"Ronnie?" A guard asked.
"Yo."
"Some lady wants to speak with you."
Ronnie raised his eyebrow. "Huh?"
"A lady wants to speak with you."
"Uh, okay." He stood up and took a few steps. "Ash, could you come with?"
"Yeah." I furrowed my brows. "This is..."
"Weird? Yeah."
The guard led us to a private tent. "Here. Ma'am, he's here."
She stared at us. "Ronnie."
"Yeah. Who're you?"
"Sorry, I... Ronnie, I'm your mom."
Ronnie shook his head. "That's not funny. My mom abandoned me after I was born."
"I have a copy of your birth certificate." She unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to him.
He took it, looked at it, and passed it to me. "Dad wouldn'tve given a copy to anyone, no matter what."
"No. He wouldn'tve." I agreed quietly, skimming it. Yeah, it looked like Ronnie's birth certificate. I silently passed it back to the lady.
"Do you believe me?" She asked.
Ronnie paused. "Yeah."
"Who's this girl? A girlfriend?"
"Ash Charles."
Ronnie's mom looked at me. "Kevin's daughter?"
"Yeah." I said.
She reached out to touch my cheek. "I'd heard your mother was pregnant, and later had a girl, but..."
I flinched back from her touch. Ronnie took my hand in his. "Yeah, well, this is that girl. She grew up with me. Her mom abandoned her just like you did to me, and her dad died. She grew up with me and Dad and Anthony."
"She grew up well. You did, too."
I held back a laugh. Fuck, no we didn't. Ronnie shook his head. "I went to prison. Did drugs. God, I would've been so much better if my mother was around. If I was better, Ash would've been better. Ash is just like me. We grew up assholes."
"What about Anthony?"
"He rides motorcycles dangerously. I wouldn't be surprised if he died from it. He did drugs, too."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Ronnie said, still holding my hand.
"I'm sorry-"
"I'm not here for your apologies. But I came here, so I might as well do something. So I'm here to thank you."
"What?"
"I'm here to thank you for never being there. Because it made me the person I am today, and without that, I don't know where I'd be." Ronnie said, squeezing my hand. He was trying not to cry, I realized. "So this is my first hello. And this is my last goodbye."
His mom stared at him, then left the tent. "Ronnie?" I asked.
He collapsed into my arms and started crying. "Fuck. What did I just do?" He sobbed.
"It's okay." I pat his shoulder. "It's okay."
"That was... She was my mom."
"I know."
"Did I mess up?"
"No."
He wiped his eyes. "Fuck."
"Do you wanna go back to the tent?"
"Yes."
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"Mm, I love my groupie." Max said, looking down. My head was in his lap and he was tracing circles on my exposed thigh.
"I thought you're just supposed to fuck them." Jacky laughed.
"Nah, I love this one."
"Jacky, you weren't one for casual sex." Ronnie pointed out.
"Aw, fuck."
"It looks about right." Monte smiled. The ETF and FIR guys were all happily hanging out together, minus Craig. He was back at our trailer.
"Don't make me fight you."
"Bet."
Max grinned and slid his hand up my stomach. "Babe?"
"Mhm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too." I laughed. He was drunk.
"You're so damn cute."
"Right back at you."
He rubbed circles in my stomach. "I'm so glad you're mine."
"Yep."
Max leaned down, kissed me, then leaned back. "God, you're wonderful."
"Yeah, I am."
"Ugh, I love you so damn much."
I giggled. "You're drunk. It's time for me to get Max here to bed."
"Prolly." Robert said, looking at us.
"Good night." Mika replied.
"G'night." Ronnie waved at us.
I pulled Max to his feet and guided him to the trailer. "Bedtime, babe."
"Aw. Why?"
"Cause you gotta sleep."
He laid on the couch but stared at me. "I'll only sleep if you come with."
"Max, I gotta deal with the rest of the drunk guys."
"Guess I'm not sleeping then." He sat up.
I sighed, sat on top of him, and pushed him down. After he was laying down, I laid down on top of him, my head on his chest. I could feel every single breath he took and every time his heart beat. "Good night, Max."
"Night, Ash." He kissed my hair, then closed his eyes.
I let out a small sigh, then fell asleep with Max's arms holding me close to him.
YOU ARE READING
Not Good Enough For Truth In Cliche
FanfictionIn the glory days, Ronnie Radke was best friends with his band - and Ash Charles, a girl he had grown up with. He was always getting drunk and high, and she was his sidekick. However, when Ronnie goes to jail for the murder of an eighteen year old...
