So Far Away (The Rev, Zacky Vengeance & Avenged Sevenfold)

VIII

It was my first time here and the exterior was gorgeous. It was brightly-lit and there was a fair number of people dining and relaxing at the diner. Zacky went around to shake hands with everyone and apparently, everyone knows each other and were treated equally- hot rockstar or not. Some enquired about the service tomorrow while others promised to be there. After awkwardly standing at the side waiting for Zacky, he rushed towards me and opened the diner door. I stepped inside and went towards Aunt Anna, giving her a tight hug upon seeing her.

“You were right about bumping into the A7X boys!” I whispered excitedly. Even though I was already 24 years old, I was still star-strucked by Avenged Sevenfold and got the chance to go all ‘fangirl’-like now, here in the diner. We broke away from the hug and Aunt Anna smiled widely at me.

“You know he heard you, right?” Aunt Anna confessed and I turned bright red. She laughed at my expression and proceeded to give Zacky a hug.

“How’s everyone back home, Z?” she enquired. Zacky and Aunt Anna then proceeded to have a small chat while I scanned the area for the gang. Ian and Alex were already here and they chose a cozy corner at the back of the diner. I ran towards them and gave them a hug each.

“I heard you went somewhere just now?” Alex questioned me in all seriousness. I pouted and took my place on the red diner bench. When the gang turned serious and concerned, I felt like a rebellious teenager getting reprimanded by her parents. I did not explain myself right there and then as I would have to do it again. Felix, Royce and Maddy clearly stated that they wanted an explanation.

“I’m not going to explain twice. Let’s just wait till the rest are here. How was the beach?” I changed the subject. Fortunately for me, Ian and Alex obviously had a fun time at the beach as they did not hesitate to share how their day went. We were so engrossed in our conversation that we did not realise that Aunt Anna was approaching us with a tray of milkshakes. Zacky carried another tray of snacks and followed Aunt Anna closely.

“Is that Zacky fucking Vengeance?” Ian exclaimed as his mouth opened and his jaw landed on the table with a thump. He was more star-strucked than I was! Alex stopped talking altogether and mirrored Ian’s actions.

“Yes, he is! Now, drink up!” Aunt Anna exclaimed and she and I burst into laughter.

Aunt Anna disappeared from sight and Zacky emptied the contents of the tray on the table. Alex, who was sitting at the outside of the bench, stood up and shook Zacky’s hands. Ian stood up as well and went out from his seat to shake Zacky’s hands and hugged him. Seriously, Ian? Zacky took his seat beside me and offered me a fry. The four of us chatted and Ian and Alex introduced themselves. Zacky seemed genuinely interested in whatever they said and shared about the band’s progress and everything when we heard a squeal.

“Is that ZACKY FUCKING VENGEANCE?” Felix squealed and had both his hands in his hair. He was so melodramatic. Royce and Maddy had bumped into him when he stopped abruptly. The three of them fell face first to the ground making Alex, Ian, Zacky and I rush from our seats to get to them.

“Oh my God! You really ARE Zacky Vengeance!” Maddy cried when we brought her to her feet. Royce was equally fascinated and shook Zacky’s hands. Felix got on his feet and smiled sheepishly while Ian and Alex sucker-punched him.

“Can I get a hug? Or a picture? Or both?” Maddy asked as she stood there, zombie-like. The rest of the gang laughed at her and Zacky told her that she could have both. Maddy hugged Zacky tightly and got Royce to help her take the picture. I was sure Zacky received such reactions all the time, just not that much at his hometown.

“You’re my role model, man! I play guitars, too!” Felix exclaimed as he shook Zacky’s hands and hugged him. Royce rolled his eyes at Felix’s antics and we all took our places at the back of the diner. We were happily sipping on our chocolate and vanilla milkshakes when Maddy spoke up.