I was up late into the night, working on my enormous pile of homework from college, when my cell phone rang. Alex had made it a habit to call me after each show they performed, always telling me how great it was and all that. It was always nice to hear his excited voice on the other end, so I happily answered it, only to be surprised by what I heard.
“Hey, Max,” he said, a little gloomily.
“Oh no. What’s wrong?” I asked, placing my phone between my ear and my shoulder in order to keep working.
He paused. “Matt just announced he’s leaving. He says he’s done touring.”
I gasped, and dropped my phone. I picked it up hurriedly, trying to process this new information. “Leaving?! You mean he’s not going to manage you guys anymore?”
“No. The tour’s almost over too, which really only makes it worse,” he added.
“Why? Why is he leaving?” I questioned, running a hand through my hair anxiously.
“Like I said, supposedly he’s done touring. I guess I can’t blame him; It must get old putting up with the four of us for 7 years straight,” he said, letting out a small chuckle.
“When’s the last show?” I wondered.
“Toward the end of October. It’s in Pennsylvania, I think. Why do you ask?” he explained.
“I wanna go to the last show,” I replied.
“Max, what about school? You can’t just miss it, can you?” he asked.
“Usually, no, but this is important. I want to be there for you, and chances are Matt is struggling too,” I mentioned.
I heard a sigh. “It’s just weird, y’know? The next tour we do, Flyzik’s not gonna be there. We won’t walk around the bus to find random Mickey Mouse things everywhere. I mean, I’m glad he’s doing what will make him happy but...I’m gonna miss having him around all the time.”
“I know. But I’ll be there for the last show, alright? I’ll give you a hug and a kiss and make it all better,” I smiled, though he couldn’t see it.
He laughed. “Thanks, Max. I love you, and I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you too. I’ll be there before you know it,” I added.
We talked for a little while longer before we finally hung up. I got on my laptop and looked at Twitter and Tumblr, wanting to see if Matt’s departure had become public or not. Sure enough, it had, and the Hustlers had exploded in response. People were crying, typing up goodbye passages, making photo edits, and just having a total freak out. My heart felt more weighed down with each word I read about Matt. I had never realized the impact my uncle had on so many people who most of which, he probably never talked to. I wondered if he could see all the responses too, and if it could make him change his mind. Somehow I doubted it.
I ran downstairs to find my mom still up, watching a movie on the TV in the living room. I explained to her what happened, and she agreed that I had to go to Matt’s final show. She helped me book plane tickets, and I began packing. It was like the beginning of the summer, but filling my suitcase hurt this time. I could feel the ending approaching, and it honestly made me want to cry. This wasn’t going to be easy for anybody.
******************************************************************************
My mother took me to the airport early that morning, telling me good luck as I headed toward the gate. I would probably need it, since I wasn’t sure what I was going to be faced with once I got there. Alex was supposed to meet me there, and then it was straight to the show. It was a short flight, but I wished it was longer. After all, I had always hated endings.
Alex threw his arms around me once we found each other in the crowd, and we stayed like that for a few minutes. Not many words were spoken between us, even as we headed toward the university they were playing at. We just kept our fingers intertwined to comfort each other, though he probably needed it more than me.
“Matt doesn’t know you’re coming,” he said, breaking the silence. “I thought it might be nice to surprise him.”
I nodded in response, the quiet returning until we arrived. Alex led me through to where we were supposed to be for the show and began getting ready while I stuck around Vinny. We made some small talk, and I helped him with the sales, but neither of us seemed to really know what to say.
Jack, Zack, and Rian came to the merch booth to see me, so I put on my best smile and hugged them all tightly. Matt still wasn’t aware that I was there, and the show was set to begin in 20 minutes. I followed them backstage while Matt was on stage doing pre show things, like he always did, and waited. Ever since I had heard about his leaving, there was a risky thought flowing through my head, but I wanted to share it with everyone to gauge their thoughts.
Matt came back stage and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. “Maxine, what are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d come see you for your last show. It’s kind of a big deal after all,” I said with a soft smile.
He gave me a hug. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you. It means a lot.”
“Have you found a replacement yet?” I asked as we pulled away.
“No. We thought we’d start thinking about it once we got closer to touring again,” Alex cut in, lacing his fingers with mine.
“Why do you ask?” Matt wondered.
I grinned, finally able to release the thought that had been looming. “I don’t know. If you’re looking, I could send in my application.”
Everyone’s heads snapped to me, faces filled with confusion, but only Jack spoke. “You want to be our tour manager? What about school?”
I shrugged. “I’ve been thinking a lot the past week or so, and school just seems so awful compared to how this summer was. I miss you guys. I want to be apart of this again.”
The group surrounded me, enclosing me in a huge group hug. “You’d be damn good at it. You know the basics, and you don’t put up with all of the bullshit. I’d be happy if you took my place,” Matt said when I was released.
I could feel tears forming in my eyes. “I don’t know if I’ll do the job as good as you, but I’ll try.”
My eyes were blurry the rest of the night, and my cheeks were stained with tears. The boys played So Long, Soldier at the end of their set for Matt, and I swear the whole crowd was crying. It was one of the saddest things I had ever seen, and as the boys walked off stage, I could see they were teary too. It was something that could’ve brought anyone sadness, and it did.
****************************************************************************
The boys came back to Baltimore, and we all hung around for a few months to get everybody recharged and ready for whenever the new tour was going to start. My mom wasn’t happy that I was quitting school, but she learned to accept it after awhile. It was something I felt like I had to do, after all. Matt was proud of me, and the crew welcomed me with open arms, but I knew that it was probably weird for them. I may be his niece, but I wasn’t Flyzik, by any means. Alex was definitely the most excited for me to take the job, and I was glad we could stay together through it.
I had big shoes to fill, and I knew that. Nobody was going to be as good as Matthew Flyzik, and I didn’t intend to be. I just went with the flow and hoped for the best. Matt was happy, and that was all that mattered. People need to change their pace sometimes, and that was a fact of life. Endings will always hurt, but you have to keep going, so that’s we all needed to do. Just keep moving.

Notes

I know I haven't updated this in a while, and I know the ending is unexpected. But, with Flyzik leaving, I felt this would be an appropriate way to end it. After all, how could I continue this without one of the most major characters? Thank you all for reading, subscribing, rating, and commenting on this. I love you guys! <3

I'm going to finish this with some words about Matt himself. I will miss that man infinitely, and I am very sad about his departure. I hope that whatever he does from now on, it makes him happy, and that he stays friends with the boys of ATL. I was lucky enough to meet him in September in their show in Boise, and I gave Flyzik a vinyl Mickey Mouse figurine. I hope he realizes how much he means to everyone, whether it's in the band and crew or with the Hustlers.

So Long, Soldier <3