Don't You Dare

The sun blazed down on top of Aubrey’s head. Heat radiated from her body, and her clothes clung to her dewy skin. With sweat glistening her forehead, she walked toward the bus, praying that the air conditioning was on inside, seeking a blast of cool air.

“AC!”

She glanced over her shoulder to see Zack pulling up beside her in a golf cart.

“Hey,” she greeted with a smile.

“I’ve been looking all over for you; we need you!” He primed with pleading eyes.

She tilted her head slightly to the side. “What’s up?”

“We need someone to man the merch tent,” he explained.

She narrowed her eyes at his request. “Again?”

He nodded quickly.

“Where’s Matt?” She asked of their actual merch guy.

“The Berrys are fixing Brian’s cab and we have an interview to do in ten minutes,” Zack explained.

Although Aubrey didn’t mind helping out, that was the second time they asked her to look after the merch table since she had joined them on tour. She knew things didn’t work out well with the last merch girl, her replacement, so Matt decided to just wing it for Warped Tour, but something smelled fishy. “Did Brian put you up to this?”

“Put me up to what?” He wondered, genuinely confused.

“I don’t know. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you guys were trying to use my old job against me. Trying to persuade me to stay.” She called them out.

“I don’t know anything about that,” he defended with his hands up. “It’s just nice to have someone, other than Berry, that we can trust to run the table by themselves again.”

Aubrey softened and smiled. Even if they were using it against her, she enjoyed the feeling of being needed and actually being helpful while on tour, instead of just tagging along for the ride. “Alright, you convinced me.”

“Yes,” Zack cheered with a fist in the air. “Get in, I’ll cart you there.”

So much for finding some air conditioning...

Ø

Aubrey was crouched behind the merch table as she dug around in one of the boxes, trying to sort and organize the mess of merchandise that had accumulated. She had no idea how Matt Berry was able manage all the crap the band sold. It seemed to all be mixed together. There were stickers in the t-shirt boxes, t-shirts in the CD box, and CDs in the sticker box. And she had no idea where the hoodies were kept, so she took those off of the display for the time being.

If she was going to help out, she was going to do it properly.

“Ohmygod,” a girl, no older than sixteen, gasped as she and a friend walked up to the merch table. She had dyed-blue hair and thick eyeliner drawn perfectly around her wide and curious eyes. “Are you the A-seven-X merch girl?”

“Uh,” Aubrey smiled cautiously as she stood up. “Temporarily.”

“So you know Avenged Sevenfold?” Her pink-haired friend asked with the attitude that accompanied teenage angst.

“Yeah...?” Aubrey trailed off, unsure why they were asking questions that had obvious answers.

“Ohmygod,” Blue Hair squeaked. “What are they like?”

“Uh,” Aubrey stammered then shrugged. “Fun?”

“Are they nice?” Blue Hair went on. “Please say they’re nice.”

“Yeah, they’re nice,” Aubrey nodded.

“I knew it,” Pink Hair conceded. “Do you think you could, like, find a way to let us meet them?”

Aubrey’s brow furrowed, unsure of what to say. Sure, she could introduce them to the guys, but something about that felt weird to her. “They’re doing an interview right now, but I mean, they’re usually walking around. If you see them, just say hi. I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”

“Ohmygod, I’m so nervous,” Blue Hair breathed. “We love them so much. This is our first time seeing them. We’ve tried-”

“Have you banged any of them?” Pink Hair interrupted with no shame. “I bet they’re all amazing in the sack.”

Aubrey raised her eyebrows at her forwardness. “Thaaat’s inappropriate; I can’t answer that.”

“Ohmygod you totally have,” Blue Hair concurred dreamily. “Who? Is it Zacky V?” The look in her eyes told Aubrey that she might have a stroke right in front of her if it was Zack.

“I bet it’s the lead singer,” Pink Hair encouraged. “Tell me how big his dick is.”

Hearing these two young girls talk about Zack and Matt in such intense ways made Aubrey extremely uncomfortable, especially knowing Zack’s gentle and loving nature and that Matt was extremely happy in his relationship with Val.

“Did you girls want to buy a t-shirt?” Aubrey asked, finally taking control of the situation and changing the subject. “That’s about all I can help you with, sorry.”

“Oh!” Blue Hair peeped, snapping out of her daze and remembering she was at the merch table for a reason. “Yes! I want that one in a medium!” She pointed out her t-shirt selection.

“I’ll take the same one in a large,” Pink Hair ordered.

Aubrey quickly exchanged the shirts for their money and watched with relief as they walked away, still gossiping. She felt uneasy as she went back to rifling through the merch boxes and organizing the chaos. Obviously, she had encountered many of their fans in the past and some were pretty damn excited about seeing the guys but she had never experienced fan girls like that before. It felt very strange to her.

Her life felt very strange at the moment, actually. Before she had decided to fly out to surprise Brian, she really wasn’t sure when she would see him again. Yet there she was, not only with him, but back on tour (even if it was only for a few days), and back handling their merch.

“So, you’re with the metal band, huh?”

Aubrey looked up to see the guy from the barbecue, as if she didn’t feel weird enough already.

For some reason, his arrival and unnecessary question really pissed her off. Why won’t he just leave her alone? And why was everyone asking her idiotic questions? She glanced at him then at the display of t-shirts. “If it wasn’t obvious at the barbecue, it should be now.”

He either completely didn’t catch her aggressive tone or completely ignored it, because his expression didn’t change. “I don’t know if you’re available for hire but we could use a new merch girl for our next tour,” he suggested.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m retired, actually,” she spat semi-sarcastically, even though she knew he wouldn’t understand the joke.

“You sure?” He egged on. “Us pop punk guys know how to party.”

For the second time in thirty minutes, her eyebrow furrowed at the brazenness of people she didn’t even know.

“Yeah I’m good,” she curtly insisted.

“Aw come on,” he pushed. “We would show you a good time. They can’t be taking care of you as well as we would.”

“She said she’s good.”

Both Aubrey and the guy whipped their heads to the side to see Brian walking up to them at that moment. Although she wasn’t afraid of this asshole, she was relieved to see her knight in shining armor.

“Jeez, coming to her rescue again,” the guy uttered with a laugh.

“Just fuck off, dude,” Brian said plainly. He didn’t want to start anything with this guy, he didn’t want to cause an issue. He just wanted him to go away.

The guy snorted. “Sunk your claws pretty deep in your merch girl, huh? Or can she just not handle herself around dudes in bands?”

Brian’s fists clenched at his sides but he didn’t respond, not wanting to let this prick get a rise out of him. He knew he wasn’t worth it.

Aubrey noticed the guy didn’t seem to surrender and fuck off as easily as he did at the barbecue, so she silently pleaded with Brian - please don’t punch him, please don’t punch him.

“She can handle herself just fine. It’s you who can’t handle himself, seeing as you won’t take no for answer and piss off,” Brian declared, standing in between them now.

They stared each other down for a minute. Aubrey realized that this obnoxious guy didn’t give a rat’s ass about her - he just wanted to win a pissing match. For whatever reason, he had a bone to pick with Brian and he wanted to see it through.

“Whatever dude,” he finally relented then looked over Brian’s shoulder at Aubrey. “Enjoy your pussy hair metal.”

Aubrey’s grimaced. Although she understood the insult, she had to cringe at the fact that he said pussy hair.

“I will,” she said matter-of-factly with a nod at the end.

Again, Brian stared him down as he walked away. “God I want to deck that guy.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Aubrey spoke softly, touching his arm, bringing his attention to her.

Finally, he looked at her and instantly relaxed. A small smile graced his face and he asked, “Having fun?”

“I was before that guy came up and started talking about pussy hair.”

Brian chuckled. “Our interview got pushed back an hour so I just came to check on you. Good thing I did.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Despite what that guy said, I appreciate it when you come to my rescue.”

He smiled lazily then gave her a small kiss on the lips.

“Need anything?” He asked.

“A shower and air conditioning,” she answered.

He laughed again. “Matt should be back to relieve you soon. I’ll come find you after our interview.”

“’Kay,” she replied then puckered her lips for another kiss.

He obliged happily then walked away.

Just as Aubrey was finishing up her organization techniques, Jason ducked under the tent.

“Okay, I came to relieve you, but dear god, please don’t leave me to sell merch to preteens by myself,” Jason begged without a greeting. “This is not my domain but Matt fixed Brian’s cab and since I don’t know what the hell he did, he’s gonna get it all set up on the stage, and now I’m here and terrified.”

She laughed at his incessant rambling. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you to fend off the preteens alone.”

“Oh god, thank you,” he replied as he plopped down onto an empty crate. “Oh dude! I just talked to your brother!”

“Really?” Aubrey asked with raised eyebrows and a smile. She loved her brother and missed him so much.

“Yeah! He’s in Seattle for the weekend!” Jason informed her.

“He is? I had no idea! You probably talk to him more than I do. I swear, I only get to see him on holidays.”

“Yeah, he was telling me about this new project he’s working on,” Jason continued. “It sounds badass. And I think he’s got a girlfriend.”

“What!” Aubrey exclaimed, her mind completely blown that someone from her ‘new’ life knew someone from her ‘old’ life. “I’m gonna have to call him to get all the details.”

“You should,” Jason replied before he suddenly froze.

“What’s wrong?” Aubrey asked.

“They’re coming,” Jason whispered. “The preteens are coming.”

Aubrey looked over her shoulder to see a hoard of fans excitedly walking towards their table.

“Just sit back and relax, Berry,” she comforted. “I got this.”

Ø

The sound of tires squealing and scraping against the concrete muffled the sound of Jimmy’s exuberant laughter as he peeled out in the golf cart. He was riding around the tour grounds, wreaking havoc and acting a fool, per usual. Whoever decided to give Avenged Sevenfold a golf cart was not right in the mind.

Up ahead, Jimmy spotted two familiar girls and gunned it toward them. Without warning, he whipped into the space in front of Aubrey and Kelsey and slammed on the brakes, sending his ass flying about a foot off the seat then flopping back down onto it.

“Jesus H.” Kelsey grabbed her chest, startled by Jimmy’s loud and sudden appearance.

Aubrey just laughed.

“Did you know you can peel out in a golf cart?” Jimmy asked with a gleam in his eye. “Cause you can. Want me to show you?”

“That’s okay, Jim,” Aubrey replied. “I believe you.”

“You ladies need a ride?” Jimmy asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“No, thanks. I’d rather not die today,” Kelsey retorted.

“Aww,” Jimmy pouted. “AC?”

“I’m good,” Aubrey declined.

“But it’s your last day on Warped,” Jimmy whined. “Come on, it’ll be fuuun.”

“But you’re gonna kill me,” Aubrey went on.

“But it’ll be fuuun,” Jimmy reiterated.

“Please don’t kill her,” Brian requested as he walked up to his friends.

“Party-poopers,” Jimmy huffed. “Where’s Johnny? He’ll let me kill him.”

And with that, Jimmy sped off in the golf cart.

“I’m going find the cleanest port-a-potty within a five-mile radius,” Kelsey announced. “If I don’t come back in the next ten minutes, send a search and rescue team.”

“We’ll send Jimmy,” Brian reassured.

Kelsey laughed as she walked off. “He’s probably just as aggressive.”

“Soo,” Brian slung his arm around Aubrey’s shoulders. “What do you want to do on your last day?”

“Not talk about the fact that it’s my last day,” Aubrey requested with a sigh.

He let out a sympathetic sigh. “I know. It’s killing me too.” But he promised himself that he wouldn't sulk or make a big deal out of it He wanted to enjoy his last day with Aubrey and end on a positive note, not on a sad note. “But we’re gonna have a good day.”

She agreed with a nod.

“Do you want to go straight to your apartment after the show or hang out for a while?” Brian wondered.

“What time is bus call?” Aubrey asked.

“Five in the morning,” Brian answered with a crooked frown.

“I guess we can go to the cookout for a little while tonight after the show, so I can spend some time with Val and Kelsey and the guys,” Aubrey rationalized. “But I don’t want to stay too long, so we can spend some time together too.”

“Deal.” Brian nodded then spotted something ahead of them. “Jesus Christ,” he exhaled with a laugh. “Look at these fucking idiots.”

Aubrey followed his gaze until she landed on a golf cart a few yards away. Jimmy was driving, still very recklessly, swerving from one side to the other, but it was Johnny who had her eyes bugging out of her skull. He was on top of the golf cart, wearing nothing but his underwear and holding on for dear life as Jimmy tried to knock him off the roof.

The top half of Johnny’s body was stiff and tight as he clung to the roof of the cart, but the bottom half of his body was thrashing from side to side.

Aubrey covered her eyes quickly and buried her face into Brian’s chest. “Oh for fuck’s sake, I can’t look. I can’t watch Johnny die right in front of me.”

“Why are you naked?!” Brian yelled as the cart got closer and closer.

Aubrey peeked through her fingers, worried that Jimmy was truly going to hurt Johnny, despite the maniacal laugh that was bellowing from his thin frame. He was loving it way too much.

“Trying to avoid...” Johnny tried to answer but had to catch his breath as he was getting scarily close to falling off the side. “Dreaded Warped farmer’s tan!”

“Translate?” Aubrey asked Brian.

“Being in the sun for the whole summer tends to leave a t-shirt and shorts tan on everyone,” Brian explained. “Guess he’s gonna hang out in his underwear to avoid that. Logical.”

Just then, Jimmy made a sharp turn and came frighteningly close to toppling the golf cart on its side; so much so that his eyes widened with panic.

Aubrey gasped. “Make it stop, Brian. I am going to have a heart attack.”

“Hey!” Brian called to get Jimmy and Johnny’s attention. “They restocked the fridge in the bus with beer!”

The tires of the golf cart came to a screeching halt. Without hesitation, Jimmy quickly shut it off and jumped out of the vehicle then took off toward the buses, with Johnny sliding off the roof and following after him.

“That was too easy,” Brian laughed.

“They’re gonna be pissed when they get to the bus and find the fridge still empty,” Aubrey reminded him.

Brian shrugged. “They’ll live. Let’s go get some food.”

Ø

Brian was fine while they ate lunch. He was fine while Aubrey showed Matt Berry her method of handling the merch to help him for the rest of the tour. He was even fine while he helped her pack.

He started to struggle a little while they played their set though. His chest tightened when he saw her watching from the side of the stage, knowing he wasn’t going to see that sight again for a while. When the sun went down, and day turned to night, he started to feel worse and worse. He knew their time together was coming to an end. Again.

As soon as they made their way to the cookout that night, Brian was on edge. Aubrey and Val were whispering to themselves about something, so he gave her some space. He needed a moment to clear his head and pull it together anyway, so he went to look for some beers for the girls.

He was trying to keep his resolve. He was trying to keep it together. He was trying not to sulk or let it get to him. He really didn’t want to sulk on their last night together.

But when Brian saw that fucking prick in that lame ass pop-punk band talking to Aubrey again, he nearly lost it. It was her last night on tour, her last night with him, and he was not going to let this dude steal a single second of it.

He knew Aubrey like the back of his hand, and he trusted her. He wasn’t worried about this guy getting his hands on her, but it pissed him off that he tried to anyway. Especially when he saw Aubrey’s expression change from annoyance to disgust at something the guy said.

Brian quickly made his way through the crowds of tour members scattered throughout the parking lot, wondering why the fuck he ever left Aubrey’s side knowing this prick was constantly on the prowl. He only turned his back for two seconds. He didn’t even know this jerk-off’s name, why did he insist on messing with his girl?

“What part of fuck off did you not understand?” Brian asked spitefully as he approached them, instantly shoving the guy away from Aubrey.

Knowing exactly what was about to happen, Aubrey’s eyes widened as she watched the guy stumble a few steps backwards.

“What?” The guy asked with a laugh as he regained his balance. “You don’t trust your bitch?”

He was drunk and he was escalating.

“I don’t trust you,” Brian countered, pointing his finger at the guy.

“Hey, I’m just trying to sink my claws into her too, man,” he goaded.

“Leave her the fuck alone,” Brian spat, his fists clenching.

“Or what?” The guy provoked. “What’re you going to do?”

Without another thought, Brian’s fist reared back and slammed into the guy’s jaw in one swift and tense movement. The guy hit the ground almost immediately as gasps could be heard through the crowd around them.

“Okay!” Aubrey intervened, stepping in front of Brian and putting her hands on his chest. She shouldn’t have even let it get this far, but she certainly wasn’t going to let it go any further. “It’s time to go!”

Notes

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Xoxo &*