Work Experience

Sarah Clark was trying to be social and polite to everyone but it just was not going to happen tonight.

“I don’t want her here,” Rhian sighed watching Niki sat between Brian and Johnny on one of the sofa’s laughing at some story Brian was telling.

“I know ducky, I know,” Sarah replied picking up her glass of archers and lemonade and sighing. “There’s a number of people that should not be here right now,” Her eyes focused on the leggy brunette standing between Jason Berry and Matt Sanders. “Her in particular!” Rhian sniggered, enjoying Sarah’s sudden bitchy moment.

Taylor, the tall leggy brunette, was one hell of a character. She was a phenomenal journalist, the best the music industry had and defiantly destined for bigger things. The girl should be reporting world news not music, but it was what she loved and it was where her passion lay. However before Taylor became such a big name, she worked for a well known magazine doing little bits and pieces where ever they put her. It so happened she did a bit of work on one of the tours Avenged supported, as a junior reporter, and ended up very close with certain members of the band. She had only been looking for fun, and for once he’d fallen hook, line and sinker, and ended up pretty heart broken. Of course he was over it now, but the girls had never forgiven her.

Rhian did not approve, and Sarah was fuming to put it nicely. The three girls did not get on, and the hatred just seemed to escalate through the few weeks she was around.

So now on the first night of tour a reunion between the three girls was not the answer. Rhian and Sarah had taken over one of the two small booths in the bus that had a table in the middle and sofa space for two either side; used for breakfast mainly. While the rest of the bus was open, right at the back was a small lounge area were a few hung around, while most stood around the tiny kitchen area or outside smoking.

“Ladies!” Sarah’s mood instantly picked up as her boyfriend flopped down on her lap. “And how are we both?” Zack questioned taking a swig of his beer and ignoring his girlfriends groans to get off her.

“Fed up, annoyed, not nearly drunk enough and-”

“Squashed!”

“No not really I’ve got a good amount of space” Rhian muttered back to Sarah who started slapping Zacky’s back until he finally huffed and got off her.

“Are you calling me fat?”

“No!” Sarah groaned. “Just heavier and much bigger than me!” Zack looked at her pretending to decide if he was upset or not. “If anything I’m calling myself weak!” She added with a winning smile.

“That you are my little cupcake!” Zacky chuckled, and sitting back down beside his girlfriend. “So I guess you two wont be the life of the party tonight?” He questioned gazing between Sarah who was now sipping her drink and Rhian who was twisting her straw round aimlessly.

“I have a work experience kid to deal with,”

“She’s 18 not really a-”

“She’s a kid,” Rhian repeated gazing around the coach and then groaning. “And she’s drinking,” She hissed standing up quickly, taking a swig of her drink and marching towards Niki.

“Wouldn’t want to be that girl right now,” Zacky muttered pulling Sarah closer to him and wrapping an arm round her shoulder. “No thank you,” Sarah shrugged and looked over to where Rhian was explaining why she would not let Niki drink.

“She’s lucky!”

“Who?”

“Niki, she’s got the best in the industry to learn from and the sad part is she has no idea the experience she‘ll miss out on if she fucks up with Rhian,”

“You really think she’s that good?” Zacky chuckled gazing towards his manager.

“You don’t?”

“I dunno, Joe was good but he never dealt with us when we were huge, so Rhian’s kinda got it different,” Zacky paused watching Niki storm off out of the bus and Rhian fling her hands in the air. “I’ve never really thought about how great she is,” Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Do you remember how great I am?” Zack just laughed and pulled her closer.

“Come here gorgeous!” Sarah just smiled. “You are the most amazing person I have ever met, But Rhian she’s our manager I mean I guess we all forget how much she does sometimes,” Zacky shrugged and picked up his beer taking a big gulp. Sarah just nodded and leaned back into Zack, her eyes feeling a little droop. “You stay there, I’m going to get some more drinks, do not move,” Zack muttered quietly to Sarah, who half nodded.
Her eyes were slowly closing, she was so tired right now, which just made her feel old. Of course she wasn’t old at all, and instead the grooling day she’d just partaken in was the reason for this exhaustion, but when everyone around you was partying the night away without so much as a yawn escaping their lips, one would feel old!

As she let her mind wonder, her eyes had not, Sarah stayed focused on Zacky as he walked down the narrow gang way and grabbed a couple of drinks from the mini bar. As he did a tall brunette walked up behind him and leant in against his ear.

That’s all it took for Sarah to be wide awake. She watched intently as Zack shrugged and smiled at Taylor, who laughed and started talking as he turned round to face her. For some reason he gave one of the drinks to Taylor as she leant against the wall opposite him and carried on speaking. Sarah was already counting the number of different ways she could hurt Taylor, for no good reason except she was now talking and possibly flirting with Sarah’s Zack.
Yes he was hers, or at least when it came to Taylor he was. Sarah was never this possessive or angry normally, hell she could never be when a billion girls globally probably wanted to get with her boyfriend. Though when it came to one tall, leggy brunette, she went a little crazy. She trusted Taylor about as far as she could throw her, and to put it simply Sarah threw like a girl.

Suddenly she felt her self jump up, watching Taylor lean into Zack, whatever she was doing it did not matter because in a matter of seconds Sarah was stood next to her. Her fist flung out, repeatedly before pushing Taylor hard against the floor.

The chants of cat fight thundered round the bus, Zacky utterly flumxed by the sudden appearance of his girlfriend. Almost a little turned on by her forceful streak, almost…until the sound of a nasty crunch, a scream and little fleks of blood appearing on the girls clothes.

Thankfully Rhian was no where on the bus to see this, otherwise she’d have probably flipped and had the whole party closed down.

Only a couple of minutes early had Rhian been dragged off the bus to deal with yet another issue.

“Rhian?”

“Yeah huh?” She looked up from her seat in between Jimmy and Jason. “It’s Niki,”

“Oh god,” She groaned flinging her head into her hands. “What’s she done now?”

“You better come see,” Kenny replied.

“Why can’t Matt deal with this?” Rhian muttered slowly getting up. “Oh that would be why,” She noticed Matt leaning up against the counter, with two blonde chicks around him laughing as he retold some story. He always had all the girls over him, and as he stood there in his sleeveless top, arms bulging and abs show through the thin material, Rhian could see why.

She gazed at him for a minute before hearing Kenny mutter she might want to come quickly and walk to wards the exit of the coach. Rhian could smell and hear the scene before she saw Niki doubled over puking her guts up.

“Oh lovely,” Rhian groaned walking towards the teenager and already to scream at her. “I told you-” She paused as Niki turned round looking ghostly white and full of fear.

“He-he-he tried to, with the drink and-and-and he-he…” She stopped to lurch forward and throw up again, a little cry of agony.

“Okay love, don’t worry,” Rhian muttered pulling the teenagers hair away from her face. “Kenny get the staff bus open, I’ll put her in there, make sure there’s lots of water available and a clear route to the bathroom,” Rhian paused and looked towards Niki again, who now had tears rolling down her cheeks. “Hey you,” Rhian whispered quietly. “It’s going to be okay, I promise,” She softly rubbed her back. “Don’t worry about a thing, we’ll deal with it in the morning,”

“Matt,” Rhian nodded as the girl whispered his name.

“I’ll get Matt,” Kenny spoke up, Rhian just nodded and helped Niki stand up straight.

“It’ll be okay,”

Rhian did not stop that night until she’d finally got Niki into a bed and to stop throwing her guts up. She placed a large bucket next to the bed and left a litre bottle of water as well so in the morning at least she could re-hydrate. Rhian had not left the staff bus either, and was hoping that someone was watching the band and guests on the other bus. It was not Niki’s choice for Rhian to stay, instead it was Rhian’s own choice, some kind of instinct told her not to leave the 18year old girl on her own in a new place when she felt like this. Rhian wouldn’t want to be on her own, and therefore she wouldn’t leave Niki on her own. She almost felt it was her responsibility. So now Rhian was sat on the small sofa like seats, with a cup of tea in front of her just wondering how she should act around Niki tomorrow. Did she tell her off? Chuck her off the tour?

Or warn her that was it, no more chances?

She felt like a parent right now, something she had never really thought about. Some would probably insist that was what her job basically was, looking after five grown kids, making sure they were at work on time, fed, had a bed to sleep in, behaved themselves, and she cleared up the mess when it all went wrong. Of course she organised the whole business side, but that seemed so easy compared with the daily social aspect of being band manager to Avenged.

She had never felt like a parent till now, or even wanted to, but now sitting here worrying over a girl that was her responsibility gave Rhian a very big slice of reality to think about. So she was 26, not in a relationship and had no really stable home life due to the constant touring and travelling to manage the boys. Would she ever settle down in a job like this?

“Rhian?” Matt brought her quickly out of her worrying thoughts. “Where’s Niki?”

“Asleep,” She answered simply picking up her tea and taking a swig. “You can go back to the party,”

“The party‘s over,” Matt chuckled quietly, coming to sit down next to her. “You should probably get some rest,” Rhian raised her eye brows.

“It’s okay, I don’t want her to wake up alone,” Matt looked at Rhian utterly shocked by her honestly, even Rhian was a little taken back by what she had just admitted.

“I see,” Matt just nodded, deciding it was better to just agree than question Rhian on her caring side. “Look about today,”

“Forget it,”

“No,” Matt lent back on the sofa and stretched his arms across the back. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry about everything from Niki this morning to her drinking, to Taylor being around to see it all, I’m sorry for putting you through this all,” Rhian just nodded refusing to break her stare with the cup of tea. “I’ll send her home tomorrow,” He finally sighed and shock his head. “I should never have let her come out here,”

Rhian shock her head as Matt went to get up. Maybe she should give in just this once!

“Tell me about her,”

“About who?”

“Niki, give me the low down on this girl,”

And there on started a very long night, yet very relaxed, of Matt explaining Niki and a lot of his past. Rhian sat and listened taking it all in, helping her decide what to do with the troublesome girl.