{Avenged Sevenfold} Help Me Find My Way {Book 2}

I froze over the open box as I heard Dakota’s laugh followed by Matt’s.

“Andy are you in here?” Dakota called as he walked into the open garage stall. It wasn’t really like a garage anymore though. Matt had finished it and they used it as storage for all the older band stuff. There were boxes of sheet music and notebooks full of lyrics. Also a lot of the older equipment including some of my Dad’s stuff.

Dakota walked in before I could put my Dad’s sticks back in the box I had got them out of so I hid them behind my back and disguised it by putting my other hand behind my back as well.

“Hey Andy, your Mom said dinner was ready. What are you doing in here?” Matt asked curious. There was no venom in the tone of his voice so I knew he wasn’t mad at me for being here.

“Um, I was just curious about what was in here,” I said shifting my weight. I had discovered when I first came in here last week after an argument with my Mom that everything was actually organized by band or band member in the boxes. When I had stumbled on the boxes of my Dad’s stuff I had forgotten my anger and began looking. When I’d found his drum sticks and lifted them out of the box it was like something just clicked. I had been sneaking back in here during the week and just messing around with them trying to teach myself some things by going through the sheet music.

“That’s cool, find anything interesting?” Matt asked while he looked around at the stuff until his eyes landed on the open box. I gulped and bit my lip. He had to know it was my Dad’s because everything in that corner was his.

“Dakota why don’t you go put your glove up and wash up? Tell Mom Andy and I will be right up ok?”

“Ok Dad,” I watched my little brother, well half brother technically, run out of the garage.

I fidgeted, keeping my hands still behind my back.

“You ok Andy?”

“Yeah,” I said not really sure how to handle this. Matt had been a great dad to me. He never treated me or Jimmy any different because we weren’t his natural children. In fact people who didn’t know us often thought that Matt had fathered all three of us. Jimmy Jr. and I though were Jimmy’s children. Dakota was our half brother and Matt’s son. Jimmy and Dakota always seemed at ease with Matt and I knew he tried with me but for some reason I just couldn’t view Matt as my father and there was always some slight tension between us. Not that Matt didn’t try. Even before Mom and Matt had sat us down when we were seven and told us about Jimmy and how he was our father the relationship between me and Matt had never been as close as Mom wanted.
“You sure?”

“Yeah, I was just curious what was in the boxes.”

“It’s your dad’s old music. You know if you want I can help you go through these after dinner. I bet you’d like some of the stuff he wrote that we never recorded.”

“Uh that’s really nice of you but…”

He sighed and I felt guilty.

“Andy I know that I’m not your father and I promise I’m not trying to replace him for you in anyway. I just want to be able to help you grow up into the amazing woman I know you are going to be.”

I shifted my weight again and without thinking I let my hands fall in front of me.

“I don’t think you’re trying to replace him,” I muttered.

“Can you talk to me about it?” He asked pulling me into a hug. I hugged him back awkwardly while gripping my father’s sticks tightly.

“I don’t know…I can’t explain it Matt.” I winced though Matt didn’t say anything. He never did even though I was the only one who called him that. Even Jimmy called him dad.

Sometimes I really envied my twin’s easy manner with Matt. I was always closer with the other guys. Zacky especially had become my confidant as I went from being just another little brat to a bratty teenager. I smiled at the memory of Zacky affectionately calling me that.

We pulled away and I let my arms drop back to my side standing there awkwardly.

“Are those your dad’s old sticks?”

Matt motioned to my hand holding the sticks. I blushed, having forgotten that I had them.

“Um yeah….”

“You tried drumming anything yet?”

“Uh…..”

He smiled at me. “I know you’ve been in the box before Andy. I had to come in and get Johnny one of his old basses the other day. I saw the box had been opened.