We'll Build This Love From the Ground Up

Zacky looked over when Jimmy approached him, narrowing his eyes at the tall, skinny man. "No, don't talk to me," he hissed.

"Oh, shut up, Zack. Don't be a baby," Jimmy said, rolling his eyes as he took the cigarette out of Zacky's fingers and took a puff, himself. He sighed as he leaned against the wall beside him. "I talked to Rosie. She said she's sorry, you know. For saying what she said. And you know it's not true. We need you, man. We wouldn't be Avenged Sevenfold without you. It just wouldn't be the same."

Zacky sighed, shaking his head. He found it hard to believe that Rosalie had apologized for what she said, and even with Jimmy telling him it wasn't true, it still hurt to think about. He slowly nodded, taking his cigarette back from the other man and taking a last puff of it before he tossed it on the ground and stepped on it. "Fine," he mumbled.

"Will you talk to her?" Jimmy asked.

Zacky groaned. "If it'll make you fucking happy, then yes," he hissed.

Jimmy grinned and patted his back. "Awesome!" he said, before skipping away.

---

Sasha watched as Brian walked by, sighing softly. If he wanted to avoid her, then fine. She followed Tom back to their bus, walking up the steps inside and going straight back to her bunk, ignoring the concerns from her fellow crewmates. She shoved her bag at the foot of her bunk before climbing in, pulling the curtain back and rolling onto her side. She stared at the wall, that was pitch black from having her curtain closed, sniffling slightly as tears began to form in her eyes. She didn't even know why she was crying. She felt like such a little baby. Why had she expected him to act any differently? She had even accepted the fact that it was just a one-time thing, but he wouldn't even acknowledge her. It just stung a little.

Rosalie stopped outside of the bus, finishing off her cigarette before she tossed it onto the ground and stomping it out. She was tempted to light up another, but she didn't have many left so she needed to save them. She took her bag inside and tossed it underneath her bunk before she went back outside, taking a seat on the steps of the bus. A few minutes later she heard footsteps approaching and she looked up to see Jimmy coming her way, a big, stupid grin on his face. "God, I thought I was done dealing with you for awhile," Rosalie teased, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Why is everybody being so mean to me today?" Jimmy pouted. He gave Rosalie a shove and sat down next to her and the step. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I talked to Zacky. He apologized for what he said to you, Rosie."

"He apologized," Rosalie repeated, her voice flat and disbelieving. There was no way Zacky had apologized. He never apologized.

"Yes, he apologized," Jimmy huffed. "I smacked some sense into him and told him he was an asshole, and he said he was sorry. So will you talk to him? Rosie, pleeeeeeeeeeease?"

"Oh my God, if it'll get you to shut the fuck up, I'll talk to him when he gets to the bus."

---

Brian chanced a glance back at Sasha before he climbed onto the band's bus, and he saw her following Tom onto the crew's bus. He knew it was a jerk move to ignore her, but it wasn't like he would be doing it forever. He'd have to talk to her and acknowledge her at the next show, she was his tech. He just wanted to make sure that she knew that he wasn't looking for a relationship of any kind, unless she wanted to be his fuck buddy. But he doubted that she did. Once he was on the bus, Brian took his bag to his bunk and shoved it in the space underneath before he went to sit on the couch. A few minutes later, Johnny and Matt trudged onto the bus, the singer giving Brian a half wave before he stalked back to his bunk. Johnny plopped down next to Brian on the couch, grinning in his direction. "Before you even ask, the answer is yes," Brian said, grinning as well. He knew the bass player was going to ask if he'd fucked Sasha. He was sure Johnny wouldn't be the only person to ask.

"Just don't run her off," Johnny said. "You know Larry would fucking murder you if he has to hire a new tech in the middle of a tour."

"I'm not going to run her off," Brian said. "I fucked her, it's over. That's it. She knew it was a one-time thing, so if she gets all in a twist about it, it's her fault."

Zacky stood there for a while longer, just thinking about things before he decided he might as well head back to the bus. As he walked back, he reached to his pocket to grab his phone, frowning when he couldn't find it. Fuck, it must have fallen out of his pocket in the hotel room. Maybe Rosalie had picked it up for him. It was a long shot, but since she'd apologized, maybe she was feeling a bit nicer today. When he approached the bus, he saw her sitting on the step, and he took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the conversation ahead of him. He walked up to her, biting his lip. "Hey, do you happen to have my phone?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think I dropped it in the hotel room."

---

Sasha bit her lip, frowning when she heard Tom outside of her bunk, asking if she was okay. She rolled back over and pulled the curtain back ever so slightly after wiping her eyes. "I'm fine," she said. "Just PMSing, is all." He gave her a look of disbelief, as if he knew she was lying through her teeth, before walking away. She was glad he didn't ask anymore questions, but she was also glad that he and all her crewmates seemed to care about her. More than Brian did, at least. Maybe it would be different if she was just some random chick he'd fucked. But she was his tech. They had to communicate in order for the shows to be successful. If he just walked on eggshells around her, things weren't going to work out.

"Alright," Jimmy cheered softly

Rosalie gave him a playful shove and he got to his feet, heading into the bus. She decided to hang outside for a bit longer, since she'd promised Jimmy that she would talk to Zacky for some Godforsaken reason. She glanced up when she heard footsteps approaching, and when Zacky asked for his phone, she reached onto her coat pocket and pulled it out, offering it out to him. "You left it by the toilet," she told him, barely grinning. She glanced down at the ground, not really sure what to say next. She'd never thought about it until just now, but Rosalie couldn't remember the last time she'd had an actual conversation with Zacky. Usually they just screamed insults at each other. "So...Jimmy told me he talked to you," she finally said.

---

"Yeah, but Larry's still going to be pissed if you run her off," Johnny said again.

Brian rolled his eyes, reaching for the remote to choose something to watch. Of course he would be the one to get blamed. He was the big, mean guitar player who took advantage of the innocent little guitar tech. Of course, if she told the story to Larry, Brian was sure that Sasha would leave out the part where she was practically begging him to stick it in her. All the girls were so quick to blame him but always forgot to mention that they wanted it too, and they knew beforehand that it was just a one-night stand. God, who knew getting laid could be so stressful? But it sure as hell beat having his heart ripped out and stomped on.

Zacky forced a small smile as he slid his phone into his pocket. "Thanks," he mumbled. He looked at her, nodding his head. "Yeah, he did. He told me what you said. That you were sorry. And I just wanted to say thanks. It's just, the band means everything to me. And what you said really hurt." He didn't know why he was saying this to her, it was really none of her business. But he guessed since she'd apologized he could play nice too. He wasn't an awful person, but when you pissed him off, he could turn into a major asshole. It was just the way he defended himself. It had always been that way, ever since he was a kid. When you had motherfuckers constantly bullying you, you quickly learned a few defense mechanisms. Like being an asshole.

---

Sasha laid in her bunk for a while, wondering if maybe she should approach Brian. But she knew if she did that, there was a huge chance that he'd reject her, and she would feel even worse than she did already. So she wasn't going to do that. She was going to let him come to her. And until he did, she was just going to act like everything was normal. She was just his guitar tech. She knew she shouldn't have slept with him. It wasn't that she had feelings for him, it was just that she had feelings in general, and if she let her guard down, she got hurt. And now she was hurt. All because he wouldn't acknowledge her existence.

Rosalie raised an eyebrow in confusion when Zacky said that Jimmy had told him she'd apologized. Because she was pretty damn sure that she hadn't. "See that's funny, because I didn't apologize," Rosalie explained. "But Jimmy told me that you apologized. Because what you said hurt pretty badly, too. Calling me a slut is one thing, because everybody knows that's pretty much true. But saying you think I should be dead? That was way too far, Zack." It took Rosalie a second, but eventually she figured out what was going on. Jimmy must've thought that by telling them that the other one had apologized, they would stop being rude to each other, at least for a little while. "I knew that motherfucker was up to something," she hissed under her breath. She looked up at Zacky. "I think we've been bamboozled," she said. "And I also think we need to have a little talk with our dear friend Jimmy." She got to her feet and turned to go inside the bus, but stopped at the last second and turned halfway back to Zacky. "But I guess what I said to you was pretty harsh," she grumbled. "You're not a bad guitar player."

---

Brian finally chose something on TV, settling back against the couch. A few minutes later Jimmy came bounding on to the bus, looking far too happy with himself. Brian was sure he was up to something, he always was. And lately his focus seemed to be on Zacky and Rosalie, although he wasn't sure what Jimmy was trying to accomplish there. Jimmy plopped down between Johnny and Brian on the couch, grinning at Brian. The guitarist ignored him at first, hoping that the drummer would get the hint and go away, but unfortunately that didn't seem like it would be the case. "What do you want, Jimmy?" Brian asked flatly.

"How was your night with your tech?" Jimmy asked, leaning closer to Brian.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Pretty damn good," he said. "Now shut up, I'm trying to watch TV."

"Everyone is being so rude today!" Jimmy whined.

Zacky's brows furrowed at her words, shaking his head. He was surprised when she turned back and said what she said to him. "Thanks," he mumbled. "And what I said was pretty dickish too. Nobody deserves to die. You know, unless you're a murderer or a rapist." He scratched his neck, sighing heavily. He really didn't know what Jimmy was trying to pull here, but it was honestly getting very annoying. It was like he and Rosalie were puppets and Jimmy was controlling them. He walked onto the bus with her, spotting Jimmy on the couch with Brian and Johnny. He gently walked past Rosalie over to his tall, blue-eyed friend, glaring down at him. "What is wrong with you, seriously?"

Johnny snorted. "You have to ask that?" he mumbled, grunting when Jimmy elbowed him in the ribs.

---

Sasha decided to distract herself and ease her mind, so she got up and went into the living space. She sat down on the couch and grabbed the acoustic guitar that was in there, strumming on it. She wished she could be as amazing as Brian, but she was hardly that. Everyone always told her that she was good, but she was like high school punk band good, not rock star status. But then again, if she thought she wasn't that good, then how did she get this job? She shook her head, looking down as she strummed a few chords. She looked up when Tom sat beside her, offering her a kind smile. She smiled back at him, looking back down at her guitar. So far, the techs seemed a hell of a lot nicer than the people in the actual band, but she had only really socialized with Brian, and had gotten that weird look from Jimmy last night when she left his hotel room.

"Um, thanks," Rosalie mumbled, managing a small smile. She continued on to the bus, stepping aside when Zacky gently brushed past her. She heard him confront Zacky and laughed at Johnny's snarky remark.

"I was just trying to help you guys out!" Jimmy exclaimed. "You were both shittier to each other than usual last night."

"Well we wouldn't have if you hadn't locked us in my room, you fucker," Rosalie hissed, reaching out to smack Jimmy on the arm. "It's not really helping if you caused the problem." To this, Jimmy just responded with some nonsense that Rosalie couldn't really understand, and she rolled her eyes as she took a seat in the chair next to the couch. He was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. If she didn't love him so much, she'd probably kill him. Honestly, what was he trying to pull with this shit? And where did he even get the idea? She and Zacky didn't get along at all, so there was no way they would ever have sex, let alone fall in love.

---

"Probably because you're being more annoying than usual," Brian grumbled. "We're all hungover, leave us alone. Watch TV and shut up." To this, Jimmy only grumbled, and Brian smirked to himself, happy that he might actually be getting some peace and quiet. Unfortunately that didn't last very long, as Rosalie and Zacky soon appeared, and obviously had some sort of bone to pick with the drummer. Brian groaned, rubbing his eyes. He just wanted everyone to shut up so he could relax and watch TV. And soon enough they would actually be on the road, which would mean there would be no escaping from everyone.

"Why are you in such a crabby mood?" Johnny asked, looking over at Brian. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one out of all of us that got laid last night, you should be the one in the best mood. Unless you're finally starting to get a conscience?"

"Seriously, shut the fuck up before I toss you off the bus while we're going down the interstate," Brian hissed.

Zacky rolled his eyes. "And you thought locking us in a room together and lying to us would help us?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "If anything, you're being a shitty friend." He knew he'd hurt Jimmy with his words, so he just turned and walked away. But it was true. Kind of. He knew Jimmy might have good intentions, but that didn't mean that he was doing any good. He sighed as he walked past Matt, grunting when the bus began moving. He guessed they were leaving now. It would only be a few hours until they got to their next venue, which was good, because he just needed to play some music and get some fucking food. He definitely wasn't getting drunk again tonight. He'd probably just sit in and read a book or something.

---

Sasha looked up when someone announced it was time to hit the road. She nodded, looking back at the guitar and continuing to play. She couldn't help but grin when Tom started to sing along to the song she was playing, Johnny's tech joining in as well. Even feeling as down as she was right now, these guys could always make her feel better. They had become like her little family since she'd joined them, and she was really grateful for them. She made a face when the bus finally started moving, taking a deep breath. She didn't know what it was, maybe it was because she wasn't buckled in, but being on the bus made her a bit carsick sometimes. She just relaxed though, and focused on the music. They would be to the next venue soon, and then she would have to face Brian again.

"Hey, that's mean," Jimmy pouted. "All I was trying to do was help you guys get along better."

"Yeah, well you're going about it the wrong way," Rosalie said. "Locking us in a room together is like locking two feral cats in a room, Jim. You're lucky we didn't kill each other." For what felt like the first time in her entire life, Rosalie actually agreed with Zacky about something. She wouldn't necessarily go so far as to call Jimmy a shitty friend, but she would definitely say he was being annoying and if he kept this shit up, he was going to end up seriously pissing the two of them off. But she knew he wouldn't stop. Jimmy was too fucking stubborn. He was going to keep going until he got what he wanted or until he knew for sure that it wouldn't ever happen.

---

"Touchy, touchy," Johnny said, raising his hands in defense. He opened his mouth, obviously to say something else, but the glare Brian gave him was more than enough to shut him up. He felt the bus shift and he knew they were finally on the road. It wasn't too long of a drive to the next venue, and when they got there, he would have to face Sasha again. He wasn't used to seeing the girls he fucked after the fact, but that was because the girls were usually groupies and not crew members. But Brian was sure everything would be fine. For him, at least. It wouldn't be that hard for him to act like nothing had happened. And maybe if he did that, it would make things less awkward for Sasha. Before he knew it, the bus was stopping, and Brian knew they were at the venue. He got to his feet, stretching his arms over his head, before we went over to get off the bus.

When they finally arrived to the next venue, Zacky was eager to be off the bus. He was the first one off, and the first one inside, which was unusual since he tended to lag behind sometimes. The show wasn't until the next night, but they had rehearsal today, and sound check tomorrow before the show. When he got inside, he sat down, debating on smoking but deciding against it. He knew he needed to slow down on the cigarettes, so he figured now wouldn't be a bad time to start that. He looked over when Johnny joined him, smiling at the bassist when he sat down beside him. Johnny was pretty much the only one right now that Zacky wasn't irritated with. Jimmy was a whole different story, but being around all the guys for so long really got on your nerves. They all got on each other's nerves. And now Rosalie was added to the mix, which made things worse.

---

Sasha climbed off the bus at the venue, giggling slightly when she saw Zacky making a mad dash inside. She wondered what had happened, but shook her head, helping everyone unload the equipment from the trailer. Some of the other roadies told her she shouldn't be moving equipment around, but she insisted on helping anyways. Sure, the stuff was heavy, but it wasn't like she was some delicate piece of china. She could hold her own. She walked inside and moved some things around, taking a deep breath. She was growing more and more nervous as the minutes passed, because she knew she'd be seeing Brian again soon. But she just needed to play things cool. Act like everything was normal. She didn't know why it was such a big deal anyways. She knew it had been a one-night stand. So what was the big deal?

Rosalie laughed when they arrived at the venue and Zacky all but flew off of the bus. She was sure he was more than eager to be away from Jimmy. She, however, wasn't in such a hurry, and took a bit more time as she made her way into the venue, reaching into her coat pocket to pull out her pack of cigarettes. She lit one up and stuffed the pack back into her pocket, nearing choking on the smoke when Jimmy shoved past her. "Hey you fucker, watch where you're going!" she shouted, grinning at his back. "You could've killed me, making me choke on this cigarette."

"Yeah, because we all know there's something else you'd rather choke on," Jimmy teased. He gave her a playful grin, gesturing down to his crotch. Rosalie rolled her eyes. She knew just as well as he did that neither one of them wanted that. They were more like brother and sister than anything and the thought of doing that was pretty disgusting. But with they way they joked around about it, Rosalie wouldn't be surprised if people actually thought that she and Jimmy had slept together.

---

"Goddamn Zack, the show's not until tomorrow!" Brian laughed, watching as Zacky high-tailed it off of the bus. Brian adopted Zacky's usual pace, lagging behind a bit as everyone else made their way into the venue. The show might not be until the next night, but they had sound check today, and then they'd head off to get checked into the hotel. Brian could definitely use a dip in the pool. He could see the crew moving their equipment around and so he figured that in about twenty minutes or so he would need to go and check on his guitars. He lazed around until then, smoking a cigarette, before he headed off in the direction of the area where the techs set up the guitars. He spotted Tom first, and the look on the other tech's face didn't make Brian think that Sasha had told them what had happened. But then again, why would she? He was sure girls didn't do things like that.

Zacky leaned back and relaxed, sighing contently. He knew it wouldn't be long before he'd have to deal with Jimmy and Rosalie again, so he wanted to enjoy this peace while he still had it. And then it was gone. He groaned when he heard Rosalie and Jimmy outside talking, reaching up and rubbing at his face.

"Still hungover?" Johnny teased.

Zacky looked at him and glared, shaking his head. "I'm still taller than you," he said, as if that were the biggest threat in the world. He rolled his eyes when Johnny acted like he was scared. He stood up and walked out of the room, looking at Jimmy and Rosalie. He knew he should bite his tongue, but he just couldn't help himself. "Hey, maybe instead of trying to make us fuck, you should do it yourself," he said to Jimmy as he walked past him.

---

Sasha sighed as she hooked up Brian's guitar, reaching down to strum the strings. She was content with the way it sounded, so she turned to look at Tom, but spotted Brian heading towards them instead. Her heart rate began to pick up, but she ignored it and picked his guitar up. When he finally reached them, she handed it to him. "Here you go," she said, forcing a small smile. This was probably the most awkward she had felt in a long time. She'd never felt so weird after having sex before. and it wasn't like she even had feelings for him. It was just the fact that she had to see him again afterwards. Because he wasn't her boyfriend, he was just a random fuck.

Rosalie looked back when she heard Zacky speaking, making a gagging noise. "You do know that's basically like suggesting I fuck my own actual brother, right?" she said.

"Yeah Zack, that's gross," Jimmy put in. He went over to the guitarist and threw his arm over this shoulder, pulling him tight against his body. "Besides, I think you'd really enjoy yourself if you fucked Rosie. I might not have slept with her, but you're forgetting that we live together. I've heard her. She's loud in bed and you can be as rough with her as you want, she likes that."

"Jimmy, I'm seriously going to fucking murder you," Rosalie grumbled. Honestly, Zacky didn't need to know what she was like in bed. It would just give him more fodder to use to insult her. "God, now I need another cigarette. You're going to put me into an early grave Jimmy, I hope you're happy with yourself."

---

Brian noticed Sasha glance at him as he approached. He wasn't stupid, he knew she didn't want him anywhere near her. But they both had work to do, and they couldn't let a one-night stand get in the way of that. And it really wasn't that hard for Brian to act like things were normal, as long as he just thought of Sasha as just another girl he'd fucked. It was a terrible way to think of her, but it made things easier for him, and if they were easy for him, he could make them easy for her. Brian took the guitar from her when she offered it, flashing a grin of his own. He tossed the strap over his shoulder and gave the guitar a couple of strums, smiling to himself. "It sounds great, you did a good job," he told Sasha. "Just make sure the other ones sound this great and we'll be good to go."

Zacky grunted when Jimmy pulled him into his body, glaring at the drummer. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he grumbled. He huffed. So that's what this was, huh? He was trying to hook them up? He wasn't just trying to get them to be nicer to each other, he was trying to get them to fuck. "I wouldn't fuck Rosalie if she was the last clean girl in the world, understand? So leave me the fuck out of this." He managed to get out of Jimmy's grip and walked away, rolling his eyes when he heard him say something about Zacky being on his man period. So what if he was? He just hadn't been feeling all that great ever since Rosalie told him the band would be better off without him. It was just sitting in the back of his head, taunting him.

---

Sasha smiled a bit more sincerely at Brian's words, glad she'd done a good job. She looked up at him and nodded her head. "Thanks," she said. She grabbed another one of his guitars and set it up as well, playing a few chords on it before she handed it to him, trading off and setting the other one back down. "How's that one?" Just because it sounded good to her didn't mean that it sounded good to him, so she always liked to have a second opinion. After all, he was the musician, not her. She was feeling a little less awkward now, which was good. She wasn't sure how long she would have been able to handle the awkwardness between them if it had lasted any longer. At least he wasn't being an ass like he had this morning. He wasn't acting like she didn't exist anymore.

"Somebody's on his man period," Jimmy grumbled as Zacky walked away.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "No, you're just pissing him off," she said. "You're pissing me off, too. I don't know where this little idea of yours came from, but me and Zacky aren't going to fuck each other. Okay? I don't fuck fat losers. I can do better than him. Way better. So leave us both alone." It seemed like Jimmy's little plan to get them to get along had worked for a little while, but they were quickly devolving back into their usual little rut. And if Jimmy kept pushing, all he was going to do was seriously piss the two of them off. Rosalie reached into her coat pocket for her pack of cigarettes, pulling out another and lighting it before shoving her pack back into her pocket. She let the cigarette dangle between her lips as she walked through the venue, making her way to the stage where the boys would be doing their sound check soon.

---

Brian handed the guitar in his hands back to Sasha, taking the second one she handed to him. He gave it a few strums, smiling at the sound. He absolutely loved the feeling of a guitar in his hands. He looked up at Sasha with the same slight smile on his face. "This one's great, too," he said. He handed it back to her, taking the one he would need to start off the sound check. "I'm sure they'll all sound great. Just make sure they sound this good for the show tomorrow night." Brian gave Sasha a wink before he walked off with his guitar, trying to figure out if he had time to smoke a cigarette before the sound check. But when he heard Larry shouting at Jimmy to just get behind his kit already, he knew he didn't.

Zacky was about to take a smoke when he heard his name being called. He groaned, but was kind of relieved anyways because now he had something to do to clear his mind and keep him occupied for a while. He headed over to Tom, grinning at the man as he took his guitar. When he asked where the food was, Zacky pointed over to the table that held an array of different foods and drinks. He reminded Tom to keep the food away from the equipment before he headed out on the stage, pulling the strap over his head. He nestled it onto his shoulder and grabbed one of his picks before he walked over to his microphone. He reached up and tapped it to make sure it was working before he waited for Jimmy to cue them in.

---

Sasha nodded her head, watching him walk away. She was glad he hadn't acted weird around her. It made things a ton easier, and she didn't feel all that bad anymore. She turned around and bumped into tom, her eyes widening when the cup in his hand tipped over and spilled onto Brian's setup. She gasped and quickly bent over, shouting at him to get her a towel. She tried to use her hands to wipe off some of the liquid, which she soon found out was Coke, but it had already seeped in. When Tom handed her the towel, she frantically wiped at the machine, her heart racing in her chest. "They can't start-" But it was too late. She heard Jimmy's drums start, and she knew she was fucked. When she heard Brian's guitar kick in and release a god-awful screech, she felt her heart plummet into the pit of her stomach.

Whoops

Rosalie dragged one of the smaller boxes that held pieces of Jimmy's drumset over in front of the stage and sat down, taking the last few drags from her cigarette before she stomped it out on the concrete floor and stuffed the butt into her pocket. She watched as the guys mingled around on stage, preparing to start sound check, and she smiled when she heard Jimmy's drums kick in, ready to hear them play. But then Brian's guitar kicked in, and instead of the beginning notes of the song, a terrible sort of screech came from the amp, and Rosalie knew something was wrong. She stood up and had Matt help her onto the stage as Larry came from the side of stage, waving his arms around and asking what the fuck had happened. The guys all shrugged their shoulders, but behind Larry Rosalie could see Tom and Sasha fretting over Brian's setup, and it looked like Sasha had a towel in her hand. The blonde crept over to the crew. "What happened?" she asked.

"Sasha bumped into me and I spilled my coke on Brian's amp," Tom answered.

---

Brian grinned as he heard Jimmy's drums kick in, readying his fingers on the frets. He counted himself in and then strummed the first note, shocked when instead of the note, he heard a terrible screeching. Instantly Larry was on stage, asking what the fuck happened. Everyone shrugged. "I don't know, the guitars sounded fine when I tested them out with Sasha a few minutes ago," Brian said. Saying her name, he glanced back to where the crew was congregated and he saw Tom, Sasha, and Rosalie all grouped around his setup. What the fuck was going on? With Larry, Brian walked over to the crew and Rosalie.

"What happened to the setup?" Larry asked, looking pointedly at Sasha. "Why are you holding a towel?" He reached out and touched the amp, and even Brian could tell that something sticky had been spilled on it. "And why is it sticky?"

"It's my fault," Tom put in. "I was carrying my coke too close to the amp and I accidentally spilled it on the amp when Sasha bumped into me."

Zacky was ready to play when Brian's guitar made an intense screeching sound that he only imagined was what Rosalie sounded like in bed. He made a face, watching as Larry came out, asking what was going on. He watched as Rosalie walked over to the side of the stage, followed by Larry and Brian, as well as Jimmy. He figured he might as well go over too, just to make sure his amp wasn't fucked as well. He made his way over and stood by Jimmy, raising an eyebrow as he watched Tom explain what happened. He frowned, shaking his head. "I told you to keep food away from the equipment, man," he said, wondering if his tech had even heard him at all. He could tell Sasha felt awful for what happened, and she probably blamed herself. And he just hoped that Brian didn't blame her, because it really wasn't her fault.

---

Sasha frowned when people began walking over. She felt awful about this, because she didn't know if the amp was salvageable. She looked at anything but Brian, feeling like she might puke. "I'm so sorry," she muttered. She began to feel overwhelmed by the amount of people surrounding her, feeling her chest start to tighten. She quickly excused herself and rushed to the bathroom, leaning against a sink and taking deep breaths. She managed to calm herself down before she went into a full-blown panic attack, frowning when tears began to form in her eyes. She knew she had a job to do, she knew she should be out there trying to fix things. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this job. Maybe she should just stick to bands that only had a couple thousand fans, not bands that had millions. One of her foster parents had always punished her when she messed up, so her natural reaction when she messed something up was to fear for her own safety. She couldn't help it.