In the dictionary, the word hectic is defined as: a term applied to the fever which accompanies consumption, pertaining to or affecting with such fever .It sounds so neat, so ordinary, and so box-like. Remind me to send the people at Webster a copy of my version.

Hectic (According to Jamie Scott): The extreme understatement of what one sees as an event happening at a frantic pace; otherwise known as the night of the first concert of any tour. Backstage is a frenzy, everything and everyone is on the edge. There are instruments and people lined up everywhere, some already knowing what to do, while others wait in quiet and fearful anticipation. It's nothing I haven't seen before but there's something different and beautiful about it every time. It's the one moment I can play over and over in my head again and never get tired of. There's a certain yearning for perfection behind all it's stripped down glamour. I've always liked things that were raw and real. Watching all of it is like looking at the silver lining before someone up in the sky coats it.

I decided to take a break from observing the atmosphere to check on my mom. I walked in to her dressing room and saw her pacing back and forth. I closed the door behind my and took a seat on the couch. I watched her do her breathing exercises, it was her way to calm her nerves before every show.

"Hey Mom"

"Breathe In. Hey Kid. Breathe Out."

I sat there quietly for a while just listening to the sound of her breathing. Silence is not an unusual thing for us. It's the way my mom and I have always communicated the best. The lack of words fills the gap between us that usually hangs in the air when one or both of us says or does the wrong thing. For us, silence is familiar territory, our way of letting each other know that there is in fact an understanding between us.

My mother looked over at me and smiled. She motioned to the radio in the corner. I picked up the remote and pressed play.

Everywhere you go, perfection
Follows you the wrong direction
And you will never see if for
You get all that you need and more
You see it, you want it
You find it, it's yours

It was Chris Keller.

"Aw… Shit!" was what escaped from my mother's mouth when she heard the song.

"Sorry." I quickly turned off the radio.

I was curious as to why my parents had such a dislike for Chris Keller. He was the unspoken taboo in our house and nobody knew why.

"Mommy" I only use 'Mommy' on her when I want something really badly and she knew it.

"Yeah baby"

"Why do you and Daddy hate Chris Keller?"

She looked flustered as if I had asked her if I could become a prostitute. Ah, what a lovely thought. (Dripping in sarcasm there) She looked at me, took a deep breath and began what I knew was going to be a long pointless, musical difference grudge VH1-esque sort of story.

"Jamie, I, uh-"

She was interrupted by the shrill ring of her cell phone. The relief she was feeling washed clear across her face.

"Hon, will you get that for me please?"

"Sure," I said hoping that she could hear the clear irritation in my voice.

I reached over and pressed the button for speaker phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Niece!" it was my Aunt Taylor.

"Don't you mean your mini me?" I asked, referring to my older sister Cecelia.

"Ah, the years of teenage angst…also known as my glory days."

Auntie Tay's nostalgic babbling was often made fun of by my parents and their friends.

"Right" I answered skeptically.

"God, you sound like you mom right now. Anyways, speaking of my baby sis, is she around?"

"She's right here"

"Hey Haley-bub!", my aunt called

"Hey Tay" my mom answered back.

This was usually the part where I checked out and went off into neglected youngest child land. I put my iPod on random and stuck one earphone in my ear. I pressed play but the only sound I heard was the ridiculous salsa music that is my ringtone.

I groaned inwardly not bothering to check the photo I.D.

"Hello?"

"Hi hoe", called a high pitched voice. It belonged to my cousin Rhys, my cousin, my best friend and my partner in crime all rolled into one.

"Well if it isn't my favorite skank" I teased back.

We both dissolved into a fit of laughter. Rhys and I have a very unusual way of talking to eachother. Maybe it's the fact that she was half raised by Brooke Davis, maybe it's because we've spent pretty much our whole lives together or maybe we both should seek some serious mental help.

"So, talk to me, Ry. What's up?"

"Ok, like two things. I'm bringing a guy to the concert and-"

"Um…sorry to break it to you but I don't consider my brothers, our dad's or your boyfriend of the week to be anything but "men" in my mind." I joked

"Ok first of all that would make you a boyfriend snatching, insect-y person skank thingy and second of all…eww!"

"Rhys, don't you mean incest?"

"What? Yeah, that, whatever." I could practically hear her eyes rolling. "anyways before I was so rudely interrupted, I was going to say that I'm bring a guy for you and-"

When she said this, I thought of Josh.

"No, no, no I don't want-"

"Ok fine, but at least listen to the second thing" She paused dramatically; I waited for her to go on.

"We're lost!"

"And I have to pee!" I heard Brooke whine in the background

"How the hell did you manage to do that?" I asked

I could hear shuffling in the background, when I heard the familiar beep of the call waiting signal. I pressed talk and answered the other call.

"Hey"

"Uh, Jamie?"

"Yeah…who is this?"

"It's Josh…Josh Keller…the balcony guy you probably hate right now"

My heart did this weird flippy thing. I can't explain it, almost like there was a snake slithering around in there. I'm not entirely sure if it was a good thing. I was completely frozen; my heart was disconnected from any other part of my body. And what was left of my brain was melting when I heard his voice.

"Yeah, I know who you are." I snapped at him. Ok that came out wrong.

"Is that I good thing? "He asked

"Maybe"

"I guess maybe is better than nothing"

"I guess you're right" I smiled to myself. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"So what are you doing after the concert? "he asked me.

"The usual. Tagging along to whatever after party my mom has in my mind. You ?"

"Same thing, but I have an offer for you"

My heart did that weird snake thing again. Is he going to ask me out? God I hope he is. No, he can't! He's Chris Keller's son. Well my parents don't know that…and who doesn't love a good adventure?

"I'm listening."

"Ok, so how 'bout we go through the usual after party thing except…"

He kept talking but there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it up.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, baby girl." He scooped me up into a big bear hug.

"Huh?" I had obviously confused Josh.

"No sorry, my dad's at the door" I explained

"Oh"

"Is that Brooke on the phone?" called my Uncle Lucas standing behind my dad

Then I remembered I left Rhys on the other line.

"Oh, shit!"

"What?" Josh asked me

"No, no sorry, not you. You know what Josh, hold on a sec."

"Ok" he was so sweet about it.

"Wait, who's Josh?" my Dad asked

"No one" I replied quickly.

I pressed the button for my other line.

"Hey, sorry about that" I said

"What the hell?" I heard an angry voice bark at me.

"Jesus, Ry calm down"

"Why thank you"

"What?"

"You just called me by my daughter's name which means I must be sounding younger. Cool points for you"

"Thanks I guess"

"Anyways is Broody there yet because it is like no fun being lost unless you're like on a road trip and this does not count."

"Sorry. Yeah he just got here"

"Can you put him on?"

"Ok." I handed the phone to my uncle "Uncle Lucas, Brooke wants to talk to you"

He took the phone and began taking directions on where to find Brooke and then he passed the phone back to me. I pressed call waiting again and there was nothing.

"Josh…Josh are you there?"

Nothing still. Whether he had hung up or it was purely accidental. The story of Josh Keller and Jamie Scott just wasn't meant to be.