Kimberly turned to the right after giving her signal. She was astounded by how many people were lining up in front of a big gate, waiting to get in. She used to line up like that, once. When she went to Avenged Sevenfold concert with Arin. Before he became their official drummer, and when he was still playing for a local indie band in Ventura. The memory flashed back piece by piece, falling into place like dejavu. The fans right now were wearing Avenged Sevenfold tees just like Arin and she used to wear. Which Arin forced her to.

“Wait, whose concert again you’re going now?” She glanced at her brother who was pulling his seatbelts away.

“Avenged Sevenfold.”

She accidentally hit the brake. “What?! And it hadn’t crossed your mind to tell me??”

Evan rolled his eyes. “If I tell you would you agree to drive me all the way here?”

Kimberly felt her heart banging hard inside her chest. A few cars in line honked behind her, making her the attention. Without any choice, she had to move on, reluctantly.

“I have an extra ticket. Do you wanna come see them?”

“Noo..no way.”

“Oh come on, Kim! It’ll be fun! When was the last time you’ve seen them play? Or precisely, see Arin play?”

She shut her eyes briefly, and parked. She chose not to answer to that. She’d actually seen him play many times before, through videos in YouTube and other social networks. She didn’t want to miss any of it. They were awesome. Arin played so amazingly well that she felt small remembering she used to be beside him, watching him from the backstage of his indie shows and cheering for him. She was his number one fan. She still is.

“Come on! I’ve got backstage pass!”

“What? How?”

“I bought it, idiot! How do you think I got it?”

Kimberly narrowed her eyes at her brother. “Did you use mom’s credit card?”

Evan was caught. He stuttered and stumbled in his answer, while his hand scratching his head nervously.

“Ahh that’s not important right now. The important thing is, this fucking concert! Let’s get in! They’re opening the gates!”

*****************************************************************************************************

Brian went in first after the stage had gone dark, chewing bubblegum inside his mouth, he started with the riff that got his fingers moving like centipede’s feet. His head tilted back, foot rested on the silver platform as he drank the loudness of the crowd tonight.

Arin knocked the cymbals lightly, before Zacky came in with his barge in rhythm and he followed with a constant kick from his bass drum. When he smashed his toms all together, the fire emerged from his back making his shirtless body already sweating.

“Watch your tongue or have it cut from your head
Save your life by keeping whispers unsaid
Children roam the streets, now orphans of war
Bodies hanging in the streets to adore

Royal flames will carve a path in chaos,
Bringing daylight to the night
Death is riding into town with armor,
They’ve come to take all your rights

Hail to the king!
Hail to the one!
Kneel to the crown!
Stand in the sun!
Hail to the king!”

Kimberly was amazed yet again. She stood among the massive crowd, looking up to the stage at a huge and buffed Matthew, who stood on the platform with his muscular arms wide open. He would shove the microphone ahead, requesting for the crowds to sing along and Kimberly joined in without even realizing.
It was just like the first time she attended their concert in Santa Barbara with Arin by her side. Only this time, Arin was up there. He was the center of attention. He wasn’t singing while holding hands with her anymore. He was up there.

She can’t really see him because he was in the middle of the stage, drowned behind his monstrous drumkits. Kimberly recalled that he used to only play ordinary drums and she would always found his face and they can even have eye contact while he was on stage. But now –

“Oh God, Arin is amazing.”

Kimberly turned when she heard someone talking behind her. They just ended the Hail To The King song, and Matthew was speaking to the crowds from the other side of the stage.

“Yeah, he totally is. Rev would be so proud of him. Do you know if he’s still single or not? I think he’s cute.”

“He’s single. I followed his twitter account. He never tweeted about any girl.”

“Well, he rarely tweets.”

“I know but come on, Zacky V tweets about his girl all the fucking time!”

“You mean that bitch, Linda?”

“Yeah and Gena. But as for Arin, I think he’s living the life. Look how many groupies he gets in one night.”

“Oh hell yeah. He fucked them like they’re nothing. There’s this one blog I followed, a groupie’s blog, said she slept with Arin and he ditched her in the morning. What a jackass!”

“But that’s hot though. Groupie deserves that, I think.”

Kimberly faced ahead, refusing to listen more. She closed her eyes and felt hot underneath it. When one drop of tear fell onto her cheek, Evan rubbed her shoulder softly.

“Don’t listen to them, sis. They’re just jealous.”

She looked up to her tall little brother. “What if they’re telling the truth?”

“No, Arin would never do that. I know him. We know him, right?”

Kimberly sobbed and wiped away the traces of her tears. She calmed herself down as the band was playing her favorite song on stage, This Means War. She refused to think badly of Arin. Those are just rumors, she thought. Arin is doing great and he would never do that kind of thing.

*******************************************************************************************************

Evan pulled his sister protectively and brought her out of the crowd pit. They headed for the steel barrier which was guarded by an enormous security guy.

“Hey, I have a backstage pass here.”

The security took one look at the pass and opened the barrier. Evan went in, holding Kimberly’s hand but the security held out his arm in front of her.

“One pass, one person.”

“But she’s with me!”

“I’m sorry, but you gotta have two passes to get in.”

“Come on, she’s Arin’s girlfriend for God’s sake!”

“Yeah, and I’m M.Shadows’ mom. One pass, one person.”

Evan groaned loudly and ruffled his hair into a mess.

“Never mind Ev. I’ll wait in the car.”

Kimberly let his hand go and turned back into the crowd pit.

“No, wait! You deserve this chance. I’ve seen them multiple times. You gotta see Arin again. Here.”

Kimberly was pushed inside, holding the pass and the security guard locked the barrier once Evan went out.

“Have fun, sis. Don’t worry about me.”

Kimberly and the security guard watched as Evan walked off to the crowds and gone missing.

“Their locker room, on the back, turn right.”

She snapped when the guard suddenly spoke. Nodding briefly for a thank you, she moved on with trembling legs.


The backstage looked quite busy, with crews folding up big black vaults, instruments being put away, wires rolling up and everything. She followed the direction from the guard and found a door plastered with a piece of paper containing a Deathbat logo and AVENGED SEVENFOLD caption under it. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
This is it. After two years of no show, no contact whatsoever, this is it. She will meet him again. She was about to knock when she heard a familiar voice walking up to her direction.

“I think I messed up a little bit in God Hates Us. Didn’t you hear?”

“Yeah I fucking heard it. What is it with you and that song anyway?”

“I dunno man. That song is hard as hell. Don’t know how Portnoy came up with -”

The three of them froze. Arin and Kimberly and Matthew. Matthew was puzzled. He wasn’t quite sure of why Arin had stopped talking and walking. When he looked ahead, he saw a brunette girl, with round hazel eyes and rosy cheeks was staring at Arin.

“Ohhkay. Talk to you later dude.”

Matthew walked past Kimberly and wiggled his way into the locker room, leaving only Arin and his long lost love outside in the hallway. Voices of roadies singing on stage while packing up, echoed as the background noise that filled the silence between them.

They didn’t move at all. Two or three minutes passed by unfulfilled. Arin didn’t know what to say and what to become. His round eyes locked on her gaze while his heart pumped in lightning speed.

Kimberly finally moved, he was anxious of what she was going to do or say but suddenly-

“Arin! Baby! You need a girl tonight darling? You must be tired. Elsa can massage for you. With a happy ending of course.”

Arin looked to his side, the band’s usual groupie threw herself at him along with a blonde girl who smiled shyly at him. He blinked at her, not knowing what to say.

“Honey you’re hot when you’re on stage tonight. I am so horny for you right now.” The groupie spoke and Arin smirked without realizing. He quickly glanced at Kimberly but she wasn’t there anymore.

She was gone, yet again. He started to think that he was imagining things.

Notes

A/N: i know i'm not a good writer as Leyla, my master..but feedback??