Don't You Dare: A Synyster Gates Story

Chapter Twenty-Four

The bus was quiet when Valary woke up - a.k.a. the perfect time to get work done. She slipped out of the bunk she shared with Matt, who was still fast asleep, and crept down the hallway into the living area. She was startled to see Brian sitting on the couch, staring straight ahead at the opposite wall of windows, watching the interstate pass by, clearly in a daze. She checked the clock. It was 6:30 in the morning. It had only been a couple of hours since they had to leave Aubrey behind in Phoenix. She figured he was still processing his emotions over it.

"Already awake or haven't gone to sleep yet?" She asked, even though she knew the answer, as she grabbed her laptop.

"Haven't gone to sleep," Brian answered softly, with his gaze still lost in the windows.

Val brought her laptop to the table adjacent to the couch that Brian was sitting on and sat down. "Mind if I set up in here? I've got some stuff to work on this morning for the next tour."

He nodded.

She started her computer, watching as everything loaded, but her mind was on Brian. He was hardly even blinking. This didn't look like his usual "sad to leave Aubrey" mood. This looked like something more to her.

And though she didn't want to pry, she was concerned and curious about this different mood.

"You okay?" She eventually asked.

Finally, Brian broke his stare and looked over at Val.

He shook his head. "Not really, no." Typically, he would've lied and said he was fine, but since it was Val, he was honest.

"What's going on?" She pressed.

"Don't want to interrupt your work," he mumbled, going back to staring at the windows across from him.

"You've been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember. Work can take a backseat for a few minutes," she insisted.

Slowly, he inhaled a deep breath then let it out. "I blew up on Aubrey right before I left this morning."

"Oh, Bri," Val cooed with disappointment. "Why?"

"Because I'd do anything to have her come back out on tour with us, but she won't. And I keep thinking that she's gonna change her mind, but it's becoming pretty clear to me that she won't."

"Because of her job?" Val wondered.

Brian nodded his head. "Yeah, a job that she got after she went back home the first time. A job that shouldn't be more important than us. Than me."

"I don't think it's about the job itself," she replied.

He sighed. "I guess I take it personally, like if she truly loved me, she'd do it. She'd drop everything and come on tour."

Valary frowned. "Honey, I don't think she would've flown out to be with you for a week if she didn't love you. If she didn't love you, she wouldn't have called me to set everything up behind your back so she could surprise you. She's doing the best she can. I honestly believe that."

Brian didn't reply.

"When she came out on tour with us, she was a little lost, Bri. For someone who's not in this scene, it's a little wild to just take off for four months to go on a tour with a bunch of strangers. She left her life behind, put her life on hold, for that. And it was great. I think it really helped her. But when the tour was over, she still had a life to get back to. And I don't think she was happy with that life, so she probably felt like she had to start over."

"She could've started over with us," Brian insisted.

"She is starting over with us," Valary reminded him. "We're a part of her life now. She might not be with us or with you while she's getting herself together, but we're a part of her new life. You are a part of her new life."