Ashlyn Dash

5. Meeting Black Veil Brides and an Unexpected Surprise

"Ashlyn, can you come help up front? There's a band coming here to do a signing in a couple of hours, and the bossman said we need to set up early." A voice from behind me inquired. I looked down at my sleeves that covered my still black and blue arms, which Johnathan did. I turned around and saw one of my coworkers, Raiden. He looked at me, wondering if I had heard him.

"The boss wants us to set up early." I nodded my head and rubbed my arms as he held the door that led to the front of the store and walked out of it.

"There she is!" As I walked out to the front, a booming voice said to me, "Okay, I need you to be up here with me so I can have help." I nodded and looked at him as he turned around to grab some papers. "What b-band?"

"Black Veil- Hey! You talked!" My boss, Archer, started to say something but exclaimed once he heard me talk. Archer is a few years older than me; he's the cool boss who will let you come in late. He'll ask why you're late but will not deprive you of any pay. Ever since I started working in the Hot Topic I work in now, he's always been protective of me and all the others.

I've been trying to work up the courage to talk. "Y-yeah."

My boss smiled at me. "Well, you have a cute voice." I shook my head and smiled softly. "Okay, uh, well, I forgot what I wanted you to do."

"You wanted her on the register, Archer!" Raiden said as he dropped a couple of boxes on the ground. "Raiden, stop dropping shit." Raiden looked at Archer and smirked before dropping the small box that was still in his hands. "Dickhead!"

"I know you are one."

I couldn't help but laugh at the two before I walked over to the register. "So the band should be- oh! the band is here now." Archer looked at the doors of the shop as the band walked in.

I followed Archer's gaze to the entrance of HotTopic and saw a group of guys walking in. They looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place them. As they got closer, I realized with a jolt that it was Black Veil Brides. Holy shit. My heart started racing as I tried to keep my cool. I had been a fan of theirs for years, and I never thought I'd get to meet them in person.

Suddenly, Andy walked over to us and said they were there for a signing and meet and greet. "Hey guys, welcome to HotTopic," Archer said, smiling at the band. "We're so excited to have you here. Are you ready to meet your fans?"

"Absolutely," said Andy Biersack, the lead singer. "We're always happy to meet our fans and sign some autographs. Where do you want us to set up?"

Archer and I led them to a table at the back of the store, where they could sign autographs and take pictures with fans. As they got settled, I tried to calm my nerves. I knew I had to say something, but I was so nervous. I had only recently started speaking again after being selectively mute for years, and I still struggled with it sometimes.

When I finally spoke, my voice came out in a stutter. "H-hi, I'm Ashlyn." I felt my face turn red as I tried to regain my composure. I couldn't believe I was meeting my idols, but I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of them.

Andy noticed my nervousness and smiled kindly. "Hey Ashlyn, it's great to meet you," he said. "Thanks for having us here today. Are you a fan of our music?"

I nodded, feeling a little more at ease. "Y-yeah, I've been a fan for years," I said.

"That's awesome," said Andy. "We really appreciate your support. Do you want us to sign anything for you?"

I nodded again, feeling grateful for the opportunity. As I watched them sign autographs and talk to fans, I felt a sense of awe. I couldn't believe I was meeting Black Veil Brides in person. It was a dream come true.

Sure, here's the same scene from Ashlyn's point of view:

A couple of hours had passed since I met Black Veil Brides, and I was still on cloud nine. I had never felt so alive and excited. I called my friends Nicky, Jordy, Carter, and Kylo, and they were on their way to the Hot Topic store to meet me.

As they walked into the store, I saw them and felt a wave of happiness. They were here to support me, and I couldn't have been more grateful.

"Hey, Ashlyn!" said Nicky, running up to me and giving me a hug. "We heard that Black Veil Brides was here, and we had to come see you."

I smiled at my friends, feeling grateful for their support. "Yeah, they were here earlier," I said. "I got to meet them and get some autographs."

"No way!" said Jordy, looking around the store. "Are they still here?"

I shook my head. "No, they left a little while ago," I said. "But it was amazing. I still can't believe it happened."

"I bet," said Carter, looking at the autographs in my hand. "These are so cool. I'm jealous."

Kylo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I wish I could have been here to meet them," he said. "But I'm glad you had a great time, Ashlyn."

I smiled at my friends, feeling grateful for their support. "Thanks, guys," I said. "It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I'll never forget it."

We talked for a little while longer, but soon the store announced that it was closing. "We should probably head out," Kylo said, checking his watch.

Carter nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to get locked in here," he said. It wouldn't be the first time that had happened and it wouldn't be the last.

We all laughed and they started to gather their things before they left. I turned to gather my things as I was finishing my last thing to do.

As I was grabbing my things, and as I was about to leave, something amazing happened. The members of Black Veil Brides walked back into the store.

"Hey, Ashlyn," Andy said, grinning at me. "We wanted to come back and talk to you for a minute."

I felt my heart skip a beat as the band members gathered around me. "Hi," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey, don't be nervous," Jinxx said, smiling at me. "We just wanted to say that we're really impressed with you. You're a really talented artist, and we're glad we got to meet you."

I felt my face turn red as the band members complimented me. "Thank you," I said, my voice still quiet.

Ashley put a hand on my shoulder. "Seriously, though," he said. "We're really impressed. We'd love to see more of your art sometime."

I nodded, still feeling a little overwhelmed. "I'll bring some of my drawings to the next show," I said. When Andy had asked me earlier if I wanted autographs I gave them my art book to sign and they must have gone through it a bit.

Andy grinned. "That sounds great," he said. "We'll see you then."

As the band members headed out of the store, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. I couldn't believe that I had just met my favorite band, and that they had been so kind to me. I knew that I would never forget this day, and that I would always be grateful to my friends for helping me get here.

As I turned to leave, something at the front desk caught my eye. It was an envelope with my name on it. I opened it and found a ticket and a backstage pass to the Black Veil Brides show that was happening tonight. My heart started racing again as I realized what this meant. I had a chance to see the band perform live, and maybe even meet them again.

Without thinking, I grabbed the ticket and pass and headed out of the store. I knew that I had to get ready for the show, and that I had to find a way to thank my friends for making this amazing day possible. As I walked down the street, I felt like I was on top of the world. Nothing could bring me down from this high.