On Tour
But the Melody...
Epilogue
The bus came to an abrupt halt. “Miss Strikes?” Karma snapped out of her trance. She'd once more spent the last couple of hours on the bus reminiscing about her long lost love.
I can't believe it's been a year, she thought with a frown as Charles, one of her roadies, led her backstage. Some diehard fans were already standing in front of the venue, and Karma was glad she didn't have a tour bus of her own yet. A bus with a large Karma Strikes Logo would have undoubtedly led them to her.
She was happy to be able to enter the building unseen.
She sat down in the dressing room. Melissa, her make up artist, started working on her immediately.
"Nervous for your first solo show, Miss Karma?" She asked. Her long blue hair, which she wore in pigtails, tickled her neck as she bent over her. Karma smiled. "Liss, I told you to stop calling me that. And yeah, I am. But this is gonna be amazing."
"I know. You're gonna do so great."
Karma couldn't help it. Her mind drifted away to the end of what it had been replaying all the way to her first concert ever.
God, I wish he was here to watch me, she thought. It wasn't likely. Karma was sure Matt hated her with a passion. And while both of their faults led to their break-up, she thought he had every right to hate her. She had been the lying one, after all.
After Matt dropped her off at her house that one fateful afternoon, they didn't speak for weeks.
Trey had been bossing her around, and for once, Karma was glad he kept her busy. He kept saying if she did one more thing for him, he would agree to end their contract, which he never did. She didn't have the time to even think about her and Matt's fading label.
Finally, Matt came to her place and they talked. That memory was particularly painful. I fucked up, she thought and dug her nails into her palms as she remembered his angry screams and the madness in his eyes.
She didn't know what hit her. Seeing him suddenly made her want him back. During their entire relationship she’d had the feeling that he loved her more than she did in return. Well, that one incident proved her otherwise. In her twisted, blurry mind she thought she was seeing clearly. And she thought she could continue working with Trey behind Matt's back.
He made her choose, after all. And Karma was scared of Trey. He was a manipulative asshole and he played me so well, Karma thought as Melissa asked her to close her eyes. I couldn't choose. So I said I didn't work with Trey anymore. I lied. Again. I don't even know what I was thinking. He would have found out one way or another. But I wanted him back. More than anything.
Karma was sure she would never forget how incredibly angry Matt was when Trey called minutes later - with business stuff. She knew exactly it looked like all she ever cared about was her career.
Their last words had been full of hatred. She tried to explain herself, but Matt wouldn’t listen. That was his mistake. Karma knew that if he'd listened, he would have understood and helped her through all this. To this day she didn’t understand why this little thing meant the very end of it all. She thought they were stronger than this. Better. And she suspected that there was another reason, one he didn't tell her.
Then he left for good, and Karma spent the next days bawling her eyes out to Val. Val. Karma smiled at her memory. She would have never thought that Matt’s ex would become one of her best friends through her getting together with Matt. It just didn’t make sense to her.
Val refused to pick sides, but she seemed to be the only one who understood Karma’s wrong choices, even in times when Karma didn’t understand them herself. Karma kept thinking he would come back, he would let her explain, then finally understand. Val said it wasn’t gonna happen. After begging her to tell her what she knew for weeks, Val finally admitted it. Another woman was in his life.
And Karma understood what she meant. It wasn’t right what she’d done. That much she knew. But she didn’t think it was enough to lose him forever. She'd been careless, that was for sure. That other woman, whoever it was, had come between them, too. She respected his decision to go with someone easier to hold than her. She just wished he’d had the balls to tell her instead of making her believe it was only her fault.
Since the climate between Karma and Matt was frosty, the band decided to make an animated music video for A Little Piece Of Heaven. It turned out great, thanks to Zacky.
And then we kind of just went our separate ways for a while, Karma thought with a heavy heart. Sure, the fans hadn’t even noticed so far. It was normal to have some time between two albums and tours. But some day they were going to see. No more music would be made, at least not with how it looked like now.
Karma was not on bad terms with anyone else. Especially Jimmy proved to be understanding of her solo career. It was just Matt, and it was their failed relationship - the one he failed - that made him bitter, not her chasing her dreams. At least that was what Karma told herself.
“Miss, ten minutes,“ someone said behind her, and Karma looked into the mirror at her finished face. “You did great, Melissa,“ she told the make up artist, then warmed up her voice some more. She heard the fans scream outside and felt the energy of thousands screaming her name. Karma Strikes.
Was that what she wanted? She didn’t know. She was ready to find out. After losing Matt, she had nothing else to do anyway. Nothing held her back anymore. So she took the chance. Together with the lawyer, Howard King, the one that brought Avenged Sevenfold as people knew it now together in the first place, she pressed charges against Trey. She won, and she got out of their contract. But at a high price.
Karma hated the CD she’d done with Alexander, and she wanted neither him nor Trey to get anything out of it. So she sold the already-recorded songs for very little money, and she hoped any other artist would profit from them.
She got herself a band and did what she did best. Rock. A lot more mainstream than Avenged Sevenfold, but Rock nevertheless.
Her intro was almost over. “You got this,“ Melissa shouted at her as she got onto the stage. She was still in the dark, no-one knew she was standing there already. The lights were on the audience, and she let her eyes travel over the people there. She saw Avenged Sevenfold t-shirts as well as some of her own merch.
A faint figure in the front row caught her attention. Tall, muscular, tattooed. A backward hat and a Vengeance University muscle shirt - and right in this moment taking a picture with a fan, flashing dimples to die for.
Matt. His sight weakened her knees. She was ready to turn around and leave the stage. But then the first song played. And she sung her first note. And Matt looked at her acknowledging, and he raised his arms up and clapped.
The song is over, Karma thought, but the melody lingers on.
The bus came to an abrupt halt. “Miss Strikes?” Karma snapped out of her trance. She'd once more spent the last couple of hours on the bus reminiscing about her long lost love.
I can't believe it's been a year, she thought with a frown as Charles, one of her roadies, led her backstage. Some diehard fans were already standing in front of the venue, and Karma was glad she didn't have a tour bus of her own yet. A bus with a large Karma Strikes Logo would have undoubtedly led them to her.
She was happy to be able to enter the building unseen.
She sat down in the dressing room. Melissa, her make up artist, started working on her immediately.
"Nervous for your first solo show, Miss Karma?" She asked. Her long blue hair, which she wore in pigtails, tickled her neck as she bent over her. Karma smiled. "Liss, I told you to stop calling me that. And yeah, I am. But this is gonna be amazing."
"I know. You're gonna do so great."
Karma couldn't help it. Her mind drifted away to the end of what it had been replaying all the way to her first concert ever.
God, I wish he was here to watch me, she thought. It wasn't likely. Karma was sure Matt hated her with a passion. And while both of their faults led to their break-up, she thought he had every right to hate her. She had been the lying one, after all.
After Matt dropped her off at her house that one fateful afternoon, they didn't speak for weeks.
Trey had been bossing her around, and for once, Karma was glad he kept her busy. He kept saying if she did one more thing for him, he would agree to end their contract, which he never did. She didn't have the time to even think about her and Matt's fading label.
Finally, Matt came to her place and they talked. That memory was particularly painful. I fucked up, she thought and dug her nails into her palms as she remembered his angry screams and the madness in his eyes.
She didn't know what hit her. Seeing him suddenly made her want him back. During their entire relationship she’d had the feeling that he loved her more than she did in return. Well, that one incident proved her otherwise. In her twisted, blurry mind she thought she was seeing clearly. And she thought she could continue working with Trey behind Matt's back.
He made her choose, after all. And Karma was scared of Trey. He was a manipulative asshole and he played me so well, Karma thought as Melissa asked her to close her eyes. I couldn't choose. So I said I didn't work with Trey anymore. I lied. Again. I don't even know what I was thinking. He would have found out one way or another. But I wanted him back. More than anything.
Karma was sure she would never forget how incredibly angry Matt was when Trey called minutes later - with business stuff. She knew exactly it looked like all she ever cared about was her career.
Their last words had been full of hatred. She tried to explain herself, but Matt wouldn’t listen. That was his mistake. Karma knew that if he'd listened, he would have understood and helped her through all this. To this day she didn’t understand why this little thing meant the very end of it all. She thought they were stronger than this. Better. And she suspected that there was another reason, one he didn't tell her.
Then he left for good, and Karma spent the next days bawling her eyes out to Val. Val. Karma smiled at her memory. She would have never thought that Matt’s ex would become one of her best friends through her getting together with Matt. It just didn’t make sense to her.
Val refused to pick sides, but she seemed to be the only one who understood Karma’s wrong choices, even in times when Karma didn’t understand them herself. Karma kept thinking he would come back, he would let her explain, then finally understand. Val said it wasn’t gonna happen. After begging her to tell her what she knew for weeks, Val finally admitted it. Another woman was in his life.
And Karma understood what she meant. It wasn’t right what she’d done. That much she knew. But she didn’t think it was enough to lose him forever. She'd been careless, that was for sure. That other woman, whoever it was, had come between them, too. She respected his decision to go with someone easier to hold than her. She just wished he’d had the balls to tell her instead of making her believe it was only her fault.
Since the climate between Karma and Matt was frosty, the band decided to make an animated music video for A Little Piece Of Heaven. It turned out great, thanks to Zacky.
And then we kind of just went our separate ways for a while, Karma thought with a heavy heart. Sure, the fans hadn’t even noticed so far. It was normal to have some time between two albums and tours. But some day they were going to see. No more music would be made, at least not with how it looked like now.
Karma was not on bad terms with anyone else. Especially Jimmy proved to be understanding of her solo career. It was just Matt, and it was their failed relationship - the one he failed - that made him bitter, not her chasing her dreams. At least that was what Karma told herself.
“Miss, ten minutes,“ someone said behind her, and Karma looked into the mirror at her finished face. “You did great, Melissa,“ she told the make up artist, then warmed up her voice some more. She heard the fans scream outside and felt the energy of thousands screaming her name. Karma Strikes.
Was that what she wanted? She didn’t know. She was ready to find out. After losing Matt, she had nothing else to do anyway. Nothing held her back anymore. So she took the chance. Together with the lawyer, Howard King, the one that brought Avenged Sevenfold as people knew it now together in the first place, she pressed charges against Trey. She won, and she got out of their contract. But at a high price.
Karma hated the CD she’d done with Alexander, and she wanted neither him nor Trey to get anything out of it. So she sold the already-recorded songs for very little money, and she hoped any other artist would profit from them.
She got herself a band and did what she did best. Rock. A lot more mainstream than Avenged Sevenfold, but Rock nevertheless.
Her intro was almost over. “You got this,“ Melissa shouted at her as she got onto the stage. She was still in the dark, no-one knew she was standing there already. The lights were on the audience, and she let her eyes travel over the people there. She saw Avenged Sevenfold t-shirts as well as some of her own merch.
A faint figure in the front row caught her attention. Tall, muscular, tattooed. A backward hat and a Vengeance University muscle shirt - and right in this moment taking a picture with a fan, flashing dimples to die for.
Matt. His sight weakened her knees. She was ready to turn around and leave the stage. But then the first song played. And she sung her first note. And Matt looked at her acknowledging, and he raised his arms up and clapped.
The song is over, Karma thought, but the melody lingers on.
Notes
Hey there! As all good things do, this story has come to an end right here. Don't like the outcome? Me neither. That's why there's going to be a sequel! Yay! Hopefully we're gonna find out some more about why they split in the first place. And of course, they can't stay separated, can they? And what's gonna happen to the band? So many great things are still to come!
SEQUEL: http://www.avengedsevenfoldfanfiction.com/Story/89577/When-I-Was-Your-Man/
I don't know if some of you noticed but this epilogue corresponds with the first chapter, in which Karma is also on a bus reminiscing about the past.
@FlawlessFlaws
@unholy confessions;;
@Red-Lips-Like-Razors
@LadyRevenge
I'm so glad you sticked with me until the end, and it makes me even happier to hear you liked the ending even though it was not so happy (or in your case, Lady Revenge, the entire story. God you're a quick reader!!). But that's how I wanted to begin my sequel :)
Much love to you my friends :)
7/23/17