I Can't Remember That Was Us

"Just remember to stare directly into the camera and speak clearly, even if you cry...if you have to, stop and take a minute." the director told me as I stood nervously in front of the camera. I didn't want to cry in front of everyone in the United States, but I knew that I would. Whatever it takes to find Matt. 

"Right." I said, nodding at the short man. 

"Okay. 3,2,1, action."

"Have you ever heard of Avenged Sevenfold? Many of you have. Many of you know my husband as M.Shadows, the lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold, whereas I know him as Matt Sanders, the love of my life and husband. Matt went on a fishing trip with his friends a few days ago and there was a bad storm..." I stopped to cry a little and wiped my eyes. 

"He fell off of the boat and we haven't been able to find him yet, but I know he's out there somewhere. I know he's alive. Matt is about 6'1 with brown hair and hazel eyes like in this picture. So, if anyone sees or has seen Matt, please call the number at the bottom of the screen, please." I said into the camera with tears falling from my eyes. 

"Okay, great. That was good. I think we're done here." the director said. 

"You did great." Zacky told me as he came up beside of me and put his arm around me. 

"Thanks. That's number two of the things I hoped never to do." I told him, looking down. 

"Yeah, I...wait, what's number one?" he asked me, stopping to look at me. 

"Telling my kid why she doesn't have a father." I told him, wiping my eyes. 

"Don't worry, that's not going to happen. We'll find Matt...and you said she. The baby is a girl?" he asked me. He's easily distracted today. 

"Um, no, actually. I don't know why I called it a she... I don't know, I just feel like it's a girl." I said, resting my hand on my tummy. I was barely showing. Actually, I'm the only one who can even tell the difference right now. 

"I see." he nodded his head and followed me outside. 

"Um, Hayleigh... I was just wondering... Can I stay the night with you?" 

"Well, yeah...but why?" I asked him, feeling a little confused. 

"My girlfriend sorta...kicked me out." he told me with a shrug. 

"Zacky, I'm sorry. You can stay as long as you need to."

"Just until I buy a house. I should've done that in the first place instead of moving in with her."

"I could use the company, it'll keep my mind off of things." I said with a shrug. 

Matt's POV

"Thanks again for bringing me, man. I may not remember much, but this definitely feels like home and I'm glad to be here."

"Ah, everyone needs to go home." he said with a shrug. I felt like there was more meaning in that phrase than on the surface. We walked over to a bench and sat down. 

"Hey, aren't you M.Shadows?" a random blonde girl asked, looking down at me. 

"Uh...to be honest, I don't know. Am I?" I asked her. I knew that my name was Matt, but am I M.Shadows too? I'm curious to know who this character is. 

"You are! Oh my God! There's a number I'm supposed to call if I see you, but I didn't write it down because...because, well, to be honest, I didn't think I would see you." the girl replied. 

"Okay, thank you, but calling anyone isn't necessary. I'm about to call." I replied politely. 

"No problem." she said taking one last glance at me before walking away. 

So, Matt. Who are you going to call. I asked myself as I turned my cell phone back on. I know that I should probably call Hayleigh because I know that she's my wife, but there is a name that really sticks to me for some reason. Jimmy. I can't remember him, but his name does seem oddly familiar. 

"You gonna call your wife or are we gonna sit here all day?" Marco asked me, making me look over at him. 

"Oh...I actually have a feeling that I should call Jimmy. I don't remember who he is, I just know that I should call him." I said, looking back down at the phone. 

"Well call him. I'd like to get home before dark if that's possible." he urged me. 

Jimmy's POV

"Hayleigh! I came bearing cookies!" I yelled as I entered the door. Hayleigh had asked me to pick up some cookies for her earlier. I stayed here with her last night (I was worried because she was acting strange) and I heard her crying for the first time. I love Matt, he's my best friend, but I'm starting to think that he's gone. This hurts me just as much as it hurts Hayleigh, but I have to stay strong for her. 

"I'm here bearing child!" she jokingly yelled back at me. I chuckled as I walked into the living room and found Zacky and Hayleigh sitting on the couch together. Now, as much as I love my old friend Zack, I know he's always been after Hayleigh. He should be ashamed. He shouldn't do that to Matt even if he is dead. I'll never let him, either. 

"What's up, Zackster?" I asked as I sat down in between the two. I knew this annoyed Zacky by the look that he gave me. I've known Zacky for too long not to know his looks. 

"Not much, man. The old lady kicked me out, so I'm staying here until I find a house." he explained to me. 

"Why not a hotel?" I asked him as if I was clueless. 

"Jimmy, quit being an asshole! Zacky is our friend! Why would you even say that?!" she lashed out. She thinks that Zacky is over her. He's not. Zacky had a triumphant look on his face. 

"You know what? You're right. Zacky, you can stay at my place since I've been staying here lately." I told him. 

"Yeah, I could. Good idea." he told me. This surprised me a lot. Maybe he is over her. 

"We can all three just stay here. It'll be fun. We'll all just hang out." Hayleigh suggested. As long as Zacky isn't creeping on Hays the whole time. 

"Sure." I said, nodding my head. Suddenly, my phone started to ring. 

"Who the fuck is calling me?" I asked, pulling my phone and a bunch of beer caps out of my pocket.

"Obviously someone who thinks you can use a cell phone correctly." Hayleigh teased me. 

 The beer caps all fell to the floor as I pulled my 20 year old phone open. 

Matt. The caller I.D. said with an old picture of Matt asleep with drool falling from his mouth. I took this picture on tour and Matt threatened to kill me if I didn't delete it. He thought that I probably did delete it because if Matt threatens to kill you if you don't do something, then you usually do it. Matt is a big guy. I didn't say anything to Hayleigh or Zacky because I was afraid that it wasn't actually Matt. I then saw a button that I never noticed before that said 'answer', so I pressed it. 

"This is Jimmy...yeah...I'll be there in a minute." I said with wide eyes. It's Matt asking me to come pick him up! I hung up my phone and looked up to see Hayleigh with an expectant look on her face. 

"I gotta go take care of something." I said truthfully, turning around and walking out the door.