Zacky and the Lawyer - An Avenged Sevenfold Story

Chapter 1: Lawsuits and Bedtime Stories

I tapped a pen impatiently against the notepad resting in my lap. This phone call had been going on for nearly an hour as I tried to explain our position, but the man on the other end of the line just wasn't hearing me. I bit my lip to hold back a sigh as he launched into another explanation of something we'd already covered at least three times.

"I mean, the contract was in place, Christa. That's not something they can just walk away from—"

"It's absolutely something they can walk away from if working conditions are sufficiently different from when they started, Geoff," I interrupted him, tired of dealing with this. "And the conditions are different. You cannot tell me we don't have a case."

The man huffed in annoyance, clearly unhappy that I wasn't going to roll over so easily. "If you all insist, I can't stop you. But be prepared to see us in court over it."

Though I was alone and he couldn't see me, I smiled wryly, picturing the other lawyer's face in front of me. "Don't worry about us, Geoff. We will be. Call me if you come to your senses and decide you'd rather avoid the hassle."

Without giving him a chance to answer, I took the cell phone down from my ear and tapped a button to hang up, finally letting out a heavy sigh. I ran a hand through my hair as I mulled over the conversation in my mind. To be frank, despite how long we'd talked, not much had been accomplished. They were still mad at us, and we were still mad at them. Which generally tends to be why lawsuits start in the first place.

I was broken out of my thoughts by the sound of a door opening slowly, and looked over to the entrance of the bus. Matt was there, standing on the top step with his head poking around the corner to look at me. "Can I come in?" he asked quietly, gesturing to the interior of the bus.

I nodded at him. "Yeah, I'm off the phone. Sorry it took so long. Old bastard kept saying we should just give in. I told him 'no'." I patted the seat beside me, scooting over slightly, and Matt walked over to the small couch.

"So, what else did he say?" Matt asked as he sat down next to me, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at me curiously. I noticed he was already wearing a bandana with his hat on backwards, looking ready to perform in tonight's show. His black t-shirt had a signature pair of aviator sunglasses hooked over the neck, and with his stern expression and muscled arms, there was no doubt that he was intimidating. However, despite how he may have looked to someone who didn't know him, we'd been working together long enough that I could see through it, and I was grateful to call him my friend.

I smiled at him a bit sadly. "He threatened to take us to court over it, so exactly what we thought." I hardened my expression then. "But I'll fight like hell to try and keep it from happening, Matt. And if it can't be avoided, we'll go to court and crush them."

Matt grinned back at me, seeming to appreciate the fire in my voice. "You know we all believe in you, Christa. If anyone can get us out of this mess, it's you. And if you can't, well, we'll go down fighting with you." I couldn't help but smile back at his words. I knew the guys wanted to avoid going to court if at all possible, but it was nice to be supported.

I rubbed my eyes then, suddenly feeling a bit tired as the past hour of arguing seemed to catch up with me. "Thanks, Matt. I'm gonna call it quits for today, though, it's after six and no one else is gonna answer their phones. But I'll be back at it soon."

"Sure thing, Christa. Thanks again for all your help. You gonna come watch the show?"

I laughed, shaking my head. I loved seeing the band perform, I really did. I'd started listening to them back in college, when their music proved to be an excellent way to relieve stress. But, I'd watched from backstage the past four nights, and I was beat. "I think I'm gonna try to get an early night tonight, Matt. But thanks for the offer."