Growing Up Won't Bring Us Down

It was oddly quiet on the bus now. They had left at ten o’clock to head to Rochester, New York. It was now midnight and the only ones awake were Zacky, Matt, and Brian. Naturally the other two were usually awake, but Johnny went to bed without a word and Jimmy just said he was tired. The Berrys had rode with someone else while Thor drove the bus. Zacky had looked it up and Marco would only be about halfway through her flight. At times like this Marco would have away to entertain them. Instead they were stuck, bored, at the eating booth.

“Are we stupid?” Brian asked suddenly. Matt and Zacky both turned to him, Matt’s beer halfway to his lips.

“Well speaking about you, do you really want us to answer?” Brian glared at Zacky who had spoke nonchalantly. This allowed Matt’s drink to finish it’s journey to his mouth so he could take a long sip.

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Brian snapped. He sighed, staring down at the can of beer he had sitting on the table, moving it back and forth across the surface. “I’m talking about allowing Johnny to just send off Marco.”

“What else were we suppose to do?” Matt asked, placing his nearly empty can on the table. “We could only assume it was Marco and Johnny wouldn’t have Marco on the bus.”

“We still could of fought it. There’s no way Marco could have done it,” Brian scowled.

“We have no proof anyone else did. There’s nothing we could have done,” Matt said sternly.

“Bullshit!” Brian exclaimed, slamming his fists onto the table. He screwed his eyes shut and took a deep breath in his nose. Zacky had to take pride in teaching Brian that self-calming trick in high school. He opened his eyes after he did this process twice. His brown eyes showed a tiredness that was beginning to take an effect on him. “I’m sorry. I just think that Marco has to be innocent.”

“Don’t worry, Jimmy and I think the same. No, we know the same.” Brian turned to Zacky, who sat next to him, with a sad smile.

“So I’m not the only one with a guilty conscious?” Zacky shook his head. Along with Matt.

“You’re right, we should have done something. But it all happened too fast. There’s nothing that could have been done. No way to stop this all from happening.”

They all silently agreed, staring at the tabletop.



“Mar!” That was the first thing Marco heard as soon as she stepped out of the walkway from the airplane in Long Beach at one am. She looked up only to be brought into a tight hug. When the person lessened their grip and held her back, she was met with the kind face of her godfather.

“Hey Papa,” Marco greeted, trying her best to smile. Brian Sr. sighed, giving her shoulders, which he was resting his hands on, a small squeeze.

“It’ll get better Marco.” She made no reply and headed straight towards the baggage claim. The few times she had seen her father and uncles come out the same gate she had learned where the claim was. The older man just sighed, running a hand through his short, brown hair. There was a big chance this girl would not be happy for at least a week.

Not too long later they had Marco’s suitcase in hand. The two left the airport to head over to a black BMW. As they got closer Marco made out a figure leaning against the parked vehicle. His face cracked into a wide grin and took the teen into a hug when she got close enough. “Marco Polo!”

“Hey Uncle Jeff,” Marco giggled, hugging him back.

“It’s good to see you,” he stated as they pulled back. She gave a half hearted smile with a nod of agreement. As she opened the backdoor to place her suitcase in Jeff shared a look with Brian. He shook his head, a signal that her actions were not personal. Jeff slowly nodded unsurely. Brian had failed to mention to his friend why Marco was back early anyways. He knew she was on tour with the guys, but was still clueless as to why she was here without them.

“Let’s head home Mar,” Brian chirped. Marco nodded, climbing in behind the passenger seat. As the adults settled in their seats Marco pulled out her phone. She pressed the familiar speed dial before holding the green phone to her ear. “Who are you calling?”

Marco didn’t respond as she listened to the phone ring. The adults were silent as Jeff drove towards the highway. She somewhat expected the phone to get picked up on the seventh, and final, ring, but felt a stab at her heart when it wasn’t picked up.

“This is Johnny. I guess I’m busy since you got this. Leave a message and I’ll call you back.”

As the beep went off to begin the message, Marco froze. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t find anything to say. What was there to say anyway? She pulled the phone away from her ear, shutting it with a kind of finality. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she felt the rejection like a slap to the face. She sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Brian, who was examining her in the side mirror, smiled softly.

“He’s probably just being childish Marco. Don’t let it bother you.” Marco said nothing in reply, pulling out her iPod instead and playing OTEP into her ears. Brian sighed, leaning back in his seat. When he looked over Jeff was casting him a suspicious stare. “What?”

“I think you owe me an explanation. We have twenty minutes, you have plenty of time.” Brian looked in the side mirror again to see Marco looking out the window. “She can’t hear us. I can make out the words from up here.”

“Okay fine,” Brian sighed.

Marco, who truly couldn’t hear the adults, opened up her suitcase enough so she could take out Mr. Fluffs. Ignoring the fact that she was in the backseat of a rental car, she began to brush off the caked on dry mud that clung to his fur. Once he was mostly clean she just stared at him as she held him in her hands. Suddenly she glared at the bear, angry with it, for what seemed like no reason. She tossed it over her shoulder to make it land on the floorboard of the third row of seats. She hoped it would be lost and ruin someone else’s life.

Twenty-something minutes later Marco as being shaken awake. She, reluctantly, opened her eyes to meet brown orbs. For a moment she thought she was back on the bus, being shaken away by Brian. But as her eyes took in the figure’s full features she was met with the, somewhat of a letdown, sight of Brian Sr. “C’mon Marco. We’re at my place now.”

“I’m up,” she muttering, unbuckling her seatbelt. She lazily yanked her suitcase out of the backseat and began to drag it up the walkway to the large, two story house in front of her. Haner Manor as he had nicknamed it the second time she came over. She headed straight to the guest room on the ground floor once Papa Gates had opened the front door. She dropped her suitcase in the doorway before walking over to the bed and jumping on it. Within seconds she was out cold.

“Marco that’s - ” Brian sighed, figuring it was useless telling the teen that was the room Jeff was staying in. The other man simply chuckled, shaking his head.

“That’s fine. You have one next door and another upstairs. I think I’ll live for tonight,” Jeff remarked. Brian nodded, walking out with his friend. Once he shut the door he leaned against the doorframe with a sigh.

“I just don’t know what to do Jeff,” Brian confided, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“There’s not much you can do. We just have to tough it out and see if Johnny grows a pair and sees he’s stupid.” Brian gave Jeff a doubtful look. “Hey, he does have the guys to speed up that process.”

“True. Jimmy and Brian could get anyone do anything,” Brian chuckled. Hell, they had talked him into getting him to drive them to a few venues back in the early days of Avenged. They could literally drive you insane with all their shit.

“So go to sleep and we’ll deal with this in the morning, alright?” Jeff clapped his friend on the back. “You couldn’t possibly get any solutions being half asleep anyhow.”

“You’re right.” Brian gave his friend a weak smile before heading to his room. Johnny better realize his mistake soon. He wasn’t sure what would happen to Marco if he didn’t hurry.