Arcane Guardian ↣ Avenged Sevenfold

21 ☼ southern constellations

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"What's your problem?!" Andrea walked after him as the once cold blood in his veins was now boiling. "You just stormed out! If you didn't want to come you should've said something! Way to make him feel bad."

"Andrea, I cannot be around that man or I'm ending up in prison too." 

Her facial expression softened. "Brian what's wrong?"

He looked away. "That's the guy who assaulted Noelle. When she was 12, and when she was 17."

It was as if for once, Andrea had nothing to say, but it was too good to be true and she started back up. "You're lying."

"He didn't succeed the first time, David... God, who I'm assuming is your uncle!?" His voice raised involuntarily. "Pulled him off of her and beat the fuck out of him. The second time, he didn't stop until he was finished. And she gouged his fucking eye out." 

"That fucking whore!" Andrea shouted. Brian's jaw dropped. "She's the bitch who slept with my dad?!" 

"I... You.. Wh... WHAT THE FUCK!?" Brian attempted to process. "He raped her! What about that isn't getting through your fucking skull!?" 

"Oh, so that's the story she's spinning, huh?' Andrea put her hands on her hips, biting her tongue and nodding. "That he raped her? She came onto him! And when she regretted it after she made it look like an assault." 

Can't hit a girl. I cannot hit a girl. Especially one this stupid. 

"I'm gonna take my car and drive home." Brian jangled the keys he had taken back from her. "Find your own way home." 

"What!?" She shrieked. He never realized how shrill her voice could be. 

"Oh! And not my place. Your shit will be by the curb by the time you get there." He smiled at her sardonically. Brian could be a sadistic motherfucker when he needed to be. "When someone says they got raped... They got raped." 

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"OPEN THE FUCK UP!!" Andrea banged on Brian's door. Brian was cross legged sitting on his kitchen island with a Capri sun, him and Matt listening to her trying her hardest to bang down the door. 

"She's a persistent little fuck, ain't she?" Matt laughed from the island stool. "Man. I would've caught a charge had I seen his face. And you're over for good, right?" 

"For good." He nodded. "The second she called Ells a whore sealed the deal. Donezo."

"And she's related to David?" 

"Brothers daughter." Brian said. "Crazy." 

Andrea screamed a loud, shrill, incomprehensible scream from behind the door. Brian just sipped the Capri sun.

☼

"Ew, the grass is wet." Noelle laughed as she set out the beach towel on the slope. Her and Brian had hiked out to the high point of a field surrounded with forest, just as a little chance to get out that night. Mandy and Jim were already on their honeymoon, so they thought they could enjoy each others company while their best friends were gone. 

They had set out beach towels underneath the moonlight, and were sharing a bottle of wine.  It was a nice change of scenery to just relax and look up at the moon and stars. Brian had no idea how or if he should tell her that he saw Danny today. he was about to try and find the words when she started talking, laying down on the towel and gazing up. 

"I don't think I want to produce anymore." 

Brian sat up slightly, giving her a look. "Because...?" 

"Paycheck got lowered to shit. I denied working with The Used again, and you know they're huge now." 

"So they demoted you because of you making your own decisions?" 

"Yeah, pretty much. And it doesn't help that Arin is around every fuckin' corner. We work under the same company, he's a session drummer for almost everyone who has a flaky drummer or no drummer. He keeps making moves on me and I'm just sick of it all. After this album with Lovehatehero I really think I need to consider a different career path. Producing isn't fun anymore. It's stressful and time consuming." 

"Ever considered singing or songwriting?" He asked. 

She thought about it. "Not specifically. I'm not trained or anything. I've got basic piano and guitar but that's kind of a necessary skillset with my job." They were silent as she passed him the wine. "I was sorry to hear about Andrea." 

"No you weren't," Brian smiled. 

She failed at hiding her smile. "Okay, fine, ever since the bitch tight laced my corset I've been praying for her swift exit. Why did you break up?" 

"Well, uh, I," He sputtered, caught off guard at what the hell to say. "It's kind of heavy. And might upset you." 

"Try me," She sat up, looking at him. "I'm not ten anymore. I probably wont even be phased." 

"We went to visit her dad in prison," 

"And he's a serial killer?" 

The dead serious look on her face made her realize he wasn't really kidding. "He, uh... It was Danny. Your uncle. He's her dad." 

"Her what?" She said quietly. 

"I had no idea. I wouldn't have even gone near her last year had I known. And as soon as I saw him I turned in the opposite direction, I promise. She was saying all this shit and blaming you but as soon as I found out he was her dad it was through. I couldn't have ever gue-"

"It's okay," She cut him off, still speaking softly. "You didn't entertain her, right?" 

"I let her find her own way home."

"Then that's all that matters." She smiled at him, taking a deep breath. "Danny is in prison where he can't hurt me or anyone I love." She leaned in and hugged him. 

"Noelle?" Brian said, pulling her tighter into the hug with a hand on the small of her back and the other in her hair. "I have to come clean about something." 

"Yeah?" She said, burying her face in his shoulder. She had no idea how she could've gone all those years without big bear hugs from him. 

"I never loved Andrea." He said. "But I think that was obvious to see." 

"Your eyes always looked one foot out the door, yeah." 

He pulled back, pushing her hair out of her face in the dark. "It's because I loved someone else." 

She just about stopped breathing when she saw that his eyes looked completely invested, glossed over and dark as he smiled at her. 

"Oh really?" She said, pinching herself mentally. "Uhm, they're a very lucky person." 

"So how should I ask her out?" He never broke eye contact, their faces close to one another's. "We've been friends forever and I feel like I'll never be good enough. She's perfect." 

"I would just make a move." Noelle nodded. "You can't hide the feelings forever, and girls hate playing games." 

Brian leaned in and kissed her softly and gently, and way too quick. He leaned back, having tested the waters.

And he was deeply relieved when she climbed onto his lap and kissed him back, her hair falling around them and shielding the kiss from the outside world.