Tragic Magic

Chapter Thirty Four

"So do we need to look nice for this?" TJ asks me as we arrive at the restaurant.

"You already look nice," I roll my eyes, "we're only meeting a few of my old friends, it'll be okay."

I take TJ's hand and search the restaurant for Falling In Reverse and My Chemical Romance. I find Ronnie out on the patio, so I assumed the rest of the guys were there. To my surprise, My Chemical Romance hadn't arrived yet.

"Holy shit, there she is!" Ronnie and the rest of the band ambushes me with hugs, "ooh and who is this handsome fella?"

"Oh, sorry, this is TJ Bell. TJ, this is Ronnie Radke," I introduce them.

"So then what happened with you-know-who, then?" Ronnie asks, bringing us to the table.

"It turns out he wasn't worth it, but I'm okay," I smile and take a seat at the table.

Ronnie spaces out after I finish speaking, so I turn my attention toward TJ.

"How do you know all of these people?" He whispers to me.

"My job consists of having conversations with major bands. I get to pick out which ones I like the best," I say.

My Chemical Romance joined us shortly after our arrival and it felt great to be with the guys again. We talked about the events that took place the past two days and laughed about it all. Ronnie couldn't take his eyes off of TJ and I, but I didn't really pay much mind to it. I was happy to be with them again.

"So you're telling me that Craig cheated on you, right?" Jacky asks.

"To my surprise, yes," I hide the hurt with a laugh.

"And you decide to go out drinking with someone you didn't know after you found out?" He continues to question me.

"I guess you could say that," I nudge TJ.

"This leads me up to the biggest question, and it's directed to the both of you, okay?" Jacky gestures to TJ and I.

"Alright, ask it," I glance around the table to check on who's listening.

"So you met each other yesterday," Jacky starts, "and hours later you end up sleeping together."

"When you are both in relationships," Gerard butts in.

"It wasn't intentional," TJ takes part in the conversation, "we both had too much to drink and a lot on our minds at the time."

"Sure, sure, that's what they always say," Ronnie chimes in.

"Either way, why is it such a big deal?" I ask. I already know they're going to chew me out for it, but I don't really care.

"Why was it such a big deal when I cheated on you?" The entire table falls silent as Ronnie utters these words.

"Cheating is not a nice thing to do, Mr. Radke," TJ interrupts the silence.

"No, it's not, so why are you two doing it?" He shoots back.

"They cheated on us first, okay? It's not technically cheating if we're not with those same people anymore, right?" I look over at Ryan, hoping for some words of wisdom.

"Well," Ryan joins in on the conversation, "I guess not. I guess the real question is are you two happy? Or are you just doing all of this to get back at Craig and Ashley?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Of course I'm happy- or am I? It still hurts to think of everything that has happened this past year, but I think I'm happy with TJ. When I don't think about Craig, I'm pretty sure of it.

"Besides the casual stab in the back from the other two, we're perfectly happy. It's not considered cheating being that we were both basically out of a relationship. I think it worked out pretty great, actually. Craig has Ashley, I have Juliet, everyone is happy in the end," TJ snaps back.

The table returns to silence. "Well," Ronnie starts, "I honestly can't disagree with that, so I guess you win. Just take care of her, okay?"

"Since when did you care about me?" I give Ronnie a look.

"Since 2005 when we first met," he snaps back with confidence.

"Sure," I lean back in my chair.

"So TJ," Ryan changes the conversation, "what do you do for a living?"

"I'm actually a musician," he says quietly.

"Wait, really?" Everyone butts in.

"Yes, why is it such a shock?" He glances around the table.

"Juliet has always had a thing for musicians," Ronnie brags, "are you in a band?"

"Escape The Fate," he says even quieter.

"Oh, that makes sense," Derek interrupts.

"So you're telling me you're in a band with Craig? How does that work?" Mikey finally opens his mouth.

"We're pretty close actually. This is the only thing that has effected our friendship," TJ has a way with his words.

"That's going to suck, man," Ronnie jokes, "that kind of shit doesn't just blow over, especially with that guy."

This statement was very true, so true that it hurt to realize it. I could possibly become the reason Escape The Fate breaks up. Things blew over with Ronnie, though. Maybe we can figure something out in the next few days.

"He'll just have to get over it," I finish off the conversation.

The rest of that night was very enjoyable. We drank, laughed, and told stories for hours. It was easy to forget all of the bad things revolving around me tonight. These kind of nights make me miss hanging out with Falling In Reverse and My Chemical Romance. I adore these gentlemen more than the world.