Bitter Sweet Symphony

’Cause it’s a bitter sweet symphony, this life

~~~~ 8 Years Ago ~~~~
“Alina May Ives! Let’s go!”

I rolled my eyes has my best friend, Julianna Marie Allen, yelled at me from the living room of our decent sized apartment in New York City, New York. We have been friends since we were little. We just clicked and that was it. And we’ve been inseperable ever since…well…except for today.

You see I’m going to college for an degree in art and music. I want nothing more than to work in the music industry whether it be set design, managing bands, scouting new talents, designing album art, band websites, managing tours, managing concert halls, whatever. I wanted to be involved. Music was always there for me and now was my turn to return the favor.

“Alina do you WANT to miss your flight!?”

“NO and I’m coming!”

I finished zipping up my suitcase and took one last look around my room. I wouldn’t be seeing it again for a year. I had just snagged a job working at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Don’t ask me how, because I STILL don’t know. Once I had the job for sure Julianna and I moved up here to NYC. Julianna is a bartender at a nearby high end bar to help pay her share of rent and bills and such and pay for her last few online courses before she received her web design degree. She’s amazing with computers where has I am like computer challenged. But I do know how all the photo and editing programs work.

But anyway I’m getting carried away here. I grabbed my suitcase and rolled it out to the living room where my slightly short bff, Julianna, stood hands on her hips, foot taping, by the front door.

“Oh calm down Julianna”

“Calm down! My bff is abandoning me for a year!”

“Oh hush I’m NOT abandoning you! You know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and it’ll really jumpstart my career here in the music industry. Roger is trusting me with this job and I’m not repeat NOT going to screw it up.

I hope

“Still”

“Come on Julianna Hun, it’ll go by faster than fast and before you know it I’ll be home bugging the living shit outta you, because I’ll have a year of bugging you to make up.”

Julianna smilied before hiding it with a frown.

“I can’t believe you’re going to Berlin”

“I know right!”

Julianna just glared at me.

“I mean yeah…its alright…”

Out of the blue Julianna hugged me.

“I’m gonna miss you”

“Geesh I’ll be back before you know it and everything will go back to normal”

“You better not fall for a German guy and end up staying there!”

“Ya kidding me! I’m working at Madison Square Garden! Like I’d give that up over some guy. Puh-lease!”

Julianna just shrugged.

“Be good though. May be some hot rock stars you look after”

“And I’ll flirt with every single god damned one”

Julianna smilied wide.

“That’s my bff!”

“I learned from the best”

Julianna laughed.

“Well come on or we really WILL miss your flight and Roger will have a panic attack like her did when he found out a newby was the best choice to send to Berlin to cover up for someone who flaked b/c she got pregnant.”

“I know and by some random rocker she met oversees. How stupid can you get?”

“I know right Alina”

“Well let’s go Jul Jul”

“Gone Alina Babe”

I followed Julianna out of our apartment dragging my second suitcase behind me. How I was going to miss this place. But Berlin….okay maybe not THAT much. Has for the whole rocker thing…not gonna happen. I’m not that dumb. I know when to say no and to protect myself. No way will I fall for a guy in Germany OR rocker. That was utter and complete nonsense.

If only I knew what the future had in store for me

~~~~ 11 Months Later ~~~~~

“Alina!”

“Yes?”

“Come here please hunny”

“Coming”

Well here I was in Berlin and I was leaving in a month. Man time really did fly by. I was almost sad about it. I loved Berlin and it made me realize that I wanted to be able to travel too with my job. Seeing has how much they have loved me here it probably wouldn’t be too too hard to get a recommendation to go intern/ help out somewhere else. Like Paris or London or Australia of New Zealand or Ireland or or or or…Russia! Don’t ask why I just exclaimed Russia. First thing that popped into my head hehe.

I walked into my boss Andrea’s office and sat down across from her desk.

“Yes Andrea?”

“I just want to say that on behalf of everyone here we are sincerely going to miss you”

“I don’t leave for another month though”

“Oh we know I just wanted to make sure that you knew. Besides we’re going to be busy for a lot of this month with a band that’s doing a long series of concerts here in Berlin. Some paid, some benefit, some personal.”

“Awesome what’s the band?”

“Avenged Sevenfold”

My eyes went wide and I knew I jumped a bit in my seat and my voice rose.

“Seriously!?”

Andrea looked a little taken aback.

“Yes. They’re from America like yourself. They were happy to hear we had an American here who can speak German also.”

I couldn’t help but blush. This was going to be awesome! I loved Avenged Sevenfold. They were one of my top favorite bands ever! These guys rocked like nobodys business.

“This is amazing! When do they get here?”

“Tonight”

I was so excited I couldn’t handle my excitement.

~~~~ That Night ~~~~

I stood waiting with Andrea in her office for the guys of Avenged Sevenfold to arrive. They were on their way from their hotel right now. I was bouncing slightly on the balls of my feet and trying to suppress my utter excitement at meeting them. Suddenly I heard voices and men joking around with each other. I took a deep breath.

This is it.

In walked M. Shadows or Matt followed by the band’s manager. After him came Johnny Christ and Zacky Venegence or Johnny and Zack. Jimmy, The Rev, followed and bringing up the rear was The Synyster Fucking Gates himself, Brian Haner Jr.

When I saw Brian my heart stopped beating and out eyes locked. My stomach started to grow butterflies as fast as rabbits multiply. He was WAY hotter in person than his photos and videos. They didn’t do him justice. My heart continued to pound has we were introduced to the band members. When we reached Brian I reached out my hand to shake his and he just stared at it and shoved his hands into his pockets and looked around.

The smile faded from my lips but my heart still pounded if not even harder. I wanted him to notice me, to like me, to want me…and it scared the shit outta me. But I think most of all at this very moment I wanted him to acknowledge that I was there to help them out.

“Come on Brian shake the girls hand. She’s our guide by the way”

With that Brian looked over at me shocked.

“What are you 16?”

“Actually I’m 22 asswhole”

OH SHIT!