Just Stay With Me Awhile

"Hey, you must be the new hair girl." Matt Sanders, known to legions around the world as M. Shadows, said to the girl with long dark brown hair that had blonde and red streaks through it. She nodded, and shook the hand that he offered.

"Yes, that would be me." She agreed.

"What's your name?" Johnny, the bassist of the band, asked eagerly, wanting to know her better. She smiled, letting him know that his intentions were to no avail.

"I'm Lili." She said.

"Whatever." A guy with dark hair muttered, sauntering off towards the bus. She looked confusedly at him, then back at the two guys she did know.

"Uh, just ignore Zacky, Lili." Matt told her. "He's like that to everybody except us."

"And Gena." Johnny announced. "Speak of the devil..."

"Look here. I don't know who the hell you are, but I need to make one thing clear." A woman said, walking briskly up to Lili, a hard look on her face.

"What, exactly, woudl that be?" Lili asked, standing her ground. She didn't know who this woman was, but from what she did know about Avenged Sevenfold, their ranks did not include a female band member. Which meant she didn't need to take this woman's shit.
"You need to not be slutty around my Zacky. Because he's mine. And if you mess with what's mine, I'll mess you up." The woman said.

"I'd like to see you try." Lili said, a fake smile on her face. "I've pinned Billy Joe Armstrong on the ground."

"Dude, Gena, she's not a groupie. She's the new hairstylist. So back off." Matt told her, stepping between the two.

"I just want to make sure she realizes her place." Gena said to Matt.

"I don't care, you need to just back off. 'Cuz we don't want her to quit." Matt sighed. Gena just sighed impatiently, then stalked off to the bus where Zacky was. Matt turned back to Lili.
"I'm sorry about that." He told her.

"It's okay. I can hold my own." She replied.

"I noticed. You pinned Armstrong, eh?" He asked her. She smiled, then nodded.

"Yeah. We were play wrestling, though. Might have turned out differently if it was an actual fight." She told him.

"Still, that's pretty impressive." Matt complimented. "Anyways, let's go introduce you to everybody else."

"Alright." Lili agreed, following Matt. He walked over to the bus, and invited her in first.

"Who's the chick?" A guy asked from the couch, a beer bottle in his hand.

"This is Lili, the new hairstylist. Uh, Lili, that's Brian, otherwise known as Synyster Gates." Matt told her. "And that guy..." He said, pointing at the guy laying sleeping next to Brian. "Is Jimmy, or The Rev."

"Okay. So...that's everybody, right?" Lili asked. Matt smiled.

"No. Well, that's everybody in the band. But our girlfriends should--" He started. He was cut off by a very pretty woman, who wrapped her arms around him.

"Miss me?" She asked him. She saw Lili, and smiled welcomingly.

"Val, this is Lili, the new hairstylist. Lili, this is my girlfriend Val." Matt announced.

"And I--" Another woman, who sat on top of the sleeping Jimmy. "Am Jimmy's wife, Leanna."
"So where's your girlfriend?" Lili asked Brian, who scoffed.

"I don't do the girlfriend thing." he told her. Val laughed.

"He dated my sister Michelle, but she dumped him." She explained. Brian glared at her.

"It was a mutual decision, Val." He told her. She shrugged.

"I'm sure, Brian." She replied, just a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"I don't care either way; I'm just here to do your guys' hair." Lili said. Just then, Zacky and Gena emerged from the back room.

"If that extra bed was supposed to be hers, she might not wanna sleep on it until the sheets get washed." Zacky told everybody. Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"Zacky, you could have walked the extra two inches to your bunk." he told the guitarist, who shrugged. Gena laughed.

"We just couldn't wait. Sorry, Lana."

"It's Lili." Lili said, walking over to the two. She looked Zacky dead in the eye. "And I don't know what the hell your problem is, but if you don't knock it off and get over your high horse, I swear to God I'll make you regret it."

"I'm technically one of your bosses. I wouldn't be talking to me like that." Zacky said, pushing her aside.

"Dude, don't shove her." Matt told his friend. "She's right."

Lili just stepped in front of him again, and shoved him into the wall.

"I wouldn't care if you were the President of the United States. I don't deserve the way you're treating me. In fact, I know I deserve respect. So you can either give me that respect, or hire your own hairstylist, because if this treatment continues, I will refuse to style your hair." She told him, looking him right in his vibrant green eyes. He smirked.
"I accept your challenge."

"It wasn't a challenge, Zacky. It was a demand. Either respect me or I walk."

"Zacky, just respect her. What did she really do to you? You don't even reallly know her."
Johnny said, stepping between the two. Brian chuckled.

"She needs to earn my respect." Zacky told him.

"Zacky, at least treat her civilly." Matt pleaded. "She's really good at what she does."

"I never said I'd walk on you guys." Lili told them. "But I will refuse to do his hair. He can go out looking like a trainwreck for all I care if he continues his little game. I won't put up with it."
"I can do my hair my damn self. How hard can it possibly be?" Zacky mocked her. She smirked.

"For a guy like you, I'd guess it would be pretty damn difficult."

"Fine. Zacky, you're on your own with your hair. Lili, please don't quit." Matt asked her.

"I won't quit, Matt." She said, turning around with a smile.

"Good. Zacky can sleep on that bunk they ruined. You can have his old bunk." Jimmy said. "I'll actually be able to sleep at night."

"You can't kick me out of my bunk." Zacky protested. Matt and Jimmy glared at him.

"I'd like to see you stop us, Zacky. Until you treat her decently, you can sleep in the crummy bunk."

"She's just an employee!" Zacky argued.

"And you're just a guitarist. A damn good guitarist, but replaceable." Matt said.

"You're the ones being unreasonable." Gena said, dragging Zacky behind her and off the bus.