The Ballerina and the Rocker

Zacky

“Dude, that sounds awesome!” Zacky said to Matt, upon hearing him playing a guitar riff in his garage. The guys had been spending the last few weeks attempting to write some new songs. Now that they had managed to break into the scene somewhat, people were taking notice of Avenged Sevenfold so the band was on their way to making a second album.

“Yeah?” Matt said. He placed the guitar down in the stand and took a beer out of the cooler beside him.

“Fuck yeah - pass me one?” Matt tossed a beer to Zacky.

“Now all we need is a song for it to go with.”

“All in good time, my friend.” Zacky took a sip of his beer and let out a refreshing sigh. Matt eyed Zacky. “What?”

“How are you doing, man?”

“I’m fine.”

“Zack.”

“I’m fine.”

Truth was he wasn’t fine. He was far from fine. But he wasn’t going to let the break up with Quinn get to him and affect the band. One part of life was extremely shitty, but the other part of his life was looking up and he had to focus on that.

Quinn

“Jesus, Quinn, how many are you applying to?” Crystal said as she looked over Quinn’s shoulder and saw the blank internship applications sprawled across the desk.

Quinn chuckled. “A few,” she said.

“Well you don’t want to get stuck with one you don’t want.”

“But I also don’t want to be stuck with nothing.”

“What are your top three?”

“New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey, and, uh, some other one in Brooklyn…”

“Well you clearly want the one in Brooklyn,” Crystal joked. She picked up the application and studied it. “Why Alvin Ailey? Your concentration is ballet.”

Quinn shrugged. “Yeah, but I like contemporary, too. I’m just trying to keep my options open.”

“Hey, I hear ya.” Crystal put down the Brooklyn application and picked up the one for New York City Ballet. “I really hope you get this one.”

“Yeah, me too.” New York City Ballet was Quinn’s dream. It was also the most seemingly unattainable and difficult.

“When are they due?”

“Before thanksgiving. Then I should hear back after Christmas.”

“Good luck, girl.” Crystal smiled and Quinn before she headed into the kitchen of their tiny student apartment. Quinn turned her attentions back to the numerous applications on her desk and looked over them again.

There were a lot of dance companies here, some she didn’t even realized existed before she started looking into internship opportunities. The truth was the only dance company she wanted to be a part of was New York City Ballet. Another truth was that she absolutely wasn’t the only one. Especially at Juilliard.

She stared at the applications and thought about when she had applied to Juilliard -- it was all or nothing. Quinn hadn’t bothered applying to any other school because she knew she wouldn’t be happy anywhere other than Juilliard. Then she thought about Zacky and what he would say to her. He wouldn’t want her to settle he’d want her to reach for what she wanted, just like what he was doing with the band.

Dumping the other applications in the trash, Quinn decided to fill out the only one that mattered.

Zacky

Quinn was right -- they should have just used Johnny as their bassist right from the beginning. He was a little shit, but damn could he play the bass.

Quinn

Plié, arabesque, jeté petit, chaînés, arabesque…

Back to the rehearsal room and back to the exercises. This year was really going to whip her into shape.

Zacky

“Wait, so when do we need to have all our songs written?” Zacky asked as the band met with Larry their manager.

“There’s really no set deadline, per say,” Larry explained. “But ideally by Christmas so we could get some demos recorded in January.”

“How many songs do we have right now?” Brian asked. Everyone looked at Matt.

“Why is everyone looking at me?” he said, defensively.

“I’m guessing not enough for an album,” Larry offered.

It was going to be a very busy two months.

Quinn

The smell of freshly baked pumpkin pie flooded the house. Quinn sat contently in her grandparent’s living room, soaking in the scent. Her moment was interrupted when a napkin hit her face.

“Are you going to help me set the table or what?” Audrey said. Quinn glared at her sister before getting up to grab the plates.

After what seemed like eating themselves into oblivion, Quinn and Audrey excused themselves and sat on the back porch covered up under fleece blankets.

“I really hope Dad will be able to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with us next year,” Audrey said.

“Yeah, me too.” She missed her father everyday, but she always missed him the most during the holiday season.

“Hey, Quinn,” Audrey began hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

“Um… Zacky asked about you.” Quinn’s eyes lit up.

“What?”

“Yeah. I see him occasionally when the guys come into the bar, although I think Zacky’s been trying to avoid me too just a little.” Audrey let out a soft chuckle.

“What did he say?” Quinn asked impatiently, really not caring about his interactions with her sister.

“Well,” Audrey continued. “He knew I was going to see you and he just asked how you were.”

“And what did you say?!” At this point Quinn was practically out of her chair on on top of her sister.

“Easy, tiger! I said you were good, busy with school. Applied to some internships.”

“And then what did he say?”

“He just kind of smirked, said ‘good’ and walked away.”

Quinn leaned back in her chair and smiled.

Zacky

“Another round!” Jimmy exclaimed before he went back up to the bar to order some more shots for the group.

“Our little baby’s all grown up,” Brian said, raising a glass of beer in Zacky’s direction.

“Hey, Johnny’s the baby now,” Zacky said, laughing. It was his birthday and he was finally, finally twenty-one. Goodbye fake I.D.

Jimmy came back with a tray of tequila shots and held them out so everyone - Matt, Brian, Val and Michelle, Cam, Matt and Jason Berry, and Johnny - could grab one for themselves.

“I propose a toast!” Jimmy said. Everyone held their shot glasses out. “To honour. Hitting honour, getting honour, staying honour - and if you can’t come in her, come honour!” With raucous jeers and laughter, the shots were downed.

“Ok, birthday boy gets the next round,” Brian said, patting Zacky on the shoulder.

“How is that fair?” Zacky said.

“I didn’t say it was fair, I said you’re getting the next round.” Zacky threw his middle finger up at Brian and headed up to the bar.

“Hey, can I get ten shots of whatever’s cheapest?” he said to the nearest male bartender. As he waited for his order, Audrey approached him.

“Hey Zack,” she said with a smile. “Happy Birthday.”

“Hey, thanks,” he said. “You look great.”

“Thanks. And thanks for not calling me a ‘bar-licious babe’ like Jimmy. I’m not really sure if that’s supposed to be a compliment or not.” Zacky chuckled and handed his money over to the male bartender when he arrived with what looked like cheap vodka shots. He was about to turn to go when he felt Audrey’s hand on his. He stopped and looked at her.

“Quinn says hi.” She gave a quick smile at Zacky before returning to work. He walked back over to the group and passed out the shots. They sang a highly inebriated rendition of “Happy Birthday” to Zacky before downing the vodka.

There was a tap on his shoulder. Zacky turned around and saw Audrey standing next to him, holding a drink.

“Here,” she said, holding the drink out to him. Confused, he took it from her.

“What’s this for?”

“A Jack and Coke,” she said with a smirk. “Quinn gave me money over Thanksgiving so she could buy you a drink on your birthday.”

Audrey left and Zacky smiled down at his drink. Damn, did he miss her.

Quinn

“And you’re sure he won’t be there?” she asked her sister over the phone.

“Oh my god, I told you a million times,” Audrey answered. “The Baker’s are spending Christmas out of town with their grandparents or some other relative.”

“Ok, I just don’t want to risk running into Zacky, is all.”

“You’re only going to be home for, what, a few days before we head to Mason and Stephanie’s?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want those few days to be awkward.”

“It’ll only be awkward if you make it awkward.”

“Audrey, you don’t understand. He literally said to me that he didn’t want to see me or talk to me at all. I have to make sure I don’t run into him!”

“Ok, ok! Don’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling above her bed. What if she did see Zacky? What would she say? What would he say?

Zacky

“Boys, bring your suitcases down!” Maria called from downstairs. Zacky poked his head out of his bedroom door.

“I’m not ready yet!” He called back down. Zacky shut his bedroom door and opened up his dresser drawers where he began grabbing whatever he could get his hands on and tossed it into the empty suitcase on his bed.

About ten minutes later, he dragged the suitcase downstairs and brought it outside to be put in the car. His brother was sitting on the front steps playing his gameboy and his parents were loading up the trunk of the car.

“Zina’s going to meet us there,” his father said before rushing back into the house to get something.

“James, hun, can you grab some extra pillows while you’re in there?” Maria shouted at him. Zacky shook his head at how frantic his family was when it came to preparing to go on a trip.

“Shit, I forgot the presents,” Maria said out loud to herself before she, too, ran back into the house. Waiting for his parents to return, Zacky took a seat on the curb. A few seconds later, Zacky noticed the Hartford’s car pulling into their driveway.

Quinn

“Uh-oh,” Audrey said when she parked the car in the driveway.

“What?” Quinn asked. Her sister looked at her apologetically.

“It’s possible I may have gotten some things confused and thought the Baker’s had left yesterday…”

Quinn leaned over her sister to look out the driver’s window where she saw Zacky sitting on the curb looking right at the car. Her stomach did some somersaults.

“We could just wait here until they drive away,” Quinn suggested, her voice at a whisper.

“Why are you whispering?” Audrey whispered back.

“I don’t want him to hear me.”

“Look,” Audrey continued with her voice back at a normal volume. “He’s clearly seen the car and knows someone has to get out. Just walk really quickly into the house if you’re so dead set on not speaking to him. I’ll even get your suitcase.” Without another word from Quinn, Audrey got out of the car.

Dammit, Quinn thought. She took a deep breath and got out of the car.

Zacky

There she was, standing right next to the car. Just like the first day he saw her.

Quinn

It was like the first day they had met all over again.

Zacky

“Ok, we’re all set!” his mother announced as both his parents finally reemerged from the house. “Get in, boys.”

Zacky kept looking at Quinn instead of listening to his mother’s orders. He almost didn’t recognize her now that her hair, which normally dangled near her elbows, now just brushed her shoulders.

Quinn

She could tell, even not being right up close to his face, that he finally got those snake bite piercings he had talked about. She wanted to walk up to him and tell him she thought they looked good…

Zacky

He wanted to walk up to her and tell her how nice she looked. But he couldn’t.

Quinn

What harm would there be in just walking up and saying hello?

Zacky

He could at least be civil and wave instead of just staring at her.

Quinn

Quinn waved at Zacky. That was about all the courage she had in her.

Zacky

“Zacky, come on,” his mother reiterated. Snapping out of it, Zacky took one last glance at Quinn before getting into the back seat of the car.

While he had thought about it, he wasn’t at all prepared for how painful it was to see her.

Quinn

“Hey, you okay?” Audrey asked, wrapping an arm around her sister.

Quinn shook her head.