14 Days

Four days had passed since the post-tour catch up meeting at Atlantic Records, and Evie was losing her mind. She had already caught up on her laundry from tour, cleaned her apartment, and finished reading 3 books. She had caught up with Lzzy for drinks the night before and had Josh over for lunch two days prior and managed to visit her parents the same day. She was running out of things to do and people to see, and she had just begun her break.

She collapsed onto the couch, the intense melodies and percussion of Rammstein doing nothing to help brighten her mood. A glance at the clock told her it was only 10am, much too soon to be annoying anyone from the Avenged camp, especially seeing as they were now 4 hours behind her.

She was bored.

She fired off a text to Brian, hoping that when he awoke he would reply and give her something to do. She also sent one to Matty, knowing the techs rise sooner than the band and that she might be able to chat with him sooner than Brian. They had managed to keep up their friendship since she had left the tour, managing to catch up every two days or so since she had been gone. He kept her up to date about the places they were visiting and the never ending prank war between himself and JB. Evie would laugh along with his stories, split between happiness that she wasn’t there to be at the short end of any of the pranks, yet longing for the company and fast pace of touring life.

She had never missed touring this much. Every time she had travelled with Halestorm there was always a small bittersweet moment of arriving home after months on the road, though it was not long that the new experiences, new towns and new venues would quickly become overshadowed by the relief of having her own space again, sleeping in her own bed, and getting to play by her own bathroom schedule. This time around, everything was different and she was doing all she could not to go stir crazy with the excess of time on her hands.

During their lunch, Josh had told her that the band would not be making it in to the studio for at least two months to start recording some new material. Part of Evie died when she heard that, realising that she now had 2 months to fill before any part of her would be needed once again. She had begun tossing around the idea of getting a part time job, maybe something outside the music industry to change things up and to keep her occupied. It would also help her build up some savings, maybe even enough to afford a few plane trips to visit Brian while she was off. The more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her.

She had yet to run it past anyone, part of her was hesitant to share the idea because of how her friends and family might react. She knew that as soon as she uttered the words to her parents they would assume she needed money and would hear nothing to the contrary, her brother would be of a similar mind, yet ultimately supportive, and Lzzy would just not understand how she could be bored enough to take up another job.The singer sometimes forgot that Evie was vastly different to herself, Lzzy constantly working on a new song, a new video idea or even sketching out dream outfits, where as Evie’s job generally had a defined working hours. There was no need for her if guitars weren’t getting used.

A sudden chime of the doorbell nearly made Evie wet herself. She had been so far in her own thoughts she had tuned out everything around her, including the music which had come to a stop as the CD had played its last track, that the silence of the room seemed to make the high pitched ringing of the bell reverberate around the room. Once she had stopped her heart from escaping her chest cavity, Evie rose to her feet and unlocked the door. She scolded herself for not checking the peephole as she opened the door to reveal Phil standing on the stoop.

“Good morning, Ms. Smith,” He greeted, a warm, yet clearly forced smile gracing his features. “May I come in?”

“Ah, sure,” Evie replied, opening the door further and stepping aside so Phil could make his way into her apartment. She took a second to cover her shock while she closed the door, facing away from Phil as he made his way over to her two seater dining table.

“Can I get you anything?” She asked, her brain kicking in and remembering the manners her mother had instilled in her from a young age.

“Some water would be great, thanks,” Phil requested, placing his briefcase down on the tabletop before flicking it open and retrieving some paperwork.

Evie walked past the table and towards the kitchen, grabbing two glasses and filling them with water from the glass bottle in the fridge. She watched Phil organise the stack of paper as she poured the water, thinking that he alone was most likely responsible for the destruction of a small forest. He seemed forever armed with papers outlining one thing or another, whether it was finance, road routes or legally binding contracts, he had a paper for it.

Keeping a giggle to herself at the thought, Evie joined Phil at the table, placing the glasses on the tabletop where she found space. It wasn’t a huge surface area to begin with, after all she did live alone and was absent a good chunk of the year. What use was a dining table other than a surface for her to fold her washing?

“I have a proposition for you,” Phil started, forgoing any preamble and jumping straight into the reason for his visit. It was a trait Evie was thankful for.

“What kind of proposition?” She asked, her curiosity piqued instantly. “I’m sure you know by now that Halestorm are on break until September when they are scheduled in the studio,” Phil said, telling her information she had already known, “so you are not needed until then.”

Evie had to bite her tongue to stop herself from arcing up at his cruel phrasing. Great manager, yes, but a people person he was not.

“I am aware,” Evie answered, managing to keep her cool. After all, the impromptu meeting had just begun, it would do her no favours to yell at Phil before he got to his proposal when she was already on such uneven ground from their last meeting.

“I have been approached once again by Larry Jacobson, and he has come to me with yet another staffing issue,” he continued, watching the recognition of Larry’s name wash over Evie.

“What could he want?” She asked, her words escaping without her permission as she tried to cover her immediate reaction to Phil’s words. Could this mean what she think it might?

“He is on the verge of losing his guitar tech again. Apparently things on the road aren’t going exactly to plan, and things at home are getting out of control, and he says it’s only a matter of time before both implode,” he answered. Evie’s stomach flipped. “He has asked if I know anyone else that can fill in at short notice.”

Evie was quiet, unsure if he expected her to jump at the chance, or if this was a test of her ‘loyalty’. She didn’t put it past him to have this as a way to prove her allegiance, especially after he was humiliated in the meeting by not only herself, but Josh and Lzzy also.

“I floated your name again as you already know the band, the routine and the crew. It would be an easy fit while you are on break with Halestorm, and then you can come back when they are in the studio,” Phil continued.

“I would happily help them again, if needed,” Evie agreed, impressed that Phil had been thoughtful enough to offer her services, yet knew she would need to be back by the time recording started.

“There was a catch,” he said, holding his hand up and halting Evie from speaking until he was finished. “Larry doesn’t want to deal with a slew of techs filling in, each for a few months at a time, waiting for their tech to finally be ready again. This will not be a temporary gig. The job will be as their new technician, full time. That means you will stay on tour, you will be with them if they need you in the studio, you will be there until they don’t want you there anymore, no questions asked. He wants to replace him, and he wants the new person ready to go.”

Evie was speechless. That was a hell of a catch.

“What about Chris? He will still need a job once things are settled at home. Does he know he is about to lose his job?” Evie asked, her heart immediately going out to the tech with the new baby. Raising kids wasn’t cheap, there was no way the small family could survive without either parent having income.

“That’s where the proposal comes in,” Phil replied, forever keeping his answers vague. “Larry and I discussed a potential swap, if you will. If Mr. Foster and yourself are willing to relocate, you can take over his position on tour, and he can spend time with his family before moving them to Pennsylvania to work with Halestorm. It will be an easier transition for him back into work with the band going into the studio, and then eventually on tour. He will be able to spend time with his child and help his wife through her postpartum depression.”

Evie had thought she was speechless before, but it paled into comparison with how she was feeling now.

A trade? Did he offer a trade?

Her immediate answer was yes. She would love to tour again, and getting to be on the road with Avenged, playing those huge venues, travelling with that wonderful crew and getting to explore by Brian’s side? It was perfect. She would be able to do exactly what she wanted to do, and help out Chris and his family in the meantime.

But this would not be just a few weeks. It would not be a month or two. This was a life altering job offer, one that had repercussions not just to her career, but to her personal life. She would be on their permanent tour crew, expected to tour with them the rest of this fledgling tour, overseas, away from home for months on end, and be at their call until they didn’t need her. She be expected to be there in the studio. Would she have go to California until they wrapped recording? Was she expected to live there?!

Sure she had made friends with Avenged and the crew in her few weeks with them, but this was more than just touring with friends. These weren’t siblings you could yell and yet simultaneously love more than anything, these weren’t people she had known for years and spent nights sleeping on top of each other. She had no idea how to deal with any of them when they had reached their wits end, she didn’t know their triggers, they didn’t know hers.

Everything else became insignificant when she realised the biggest question of all; what would happen if she and Brian broke up?

Their relationship was so shiny and new that they had barely been able to test the waters in a semi-healthy set up. They had known each other for two weeks before they were long distance, and even worse, they had only been dating two days before they parted. There was no way that working together, travelling together and basically living together was going to end well, and if it did end up in a break up, how would they continue the working aspect of the relationship after that? Would she be completely jobless if they broke up and Brian demanded a new tech? She wouldn’t have a position with Halestorm to fall back on if she was kicked off tour.

Halestorm.

They had just fought so hard for her to stay, both Lzzy and Josh going toe-to-toe with Phil for her, she couldn’t throw that away a few days later. This was her home. This was her family. This was her life.

“I, ah, I just don’t,” Evie started, having absolutely no words to reply once she remembered that Phil was still sitting at the table across from her, waiting for her to make a single sound since his bombshell.

“We don’t expect an answer now, Evie. I know this is huge, and not something that you can say yes to straight away,” Phil told her, showing a surprisingly paternal side as his voice became less ‘Man-in-charge’ and more caring. “This is not ideal for anyone, not for you, not for Halestorm, not for Avenged, and definitely not for Chris and his family. But these are the cards that have been dealt, and you need to decide if you will hit or if you will stick.”

Stunned at his words of wisdom, Evie watched as Phil put away his stacks of papers. He left a small bundle out before locking his briefcase and standing from the table. Evie copied his action and rose to stand as well.

“This is a basic version of the Avenged Sevenfold touring crew contact. In here is everything you need, from the proposed remuneration package and the relocation bonus to their album release schedule to the many terms and conditions of your employment. Look through, have a think and get back to me,” he told her, going once more into business mode.

Evie followed him silently to the door, opening it for him and letting him step out. He turned to face her once again as he stepped over the threshold and out into the world.

“I’ll be in contact,” he told her before swiftly turning and descending the staircase that led up to her second story landing.

Evie watched him walk until he disappeared into his car (of course he managed to get a park straight in front of the complex of 4 homes), then slowly closed her front door. Her head was spinning.

Fully in zombie mode, she collapsed on the couch again, raising only to retrieve the cell phone she had managed to lay on and put it on the coffee table without glancing at the screen.

How in god’s name was she going to make this decision?

Notes

Worth the wait?
I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK A MONTH!!!
Things have been hectic, but the silver lining is that I have a new niece :D
Promise the next update will be sooner. I won't leave you on a cliff hanger for too long ;)

Also, if you aren't already, come over to http://box5848.temp.domains/~asevxfan/
It is the brainchild of our very own RamonaFoREVer <3

Xoxo
Sas