A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I kind of like it, but I feel like I over-dramatized the emotion. Eh, I don't know.
I don't know how long I stared at the lyrics to this song on my iPod, figuring out which verses I wanted in the story and how to morph them in to sound good. Let me know what you think of it. I'd like to know if I'm actually any good at song-type stories. :P
I don't know if McKenna is/was in dance or not, and I was a tad bit too lazy to check it out.
Sorry this took so long to get out, and that it's so crappy! It took a while to get my procrastinating ass off of Skyrim so I could write this. But you can still boo and hiss and me for the lateness. :B

Disclaimer: I don't own Avenged Sevenfold. They are the complete proud owners of themselves, and their music.

Dead Punk- Thanks so much! I was kind of tired of the sad/angsty chapters, so I figured I'd make that one sort of playful. I'm sure everyone wasn't expecting it. XD

So Far Away

Brian carefully dialed the unfamiliar numbers. They were so foreign to him and he wished they hadn't changed. Brian pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the ringing as he thought about a few days prior. Jimmy was still in the city then, and life was good. The two best friends feared nothing; though they were never completely free from their families or from school, they were never chained down with responsibilities and worries. They spent practically all of their time together.

Brian was devastated when Jimmy told him they were moving. "To Huntington Beach," he said. That was on the other side of the country! How could Brian live without the ones he loved? His parents thought the world of him, but work constantly kept them from home. His father, Brian Senior, was always either at the studio or one of his comedy performances, and his mom (or rather, his step-mother), Suzy, had her hypnosis shows several times a week. Brian's sister, McKenna, looked up to him as her idol, but she was needed regularly for dance classes and recitals. Jimmy was really the only one there for him. Then, just like that; just a single job offer with better pay, his father was moving them all the way to California.

"Brian?" A voice from the other end of the line startled the young man from his reverie.

"I miss you," he blurted out.

He heard a soft chuckle. "I miss you, too. Not a day goes by that I don't regret moving."

"Diddo," Brian agreed. "Will you stay away forever?" he asked after a moment's pause.

"I don't know," Jimmy sighed. "I hope not. You know, the place and time we meet at the park is always on my mind. It's hard to force myself to stay inside the house instead of going to the river and finding you."

Brian chuckled. The memories wrenched his heart with nostalgia, but he still loved to recall them. They reminded him of the normalcy he and Jimmy once shared.

"Remember when we told our parents we were going to become werewolf ninjas?" Brian asked with a smile.

"Or when we said we'd outlive bugs?"

The two burst into laughter. Their childhood dreams seemed so foolish now. When they regained the ability to speak, Brian realized something.

"I guess our perfect chapter has been laid to rest, hasn't it?"

"That doesn't mean I'll forget it, though. Every now and then, I'll try to find a place in my mind where I can stay awake forever."

Brian grinned, "Then we can be telepathic insomniacs!"

"Exactly!" Jimmy exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

For a moment, the line was comfortably silent. Then Jimmy was apologizing. "Sorry, I have to go. My mom needs me to go to the store with her."

Brian shook his head as if Jimmy could see him. "Oh, no. It's fine. I'll just talk to you later."

"Is that a promise?"

"More like a threat," Jimmy chuckled and said goodbye.

The second Brian put down the phone, a wave of loneliness washed over him. There was much more he wanted to say, but Jimmy was just so far away... Brian heard someone shuffle into the house and lifted his head to see his father.

"Hey, kiddo," Brian Senior ruffled his son's hair on his way to the kitchen. The teenager said nothing. No "How was your day?" or "How are you feeling?", just a simple greeting.

Brian sighed and headed up to his room. He gazed out of his window down into the familiar neighborhood. The trees, the grass, the houses; they were all the same. Then he became aware of something. Life would go on, and he would see Jimmy again.

You can sleep tight now, Jimmy, because I'm not afraid anymore. Nature survives these things, these changes every day, and they still live and thrive. If they can do it, so can I. The ones I love that are here can help my grief, even if minutely. But save a place for me, because as soon as I'm done, with school and life's problems, I'll be on my way to you. Though it's hard to stay, your light remains, and I'll see you again when He lets me. The pain is strong and urges arise, but I need you to know; I love you.