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Vengeance Is a Syn

Everything Is Paid For Tonight

“Any place you want to go?” Matt asked me as soon as we started walking out of Jimmy’s house.

“Not really,” I shrugged.

“Then what about we just walk until we get home?” he asked.

“Yeah, that’s okay for me.”

He smiled and we both started walking towards our house.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked. “I don’t want you to be angry or sad at me, though…”

“Shoot.”

“What will you do about… you know… you and Gates?”

I was in silence for a while, and then I bit my lip. “To be honest… I won’t do anything, now. I’ve done everything I could think of to try to make him forgive me. If he doesn’t want to, I guess I’ll just have to accept that and accept him as a friend,” I shrugged once again.

At this point I had already given up. At least I still had him as a friend, even if he only acted like that whenever he was surrounded by our friends.

Matt nodded and we fell silent again.

“You’re still coming with us to Johnny’s uncles’ house, after the tour ends, right?” he asked.

“Of course!” I smiled. “I wouldn’t stay here all by myself while you were there having fun!”

“Nice!” he grinned. “I just asked that because Brian is also going and…”

“And I’m going to,” I cut him. “I won’t stop being with my friends just because he doesn’t act like that with me.”

Matt smiled again and nodded.

“Now, that’s the Hailey I know,” he punched my arm playfully.

I laughed and slapped his hand away, wrapping my arm around his waist. He put his arm around my shoulders and we walked home like that.

On the next week


“Only a few more hours and this is all over…” Emma said.

“Yeah…” Michelle nodded. “Who knew time would pass so quickly?”

We were all standing in the football field of our school, waiting for the cheerleaders to finish setting up their scenario for the show they’d play. We’d already received our diplomas and listened to the speech, and, as Emma said, in a few hours our life in this school would be over.

“I’m gonna miss this,” Val smiled sadly.

“I’m not,” Jimmy laughed. “I still can’t believe I passed the year!”

“Aw, come on, of course you’re gonna miss this!” I said.

“Maybe just a little,” he said, making all of us chuckle softly.

“I gotta admit that we all have some pretty crazy memories from here,” Brian smiled.

“Yeah,” Matt nodded. “I admit it. I’m gonna miss this place.”

“And I’m gonna miss terrorizing every single new kid…” Jimmy sighed.

“Now every kid who enters here will feel relieved to know that Jimmy doesn’t study here anymore,” Zacky said, making all of us laugh again.

“Hey!” Jimmy punched Zacky’s forearm. “They’ll never know how awesome it would be for them to meet The Rev!”

“They won’t be terrified of entering in this building, that’s what they’ll know,” Matt laughed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jimmy rolled his eyes, earning a few chuckles.

“Let’s have one last group hug,” Val said, wrapping her arms around Matt’s middle and Michelle’s shoulders.

We all formed a circle and had a ‘last group hug’, where Jimmy pretended he was crying dramatically and made us all laugh until our bellies ached.

We all turned our attention to the girls when they started speaking through the microphone, announcing that they’d be starting their show within a few minutes.

After their performance and the little concert that a not-so-famous-band-that-the-school-hired gave, we all gathered around the snacks and drinks court.

“Come on, dudes. Seize your last minutes as kids!” Jimmy smiled.

“Oh, stop it!” I said. “I’m gonna start crying if you keep reminding me that this’ll be over soon!”

“I knew you’d say that,” Brian chuckled.

I turned my head to him and raised my eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged and drank from his can of soda. “But I had a feeling you would say that in the last day of school.”

“I guess we all had a feeling you’d start crying in this day, Hay,” Zacky chuckled.

“Oh, that’s not true!” I whined.

“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Val said. “If you want to I can join you!”

“But I’m not gonna cry!” I said, and each one of them rolled their eyes and muttered yeah’s. “You’re all the evilest people I know!”

They all started laughing and I just shook my head.

I smiled when I spotted Sophie, Abby and Ray and waved at them. They approached us with their friends and we all chatted for a few minutes, until they walked to another group of people.

“It’s now, Hay,” Matt said. “Are you ready to say goodbye to this place?”

I took a deep breath and looked around.

I was definitely going to miss this place and the people I met in here. I had so many good memories of things and episodes that took place in this establishment, so many good days and events.

“I have to…” I shrugged, with a small smile. “I’ll always remember it here, though.”

“We all will,” Jimmy put his arms around my shoulders, pushing me so that my back hit his chest.

I smiled again and held his hands. “Yeah…”

“So…” Zacky said. “Ready to go?”

I nodded reluctantly and felt the tears starting to prickle in the back of my eyes.

“And… There she goes!” Emma chuckled lightly, looking at me.

“Aw, I already told you to stop with those comments,” I said, laughing, hoping it would cover my shiny eyes.

“I told you she’d be crying,” Brian grinned.

“Shut up,” I laughed, cleaning my eyes.

They all started laughing and Jimmy hugged me tightly. I hugged him back and took a deep breath once again.

I wasn’t crying because I was sad, I was just crying because this place held too many memories for me.

“Okay, okay, okay,” I chuckled, clearing my cheeks. “I’m ready to go.”

“You sure?” Zacky asked.

“I am,” I nodded, smiling. “If I stay here I’m gonna start crying in the next minutes too!”

“Just pretend you’ll be back next year,” Brian smiled. “These will be just another summer holidays.”

“Well, you’re right,” I said. “These will be just another summer holidays. And we’re gonna start living them right after we step out of here!”

“That’s my girl!” Jimmy cheered, making me laugh.

“Then let’s go!” Matt said, walking us all out of school.

Once we were out, Jimmy started screaming and picking each of us up from the ground.

We met Johnny and Lacey at Johnny’s bar and started celebrating the summer break.

After midnight, everyone was already a few drinks deep.

The waitress went back to our table and asked us if we wanted refills for our drinks. Of course that the guys had to ask for them, so, a few minutes later, we had full bottles back on the table.

“Let’s make a toast!” Zacky said, raising his beer.

“What for?” Brian asked, grabbing his bottle.

“To summer, friends, music and the fun we’ll have.”

“And don’t forget our tour,” Matt said, raising his bottle. “It’ll start next week.”

“Okay, so…” Zacky cleared his throat. “Let’s toast to the awesome summer that we’ll live, to a bunch of crazy people that are all my best friends and to the splendid tour that we’ll play next week on Warped Tour. Is it good now?”

“Yeah!” everyone cheered.

Each grabbed their beer and, after toasting, they chugged the liquid down.

“Let the party begin, then!” Jimmy climbed to the table. “It’s summer, mutherfuckers!!”

He walked to the other end of the table and climbed down to the ground, disappearing into the bar.

“Let’s play some pool!” Matt said, standing up and making us follow him.

We all took turns at playing it and, a couple of hours later, there was only Matt, Val, Johnny and I left playing.

“I think I’m gonna go to the bar and get some drinks,” I shouted over the music so that they could hear me. “What do you guys want?”

“Just bring us more beer,” Johnny said.

“Got it!” I said, and made my way to the counter.

I passed through the people that were blocking the way to the bar and then I stopped once I laid eyes on the place where Brian was. He was talking to a blonde, tiny girl and they were all smiles to each other. He bought her some drink and they kept giggling and talking happily. The moment she launched herself all over him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding him close, I just rolled my eyes.

Fuck it, if he can move on with his life and find somebody else, you can do it too.

I made my way to the bar and asked for the beers that the guys had asked.

“And what can I get for you?” he asked me.

The barman already knew us, seeing as he always let the guys rehearse in here whenever they needed and seeing as we practically spent most of our time outside school in here.

“Just get me the heaviest stuff you got,” I said.

“I’m not gonna get you that, Hailey…” he shook his head.

“Come on, dude,” I whined.

“I won’t risk getting my butt kicked by your brother.”

It’s funny how even if Matt is a bunch of years younger than him, he still intimidates every single person in the neighborhood.

“He won’t do anything,” I laughed. “But I really need something to help me forget these last few days…”

He bit his lip and walked to the drinks stand, preparing something I didn’t know what it was.

“This will help you in that…” he said as he put the shot glass in front of me.

“Thanks, Chris,” I smiled and drank what he prepared. I felt it burn down my throat and squeezed my eyes shut.

“You welcome,” he smiled.

I walked to the pool and handed the drinks to my friends.

When we were ready to leave I could say I was already pretty drunk. I hadn’t drunk so much in some time, but I needed that. I needed to forget all the shit that had happened in these last weeks, and I was actually feeling a bit happier and free.

“Having fun?” Jimmy yelled at my ear, as he approached us with Brian.

Brian smiled at me and I just rolled my eyes. “I am,” I turned to Jimmy.

He messed with my hair and went to talk with the other guys.

“Hey, what was that for?” Brian asked me after Jimmy was gone.

“What?” I asked him, confused.

“Why’d you roll your eyes at me?” he asked. “Hadn’t we agreed on being friends?”

“That’s right,” I nodded.

“Then why did you do it?” he kept asking.

“Because I wanted to, Brian!” I said. I wouldn’t tell him that I was jealous that he had already found another girl to fuck for the night. “I’m sorry if you don’t want me to act as a friend to you!”

“You’re not making anything easier!” he raised his hands at the level of his head.

I laughed sarcastically and simply shook my head. “At least I’m not fucking some random slut I found at a bar!” I spat, and he looked at me confused. “Goodnight, Brian. I’m not in the mood to fight.”

I walked away from him and spent the rest of my time there with Matt, Val and Johnny. I was done with trouble for today, and I wanted to spend the days before the tour started with my friends, at peace and without arguing.