Catch Me If You Can (Ronnie Radke Short Story)

Chapter Three

Ronnie

She's fucking insane. Why would she headbang while she's driving?

We pulled up into the mall and found a relatively close parking spot. We all got out of the car, me as quickly as I could, before we began our trek into the mall in search of a Starbucks.

"No way in Hell am I getting back in there!" I shouted as we walked. Kasey was trying to convince me to ride in the back seat again on the way home, "She is a horrible driver!" I defended. I only just met these people and they've already almost killed me.

"I am not that bad of a driver, I'm just very passionate about music," Legacy said, but she sounded distracted, and seemed like she was waking without actually watching where she was going.

She stopped talking soon after we got into the car and I'm not sure why. Kasey looked at her with concern, and I wondered just how often this strange, but beautiful, girl is actually quiet. Kasey and I exchanged numbers in the car and she sent me a text after we'd walked around the mall for several minutes and Legacy never seemed to cheer up.

Kasey: "Does she seem off to you? Compared to earlier?"

I thought back on her behavior at the school, and again confirmed that, yes, she was off.

Me: "Yeah a little, what do you think is wrong with her?"

Kasey: I don't know, I'll find out though, but she probably won't talk about it with you around.

Me: Why?

Kasey: Well, you guys just met and she isn't very open to strangers.

Me: Oh, well, text me when you find out.

Even though I had just met this girl, her feelings were important to me. She seemed like a genuinely nice person, and like she cared about the people that she was close to, even though she doesn't show it that often.

Legacy

I excused myself when I accidentally bumped into someone walking through the mall. I noticed earlier that there was a black and blue bruise on the back of Ronnie's neck, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

I almost wasn't sure there was anything there, and I thought that maybe I'd imagined it. His hair was covering most of it, but I saw it when he shook his head.

I wonder what did that to him.

I normally wouldn't care about the well-being of someone I'd just met, but I've spent a little while with him today and he seems like a pretty cool person, maybe a little cocky, but nice all the same. I've pretty much spent all afternoon thinking of possible things that could have happened. I knew Kasey and Ronnie noticed me spacing in and out all day, but the bruise really bothered me. I also barely saw one sticking out of his shirt by his shoulder.

Was he in some kind of fight?

We got to the Starbucks after about ten minutes of walking, and we sat down at a table in the corner. I had just ordered our drinks at the counter when Ronnie's phone rang. He saw the caller I.D. and looked like he wouldn't mind if Starbucks blew up right then. He walked outside and answered it.

When he was done, he came back in. "I have to go home, can you drive me?" He asked, sounding a bit shaken up.

Me and Kasey got our drinks and went outside to the car. Ronnie gave he his address and cell phone number. We drove to his house in silence, and any attempt at conversation was ruined due to Ronnie's silence. We arrived at his house not long after we left, and I came to a stop out front.

He thanked me for the ride home, and began walking abnormally slow to the front door of his house.

Ronnie

I opened the door and went inside. I closed it back quietly, hoping that I wouldn't be heard, or better, that I would drop dead right now. I was really scared. I knew what was coming. My dad called me earlier and the conversation was enough to make me want to cry.

"Where have you been?!"