Tasting Fame

ZACKY'S P.O.V.

The two ambulances had just gotten to the hospital and the paramedics had taken Becca and Johnny inside to be checked out. Aileen and I were sitting in the waiting room.....well.....waiting.....for everyone else to get here. I was sporting a black eye and some bloody knuckles from the bar fight, and, luckily, Aileen escaped unscathed. I am really starting to worry about Aileen. She was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room with her head down, and she was crying like there was no tomorrow. I felt so bad for her because her best friend was in the hospital, but, then again, my best friend was in the hospital too. I went and sat down next to her. I pulled her into a hug, and she began to cry harder into my shoulder.

"Shhh. It'll be okay. Becca will be fine. Everything will turn out fine," I said, hoping to bring up her spirits.

"What about Johnny? Aren't you worried about him too?" she said in between sobs.

"Of course I am. He's one of my best friends. But your best friend is important to me too."

Then it was silent again. Her head was still in my shoulder, but she had stopped crying. I still felt that I needed to cheer her up some more.

"Hey, Aileen?"

"Yes, Zacky?" she said looking up at me.

"Make me a promise, okay?"

"After what you guys did for me back at the bar, anything," she said still looking up at me.

"No more Bangkok, alright?"

"Alright," she said laughing. Finally. I'd managed NOT to fuck up something good for once in my fucking life.

After about 10 more minutes of silence, the rest of the gang finally showed up.

"How's my sister? Is she fucking alright?" Matt asked.

"We don't know anything about Becca or Johnny yet. No one will tell us anything. We're just gonna have to wait and see." I said.

"That's my sister and my unconscious best friend in there, and you're telling me that I'm gonna have to wait?"

"Yes, Matt. I'm afraid that's all we can do," I said, sadness starting to creep its way into my vocal chords.

Everyone was just sitting in the waiting room. 'Everyone' being me, Aileen, Jimmy, Acey, Matt, Brian, and that bartender from the bar earlier tonight.

"Hey, Syn, who's your friend here?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Her name's Kaitlyn. She was the bartender at the bar that we just left, in case you forgot. We knew each other in highschool, and of course, you guys remember me seeing her at the bar. Kaitlyn, that's Zacky, Aileen, Jimmy, Jimmy's girlfriend Acey, and Matt. The two people we're at the hospital for are Becca and Johnny. Becca's Matt's sister, and Johnny is the bassist for our band," Brian said.

"Hey guys. It's nice to meet you all," she said.

We were waiting for what seemed like forever when a doctor finally came out to the waiting room. In all actuality, it had only been an hour, but it still felt like for-fucking-ever! I sunk down into my chair. I hate doctors, and hospitals. Tonight will last forever.

MATT'S P.O.V.

"Is there a Matt Sanders out here?" the doctor asked.

He had just come out to the waiting room, but I was so worried about my sister and my best friend, that I wasn't paying much attention to anything, so Zacky decided to nudge me in my ribs so I could talk to the doctor.

"Is there a Matt Sanders out here?" the doctor said again.

"Yeah, that's me," I said, standing up.

"Your sister's stable right now. She has 4 broken ribs, a broken nose, a black eye, and some other random bumps and bruises, but she'll be just fine after a few days. She's asleep right now," the doctor said, checking his charts.

"Oh, thank you so much. What about Johnny? Is he alright?" I asked, fearing the worst for my best friend.

"Oh, Mr. Seward? He's fine as well, but he has a concussion, along with some minor bruises and scratches. You all can go and see them if you'd like," the doctor said.

"Thanks, doctor. Hey guys, you go ahead and see Johnny. I'm gonna go and check on my sister," I said, and started to make my way to the narrow hall.

"I'll go with you, Matt," Aileen said.

Aileen and I made our way down the hall to Becca's room. Everyone else followed. Johnny's room was right next to my sister's room.

I walked into her room with Aileen right behind me, and I almost started to cry. Now, I'm not the type that normally cries, over anything, but this was my sister! She was hooked up to all sorts of monitors, and I never wanted to see her like that. Ever. She looked peaceful, though, as she slept. I looked over to Aileen, and I could see that she was getting a little emotional, so I told her to go over to Johnny's room with everyone else so she could calm down, while I waited here for Becca to wake up.

I went over and sat in the chair that was next to her bed and waited. Waited for any sign of life from her. My eyes began to wander around the room, and I noticed that there was a see-through glass window for the two rooms to see each other. I could see Johnny sitting up and talking to everyone. He must've asked where I was at because Aileen pointed to the window, and he turned and waved at me. I waved back and managed a small smile. He mouthed 'Becca' to me. I held up a finger for him to wait, and I left the room to find a nurse. I came back with the nurse and she helped me turn the bed so that Becca was facing the window. Aileen buried her head in Zacky's shoulder, and Acey covered her face while Jimmy hugged and comforted her. Kaitlyn stood there with her eyes wide open, as Brian placed his arm around her shoulder. Johnny turned his head away from the window and began to cry.

A nurse had suddenly appeared in Johnny's room. There was some arguing going on, and then the nurse wheeled Johnny out of his room. My question of where he was going was quickly answered as the nurse wheeled Johnny's bed into Becca's room.

"Johnny, what the hell are you doing in here?" I asked. Why did he all-of-a-sudden want to be around my sister so much?

"I wanted to see her," he started. "If I would have gotten to that guy that was messing with her sooner than I did, then she wouldn't be hurt this bad. I feel like this is all my fault," he said, with his voice starting to crack.

"Oh, okay. Listen, man, I'm glad you're okay, but I'm gonna go talk to everyone else out in the hallway, k?" I said.

"All right, man. See you later."

And with that, I left the room to join everyone else outside in the hallway.

JOHNNY'S P.O.V.

I was lying in the hella-fucking uncomfortable hospital bed when everyone walked into my room. Everyone except Matt, Aileen, and Becca, of course.

"Hey, Johnny boy. How you feeling?" Zacky asked.

"Just fine, I guess. My head's a little sore, though. That guy must've hit me pretty hard. I don't remember much before that, though."

"Well, Matt said that Becca told him that the guy hit you with the pool cue from behind, and then you fell and wouldn't get up," Zacky said.

Just then, Aileen walked into the room, and seemed very distraught.

"Hey, Aileen. Where's Matt?" I asked.

All she did was point at the window that was right in front of me. I noticed Matt looking into the room, so I waved at him and he waved back with a small smile. I wanted to know how Becca was doing, so I mouthed 'Becca' in his direction. He held up a finger for me to wait, and he left the room. He came back with a nurse, and the two of them turned the bed around.

Becca was now facing me, and what I saw made me want to die. I turned my head and pushed a button on my little bed remote thingy for a nurse. A nurse came into the room a few seconds later. She was an older lady, and didn't look like she'd be much help to me.

"I want you to take me to that room over there," I said, pointing to the room that Becca and Matt were in.

"Sir, I'm not really supposed to do that unless you're a family member," she began.

"I don't give a shit! I want to see her now!" I shouted, becoming a little agitated at the lady's ignorance.

"Johnny, calm the fuck down. You'll see her later, man," Jimmy said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"You guys don't get it, do you? I want to see her now! I love her, damnit!" I yelled.

There were a few gasps heard throughout the room. Great. Now everyone knows about my fucking feelings for this girl.

"You two together, or something? It's about fucking time, if you ask me," Brian said with a smirk.

"What? You mean to tell me you guys knew?" I asked, slightly shocked.

"I think the only ones in this room that didn't know were Aileen, Acey, Kaitlyn, and the nurse here. And Matt was oblivious to your feelings for her as well," Jimmy said.

"Well, how can I stand in the way of young love?" said the nurse with a smile. "Let's get you into that room, young man."

She wheeled my bed all by herself. She was pretty strong for an older woman. I saw Matt as soon as I entered the room.

"Johnny, what the hell are you doing in here?" he asked.

"I wanted to see her. If I would've gotten to the guy that was messing with her sooner, she wouldn't be hurt this bad. I feel like it's all my fault," I said truthfully.

"Oh, okay. Listen, man, I'm glad you're okay, but I'm gonna go talk to everyone else out in the hallway, k?" he said.

"Alright, man. See you later."

Matt left me in the room with Becca and the nurse.

"Could you put my bed next to hers, please?" I said as tears started to form.

"I could actually arrange for you two to share a bed if you'd like," she said sweetly.

"That'd be fine," I said.

Ten minutes later, Becca and I had both been placed in the same bed. Amazingly enough, Becca stayed asleep through the whole process. I looked at her, and started to cry. I never cry for a girl, and here I was, crying like a little bitch. This one was different. I LOVED this one. I wanted to be with her. Forever. I know she likes me, but does she love me?

I grabbed her hand and started to rub it with my thumb. I kissed her sweetly on the lips, and she suddenly started to kiss me back. After a few seconds, we pulled apart.

"Well, that was the best wake-up call ever," Becca said with a smile.

"I do what I can," I said, and began to kiss her again.

We kissed for a few more minutes, when Matt suddenly came back into the room with everyone else behind him.

"What the fuck is going on here?" he asked, the anger in voice getting higher and higher.

"Matt, I can explain," I stammered.

"Explain what? You didn't wanna come in here because you felt guilty. You figured you could get an easy piece of ass because she was sleeping!" he yelled back at me.

"Don't talk about me like I'm a whore! I'm sitting right here!" Becca shouted.

Matt just ignored her and made his way over to my side of the bed, his face mere inches from mine.

"Matt, that's not it. I would never do anything like that to her, and you know it," I said getting angry.

"Like hell, you wouldn't," said Matt.

He placed his hands around my throat and began squeezing.

BECCA'S P.O.V.

I tried to get Matt off of Johnny as soon as possible. He was fucking choking Johnny, for God's sake! When Matt's angry, he can do a lot of damage. He doesn't know his own strength sometimes. That is exactly why I didn't want to let Matt know about Johnny and me yet.

"Matt, get off of him! Stop, or you're gonna kill him!" I said, reaching across Johnny and attempting to remove my brother's hands from his throat.

"Leave me alone!" Matt yelled at me. He brought his arm back to get my hand off him, and ended up hitting me in the face. He hit me so hard, I ended up falling off my side of the bed.

"Matt, that's totally not fucking cool!" Aileen yelled. Her and Acey ran over to me at the same time to help me up. Kaitlyn was standing at the door with a shocked expression on her face. Zacky, Brian, and Jimmy were attempting to remove Matt's hands from Johnny's throat, but they were having no such luck.

Matt's never hit me before. He's never even raised his hand to me, no matter how pissed off he's been. I can't believe he just did that. And after everything my father put me through.

"Matty," I said quietly.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, and Matt looked over at me.

"I can't believe you just hit me," I said with tears forming in my icey-blues.

"When did I hit you?" he asked, his grip on Johnny's throat loosening.

"A minute ago, when you brought your arm back to get my hand off you."

"Oh my God. Reby, I'm so sorry," he said. He let go of Johnny, and left him gasping for air. "I honestly didn't know," he said, reaching out a hand to me.

"Don't fucking touch me, Matthew!" I screamed. He immediately put his hand down as a look of deepest regret played across his face.

"How could you not fucking know? How could you not fucking feel it? And after all I've been through with our father! You can't protect me from guys forever. How many times do I have to tell you that?" I said as the tears started to roll down my face.

"I'm sorry," he said with his head down.

"You're sorry? Is that all you can say? You keep telling me how you're protecting me from guys, and you're keeping my feelings at heart. Did you ever once think of my feelings when you were choking my boyfriend?" I asked, stepping closer to him.

"You're.....wait....Reby, did you just say that Johnny is your boyfriend?"

"Yes, Matt, I did. I.....I love him, Matt," I said quietly, yet loud enough for everyone to hear.

Several gasps were heard around the room. Johnny and Matt were both looking at me while everyone else's gaze was volleying between the three of us. They all knew how protective Matt was of me, so they were expecting him to do something horrible at my statement. But he didn't do anything. He just stared at me without saying a word.

About 5 minutes of continuous silence later, a nurse walked into the room. She said that Johnny and I were both free to go whenever we wanted to. We changed in separate rooms and I met everyone else in the downstairs front lobby.

"Ready to go?" Zacky asked me with a goofy grin on his face.

"Well, I am, but Matt and Johnny are talking somewhere. I hope Matt doesn't try to choke him again," I said.

Matt and Johnny suddenly appeared at the other end of the long hallway. They appeared to be deep in conversation, but they weren't yelling, they were being civil. Okay, that's good. My brother is controlling his anger, and my boyfriend isn't gonna need a neck brace. Score one point for us all.

"Hurry up, fuckers. I wanna get home sometime tonigit (pronounced ta-nigit)," Jimmy said, slurring his words a little bit.

"Jimmy, don't you mean you wanna get home sometime TONIGHT?" I asked with a small laugh.

"Yeah, that's what I meant. I'm still a little buzzed from earlier," he said with a smile.

About then is when my brother and Johnny reached the group. Johnny snaked his arm around my shoulders and gave me a kiss, which earned us several 'awwws' and Matt shot him a dirty look.

"Don't even think about it, Matt" I said after I surfaced from Johnny's mouth.

We all got into the three cars, and headed home. Kaitlyn drove herself, Acey drove Jimmy home, Aileen drove Zacky in her car, and Matt drove mine. Brian was asleep in the passenger seat, and Johnny and I were sitting together in the back, him in the middle and me on the left. He laced his fingers with mine, and we sat in silence, stealing a kiss every now and then.

About 30 minutes after we left the hospital, Johnny was asleep with his head in my lap, Brian was snoring like a foghorn in the front.

"Matt, what do you have against Johnny and me being together?" I asked suddenly.

"I don't have anything against you being with Johnny specifically. I just hate seeing you with guys in general," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and I should've already know the answer. Well, I did, but that was beside the point.

"Why?" I asked. I wanted to know why my brother didn't like me dating anyone.

"Because. I don't like seeing you hurt. Seeing you in that hospital tonight almost made me cry. I can't imagine what I would do if another guy ever broke your heart. I'd probably kill him."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I know I've said this a million times before, but you can't protect my feelings forever."

"In a way, I kind of feel like they're taking my place."

"Matt, no guy could ever take your place in my life, or my heart. You are, and always will be my brother. I love you, and nothing will ever change that," I said, letting go of Johnny's hand and giving my brother a hug from behind. Matt grabbed my hand, gave it a small kiss, and then went back to concentrating on the road.

"So, what were you talking to Johnny about before we left the hospital?" I asked. Hey, I was curious.

"I just told him that if he ever broke your heart, I'd break him in half," he said with a slight smirk.

"Damnit, Matthew! Why do you have to love me so much?" I said with a slight smile forming on my face as well.

All of a sudden, my phone started ringing with "Bat Country". Hey, I love my brother's band, even if my brother is an ass sometimes. Aileen was calling me.

"Jebus Crust here. Go ahead, Jimmy Cracker Bitch," I said with a laugh.

"Becca, you're such a tard sometimes. Anyways, I forgot that I left some stuff at my house when I came to live with you, so Zacky and I are gonna swing by my house and get it. We'll see you in a few....." she started.

In the background, I could here Zacky go "Don't fuck Johnny until I get back! I got a bet going with Brian and Jimmy on whether or not you're a screamer".

"Wow, I'm glad Matt didn't hear that. Anyways, see you later," I said.

Aileen hung up the phone after saying bye, and Matt just had to say something.

"What were you glad about that I couldn't hear?" he asked.

"Oh, it was nothing," I said.

And with that, Matt drove the rest of the way home in silence.

AILEEN'S P.O.V.

I had just gotten off the phone with Becca as I pulled into my driveway. I turned off the car, and noticed that Barry's car was in the driveway. I hesitated to get out, and Zacky took notice.

"Why are you so nervous?" he asked with concern.

"Oh, it's just that last time I was here, my mom's boyfriend, Barry, beat me up. That's why I live with Becca now. I'm nervous because Barry's here," I said, looking out the window.

"I'm sorry. I'm going in with you, just in case," he said.

We got out of the car, and made our way to the front door. I hesitated yet again.

"It'll be alright. He won't hurt you while I'm with you."

Him saying that made me feel better, and I pushed the door open. When we had both gotten through the door, I closed it with more force than I had intended to. It was the first time that I would see my mother or Barry since 3 weeks ago. Barry heard me close the door, and came into the foyer from the kitchen.

"Well, well, well. Look. The whore's back," he slurred. He had been drinking, and I could tell.

"Don't even start with me, Barry. I'm just here to get the rest of my things," I said as I started to tremble a little.

"Don't talk to him like that, or I'll slap you into next week," my mother said as she came into the room.

"I'll talk to him however I please, KATHLEEEN, so get off my ass. I'm gonna go get my things. Zacky, please come with me."

As I walked up the stairs, I could hear Barry mutter 'stupid slut', and I had to keep Zacky from kicking Barry's ass.

Zacky walked up the stairs behind me to make sure that Barry didn't try to pull me back down. We got to my room, and I put everything that I had left behind into 3 duffel bags, and Zacky grabbed my cd player and TV. We were back in the foyer and had just opened the door, when Barry came back into the room and grabbed me by my arm.

"You're not going anywhere," he said.

"I'm leaving, and going back to my real home," I said, struggling to get out of his grip.

"You will do what he tells you to, you stupid slut, now get back in the house!" my mother shouted.

"Shut your fucking mouth, you stupid bitch! I'm leaving, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" I yelled back at her.

"Don't talk to your mother like that!" Barry said as he brought his fist back.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact of Barry's fist on my face, but it never came.

I opened my eyes, and I noticed that Zacky had set my stuff on the ground, and was holding Barry's fist with his own hand.

"You will not lay a hand on her, or you'll have to answer to me," Zacky said through clenched teeth.

"And who's this punk?" Barry said, looking to me. "Your boyfriend?"

"That's right. I'm her boyfriend, and if I have hear of you mistreating her in any way, I will be forced to kick your ass," Zacky said, letting go of Barry's fist.

"There's nothing that a little punk like yourself can stop me from doing....." Barry began, but was interrupted by Zacky's fist colliding with his nose. Blood spattered all over the walls as a sickening crunch was heard, indicating that his nose had been broken.

"Anything else, Senor Assfuck?" Zacky asked Barry with a smirk.

Barry responded with a groan and he rolled on the floor, getting blood everywhere.

My mom stepped towards me, and brought her hand back as if to slap me, but Zacky stopped her hand with his as well.

"Just because you're a girl, doesn't mean I won't kick your ass too, if you touch her," Zacky said.

My mom looked shocked at his remark, but retracted her hand. After what Zacky had just done to Barry, she'd be stupid to even try to react or speak.

Zacky and I grabbed my things, and headed out the door. We threw my stuff in the back, and I started crying. I couldn't help it. I was just so stressed out over my mom, and Barry, my best friend being badly hurt, and Matt trying to kill Johnny. I felt Zacky pull me into a hug, and I sobbed into his shoulder.

"Zacky?" I asked, looking up.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Why did you do that back there?"

"Because he was gonna hit you. With the exception of what I said earlier, men just shouldn't hit women. It's just plain wrong. If they do something to deserve it, well, that's another story. No girl I like is gonna get hit, and that's a promise," he said, looking back down at me.

We just stared at each other for a second, and then, all of the sudden, his lips were on mine. It was the sweetest kiss I've ever had. It made me melt. I snaked my arms around his neck, and he put his hands in the small of my back, to deepen the effect. After a few minutes, we pulled apart, our breathing considerably more ragged.

"So, that was good," he said, while resting his forehead against mine.

"You're such a charmer," I said, chuckling.

"So, Aileen. I know that I've asked you this before, and you shot me down like whoa. But, will you be my girlfriend, please?" he said, almost begging.

"Yes. Yes I will," I said, kissing him again.

"What changed your mind?" he asked after coming up for air.

"Well, the reason that I have turned you down before is because I heard that you had the reputation of being Avenged Sevenfold's manwhore. I thought you were just trying to get into my pants. But what you just said and did for me back there proved me wrong. Maybe you really do like me, and you weren't just trying to get a piece of ass. Maybe I was wrong about you all along," I said sweetly.

"I really do like you. I've liked you since I saw you laying in my bed that morning 3 weeks ago. I'm glad that you're gonna be my girlfriend, Aileen."

"Me, too. Will you drive back home? I'm a little too upset about everything that's happened tonight to drive anymore," I asked.

"Sure thing," he said.

He took my keys and walked me over to the passenger side of my car. He opened my door for me, and closed it when I got in. He ran over to the other side, and got in the car himself. We sat in the car, kissing, for about 10 minutes before we finally decided to leave. Zacky turned on my Cavalier, lit a cigarette, and pulled out of the driveway. He laced his fingers with mine, and we drove the rest of the way home in silence.