Paisley’s POV
By the time everyone from the band left, I was ready to scream or break out in tears I wasn't sure which. Paul didn't give me time to figure that out.
"Sit down." He said as he motioned toward one of the chairs around the conference table. I sat down and he sat next to me with his chair turned towards me. I was angry and stayed facing forward with my hands folded on the top of the table. I was waiting for another ultimatum, take this client or lose my job.
"I'm sorry for what I said in my office. I was wrong and a boy half my age made me see that." He said.
"So am I still going to lose my job if I don't take this account?" I asked very flatly and still looking straight ahead at the noonday sun shining through the large window of the high rise conference room.
"No, I'm not going to fire you but I need you to at least give these boys a chance."
"Why? Because I'm new? Because it's just a favor to a friend and you don't want to put your best on it? I'm probably also paid the least here, since I begged you to give me a chance and agreed to a lower salary." At that I looked at him. He grinned slightly.
"Well, first I chose you because I think you are just the person they need. Yes, you are among the lowest paid here, but you wouldn't be here at all if I hadn't been so impressed with you. I wasn't looking to hire anyone, it wasn't in my budget."
"I know, thank you for seeing potential in me. I just don't know if I can handle it."
"Paisley, I know you can handle anything. You do realize I did a complete background check on you, right? I know about your ugly divorce."
I was stunned, "What? I didn't say you could do that!" I turned and stared at him.
"It's in the contract you signed, Amanda Patterson."
"Do not EVER call me that again." I was so mad I was ready to walk out.
"Paisley, calm down. When I found out who you were I was even more impressed with you. I knew you really wanted this job, even though you don't need a job." His voice was warm and soothing, a stark contrast to his previous tone in his office.
"I hope you haven't told anyone else."
"Of course not, why do you keep it such a secret? It's not like you did anything wrong. He cheated on you, you took a stand and started a new life."
"Don't forget the huge divorce settlement."
"There's no crime against that either."
"Well, in the inner circles of the New York elite it is."
"Okay, but why the name change?"
"Paisley Callahan is my real name, I didn't want to be that other person that let him change who I was. I want people to respect me for who I am and not the size of my bank account."
"You have earned my respect, especially today and it has nothing to do with who you were or what you have. You don't take shit and you stand up for what you believe in. I would really like you to help these boys, I think you could really make a difference for them. If you spend some time with them and still don't want to work with them, we will discuss other options."
"I told James I would give them a chance."
"I think he goes by Jimmy. He turned us both around today."
"I will get to know them and see if I feel I can work with them, but that fucking little jackass better keep his mouth shut and his hands to himself." I didn't realize the words that came out of my mouth until it was too late. Paul looked stunned and I was worried what he would think but a few seconds later he threw his head back and laughed.
"Whoa! I've never heard you cuss before! That boy has really gotten under your skin!"
"I'm sorry for using foul language."
"Don't be sorry, it's actually nice to see you let your guard down and loosen up. I wouldn't mind getting to know the real Paisley Callahan."
"I'm afraid, she's pretty boring."
"Maybe she just needs to relax and have some fun once in awhile. It's okay to have fun, you know that don't you?"
I smiled. "I'll work on that." His eyes locked with mine for a moment and for the first time I noticed he had green eyes. We both froze, just looking at each other, in awkward silence. Suddenly he looked at his watch nervously, "I have a conference call in a few minutes, I'm glad we had this talk." Before I could barely say I was glad too, he was gone. That was really weird, did I say something that made him leave like that?

Gretchen’s POV
By the time Paisley came back to our office, it was nearly one in the afternoon. She walked in with the strangest look on her face.
"How did it go? Are you excited?" I asked.
"Not really, I almost quit." She said flatly.
"What! Why?"
"That fucking punk from the elevator is in that band! I can't work with that guy!"
Paisley rarely cussed, so I knew this was serious.
"Okay, just ask Paul to give them to someone else."
"He said he wasn't going to do that, everyone else has too many accounts."
"Okay, I'll tell him I'll trade you one of mine." I offered.
"That won't work either, he said either work with the group of punks or he'll hire someone who will."
"So he said you'd be fired?"
"Yep and then I almost quit after that dick insulted me after he grabbed MY ass!!"
Paisley was winding up and I was getting confused.
"Whoa, okay why don't you back up and start the story from the beginning?"
She told me about her day from the time she spilled the coffee until she told Paul she would clean out her desk. She had barely stopped to take a breath. She finally paused for a second and her face softened. I took this chance to get a word in edgewise.
"What stopped you, did Paul apologize?"
"Hell no, if it weren't for Jimmy I would be gone by now."
"Jimmy?" I asked.
"Yes, the drummer. He convinced me to say I would stay and shamed Paul into apologizing to me."
"So you don't have to work with them?"
"Paul said as long as I gave them a real chance, we could talk about it. But he is convinced I am the right person for them."
"I agree with him, I think they would be good for you too." I said, bracing myself for her response.
"What? That's ridiculous!"
"It's not ridiculous. When we met in College and shared a dorm room, you were fun. You would party, laugh and even cuss."
"We're not in college anymore, we are adults with jobs and responsibilities."
"Paisley, listen to me. When you first started dating Jeff, you were both fun, then he started to change in to corporate mode. He had his future planned out and he molded you to go with it. He became a snotty arrogant ass and he molded you gradually into Amanda, his perfect wife."
"No, that's wrong." I knew her first reaction would be denial.
"It's right Pais and all of our Sorority sisters saw it too, by the time we tried to tell you, you had shut us out."
"Jeffrey said you were just all jealous deep down and imagining it."
"Oh for crying out loud! Jeffrey is a lying pompous, cheating piece of shit!"
"Thanks for the info, Gretchen! I know that NOW!" Herface was turning red andher eyes were full of fire. Iknew I was getting through.
"There you are Paisley Amanda Callahan, I've missed you!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"That fire! I've missed it! Before you started dating Jeffrey, you were a spitfire! That's the Paisley we all knew and loved and if I remember correctly, liked listening to metal. Maybe these guys can help you get some of the real you back. You know, Paisley Callahan not Barbie doll Amanda Patterson."
"Stop calling me that!" She was angry, but it was necessary.
"Stop being that person, don't just change the name."
"Wow, it's great to find out how you really feel about me!"
"I know I've upset you and I'm sorry."
"No, you've fucking pissed me off, it's almost 2:00 and I'm going to go get some lunch! I have tons of articles and information to look over about this band and I don't hav time for this bullshit."
"Okay, Okay I'll shut up." I couldn't help but grin while saying it.
"I'm glad you enjoyed this!" She said as she stormed out.
She was wrong, I didn't enjoy it, but someone had to help her break out of the hold Jeffrey had on her."

Pai
This day has been one of the worst since I moved out here. Gretchen's words played over and over in my head all through lunch. Thinking back, they did try to tell me what they thought but I wouldn't listen. I bought into Jeff's bullshit completely. She was right, I did change and I thought changing my name back would somehow change me back. I now realize I had forgotten who I was and how to loosen up and live a little.
When I walked back into our office, Gretchen didn't look up from her computer. I swallowed hard, before saying what I knew I had to.".
"Hey Gretch" she looked up at me. "I'm sorry, I realized you're right about everything." Without warning, I just started crying. I hadn't cried since that day when I watched my husband with his mistress. I hadn't allowed myself.
Gretchen walked over to me and hugged me. "It's okay sweetie, you need to get a good cry out."
"I'm so lucky that you're my best friend, you're the only real friend I've had for years. I'm sorry for shutting you out."
"It's okay, the important thing is that you don't shut yourself out anymore. Promise me you'll do that?"
"I promise, but I still don't need to be fixed up with a man okay?" She said half smiling.
"Okay" I chuckled.
"Hey, it's almost 3:30 and I have to pick up the girls and take them to gymnastics today. Are you going to be okay?" I asked.
"I think for the first time in a long time I'm going to be okay."we both smiled and she hugged me. Afterwards, she shut down her computer and left for the day.
"I sat down and starting reading the information I had on Avenged Sevenfold. The packet I was given even had a copy of their CD in it, so I listened to it while looking everything over. It was a little rough around the edges, but I liked it. Of course, I probably wasn't the best critic since I hadn't listened to that kind of music for almost 10 years. Really, I hadn't really "listened" to any kind of music.
Around 5:30, right as I was getting ready to walk out of the office my phone rang.
"Hello, this is Paisley Callahan."
"Hi Paisley, it's Jimmy Sullivan."
"Hi Jimmy, I was just reading about all of you. What's up?" I asked, wondering why he was calling.
"The guys and I were wondering if you'd like to hang out with us at Disneyland tomorrow."
"Disneyland?"
"Yeah, I thought you might like to be our fourth person for rides and stuff. We can get to know each other and have fun."
"Fourth person?"
"No Brian, just Matt, Zacky, you and me."
"It's been years since I've been on an amusement park ride." I thought about all that Gretchen said. "I would love to go, but I insist on one thing."
"Sure, What's that?"
"That it's my treat, I want to make it up to you guys for how I acted today. It'll be a business expense."
"You don't have to do that, it wasn't your fault."
"I want to and I won't take no for an answer."
"You know Brian is not a bad guy, I hope someday you two can start fresh." He said cautiously.
"We'll see how it goes."
Jimmy and I hammered out the rest of the details and when the call was over, I felt good. I was ready to have fun and work at the same time and without having to deal with "Synyster Gates".

Notes