Stay

I woke up with a terrible headache to the sound of computer keys clicking away to the left of me. I groaned, turning over to open my eyes. The grueling blur of the california sun didn't allow me to see anything but the remaining tears from the night before. My eyes stung with the bright white light that cascaded over the living room.

When my vision finally focused, my eyes were resting on a pair of royal blue suede heels attached to long legs I would kill for. My eyes trailed up the legs, examining the black flowing skirt to the peasant blouse all the way to unmistakable red hair.

"Amy?" I questioned as she typed away on the macbook that sat in her lap, a Starbucks cup sitting on the table beside her.

She looked up, a wide smile spreading across her face, "You're awake! I'm so glad I caught you before noon," She grinned.

"What? How?" I looked around, finally seeing Zack standing in the doorway, his arms over his chest. He had somewhat of a discontented look on his face, his lips turned into a slight frown.

"She showed up at six this morning in a taxi, along with three suitcases. She insisted she knew you and was here to help you. She wouldn't back down, even when I threatened to call the cops. I thought she was crazy," He confessed. It was clear he was annoyed with the intruder and Amy didn't seem to mind one bit.

"You didn't tell me your friends were in a biker gang," Amy noted, her eyes falling back down at her computer all while she texted furiously on her phone and managed an app on her iPad. The woman was a true multitasker.

"We're a band, for the last time!" Zack defended heatedly, glaring at Amy. I could only imagine the arguments the two probably got in before I had a chance to wake up. Amy was clean cut, came from a wealthy family, and listened to jazz. She had nothing against people with tattoos, but figured most of them were gang-related anyways.

"Yeah, yeah. What ever," She waved him off. He rolled his eyes and looked at me for defense. I could almost laugh at how pathetic Zack's puppy-eyes were.

"Amy, this is Zack. He's in a band called Avenged Sevenfold. He's also my," I coughed, "Friend," I finished. Zack smiled softly at me, a little shock in his eyes at my choice of words.

"Pleasure to meet you," Amy smiled up at him, "Regardless of the whole biker gang or not," She shrugged and I chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

She looked at me with wide eyes, "You expect me to sit back and watch you do everything without any help? Have you gone mental? I'm surprised you've lasted this long without me," She grinned and I smiled at her.

Amy truly was a saint. A saint that didn't put up with any of my shit, and still managed to keep both of our lives together. I'd be nowhere without her. She had picked me up countless of times whenever Matt plagued my mind to the point of mental break.

"You have two issues to revise, which I already did. I just need you to sign for approval. Also, our prints for the next issue are delayed. I already have Anthony on top of that. He should be flying to the New York branch as we speak to get some answers and hopefully scare the shit out of their photography team," She listed, "And I brought you coffee," She grinned and handed me a full and hot Starbuck's cup.

"Amy..." I shook my head, "I don't know what I would do without you," I confessed.

Her eyes widened, "I...," She laughed, "I never thought I'd see the day Eden Andersen would show some appreciation towards me," She smiled whole-heartedly, "But I like it."

"Zack," I turned to him, "This is Amy. She's my assistant and also, the closest friend I've ever had the pleasure of knowing," I motioned towards her.

"Nice to meet you," He nodded and turned to me, "So this is what you do?"

I shrugged, "I suppose. But I don't have time for that today. I need to get this funeral planned," I stated and he nodded. I looked around, "Where's Grace?"

"School. She's out at twelve but I think she had plans after," He noted simply. My eyes widened, unsure of what he said was actually true.

"Excuse me?" I asked, "She has plans?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I guess."

"So our mother's funeral isn't more important than her stupid plans?" I asked, tossing the blankets off of me as I stood up. Zack was silent, looking away from me as I stormed past him. Amy had set her laptop aside, hot on my heels as she followed me into the bedroom.

She gently shut the door behind us as I quickly started to throw clothes around, furiously trying to find something to wear as I tried to distract myself from my own anger, "The turquoise chiffon top is cute," Amy muttered from her side of the room.

I huffed and grabbed it, turning to her, "Thank you for coming," I whispered and she nodded, grabbing a pair of jeans.

"These fit you nicely. And I suggest those shoes," She nodded to a pair of nude sandals tossed in the corner. I smiled and nodded in agreement, "I can help, you know. That's why I'm here. I didn't show up just to get an article done. I came to help you," She explained.

"You'll help me by finishing the article," I confessed, "As much as I want you to come with me, we need to mutitask. You can finish the work while I get this planned," I stated.

"Of course," She agreed softly, "And will you be seeing the man who broke your heart?" She wondered. Amy didn't know much about Matt. The first dive into depression I took, she had read my mind. She knew it was because of a guy. Still, I didn't explain much to her. I only told her that he wasn't what I thought he was. She had no idea he was in a band, or so much older than me.

"I already have actually," I muttered.

"And how did that go?"

"Not well," I shrugged. She nodded, taking that moment to exit out of the room so I could quickly get ready.

It took me an hour to completely shower and get the scent of alcohol and cigarettes off of me. I made myself look somewhat decent before changing into the outfit Amy had picked. I grabbed my purse and opened my door, heading back out to the living room.

Amy was back on the computer, talking heatedly into her phone about missed deadlines and disinteresting content. I let her continue, not wanting to pull her out of her zone as I made my way to the kitchen.

"You still here?" I asked Zack as I opened the fridge to search for orange juice.

"I'm not going to just leave you alone," He stated like it were the most simple thing in the world. I noticed that he was completely dressed, more causally than the night before.

"I'm not alone. I have Amy," I reminded him and he smiled.

"I heard you talking to her, Eden. She's staying here while you go out and handle the tough stuff. Stuff you don't have to do alone," He stated and I sighed.

"I wouldn't be alone if Grace were here," I mumbled.

He shrugged, "She's a kid. She doesn't understand."

"She's only a year younger than me. She should be mature enough to understand that I don't want to plan my mother's funeral alone," I snapped and he sighed.

"I know," he nodded, "That's why I'm going with you."

The determined look in his eyes told me he wasn't going to back down. Besides, it's not like I had a car to use anyways. My only transportation had been Grace, and now it was him. I highly doubted Zack would just hand me over his car keys for the day.

"Alright," I sighed and he smiled.

"Good. I didn't feel like carrying you to the car anyways," He smirked before walking past me. I chuckled, turning on my heels to follow him out the door with a final wave towards Amy.