Chapter Two

After hanging up with Matt, I sat on the beach for about half an hour more.

I couldn't go home; what if Brett was still there? I couldn't go to a friend's house; it was almost four in the morning. Who's up that early besides me? I couldn't even call anyone since it was that early.

Unless I called some one who I'd just talked to.

I went through my contacts on my phone again, trying to decide if I should call Zacky or Johnny, since I hadn't gotten to talk to them, or Bryan, since I knew that he'd always be there for me. Since Bryan was the first in my contacts and my closest friend in their band Avenged Sevenfold, aside from Matt, I decided to hit send and talk to him.

Pressing the phone to my ear, I heard it ring three times. Just as it began to ring a fourth time, Bryan picked up. "Val?"

"Yeah, it's me," I responded.

"Hey. What's going on?" he asked casually.

"Nothing," I replied, drawing circles in the sand next to me. "I just needed to talk to somebody pretty bad."

"Oh, no," Bryan said. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Well, no, I'm not okay," I admitted. "Did Matt say anything to you?"

"Nah," Bryan said. "He just kind of shut himself up and went back to bed. He's been kind of weird lately, like thinking a lot and not talking so much. We don't know what to do. But I think the fact that you called and you guys are talking again will help."

When I didn't say anything in response, Bryan asked, "Wait. You guys are talking again, right?"

"I guess," I said. "He wants me to go to your show two weeks from today."

"And are you?" Bryan wanted to know.

I shrugged, erasing my circles. "I don't really know. My life is so screwed right now. And what would happen after the show? What would I do? Would I stay with you guys like I used to? I mean, I have a job and I have a life and I have to take care of everything that had to do with Brett now."

"Well," Bryan responded, "you would stay with us for the rest of the tour. And you and Matt would get back together- don't think I can't tell these things." He paused. "Who's Brett?"

"My fiancé."

"You're getting married?!" Bryan exclaimed.

I shook my head. "No. No, no. I was. When Matt called earlier tonight and Brett flipped out on him, I was in the middle of figuring things out. I just didn't feel right about the whole getting married to someone who's not...," I trailed, scared to admit what I was thinking.

"Who's not what, Val?" Bryan asked.

"I didn't feel right getting married to somebody who's not Matt," I admitted.

Bryan laughed. "I knew it!"

"Yeah, I bet," I said sarcastically. "Well, so, anyways, when Matt called and Brett nearly beat me up over it, I just told him it wasn't going to work. Because it wasn't going to work."

"I swear, if that jerk hurt you in anyway, I will-"

"Bryan," I interrupted. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Okay," he sighed. "Did you love him?"

"I've only loved once," I admitted, drawing a heart in the sand and smiling.

"Matt," Bryan guessed. "Val, you should really come to the show in two weeks. I'll get you tickets. If you have a job, just tell your boss that you're going to quit. We're going to be on the road for a while."

"I guess I could do that," I smiled. "But what about my house?"

"What about it?" Bryan wanted to know.

"I guess you're right," I said. "Well, if you could get me a ticket, I'll come. Give me the time, place, and everything. And don't tell Matt."

"Why not?"

"Let's make this a surprise," I explained.

"Do I tell him we talked?" Bryan asked.

"If you want to," I told him. After giving him my address and laughing about some of our good times on tour with the band, we both decided that we should go.

"If Brett's still there or if stole anything from your house, call me, alright?" Bryan asked. "Or just call me anytime, because I miss you so much."

I laughed. "Will do. Call me if you want to, too. I'll talk to you later."

"Sounds good."

"Bye."

"mm-Bye." That was Bryan's way of saying good-bye.

Once we had hung up, I glanced at the time on my cell phone. It was 4:16 and I was exhausted. I picked myself up and wiped off my legs and butt and made my way to my car.

As I started my car, I could see the gray-ish glow of the sun coming up over the horizon. Today was going to be quite the day.

I pulled into my driveway to find Brett's car gone and the house closed up tight. I walked up to the door and, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a sparkle. I changed my direction and walked across the dew-covered grass only to find my engagement ring sitting in my front yard. I picked it up and walked back to the front door, trying to decide if I should keep it or give it back to Brett.

The better side of me grabbed hold as I opened the front door and I knew that I should do the right thing and try to talk to Brett and give the ring back to him. Technically, it was his ring since he bought it with his own money.

As I walked around the house to see if everything was there and intact, I went over what I would say to my boss and to Brett and to Matt when I talked to them. Of course, everything was there with the exception of what was Brett's, like his XBOX and iHome and all his clothes, which made me admire how nice Brett could be even if he was extremely mad and brokenhearted. I owed him an apology and a thank you for many things.

Then sun kept rising and I knew that I better try to get some shut-eye if I planned to make it through work that day. After all, it was Monday and I didn't get very much sleep.

I curled up in bed, just a little bit sandy, and I finally felt like I knew what I was going to do for the first time in a very long time.

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Siobhan