Seize The Day.

He walked her back to the bus and she flopped down on the couch. Everyone had already gone off in their different directions of their rooms. Johnny sat down in the chair where Zacky usually sat, “What happened?” She sighed as she sat up a little bit and looked at him, “I called Corey to see how things were going with him and he got all mad at me and said that I was ditching him and replacing him. He said not to call him again unless I was calling to tell him that I was coming home. Then he hung up.” She was wiping tears off of her face. Johnny walked over and sat down next to her and gave her a hug, “Don’t let this ruin your night. He’ll come around, don’t worry.” He kissed the top of her head, “Get some sleep alright? You’ll feel better in the morning.” He tossed a blanket to her and a set of her pajamas. She smiled, “Thanks.” He smiled and winked at her as he headed back to his bed.
She changed into her pajamas and stared down at the necklace Johnny had given her. If she didn’t have that, she knew that she would’ve been doing something else at that moment rather than toying with a little piece of Jimmy’s drum set. She sat up cross-legged on the couch and just looked down at it. It wasn’t very easy to see in the dark, but she managed to toy with it for a while.
She heard a creaking sound coming from the front of the bus. She rolled over and looked down the aisle. She saw Matt walking towards her so she just turned over and pretended to be asleep. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and went back up. A little while later she heard another noise. She peeked over the arm of the couch and saw the outline of a tall skinny boy that she knew could only be Arin. She smiled to herself as she closed her eyes again.
He came and sat down in Zacky’s chair. She heard him open a soda. She figured that she could pretend that woke her up. She turned over and faced him and rubbed her eyes a little. She heard him give a small quiet laugh, “Hey.” She smiled back at him, although she wasn’t sure if he could see it, “Hey.” There was enough moonlight coming through the window at this point so they could see each other. He nodded towards the couch, “Mind if I?” She smiled and shook her head, “Not at all.” He came and slid down next to her. He put his arm around her waist and she laid her head on his chest. He looked down at her, “Can I ask you something?” She smiled up at him, “Of course.” He toyed with his fingers for a minute, “I know you told the guys the first night you were with us why you starting doing...well…” he nodded towards her arm, “but do you really think you’re gonna be able to stop so easily? I mean it doesn’t seem like an easy habit to break. I don’t wanna see you do that to yourself anymore, but I just didn’t think it was that easy to stop.” She sighed and nestled her face deeper into his chest, “It’s not that easy. And I have no idea how I’m gonna keep my promise to Johnny. All I know is that I have to. I owe it to him and Jimmy. It’s gonna be an uphill battle, but I’ve gotta do it. Somehow.” He looked down at her and watched her as she traced over all the scars on her arms. He looked up at the ceiling, “Well, I’m always here for you.” She smiled, “Thanks.” She closed her eyes and started to slowly drift off to sleep. Arin looked down at her; he couldn’t have been more awake. He watched as her face as it grew calmer and calmer the deeper into sleep she got. He kissed her on the cheek, “Goodnight Sleeping Beauty.” He pulled the blankets over her and he slowly slid back to his bed.
The next morning, all the guys were woken up by the smell of coffee and bacon. They all stumbled sleepily to the center part of the bus where Jenny was making breakfast for everyone. She laughed, “Morning sleepy heads.” She flipped a few slices of French toast over in the fry pan before sliding them onto a plate that she set on the table. She grabbed the plate of bacon she cooked off the shelf and set it next to the French toast. She nodded towards it, “Go on guys, eat up before it gets cold.” They all served themselves and she poured them all cups of coffee. Johnny smiled and looked at her as he ate a piece of French toast, “Where’d you learn to cook like this?” She smiled and leaned back against the sink, “My uncle taught me. I used to spend nights at his house all the time and we’d cook all the meals together.”
Arin stood up and slid past her to the fridge to get the jug of orange juice. As he walked back, he slid his hand across her waist and she smiled at him and to herself. None of the guys saw it happen and she was fine with that. She took a piece of bacon off the plate and poured herself a cup of coffee. “So,” she said as she took a sip, “what are we doing today?” Matt looked up at her from his now-empty breakfast plate, “Today is just a chill day until we start driving tonight. Next stop is South Carolina.” She nodded, “Alright, sounds good. You guys eat up, there’s more in the oven staying warm if you want it. I’m gonna go take a shower.” Johnny gave a whistle and she slapped him upside the head, “Don’t get any ideas Seward. Oh, and I sing so don’t judge haha.” Brian laughed as she went by and grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. She laughed as she finally met his gaze, “May I help you sir?” He shook his head and gave her a hug, “Nah, but thanks for breakfast.” She smiled as she got up and started to walk away, “No prob.”
She slid into the shower and as soon as the warm water hit her she got goose bumps all over. She stood still until her shivers went away and then she did her hair. She noticed some of the color was washing out. Her hair was naturally an auburn color but she died it a brighter red because she thought it looked better. She sighed, knowing that she’d have to pick up hair dye at some point. But the more she thought about it, Zacky and Johnny had had their hair every color under the sun at some point, so they must’ve had extra, or at least known a place to get some.
She got out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel and did the same with her hair. She walked back out to where the guys were. Zacky laughed, “We were expecting a concert coming from the shower.” She laughed and hit him with the towel that she had had holding up her hair. She grabbed a pair of jeans and one of Johnny’s baggy t-shirts and went back into the bathroom to change.
Matt turned to Arin, “So, what happened with you two last night killer?” Arin looked up at him from his breakfast, “Huh?” Matt laughed, “I heard you sneak out here. What happened?” All the guys leaned in to listen now. Arin laughed as he leaned back in his chair, “Nothin’ man. We just talked. I told you, nothing’s gonna happen with me and her. You guys need to accept that and move on with life.”
He picked up his dishes along with the other guys’ and put them in the sink and washed them. He turned to Matt, “When did you get in on this anyway? I thought it was just Johnny and Zacky.” Matt laughed, “Bullshit man. The way you two act, the whole world knows that you guys need to end up together at some point.” Brian chuckled, “I dunno man. I think that they could seriously screw up whatever they’ve got if something happens.” Arin pointed to him in approval, “See? He knows what he’s talking about for once. What Jenny and I have right now is like, the best friendship ever. Why fuck that up for something that probably won’t even last?”
Before any of the guys could retaliate, Jenny walked back into the room. She was pulling her hair up in a ponytail. She turned to Matt, “Oh, I have these lyrics that I wrote, well, a while back and I wanted to know if you’d look at them for me. I don’t quite have music planned out in my head for them yet, but then again I never do haha. But these lyrics are more like your guys’ style of music compared to what I normally write.” She tossed him the sheets of paper and he looked them over. She saw him nodding his head and she wasn’t sure if he was nodding in approval, or if he was developing a beat in his head. He looked up at her and slid the papers to Zacky. Zacky looked them over and slid them to Syn, who slid them to Johnny, who slid them to Arin, who finally slid them back to Jenny. She laughed as she picked them up again, “Alright, I guess everyone got to read them. Before you massacre them, let me go put some socks on.”
When she walked back out, Brian and Zacky had their guitars out and Johnny had his bass on his lap. Jenny smiled and sat down next to Arin. He shrugged, “I’d get the drums but I think that’d take up too much room.” She smiled at him and turned to Matt, “So, what’d you think of the lyrics?” He nodded, “They were good. How long ago did you write that?” Jenny looked up at the ceiling in thought, “Oh jeeze, I don’t remember. A few months ago at least. Why?” He shook his head, “Just wondering. Alright, now I kinda formed a beat in my head as I was reading it. So I’ll have the guys play it and if you don’t like it just say so. And if you do, well, this could turn out awesomely.”
She sat on the couch next to Arin and listened as the guys started to play and Matt started to sing. She couldn’t believe how amazing it sounded. It was better than anything she could’ve come up with in her head. This was like a dream come true. Avenged Sevenfold was playing one of her original lyrics. It couldn’t get any better than this. But then it did; Arin put his arm around her shoulder and she smiled to herself as she leaned back against him. Jenny had no idea how Matt could’ve come up with a beat and chords so fast. But then she realized, this is what they did for a living. It was probably so second nature to them by now. She looked at Johnny and Zacky and Brian and noticed that they didn’t have any music sheets in front of them. She wondered if they were just making it up as they went along based on Matt’s singing, but she didn’t really care. All she knew is that they sounded awesome.
When they finished she started clapping, “That was awesome! Did you guys like, just come up with that on the spot?” Matt laughed, “Well, I didn’t. I think the rest of the guys did though.” She got up and went over and hugged then all, “You guys are the best! That sounded amazing! It was better than anything I could’ve ever imagined.”
She took all their guitars and put them away in the back where they’d stay until the next show. When she came back out she sat down on the table and looked at the guys, who were all watching her as she came back out. She laughed, “Did I miss something?” Syn shook his head, “Nah. We were just wondering how you came up with those lyrics. And any other lyrics you have for that matter.” She shrugged, “Well, that song was actually inspired by one of your guys’ songs. When I first became obsessed with Buried Alive I started writing that. And, well, yea then I finished it haha. But how do you guys come up with your lyrics?” Zacky tapped the side of his nose, “That my friend, is a secret.” She laughed as she got up and grabbed a soda from the fridge. Johnny laughed, “Kicking the beer habit I see?” She laughed, “Nah, just takin’ a break.” Matt looked down at his watch, “Alright, well I’m gonna go get the bus moving. Might as well make good time right?” Johnny laughed, “Just don’t drive us off the road okay?” Matt ruffled his hair and went up to the front of the bus.
Jenny looked over to Arin, “Toss me my sweatshirt?” He nodded and balled it up and threw it to her. She was still sitting on the table when Matt started the bus up so Zacky grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. She laughed as she slid her arms around his neck to keep her balance. He looked at her and smiled. She just looked at him, or rather, at his eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen. They were like the perfect shade of light green with a little bit of blue and brown in them. They were the kind of eyes that Jenny could stare into all day. There was so much hidden behind them, and she just wanted to hear everything they had to say.
He stared straight back at her, thinking nearly the same thing about her eyes, only in a less romantic sort of way. He noticed every little fleck of green among the hazel. He saw all the pain hidden behind them and wanted nothing more than to take it all away from her. “She’s too young to be hurt so bad…” he thought silently to himself. The more he looked at her, the more he felt like he knew why she had done everything she had in the past. Even though he didn’t know her nearly as well as he was acting like he did. He could still get the general idea of what she was about just by looking at her eyes.
Finally, he blinked and Jenny broke her gaze by looking down and smiling. She knew that that moment wasn’t anything overly emotional to him in the slightest, but it meant a lot to her. She felt like she had just figured out another piece to the Zachary Baker puzzle. It seemed like it had lasted forever when in reality it was probably only a little more than ten seconds. Syn shook his head, “You two are ridiculous.” Jenny’s cheeks turned a light pink color as she started to blush. Zacky turned to him and laughed, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Syn shook his head again, “You’d think that you two had something going on the way you stare at each other like that.” They both turned to him and raised their eyebrows in shock. Jenny laughed, “As much as I’d love that, it’s never gonna happen haha.” Zacky shook his head and chuckled, “You think that anyone who act like really close friends act like they’re into each other. Just because you ended up marrying the girl who was your best friend doesn’t mean it happens that way for everyone.” Brian shrugged and took another sip of his soda, “Just saying, it looked like you two were having a moment.” Jenny kissed Zacky on the cheek, “I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of moments with girls that you didn’t love.” He shrugged again, “Whatever, I was just calling it like I saw it.” Jenny laughed and resituated herself on Zacky’s lap.
They all sat there in silence for a while before she asked, “So, Brian, what’s your story?” He looked up from toying with his necklace, “Huh?” Jenny laughed, “What’s your story?” He shrugged, “Well, it all started when I was born,” he paused and waited for Zacky and Jenny to stop laughing at his wonderful introduction, “I moved to Huntington Beach eventually and that’s where I met the guys. I didn’t join the band till I was 18. And they had already done Sounding the Seventh Trum-” Jenny cut him off, “Nah man, I mean the important stuff. Not the stuff I can read about you online haha. Like, how’d you become friends with the guys?” Syn laughed, “Well, I met them in school. Except for Johnny, I met him through his older brother. But, my favorite story is how I met The- Jimmy. We were standing in line during class and he kept poking me trying to get my attention. He was the new kid and I didn’t want him thinking that he could fuck with me ya know? So I turned around and decked him. The teacher sent us out to the hall so we could talk it out or some shit like that. And, well, by the end of the day, I ended up going to his house to listen to him play drums. He was awesome even in high school. We’ve been friends ever since.” Jenny smiled, “That’s so cool, to think that you guys met over a punch to the face and then became best friends. It’s so like, it’s so you haha.” He smiled and stared down at the soda can in his hands, “Yea, it’s pretty cool. We met before the Avenged days and were even in a band together before that. But when we joined these guys, we knew this was gonna be something amazing.” She smiled at him; thinking about everything there was to him that he wouldn’t talk about. But she knew that he’d open up after a matter of time.
She turned over to Johnny, “What about you? What’s your deal?” Johnny laughed, “There’s not much to know about me.” She smiled, “Oh come on, there’s gotta be something? How’d you get in the band?” Johnny shook his head, “Well, it’s no glamorous tale, but I’ll tell you. My older brother had been friends with the guys so I became friends with Zacky and Jimmy and yea, it was cool. I obviously met Matt and Brian too. But then, one day they called me up ‘cause they needed a bassist. They were almost done with their tour and they needed someone to step in. So, since bass was the only instrument I had any kind of talent in, I said that’d I’d help ‘em out. I dropped outta high school and joined the band. It became a permanent fixture. And, it’s been awesome ever since haha.” She smiled and nodded, “That’s awesome! So, you just popped up one day and stayed?” He smiled and nodded.
She turned her head so she was facing Zacky, “What about you Mr. Baker?” He laughed as he picked her up and set her down on the floor, “I think my story is a story for another time.” She smiled, “Alright, but you’ve gotta tell me eventually okay?” He chuckled, “Will do.” He disappeared to the back of the bus.