Little Runaway

Brittney paused, taking a minute to straighten up, pressing her hands down her spine to try and rub out the pain in her back. She had no idea why she was the one carrying all the boxes, the one risking her neck climbing on barely-functioning chairs to pin up T-shirts, the one running around in the heat passing out CDs. Out of the entire crew she was the only girl and she was the one doing most of the work. But she supposed that was a consequence of being the newest member of the crew. It was like the first day of your freshman year of high school. Brittney had to prove her worth.

And she wasn't about to complain. The boys of Avenged Sevenfold and their crew had let her into their little world without question two and a half months ago when she'd shown up at one of their shows, tired and hungry and scared out of her mind. They offered her a job as a merch girl and didn't ask questions about why Brittney had run away, and she'd snatched up the opportunity to get as far away from her family as possible.

Zacky and the boys all knew what it felt like to not belong - to feel like you had nowhere to go but to run as fast and far as your feet would carry you. Dan had mentioned a girl he had seen walking around the grounds during one concert and Zacky had pressed for her to be brought into the back. At the very least, they could make her day.

Just getting into the main change room, Zacky sat down just as the girl walked in. Matt, being the bastard he was, had asked who she was. The look on her face had crushed a few of them - each going a step further with an offer of help. Stand on the side of the stage, have a free shirt, hey here's a meal - and Brian? He'd opened his mouth and said she should just come with them. After a minute of debate, it was settled. The open position for a merch girl had been settled. Brittney would tour with them, selling their merch. How long term, none of them had known but what was the absolute worst that could happen?

Zacky, annoyed with the boys, set off for the merch tent. Female attention, outside of the girls who tried after every concert, was hard to come by. And Britney, now that she had come into herself, had intrigued Zacky more than he probably should have admitted. "Hey," he called as he reached the booth, watching her set up the shirts. "Why are you the only one working here?" He asked, a frown deepening on his features.

Brittney looked up from the shirts she was arranging, feeling her cheeks turn a little pink when she noticed that it was Zacky who was speaking to her. All of the boys of Avenged Sevenfold were unfairly good looking, but to Brittney, it was Zacky who was the most attractive. His eyes were just so striking and being around him gave her a slight case of butterflies. It made her feel a little stupid, because she had no idea how long she would be here with Avenged Sevenfold, but she just couldn't help getting attached. It was what she did to people who were nice to her without making her feel like a charity case.

Brittney shrugged her shoulders at Zacky's question, running a hand back through her hair. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I actually haven't seen any of the guys all day. I just figured they were busy?" She didn't tell Zacky that she'd be doing most of the work even if the other guys were here, because she didn't want them to get in trouble. She was worried that if she pissed any of them off or made them not like her, she would have to leave and then she'd have nowhere else to go. "There wasn't much to do, anyway. I will need somebody to watch the table while I sell CDs, though."

Zacky was quiet as Brittney spoke, nodding as she attempted to explain away where everyone was. "The stage is set up. There's no fuckin' reason that you should be by yourself setting everything up," he said, voice souring. Leave it up to the crew to slack off because there was someone new - she would do all the hard work because she didn't want to be tossed off on the side of the road. He let out a groan, running a hand through his hair.

"If you finish setting up, I'll get some of the boys to come watch the table and make sure that merch gets sold. That way you can relax during the show and just enjoy it since you already did most of the work today," Zacky said, offering her a small smile as he tilted his head to the side. "How does that sound for you?"

"That sounds good, I guess," Brittney said. She appreciated that Zacky was trying to make things easier for her, but in the back of her mind she was still worried that it might seem like she'd tattled on the other crew members for not doing their share of the work. She already knew that they thought she got special treatment or something, although she wasn't sure where they got that idea. The boys were nice to her, but they didn't give her special treatment. They treated her like a merch girl, which Brittney appreciated, too. So many people treated her like a charity case when they found out about her situation. Not that Avenged Sevenfold or any of their crew knew Brittney's situation.

"Everything's pretty much set up," Brittney said to Zacky. "Do you still want me to sell CDs before the show or anything?" She wanted to feel like they'd gotten a little use out of her before she relaxed. And she didn't mind selling CDs. If she were being honest, she thought she did a better job at it than the other boys just because she was a girl.

Zacky sat on a corner of the table as Brittney finished up, texting rapidly on his phone to locate the rest of the crew. He glanced up when Brittney spoke, brows raising as he glanced behind her. He grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "If you really feel like you want to you can but it's not necessary. The boys can handle it for once in their lives. It seems like they think they can piss off just because you're here. That isn't the case."

He stood just as the rest of the merch crew started to arrive. Smirking as he turned to them, Zacky clapped his hands together to get their attention. "You all seem to think you can fuck around because we have Brittney now. She's done one helluva job, sure, but that's because none of you have decided to do your own fair share of work. You've all slacked off. Which has resulted in the following: you'll be selling all night, you'll take down the merch booth. She'll be relaxing tonight side of the stage. Now, I hope you guys do enjoy yourselves," Zacky said, winking at them.

He turned to Brittney, motioning toward the backstage area. "Let's go get tonight started, shall we?"

Brittney didn't miss the sour looks on the crew's faces as she darted after Zacky. "You didn't have to do that, Zacky," Brittney said softly, following Zacky backstage. "I mean, I appreciate it, but now they're going to think I ratted them out or something." She knew she was going to get shit from the boys later that night on the crew's bus. That's the main reason she did most of the work, just so she could have a moment's peace at night. And besides that, she had no idea what to do with herself just standing on the sidestage. She felt like she was in everyone's way. But she didn't mind spending time with the Sevenfold boys over the crew, because not only were they better looking, they were also nicer. And she'd developed a soft spot for their music, so it would probably be fun.

"So how long until the show?" Brittney asked. She was sure Zacky had things to do before their show, but she didn't want him to leave her by herself quite so soon. She liked being around him, because he was so nice to her and looked out for her. Not to mention he wasn't exactly difficult on the eyes. "I mean, if you have stuff to do you should go do it, I was wondering, you know, how long you had." Brittney felt her cheeks turn pink. She was rambling and she felt silly.

"I don't really give a shit what they think. THey're great when they want to be but when they decide it's time to slack off, they do absolutely fuck all. They're the most useless group of boys when they don't do anything," Zacky snapped back at her. He was irritated because he had noticed it happening before but he just... couldn't understand how a group of people could put all of the work onto one person. He groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean. Look, it's not your problem. They won't bother you, alright?"

Zacky led her into the change room where he took a seat on the couch after grabbing a coke out of the mini fridge. "I have shit I need to do but... eh, what do I care?" He asked, letting out a laugh after a moment. He shrugged his shoulders, glancing over to her as he patted the spot beside him. "Sit down. Relax!"

He relaxed entirely against the back of the couch, "How are you enjooying being on tour, Brittney?" Zacky asked, a small smile on his lips

Brittney recoiled slightly when Zacky snapped her at. She knew it was only stemming from his irritation with the rest of the merch crew, but it still brought on horrendous flashbacks. She wondered how he could be so sure that the boys wouldn't bother her. Was he going to say something to them about it? She hoped not. She knew his intentions were good and that he meant well, but Brittney knew that if Zacky said something, it would only increase the resentment she was sure the crew boys felt towards her.

Brittney sat down next to Zacky, tucking her hands underneath her thighs. She looked over at him, smiling softly when she noticed the smile on his lips. It was hard not to, his was so contagious. And hearing him say her name made her stomach flutter. "I'm enjoying it," she answered simply. "It's fun. And I really can't thank you guys enough for letting me tag along."

"Hey, it's no big deal, Brittney. You needed to get away from home, we could provide you the opportunity. Nothing wrong with that," Zacky answered. He was still smiling a bit as he shrugged his shoulders. He really didn't see it as that big of a deal - he couldn't understand why anyone would. He cleared his throat as he turned to face her entirely.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Zacky asked as he raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward, placing his elbow on his knee as he looked to her. "You can always feel free to tell me to fuck off if you want to," he teased, letting out a soft laugh as he shook his head. He certainly hoped that she wouldn't but that was the worst that could happen in his eyes.

Brittney laughed a little at Zacky's teasing. "And why would I tell you to fuck off?" she asked. She shifted her gaze to her lap, hoping that not looking at Zacky's face and his dazzling eyes might help calm the fluttering in her stomach. "You've all been more than good to me, but you've definitely been the sweetest. I don't mind having you around. In fact, I...I uh, I like it." She turned pink again and felt silly. She was almost twenty one, there was no reason for her to be acting like a teenage girl with a crush for the first time. "But uh, what is it you wanted to ask?"

Instantly Brittney started to worry that Zacky might want to ask about how she'd ended up at the venue they'd picked her up from, cold and hungry and scared out of her mind. So far she'd been able to avoid any questions, but she knew that couldn't last forever. She knew that they'd eventually get curious.

"Let's just say it probably wouldn't be the first time I've heard those words coming my way," Zacky answered, letting out a laugh. He didn't bother taking too many things to heart. He had years ago but he had learned how to let things go, so they didn't eat him up.

Zacky grinned as she spoke, realizing right away why she was acting that way. He didn't want to push it too fast, but there was no denying that he found Brittney beautiful. Clearing his throat, Zacky glanced away from her for a moment. "So, what was going on with you when you came to us?" Zacky finally found himself asking, entirely unsure how to approach the subject without making it stranger than it already was

"I don't understand why anybody would tell you to fuck off, you're so nice," Brittney said, smiling. She moved her hands from underneath her thighs, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as she listened to Zacky speak. When the question left his mouth, her stomach dropped. How to circumvent the question without seeming suspicious? "I'd rather not talk about that right now," Brittney finally said, deciding to leave things simple and vague. "It's nothing against you, it's just really...personal. And I'm just not comfortable talking about it, I'm sorry."

Brittney had a sudden urge to just get up and walk away, but that would be rude. And it would probably make Zacky think she was weird or trying to avoid him. "Do you know where I could find something to eat?" she asked, trying to change the subject. She finally looked back over at him. "I'm getting a little hungry."

Zack knew damn well why people had told him to fuck off in the most but revealing the reasons wouldn't particularly do well for him. He just grinned and shrugged again, not wanting to get into the subject with her. She would learn why eventually, one way or another. They always did.

He nodded when she gave him all that she was going to. He was onto something, he knew it by the way that she squirmed in her seat and jumped to changing the subject. Zacky nodded as he moved to his feet, holding his hand out to her. "There's a shitty little kitchen area that the arena cooks out of, let's go," he said, tugging her to her feet when she offered her hand. Zacky turned, leading her out of the change room toward the little cafeteria for staff members only.

Brittney followed Zacky to the small kitchen, trying not to think too hard about the fact that they were holding hands. The last thing she needed was for her hand to get sweaty. "Are you sure we're allowed to be in here?" Brittney asked, noticing the sign on the door. She wasn't sure if Zacky qualified as part of the staff here, but she didn't think so. But obviously Zacky didn't care, because he pulled Brittney inside the small kitchen. Brittney let go of his hand and started looking around the kitchen, trying to see if she could find a little something to eat.

"I don't think there's anything in here," Brittney said, pouting slightly. That made since, sense they probably didn't want people coming in here and pilfering through their food like Zacky and Brittney were doing. "I guess I'll just eat later."

Zacky made a uncomitted noise at the question. "What are they going to do? Kick me out and tell me I can't return? They lose money that way," he muttered with a shrug of his shoulder. Consequences didn't really matter to him anymore. Not when you were a rockstar that could pretty much buy your way out of any situation you got into.

"No. Now I'm hungry. Let's go to the bus and we'll get something delivered worse comes to worse," Zacky answered back with a shake of his head. He held out his hand once again and dutifully led her out toward the bus. He was holding her hand a bit too tightly, absentmindedly beginning to massage little circles in the side of her hand.

"A-Alright," Brittney stuttered. She allowed Zacky to lead her back to their bus, not missing how tightly Zacky was holding her hand. To Brittney, it seemed like his mood had changed - he almost seemed irritated now, and she couldn't understand why. Brittney could feel a bit of uneasiness tingling at the base of her spine, but she shook the feeling away. She was being silly. Zacky was probably just tired or hungry, like he said. And there was no way she'd say anything, not when she wanted to be around Zacky as much as she did.

"Maybe we should just go ahead and order something," Brittney said, catching sight of the time on the clock on the stove. "I mean, there isn't a lot of time until the show. But uh, I guess it's really up to you." She glanced up at Zacky, smiling slightly before biting her bottom lip. She didn't think she'd ever been this close to him. And as impossible as it sounded, he was even better looking up close.

Zacky huffed as they reached the bus, falling back onto the couch with ease. He turned to face her after groaning into the material. He rolled his shoulders forward in an effort to relax, knowing that setting off too many alarm bells with Brittney wasn't exactly what he wanted. In fact, it was probably the last thing he wanted.

"What are you in the mood for? We could do Chinese... pizza... doesn't matter," Zacky said, shrugging his shoulders after a moment. He smirked as he leaned up to hold out his hand. "Come here," he murmured, beckoning her closer.

Brittney watched as Zacky took a seat on the couch, noticing how he seemed to be calming himself down. Maybe he had been irritated earlier in the kitchen. She just hoped it hadn't been her doing. "Pizza is fine," Brittney said, shrugging her shoulders lightly. She didn't like having decisions left up to her, but everybody liked pizza. She looked over at Zacky when he spoke, her stomach doing somersaults when she saw the smirk on his face. She took his hand, letting him pull her down next to him on the couch.

Brittney wondered if maybe Zacky had ulterior motives for bringing her back to the bus, since she was pretty sure nobody else would be back there until after the show. But honestly, Brittney didn't mind. She would be absolutely lying if she said she didn't think Zacky was attractive, and the thought of having him kiss her was a delightfully good one.