Avenged Under Cherry's Sevenfold

Johnny

Ever since the day Cherry was born, it was like a bombshell fell from the sky and dropped into the laps of my brothers and I. Well, technically my brothers. We grew up together so we might as well be blood. I was only about seven or eight years old when my mom rushed into the school building searching for me and the guys, looking frantic.

"You should all come over to my house after school today," a very young, nine year old Jimmy declared. "My mom bought me this new video game last night and it's off the hook!" He exclaimed with visible excitement. I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped my throat. Jimmy glanced around at all of us. "So you guys comin' over tonight, or what?" We all agreed that we would be there and, soon after, were silenced by the teacher.

I was just finishing up some math work when a very frantic looking, out of breath, worn out woman known as my mother burst through the door.

"Excuse me! Sorry to interrupt, but I need these five boys," she said gesturing to Matt, Jimmy, Brian, Zack, and myself. At the thought of getting out of school four hours before it ended, we all jumped from our seats in excitement, not knowing yet and not really caring why we were being excused.

I watched as my mom slapped an excuse slip on the teachers desk and spun on her heal with us in tow, close behind.

"What's all this about, Ma?" I asked, walking at a quick pace to keep up with her steps.

"You know my friend, Molly?" A chorus of "yeah" rang out behind her. She nodded, making her way through the big glass doors and all but running toward the car. "She's in the hospital. She just had twins!"

"Twins?" we repeated in unison.

"Yes! Twins, but th thing is, when I left her to come get you guys, one of the baby's breathing was slightly unstable and they were a little cautious about her. So they were going to have her hooked up to an oxygen machine to see if they could get her breathing more stabilized.

"Wow." I breathed.

"Are they both girls?" I heard Zack asked, sounding interested. She nodded and he grinned wide. I rolled my eyes. Zack has always been the big flirt of the group and here he was already interest in know if these newborn babies were girls or not.

"Yes!" My mom practically squealed as she started up the car and drove off. "They're both girls and they're both so precious." I smiled at my mom's enthusiasm.

It wasn't a long drive before we made it to the hospital. When we arrived, Dave, Molly's husband was there along with Brian and Jimmy's mothers. I knew where Zack's mom was. At home, caring less about whether or not he was in school or skipping. And I knew where Matt's mom was. At work. I saw the sleepy smile on Molly's face as she held a small little girl in her arms. The guys surrounded the bed and made coos and choruses of "awes". I stepped closer and got a good glimpse of her. She was beautiful for a baby. She had already opened her eyes, which surprised me. My mom told me babies didn't open their eyes for like the first two weeks after birth.

She had the brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen and on top of her head was the start of what would someday be a head full of red-orange hair. I smiled as I watched her look around at all of us, silently. Taking us in, I assume.

Molly asked us if we'd like to hold her and we nodded. So one by one she was passed from the arms of each boy to the other and finally, I got to hold her. As I held her, it felt like a privilege. Like I should be honored to be holding this little girl in my arms. She reached up and grabbed for the chain around my neck that held the guitar pick to my very first bass guitar. There was a story behind it, but that was another story to tell. I knew already that this little girl had a mind all of her own. I gently tried pulling her hand away and shook my head.

"No, no." I spoke softly to her, but she went for it again no sooner than I'd managed to detach her hand and with on solid tug, she hand unlatched it from around my neck and was studying it with interest. As I watched her in that moment, I knew she would always be one that would have to have what she wants...and she would get it.

I shook my head at the memory and smiled. That was the day our lives changed forever.

Cherry was my best friend. I always loved her company. It was especially cool to have her around because she like the only person in the whole world that's all grown up now and is still shorter than me. I snickered to myself at that thought which brought attention to me.

"What are you laughing about?" Cherry asked, dragging her attention away from the paper she was reading. I shook my head.

"Nothing, just thinking." She laid the paper down on the counter and walked over to me, lifting herself up onto the counter to sit next to where I stood and nudge my leg with her bare foot, causing me to look up at her.

"What should we do today?" She asked with a playful smile. I smiled and shrugged.

"Well, the guys and I don't have practice today, so..." my voice trailed off as I let her think of something to do.

"How about we find the guys and see if they wanna go to the park?" she asked, smiling that bright familiar smile that looked like it might break her face if she smiled any bigger.

"The park?" I asked, lifting a brow. "As in swings and slides and all that?" She giggled, mid sentence.

"No, silly you! I meant an amusement park," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh." I nodded. "Yeah, sounds good to me." I said with a shrug of my shoulder. She squealed and clasped her hands together excitedly.

"Great!" Instead of jumping down from the counter, she jumped onto my back, "Now give me a piggy back ride to Matt's room!" she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." I laughed and ran her up the stairs to Matt's room. I put her back down gently on her feet once we'd reached the top platform and watched as she crept up to Matt's door and peaked through the small open space. She waved me over with her hand.

"He sleeping," she whispered, smiling a mischievous smile. I shook my head and backed away with my hands in the air, already knowing she had some devious plan going through that head of hers.

"I want no part in it." She rolled her eyes and rested her hand on her hip in her usual stance when she was about to tell someone to stop being ridiculous.

"Don't be ridiculous, Johnny, I'm not gonna do anything stupid. I'm just gonna wake him up," she giggled. "and you don't even have to help. Just watch, that way you're there for back up if he tries to castrate me." She wiggles her eyebrows up and down and I laugh quietly, shaking my head.

I follow her into his room as quiet as possible and watch as she backs herself up until her back hits the wall furthest from the end of his bed. She looks over at me, I give her a thumbs up for the go ahead, and she charges, jumping on top of him. What we didn't realize was that he was already awake and must have heard us whispering outside his bedroom door because just before she collided with him, he flipped over so that he was lying on his back and caught her in his arms flipping her over and tickle attacking her.

"Matt!" she screeched as his fingers attacked her sides. "I. Can't. Breathe!" she managed to yell out through fits of giggles.

"That'll teach you to sneak in my room at nine o'clock in the morning, attempting to wake me up like that," he said, smirking.

"Johnny, help!" I shook my head, smiling.

"Sorry, Cherries," I said, backing out of the room, hands in the air again. "I want no part in it." With that I turned and fled the room hearing her call after me,

"You're so gonna pay for that Johnny!" I just laughed and walked back into the kitchen where Brian now sat, his hair a mess and looking sleepy eyed. "Morning, Bri," I spoke as I took a seat across from him at the table.

"Morning," he mumbled in his scruffy, sleep heavy voice. I chuckled.

"Late night?" He looked up and propped his head in his hand, glaring at me.

"Yeah it was a late night. I had to pick up Michelle from work at eleven o'clock, take her home all the way across town, then drive all the way back. When I finally get home, it's like 12:45 AM, dude, and you guys and Cherry are all being a bunch of noisy -"

"Noisy what?" Cherry asks, grinning wide as she walks in the room. Brian groans and lays his head back on the table. She looks at me, "What's the matter with him?"

"Apparently he had a late night and just wanted to sleep when he came home, but we were disturbing the peace," I smirked.

"Awe, I'm sorry, Brian," she cooed as she walked over and hugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he mumbled, now having his face buried in his arms. She smiled and stood up straight again.

"Would you like to go to the amusement park with Johnny, me, and the rest today or would you rather stay here, all alone, and get some rest?" she asked him. His only reply was a slight snore. Neither of us could contain a small laugh.

"What's good, Cherries?" Zack greeted, walking in the kitchen and heading for the fridge. I watched out she kept her eyes on his every move and mentally shook my head at her actions. I could only imagine the thoughts that were running through her head at his "question". She finally gave a slight shrug before replying,

"The day is good, the weather is good, and I obviously look good," she said, gesturing to herself and raising her brows a couple times. This made Zack turn around, a smirk on his face.

"Indeed you do," he replied with a wink. I saw the reddened tint that colored her perfectly pale cheeks as she flushed at his comment and turned her head so that no one would notice. Too late.

"So," she started, walking over to where Zack now stood, drinking a cup of black coffee, "would you like to come to the amusement park with Johnny and me?" she asked, jutting out her bottom lip in that irresistible pout that jerked at all of our hearts every time we saw it. He looked at her and lifted his brow, like he was challenging her. She widened her eyes in the slightest attempt to make them look pouty as well and he gave with a smile.

"Fine, I'm in." I smirked and rolled my eyes.

"You were in all along, Zack. She didn't even have to make that face." He shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's cuter when she does."

It was evident to the eyes of everyone that Zack and Cherry had it bad for each other. If Zack and Cherry were in the same room together, it was ongoing flirting. To the max. What they thought was discreet was actually becoming PDA without physical contact. Whenever Zack would look at Cherry, she'd look away, for fear that she'd been caught staring at him and vise versa, but when they caught each other's gaze Zack would wink and Cherry would giggle and blush profoundly. Then of course there was the fact that they were always making comments at each other. It was mainly that Cherry would purposely compliment herself, as a 'joke', and Zack would agree or compliment her double to what she said.

"So when are we leaving?" Zack asked, finishing up his coffee and setting his glass on the counter.

"When Matt drags his butt outta bed and we find out if Jimmy's coming," Cherry responded, taking his empty coffee mug, rinsing it and placing it in the top wrack of the dishwasher. She was also a clean freak. This house was never a mess.

"Sounds good. I'm gonna go get ready." She nodded in response, watching him leave before turning to look at me. I smirked at her and shook my head.

"What?" she asked, seemingly very confused. I just shook my head and stood.

"I think I'm gonna go get ready, too." With those words, I left the kitchen leaving her to ponder her thoughts. I had a feeling the only thoughts that hers would be pertaining, would be ones of her and Zack at the carnival and what they both wished would happen.