House of Jealous Lovers

"WAKE UP LONDON!"

I shot up immediately upon hearing the shrieking command in my ear and landed on the ground with a hard thud. I groaned loudly in pain from hitting the floor. I decided that I wasn't done sleeping so I pulled my blanket down to the floor with me to attempt my continuance of slumber. I was determined to get all my necessary sleep. I had pulled a late shift last night at the bar and didn't want to get up for nothing. It was Saturday and my day off so I wanted to spend the day, catching up on all the sleep I missed out on the night before.

The persistently loud, annoying voice in my ear thought otherwise however.

"Wakey, wakey!" the same person yelled in a sing-song voice.

Suddenly, the stereo in my room began blasting the Bullet For My Valentine album at full volume, shaking the walls in my room. I jumped from the shock of hearing loud metal music so suddenly. When feeling sleep deprived, wailing guitars and drums pounding away don't help in aiding someone back to sleep. This person ran over to me and yanked the blanket off my body, dancing around my bed with it in hand. Their method of waking me was possibly waking everyone else within a four mile radius. I knew we were going to get a few complaints from our neighbors sometime soon.

"Fuck off!" I yelled as I felt a pillow hit me repeatedly on my leg.

I got up and shot a death glare at the person who was responsible for my bitchy mood. Of course, it was none other than my roommate Danni. She didn't seem to mind that though. She always had a thing for using extreme methods to wake me from sleep. She was genuinely a sweet person normally but when she interfered with my sleeping patterns, she was the devil incarnate. She was lucky I wasn't the murderous type, though someone could be driven to it.

She was laughing at my choppy hair that was sticking up everywhere and bouncing on my untidy bed. I groaned and sunk back to the ground, trying to let sleep overtake me once again. I never understood how someone had so much energy in the morning.

"Now, now. Let's not get moody, love," she said over the loud music.

I sat up and found the remote to my stereo, turning the volume down a bit as I rubbed my eyes. I scratched the top of my head and yawned, looking around for my weapon of choice. I found a pillow I had dragged down to the ground with me and grinned. I hurled the pillow forcefully at her mid-jump, causing it to knock her off my bed and to the ground with me.

"Ow!" she called as I sniggered at her expense. "That bloody well hurt!" she bellowed from the other side of my bed, lying on the floor.

"That's what you get for waking me up so early," I replied, standing from my spot on the ground.

"I had no idea you were such a bitch in the mornings to wake up," she argued, sitting up, still on my floor.

"I worked the late shift last night like I've been doing for the past week! During the day, I have to attend class and then I need to study so I'm not failing. I'm tired, cranky, and sleep-deprived! What do you expect? Mary fucking Sunshine?" I asked, flopping back onto my bed.

"You really need to find another job besides working a bar all the time," she laughed.

"If I didn't work in a bar, then how would you expect to get all the free liquor you wanted?" I questioned.

"Touché," she giggled. "But there was a reason I got you up."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's only eleven."

"Alright, so six and a half hours of sleep isn't too bad then," I shrugged.

"Exactly. Now, get your ass up and get dressed! The boys are coming home today!" she cheered.

"Ugh, you got me up for that? Dammit, I could still be sleeping for that!" I groaned, pulling the pillow over my face.

"Hardy-har-har, yeah right! They'll be here soon and I know that they're dying to see you, especially a particular guitarist who's been complaining about being away from you," she said in a knowing voice.

"Tell Brian I love him too," I mumbled.

"Not Brian you daft loony! Zacky's the one that's been asking about you!"

I was glad that the pillow was over my face to mask my pink cheeks.

"Pfft, I talk to that loser all the time. And it's not like they're never gonna see me again. I live here. They'll see me eventually," I argued.

"But this is the first day back from tour! They're excited to see you!"

"You're just saying this cuz you want to see your lover boy once again, though you just visited them on the road a while ago!" I teased, pulling the pillow off my face.

"Whatever lazy butt. Get up and get dressed! We're meeting everyone at Brian's in an hour exactly and I will not have you be late for the sake of something as arbitrary as sleep!" she said, hopping towards my bedroom door. "Don't make me drag you into the shower!"

I waved my hand dismissively in the air as she shut my bedroom door behind her on her way out. I growled angrily at the interruption of sleep and decided to get up and get ready. Knowing Danni, she would burst back into my room in less than five minutes to make sure I had gotten up and started getting ready.

I wandered lazily into my bathroom, kicking the door shut behind me as I went. I turned on the shower and pulled off my boxer shorts as well as the oversized shirt I had on before stepping into the shower.

I started thinking about seeing everyone today and how excited it made me feel through my exhaustion. Danni and I had met the guys in Avenged Sevenfold back in high school. I remember meeting Jimmy and Brian before everyone else, since they were best friends and since Brian was my next door neighbor growing up. I was always the younger person of the group but it didn't matter to them. The cooler seniors befriended the little freshman, no questions asked. We were like the three musketeers back in high school until we met the other guys in the band.

I'll never forget the day I met Zacky Baker. He strolled into my English class freshman year and sat right next to me, not caring about alphabetical order decided by the teachers. He was the one that decided that he was going to be my companion throughout high school, which I didn't mind at all. He wound up being one of the popular boys in our music scene so I was lucky to just be a good friend of his. We knew everything about each other to the point of being able to finish each other's sentences. It was hysterical to the two of us, annoying to the others.

I was really jazzed about seeing them again. It had been too long since they left for their last tour and now they would be home so they could decide what's next on the Avenged Sevenfold agenda. I was happy because it was nearing summer which meant that I wouldn't have to be stuck in school and working a lot less. I would be able to spend some real time with my friends.

I quickly washed my hair, body, and face as well as brushed my teeth, dancing around to the music from the other room as I did so. I turned off the water after I finished, satisfied that I was able to take a shower in less than ten minutes and wrapped my tattooed body in a nice, fluffy white towel.

I strolled jauntily into my room, heading straight for the stereo. I found my favorite Muse album, 'Absolution', and popped it into the stereo, turning it to track five and hitting play, the loud sounds of 'Hysteria' blaring loudly from the speakers as I smiled to myself. If there was one band that would pump me up for the day, it definitely had to be Muse.

Zacky always thought my obsession with Muse was rather unhealthy but I didn't care. They were definitely one of my favorite bands and I was proud to show it. I had a tattoo of the word 'Absolution' down my entire left hand side in cursive letters when that album came out and got the word 'Assassin' on the right side when their next album came out, since that was one of my favorite songs on the newer album.

I had seen the band multiple times, including once in England when the boys were on tour overseas. I tagged along one summer and found out that Muse was playing on one of their off days in London and dragged Jimmy along with me to see it. Zacky was feeling ill so I left him on the bus, though he was the one I wanted to go with me. Needless to say, I had a blast. I didn't care if I seemed like some crazed fan or not. There were a lot more things that were unhealthy for me.

I wandered over to the closet and started rifling through my clothing. I found myself a bra and some black boy shorts, throwing those on before discarding my towel onto the floor. I was unsure of what to wear, which was always the dilemma for me since I put pride in shopping for a large wardrobe. The choices were always endless. In the end, I settled on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and white and black Japanese rising sun print shirt.

I walked into my bathroom once again and quickly towel dried my short, razor cut black and blue hair before lying bangs over my right eye. Danni always teased me about how scene I looked but I didn't care. I liked what I liked and made no apologies for it.

I did a quick blow-dry and hairspray to my hair before starting on the makeup I would need for the morning. I applied thick eyeliner and black eye shadow as well as some mascara to my eyes. I fluffed my hair up with my hands once more before declaring myself ready for the day.

I shut off my stereo and grabbed a pair of beat up Chucks I had since high school before leaving my room. I wandered down the hall to the living room, finding Danni curled up on the couch with her phone attached.

"Texting Johnny, are we?" I questioned as I flopped down on the other sofa to put my shoes on.

"Maybe. Maybe I'm texting my long lost lover Sven. You never know," she said, poking her tongue out at me.

"Oh and you neglected to tell me about this mystery Swede that had become your long lost lover overnight?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Some things like that just slip my mind from time to time," she shrugged.

I shook my head, knowing that she was texting Johnny, as usual.

Danni was a little younger than me by a year. She and Johnny met in high school and since she was in one of the advanced classes, she met me. We became fast friends and she was one of the only other girls besides Val that I could stand to hang around. When Justin left the band way back when, she told me that Johnny played so I suggested that he stop by for a practice. Needless to say, they loved him and the couple has been a part of the Sevenfold family since.

"So, I'm surprised that I didn't have to drag you out of bed," she mentioned.

"I figured, 'why fight the inevitable?' you know. Besides, I didn't want you running into my room again and breaking noise ordinances trying to wake me," I shrugged.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked me.

"Depends. Do I have to drive?"

"I know you want to."

"If that's the case, I need something caffeinated to drink before our departure. I'm so fucking wrecked from last night's shift."

"Already took care of it. I bought you a Monster at the corner store before your wake up. I knew you would bitch and moan if I didn't have something chilling for you to inhale in the fridge."

"And this is why I pledge my undying love to you," I laughed, walking into the kitchen.

"Sorry to break it to you but I'm not a lesbian. Johnny would love the girl-on-girl but I'm just not a fan. You're hot and everything but I can't give myself to you. Maybe you should hit up Val for some female lovin'. You know she's got an eye for ya," she winked as I reemerged from the kitchen.

"Well, I have been without her hot sex for quite a while. The thought is tempting," I smiled, cracking open my Monster can. I took a huge gulp of the drink and walked to the front table where my purse was. I grabbed my keys and my phone, as well as the charger and shoved it all into my black bag. "Let's go then."

Danni shut off the television and grabbed her own bag from the sofa. We walked out of the house and locked up the door, both excited to see our high school buddies once again.

I unlocked the doors to my black '67 Mustang and climbed into the driver's seat. I loved this car so much. It was a graduation gift from my father before he decided that it was time for him to move back to Mexico. He had been rebuilding it in our garage from since I could remember, even letting Zacky and Brian help him out from time to time until he surprised me with the keys. My last memories of my father were tied together with this car.

I shoved the keys into the ignition and fired up the engine, instantly hearing The Clash blaring from the speakers. I put my oversized neon green sunglasses on and backed out of the driveway quickly.

"Jeez, with the way you drive, it's a wonder how you still have your license," Danni laughed. "Slow down Speed Racer!"

"Hey, you're the one that wanted me to drive! No complaining!" I laughed.

"Well, if you kill me or anything, I'm holding you responsible in the afterlife," she glared.

"Right-o boss," I replied, rolling my eyes.

I flicked my pink acrylic tongue stud lightly against my teeth as we drove, keeping in time with the music as we went. Danni just nodded her head along to the music, both of us enjoying the silence between us. I loved Danni because of we didn't have to constantly keep a conversation going. She had to be one of my best friends, aside from Zacky and the rest of the boys.

We drove another fifteen minutes before we wound up at Brian's house. His driveway was already crowded with cars form the others so I parked on the street near his mailbox. Danni scrambled out of the car, unable to contain her excitement as I laughed at her.

I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder and kicked the door shut with my energy drink in hand. I hit the locks and wandered to the mailbox, grabbing his mail that had been delivered and laughed, seeing hundreds of bills, letters, and advertisements for various things. I chuckled to myself when I saw an advertisement for better medical prescriptions, with a huge picture of Viagra and decided to deliver his mail to him.

I walked up to the front door and walked in, knowing that it was always more than ok. I dropped my bag off on the front table and walked into the front room where everyone was hugging Danni.

"Here's the mail; it never fails. It makes me wanna wag my tail. When it comes I wanna wail, 'mail'!' I sang loudly, doing a little dance at end of the foyer.

"Did you just sing the 'Blue's Clues' mail song?" Val laughed from her spot on the black couch.

"That I did because I come baring postage for Haner," I laughed, shoving the mail in his arms.

"Gee, thanks," he laughed, putting the mail on the table. "Now give me a hug!" he said, pulling me into his arms.

"Can't breathe!" I gasped as he squeezed me tight.

"Sorry about that Shortstuff. I forgot you're not as durable as the others," he laughed.

"Pikachu!" Jimmy called out to me.

"Scarecrow!" I laughed, hugging Jimmy.

Jimmy was the one person who found different nicknames to call me. I didn't mind it since I called him my fair share of nicknames. It was just something the two of us did to make fun of each other. His favorite nickname for me was a tie between Shortcake and Pikachu, since my hair was cut short and looked like I had been electrocuted during our high school years. He dawned me Pikachu during the time Pokémon was a popular phenomenon and used it more often than Shortcake.

I called him Scarecrow since he was so much taller than me. I only came up to the middle of his chest, which was a complete disadvantage at times.

"Freaks," Shadows muttered with a wink.

"You're just jealous Matty cuz you have boring nicknames. You wish you were a Pokémon too," I smiled.

"Oh yeah, it's always been a dream of mine to be a fictitious creature only capable of muttering its own name," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Pure jealousy in his voice. I hear it," Jimmy laughed.

"How can anyone be jealous of the two of you? You guys are just losers," an unmistakable voice said to me.

I turned around and found Zachary Baker standing before me, looking as gorgeous as ever. His dark hair was cut short on his head, allowing me to look at more of his face. There was a permanent smirk plastered across his pierced lips which always made my heart beat wildly. His emerald eyes were sparkling, drawing me in. I was such a sucker for his eyes because they were completely spellbinding. I remember one of the first things I noticed about Zacky when I met him were his eyes. They were so sincere and vulnerable, like a puppy's eyes.

The way Zacky carried himself all around was mesmerizing. He was always so confident and charming at the same time, making all the girls around him faint at the sight of him. I was no exception to this rule. Zacky was pure walking sex and there was no denying how much of the female population wanted him.

"Who the hell are you calling a loser Baker? Last I checked, you were the loser that stomped around angrily in a tantrum when losing a Guitar Hero battle to me," I laughed.

"You just gotta keep bringing that up, don't you?" he grinned.

"Well, it is the one time she seriously put you in your place," Johnny laughed at the memory.

"Come here London," he beckoned.

I walked over to Zacky. He wrapped his arms around me and immediately I was taken in by his scent. He always smelled like cigarette smoke and soap. It was one smell that was permanently embedded into my brain, instantly bringing comfort to me. I sighed contently as we held each other for a long moment, finally restoring everything that was right in my universe.

"I've missed you, you know," he whispered into my ear, only audible to me.

"I know. I've missed you too," I whispered back.

We pulled away and looked at each other for a long moment before he dropped his arms back to his sides, causing my heart to drop a little from the loss of contact. He winked at me and took a seat on the couch nearest to the door. I could practically hear my heart pounding away against my chest.

I proceeded to hug Johnny, Val, and Matt before taking a seat near Zacky. He wrapped an arm around me and allowed me to lean against his body, resting my head on his shoulder. We always sat this close, ever since high school. Zacky and I had the kind of friendship that allowed for a lot of physical contact. I could feel my face blushing immediately, causing Danni and Val to glance at me knowingly.

"So how was touring?" I asked, scratching the inside of my left wrist that held my yellow lightning bolt tattoo.

"Long and eventful as usual," Matt smiled.

"Where were you guys this time around?" I asked, taking a sip of my energy drink.

"Europe," Brian smiled. "We just got done playing some festivals over there and them we played some shows in Japan."

"You never told me that you were going to Japan you jackass!" I said, hitting Zacky's arm.

"Sorry babe. I forgot," he laughed.

"You were supposed to take me to Japan with you guys! Ugh, I hate all of you!" I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"We were trying to get you to go with us but you were being too stubborn about it. You decided that you wanted to stay home and work and go to school," Danni laughed.

"You could've told me," I glared. "I thought you loved me."

"Sorry hun. You thought wrong apparently," she grinned, hugging Johnny.

"Assholes," I muttered.

"So, what're we planning to do today?" Johnny asked.

"That's the main question. We're definitely hitting up Johnny's Bar tonight for our homecoming but don't have jack shit to do until then," Brian said, flopping into his recliner.

"We could always just hang around and watch some movies," Danni shrugged.

"That's cool. You know we'll end up talking through most of it anyway," Matt laughed.

"Well, I've got to head out. I just dropped by to say hello to my favorite short person," Jimmy said.

"Aww, you're leaving me Scarecrow?" I asked, feeling disappointed at his sudden departure.

"I need to see Morgan. She hasn't seen me in months," he said, mentioning name of his girlfriend, who I really didn't like that much.

"And we all know he needs to desperately tap that ass," Zacky laughed.

"Eww. I definitely do not wanna know about Jimmy's sexual practices with her," I said, covering my ears.

"I can't believe you're going out with Morgan instead of going out with us," Matt laughed. "Bros before hoes!"

That statement earned him a smack on the arm from Val. He just shrugged and put an arm around her, kissing her lips quickly to make her glaring facial expression go away. It always worked to his advantage.

"What about London?" Brian laughed. "She's not a bro or a hoe. Where does she play in this expression?"

"She's an honorary bro," Zacky explained.

"So I'm a bro? Wouldn't I just be like a sis instead or something? I mean last time I checked, I was a girl," I questioned.

"You have to check that? Are you making some kind of plans to switch genders on us or something?" Johnny teased.

"Definitely. I've neglected to tell you all of my plans of becoming a transgender male. My new name will be Hugo so get used to it," I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"Damn, I always knew she was a freak," Brain muttered, shaking his head.

"And yet, you still befriended me," I grinned. "Now, why can't I just be a sis or something?"

"That would throw off the entire saying if you were a sis. Just accept the fact that you're an honorary bro," Zacky said, patting the top of my head.

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Well, I'm heading out now. I'll definitely see you tomorrow though. No worries," he grinned.

"Alright lame-o. Go spend time with your stupid girlfriend then. I see that sex is more important than me," I grumbled sarcastically.

"I'll call you later," he laughed, kissing my forehead.

"Later Jimmy," Brian waved from his chair.

Jimmy waved to everyone else in the room before leaving.

I was completely bummed that he was gone since he was my Guitar Hero buddy. He and Morgan had been dating for about a year or so and she didn't spend a lot of time with the group. She hated Danni, Val, and I because we weren't exactly the kind of girls she normally befriended but it was no secret that she disliked me the most. It was mostly because I was so close to everyone in the band and she looked at me like some kind of competition. She thought I was trying to take Jimmy away from her, which was completely untrue. She didn't realize that I was trying to steal another band member's heart instead of Jimmy's. She was completely dimwitted.

"So, movies?" Johnny asked.

"Fo sho," I laughed. "You bitches pick. I'm gonna raid Haner's fridge."

I stood up from my spot on the lounge and headed towards the kitchen, glancing back at Zacky quickly. I opened up Brian's huge refrigerator, looking around for something to eat. I started finding different food items, carefully smelling each thing as I discovered it, knowing that since they've been on tour, it was unlikely that he had looked in his fridge.

I found some decent looking bread as well as some turkey that was fresh and decided that a sandwich was the safest course of action.

"London! Are you working tonight?" Danni called from the living room.

"Nah! I got the next few days off!" I replied.

I felt a pair of familiar tattooed arms snake around my waist, hugging me from behind. I smiled, knowing that Zacky was the one that was hugging me, leaning my back against his chest a bit.

"So, I get to have you for a few days without interruption?" he questioned, breathing against my neck.

"I guess so," I smiled.

"Good because I've missed my favorite girl," he mumbled, lightly kissing my neck.

When he said that, I felt my skin heat up eagerly. I wanted so desperately for that to be the declaration of his unrequited love but I knew better. Zacky always said these kinds of things to me, since high school, and only every meant them in friendly terms. I wished that he would feel the way I felt for him.

"Oh dear God! I do not need to see you two cuddling in the kitchen! There's a bedroom for that sort of thing!" Val laughed, shielding her eyes with her entire arm.

"But maybe we like it in the kitchen instead of the bedroom," Zacky smirked.

"How unconventional of you," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"What's wrong with a guy hugging his best friend?" he questioned.

My heart dropped instantly at those words but I didn't show it. Instead, I just smiled and continued making my sandwich.

"Nothing at all. I just don't need a display put before my virgin eyes," she replied.

"Virgin my ass," I scoffed.

Zacky just shook his head and walked out of the room with his beer to rejoin the clan of boys and Danni, picking the movie we were to watch that day. Val watched as he left, waiting until he was seated in the living room before speaking to me.

"You're such a masochist," she mumbled.

"What? How so?" I questioned, completely baffled.

"This strictly platonic thing between you and Zacky must be killing you," she said.

"Not really," I lied with a shrug.

"You're downplaying it. I know how it hurts. Danni's kept me well informed about it all," she said knowingly. "We both know that you're not seeing anyone because you're waiting for the day that Zacky realizes how good he has it with you."

"Seriously, there's nothing more than friendship there for Zachary Baker," I said, taking a bite of my sandwich. "Nothing at all."

"If that's the position you wish to take then so be it," she sighed.

I put all the ingredients back where I found them and wandered back into the living room with my sandwich, sitting with Zacky once again. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder instinctively as I settled against him. Val and Danni continued to watch the two of us, shaking their heads and continuing their silent conversation while Brian, Matt, and Johnny argued about what movie they were going to watch.

I just ate my sandwich, letting Zacky have a few bites as they finally settled on watching one of the 'Saw' movies. Zacky grabbed my hand, squeezing it reassuringly since he knew how squeamish and scared I got with these kinds of movies. I was grateful to have a human shield for the movie, knowing I would wind up my face buried against his chest.

"Don't worry London. You're safe with me," he whispered into my ear.

It killed me to hear such things from his lips. I wanted more than this silly high school friendship. I wanted what the other couples had but knew that it was near impossible for me to get. I sighed dejectedly, realizing that Val and Danni were right about me.

The one truth I hated to admit, even to myself was that I was head over heels in love with someone who didn't feel the same.

Another truth I hated to admit to myself was that unrequited love seriously sucked.