You Are Exactly My Brand of Heroin

Cam and I sat on opposite sides of Brian's room as we painted the walls in silence. We were painting it a solid color right now, and once it dried, Cam would work his magic. Brian and the Berrys were scattered throughout the house downstairs. Brian and I hadn't talked since our little scene in Cam's driveway, and luckily, neither Cam nor the Berrys suspected anything. I sighed as I laid my paint brush on the lid of the paint can and checked the time on my cell phone. It was past noon, and I knew that all of us had to be starving.

"Hey, Cam. It's way past noon, and I'm starving. You wanna round up the guys, and I'll make us some lunch?" I said to Cam. He laid his brush down on the plastic we'd used to cover everything before we began painting.

He nodded and said, "Yeah, but I wanna show you something first."

"Okay," I said. He walked over to Brian's bureau and grabbed the manila folder that held a lot of his artwork - including the ones he'd shown my earlier for Brian's room. He searched through it for a moment then pulled out a handful of papers and walked over to me.

"Here. I hope you like them." I quickly scanned through the papers to find that they weren't just any of Cam's old artwork. They were graphics and painting for my band, Chapter Four. I couldn't believe it. They were amazing.

A lot of people wonder why I used an A7X song as the name of my band. Well, what a lot of people don't know is that the song Chapter Four is very close to my heart. Back in the day when Avenged Sevenfold was still in its first months of creation, I helped Matt write that song, and when they recorded it, I knew they still cared and were definitely looking for me. I knew it was sort of a calling for me to come back home, but I just couldn't. When I formed my band, I called it Chapter Four after that song because it reminded me of the boys, being back home, and all of my past. Of course, Taylor and the guys never knew that. They just thought it was rad to be a part of a band named after an Avenged Sevenfold song, but I'll tell them soon. Especially now that we have graphics and paintings to promote our band with.

"Oh my God! These are absolutely amazing, Cam! I love them so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I appreciate you doing this for me so much, and I know the guys will to!" I said as I hugged Cam tightly.

"Anything for my girl. I just couldn't resist after I heard the name of your band and heard some of your guys' songs. You're absolutely amazingly talented, and you definitely get that from your brother and those guys. You've got a gift, and you've worked hard to get it. I just thought that I should give you something as a token of my gratitude for you letting me be a part of that." I fought the tears as I hugged Cam again. He could say some of the most mesmerizing things I'd ever heard. He thought so deeply about things and paid attention to such small details of things that it was almost inhuman. He had a talent over all of us, and he'd definitely worked hard to get it. I couldn't think of a better was than to show him a token of gratitude of my own than to take these graphics and paintings in my hand and put them to good use. All in all, though, I adored Cam's artwork and that's why I got a deathbat that he'd drawn for the boys with his signature on it tattooed below my navel on my eighteenth birthday just before I left Huntington.

"Thank you so much, Cam. I love your artwork, and just to prove it to you how much I love what you do and well, to show some pride for the boys, I got this," I said as I revealed my tattoo to Cam. He crouched down to get a better look at it. He stared at it in awe and began to trace his signature below the amazingly drawn deathbat on my body. I giggled as he did so, and he smiled up at me.

"Abby, I don't even know what to say. No one's ever done anything like that for me. It's just - I love it," he said as he stood up. He was at a loss for words, and I loved that. He really liked it. I don't think anyone knew Cam quite like I did. We had a unique relationship, and we connected in the strangest ways. Still yet, we were best friends for life, and nothing could change that.

"That's because no one knows you like I do," I said. Cam smiled at me as I handed the artwork back to him, and he threw it onto the bureau.

"C'mon, babe. We've gotta get the guys for lunch," he said as we both left the room, making sure to close the door behind us.

"Why don't you go get Matt and JB, and I'll go get Brian?" Cam smiled at me and walked down to the end of the hall downstairs. I turned to my left and quietly opened a door to find Brian painting the last of the four walls of the room a deep red that I'd picked out earlier at the paint store. He sat on the floor, stroking the brush across a very thoroughly painted section of the wall. He, obviously, wasn't paying much attention to his task at hand. His mind was elsewhere, and I'd noticed that hours ago, not only that but he'd finished painting a rather large room in a matter of two and a half hours by himself. He'd had his alone time to think over what he'd said, and I'd had my quiet time to think over my actions. He was extremely upset, and it was breaking his heart that I was ignoring him. I couldn't let him go on this way. I walked over to where he sat on the floor, kneeling down behind him to massage his shoulders and kiss his neck.

"Babe, don't you think that it's time to get out of here and have some lunch?" I asked him as I ran my fingers through his black hair. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and leaned into my touch.

"I guess so," he said blankly before setting his brush down on the plastic. I stood up, now standing over him as I continued to play with his hair.

"C'mon. I'll go make you guys something to eat," I said. He looked up at me from the floor then stood up as well. I smiled up at him then down at the floor, crossing my arms over my chest to prepare myself for what I was about to say. "Before we go, there's something I need to tell you." I sighed, not sure of what I was supposed to say. I wasn't used to apologizing until he came back into my life. "Listen. I love you, and I'm not upset with you anymore. You were right. Those girls do need a lesson or two in secrecy, but I was wrong for saying those things about you. I'm sorry. Really, I am. I didn't mean to hurt you if I did, and I hope you'll forgive me. If you don't, though, I'll understand," I said as I stared up at him. No expression crossed his face as his chocolate brown eyes bore holes into my blue ones. That's when I knew that this was going to be harder than I thought. Sadness washed over me as I averted my gaze to the floor again. "I'll just give you more time then," I said as I turned to walk away and tears came to my eyes. What had I done? That was when he spun me around to face him, his lips instantly crashing onto mine. His hands cupped my face so that I had no choice but to kiss him, not that I minded. I hadn't felt his lips on mine in hours, and I'd become so used to feeling his touch. Whenever I didn't have it, I had what almost seemed like withdrawals. I couldn't even imagine what would happen once we decided to go further.

"Don't cry," he said as he pulled his lips from mine, wiping a few tears from my cheeks. I smiled up at him, and he smiled back. "I forgive you." I threw my arms around him, never wanting to let go. I felt as if I had almost lost the best thing that had ever happened to me and that I'd almost made the biggest mistake in my life, which I had. "I love you, Abby," he said as he stroked my back.

"I love you more," I laughed. He did, too, as he released me. "I'm so sorry, honey. I just -" He pressed a finger to my lips to quiet me and shook his head.

"Don't be. I shouldn't have yelled at you for other people telling our secret when I'd told someone else just before that all happened," he said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him. He rubbed the back of his neck and stared down at me.

"I kinda told Cam... and the Berrys," he said nervously. I smiled.

"It's about time, don't cha think?" He nodded and smiled. "Alright you. I need to make lunch so c'mon," I said as I ran my hands down his chest to the hem of his shirt. I toyed with it for a very brief moment before sliding my hands beneath it. "Babe, you're burning up! Do you feel okay?" I asked him.

"A little tired, that's all. Now that you mention it, though, I do feel a little warm."

"I'll be damned if you get sick so let's take this off," I said as I lifted his shirt over his head. He smiled at me as I threw his shirt to the floor, and we left the room.

"Goddamn! We leave you alone with him for five minutes, and you're already taking his clothes off!" Matt B. said as we walked into the kitchen.

"Shut up. I think he has a fever, so I took his shirt off of him to make sure he stayed cool." The other three immediately began making fun of him, cooing at him and asking him if he was alright and if he thought he was going to die as soon as he sat down in a chair between Cam and JB. "Knock it off, you guys. He could really be sick," I defended him after a while of their teasing. I made everyone sandwiches and sent them all upstairs to the game room to watch TV while Brian and I stayed in the kitchen.

"Just let me check your temperature, please?" I begged Brian. "Just so I can feel better knowing you're okay." Brian sighed before taking a drink of his beer.

"Alright, but what's in it for me?" he asked with a devious smile as he sat his beer down on the counter. I smiled back at him and hopped up onto the counter to sit in front of him. He wrapped his arms around my waist as I rested my hands on his bare shoulders.

"If you play your cards right and do as I say, it could be very rewarding," I said as I climbed off the counter to run to the bathroom for the thermometer. As I did so, Brian smacked my ass, causing me to giggle and yelp in surprise. I returned moments later and took my rightful place once again before shoving the thermometer into his mouth. It seemed like forever before he usual beeping sound emanated from it, telling me that it had determined his precise body temperature.

"Brian! One hundred three point five! That's insane. You've got to be feeling terrible," I said as I stroked his cheek. He was no longer a deep shade of tan like normal but rather a very pale shade of white, and he was growing very tired and weak very quickly. He smiled up at me before resting his head in my lap. I alternated between stroking his back and running my fingers through his hair - the two things that relaxed him the most. Moments later, his phone began to ring in his pocket. He groaned and began to reach for it. "I'll get it," I said as I quieted him and reached into his pocket. "Hello?" I said as I answered it.

"Hey, Abbs. It's Matt. Is Brian around?" Matt, my brother, asked me.

"Yeah, but he's sick. He's running a really high fever, and I'm not sure that he should go with us tonight."

"No! Don't say that! I have to go!" Brian whined into my lap.

"Is he alright?" Matt asked, concern in his voice.

"For now, but he's getting worse. He insists on going with us, though."

"He can rest at Grams' and Gramps', but you guys need to get back over here and get cleaned up so we can all leave together."

"We'll just get cleaned up over here and meet you guys back at the house so we can change. Okay?"

"Alright, sis. See ya then."

"Bye, bro." I hung up the phone and laid it on the counter next to me. "I'm sorry to disturb you, baby, but we need to go take a shower so we can head over to Grams' and Gramps', alright?" Brian groaned and lifted his head off of my lap before getting up and walking into the bathroom down the hall. I ran upstairs to tell the boys about Brian's fever, that Matt had called, and that Brian and I were going to take an innocent shower.

I walked back downstairs to the bathroom. Brian sat on the counter by the sink with his face in his hands. I smiled over at him as I walked over to the shower to turn some water on. Once the temperature was perfect, I summoned Brian and began to strip his clothes off of him. After our shower, I dried the both of us off and slipped on our paint-covered clothes until we could get home to change.

"Babe, you really don't have to do all of this for me," Brian said as I finished blow-drying his hair.

"Oh, yes I do. It's part of being in a relationship, isn't it? You know, in sickness and in health? That sorta thing. Besides, I don't hear you objecting to any of it," I said as I left the bathroom with him not far behind me.

"The last time I checked that was marriage," Brian said.

"Well, that may be true, but it'll happen someday, right?" He smiled at me and pinned me against the nearest wall, his lips crashing onto mine. I giggled beneath our kiss at his spontaneity. He kept repeating 'I love you' over and over again which wasn't helping my giggling to cease any more either. The thought of marriage was amazing to the both of us, but it was rather far off and would have to wait for a while.

"Of course it will. I promise," he said as he pulled away from our kiss and I stopped giggling.

We arrived back at Matt's house not long after Cam, Matt B., and JB Diz took their showers. Everyone was scattered throughout the kitchen and living room when we got inside. I chatted with my brother, Val, Leana, and Taylor about Brain being sick for a brief moment then the both of us made our way upstairs to change.

We met in the hallways moments later. Brian wore a pair of black swimming trunks that had a white skull at the bottom of the right pants leg, a black cap, a pair of sunglasses, and a pair of black flip-flops. He laughed at me as I leaned against him for leverage so that I could slip on the skirt cover that went over my bikini bottoms. I slid my sunglasses onto my face and trudged down the stairs with Brian in tow. This afternoon was going to be great, but I couldn't help but constantly worry about Brian. He'd worsened in such a short amount of time, and he was getting worse by the minute. Whatever this was, it was taking its toll on him, and we were all about to feel its wrath.