Second Chance

As soon as we got off the plane in Adelaide, we were ushered into a shiny black car with dark-tinted windows. There were two of these; I found myself seated in the back of one of them, between Zacky and the shortest of their group - I had been told his name was Johnny. Matt sat in the front passenger seat, making small-talk with the driver. The last of their group - Brian and Jimmy were their names - had refused to come anywhere near me since the conversation back at the Four Seasons, and had therefore claimed the other chauffeur-driven vehicle as their own.

I wasn't complaining. Past their dangerous looking exteriours, Matt and Johnny (and Zacky, of course) had turned out to be perfectly decent people. They were polite when they spoke to me, to the point that they were even trying to tone down the swearing that tried to slip out on occasion. On the other hand, Brian made a point of glaring at me whenever our eyes met. Jimmy hadn't said a word to me, but made it perfectly clear that he was on Brian's side. I made a point of trying to avoid eye-contact with both of them.

I kept quiet and watched out the window as we drove, taking in the city all around us. Adelaide was another place that I would probably never go again. It flew past in a blur, looking so much like Sydney that I knew I wouldn't really regret not getting the chance to come back. This was definitely a good thing.

"So, are you excited for tonight?"

It took several seconds before I realised that this question was directed at me. But honestly, I had perfectly legit reasons for not having noticed straight away - the main one being that it was the first time Johnny had spoken directly to me.

"Er...should I be?" I asked hesitantly. Had somebody mentioned something about the night while I hadn't been paying attention?

"Well, yeah," he replied, his tone suggestion that this was obvious.

I turned my attention away from him, looking to Zacky for an explanation.

"...what exactly is happening tonight?"

"What do you think we do for a living?"

His counter-question took me by surprise. I wondered if it was safe to answer truthfully. The worst case scenario in my mind, as always, involved death. I was stuck between two of them in the back of a practically window-less car - nobody in the street would be able to tell if I needed assistance, at any rate. Seeing that they were waiting for my answer, I sighed in defeat and braced myself.

"Drug dealers," I finally admitted. "Or smugglers, I guess, since you're not from here. Are you a faction of the mafia or something?"

"Holy shit." My eyes flicked to Matt as he spoke; he had turned in his seat to stare at me. "You're being serious."

Zacky and Johnny were both laughing, the latter clutching his stomach for support. Even the driver was chuckling lightly. I glanced around at the three of them before returning my confusion to the amused Matt. Mercifully, he didn't make me wait for my correction.

"We're not a part of any mafia," he assured me. "Nor do we have anything to do with dealing drugs. We're a band."

"A band?" I repeated. "...you're musicians?"

"Yes."

I took a moment to try wrapping my head around this. Now that the idea had been planted in my head, I could definitely see it. There were girls at school who carried pictures of rockstars in their folders, dressed just like these guys. I felt foolish for not having thought of it myself - but then I was able to justify the fact that my mind had jumped to conclusions of the worst kind. Because really, what were the odds?

"What band?"

"Avenged Sevenfold," Zacky informed me. He patted my arm. "It's on the back of the jacket."

I peered over my own shoulder, trying to get a look at the back of the leather jacket I was still wearing. I caught a glimpse of something white, but was unable to make out what it was. I was going to have to wait to get a better look at it. I glanced back at the three men, all watching me expectantly.

"I've never heard of you." Zacky and Matt both nodded, clearly having expected as much; Johnny looked miffed. "Sorry. I'm not really into death metal."

He snorted.

"We're not a death metal band. We're the world's best band. Just you wait until tonight. One show and you'll be hooked."

They said no more on the subject, leaving me to wonder what was in store. It wasn't long before we were turning into an almost completely vacant carpark, situated just behind a small building. The chauffeur set the car into park, and Matt thanked him graciously before climbing out of the vehicle. Zacky and Johnny were not far behind him; I followed suit quickly, not wanting to be left alone even for a moment in the unfamiliar city.

We'd barely taken two steps when the other car turned into the lot, bringing with it Brian and Jimmy. I watched them climb out of their car and thank the driver just as Matt had done; they seemed nice enough around anybody else, so it didn't make sense to me that they could hate me without giving me a chance. Regardless, I wouldn't push the matter. I wouldn't be around them long enough for it to really make a difference to me.

My attention was drawn away from the two men when I heard a series of female voices yelling. I found the source easily - a group of girls who were either my age or just a little older were frantically waving from across the lot, cut off from us by a tall, metal fence. They peered in at the guys through the bars, evidently thrilled to have gained the attention of every one of them.

"Few minutes can't hurt," Johnny told the others pointedly.

Matt shrugged and nodded his head in agreement. He and Johnny changed direction and headed for the girls. Seeing what their friends were doing, Brian and Jimmy did the same. I stood by Zacky's side, glad to see he hadn't abandoned me in a moment when I wouldn't have known what to do.

"Your fans?"

"Yep. Come on. Stick with me and I promise they won't bite."

The looks that the girls gave me as we approach most definitely suggested otherwise. Their expressions were difficult to decipher, but one thing stood out for me - envy. It made me uneasy, knowing that right now I was living somebody else's dream when all I saw it as was some guy and his friends being nice enough to help me out for a few days. So it wasn't my place to interfere.

I stood back and let the fans have their moment with the guys.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before they were separating themselves from the girls and returning on their journey to the building. I fell into step beside them again, glancing over my shoulder briefly to gaze at the wistful bunch of girls. They almost looked defeated as they watched the band retreat. I felt bad for them, but at the same time I couldn't help being thankful that there was a fence between them and myself.

I was unfortunate not to have similar conditions when it came to Brian. Every now and then I would catch him glancing at me in a disapproving way before returning to his hushed conversation with Jimmy. If the fans had made me feel unwelcome, it was nothing compared to the vibes that these two gave off.

"Ignore them." I looked back at Zacky as he spoke; he was frowning as he watched Brian and Jimmy walk along ahead of us. "I know it seems like they're being jerks, but their hearts are in the right place."

How he could believe that, I had no idea. I wasn't about to argue, so I simply gave him the smile that he was expecting and allowed him to lead me onward through the building. I was just now beginning to realise that looking small on the outside meant nothing at all - it really was quite spacious, to the point that I felt I was going to be lost in a matter of minutes. It was therefore a huge relief when we arrived at our destination and were able to stop.

Matt went on to talk to a woman who promptly crossed the room when we arrived; she was in a navy suit, looking as professional as a politician. At the front of the room, some point behind her, several people dressed in much the same way were setting things up for the concert that was to happen. I watched on, fascinated.

"Looks like everything's in order," Brian commented as he watched the woman nod along to whatever Matt was saying. "We'll catch up with you guys later."

"Where're you going?" Johnny inquired.

"Lunch."

"That's the best idea I've heard all day," Zacky said as he watched both Brian and Jimmy walk away together. "Matt better hurry the hell up."

"I vote pizza!"

Johnny's eagerness was enough to make me giggle, though I quickly stopped when he turned his attention to me.

"Everybody likes pizza," he said defensively. "Especially Zacky."

"Shut it, Christ."

I left them to their bickering and moved closer to where Matt was still deep in discussion with the well-dressed woman. From what I could understand, I gathered that they were talking about stage production - how things were being set up, what things weren't working, little last minute changes. I listened in, curiousity getting the better of me. So they really were a band - that much I was beginning to believe. And that left room for me to wonder what sort of music I was going to be hearing tonight.

"Friend of yours?"

Matt turned his head slightly to see who the woman was referring to. I looked back at him apologetically, not having intended on interrupting. He sent a reassuring smile my way.

"Yeah, she's hangin' out with us for a few days. So make sure your crew know not to throw her out."

"Sure thing. We'll get her a pass when you get back from lunch."

"Thanks. We shouldn't be any more than an hour or so. The other bands should be here soon."

"Other bands?" I repeated after the woman had returned to her co-workers. "There are other bands coming?"

"Sure," Matt replied, slinging an arm around my shoulders as he lead me back to (the still playfully arguing) Zacky and Johnny. "Three other bands. Our co-headliners Bullet For My Valentine, and two support bands - Atreyu and Behind Crimson Eyes. Maybe you've heard of them? They're from Australia."

I shook my head no, indicating that I hadn't heard of the band at all. Nor had I heard of the other support band. The co-headliner was a name that I recognised, but I had never taken the time out to listen to them. No doubt, it was going to be an interesting night.