Don't You Dare: A Synyster Gates Story

Chapter Eighteen

Brian should've known the day was going to be long and trying based on the events that happened not even a full sixty seconds after he woke up. He was just beginning to stir away from unconsciousness when the thunder clapped. He was in just enough of a daze that it startled him and he flew upright in his bunk, smacking his head on the "ceiling" of his bunk. Bad omen number one.

"Fuck," he muttered, rubbing the insulted spot on the top of his head.

"Ha, scared much, Gates?" Zack teased as he passed by Brian's bunk.

Zack, who was hardly even coherent before noon, who was usually curled up in the fetal position and groaning at anyone who spoke to him before noon, was teasing Brian... Before noon... Bad omen number two.

Before he could even process what had just happened, Valary screamed bloody murder. Rushing to her rescue, Brian jumped out of his bunk. But as soon as he hit the ground, his foot landed on the thick metal shank button on someone's shorts that were haphazardly left on the ground.

"Ow, what the fuck!" He spat.

Simultaneously rushing to his girlfriend's rescue from the back lounge, with way more at stake, Matt shoved Brian out of his way, throwing him into the bunks and stumbling back over the thick metal button again.

"Motherfu-" Brian grunted as Matt flew past him. He glanced down to recognize the shorts as Jimmy's. "God dammit, Jimmy."

Jimmy poked his head through his curtain, all wide-eyed and messy-haired, glanced at Brian's angry face, down at the ground, then back up at Brian, slowly putting the pieces together.

He wrinkled his brow. "What, you stepped on the button? Jesus, Brian, it's a button."

And now Jimmy was picking on him? Brian narrowed his eyes at his best friend, flipped him off, then continued to the front lounge to see why Val had screamed.

Jason and Matt Berry were laughing hysterically as Val stood in the corner with her arms crossed, glaring at them.

"What the hell is going on?" Brian asked, grumbling, already pissed off from the fact that Val was seemingly fine despite having screamed, causing chaos and injury (to him at least).

"The Berrys scared the shit out of her," her boyfriend explained.

"I was sitting here, alone in the dark, working on my computer, and these assholes came up on either side of me and grabbed me," Val spat angrily. "So yeah, they scared the shit out of me."

Brian sighed, relieved that she was okay, but annoyed that his day had gotten off to such a rocky start. "I'm going back to bed."

But his luck wouldn't have it. Trying to sleep was useless. He stared at the ceiling of his bunk for nearly an hour before he just gave up.

He reached in the small cubby and grabbed his phone to text Aubrey.

Today sucks already. Wish you were here.

He dropped his phone onto his chest and tucked his hands behind his head as he shut his eyes and exhaled deeply.

It was getting harder and harder for him to need Aubrey yet not have her.

Before he knew it, he had fallen back asleep. He woke up a few hours later as the bus came to a startling halt. The first thing he did was check his phone. No message from Aubrey. Which was strange. She was usually pretty quick to text him back. And it was a Thursday, so she should've been awake and at work already.

There was a dull pang in his gut at all of the potential reasons why she wouldn't text him back. But more than anything, he hoped she was okay.

Hardest part of not being in close proximity to loved ones? Not being there to make sure they're okay.