It's a Good Year for a ***

The party had been crazy, as I had expected. A couple minutes after I got the puppy people started showing up and they began drinking, heavily. The boys played for awhile, I didn’t sing along because I didn’t know the words, but I stood in front and listened to them. Johnny ended up passed out in a bush, Jimmy had run around naked at one point, and Matt just got loud. Zacky didn’t drink as much as them, which I’m glad for. I didn’t want to be the only sober person in the house. I turn over so I’m laying on my back and sigh. It was late and I was tired, but Zacky was still downstairs. Just as I push the blankets off and stand up he walks in looking defeated.
“What?” I ask cautiously
“Jimmy refused to put his clothes back on. He’ll probably pass out naked on the floor.”
“What about Johnny?”
“Dragged him to the couch. Not carrying his ass all the way up the stairs.” he laughs as he slips his shirt off.
He pulls me into a tight hug and plants a kiss on the top of my head. I close my eyes and hug him back. Breathing in the smell of alcohol and him. Pulling me onto the bed he sits up against the headboard and just holds me close for a minute.
“Why Stallion?” he asks suddenly
“He’s a great dane right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well. We used to have this horse. It was Lilly’s, she named him duck. He was a beautiful stallion. I tried to get her to change his name, she wouldn’t budge. I figure he’s going to get as big as a horse, might as well give him a big name.” I say as I stare down at my hands.
“I like it. I was just wondering.”
“What’s my other present?”
He smiles at me as he gets up and takes his pants off. Pulling me under the covers with him. I’m facing the wall, my back to him as his arms wrap around my waist and his breath is hot on my neck.
“You get to ask me anything you want. For the next hour I’ll answer all your questions.”
“Ok.”
“Well. Ask away.” he laughs.
“Are you guys like a gang?”
“I guess you could call us that.”
“What are you guys called?”
“Avenged Sevenfold.”
“But there’s only five of you.” I laugh
“Used to be seven of us.”
“Oh. Well what happened to them?”
He inhales loudly and doesn’t say anything for a minute.
“They’re gone now. Dead.”
“Have you been friends for a long time?”
“Since middle school for Matt and Jimmy. And high school for the rest of us.”

I take a big breath.

“Who is Katherine?”
He doesn’t say anything for a minute and I’m glad I’m turned away and can’t see his face.
“I girl I thought I loved. She told me she loved me, but she hurt the most important people in my life.”
“What happened?”
“We met in high school. I loved her from the start, but she played hard to get. We all formed this little group and it just clicked. Her and Liz, her twin sister, fit perfectly with our craziness. After high school we formed Avenged Sevenfold. It was good for a couple years. But three years ago we had a hiccup on the job. Liz ended up being killed and Katherine flipped a shit. Blamed Matt. He had a family emergency and had to leave us to finish the job. It was just bad, no ones fault. She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.” He says. I squeeze his hand and urge him to continue. “Anyway. Katherine couldn’t get past it and tired to get me to kill Matt. She was twisted in the head, more so then Jimmy is. When I said no, she left me. Went out and killed Matt’s little sister. Savannah was the world to him. Katherine killed Matt too the day, he’s never been the same. Tonight’s the first time I’ve seen him smile like that. You remind me a lot of her.”
“What happened to Katherine?”
“Matt lost it as you could imagine. She had to be dealt with. We set her up and I think I may have killed her. I don’t remember. I get so mad sometimes I just black out. She’s probably dead. I don’t care. I see now that she was all fucked up and I couldn’t help her.”