Broken Arrow

I flinched awake as I felt a weight drop on my bed, opening my eyes to a small man with a mohawk.

"WAKEY WAKEY!" Johnny cried, a huge grin on his face.
I sat up, grabbing my pillow and beating him over the head with it. "Never. Ever. Wake me up like that again, you little prick!" I spat between hits.
"Alright! I'm sorry!" Johnny laughed, holding his arms up to shield himself.
"I leave you alone for two minutes, and you're already trying to kill each other." Came Zacky's voice, and I looked up to see him leaning against the door frame.
"Morning." I smiled, grabbing Johnny in a headlock and grinding my knuckles onto the top of his head.
"Come downstairs." Zacky said, gesturing behind him. "The whole family's here."
"This early?"
"Special occasion." he nodded. "C'mon."

I released Johnny from his headlock and followed the two of them downstairs. The whole A7X family was indeed there. Not only all five members of the band and their girlfriends, but Papa Gates, Suzy, McKenna, Dan Abel, Jason and Matt Berry, Larry Jacobson, and Cam Rackam. Even Julia and Arin had come by for the occasion.

They were all crowded around Brian's flat screen. Jimmy and Matt already had beers in their hands, despite the fact that it was barely 9am. I took a seat on the floor with McKenna, Demi, Kiki and... Trixie was nowhere to be seen. I shrugged it off, figuring there was a good explanation for her absence, and directed my attention to Larry, who cleared his throat to speak.

"It's been a crazy week, but today is a very special day." he smiled. "I just got word that Bat Country is premiering on MTV today."

He turned on the TV, and a quote flashed up onscreen; "He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man" - Dr. Johnson. A guitar riff began, and Matt's face appeared for a moment before the image quickly changed to a very familiar car tearing down a highway, driven by Matt.



Brian's arm rested on the back of his seat, with Zacky, and Jimmy; who had a pink fly swatter in his hand, in the back. The car stopped, and Johnny stood on the side of the road wearing a white wife-beater, a bear-hand glove covering his hand.



The image switched back and forth between the car, and the boys in the hotel room playing their instruments. I shifted uncomfortably as I watched; I'd almost forgotten how good Brian had looked that day. He glanced over at me from where he sat and I avoided his gaze, turning my attention back to the screen. Demi and I chuckled as we watched Jimmy try to swat a bunch of CGI bats that darted around in the air above the car.



"I am so glad I brought that thing." Demi chuckled.

As the image switched back to the hotel room again, I tried to ignore the hatred I felt when I spotted the girl in red lingerie, remembering how she'd basically been all over Brian during the shoot that day. I knew I was being ridiculous, it was all for show, and it wasn't like Brian and I were dating. I'd had no right, nor reason, to be jealous.

Especially considering what happened later that night...

Shoving those thoughts away, I continued to watch. Burlesque dancers, wranglers, and various other people's faces warped and twisted, giving off the effects of an Acid Trip. Matt's husky laugh echoed through the room as the image changed to Brian with an elderly couple, getting a kiss from the old woman.



"I bet you let her blow you later on." he teased.
"Go fuck yourself, Shadows." Brian laughed. "She'd probably die of oxygen deprivation if she tried, she's that old."
"If she could find it first." Zacky sniggered. "She'd probably have to adjust her glasses, it's that small."
"Do you wanna get knocked the fuck out, Vengeance?" Brian warned him.
"Well, only Ruby would know." Johnny smirked in my direction.
"Ahem." Jimmy cleared his throat. "I happen to have seen the man's peen on more than one occasion."
"Will you guys shut the fuck up?" Larry cut in. "You can talk about your dicks later."
"Matt trumps all of you fuckholes, either way." Demi added. "So sit the fuck down."
"HORSECOCK!" Brian shouted.
"I said shut up!" Larry snapped.

I chuckled and looked back at the screen; Matt, Zacky and Johnny sat in a booth in the Peppermill Lounge, which was obviously supposed to look like a booth in a strip club, made apparent by the demonic strippers that danced on the tabletop. Even I couldn't argue that the girls were hot, and their CGI tails and tongues looked totally badass.



The image changed to Zacky sitting on the edge of a bathtub as yellow tentacles protruded from the water, twisting and curling in a creepy manner. It changed again, and Brian stood in front of a huge sign that read "SYN" as he began to play his solo. I balled my hand into a fist, trying to ignore the stirrings downstairs as I watched him play, remembering all too vividly what had happened later that night.



The image changed back to the hotel room, the two girls in lingerie dancing on the bed as Brian and Zacky played their duel solo. The camera switched between the girls, dancing as whipped cream sprayed everywhere, a few burlesque dancers out in the streets of Vegas, and back to the boys.



"Mmm, that is what I came here for." Kiki smirked. "Two sexy-ass guitarists rubbing up against each other while they play a solo."
"Threesome?" Zacky grinned, winking at her.
"Over my dead body, Vengeance." Brian sniggered.
"I'm not one to draw the line at Necrophilia." Kiki replied.
"Stop." Brian cringed.



The wallpaper behind Jimmy distorted and flaked off as he drummed, twisting and changing into bats. The scene changed again, showing Brian and Jimmy playing roulette with a man with a fishhead.



Back to the hotel room where the band played as the girls in lingerie danced around them, occasionally showing the boys partying with them.



A poker machine showed little red deathbats singing along to the song, and then a neon sign reading "DRIVE CAREFULLY - Come Back SOON" flashed up onscreen, a flashing deathbat flapping it's wings above it, and the screen went dark.



The entire room erupted into applause.
"That was fucking awesome!" Johnny cried.
"The CGI effects were really rad." McKenna added.
"I'm proud of you guys." Larry smiled. "You were right little shits over in Vegas, but you got your job done, nonetheless."
"Sorry about that, again." Jimmy apologized.
"It's over now." Larry replied.
"Well." Matt said, standing up suddenly. "I say we all go out and celebrate, who's with me?"
"Count me the fuck in!" Jimmy grinned, leaping out of his chair.

***



Celebrating had meant going out drinking, and we were currently all down at Silvera's Rockbar in Downtown Main St. Drinks were on the house, courtesy of David Silvera, the Drummer of Korn and a good friend of the guys, who owned the place. As I glanced around, I noticed Trixie was still nowhere to be seen. Getting up from my seat, I walked over to Matt.

"Matty." I said, nudging his side.
"Hey." he smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "What's up?"
"I couldn't help but notice Trixie's not here?"
"Ahh, yeah..." he screwed up his face, turning his drink in his hands. "We broke up last night."
"I'm sorry." I frowned, squeezing him with one arm.
"It's okay, it was a long time coming." he sighed.
"I can't help but feel somewhat responsible." I admitted, recalling our conversation back in Vegas.
"No, no." he shook his head. "You helped me open my eyes to a few things, but the choice was all my own." he explained, forcing a small smile. "I know I did the right thing, it wasn't fair on her to keep stringing her along."
"I'm glad you realized that." I nodded. "How's Zacky taking it?"
"He wasn't too happy that I broke his cousin's heart." Matt admitted. "But I think he knows it's what was best for the both of us, he'll get over it."

Our conversation was cut short when I noticed Brian suddenly scoot away from across the bar. A familiar-looking blonde had entered the establishment, a single pink streak in her hair. Jessica. The same girl who'd flaunted her shit all up in Brian's face at Johnny's Bar that night.



She was wearing an Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt, the neckline cut to all hell, exposing a fair amount of her cleavage. I rolled my eyes and took a deep swig of my Sailor Jerry and Coke as Brian slid his arms around her waist as she kissed his cheek in greeting.

"Whoa, what's up with that?" Matt asked, noticing my reaction.
"It doesn't even matter." I shrugged.
"No, it's bothering you." he pressed. "What happened? I thought you guys had something going?"
"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." I repeated for the thousandth time. "We had an agreement."
"And you're really okay with that?"
"He's my best friend." I sighed. "If we'd let things progress, it could've seriously screwed things up between us."
"I guess I can't argue with that." Matt shrugged.

I watched as Brian fed Jessica a shot as she sat on his lap, taking another deep swig from my own drink. She leaned into his ear, whispering something to him, and he smirked as he replied. Their words were inaudible to me due to the chatter and music that played overheard. I turned away after watching him kiss her just under her jaw, making her giggle.

Matt's attention was highly focused on the bartender. She was a petite little thing with deep brown hair and porcelain skin. As she leaned in to serve Matt another drink, I noticed her eyes; the outer rims were blue, and a halo of green surrounded her pupils. She flashed Matt a bright smile before walking away.



"Uh oh." I giggled.
"What?" he grinned, making his dimples stand out.
"You got a thing for the bar tender."
"She's cute." he admitted. "But I literally just broke up with Trixie last night."
"Yeah, which, as you stated yourself, was a long time coming." I reminded him.
"So should I hit on her?" he asked.
"Don't ask me." I snorted. "I'm rotten with guys, I wouldn't know the first thing about picking up."
"And you're a girl, you don't do the talking, guys come to you." he laughed.
"That too." I chuckled, downing the rest of my drink.

I felt a pair of large arms wrap around my shoulders, and a scruffy chin brush against my face as someone kissed my cheek. Turning slightly, I realized it was Jason Berry.

"Hey." he smiled.
"Hey Jason." I smiled. "How drunk are you?"
"Just a little." he chuckled.
"I'll leave you to it." Matt smirked, shifting further along the bar, closer to where the Brunette was standing serving another person.
"So how's things?" Jason asked, taking a seat on the bar stool beside me.
"Alright, I suppose." I mused, tracing the rim of my now empty glass.
"Just alright?"
"It's nothing." I grinned, shrugging it off. "What about you?"
"Stoked to be back here for a bit." he smiled, pushing his long hair back behind his ear. "You know, we haven't really had a chance to hang since you got back."
"We hung out in Vegas." I chuckled.
"No I mean like, really hang." he nudged me. "You, Me, Johnny, Zacky and M.B. should all hang out sometime soon."
"Sounds like a good time." I nodded.
"With a few bottles of Jack?" he suggested.
"Sounds like a great time." I re-phrased.
"Another drink?" he asked.
"Sure, that sounds gr-"

My attention snapped to the corner of the bar as a glass was knocked over, spilling beer all across the surface.

"Come on, honey, one more drink." demanded a man with a balding head, wearing a denim vest and spiked cuffs.
"I'm sorry, Sir, I can't serve you any more." said the Brunette bartender Matt had been checking out.
"I swear, just one more and I'll leave you alone."
"You've reached your limit, let me call you a cab..." she picked up the empty glass in front of him and made to move to the phone behind the bar.
The man grabbed her by her wrist. "I said one more fucking drink, slut."
"Hey!" Demi snapped, coming to her rescue. "She said no more, fuckhole."
"You stay out of this, bitch." he spat.
"You wanna fucking say that again, cunt?!" Demi retaliated, advancing toward him.
"Get the fuck out of my face!" he cried, backhanding her across the face.
"DON'T YOU FUCKING LAY A HAND ON HER AGAIN!" Matt howled, pushing Demi safely behind him as he got up in the man's face. "She said no more." he growled, pointing to the bartender. "So you get the fuck out of here before you piss me off any more than you already have."
"That slut owes me a drink."
Matt grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. "She doesn't owe you shit, you fuck."
"HEY!" hollered the voice of another man, behind the bar. "Take it the fuck outside!"
"Gladly." Matt grabbed the man in a headlock and dragged him outside.

"I should probably go help him out." Jason said, sliding off his stool.
"Good idea."

I followed him outside, where we found Matt laying into the man. He cowered on the pavement, his arms up in defense, trying to shield himself from Matt's punches. Jason hooked his arms around Matt's, dragging him off. Matt struggled against him, but years of lifting heavy equipment as a roadie meant Jason was considerably stronger.

"Stop." Jason urged as the man got to his feet. "He's not worth it, he's outside, he can't hurt the girls anymore."
"You got lucky, you fucking prick!" Matt called after the man as he scurried away, struggling against Jason's grip again.
"Matt!" Jason snapped, trying to calm him down. "Enough!"
Matt's shoulders rose and fell a few times as he breathed heavily in his anger, before finally settling.
"Done?" Jason asked.
Matt nodded, his eyes closed.

Jason let Matt go just as the door to the bar opened and the brunette emerged. She jogged over to us, her hair swinging from side to side as she moved.

"I am so, so sorry about that!" she apologized.
"Don't be." Matt smiled. "That guy was an asshole."
"I had it, Matt." Demi scowled.
"Shut up." he rolled his eyes.
"You know I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty." she protested.
"Babe, enough." Jimmy said, wrapping his arms around her.
"I'm so sorry you guys got kicked out." said the Brunette.
"Really, it's fine." Matt reassured her.
"I'm Mimi." she smiled, holding her hand out to him.
"Matt." he nodded.
"I'll tell you what, next time you guys come in, I'll give you a free drink on the house." said Mimi. "It's the least I can do."
"I'd like that." Matt's flashed her a broad smile, showing off his dimples.
Mimi blushed. "I guess I'll see you around, then."

As the five of us; Jason, Matt, Jimmy, Demi and I, began to walk away, I stopped, grabbing Matt's arm.

"What?"
"Get your fucking ass back there and ask that girl out on a date." I chuckled.
"I don't know..."
I smacked his arm. "Fucking do it, you pussy."

He chuckled, and jogged after Mimi. I watched as he tapped her shoulder, making her turn around. They were too far away to hear the conversation now, but as Matt flashed her another charming smile as he spoke, I sighed, feeling a small smile of my own creep across my lips.

"That's my boy..." I whispered.

***

Matt, Jason, Demi, Jimmy and I had continued our celebratory drinks at Jimmy's house after being thrown out of Silvera's. Throughout that time, Jason had barely let me out of his sight, dragging me outside with him when he wanted to have a smoke, and constantly pulling me into his lap when we were sitting around talking with the others. I would be lying if I said I didn't like the attention. Jason fit my preferences in a guy, physically, and it wasn't like I was going to get any attention from Brian now we were back home.

It was well after dark when Demi and Jimmy finally dropped me back at Brian's, and I let myself in with the house key he'd had cut for me. The house was dark, the only light coming from the clock on the microwave, and the light in the hallway upstairs.

Brian's bedroom door was closed, I could hear the sound of HIM's cover of Wicked Game blasting from inside. I knocked, but there was no answer. Figuring maybe he'd passed out and left his music on, I turned the knob and let myself in.

A loud moan escaped from a skinny blonde whose naked back was to me, but the pink streak in her hair was all I needed to know that it was Jessica. Brian was underneath her, his hands grasping her ass as she rode him. My stomach burned with an acidic feeling and I slammed the door, dashing back downstairs and out the front door. I sat down on the porch, hugging my knees to my chest.

A low cry escaped my lips and my vision blurred as I felt hot tears trail down my face. I dug into the front pocket of my leather jacket and pulled out my phone, scrolling through my contacts and slamming my thumb down on Demi's name. I lifted the phone to my ear, listening to it ring a few times before she finally picked up.

"Hello?"
"Demi." I sniffled. "Can you pick me up, please?"
"What's wrong?" I could hear the concern in her voice.
"I just can't be here right now..." I croaked. "Please? I'll explain later."
"I'll be right over." she said, and the line went quiet.

I put my phone back into my pocket and wrapped my arms around my legs once more, burying my face in my knees as my body shook with my crying. I could hear my heart thumping in my ears, and the usual adrenaline rush that warned me a nasty anxiety attack was about to hit.

"Ruby?" came McKenna's voice.
I sniffed and wiped my eyes on my sleeve, turning to look at her. "Hey." my voice was barely audible.
"Are you okay?" she asked, coming to sit beside me.
"I'm fine."
"No you're not, what's wrong?" she pressed.
"I can't..." I croaked, squeezing my eyes shut.
"Ruby, please." she cooed, wrapping an arm around me. "Talk to me."
I stared out into the dark street ahead for a moment or two, before taking a deep breath. "I didn't tell you everything about Vegas..." I licked my lips before continuing. "When we were away... Brian and I..." I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat that had formed as a result of me crying so hard. "We slept together."
"Oh..." McKenna said, her tone laced with surprise.
"Multiple times." I elaborated. "And it was just supposed to be a little bit of fun, you know-"
"What happens in Vegas, yeah." McKenna nodded.
"But I think I enjoyed it a little more than I should have." I sniffled again.
"Oh no..." she sighed. "Ruby..." she leaned her head on my shoulder, squeezing me and rubbing my arm in comfort.

Jimmy's Jeep turned into the street, it's bright headlights beaming at us and I got to my feet. McKenna hugged me goodbye as the car pulled into the driveway. The driver's side window rolled down, revealing Jimmy's face, with Demi in the passenger's seat. I said not a word as I got into the back seat, staring out the window at the full moon overhead as the car backed out of Brian's driveway...

Notes

Sorry it's been nearly two weeks, guys. I got stuck on this and I wanted to make it a really good, really long chapter.

But yay! A new character has entered the scene! Based on a good friend of mine who I felt deserved a place in the story. And I'm sorry Brian's being a hoe but well, we all know what he was like back in '06, so... But hey, Jason seems to be swooping in, what's gonna happen there? You'll have to stay tuned to find out!! ;)

I've also added Wicked Game to the story's Soundtrack on YouTube, so check that out if you haven't already. ^_^
[Link]

Until next time xx