Work Experience

Synyster Gates was happy, happy for his best mate getting laid, happy because tour was coming to the end and that meant he could have a well-earned break in his own bed, and happy because he had just thrashed Johnny Christ on the playstation and now he was getting a well-earned victory beer.

“Seriously get a room!” Brian smirked throwing a pillow at his managers head and hitting Matt in the process. They were smushed together, limbs entangled, and lips attached; he had a good chance of hitting both.

“Fuck you,” Matt laughed throwing the pillow back and smirking at his guitarist. “Just jealous,”

“Too right I had a bet that week, I fucking lost,” Rhian’s eye brows raised a good few inches as both men burst into fits of laughter.

“Fucker,” Matt chuckled pulling Rhian onto his lap and smiling at her. “You don’t want to know,”

“Oh but I do,” She turned to Brian who had grabbed a beer out of the buses fridge and purchased on the sofa opposite them. “Tell me,”

“Nope,” He smirked breaking the beer cap off and chucking it at the bin. “Not worth my balls,”

“Tell me or your paycheque will mysteriously disappear!”

“Paycheque or balls?” Brian pretended to weigh up his options as Matt smirked and rolled his eyes. His arms stayed locked around Rhian’s waist, his fingertips had edged their way up the fabric of her top and were happily stroking the soft skin on her back.

“I won’t let him,” She added running her hand over Matt’s thigh as Brian laughed.

“Dude she is so gonna have you-“

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Rhian warned turning on Matt’s lap. “Tell me,”

“Tell her what?” Jimmy walked into the room, wearing just his joggers, his hair a mess and eyes blearly.

“Afternoon!” Rhian rolled her eyes at him. “Tell me about the bet Matt and Brian had!”

“Which one?” Jimmy questioned gazing at Rhian and Matt, a smile breaking on his lips. “The one where they bet I wouldn’t kiss that guy? Or the one where they bet they could get Taylor naked ? Or the one where they bet-“

“The first week,” Rhian added both men shaking their head at Jimmy.

“Oh,” Jimmy stroked his chin a knowledge smirk growing on his lips. “That one, well my dear friends, and good manager,” He crooked his finger and beckoned Rhian towards him. “He bet Matt that you would fire Niki within-“

“Not that fucking bet!” Brian laughed shaking his head. “The second bet I’ve lost,”

“Oh” Jimmy paused gazing at Rhian and then looking at Matt with a small smile. “The bet about her?” He questioned pointing at Rhian. Matt just nodded holding out his hand to pull Rhian back to him.

“About me?”

“They bet the first week you joined, they’d bed you,” Rhian’s eyes went wide, falling to Matt’s lap she managed to slap his chest hard before leaning over and slapping Brian thigh with equal force. “Brian bet he could, Matt said you wouldn’t,”

“Why?” She turned quickly, her eyes full of question.

“You were too good for us,” Matt replied simply pulling her back onto his lap and keeping her there. “Still too good,” Rhian just looked at him, unsure if she should smile or cry. Matt was being so great with her; they’d not labelled what they were doing but the fact he was in front of his best friends and able to be so honest with her meant something. She’d only ever seen Zacky be like this with a girl, and that girl of course was Sarah.

“And I go back to my previous statement! Get a fucking room!” Brian laughed, as the pair commenced their make out session.

“Oh fuck off not again,”

“SEE!” Brian added loudly as Niki walked into the main room of the bus, papers in hand, and starring at the couple. “You’re setting a bad example for the work experience kid!”

“Less of the kid,”

“Shut it,” Brian muttered, his attitude towards Niki still rather hostile. Niki just rolled her eyes and waited as Rhian climbed off Matt.

“Papers you need to sign it so when I go back in September it looks like I did good,”

“You did do good,” Matt said reassuringly as Rhian just took the papers with a nod.

“You did,” Rhian looked up to her hearing the silence in the room and smiled. “Want to go through these in detail?” Niki groaned and the boys took that as their cue to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Leaving you two to the shit you’re gonna talk about!” Brian replied downing the rest of his beer and grabbing his jacket. “Hoop?” He questioned the other two who nodded in agreement. Matt turned to leave a kiss on Rhian’s lips before herding the guys out.
Rhian stayed in her seat waiting for Niki to join her, gazing through the papers, and checking any forms she had to sign.

“You gonna tell him, or just let him fall hopelessly in love first?” Rhian looked up and smiled at the other girl, she was only 18 and yet so incredible insightful.

“That’s not what we are talking about,”

“Oh right sorry, from a work experience point of view, should you tell the band you work for you’ve been given an ultimatum or not? You know just encase I’m ever in that situation?”

“I hope you wouldn’t be stupid enough to put yourself in it,”

“Answer my question,” Niki replied bitterly. “I might not know the guys that well, but I like’em, they aren’t bad and Matt,” She paused and sighed. “When I was 10 I was getting picked on by this boy, and Matt told me how to deal with it, I like him,” Niki admitted. “As a family friend he ain’t half bad!”

“He’s a really good guy,”

“I second that, so don’t fucking hurt him, I think he really likes you!”

“Oh hush,” Rhian muttered signing the forms and writing a few sentences about Niki’s achievements. “Is this all I have to do?”

“That and tell Matt,”

“Niki,” Rhian growled the name this time, her eyes fixing on the other girl. “I mean it I will tell him in my own time now will you just stop it,”

“Tell who in your own time?” She heard the voice and instantly wanted to thump Niki hard.

“You,” Rhian answered Matt simply, making Niki’s eyebrows reach for the sky.

“Me what?”

“That I-“ She paused biting her lip and looking straight into his eyes. “Don’t want this to be over,” Her voice was quiet, and it was the total truth; just not what her and Niki were talking about. Matt watched her carefully, why would her and Niki be shouting over that?

“Niki give us a sec,”

“She’s all yours,” Niki replied glaring daggers at Rhian and grabbing the paper work. “Mattie needed some shit doing anyway,” She turned with a huff, slamming the door shut.

“I thought you were going with the guys,”

“Left my phone in the bunks,” He gestured with his head towards the bunks where he was going before he’d heard Rhian and Niki.

“Oh,”

“You ok?” She just nodded folding her arms under her chest and leaning back to perch on the table.
“Ok,” Matt nodded this time, leaning in and pressing a kiss against her forehead. He didn’t believe her for one second but he wasn’t going to push it now. “You know whatever is happening you are going to have to tell me eventually,” Rhian just looked up at him her eyes dark with confusion. “I know something is happening,”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, and Rhian,” He smiled kissing her again. “You’ll tell me,” He left her alone going back to get his phone from the bunks. She collapsed against the wall letting the dread of this tour coming to an end wash over her. What was she thinking?

Was she thinking at all?

Just tell him.

“Matt it’s-“

Her phone went off and she cursed whoever had such poor timing.

“Hello?”

“I’m stuck!”

“Huh? Who is this?”

“ME! Who is this seriously Rhian!”

“Sarah? What the hell?”

“I’m stuck in the back of the truck would you come and get me,”

“I-I, shit ok,” Rhian muttered gazing to the bunks where Matt was walking out from. She would have to tell him later. “I’m coming stay put!”

“No choice there!” She heard Sarah’s sarcastic reply before putting the phone down and leaving Matt without a word.

“What the fuck are you doing in the back of a truck?” Rhian shouted through the metal doors to her best friend.

“Mattie and JB thought I was already out!” The annoyed and somewhat hysterical voice of Sarah answered her. She couldn’t see her but she could imagine her collapsed on the floor of the truck, knees pulled close, glaring at the door to open.

“Well you clearly aren’t!” Rhian shouted back a small smile playing on her lips; only Sarah would get herself in this much trouble. “You’re glaring at the door aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Sarah sighed. “Imaging the million different ways the Berry’s are going to pay for this,” The girls fell silent, Sarah contemplating ways to piss the twins off, and Rhian thinking how she was going to tell Matt it was either him or her job.

“Sarah?”

“Yeah ducky?”

“I think I love him,”

“Yeah, I know,”

“What?!”

“Oh come on Rhi, you two have a thing,” Rhian leant against the truck and shrugged her shoulders. “You know when two people would be perfect but they don’t see it cause they are either two busy pulling each other’s hair, like Gates and Nik, or two shy to say anything like Zack and I, or-“ Sarah paused with a small smile. “To busy concentrating on being incredible at their job, Matt got those boys in line for you, he got in fights for you, he sticks up for you on a daily basis! Matt has always had a thing for you, maybe he didn’t know it, and you sure as hell didn’t but you two work together,” Rhian shrugged again. “You’re like peanut butter and chocolate, you just go together, neither of them realised to they tried it and now it’s the perfect chocolaty treat,”

“Are you talking about Matt and I or Reeses peanut buttercups?” Rhian muttered rolling her eyes at her friend.

“Bit of both,” Sarah chuckled. “You ok ducky?”

“I think so, I need to tell him something big,”

“What?”

“Here’s the key!” Mattie Berry interrupted the girls and Sarah’s sudden shouting at Mattie, let the question be forgotten. Rhian was secretly thankful; she had no idea how to tell Matt, let alone her best friend.

“You come back here right now missy! We aren’t finished,” Rhian turned hearing Sarah, not able to hold back the smile at her comment.

“Yes?”

“What is this something big?”

“Sarah I-“ The smile had come and gone quickly, she knew she had to tell the truth and she had no idea how. She walked towards the wall and flopped down against it, the sunlight had warmed the ground and now beat down on her. “It’s all a bit shit,”

“Oh ducky, what is?”

“I’m leaving,”

“What do you mean?” Sarah muttered shaking her head. “We’re on tour,”

“After tour, that’s it I have to leave,”

“Have to?”

“If I want to be with Matt, you remember what happened with Taylor?” Sarah nodded letting it all process in her mind. "History is going to repeat itself,"

"Tell him," Sarah whispered, stopping herself from gushing about her friend leaving. The lump in her throat growing as she saw the sadness in Rhian's eyes. "Tell him because you are meant to be,