The Strange Boy (completed)

8

Part eight
Chris came in and leaned against the doorway. "What do you want to do today?" I asked them. It was silent for a moment until Ricky said, "How about we go to Guitar Center?" Chris and I were all in, and we went to the car and drove there. We were in the car for 45 minutes, and got out at the store. We walked around and I saw a piano. I walked towards it and started tapping the keys. I sat down on the bench and started playing. Ricky came over and stood next to me. I didn't notice him until he said "Wow. You can play piano and you have a voice. I really do have a wonderful girl."
I blushed. "Keep playing, it was beautiful." Ricky said. I kept playing until the song I was playing ended. I got up and walked hand in hand with Ricky. We got to an acoustic guitar, he picked it up, and he started plucking at the strings. The guitar was an Ibanez brand. It was an all black sleek guitar. It was beautiful. He started strumming the notes to "Wait out the days" like he did when we asked me out. I smiled and listened.
We were the only ones in the this section considering most kids and adults were at work, or something. When the song was over we found Chris recording his riffs on the Mac computer in the store. I called Chris but he couldn't hear me over the guitar. I went behind him and tugged on his hair. "Come on we have to go home now." I told him. He got up and we walked out of the store. It was 8:00pm when we left the store.
We got back to the house at 9:00 Ricky dropped by Chris's house to drop us off. I told Chris I'll be in there in a minute.
"I wish you could stay for tonight." I said to Ricky.
"I know. But my mom really does think that your pregnant with my child since the day she found you asleep in my bed." He explained.
"Really? So I'll take that your mom doesn't trust me?" I asked blushing from embarrassment.
"No she loves you. She just thinks that I got you pregnant. Since I've been spending a lot of time with you. I mean I guess she doesn't really understand that you and Chris are the best thing that's happened to me ever since I moved here from Seattle." He explained again.
"Oh. Can I come over tomorrow so I can have you all to myself for the day tomorrow. Chris is working two shifts tomorrow." I said
"Of course you can. Maybe we can go catch movie tomorrow?"
"Maybe." I said.
I kissed him and told him good night. He waited in the driveway until I got inside, and closed the door. Before I went to bed I kept on singing "Wait out the days". Every time I would smile while singing it. I couldn't go to sleep. All of my happiness turned into frustration, and anxiety, from thinking about when my mom left and my dad calling me.
I finally gave up trying to go to sleep. Right when I did that I heard the doorbell ring, and pounding on the door. I went into Chris's room and he was awake. I asked him to go with me to check the door. We ran down the stairs and heard grunting and thuds. I opened the door and saw Ricky pinned to the street and someone on top of him hitting him. Ricky was yelling for help. I ran out there and Chris followed me.
We pulled the man off of Ricky. Ricky was still laying on the ground. I moved him from the street up onto the sidewalk. Ricky's face was bloody from the hits. I went over to Chris who managed to hold the man back. I looked at the man. I shook my head, and started crying. Chris was being more aggressive, than he would have been with a stranger. This wasn't a stranger to Chris or me. It was my dad.
"You are supposed in jail! How the hell did you get out!?" I screamed shakily.
"I broke out. I knew you were living with Chris. So I had to get to you, with something I knew you'd come out here for if it got hurt. Or maybe even killed. He wouldn't take me to you so, I had to get him to take me some how." My father explained.
He swung and Chris lost his grip. My father ran towards me, and tackled me. He pinned me to the concrete, and started hitting me in my ribs, and stomach. I screamed. I suddenly couldn't breathe. I heard police sirens. They got out of their cars and pointed guns at my dad. He pulled me up and pulled out a knife from his pocket. He put it to my throat. I was crying, and wheezing from my lack of breathe.
"Don't shoot! I'll kill her! I'll kill her!" He shouted at the officers. They didn't shoot. The blade was cold, so close to my throat. If I were to ever twitch, I would be dead. I blacked out after a few minutes. I heard a gun shot, from behind, and I went tumbling down. I felt a hand on my neck, where my pulse was. I was lifted and set down. That's all I remembered, until I woke up. I was in a hospital room. I had a wrap right on my ribs. Chris's mom came in "Oh my Ashlyn Grace. Are you okay? Do you want some water?"
I nodded and she got me some water. Mrs. Cerulli and I talked for a little bit when she said "I better tell Ricky that your awake, and call Chris to let him know that every thing is okay." She paused. "Ricky will be here in a little bit." I nodded and she closed the door behind her.
Ricky came a few minutes later. He walked in and looked at me. Just stared. He walked closer to me. He sat down next to me. All of his movements I followed with my eyes.
He had bruises all over his porcelain skin. Also a few stitches above his left eye.
"Ashlyn, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I would've just punched him a few times you wouldn't be like this." He said.
"Ricky non of this is your fault. This is all mine. If I would've bailed him out like he asked me to, you wouldn't even have a scratch on your face." I replied shakily.
"If you would've bailed him out you could've been dead, or even far away from me. I said I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. I let him. He took me by surprise. He was waiting for me inside my house. I still don't know how he got in. If I had only stayed with you we wouldn't be he-" I cut him off. "Ricky he could've hurt your family. Not to mention he might have killed you if you hadn't ran to Chris's house."
Ricky looked at me and said "When your father was shot, I thought the bullet went straight through and hit you. I felt apart of me die."
I looked at him and said "I heard you screaming at Chris last night. I blacked out after that."
"Your father hit you so hard that he broke some of your ribs on the right side." Ricky clenched his fists, when he said that.
I touched Ricky's arm and he unclentched his fist. I looked at him and then he looked at me and he moved forward, he kissed me gently, so he wouldn't hurt me. God even when he kissed me gently, it made me want to just make out with him.
I got out of the hospital a week later, after my ribs healed a little bit. I got to Chris's house and went straight to the shower. When I walked to my room still only having my towel on, Ricky was in there. I sorta stopped mid step, and just stared at him. I walked over to Ricky and he stood up when I got there. "How about you get dressed and we can have that "whole day with each other" day, okay?" He said with a smile. I nodded, and he tried to kiss me but I pulled back saying "No no no wait, because kissing will lead to one thing then the other." He smiled, and laughed. I put on a pretty outfit (Which just was a black tank top, a grey hoodie, and some light blue jeans with holes in them, along with some black tie up vans.) I told Ricky he could come in. When he came in I was fixing my hair. He sat down in the other chair at my desk and watched me. We talked about what we were going to do today. He said we were going to go to lunch, then we were going to see a movie, and a little bit of birthday shopping for me he said.
I got done with my hair and put on some eyeliner and mascara, and threw on a beanie to my freshly straightened hair. We walked down stairs I told Mrs. Cerulli me and Ricky were going out for a little while, and she said that's fine.
When we got into the car, Ricky took the drivers seat and I took the passenger. I held his hand while he drove. I always thought that was our thing we always did when we drove together. While he was driving he would put his hand on the inside of my thigh, and then a few minutes later back to my hand.
We went to a little cafe and sat outside. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out but it wasn't blinding, there was a slight breeze as well. When the meals came out they were just amazing. The best part was that there was no slutty waitress hitting on Ricky. We finished our meals, paid, and left for the movies. We saw a movie that had been out for months. We purposely chose this movie because no one would want to see it. When we got into the theatre just as I suspected it was empty. Me and Ricky sat in a corner and talked through the movie.
I loved talking to him. I could tell him everything. He wouldn't judge. He wouldn't say anything that would make me feel bad for bringing up that topic. He would just start a conversation with me.
"So how did you enjoy that lunch? I chose it since you were always talking about going to a cafe." He said.
"I loved it. The meal was amazing. It was a beautiful day. There was-" I cut myself off.
"No slutty waitress." Ricky finished my sentence. Looking at me with a smile.
"Sorry. That night I just got jealous, and my bitchy side was showing." I explained.
"It's okay. If it was a guy hitting on you I would've been the same way. If your bitchy side shows I'll do anything to make you feel better. Plus I think it's cute when you have a bitchy side. It's a part of you I've never seen before. It honestly makes me feel better when I see your bitchy side showing, because it shows you care if someone hits on me, and doesn't brag that you have me and make out every time a girl comes around." He said.
We talked through the whole movie, and when the movie was over, we walked out of the theatre hand in, hand in. We got into the car and went to the mall.
We walked around for a little bit, but then just went to the bookstore. We got coffee and sat down on a couch. I had my legs over Ricky's lap, and he had one hand on my thigh. We read for a little while, and then went to the car again.
Ricky was still driving, since I didn't have a license. He drove onto a dirt road, and I asked him where we were going. He said "It's a surprise."
He told me to stay in the car for a minute and when I came out go to the back of the car. I did what I was told. He was standing there. With a velvet case in his hands. I covered my mouth with my hands. I started crying a little. He opened the box and it was a key necklace. Just like his.
I walked over to him and threw my arms around him. He whispered in my ear "Ashlyn Grace Grey, will you promise me we can spend our life together. As what we are now, and then one day get married. Have beautiful kids, and keep each other forever." He proposed.
"Yes." I said crying into his chest.
He kissed me and we sat in the car talking, and loving every minute of it. I had the necklace on. I sworn I would never take it off. Every time he would say "I love you." My heart melted and I kissed him.
He would kiss me hard on some, but then some gentle. Didn't matter how he kissed me. I would still want him to kiss me again, and again, and again. I loved him, and he loved me. My life was going to be different from now on. A good different. Who knew all I had to do was lose my balance off my fence, and fall into a boy's backyard?