Saviour

Ashley

I caught a glimpse of Emerald as she was getting ready to go on stage. If she had been any other girl and if I didn’t have the amount of respect for her like I do, I probably would have already had sex with her by now. Her outfit was tight and her skirt was almost short enough to be considered revealing. I have come to realize that she really likes her boots and they do a lot of good for her legs. They made her legs look amazing. Not to mention they made her a little taller.
“Getting a little turned on there, Ash?” Andy asked as he walked up to me. I rolled my eyes but a smile was plastered on my lips.
“Why don’t you just ask her out already Ashley? It’s obvious you like her and she likes you back otherwise she wouldn’t talk to you the way she does. According to Mark she doesn’t talk to anyone like that” Andy commented.
“We’re going out to dinner next week when we have our free day” I told him as we made our way over to the side of the stage.
Andy and I watched Confessional High as they performed their set. Both of us were honestly surprised at how well they played. It wasn’t like we expected them to not be good but we didn’t know how well they would play. The other guys walked up to us and watched the band while they rocked out.
“This next song is a little different than anything you just heard from us. It’s called Next Time” Dante said as I watched Emerald take the guitar off of her body and hand it to one of the stage techs. Dante was handed a guitar and Emerald went up to the microphone. She looked nervous. I heard a slow guitar riff start up as Emerald grabbed onto the mic.
“You said you wouldn’t leave me when I needed you the most. You said you wouldn’t forget me as I cried alone in the dark. You broke your promise and left me afraid and alone. Maybe next time you’ll realize just how much you meant to me” Emerald started off as she took the mic off of the stand.
“I swore I would never cry after the day you left but seeing you here again tore open the wounds you left me with. I screamed I cried I cut I slashed but it was nothing to you. You left me broken and dying when I needed you there.” She continued on; the guitar riffs became heavier and the drums kicked in loudly.
“Maybe next time you’ll remember just how much you meant to me before you leave me here to die.” She screamed. I heard everyone gasp at that. I doubt any of us were expecting that.
“You swore you’d never leave me here to die but you did so here I scream my final words to you” she was still screaming but it looked like all of the nerves were gone.
“I screamed I cried I cut I slashed. I tried to move on but I failed. The scars never fade and you left the deepest one of all. Would you have cried if I died? Probably not you would just brush it off like you did my existence.” She went back to singing. I wondered where this had come from. It seemed like this was their big solo since she wasn’t singing or screaming.
“Maybe next time you’ll understand just how much you meant to me but it’s too late now. I’m slowly dying inside. I may not make it through the night but you won’t be there to save me. Maybe next time you’ll remember this when you treat another person the same as you treated me. This is my good bye to you. Maybe you’ll remember what you did you me” she finished. The crowd cheered as the group of ten of us sat there thoroughly surprised and confused. As Dante and Emerald switched places she looked over at us. I smiled at her which caused her to bit her lip and possibly blush. They finished their set shortly after that and after saying goodnight to the crowd they walked off stage. They walked past us as they headed to their dressing room to probably cool off. We all followed them.
“That was amazing. I didn’t know you could sing Em much less scream” Matt said as we walked in.
“Thanks” Emerald said with a smile. We sat here talking about their performance for about ten minutes until we had to go on stage. The Avenged guys and Emerald’s band followed us to the stage. They stood on side stage as we performed our set. The Avenged guys left a little while after we began our set. They still needed to get ready. Emerald’s band stood there and watched the entire set. I noticed Emerald was taking pictures with her camera so I walked over for a picture. I smiled at her while Andy put his arm around my shoulders. I sang along with Andy until we separated.
After the concert, which I spent most of flirting with Emerald, we filed off stage. We were all sweaty and tired but we were still high on the energy of the audience. Outside we could hear the kids cheering for Avenged to come out.
“Em!” Matt called out as he walked into the back lounge were we all were sitting. She looked up at him curiously.
“Yeah?”
“Do you know the lyrics to a Little Piece of Heaven?” Matt asked her. She nodded confused.
“Em knows the lyrics to all of your songs” Nina commented.
“You wanna sing it on stage with us later? After Unholy Confessions?” Matt continued with a smile.
“Sure” Em agreed smiling. I could tell she was excited; she adored Avenged Sevenfold. Matt told her that a stage tech would grab her before the song would start.
About an hour later, Emerald was getting ready for her appearance on stage. It seemed like her band didn’t really care that she was going on stage with one of her favorite bands. The guys and I were excited for her but her own band, the people who are supposed to be her best friends, didn’t care at all. The guys and I walked over to the stage to watch Emerald sing with the Avenged guys. She was beaming as she sang along with Matt. I looked over at my band mates and each of their faces held joy. They were truly happy for her. They barely even knew her but they were happy for her.
After the end of the song, Matt had the crowd cheer for Emerald as Zacky escorted her off stage. We all congratulated her as CC grabbed her into a hug. She laughed as Jake and Jinxx joined in on the hug right before Andy and I did.
“How come you don’t sing in your guys’ songs?” Andy asked as we all separated.
“Danny’s a better singer. Next Time is the only song that I have ever sung in front of people” Emerald stated. “It took a lot for Mark to get Danny to allow me to even record it.”
“Why? It’s beautiful.” Jinxx asked. Emerald shrugged her shoulders.
“Danny doesn’t really care for my singing. He never really has” she said softly. I was surprised. Emerald had a great voice; it was beautiful and elegant. I couldn’t understand why someone wouldn’t like it let alone her own band mate.
“He must be hearing something different than us. You have a beautiful voice” Andy told her. She smiled and her cheeks turned a bright red as she blushed. I heard the Avenged guys laugh as they walked off stage.
“You were really good. Would you mind doing that every concert on tour?” Matt asked Emerald. Her smile grew larger and she nodded enthusiastically. They all smiled and left to get cleaned up. We all had a signing to do that we needed to get ready for. I followed Andy and CC into our dressing room and we all took the time to get ready for our signing.
About three hours later we were done with the signing and were heading towards the next city. Emerald was on our bus tonight mainly because her band left without her. Mark and McKenzie had called her shortly after they were already on the road telling her that Dante wouldn’t let the driver turn around since he didn’t think they’d make it to the next gas station if they did so.
“Is Dante always like that to you?” I asked Emerald as we were sitting on the couch talking. The other guys were heading to sleep except for Andy who was changing clothes before joining us.
“Like what? Leaving me behind at places?” she asked looking up from her phone.
“Yeah does he normally do that?” I asked her. I was beginning to dislike this boy.
“It’s not the first time that he’s left me places before. Usually it’s around Denver and I just catch a ride with Mark and McKenzie or I take the bus. When Danny is ready to leave he doesn’t wait for anyone.” She said calmly. I frowned.
“That’s not very safe. He left you here in a city you aren’t even familiar with” I told her. She shrugged her shoulders.
“You guys wouldn’t have left me here alone. He knew I was with you all” she said quietly. I bit my lip wanting to say more but decided against it.
“Hey” Andy spoke as he walked into the room. We both replied with a "hey" before Emerald’s phone started ringing. She sighed before answering it. I watched her as she spoke to whoever it was who called her. Andy walked off the bus to have a cigarette before the bus left. Emerald hung up after a few minutes though I could tell she was near tears.
“Everything alright?” I asked her cautiously. A dry humorless laugh escaped from her throat.
“Papa basically just told me that if I didn’t come home he would never acknowledge my existence again.” she said as if she didn’t care. I could tell that it hurt her to hear her grandfather say that. He was more of a parent than her own parents were to her. I pulled her into a hug and let her cry into my chest.
“What are you going to do?” I asked her worriedly. I didn’t want her to leave but at the same time I didn’t want anything to happen between her and her family.
“I’m going to stay here. It’s not like we know anyone who can take my place. Papa will get over it” she said through her tears. Andy walked back onto the bus but stopped once he saw Emerald.
“She alright?” he mouthed pointing at her, concern evident in his eyes. I shook my head before looking back down at her. Her sobs stopped and she was falling asleep. I gently picked her up and carried her into the bunks. I placed her in my bunk and pulled the blanket over her.
“Are you going to sleep on the couch or in your bunk with her?” Andy asked quietly when I walked back out.
“Couch; there’s no reason for me to sleep in my bunk with her” I told him unhappily. He smiled a little but nodded.
“So what happened to Emerald? She was crying” Andy asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Her grandfather told her that she either came home or he would never speak to her again. He’s more of a parent to her than her actual parents so it hurt her” I told him without thinking twice; he frowned.
“That’s not right or fair. It’s obvious that this is what she wants to do why wouldn’t he support her?” he asked. I shrugged; I had no answer for that. I felt horrible that she had to go through this.
“I wish I knew” I told him. We talked for a little while longer before heading for bed.