*Chelsea's P.O.V
Things were finally looking up. The guys were talking to me, Kyle and I were finally getting along again, and our band has been doing really great so far.

We’ve done several interviews, just got through with making our very first music video, and are now doing our own signings after each of our shows. We were doing great, and I couldn’t possibly thank Killswitch Engage enough for taking us along this amazing journey, not to mention we were just fine without Brian. He was right, I guess we wouldn't always need him after all.

I've made up my mind. There is absolutely nothing that I've done with my life that I regret and would take back. If I did, then I wouldn’t be standing here with my best friends, waiting for Killswitch to go up on stage.

I've watched every one of their shows so far, and they have yet to cease to amaze me. They were absolutely one of my favorite bands so far for this year. I liked a few others, but none that I liked nearly as much as KsE.

Adam, Killswitch’s guitarist, has quickly become one of my new best friends. I usually don’t talk to and befriend someone as easily as I have with him, but here lately he and I have been inseparable.

It meant absolutely nothing more than a friendship. The guy was almost 7 years older than me, but I still loved hanging out with him, even if he was a little more immature than a 13 year old boy.

I've spent a lot of my time on their tour bus instead of my own because I liked being around them all that much. We were playing right before their every show so it really didn’t matter what bus I was on. It’s not like Kyle or the others would exactly miss my presence all that much anyway.

The show was almost over and the boys and I were all standing at the bottom of the side of the stage, listening to the amazing performance. We were going to be in Phoenix until tomorrow, and that left us with nothing to do after tonight’s show. We were getting closer and closer to my home sate in Utah, a place where I really didn’t want to be ever again. There were just too many bad memories there. Just then, Cody sparked an idea when he saw a flyer taped to a pole behind us.

“Hey guys, apparently there’s going to be a festival tomorrow,” He began to say, reading off the paper. “There’s supposed to be a lot of bands playing, some cooking out on grills,” He paused to read further down. “Ooh, and they’re going to be having a firework show at nine. You guys wanna go?” He turned and asked us all.

“Fireworks?” I asked. “But it isn't the 4th of July yet. It’s not even May.”

Blake nodded. “Yeah, I know. I just had my birthday this month.” I smiled.

Blake had just turned 22, same age as Will. Blake’s birthday was on April 12 and Will’s birthday had already passed on January 18. My birthday was next in June, and I was so excited that I was going to turn 21. I wasn’t happy because I would be able to drink legally. It just meant I was finally able to do just about anything I wanted to, as long as I didn’t break any laws of course.

Cody shrugged. “I don’t know what it’s for. It just says they’ll be showing them at 9 PM.”

I thought about it for a second. “Sure I’ll go with you if ya want.”

He gave me a small smile. “Okay, anyone else up for it?” He looked to everyone, almost seeming desperate for someone else to go with us. I kind of felt hurt by that, but I guess I understood. My relationship with the boys hasn't been the same ever since that kiss. Even then, I knew they would never truly forgive me.

Lucky for Cody, everyone agreed to tag along. Maybe it would be a good chance for us all to bond again. It was something we all needed to do together to close this gap that has been built between us.

“Alright, we can see if Killswitch wants to come too.” Cody said.

I shrugged. “How about it’s just us instead? It’s been awhile since we’ve all hung out as a band. We’ve been around them every day for the past few months.”

“I agree,” Will added. “I think we should just hang out with each other.” I smiled, happy that he was on my side with this.

“Okay, but we still need to keep an eye on Chelsea.” Cody pointed at me.

I gave him a confused look, feeling a little offended. “What do you mean?” Was he saying that because of that stupid kiss? Maybe things weren't as good as they seemed.

He tried not to laugh. “Well I'm just saying, the last time we saw fireworks, you got lost and then you practically attacked some poor guy.”

I scoffed. “I did not attack him. It was an accident!”

That’s when Will decided to chime in like usual. “Oh, come on Chels’. You and I both know you thought that guy was kind of cute. So you thought, Oh, well maybe if I throw him to the ground I can get his number.” He playfully mocked.

I gawked at him. “That is so not true! I don’t even really remember what he even looked like. I just bumped into him!”

“Yeah, how else were you supposed to get his attention?” Cody snorted a laugh. That had everyone cracking up, except for me.

Well at least they were starting to act normally around me again, even if they were just trying to embarrass me and make me mad. I do admit, I really did miss this.

“Just watch you guys, we all know she’s going to wind up in trouble somehow tomorrow, whether it be her tripping and falling on her face or she’ll end up hurting someone else.” Cody continued.

Kyle chuckled. “Is that a bet?”

I scoffed again as Cody nodded. “Hell yeah. $20 says something like that’s gonna happen. I bet she’s gonna wind up lost somewhere again.”

Kyle shook his head. “And I say she’s going to end up hurting herself somehow. You know how klutzy she is.”

That got all of the boys to laugh. Were they really betting on something bad going to happen to me?

They shook hands. “It’s a bet.”

“Uh, hello? I’m right here people! I can hear you!” I shouted, waving my arms around, but no matter what, I couldn’t get them to stop laughing, probably making it even worse for myself.

“No, you both got wrong. I bet you anything she’s going to end up knocking someone on their ass and possibly even putting them into a coma.” Will added among all of the laughter.

I growled in frustration. “Doesn't anyone think I can handle myself? I am not going to get hurt, no, I won’t hurt anyone else, and I certainly will not get lost.”

† † †

Well great, just freaking great. Where were they? I just saw Cody not even five seconds ago, and I swear I thought those were Will’s shoes that I was watching as I walked through the maze of people, but when I looked up, it was a completely different guy. It was almost 7 o'clock and was going to get dark soon.

Now what was I going to do? Well I guess this means Will and Kyle both owed Cody $20 each. Sadly, he was right. I did wind up lost somewhere and now I cannot find the others. Just great, this will definitely exceed my horrible reputation with the guys. They are never going to let me down for this…

*Matt's P.O.V
“Dude, check this out. They’re having a huge cook out today at the festival.” Brian said, pointing at a flyer that hung on a pole that we stood next to after just finishing our first show in Phoenix.

I walked over and looked at it briefly. “Cool, you guys want to go, or do you just want to hang out in the bus all night?” I asked, trying to make hanging out in the bus sound like the most boring idea ever.

Zack smiled, catching on. “Sure, we can all go. We’ll have plenty of time to be on the bus throughout the whole year, so I'm sure we won’t be missing out on much by going to the festival.”

Johnny groaned. “Come on guys, I’m fucking exhausted. Let’s just get back on the bus. It’s not like we aren’t going to find anything to eat there.”

“Oh come on, you lazy ass, you’ll be fine. Besides, we still need to stock up the fridge on the bus, so we won’t find anything there.” I reminded him.

“Look short-shit,” Brian said, waving the yellow paper in his face. “There’s going to be fireworks! Are you sure you don’t want to come?” He teased, knowing like the rest of us that Johnny couldn’t resist fireworks.

He snatched the paper from Brian’s hand. “Are you serious? Hell yeah, let’s go!” We all chuckled at his childish excitement.

I turned to look over my shoulder at Jimmy, who was sitting down on some stage equipment that was stored behind the stage we were just on, mindlessly playing with his drum sticks. He didn’t even look like he had been paying any attention to us this entire time.

I walked over and stood in front of him. He didn’t even look up at me, but he definitely knew I was there. “You want to come, too Jimmy?”

He shrugged and didn’t look up from the ground. “I don’t know, is there going to be burgers at thiscookout?” He asked, finally meeting my eyes to give me a crooked smile.

That alone was enough to bring a smile to my lips. It made me happy to see him at least acknowledge me, but for him to smile, even just a little, it really meant a lot. I knew he was just trying to get me to laugh. It was a start, and at least he was getting better now that we were back on tour. He wasn’t nearly as bad as he had been at first with his breakup.

Now he was beginning to make small efforts to make jokes again that would usually have everyone cracking up. He was even starting to smile again. It wasn’t quite the smile we were all used to, and he still wasn’t going past a chuckle when it came to laughter, but like I said, it was a start. Maybe one day he would get better, go back to being the old Jimmy again. I really did miss my best friend…and I think he misses us too, he was just afraid to show it.

I chuckled at his question. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure, that and tons of beer.”

He smiled. “Well then you can count me in.”

“Good,” I said as he stood, coming with me to stand with the others. “So that’s it then. We can all go get changed and then head out.”

They all nodded in agreement and followed me back onto the tour bus. After I got out of the shower, having to wait on everyone else to get through with the bathroom, I got changed and waited for everyone to finish up so we could leave. I jumped off the bus with the guys and continued to walk with them out into the field where tons of booths were set up. There were so many just for food, but then they had band merch set up and even games that you could play. So far, this tour looked like it was going to be a lot of fun.

The first thing we did was all buy a bunch of beer and got some food, sitting down at one of the picnic tables. It was still daylight and was going to be an hour or more until they were going to show the fireworks. That was the part Johnny was looking forward to the most. I was just out to drink and listen to some bands play.

I stood up, about to throw my trash away. “I'll be back guys, I'm going to go see if I can find out who’s going to be playing tonight on the main stage.”

They all nodded. “We'll be here if ya need us.” Brian waved his beer at me.

I chuckled, turning away and tossed my trash into the garbage bin next to us, and then headed off to one of the band merch booths to ask about who was playing tonight.

I got in line behind several people, trying to find the one with the smallest amount of people and waited for a few minutes. Finally, there was just a short blonde left standing in front of me.

“I was wondering if I could possibly get a map of the festival. I’m completely lost and I have no idea where I’m going. I really need to find the main stage.” She said in a soft voice to the man running the stand.

I didn’t see her face, but she was fairly short, about 5”5 and had wavy blonde hair that went just past her shoulder blades. I accidently chuckled too loudly at her for being lost, causing her to spin around and throw a glare at me. My smile instantly vanished and I tried to look the other way, but her angry blue eyes are what really captured my attention, forcing me to stare into them. Aside from the glare she gave me, she was actually kind of cute.

She turned her back towards me again, trying to ignore me as the man spoke to her about where she needed to go. Apparently, they didn’t have any maps, and after he explained where to go, she just turned and began to walk away, seeming further confused.

I don’t know why, but the urge to follow her overcame me, so I stepped out of line and trailed after her as she stormed off in an unknown direction.

“Hey, wait a minute,” I said, catching up to her.

She turned and looked surprised to see me behind her. “What?” She snapped.

I held up my hands and slightly backed off. “Don’t get defensive. I’m just trying to help you out here.”

Her expression softened. “Sorry, I’ve just had a really rough day.” She sighed.

I smiled. “It’s cool. What happened?” I don’t know why, but I was suddenly interested in talking to her. I actually wanted to know what was upsetting her. It was odd to see such a pretty face so angry and confused.

She shrugged and ran her fingers through her thick wavy hair. “I’m just so lost right now. There are so many people around that I can’t even find my friends, and now I’m starting to become overwhelmed with claustrophobia.”

I chuckled, folding my arms across my chest. “Is that all?” I teased.

She huffed. “I wish. I can’t even tell you how many guys have tried to grab my ass when I was trying to get out of that massive crowd.”

“Oh, wow. Did ya hit any of ‘em?” I grinned.

She forced out a fake laugh. “No, but I wish I had. They sure deserved it. I guess that’s why I got so defensive when you tried talking to me. Again, I am so sorry about that.”

I was about to shrug off her apology, but as soon as she did say that, I instantly recognized her. I’ve seen this girl before! She was that chick who bumped into me and knocked me on my ass!

My eyes lit up. “Holy shit, I know you!”

“Really? How?” She asked, giving me an unsure look.

“I guess you don’t recognize me, probably because I’m not drunk off my ass, but I was that guy you ran into at that bonfire in Florida a month or so ago.”

She gasped as her hand flew to cover her mouth. “Oh my god, you’re right! I remember you now.” She smiled as her cheeks began to turn red. “I am so sorry about that. It was an accident, really-”

I waved off the apology. “You don’t have to be sorry, for the tenth time.” I laughed. “You’re right, it was just an accident. Don’t worry about it.”

“I promised you a new pair of aviators, since I basically crushed yours.” She reminded me.

I threw my head back and laughed. “Actually, I think they would have been fine if it weren’t for Brian falling on top of the both of us. I don’t think they would have crushed under your small weight.”

That made her blush even more. “Is that the guy who called you the Incredible Hulk?”

“Ugh,” I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t the first time he’s called me that. “Yeah, just ignore him. He and I were both pretty wasted that night. Sorry if I came off a little…” I paused, trying to find the right words.

“Mad, irritated, aggressive-” She began listing off.

“Okay, okay. I think I get it.” I cut her off. “Sorry about that.”

“Now look at who’s the one apologizing.” She playfully smirked.

I gave her the look right back, but then stuck out my hand. “I’m Matt, by the way.”

She took my hand and shook it. “I remember. Nice seeing you again.”

“You too,” I smiled right back. “Forgive me if I don’t remember your name. I was so drunk that night I couldn’t even remember what shirt I was wearing.”

“Well, you definitely remember me falling on top of you, that’s for sure.” She laughed. Neither of us had pulled our hands back.

“Yeah, now that was kind of hard to forget.” I winked. “What did you say your name was?”

She smiled politely and shook my hand once more before saying it and taking it back. “Chelsea,”

I smiled and stuffed my hands into my pockets. “Nice to see you again, Chelsea. At least this time, we’ve had a proper introduction and a pleasant greeting.”

She laughed. “It was nice seeing you too. Now, you said you could help me?”

“Oh yeah,” I nodded, remembering one of the main reasons why I came over here. “I was gonna help you find the main stage. Isn’t that what you said you were looking for?”

She nodded and sighed. “Yes, but that was just because I knew my friends were going to be there somewhere, but with this big crowd, there is no way I will be able to find them.”

I smiled, sparking an idea. “Well, you are more than welcome to come hang out with me,” She gave me an unsure look at first, but I continued. “That is, until you find them.”

She shrugged and smiled back. “Sure, why not. Maybe you have a better sense of direction than I do.”

I laughed. “Yeah, but I’m man enough to admit that I have to stop and ask for directions from time to time.”

She laughed too and followed me as we started walking. I had completely forgotten to mention the guys to her. I hope she didn’t mind hanging out with a bunch of guys smoking cigarettes and having a few beers.

“So, are you here to see the bands play or are you here just to absorb all of the alcohol?” She teased.

I laughed as we headed for the booths that had all of the food. “A little bit of both actually,” I played along. “No, actually, I’m here on tour with my band. Last month we were only came to have fun, but now we’re actually going out on tour.”

Her eyes lit up as she turned to face me while we continued walking. “Are you serious? You’re in a band? Which one?”

I chuckled at her excitement. “Yeah, I’m in Avenged Sevenfold.”

“Really?” She asked, seeming surprised. “My friend Cody listens to you guys.”

“What about you?” I asked out of curiosity.

She shrugged. “Sorry, I’ve only heard him talk about you. I haven’t listened to any of your music yet, but he does keep urging me to give you guys a try.”

I laughed. “Maybe you should start listening to him.”

She nodded. “Maybe I will. So, what instrument do you play?”

“I sing, actually.” We stopped shortly after she gave me a once-over. I laughed. “Yeah, I know, I don’t look much like a singer.”

She shook her head. “No, not really.”

“Well, if you must know, I also scream the lyrics along with singing them.”

She smiled. “Oh cool. It sounds like I definitely have to try you out. Give you a listen, I mean. The other way just sounds wrong.” She grimaced at her own words, turning them sexual.

I laughed and tried not to blush. “Well, either way, I think you’ll like it.” I winked.

She scoffed but laughed when she realized I was only kidding. She raised her hand to hit me on the chest, but then stopped herself because she knew better than to hit someone she barely knew.

“You,” She pointed, shaking her finger at me.

I chuckled as she couldn’t even finish her sentence, so I decided to help her out and change the subject. “So what are you here for?”

“Well, actually I’m in a band too.” Her eyes sparkled as if she were happy to state that fact.

I felt my face light up. “Oh, really?”

She nodded, seeming confident about herself for a moment. “Yup, and I bet you can’t guess what I do.”

I stood there and pretended to think about it for a moment. “Oh, I think I know. You play the drums, don’t you?” I teased.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “No, actually, I play the French horn, thanks for asking.” She threw a joke right back at me.

“Oh, I can see that.” I nodded sarcastically.

We continued to walk for a while, but once we spotted an empty table, we stole the opportunity to snag it before anyone else could take it. There were just way too many people around. I felt like she was very easy to talk to and we were getting along really well. She could make me laugh instantly at every funny thing she said. I really did like being around her, and hopefully, I was going to see more of her.

*Jimmy's P.O.V
I fiddled with the empty beer bottle in my hand as the guys were laughing at something Brian had said. Wasn’t Matt supposed to be back by now? It was going to get dark soon and he needed to hurry up if we were going to catch the show on the main stage.

“Dude, where’s Matt?” I asked Zack and the others.

He shrugged. “He said he would be right back.”

Brian sighed and stood up. “Well let’s go look for him. The fucker’s probably lost somewhere.”

Johnny laughed. “And you guys said I was going to end up lost.”

“No, we said we were going to try to lose you.” Zack corrected him.

Johnny smirked and stood up with the rest of us. “Well, where ever he is, he’s long gone by now. There’s no way we’re gonna find him. Let’s just head back to the bus after the show.”

“Oh, quit being such a lazy ass and help us look for him. He was gonna find out who was playing tonight.” Brian said irritably. He was already a few too many beers in to be nice to anybody.

“Let’s just go look for him. He shouldn’t be too far.” I said, trying to cut their arguing short. I wasn’t in the mood to hear them bicker like some old married couple like always.

We began walking around, looking everywhere for Matt. I don’t know why it was so important that we found him. It’s not like he wasn’t going to find his way back to us somehow.

Notes