Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

“Hey man, leave the girl alone. She’s clearly not interested in whatever you have to say, you slimy motherfucker, so have some respect!”

Ellie rolled her baby blues dramatically as she let an exasperated sigh pass through her lips. She only had half an hour of work left, but it was dragging on for what seemed like forever due to some guy persistently hitting on her. Now, she dreaded turning around to face whomever it was that had spoken up. No matter how sincere it seems at first, the defensive action always turned into an offensive one. She supposed she should be well accustomed to having multitudes of men drunkenly hit on her, considering she worked in the town’s most successful bar, but tonight she just wasn’t in the mood. Especially since the man who had told the “slimy motherfucker” off spoke in a very dominant tone.

Hanging the glass she had just washed on the rack to dry, Ellie wiped the excess water on her hands off onto her jeans as she spun around. The pervert who had been ruining her night had indeed taken off, and there was a man seated at the bar with a red headed girl seated beside him. Perhaps tonight was Ellie’s lucky night, and the man had spoken up with purely kind intentions. She leaned up against her side of the bar and asked the pair if she could get them anything. Since they both were seated with their backs to the bar so they could watch the crowd, Ellie was surprised that the girl didn’t even flinch at the sound of her voice. The man, however, turned around completely. She locked onto his eyes, which were a hauntingly light hazel colour. Slightly uncomfortable with the eye contact, she shifted her eyes upward, something she had since learned to do while on the job so she wouldn’t be called out for “checking” anyone out. As juvenile as it sounded, it constantly happened.

She smirked slightly at the hat the man wore, a black Hurley snapback with a black bandana underneath. The style reminded her of the west coast, but she shook all thoughts of California from her mind as she glanced down at her nails and waited for a response. Though before a second thought could pass through her mind, her eyes flicked from the aviators that hung around his neckline, to the silver hoop around his lower right lip, to his plugs. She rationalized that there were plenty of men out there that fit that very vague description, but the dimples that appeared when he smiled at her were unmistakable.

The man known publicly as M. Shadows raised his brows when the woman behind the bar cursed and then address him by his last name. His first thought was that he had encountered a fan, but this would be the first time a fan called him anything other than a variation of M. Shadows, or simply Matt. It took him a moment to register why being addressed as Sanders felt so familiar, but once he realized that under the dark makeup and the dyed black hair was one of his oldest friends, a girl he always knew to be blonde and makeup free, he couldn’t help but grin.

“Holy fucking shit, Ellie, how have you been?” He stood and leaned over the bar to give her a half hug, which worked fairly well due to his height. She reciprocated his action hesitantly, feeling awkward about the fact she had stepped onto a bottom shelf to give herself a little extra height for the hug.

“I’ve been fine, still going through school and working at this place. How about yourself? What brings you to Miami? Tell me you’re not on the run for beating some guy to a pulp!” He laughed at her comment, knowing full well she was referring to their high school days. Ellie was a California girl, the glitz, the glamour, and the gangs; she had seen it all, which was why she had made the joke. The Matt Sanders she knew in high school knew his way around the streets and would fight anyone that looked at him wrong. She had always told him he’d end up in a heap of trouble where his only option would be to flee the city. Luckily for him, he had yet to prove her theory correct.

“Not yet baby, California and I have a love affair that’s still going strong,” he winked at the girl across the bar from him as he grabbed the hand of the red head he had been talking to and removed it from his lap. He brushed off her affection with a flick of his hand. He didn’t second guess the fact that catching up with Ellie, whom he hadn’t seen in four years, was much more important than hooking up with some girl for the night. He groaned, verbalizing his annoyance with the fact she was being persistent in her presence, and she rightly took that as her cue to leave.

“Fuckin’ took her long enough to get the hint,” he grumbled, indicating he had expected the red haired woman to leave once he had turned his attention to his old friend. Ellie laughed, noting that her friend had not changed one bit in the time they’d been apart.

“So what brings you to Miami, Matt?” Ellie pressed, knowing full well he had forgotten her question.

“The band’s on tour. I’m living the dream. Avenged Sevenfold finally got signed!”

Ellie congratulated her friend before turning her attention to a group of people at the other end of the bar. Her mind was reeling; she could barely focus enough to take the order and make the drinks. She couldn’t believe that after all this time she had run into a friend from home. Matt, or M. Shadows, as he had decided to be referred to as during his youth, had been her best friend growing up. They were neighbours and therefore the best of friends since their diaper days. They always watched each other’s backs and looked for the same things in life: loyalty and a good time. Ellie became extremely close with Matt and his friends as she went through her high school years. She was one of the very few girls that were trusted and capable enough to keep up with the five of them.

“Are you free tomorrow night?” Matt asked before Ellie had the chance to mentally dive into all of her memories pertaining to her old friends. “We have a show tomorrow and hit the road the evening of the day after. I miss you girl, I know the guys do too. We’d love to have you around for a while, to catch up and such. That is, if you’re up for it.”

Ellie contemplated the concept of meeting up with her old friends. There was no doubt that leaving them behind had been the hardest thing she had ever done. She missed them more than anything, but she worried over how awkward the meeting would be. She hadn’t talked to them in years. She had left some things left unsaid and she wasn’t exactly sure whether or not she would be able to face the person it involved.

“You’re thinking about this too much, so I know the problem isn’t that you’re busy.” She sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. Matt had always been able to read her like a book, which aided his ability to convince her to do almost anything, within reason.

“Where’s the show? Tomorrow’s a Friday, so I have class until 4,” Ellie grinned as Matt’s face lit up. He came off as such a tough guy, which he could be, but in all honesty, he was the nicest and most level headed guy around.

“Couldn’t tell you. I’ll text you the address if you give me your number.” Ellie slipped her phone from her pocket, unlocked the screen, and handed the device to her friend before heading down the bar to clean up after the patrons who had just left. Her co-worker sent her a questioning glance. Ellie wasn’t one to make friends with the customers, but shrugged off the other woman’s facial accusation. If she felt like it, she would explain at a later date, but for now, Ellie was only concerned with cleaning up the bar now that her shift was coming to an end.

Her boss came out from the back as she was hanging up a towel. This meant she was free to go, as he always relieved one of the two bartenders for the last hour of business. He did this as a means of protection for his employees. He didn’t want two women working alone when they had to clear out all of the drunks. Ellie truly appreciated he did that; it made her like working there that much more. She grabbed her night’s worth of tips, said goodbye to her boss, retrieved her purse from the back and swung around to the front of the bar where Matt was still sitting. She apologized for making him wait, which he shrugged off as no big deal as he handed her back her phone. He had, after all, interrupted her at work.

The pair stopped once they were outside of the bar. The cool night air raised goose bumps on Ellie’s bare arms. Ellie retrieved a pack of cigarettes from her bag and pulled one out for herself, before offering the pack to her friend. He shook his head but pulled a lighter from his pocket to light the cigarette between her lips.

“Whats the point of having a lighter if you don’t smoke?” Ellie askedas she exhaled, the cloud dancing upwards into the crisp night sky.

“Brian loses his mind when he loses his lighter. It’s much less stressful to keep one handy than it is entertaining to watch him tear the bus apart in search of one,” Matt laughed, which caused her to smile. Hearing his laugh brought back so many pleasant memories.

“Do you have a ride back to wherever you’re staying?” Ellie asked after a few moments of silence. She dropped the butt of her cigarette and squished it out with her shoe as Matt pulled out his phone to check on his bandmates. He cursed as he slid the device back into the pocket of his hooded sweater.

“I have no idea where the hotel or the bus is and the assholes aren’t answering their phones.” He grumbled, spitting out more profanity as he checked his phone a second time.

“Come on then,” Ellie laughed as she waved for him to follow her to her car. “You can stay with me for the night. I’ll give you a ride before class, or you can get them to pick you up whenever. Oh, and it’s gonna be like old times, where you can either put up with my tossing and turning or sleep on the floor. My dog gets the couch, and I also don’t want to startle my roommate when she wakes up to a strange man in our common space.”

“That’s alright with me, I have years of cuddles to catch up on,” Matt mused as he followed her to a fairly new black car. This reassured him that she was doing well for herself out in Miami, which he was glad for. Ellie was like a sister to him. He had told the truth earlier when he said that he and the guys missed her. The few months after she left for school were hard for them to adjust to. He regretted ever losing contact with her; how that actually happened, he had no clue, but that didn’t matter now. It was extremely lucky that he ran into her earlier. He wasn’t about to let her go for a second time.

The silent drive to Ellie’s apartment took less than five minutes. She didn’t have to explain why she drove to Matt. Better to drive than to take your chances walking, especially when she got off work so late at night. Ellie was, however, glad for the company during her walk through the parking garage to the entrance to her building. The place gave her the heebie-jeebies, especially since she’d had a fair share of homeless men emerge from the shadows in hopes of a dollar or so donation.

“Just a heads up, the puppy’s harmless, but he’s a jumper,” Ellie warned when they were in eyesight of her front door. She knew full well the dog would come running as soon as he woke up and realized she was home.

“Hey Berkley,” Ellie called out, though the brindle coated dog ignored her greeting and booked it for Matt, since in the eyes of the puppy, he was a new friend to be made. She just watched as her 5 month old puppy jumped up at Matt and sent him flying into the wall he stood in front of.

“Holy fuck Ellie,” Matt laughed as he crouched down and tried to get the over excited dog to stop licking his face. “I thought you said he was a puppy?”

“He is,” She laughed in return, as she grabbed the dog and pulled him off of her friend. “He’s a five month old mastiff. By the time he’s fully grown he’ll be at least twice this size and will weigh close to two hundred pounds.”

Matt just shook his head as he watched Ellie get the dog re-settled. For a puppy, he listened amazingly well, as all she really had to do was tell him to go back to bed and the dog hopped up onto the couch and settled down with a groan. She gave him a quick pet and sang his praises before leaving the pup to fall back asleep.

“I’m going to bed now, I’m up at 8, so if you need a ride back that’s what time you’re going to have to get up. Otherwise, help yourself to anything in the kitchen. My room is down the hall on the right and the bathroom is at the end of the hall, there’s an unopened tooth brush in the top left drawer.” Ellie said with a yawn.

“You know me so well,” Matt grinned as he pulled her into a hug. “Just check my phone when you wake up. If one of them replies I’ll get up, if not I’ll get them to pick me up.”

Ellie nodded against his chest before pulling away so they could say their good nights. She still heard Matt in the kitchen by the time she was done cleaning herself up in the bathroom, so she changed quickly and hopped into bed. All of her thoughts caught up to her once her head hit the pillow. She realized then exactly how nervous she was to meet up with her old friends.

Notes

Hi folks!

This is a rewrite of a story I had started years ago. Some editing and a focus change are underway, so I hope you enjoy as I rediscover my love for this storyline.
I would love to hear your first thoughts! Any predictions on how meeting up with the guys will go?
xx