DJ’s POV

Bzzzz Bzzzz

“Stop fucking texting me!” I groaned under my breath as I hit my head repeatedly on the wall behind me. It had been the same thing all fucking night and morning, that incessant buzzing of my phone over and over again, keeping me from getting any sleep. I was beyond pissed and exhausted and each new message caused my level of annoyance and disgust raised to a new level.

I mean, when was my ex boyfriend Max going to take ‘no’ for an answer?! There was a reason I broke up with his sorry ass, and this controlling, overbearing, obsessiveness was the fucking reason! We were fucking done—D-O-N-E! It was time for him to get that through is thick scull… but apparently over two weeks of the same answer wasn’t sinking in.

With a sigh, I clicked open the message that popped up on the screen. I instantly rolled my eyes when I saw the words:

Ur going to regret this, D. U know u belong 2 me.

I belonged to him? Ha! That was a fucking laugh because the last time I checked, I didn’t belong to anyone! I was a free spirit and no one could tell me what to do, just ask my brothers. I mean, how thick could this bastard get? Trying to control me was what made me break up with him in the first place, not to mention the way he treated me… no, I was never going back. Ever.

And ur going to regret it if u don’t leave me the fuck alone. We r done Max DONE. I angrily typed back and tossed my phone to the side. I was done with his shit and I wasn’t going to play into his drama anymore. Eight continuous hours of this harassment was enough!

I mean how many times could Max tell me I had to come back to him? Umm, hello… didn’t he read my answer the first eighty-fucking times?! I said no and that was my final answer! No matter how much he threatened or terrorized me, I wasn’t going to budge. I was finally happy and able to be myself.

Seconds later my phone buzzed again with a new message and I pinched my eyes shut, anger, fear, and frustration coursing through my veins. I didn’t need this shit! I grabbed my phone, closed my eyes, and pressed the open button, fearing what his next message would entail.

Isn’t that cute, trying to b tough? U know u can’t escape me. I will find u and make u pay for this, D. Mark my words.
My breath hitched in my throat as I read his words, fear washing over me. No, DJ, don’t think about the past. He can’t come and get you. You are safe traveling with your brothers, I thought as I chewed my bottom lip and shook my head. I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, trying to calm down. I didn’t get scared easily, but I knew Max too well to that threat lightly. He was a ruthless bastard when provoked and I think I may have just poked the sleeping bear.

Good luck. I’m not coming back. I typed and pushed my phone across the table. There was no way Max could find me while I was on tour with Avenged, especially since he thought I was somewhere in California. I was just glad he didn’t know where my new apartment was. I was safe… I just had to remember that.

What was going to do about him? These texts were starting to become too frequent but I didn’t know if I should tell anyone. I knew if my brothers ever found out about my not so great relationship with Max they would go balls to the wall to beat that bastard, but I couldn’t let them do that. Max was too dangerous and unpredictable and I couldn’t bear the thought of them getting hurt. I had to protect the people I loved by keeping this to myself.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to think of something else to avert my mind. Almost instantly I pictured those haunting brown eyes and those strong tattooed arms wrapped around me and I instantly relaxed. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how his body felt pressed to mine, or how close I was to kissing those delicious lips. I bet Brian tasted just as good as he smelled. Shivers covered my arms at the mere thought.

“Are you okay?”

I shook my head to push the thoughts away, just in time to see Nancy standing in front of me with a concerned expression on her face. Was it that obvious that something was bothering me? Did she know what was going on? Fuck… I was so confused and I didn’t want to involve anyone. I had to figure this out on my own.

"Chill. I just asked you a simple question," Nancy said as I opened and closed my mouth.

"I-I..." I stuttered, blushing and quickly grabbing my phone.

"Aren't you feeling well, DJ?"

"Oh, um, I'm fine you know. I just..." I licked my lips and ran my hands over my flushed face, trying to calm myself down. How could I have those thoughts about Brian in the middle of this mess with Max? Was I sick? Apparently because only deranged people would be this twisted.

"Do you want me to call your brothers?" Nancy asked and my eyes grew wide. No! No! No! My brothers were the last people I wanted to see! Fuck, I had to get myself under control.

"No, don't call Matt and Jay!” I practically shouted as I shook my head. “I mean, they must be busy with their work don't you think?" Smooth Dani… smooth.

Nancy tilted her head the side and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at me suspiciously. "Fine, I won't call your brothers only on one condition." she said, getting her ‘work face’ on. Yeah, she was that easy to read.

"Yeah, yeah, I have to listen to you and work properly. I know that, Nancy and you see, I'm trying," I sighed, running my hands over my face. I didn’t need a lecture right now. I was exhausted and fed up and I didn’t need anyone else telling me what I needed to do.

"Are you still hung over from last night?" I wish that’s all this was…

"I'm fine, Nancy. Just some...stuff bothering me," I said cryptically. Thankfully Nancy didn’t push the topic any further. She just went on yammering about our agenda for the day and I nodded in response, only half hearing her. I still didn’t know what to do about this Max situation, but hopefully he would give up and move on soon. A

"And there are my girls, descending down the bus,” Zack’s voice called, pulling me from my thoughts as I followed Nancy off the bus. I quickly looked around, searching for that familiar set of brown eyes that seemed to calm me down. Was Brian waiting to go to breakfast with us too? "Nancy, who can dance very well. And DJ, who knows exactly how to fuck shit up at parties."

"Where's Br- I mean, where are the others?" I asked with a frown. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I had to see Brian today. I guess part of me longed for that distraction while the rest of me wanted to know what this feeling was towards him.

"They're around, what's up with you? You seem a little down today," Zacky said and pulled me into his side.

“Nothing, I’m fine…” I lied only for Zacky to pull me off toward the little diner across the parking lot.

“That’s bullshit. What’s the matter? And don’t tell me nothing because I can see it in your eyes,” he said and my jaw dropped slightly. Did Zacky know me that well already?

“I’ll be fine, just some crap going on back home. Nothing to worry about,” I said, pushing the comment away with my hand. “How was your ride?”

“Honestly?” Zack chuckled, answering my question instead of pushing the topic further. I was very thankful for that. “It was boring without you girls. I think you two should be one our bus. Though between you and me, I would be fine with just you with me on the bus.” Zacky gave me an obnoxious wink and I gave him a half-hearted smiled and shook my head.

“You got something in your eye there?” I asked as he pulled me into a hug, all of my anxiety melting away. “So what are you doing tonight after your show?”

Zack put his chin on top of my head as he playfully rocked me back and forth. “Well, the guys were talking about going to the local strip club at our next stop. Matt said it would be a stag night or else I would invite you as my plus one.” Zack frowned and shrugged his shoulder. “But tonight is just a normal party.”

“That sounds fun,” I said, glad that I could use him as a distraction for the evening. I just hoped Nancy could distract me while I was working so I didn’t have to think about the Max situation. “I bet you’ll have some fun stories at the strip club…specially with Jimmy,” I chuckled and Zack’s eyes got big as he nodded.

“You don’t want to see Rev at a strip club,” he laughed. “He is even more hyper than you saw him last night and he thinks he is a smooth talker, but…well I be you can imagine the rest from seeing him with Nancy,” He chuckled as we made our way to the door of the diner.

“Yeah,” I breathed, my eyes landing on the man who had been haunting my thoughts on the bus. He was standing with one hand in his pocket as he smoked a cigarette with a small smirk playing on his lips. Why was he so damn handsome? Hell, all the Avenged guys were. Who knew that bunch of misfits would grow up to be so attractive?

"Stop daydreaming, Gates. Last time you did that, you missed your breakfast, remember?" Zacky said.

I licked my lips as my eyes wandered up and down over Brian. His heavily tattooed arms, spiked hair, and gorgeous brown eyes were everything that I liked in man all combined into one neat package. The only problem was that I knew his reputation. He was a man whore and I wasn’t about to play the role of one of those little groupies. No, if he wanted me, he was going to have to work for it. So the question was: Was Mr. Gates up for the challenge?

“And speaking of excited people at a strip club,” Zack’s voice suddenly sounded in my ear. He whispered so that only I could hear him. “Mr. Gates here had such a bad boner the last time we went to the club that stripper refused to give him a lap dance,” Zack whispered before I burst out laughing. So the infamous Mr. Gates couldn’t hold it together at a strip club? Hmm… now that was interesting. Maybe all the rumors weren’t true?
Without another word, Zack lead me into the diner and sat us down at a booth, his arm hanging loosely around my shoulder. I just felt so comfortable around him and I loved that there was no pressure—it was just natural.

“So tell me about the show tonight,” I said, making small talk after giving my order to the waitress. I wasn’t really hungry, especially since I had felt my phone go off at least three times in my pocket since we sat down. God, why couldn’t Max just leave me alone. I couldn’t believe I thought I loved him at one point… and hell, put up with as much shit as I did. I was just glad I wasn’t trapped there anymore.

“Well, this a festival, so there will be some bands playing tonight. I think I saw Breaking Benjamin and Five Finger Death Punch on the list. So I’m sure they will be at the after party, especially since we’re all friends,” Zacky mused taking a sip of his coffee. I could see the concern in his eyes every time he looked at me so I averted most of my attention to my cup of coffee.

“That sounds like fun,” I sighed, feeling my phone buzz yet again. “Are you going to the after party?” I asked with a hopeful tone.

Zack turned to look at me with a raised brow, his green eyes meeting mine. “Why, what are you offering?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“Not a strip tease, if that’s what you’re thinking,” I laughed, shaking my head. “But I think we could arrange a dance or two… and maybe share a Mary Jane?”

“Damn. Well…I cant promise anything, but I’ll see what I can do if you’re going to miss me that badly.” He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear with a small smile. “Tell you what, beautiful, how about we go get something to eat after the show? Just you and me? Then we can party it up?”

I smiled at Zack and nodded. “Sure, that sounds fun,” I smiled, liking the sound of this distraction. “But let’s make it drinks and dinner. But no one else!” I warned, though I couldn’t shake the image of having dinner with Brian from my mind. What the hell was wrong with me? Why did I keep thinking about him?

Zack held two fingers up to his head like he was going to salute me and I laughed. “Scouts honor.”

"DJ, what the fuck are you doing there when your brothers are here?" MB’s voice called across the restaurant, causing both Zack and I to look up.

“What the hell was that about?” He asked, with a raised brow.

“Who knows but we’ve been spotted,” I sighed, pulling out my phone to see four missed texts from Max. I quickly cleared the screen, not wanting to read his threatening and ranting texts. Maybe if ignored him, he would stop? “They probably think I should be working since Nancy isn’t here.”

“What are you two doing over here?” Jason asked as he and Matt slid into the bench across from Zack and I.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I’m about to go help Nancy set up the merch booth after having breakfast with Zack,” I said, not liking the expressions on their faces. What was up with them? Did they not have enough coffee yet?

“Perfect, because we need to have a little chat with Mr. Vengeance,” MB said, narrowing his eyes at Zack as I got up.

“About what? Everything okay?” I asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah, just sound check stuff,” Jason waved me off and I rolled my eyes. I didn’t like the feeling that I had in the pit of my stomach but shook it off. I really needed to go help Nancy before she blew a gasket anyway.

“Bye DJ, see you later. Good luck with sales,” Zack said with a smile as my phone went off again. How much more did Max really have to say?

“Yeah, thanks. See you later, Zee,” I sighed and waved before walking out of the dinner. As soon as I stepped outside, I felt something hit my leg. I looked down to the ground to see a pack of Marlboro cigarettes in front of my black converse. Oh god, I could really use a smoke right now. Maybe it would calm the raging beast inside of me, the one that wanted to crawl through my phone and punch Max in the face. Fuck I was so sick of this shit!

“Shit, sorry about that. The bastards got away from me,” Brian said, bending down at the same time as me to grab the pack. Our hands touched and I recoiled, afraid of the shock that I felt. When I looked up, his gorgeous brown eyes were watching me with an amused smirk. This was no accident—he threw them at me on purpose. That slick bastard…

“So I see the little Berry girl is still off limits?” Brian whispered, snatching up his pack but not moving.

“What are you talking about?” I hissed, feeling my heart start to race. I could smell his sweet cologne from here and it was sending my senses into a frenzy. Damn, something about Brian excited me but I couldn’t give into him. I had enough drama to deal with and I didn’t need another problem on my hands. This shit was Max was enough.

“You heard your brothers the other day… you are off limits to all of us,” Brian continued, his brown eyes locked with mine. I swallowed thickly, trying to maintain the upper hand. Where the hell was he going with this? “And it looks like your brothers are putting a kibosh to like whatever was going on between you and Zee,” he said triumphantly looking through the windows of the diner.

I followed his gaze to see my brothers now sitting across from Zack in the both, both of them shaking their heads and waving their arms. What the fuck? Was everyone out to fucking control me today?! Were they pissed because I was sitting and talking with him? I could feel a wave of anger spreading through my system as I watched the scene unfold. So now he was getting in trouble for looking out for me? That was fucking bullshit! Oh, I was about done with told what to do and who I could hang out with! Who the hell put my brothers up to that?

I turned my attention to Brian as he watched the scene in front of us with a wicked smirk. That son of a bitch though he could play dirty, huh? Well, two could play at that game!

“Well, it looks like that’s over, but don’t worry, there are other options for a good time…” He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I raised my own in response. So now I was supposed to go with him? Who the hell did Brian think he was?

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and and slowly stood up, our stare not breaking. I was pissed off, exhausted, and in no mood to deal with any of this shit right now. I just wanted to lock myself in the back room on the bus and drink away every fucking memory. The day was a wash as far as I was concerned. I was done! Too bad I still had to go work the fucking merch booth…

“Your brothers don’t have to know everything. I think you and I should have our own after party on the bus… then you’ll find out exactly what I’m talking about, babe.” Was he serious right now? I scoffed and rolled my eyes, as he raised a brow and pulled out a cigarette, putting it between his delicious looking lips. “Who knows, you might actually like breaking the rules, Miss Berry.”

“Oh I have no problem breaking the rules,” I countered as Brian took a step forward and caged me against the side of the building. I raised a brow at him, trying not to laugh at the situation.

“Is that so?” He mused, putting the cigarette behind his ear.

“I am the master of rule breaking,” I teased, leaning into him in a playful way, getting ready to play my next move. Even though I was beyond pissed, I couldn’t ignore what his close proximity was doing to me. It was like his touch ignited ever nerve ending inside of me, making me crave more. But I couldn’t give in, no not now. I had to show him that I wasn’t some toy he could play with.

“I knew you’d see it my way… Zack wouldn’t have pleased you nearly as much as I will…” Brian purred in my ear as he slowly started to lean in towards me, his hands on either side of my head. Did he really think he could win me over this easily? Oh, he was sadly mistaken.

“You know what I think?” I smiled sweetly as I ran my hands down his chest, feeling him shiver under my touch.

“What’s that?” He asked and I learned forward so that my lips were touching his ear.

“I think you have some fucking nerve…” I whispered before giving him a firm shove backwards. Brian gapped at me as I pushed away from him. I was done with these guys thinking they could control and manipulate me into doing what they wanted. When were they going to realize that I was in charge?!

“I’m not some fucking groupie you can have at your beckon call and stay the hell out of my business! Whatever is going on between Zack and I is none of your fucking business. And if I find out that you go and tattle on me to my brother’s again, I will make sure you never get laid again. Got it, Haner?” I snapped, putting my finger in his face.

“DJ wait!” Brian called after me as I stormed off towards the bus. “I wasn’t—I didn’t—”

“Don’t fucking lie to me! I’ve got enough shit to put up with already,” I yelled back. “And if you want this,” I motioned between the two of us, “to ever happen, try not being a dick. I’m not some prize to be won!” I called over my shoulder as I stormed away.

Without thinking twice, I made my way back onto the bus to get the bottle of Jack Daniels in the cupboard. I didn’t care that it was barely eleven in the morning or that I wasn’t supposed to drink before working. I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed something to help calm me down. Hell, between Max’s increasingly threatening messages and my confusing thoughts about Brian, I was losing my damn mind. I needed an escape… a way to forget about all this and my friend Jack was just the solution I needed.

“Bottom’s up,” I said, opening the bottle and putting it to my lips. I took a few long swigs of the amber liquid, the burn instantly easing some of the tension I was feeling. Yes, take away all these stupid emotions… make then disappear into the night. I didn’t want to feel or think about anything any more. I was done…

As I swallowed, I heard hurried steps onto the bus and I pinched my eyes shut. Fuck. What now?

Notes

Sorry for the delay in updating, it's been a very busy year so far! Anyway, here is a new chapter and a little bit of information about what is going on with DJ. What do you think happened in her past with Max? Will Brian keep trying to fight for her? Is there something going on with DJ and Zacky? Let us know your thoughts! We love hearing from you!