.

"Juliet tends to be a bit.... well, in nicer terms "controlling," especially with Andy," he said. "And some fans have noticed how unpleasant her behavior can be sometimes and don't exactly like it."

"I did notice she tends to be a bit too bossy..." I said.

"Yeah... Andy just puts up with it because he's as some call a 'hopeless romantic' and would do anything to make her happy, even if it affects how full his wallet is. He sadly doesn't see it," he sighed. "Since Ashley and him are close, Ashley isn't exactly a fan of the relationship, but we can't really say anything."

"Why? You guys have that right, and you care about Andy, too," I frowned.

"People love Andy too much, especially when Juliet is at his side," he explained. "More than me and Inna, or Jinxx and Alice, or anyone else."

"Well, that sounds unfair," I said. "You five are equals, especially in talents. It shouldn't be some weird favorites competition, especially in relationships. Its stupid."

He smiled. "Couldn't agree more... But that's fame for ya."

"Well, for what it's worth," I said. "You and Inna are a great couple."

He smiled. "Thanks, Jess."

I smiled as we continued our meal.

Drama in the music industry is complicated.

~~~~~

I swear to god, the 1997 film of Cinderella (with Whitney Houston) is SOOO underrated. Seriously, this movie deserves so much more recognition. Loved watching it when I was growing up. 💙👑✨

Also, I kind of want to repeat something I've said before a few times:

I can't stand Juliet. No, its not because she's Andy's wife. I can't even stand Andy anymore.  I won't be writing anymore stories of him, unless its a story already published or that will be rewritten. Any past stories will remain unless I decide to delete them, which is unlikely. *The reason I haven't discontinued these stories of Andy is because I do it for you guys, my readers*

I hope that clarifies it for everyone. 

🎶Currently in Sapph's playlist:

Gorillaz ft. Peven Everett "Strobelite"

♡~ sapphire.