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

XI

“Tell you what! Go play with your brother and your cousins now. Mummy will call all of you back and we shall have ice-cream later, alright?” Nat pacified. She obviously wanted to know what was going on. Harley nodded and climbed off her lap. He walked towards me and hugged me tight. Harley gave me a sheepish smile and ran towards his playmates.

“He likes you very much, Scarlett,” Nat started. I nodded my head as I waved to the children. They were happily running around and they seem to never run out of energy.

“I suppose Harley was telling the truth just now?” Nat continued. Again, I nodded my head and shifted my body so I was facing her.

“Nat, I’ve only been here and I don’t want to meddle into others’ relationships but I need to clear this off with Arianna as it will affect my purpose of being with you guys,” I explained. Nat looked confused but she nodded. She understood. I told her what Arianna said and she listened intently. There were times when I felt that she wanted to interrupt me but then she decided to let me finish.

“And she told me clearly to stay away from Zacky,” I said and looked at Nat. She seemed filled with thoughts and we both stayed in silence.

“Scarlett, I apologise on her behalf for talking to you like that. Arianna has always been a possessive girlfriend of Zacky’s but only because she strayed twice in their relationship. Zacky walked in on her with another guy before and she begged him to take her back. At that time, Zacky sought solace from me as I have always been the one he would go to, other than Jimmy. That night, Arianna came to Zacky’s house only to find him hugging me. She did not realise that Matt was there as well. Both of us were the first to know of Arianna’s unfaithfulness and we stood by Zacky as we knew Zacky would never cheat on his partner.”

The married woman Arianna referred to must be Nat. I nodded my head at what Nat said and she continued.

“Again, I apologise. But I feel that you need to know this. You are going to be with the band for quite some time and it was only fair if you know what was going on. Soph and I are best friends and we shared about everything. Soph was disgusted by Arinna’s actions and decided not to talk to her ever. She was disappointed when Zacky took Arianna back and was even more repulsed when she got to know that Zacky walked in on Arianna with the same damn guy again. It was the last straw for Zacky but somehow, Arianna managed to beg her way into Zacky’s heart once again. However, the feelings Zacky once had for Arianna faded rapidly and he was already so used to having Arianna around, it would be weird for him to be alone.”

As those words fell out of Nat’s mouth, I squeezed her hands and thanked her for filling me in. I could see the sincerity in her eyes and I believed she only wanted the best for Zacky. Even though I was a little overwhelmed, I appreciated Nat’s honesty and decided to stay professional throughout the whole trip. I was convinced with my decision but a voice at the back of my head whispered;

How could you stay all professional when they treat you like family, Ska? They know you more than you know them and this is all just the beginning- We still have a long way to go.

I bit my lip and looked at Nat. She had gotten off the bench and was walking towards the children. She called out to them and they ran happily in her arms. She carried Skylar and had the boys held each other’s hands and walked towards me.

“We’re going for ice-cream, Ska. Would you like to join us?” Harvey invited and I shook my head with a smile.

“I’ll join you guys next time! I’ve got things to do now. You guys go have fun, okay?” I exclaimed and ruffled Harvey’s hair lightly. Nat gave me a nod and again, she understood. They walked past me towards the direction of the church and I walked towards where my heart was.