Down With Love
Chapter 1
“So, let me get this straight,” I said, looking my best friend straight in the eye. “Your cousin is visiting?”
“Yes,” he replied. The rest were watching the two of us with bated breath. None of us wanted to see that girl.
“Hollister tank tops, anorexic, blonde hair, miss queen-of-the world?” I asked.
Matt hesitated, and nodded.
“The one who thought I should diet,” I pinched my non-existent stomach fat, “and refused to even make food for Zacky?”
He looked down. “Yeah… her,” He muttered quietly, avoiding eye contact.
“… And you’re asking us to be nice to her?”
“Well, she’s changed…” Matt tried to defend himself. “She’s only staying for the summer…”
“WAIT WHAT?!” I leapt up. “You said a few days!”
“I said she’d be here in a few days…” Matt grumbled. “She’s staying with us for all of Warped, she’s gonna sell merch,” He bit his lip “She’s sweet, don’t worry…”
“Oh yeah, she was real sweet to us,” I drawled sarcastically. “What the hell, Shadows,” I muttered, shuffling out of the bus.
“Sorry dude, but I’m on his side,” I heard Zacky from the bus, and soon he was walking in stride with me. “I can’t believe he’s invited her,” Zacky said angrily. “And he didn’t even run it by us first! It’s just ‘oh by the way, Anna’s coming. She’s going to be here all summer. You know, she’s the one that hates your guts- figuratively and physically’!” Zacky rolled his eyes.
I just nodded silently. “I think I’m gonna need a beer,” I muttered.
“Or five,” Zacky agreed, and we headed down to the tents. “At least we get a few days of Warped without her,” He smiled.
----------
“Hooooly shiiiit!” Synyster Gates exclaimed. It was summer 2004, and he, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ and Johnny Christ were on their way down to the catering tents to get beer.
“Dibs, dude!” Jimmy shouted.
“Fuck no, dude, I saw her first!” Syn protested. Johnny just laughed. The object of their comments was a girl with blonde hair down to her waist, a peach pink tank top which exposed her flat-as-a-board stomach. Her low cut jeans were faced and ripped, and it was obvious that they cost more than all of them made in a year. It’s true. She wasn’t the type of girl you saw on Warped Tour every day.
Jimmy silently slipped a tenner into the third man’s hand, and strode over towards the girl. Synyster Gates tried to follow, but Johnny Christ held him back.
“You bastard!” Syn struggled. But Jimmy had already reached the gorgeous young woman.
“Jimmy,” The Rev held out his hand as a way of introduction. The girl gave him the one-over.
“…Yeah,” she replied coolly. She pulled her sunglasses down from on t op of her head and put them over her eyes, before opening her purse, which even Jimmy could tell cost even more than her designer jeans. She pulled her phone out, and dialed a number. “Hey, I’m here,” she sounded bored, and turned so she was facing away from Jimmy.
----------
“I’m so glad she was a jerk, to be honest,” Synyster Gates was lying with his head in his girlfriend’s lap.
“Who, babe?” She asked, running her fingers through his hair.
“Shads’ cousin…” he muttered. “Can you picture if she weren’t, and she and I hooked up or something?” He shuddered at the thought. “You and I wouldn’t have gotten together when we did, and I’d probably be sitting here, miserable, wondering ‘what the hell’s wrong with me, why don’t I have a girlfriend?!’, and I for sure wouldn’t have met that amazing girl who makes me happier than anything.”
“You know that’s not true,” she said, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Shads is dating my sister. If we didn’t meet when we did, we would probably have ended up dating sooner or later.”
Syn rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine, forget it,” he muttered. “All I was trying to do was be sweet, I thought that’s what chicks liked.”
“Sometimes,” She replied. “But you know what we hate?”
“What, babe?” Syn asked.
“Being called chicks. It’s stupid, demeaning, and all-around obnoxious,” She pushed him off her lap and got up, walking over to the ‘kitchen’ area of the bus to pour herself a glass of water.
“I’m sorry!” he ran after her. “Don’t hate me?” He asked.
She laughed. “You know I couldn’t ever hate you,” she smiled, and kissed him on the lips.
----------
“Hooooly shiiiit!” It was a week after the great ‘cousin’ fiasco, and Syn, Zacky and I were walking through the Warped grounds, posing for photos with fans, drinking beer, and just chilling. But there was one girl who caught my eye. She had blong straight hair, to her elbows if she put her arms down. The upper layers of her hair were black, but the lower layers were bleached. She had thick eyeliner around her eyes, and was wearing a black Mindless Self Indulgence shirt and bright red pants. She had a nosering on the right, an eyebrow ring on the left. There were lots of girls like that around Warped, but something about this one was different. I noticed that she was dragging a huge suitcase behind her, so I went up to offer to help. But before I could get there, I saw Matt walk up to her from a different direction. I was confused, until I saw Matt grin and hug the girl close, before taking her suitcase. My shock quickly turned to horror. Zacky, Synyster and I exchanged glances.
“That’s… Anna,” Zacky finally let out. I just bit my lip, trying to remember how horrible she had been, and attempting to picture our multitude of arguments, and trying to force out the naked images of her that were flooding my mind.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear Shads calling us until I saw Zacky and Syn walk over. Like a zombie, I followed. Anna. This was Anna. Without a word, I took the handle of the suictcase that Matt was shoving at me, and the five of us walked back to the bus. Matt and Anna were laughing and chatting, with Zacky or Syn cutting in occasionally. But I didn’t trust my voice to work just yet.
“Yes,” he replied. The rest were watching the two of us with bated breath. None of us wanted to see that girl.
“Hollister tank tops, anorexic, blonde hair, miss queen-of-the world?” I asked.
Matt hesitated, and nodded.
“The one who thought I should diet,” I pinched my non-existent stomach fat, “and refused to even make food for Zacky?”
He looked down. “Yeah… her,” He muttered quietly, avoiding eye contact.
“… And you’re asking us to be nice to her?”
“Well, she’s changed…” Matt tried to defend himself. “She’s only staying for the summer…”
“WAIT WHAT?!” I leapt up. “You said a few days!”
“I said she’d be here in a few days…” Matt grumbled. “She’s staying with us for all of Warped, she’s gonna sell merch,” He bit his lip “She’s sweet, don’t worry…”
“Oh yeah, she was real sweet to us,” I drawled sarcastically. “What the hell, Shadows,” I muttered, shuffling out of the bus.
“Sorry dude, but I’m on his side,” I heard Zacky from the bus, and soon he was walking in stride with me. “I can’t believe he’s invited her,” Zacky said angrily. “And he didn’t even run it by us first! It’s just ‘oh by the way, Anna’s coming. She’s going to be here all summer. You know, she’s the one that hates your guts- figuratively and physically’!” Zacky rolled his eyes.
I just nodded silently. “I think I’m gonna need a beer,” I muttered.
“Or five,” Zacky agreed, and we headed down to the tents. “At least we get a few days of Warped without her,” He smiled.
----------
“Hooooly shiiiit!” Synyster Gates exclaimed. It was summer 2004, and he, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ and Johnny Christ were on their way down to the catering tents to get beer.
“Dibs, dude!” Jimmy shouted.
“Fuck no, dude, I saw her first!” Syn protested. Johnny just laughed. The object of their comments was a girl with blonde hair down to her waist, a peach pink tank top which exposed her flat-as-a-board stomach. Her low cut jeans were faced and ripped, and it was obvious that they cost more than all of them made in a year. It’s true. She wasn’t the type of girl you saw on Warped Tour every day.
Jimmy silently slipped a tenner into the third man’s hand, and strode over towards the girl. Synyster Gates tried to follow, but Johnny Christ held him back.
“You bastard!” Syn struggled. But Jimmy had already reached the gorgeous young woman.
“Jimmy,” The Rev held out his hand as a way of introduction. The girl gave him the one-over.
“…Yeah,” she replied coolly. She pulled her sunglasses down from on t op of her head and put them over her eyes, before opening her purse, which even Jimmy could tell cost even more than her designer jeans. She pulled her phone out, and dialed a number. “Hey, I’m here,” she sounded bored, and turned so she was facing away from Jimmy.
----------
“I’m so glad she was a jerk, to be honest,” Synyster Gates was lying with his head in his girlfriend’s lap.
“Who, babe?” She asked, running her fingers through his hair.
“Shads’ cousin…” he muttered. “Can you picture if she weren’t, and she and I hooked up or something?” He shuddered at the thought. “You and I wouldn’t have gotten together when we did, and I’d probably be sitting here, miserable, wondering ‘what the hell’s wrong with me, why don’t I have a girlfriend?!’, and I for sure wouldn’t have met that amazing girl who makes me happier than anything.”
“You know that’s not true,” she said, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Shads is dating my sister. If we didn’t meet when we did, we would probably have ended up dating sooner or later.”
Syn rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine, forget it,” he muttered. “All I was trying to do was be sweet, I thought that’s what chicks liked.”
“Sometimes,” She replied. “But you know what we hate?”
“What, babe?” Syn asked.
“Being called chicks. It’s stupid, demeaning, and all-around obnoxious,” She pushed him off her lap and got up, walking over to the ‘kitchen’ area of the bus to pour herself a glass of water.
“I’m sorry!” he ran after her. “Don’t hate me?” He asked.
She laughed. “You know I couldn’t ever hate you,” she smiled, and kissed him on the lips.
----------
“Hooooly shiiiit!” It was a week after the great ‘cousin’ fiasco, and Syn, Zacky and I were walking through the Warped grounds, posing for photos with fans, drinking beer, and just chilling. But there was one girl who caught my eye. She had blong straight hair, to her elbows if she put her arms down. The upper layers of her hair were black, but the lower layers were bleached. She had thick eyeliner around her eyes, and was wearing a black Mindless Self Indulgence shirt and bright red pants. She had a nosering on the right, an eyebrow ring on the left. There were lots of girls like that around Warped, but something about this one was different. I noticed that she was dragging a huge suitcase behind her, so I went up to offer to help. But before I could get there, I saw Matt walk up to her from a different direction. I was confused, until I saw Matt grin and hug the girl close, before taking her suitcase. My shock quickly turned to horror. Zacky, Synyster and I exchanged glances.
“That’s… Anna,” Zacky finally let out. I just bit my lip, trying to remember how horrible she had been, and attempting to picture our multitude of arguments, and trying to force out the naked images of her that were flooding my mind.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear Shads calling us until I saw Zacky and Syn walk over. Like a zombie, I followed. Anna. This was Anna. Without a word, I took the handle of the suictcase that Matt was shoving at me, and the five of us walked back to the bus. Matt and Anna were laughing and chatting, with Zacky or Syn cutting in occasionally. But I didn’t trust my voice to work just yet.