Seize the Day

We walked out of Zacky's bedroom into the living room, where Matt and another guy were sitting on the couch watching TV.

"What the fuck was so important that you needed to just barge into my room like that?!" Zacky yelled at Matt with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Uh-uh I fo-forgot," Matt stuttered, looking at his older brother with wide eyes.

"Oh okay," Zacky said, smiling to show he was joking around about being mad. He flopped down on the couch next to Matt.

"So, who's this? Your gay lover?" Zacky asked, smiling again.

"No, this is Johnny Seward," Matt said, and Johnny nodded his head in greeting. Zacky looked over to me, where I was still standing, and patted his lap, telling me to sit. So I went and sat on his lap so I was facing Matt and his Johnny friend.

"So, who's this? Your gay lover?" Matt mocked his brother. We just stared at him.

"You know that really made no sense whatsoever, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, just realized. Anyways, you know what I mean. Who is she?" Matt asked.

"Well obviously she's my girlfriend if you couldn't notice," Zacky said bluntly. Matt just blushed and looked away.

"Right..." he said.

"I'm Kim," I said, holding my hand out for him to shake, which he did. He tried to keep his gaze off my chest, obviously feeling embarrassed about walking in on us while I was wearing a bra.

"Oh.. mom called during your little rendez vou. She said Zina's coming home for the weekend," Matt said. Johnny was completely ignoring the entire conversation, watching the television intently.

"Oh great. That means either we share a room, or one of us gets the couch..." Zacky sighed.

"Who's Zina?" I asked.

"Older sister. She's off at college, doing God knows what," Zacky replied.

"Oh... I didn't know you had an older sister. ... Zina and Zacky. Haha... Both start with 'Z'. Awww poor Matt's the odd one out," I said, laughing lightly because I can tend to find the simplest things humorous.

I heard Zacky honk his horn in the driveway outside as I was getting ready. I finished straightening my hair, grabbed my things, and ran out to his car where he and Matt were waiting. I slid into the passenger seat, giving Matt a quick greeting.

"Wow.. You never wear your hair down. I like it," Zacky smiled before leaning in and giving me a quick kiss. He pulled out of the driveway and drove off down the road.

"Right... did I miss something?" Matt asked from the backseat.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"What I mean is, when the fuck did you two hook up?" he asked.

"Ohh... umm... about oh... damn I can't think right now... " I said, looking upwards while trying to think.

"Technically it was yesterday. But I suppose it really happened Monday. So like... two days?" Zacky said while he was driving.

"Oh..."

"...I that a bad 'oh'?" I asked.

"No... just a confused 'oh'. But I guess it was bound to happen," Matt sighed from the backseat.

"...Are you okay Matt?" Zacky asked, looking at his friend in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah I guess. Me and Casey broke up thought," Matt sighed again. "I mean, we're still friends and all, but I guess I've kinda had my eye on this Valary girl at school..."

"Oh... well, I guess its good that you're still friends, so she'll still be around. her and I were good friends," I said. After that, the rest of the ride was silent.

After classes got out, Zacky and I walked out to his car, his arm around my waist.

"Zack!" someone shouted behind us, so we turned around to see Brian running up to us. When he caught up, he glanced down at Zacky's arm around me and made a face.

"Hey man, what's up?" Zacky asked as we all continued toward Zacky's car.

"Have you talked to Jimbo lately? Cuz I forgot when we were supposed to go to his place to practice," Brian asked as his breathing returned to normal.

"Last I knew it was tonight at like 8 or something. Are your parents gonna let you go?" Zacky asked. I listened on, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Doesn't matter. It just so happens they won't be home tonight. So it works out swell," Brian smiled as we reached Zack's car. We stood outside the car as Zacky lit up a cigarette.

"Did you just say 'swell'?" I asked.

"Yup, I sure did. Its my nerd word of the day.... Don't ask," he replied.

"Wasn't going to..." I smiled back. "But I am going to ask what this 'practice' of which you speak is," I said as I leaned against the car, Zacky's arm still placed firmly around my waist.

"We've got a band," Zacky said as he blew out the smoke from his cigarette.

"A band?" Like... a rock band?" I asked, suddenly very interested in the subject.

"Yes, a rock band. What other kind of band did you think there was?" Brian asked.

"Well you know, there's always the off chance you could have been a boy band singing group, like those Backstreet Boys pansies," I teased him, and both he and Zacky grimaced in disgust.

"Zacky...." I whined. "How come you never told me you guys are in a band?" I asked.

"You never asked before, so I didn't tell," he replied cheekily, to which I replied with a light elbow in his side.

"Can I come see you guys practice tonight?" I asked excitedly.

"Sure thing, doll face," Zacky said before leaning down and pecking my lips softly.

"So what do you two play?" I asked.

"Guitar," they both said at the same time, and then smiled.

"Oooh. Who's the singer-dude person?"

"Matt. He screams too," Brian replied as Zacky stomped out his cig.

"And then Jimmy is on drums, and does some screaming, and Dameon is on bass. You don't know him yet though," Zacky said.

"Alright, will I gotta go. I'll see you two later," Brian said before walking off into the parking lot.

"So who lives here?" I asked as we walked up to a fairly small house.

"Jimmy. I introduced you to him that one night at the club. He was the tall gangly one," Zacky explained.

"Ohhh... yeah. That guy. He's a gangoogle that one is..." I said as we reached the door. Zacky just looked at my with a funny expression before knocking on the door. Soon after it was opened and we were welcomed inside by Jimmy, who was just as tall and gangly as the first time I met him. Although it didn't help that his blond hair was spiked to gain him a few more inches. Matt, Brian, and another guy who I did not know were sitting around the living room.

"Jesus, Zack. Take fucking long enough?" Matt said, but had a smile on his face.

"Yeah well its not my fault someone takes forever to get ready..." Zacky replied, side-glancing at me playfully. "Oh, right. Kimmy, this is our bassist Dameon. Dameon, this is Kim, my girlfriend," Zacky said, and Dameon nodded his head in greeting, to which I smiled briefly.

Brian had the same look upon his face as he had earlier, and I couldn't quite tell if it was a look of disgust or of uncertainty, or confusion. But the look didn't last long when he saw my eyes on him.

"Alright, lets get to it then," Jimmy said as they all got up and followed him down into a very compact basement. It was set up like stage, with all the instruments in the respective spots of where their owners played them. I found a chair near a small table, and sat down in it, facing the group. As the guys got ready, I noticed Brian had taken a seat in front of a piano, instead of strapping on and tuning his guitar.

"Okay, so... first song is Warmness on the Soul," Matt said, before I smiled and nodded, telling them to continue.

And then Brian started to play a tune on the piano. And he was damn good. For some reason, I could never see him playing the piano. I suppose it just seemed too feminine for a guy like him.

After a brief into with the piano, Matt began singing in a soothing voice. His voice was... amazing to say the very least. It sounded almost... holy; unearthly in a way. And the lyrics were really good and I assumed he'd written them.

Soon, after the first verse and what I assumed to be a chorus, Zacky came in with a guitar piece while Jimmy started up the drums, and Dameon... well I wasn't sure if he was playing yet. Matt kept singing, Brian kept playing, and the song was really good and romantic.

They finished the song, and I smiled when they looked at my expectantly.

"You guys are fucking awesome," I said.

Matt smirked at my comment. "You ain't seen nothing yet..."

After they were finished, I was completely blown away. They delivered their music with such a raw passion and with such power, and you could see it in their eyes that this is what they lived for.

They turned everything off and we gathered in the kitchen to get drinks. While I was filling a glass with water they left the room, save for Brian.

"Hello..." I said to him as I saw him watching me.

"Hey... I gotta ask you something," he said, coming a bit closer and keeping his voice lowered. "Zack's birthday is coming up in about a week, and me and the guys were gonna surprise him and take him to a strip joint. But, since you're his girlfriend or whatever now, I figured it might be a smart idea to ask you if it was okay first," Brian said as he leaned against the counter next to me.

I smiled. "Yeah, its fine.... I get to go too, right?" I asked. He smiled a little.

"Of course... You do realize he's bound to get a lap dance or two...or maybe five, right?" he asked.

"Well yeah... who the fuck wouldn't wanna give that boy a lap dance?.. If they were a stripper I mean..." I chuckled.

"Alright, so its cool? We have full approval?" Brian asked again with a smile.

"Definitely. I think it'd be hilarious," I said before we grabbed our drinks and walked back into the other room.

"So you really did like us?" Zacky asked as he drove us back to his house. Since my parents were still in Tokyo and would be there the rest of the week, Zacky (and his mother, who I'd met a couple days before) said it would be okay for me to stay with them.

"Hell fucking yeah! You guys should like.. be signed," I said from the passenger seat. He kind of laughed.

"We are signed, doll face," he smiled. I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Are you serious? What label?" I asked eagerly.

"Hopeless Records. Its an indie label. Not many people know about us, but we're making our first CD this summer," Zacky explained.

"Ahh.. that sounds terrific." I said. "So... throughout the whole time I was there, I was never told what the name of your band is."

"Avenged Sevenfold," Zacky replied.

"Hmmm... I don't know why that sounds somewhat familiar," I said, racking my brain for anything that would clue me in.

"Its from the Bible," Zacky replied.

"... The Bible?" I asked, disbelieving.

"Yeah. The story of Cain and Abel. They were brothers. Cain killed Abel, and God said that whoever killed Cain would be avenged seven times or something like that. Hence 'Avenged Sevenfold'. Matt thought it up," Zacky explained.

"That's interesting... I would have never guessed..." I trailed off, looking out the window.

"If I ever had a band, I would name it Your Mom On Steroids, for sure..." I said randomly.

Zacky took his eyes off the road and looked at me funny again, like he did earlier.

"You are really strange..." he said.

"Yes, but you like it, don't lie," I joked.

"Ah.. that I do," he said, reaching over and taking my hand in his.