And She Was Strong.

The drive was peaceful, not too long or too short. And, of course, both Matthew and Lily were most content in the presence of one another. Their drive to the concert hall where Avenged Sevenfold would be performing at was relatively close to the coffee shop where Lily worked, though- and Matthew would never admit this aloud- he wished that it was just a bit further away, as he genuinely enjoyed spending his time alone with lily.

Both Matthew and Lily never once ran out of things to talk about. They spoke of things some may find a bit dry and bland, but those two couldn’t have been more enthralled in the conversation at hand; Lily asked Matthew how the tour had been, and he replied with a simple: “It was fun. They always are.” In return, Matthew asked Lily how her job at the coffee shop was coming along, of which she answered easily: “It’s fine, just tiring and long.”

Again, neither of the two realized the faulty lies both had spewed from their lips; those lies fell silent in the car and held themselves in the air, remarkably unnoticed. And, to be perfectly honest, it was a little disheartening; though both cared deeply for one another, neither could bring themselves to tell the truth. Neither could give their emotions up, though both trusted each other unconditionally.

Matthew had experienced what would come to be known as depression, something he only knew he couldn’t handle on his own. The depression struck him in the middle of the night, clawing and ripping and growing in his mind until he fell back into an unrestful sleep. Matthew would often feel an emptiness, hollow and cold and bitter in his chest that couldn’t be cured by the company of his band mates. He self-medicated on sex and alcohol, which made him feel alright for a moment… Although, soon after, he would feel alone and, to a greater extent, guilty. Depression was what would be the death of Matthew, he was sure of it.

Lily, on the other hand, had a case much different than that of Matthew, an inescapable situation that had left hands other than her own unclean. What’s worse, she was trapped and bound in something bigger and uncomprehendable to everyone but one: a man born two-faced and evil who didn’t care who or what he bruised along the way, as long as he could control what needed to be controlled, and kept secret what needed to be preserved for those innocent and foolish.

Lily held both of those traits, as well as he most dominant: naivety. In the end, that was what caused her all of her troubles. And it was a shame, too, a fate some may find worse than that of Matthew. Of course, both had their troubles, and- coincidentally enough- both chose for those issues to remain silent, and to keep themselves unhappy in their solitude. But, sometimes…

It’s alright, just pretending.

When they arrived at their destination, everyone was looking around for Matthew; he had disappeared just after the band had finished their sound check, and Avenged Sevenfold would be up next, just after their opening act.

One of the technical support workers was the first to spot him, exclaiming while rushing toward him: “Fucking Christ! You’re on in less than ten minutes!”

“Cutting it close,” he replied, “I know. I had to pick someone up before the show.”

“Well,” the man replied, placing a hand on his shoulder before leading him out toward the side of the stage; there, Matthew found the rest of the band waiting for him, all wearing looks of mild to moderate worry on their faces. “It must have been pretty fucking important for you to drop everything just to-”

“Shads!” Jimmy’s voice called; he had to speak loudly above the music pumping through the speakers on stage. “When did you get here?”

The technical assistant walked off, probably to inform those in charge that Matthew had, in fact, been found, and that the should could proceed on without another hitch.

“A few minutes ago,” he replied just as loudly. “I had to pick up Lily.”

And it seemed that saying her name even cheered him up; her name was like sunshine on his breath, and, as it slipped out, stuck to his clothing and sank into his chest. The sunshine lightened his heart. He was ready. Tonight would be fantastic, and Matthew was more ready than he had ever been before.

The band ahead of them had just finished their last song, and the roadies were beginning to pack up their things.

Everyone was antsy, trying their hardest to conceal their squirms. These attempts, however, were fruitless, and did not go unnoticed; rather, they went unridiculed, as all of them were far too ready for their own good.

“Where’s Lily at?” Johnny finally asked, breaking the tension.

Matthew shrugged. “She’s waiting in the dressing room until the show starts, I think; she doesn’t really like coming to these things where there’s a lot of people. You know.”

“I can’t believe you got her to come,” Zacky said, shaking his head with a smile. “God, I missed her.”

“Me too,” Matthew agreed. And he did, there was absolutely no doubt about that. There was no doubt that any of them had missed Lily; she was just so full of happiness that her good moods seemed to rub off on them. Maybe that’s what drew them to her, what made her so irresistible to everyone- especially Matthew. He didn’t really know how the happiness would break into his life if he didn’t have Lily there spoon-feeding it to him.

A man with a walkie-talkie and a headset walked quickly up to the band, a microphone in his hand. “Alright guys,” he said, handing the microphone to Matthew after he reached them, “you’re up now. You all ready?”

“Damn it, what do you think?” Brian exclaimed incredulously. He just rolled his eyes at the man and made his way out onto the stage without another word. The others followed him, quick at his heels… All except for Matthew.

He took a few deep breaths, unhooking his glasses from the collar of his shirt, then put them on with a purpose.

There was suddenly a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around, then looked down, right into the eyes of Lily. She was smiling up at him, her eyes as bright as the lights on stage.

“Go,” she said. “I’m so happy for you.”

And right then, he was sure that he didn’t want to be anywhere else but in Huntington Beach, playing a show, knowing that Lily was right there with him.

He smiled back at her, then turned away to walk on stage.

Fuck, Lily, Matthew thought. You’re beautiful.

And so she was.