Fuck Mondays
And Fuck Bella Home



So began another day of degradation, or, as the government called it; Volunteering. I don't know about you, but last time I checked the definition of Volunteering, it described the act of willingly providing one's services for a good cause. Not being forced into it just to keep your welfare. Jobs were supposed to earn you money, and I suppose while one could argue that me working here for my welfare was the same as having a job, it made no difference. I didn't get an increase in salary, I was being paid the same amount I always had been before I became an Adult. Only now, I had to "Earn it"

Or maybe I just had a problem with authority...

As I sat behind the counter, staring out the window into the clear blue Californian skies, my heart ached to be out in the sunshine. I could do so much more with my time if I wasn't stuck here, being forced to engage in slave labour. Like work on new battle jackets, drink, or maybe finally get down to the music store around the corner from my house and buy that guitar I had lusted after for so long. I couldn't play, but hey, that's what lessons and YouTube were for, right?

"Ahh, the boys are here." Nadine announced, alerting me to the truck pulling into the parking lot outside.
"Oooh, goodie." I grumbled. "More deliveries, more shit for me to sort and put away."
"Rikki!" she snapped.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." I rolled my eyes, flicking my hand at her. "Watch my attitude."
"I know you don't exactly want to be here." she frowned. "But at least fake that you care?"
I rolled my eyes again, replying only with a fed-up sigh.
She shook her head in disapproval, but said no more until the delivery guys had finished bringing in the new boxes of stock. "Go sort the new CD's." she ordered. "You like music; maybe you can make yourself useful for a change."

I sarcastically saluted her and got to my feet, picking up the old wine box that held the CD's, and carrying them into the other room. I settled myself down on the floor, crossing my legs, and sliced through the duct tape with a Stanley knife. Most of it was trash; old Mariah Carey and Micheal Buble Christmas Records, compilations of Christian Hymns that made me cringe, and outdated Top 40 compilations from like, a decade ago.

I set them aside, reaching into the box to gather up another handful, when one CD in particular stood out from the rest; A skull with bat wings, gracing an otherwise entirely white cover. I flipped it over and the name "Avenged Sevenfold" caught my eye. Brian's band. I'd heard their name plenty of times; they were a legacy around Huntington Beach. But never had I ever actually taken the time to sit down and listen to them.

"Nadine!" I called out, getting to my feet and walking back out to the register. "Can I put this aside?"
"You'll have to pay for it."
"Obviously." I grumbled. "But can I?"
"Sure, chuck it behind the counter, you can pay for it at the end of the day."

As I knelt down to place the CD by my bag, I heard the tinkle of the bell by the shop door. I straightened up, and two very familiar men entered the shop. One in a backwards cap and Aviators, and the other wearing a black V-Neck that exposed the "REV" part of his tattoo, and showed far too much chest for me to see when I was supposed to be working. They were accompanied by a shorter, blonde female.

"Rikki, how you doin?" Matt greeted me, removing his Aviators and flashing me a dimpled smile.
"Take a guess." I smirked, hoping he'd recall my disdain for this job from our last meeting.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know." he chuckled. "This is Val, my Wife."
"I do believe I've seen you around here before." I smiled, recognizing her. "Nice to meet you, properly."
"Likewise." she grinned. "Oh, this is gorgeous!" she gasped, admiring a crystal rose that sat upon the counter top.
"If I wasn't so afraid of my dog breaking it, I'd buy it myself." I admitted. "But it's also like, fifty dollars, way over-charging for a charity shop, in my opinion."
"Would you hate me if I took it?" Val asked, biting her lip.
"Like I said, Wraith would just smash it, and if you guys buy something expensive while I'm working, it'll make me look good to Nadine." I chuckled.
"I'll take it!"
"Awesome." I smiled, kneeling down to pull some newspaper out from a box under the counter.
"Did we just sell that crystal rose?" Nadine gasped, coming out from the storeroom.
"Indeed we did!" I shot her a cocky smirk. Suppose I did make myself useful, didn't I?
Brian snorted quietly, picking up on the sarcasm in my voice.
"You can go to lunch early, let me wrap that." she was practically beaming. "Wendy will be so thrilled."
"Ohh yay, happy boss!" I sang, not even trying to hide my sarcasm now.
"Just go to lunch, Rikki." Nadine groaned. "Before I change my mind."
"Aye, aye, Captain." I replied, saluting her and picking up my bag.

The bell jingled as I left the shop, chiming again a second later as the door was re-opened. I turned to see Brian emerge, pulling his Marlboro's from his jacket pocket. He pulled one from the packet and held it out to me, a smirk on his face, nodding at me to take it.

"How'd you know?" I asked, taking it from him.
"I know the look." he chuckled. "You need a cigarette."
"More than you know." I sighed. "Thank you." I added, as he held the flame of his lighter out for me.
"You okay?"
"One more minute working in that dump and I'm gonna have an aneurysm, I swear to god." I groaned, taking a deep drag.
"That bad, huh?"
"The fucking worst." I replied, exhaling. "Nadine is so fucking nit-picky, so stuck in the 1960's that it gives me Cancer."
"Savage." he snorted, blowing out a wisp of smoke. "You know, people get real uppity about Cancer jokes-"
"Do I look like I give a fuck?" I half snapped, half laughed.
"Not really." Brian sniggered, taking another drag.
"Glad that's understood."
"You gonna actually get lunch, or just poison your lungs?" he asked.
"Food would be a wise idea." I nodded, beginning to walk in the direction of the Thai Food shop around the corner. "You like Thai?" I asked, snuffing out my cigarette temporarily.
"From time to time." he shrugged, following me inside.

"Hello-"
"Fried Rice?" The man behind the counter asked.
"You know me well."
"Six dollars." he smiled.
"Make it two." said Brian, pulling his wallet out.
I opened my wallet, but Brian flipped it shut.
"I got it."
"No-"
"No, shut up." he laughed. "Six dollars is nothing."
"I'll pay you back."
"Forget it." he insisted.
"Fine." I rolled my eyes. "You know, you really are a stubborn dick sometimes."
"Says you." he smirked as we took our seats at one of the tables inside the shop.
"Takes one to know one, I suppose." I said, poking my tongue out at him.
"So tell me, is it really that bad at Bella Home?"
"You mean aside from the fucking Relic I work with?" I snorted.
He nodded.
"It is so fucking degrading." I grumbled. "I would rather stick pins in my eyes than listen to the same Top 40 songs on the radio day in, day out. Than deal with that fucking Indian woman and her unrelenting need to try and get shit for free-"
"That's racist-"
"No, she's fucking annoying." I cut him off. "Drives me nuts, we're a charity business, but that doesn't mean we can just give shit away."
"I thought you hated the place?"
"I do." I insisted. "But I also have to work there whether I like it or not."
"You can't volunteer somewhere else?"
"I don't drive." I frowned. "It's close to home, easy to get there."
"Are you looking for paid work?"
"Have been for years." I sighed. "No fucking luck."
"That stinks." he sympathized.
"I guess we can't all be rich rock stars." I teased.
"Hey, I worked hard to get where I am." he defended. "Don't hate."
"I don't doubt you did." I smirked. "But, you also caught your break when it was much, much easier to break through in the music industry."
"You're not wrong." he shrugged. "I mean, yeah, we did work our fucking asses off, but things have definitely changed." he agreed. "It's a lot tougher now."
"And yet, somehow, Nicki Minaj exists."
"Yeah." he laughed. "I don't have a good explanation for how that one happened."
"Money." I said, miming the "make it rain" motion.

"Order's up!" the man behind the counter called.

Brian scooted off the bench and grabbed our meals from the counter, bringing them over to the table.

"But on a brighter note." I said, opening the small plastic box and breaking up the rice with my fork. "I watched that Burn Halo video."
"Oh really now?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yupp." I said, popping a forkful of rice into my mouth and trying to ignore the stirring in my loins. Fuck, he was attractive...
"I told you I wasn't bullshitting."
"That you did."

***

"And just where do you think you're going?" Nadine asked, seeing me bounding toward the door with my backpack slung over my shoulder.
"It's 4:30, we're closed."
"Did you count the earnings and put them in the safe?"
"Yes."
"Did you put all the hold items people didn't come back for in their place?"
"Yes."
"Did you sign out in the log book?"
"Yes."
She clenched her jaw. "Well, I guess you can go." she sighed, seeming annoyed that she'd underestimated my competence for the second time today. "I'll lock up."
"Buh-bye!" I sang, pulling the door open and swinging myself around it as I left.

Rayleigh was already waiting in the carpark in her 1994 Audi Cabriolet. I skipped over to the car and slid into the passenger's seat, dumping my bag in the back. She started up the engine, and Free's "All Right Now" began to play as we backed out of the carpark.

There she stood in the street, smilin' from her head to her feet. I said, "Hey, what is this?" Now maybe, baby, maybe she's in need of a kiss.

"You're in a good mood." Rayleigh giggled, watching me sing along.
"It's the end of the work day, of course I'm in a good mood." I smirked, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
"Nothing do with the fact Brian followed you out of the store like a puppydog when you went on break today?"
"How do you even know about that??" I cringed, blowing out a puff of smoke.
"Matt." she giggled. "He called me."
"Of course he did." I rolled my eyes. "Nah man, he's cool though."
"You two do seem to be hitting it off." she smirked.
"He's easy to talk to." I shrugged, taking another drag. "I picked up one of his band's CD's today, by the way." I added, pulling it out of my bag.
"Oh really?"
"Came in with a bunch of donations, I was gonna listen to it when I got home."
"Listen to Afterlife, for sure." she suggested. "The guitar solo is fucking..." she made a "perfect" symbol with her hand.
"So you've heard it, then?"
"I had to interview them, remember?" she said, reminding me of her article assignment the other day. "Had to listen to some of their tracks as part of my research."

My apartment complex really wasn't that far from where I worked, but getting a lift home turned a fifteen minute journey on foot, into five minutes on wheels. Rayleigh parked her car on the curb, and the two of us got out. She followed me up the flights of stairs until we reached my apartment, and I unlocked the door and led her inside. Wraith yapped and tried to climb my leg the instant I was through the door, and I swept him up into my arms.

"Yes, I missed you too." I cooed, cringing away as he tried to lick my nose. "Stop it, stink-breath."
"He's just tryna give you kisses." Rayleigh giggled.
"Yes, but his breath smells."
"You're the one who wanted a dog."
"Shut up." I snapped, playfully, placing Wraith back down on the ground. "Drink?"
"Rikki, it's 5pm."
"Exactly, and I just got off work." I smirked. "So it's time for a drink."
"You're a disgrace." she sighed, shaking her head as she took a seat on the couch. "But fine, One. I have to drive home."
"Sure thing." I nodded, pouring two glasses of Jack and Coke.

I carried the glasses over to the couches in my living area, handing one to Rayleigh, before placing mine on the coffee table.

"Now, how's about we listen to what Brian and his Homies can do, eh?" I grinned, retrieving the CD from my bag and slipping it into my stereo.

The sound of an Organ echoed throughout the room, making the walls vibrate thanks to the aid of my insane speakers. Guitars quickly backed it up, harmonizing perfectly, and my eyes grew wide as the drums kicked in. A heavy riff began, and the vocals came in.

Be quiet, you might piss somebody off. Like me, motherfucker, you've been at it for too long!

I lit a smoke and took a seat beside Rayleigh, sipping casually at my drink as the song continued, just taking in everything. The Drums were on a whole other level, and pounded against my heart thanks to the powerful bass in my stereo system. And those guitars... that shit made my heart soar. What I wouldn't give to play like that.

I've had enough, it's time for something real. I don't respect the words you're speaking. Gone too far, a clone...

"Their Drummer sings that part." Rayleigh frowned, taking a deep swig of her drink. "Rest his soul."
"That's Jimmy?"
"Yupp..."
"Bummer dude..." I sighed. "He had an awesome voice."
The song came to an end and Rayleigh sprang up from the couch, clicking through to track four. "You gotta hear this, the solo fucking blows my mind." she urged.

From even the first thirty seconds, I was shaking my head in awe. The way the guitars dueled against one another was so unique, unlike anything I'd ever heard before. Another heavy riff kicked in, and I was grooving in my seat, trying to sing along to the lyrics I had never heard before. Did Matt even breathe? I really had to work on my vocal technique if I wanted to get anywhere close to how good he was.

I don't belong here, I gotta move on, dear, escape from this Afterlife, cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here. Got nothing against you, and surely I'll miss you. This place full of peace and light, and I'd hope you might take me back inside, when the time is right...

The guitars seemed to sway following the end of the second chorus, and Matt's voice joined them once more a moment later, backed up in parts by Jimmy's voice;

Loved ones back home all crying, 'cause they're already missing me. I pray by the grace of god that there's somebody listening. Give me a chance to be that person I wanna be. (I am unbroken, I'm choking on this ecstasy) Oh Lord I'll try so hard but you gotta let go of me. (Unbreak me, unchain me, I need another chance to live)

The guitars began dueling against each other once more, one perfectly complimenting the other, before transitioning into the most blistering fucking guitar solo I had ever heard in my life. I almost choked on my smoke, making Rayleigh laugh as I basically coughed up a lung and gulped down a few mouthfuls of my drink to soothe the burn.

"Holy shit."
"Told ya." she snorted. "I'll be sure to let Brian know his solo almost killed you."
"I'll fucking kill you." I snarled. "You keep your mouth shut."

I don't belong here, I gotta move on, dear, escape from this Afterlife, cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here. Got nothing against you, and surely I'll miss you. This place full of peace and light, and I'd hope you might take me back inside, when the time is right...

The song faded out and I was lost for words. Why in the actual fuck had I never taken the time to listen to these guys before? How in the actual fuck had I lived in Huntington Beach my entire life and never gone to a single one of their shows? What the hell was wrong with me?

"Rayleigh." I breathed. "When are they playing next?"
"Next month, when the new album drops." she replied. "They're playing a show to celebrate the launch, and seeing as we're all chummy now, I may be able to snag some free tickets."
"You fucking better." I urged. "I need to hear this shit live."

Notes

Chapter Title Cred: Tension by Avenged Sevenfold

I know it's been over a month, and it's a whole new year now, and I doubt anyone even gives a flying fuck about my fics anymore. This entire website has sadly become something of a goddamn quiet wasteland and nothing like the thriving, vibrant community it was this time last year. At least, since I don't really hear from my readers anymore, it seems that way.
But if any of you are still here, please do drop a comment and let me know you still care. I miss having my work appreciated.

Until next time xx