Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Dawn flew out on the twenty-seventh for the show in New York. I was excited. I'd been staying out of the way when the guys were doing meet-and-greets and the like. That meant a lot of time on the bus with the Berry twins, and as much as I loved those guys, I needed someone else--anyone else--to talk to.

Dawn was originally from Dallas, Texas. She had degrees in marketing and graphic design and had moved to California for a job with a company that handled tour promotion. Her boss had made her head of the group that was working on the promotion for the "Cities of Evil" tour, and that was how she and Matt had met.

"What about you?" Dawn asked, shifting in an attempt to get comfortable on the small sofa at the front of the bus. "How did you meet Syn?"

"The guys moved to Alabama for a while during senior year," I replied. "We actually hated each other at first."

Dawn raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yep. I was head cheerleader, Homecoming queen, prom queen..." I shook my head. "The guys were just like they are now, and I found them fascinating. Tyler, our school's star quarterback, and his friends treated them like shit. Needless to say, they assumed I was just as bad as my friends. Zacky, in particular, despised me."

"What happened?"

I frowned. Six years later and I could still remember that Thanksgiving Day. Tyler luring me to his house under false pretenses, what would have happened if I hadn't escaped, and Matt coming to my rescue. That was the day that Matt had claimed his spot in my heart, and vice versa. It hadn't taken much longer for me to win over the others, too. Only Zacky had been truly difficult.

"I proved them wrong," I said simply. No need to go into all that drama. "It took some hard work on my part. I had to change my ideas about, well, pretty much everything. And...so did they."

"And you and Syn--sorry, Brian--have been together ever since?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "I went to school in California so I could be close to him."

"Wow," Dawn murmured.

I smiled. "Wow" summed up my life since I'd been with Brian. Of course, we had our ups and downs like any couple, but the good definitely outweighed the bad. I couldn't imagine life without him, and I didn't want to.

"So give me some dirt on Matt," Dawn said with a sly smile.

I laughed. "There's not a lot to give. He's a good guy."

"Are any of the rumors I'm reading true?"

"Not except the one that says he can drink enough liquor to float a battleship in one sitting."

"The strippers, the bar brawls, the harder drugs...?"

"All bullshit."

Dawn nodded, and I could tell she was relieved.

"Shads is a wonderful man," I said earnestly. "He works hard for what he wants and he will do anything to protect those that he loves."

The door of the bus was suddenly yanked open and Jimmy bounded up the steps, followed by Johnny.

"What are we talking about?" Jimmy queried, squeezing in next to me at the table. Johnny plopped down on the sofa with Dawn.

"Girl stuff," I answered.

Jimmy covered his ears. "Don't wanna know!"

I rolled my eyes and tugged one of his hands away from his ear. "Why do you always assume 'girl stuff' means my period?"

"What else would it mean?"

I shrugged. "Maybe I was saying I need a breast exam or something."

Jimmy brightened. "A breast exam? Just call me Dr. Sullivan." He reached for me.

I smacked his hands away. "You're an idiot."

"Your mouth says no, but your eyes say yes." He moved quickly and brushed his fingertips across one of my breasts. "Nice. It feels fake. Have you had something done?"

I punched his shoulder. Hard.

"Ow!" He rubbed the spot where my fist had made contact. "I was kidding. It felt very nice. Can I touch it again?"

Johnny and Dawn were laughing.

"Jimmy, please," I said. "Can't I ever just have a normal conversation with you?"

Jimmy feigned confusion. "What is this 'normal' of which you speak?"

Letting a growl of frustration, I braced myself between the table and the back of the bench we were sitting on and lifted my leg, placing it against Jimmy's ribs and shoving as hard as I could. Jimmy laughed and grabbed the edge of the table.

"You. Are. An. Ass!" I yelled, kicking him with each word.

"ABUSE!" Jimmy shouted. "CALL THE COPS!"

Matt appeared at the top of the steps, brow furrowed. "What in the hell is going on in here?" His hazel eyes landed on Jimmy and me. His expression cleared and he chuckled. "Should have known."

"You'd better get your drummer the hell away from me or I'm going to do him some serious bodily harm," I threatened.

"I like that kind of bodily harm," Jimmy said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"OUT!" I gave him an extra forceful shove with my foot.

He scrabbled to reclaim his grip on the table, but it was too late. With a grunt, he hit the floor. He looked like a contortionist, his long limbs bent and tangled in the space between the table and the sofa.

I followed him, diving on top of him and burying my elbow into something soft. Jimmy made a sound like a wounded hippo.

"Jordan!" Laughing, Matt seized me around the waist and lifted me off of Jimmy. "Don't kill our drummer. We need him."

"She's murdering your bassist, too," Dawn commented, pointing at Johnny, who was laughing so hard he didn't seem to be breathing.

"Eh, that's okay," Matt said dismissively, setting me down. "We can take or leave him."

Johnny stopped laughing and looked at Matt with a wounded expression. Jimmy slowly got to his feet, feeling his ribs and wincing.

"Shit, Jordan," he complained.

"I warned you," I said.

"Okay, okay!" Matt stepped between Jimmy and me. "Jimmy, stop egging her on. Jordan, go inside. Your man wants you."

"Don't forget to mention that I felt you up," Jimmy said jokingly. "And that it was the best you've ever had."

"Maybe Jordan was right," Matt was saying as I left the bus. "Maybe we should take stock in duct tape..."

*****

Dawn and I were at the side of the stage, watching the guys perform for one of their biggest crowds yet. Tickets hadn't sold out, but it had been a near miss. I was beginning to realize that this was huge. Jimmy had been right. City of Evil was going to be the album that put Avenged Sevenfold on the map.

Female screams cut into my thoughts. I looked out to find Brian and Zacky at center-stage, back to back as they played the solo from "Bat Country," and Matt prowling the stage with no shirt on. I glanced at Dawn. Her eyes were fixed on Matt, and the expression on her face was very familiar--it was the same one I wore when I witnessed Brian doing something sexy. If Matt and Dawn weren't sleeping together, they would be soon.

Smiling, I returned my attention to the stage. Brian was gazing at me and the heat in his dark eyes sent a thrill through my body. Speaking of getting laid, I thought, biting my lip. Brian smirked.

The guys ended their set with "Eternal Rest" and filed off the stage. The fans' cheers continued long after the crew had already begun breaking everything down.

"I wish we weren't doing a meet and greet tonight," Brian said huskily, drawing me in against his sweaty body. "I believe I saw an idea forming in that dirty little mind of yours."

"Maybe," I teased. "But the idea might have been inspired by the half-naked front man."

"What about the half-naked drummer?" Jimmy said indignantly, gesturing at his own bare torso.

"She doesn't like stick figures, man," Matt taunted, slugging Jimmy playfully on the shoulder. "She wants someone who can throw her around, rough her up a little."

I opened my mouth, closing it again when Jimmy pointed at me. "You started it this time, so don't you dare call us perverts."

"Fine, I will," Brian said. "Perverts."

I stuck my tongue out at Jimmy.

"Uh, guys?" Johnny piped up. "We need to get cleaned up for the meet and greet."

"See? Now that is what I'm talking about," Matt said as he, Jimmy, and Brian fell into step behind Johnny. "The gnome is, like, the perfect secretary."

"If he could stay sober for longer than fifteen minutes," Zacky cracked, trailing along after the other four. Matt, Jimmy, and Brian laughed.

Dawn and I wandered into the backstage area.

"What now?" Dawn questioned.

"We can either go back to the bus, or we can hang around during the meet and greet," I said. "We just can't do anything to claim any of the guys. It would ruin their image."

"Let's hang around," she decided.

I had only joined the guys for two meet and greets so far. The fans had dismissed me as nothing more than a member of the Avenged Sevenfold entourage, and that was fine. After all, as far as their fan base knew, the guys were single.

The guys emerged nearly half an hour later. They'd cooled down and, in Jimmy's and Matt's case, put on shirts. Someone had applied a hint of cologne.

We walked outside and were immediately assaulted by cheers and yells. More than a dozen kids had hung around, hoping for some kind of interaction with the band. Dawn and I stuck with the Berry twins and no one paid us any mind.

The girls seemed particularly fond of Brian and Zacky, though Matt had his fair share of admirers, too. I could tell that Brian loved this part of his job just as much as the rest of it. He talked easily with the fans, posed for pictures, and signed everything offered to him, including a couple of barely-covered breasts.

It was all just part of being a rock star. I was fine with it. Until a stunningly gorgeous girl with jet-black hair and too much eyeliner sashayed up to him and hooked an arm around his neck. She pulled him to her level, whispering in his ear.

Brian's hands went to her hips and he did nothing to stop her as she pressed her body to the front of his. He chuckled in response to whatever she was saying, and it was a naughty sound, one I was very familiar with. He murmured something that only she could hear. Flashing him a wicked grin, she brushed a kiss across the corner of his mouth.

"Time to go!" Jason hollered. "Load up! You, too, Gates! Let's go!"

I watched Brian reluctantly release his hold on the girl. I suddenly wasn't feeling too well. I hurried to the bus.

"Jordan!" Jimmy broke away from the small cluster of fans he'd been entertaining and followed me.

"I'm fine," I said once we were safely on the bus and away from prying eyes.

"It's nothing," Jimmy said. "You know that, don't you?"

"It didn't look like nothing," I muttered.

"She thinks he's single," Jimmy reminded me.

"So?" I snapped. "He doesn't have to act like he is."

"Sunshine." Jimmy took one of my hands in his, lifting it to his lips and kissing it. "We talked about this. You claimed you understood and that you could handle the things that go on. This is going to happen until he tells everyone he's engaged."

I sighed. Jimmy was right. But..."He doesn't have to get so snuggly with these girls," I grumbled.

Zacky clambered onto the bus at that moment, leading Johnny, Brian, Matt, Dawn, Jason, and Matty. Jimmy dropped my hand and immediately set out to distract the others. Brian approached me.

"Let's go to the back," he proposed, planting soft kisses on my neck. "And you can describe to me the ideas you had earlier, maybe demonstrate a few of them."

The last of my anger and jealousy faded. The exchange with that girl had been Brian playing his role as Synyster Gates. It was all an act. The guys had an image to maintain. I was talking to Brian Haner Jr. My fiancé.

I won't be one of those girls that doesn't trust her significant other, I vowed, tugging Brian through the bunk area. He's done nothing to deserve that. He loves me.