These Bright Lights Have Always Blinded Me
Chappy Twenty-eight
Max, Craig and I all walked in to Chelsea’s house to see her sitting at the kitchen table.
“Chelsea!” I yelled at her.
“Yes,” she said looking over at us.
“You okay?” I said noticing she had been crying.
“Yeah, just Tom stuff,” she said before sighing. Max was going to take care of it just the look in his eyes told me he had it under control.
“I’m going to call Ronnie,” I whispered in Max’s ear.
“Okay but be careful,” he said hugging me.
I stepped out the door and went through my contacts till I found his number. It rang twice before I heard, “I thought you would never call me!” he yelled like he was happy.
“Yeah sorry Monte has been keeping a close eye on me. Today was my birthday so I got out of the house for a bit,” I said playing with my hair.
“I know it’s your birthday I bought you something.”
“Really? You didn’t have to,” I grinned
“I wanted to,” the sound of his voice let me know he was smiling.
“Thank you.”
“Hey can you come see me right now?”
“Maybe, I am with Max. He is more chill with us talking.”
“Go ask please,” he begged.
“Craig would go with me if that is okay,” I said hoping it was.
“Yeah. Is that your boyfriend?” he said in a funny voice.
“Hopefully soon. Where is the center thing?” He gave me the address.
“Okay I really hope to see you soon Ali, I want to see you and give you your present.”
“Okay, bye,” I said sliding my phone shut.
I walked in the house and pulled Max aside, “What’s up?” he said right away.
“Ronnie wants to see me,” I started.
“No, Monte would kill me,” he said right away.
“He is in an alcoholics center so if anything happens there are people their.”
He sighed before saying, “Only if Craig goes with you.”
“Thank you!” I yelled before kissing him, “Craig do you want to go to with me somewhere really fast?”
He walked over to me, “Where are we going?” he whispered.
“See Ronnie,” I whispered so Chelsea wouldn’t hear me.
“Yeah I will go with you.”
“Hey I will be right back Chelsea,” I said grabbing Craig’s hand and walking out the door to my car.
We pulled up to the place and walked inside. It was really professional. We had to sign in, I wasn’t use to that.
“Mr. Radke can see you now,” she said like we were in a doctor’s office. She walked back to room 126.
“Ali!” He said sitting up from his bed.
“Ronnie!” I said running over and hugging him.
“I missed you,” he said playing with my hair.
“I missed you, too,” I backed up and Craig grabbed my hand, “Um Ronnie this is Craig, Craig, Ronnie,” I said smiling.
“I heard you are the boy keeping my little Ali happy,” Ronnie saying as he approved of Craig.
“I’m trying my hardest,” Craig said smiling.
“How old are you now Ali,” Ronnie said treating me like I was five.
“Eighteen,” I said laughing, he always made me smile.
“I got you this,” he said handing me a shoe box, “I know you hate when I buy you things. So I did what I did last time and I am giving you something that means a lot to me.”
I opened the box to see a pair of shoes and a t-shirt. They were Ronnie’s old Converse that I could fit into and his Draven shirt, “Ronnie this is one of your favorites,” I said pulling it out.
“And you are my favorite little girl,” he said kissing my forehead.
“Thank you,” I said hugging him and beginning to cry.
“Ali, I am trying to change mainly for you and Max,” he sighed, “Monte doesn’t seem to care and neither does Robert. That night everything happened, I had just got done getting high and drinking a lot,” he sighed, “”I hope you forgive me for my stupid mistakes.”
“Ronnie, I love you but you hurt me a lot,” I heard the door open and I knew Craig had stepped out so I could talk to him.
“I know Ali,” he said holding my hands, “I will do anything for you to forgive me again.”
“This is your second chance,” I said looking up at him, “You never come see me or call me. I will call and come see you.”
“Okay, this is for you too,” he said handing me a small necklace, “it has a picture of me and you when you were really little,” he began to cry, “I don’t want Max getting mad at me for keeping you to long. I will see you another day,” he said running his hand through my hair.
I shook my head, “I have something for you,” I said reaching for anything I could give him in my purse. I pulled out a small stuff animal.
‘A stuffed penguin?” Ronnie laughed.
“It’s all I have on me right now,” I laughed hugging him.
“I will keep it, I promise,” He said pulling me tight.
I kissed him lightly on them lips, just like I would with Monte and Max, “I will miss you,” I said crying.
“Darling don’t cry. I love you to much to see you sad,” he said running his hand through my hair again, “get back to Max so I don’t get in trouble please.” I nodded, “Bye I love you.”
“Bye Ronnie I love you too,” I said walking out the door to Craig. He grabbed my hand and laced our hands together before we walked out to my car.
“Are you okay?” Craig asked when we got to my car.
“Yeah I am better,” I smiled.
“Good,” he said leaning down and kissing me on the lips, “That was long awaited,” he laughed before kissing me again. He pulled away from me, “We need to go.”
“Craig, When is the next time you will be able to kiss me without somebody interrupting it?” I asked, well I though I finished what I said but all I got out was, “Cr..” before his lips were on mine again. He didn’t deepen the kiss but stepped away.
“I will drive home,” he said smiling.
“Okay,” I said still mesmerized by his kiss. The whole way home we were singing ‘Fer Sure’ by Medic Droid. Being around him made me so happy.
We pulled up to Chelsea’s house and Craig grabbed my hand like he did every time. We walked in the door and saw Chelsea, Max, Mikey and Gerard. Mikey immediately gave me a death glare. I ignored him and sat down with everybody in Craig’s lap. He snaked his arms around my waist.
“How did it go?” Max asked.
“Good,” I smiled.
“Chelsea!” I yelled at her.
“Yes,” she said looking over at us.
“You okay?” I said noticing she had been crying.
“Yeah, just Tom stuff,” she said before sighing. Max was going to take care of it just the look in his eyes told me he had it under control.
“I’m going to call Ronnie,” I whispered in Max’s ear.
“Okay but be careful,” he said hugging me.
I stepped out the door and went through my contacts till I found his number. It rang twice before I heard, “I thought you would never call me!” he yelled like he was happy.
“Yeah sorry Monte has been keeping a close eye on me. Today was my birthday so I got out of the house for a bit,” I said playing with my hair.
“I know it’s your birthday I bought you something.”
“Really? You didn’t have to,” I grinned
“I wanted to,” the sound of his voice let me know he was smiling.
“Thank you.”
“Hey can you come see me right now?”
“Maybe, I am with Max. He is more chill with us talking.”
“Go ask please,” he begged.
“Craig would go with me if that is okay,” I said hoping it was.
“Yeah. Is that your boyfriend?” he said in a funny voice.
“Hopefully soon. Where is the center thing?” He gave me the address.
“Okay I really hope to see you soon Ali, I want to see you and give you your present.”
“Okay, bye,” I said sliding my phone shut.
I walked in the house and pulled Max aside, “What’s up?” he said right away.
“Ronnie wants to see me,” I started.
“No, Monte would kill me,” he said right away.
“He is in an alcoholics center so if anything happens there are people their.”
He sighed before saying, “Only if Craig goes with you.”
“Thank you!” I yelled before kissing him, “Craig do you want to go to with me somewhere really fast?”
He walked over to me, “Where are we going?” he whispered.
“See Ronnie,” I whispered so Chelsea wouldn’t hear me.
“Yeah I will go with you.”
“Hey I will be right back Chelsea,” I said grabbing Craig’s hand and walking out the door to my car.
We pulled up to the place and walked inside. It was really professional. We had to sign in, I wasn’t use to that.
“Mr. Radke can see you now,” she said like we were in a doctor’s office. She walked back to room 126.
“Ali!” He said sitting up from his bed.
“Ronnie!” I said running over and hugging him.
“I missed you,” he said playing with my hair.
“I missed you, too,” I backed up and Craig grabbed my hand, “Um Ronnie this is Craig, Craig, Ronnie,” I said smiling.
“I heard you are the boy keeping my little Ali happy,” Ronnie saying as he approved of Craig.
“I’m trying my hardest,” Craig said smiling.
“How old are you now Ali,” Ronnie said treating me like I was five.
“Eighteen,” I said laughing, he always made me smile.
“I got you this,” he said handing me a shoe box, “I know you hate when I buy you things. So I did what I did last time and I am giving you something that means a lot to me.”
I opened the box to see a pair of shoes and a t-shirt. They were Ronnie’s old Converse that I could fit into and his Draven shirt, “Ronnie this is one of your favorites,” I said pulling it out.
“And you are my favorite little girl,” he said kissing my forehead.
“Thank you,” I said hugging him and beginning to cry.
“Ali, I am trying to change mainly for you and Max,” he sighed, “Monte doesn’t seem to care and neither does Robert. That night everything happened, I had just got done getting high and drinking a lot,” he sighed, “”I hope you forgive me for my stupid mistakes.”
“Ronnie, I love you but you hurt me a lot,” I heard the door open and I knew Craig had stepped out so I could talk to him.
“I know Ali,” he said holding my hands, “I will do anything for you to forgive me again.”
“This is your second chance,” I said looking up at him, “You never come see me or call me. I will call and come see you.”
“Okay, this is for you too,” he said handing me a small necklace, “it has a picture of me and you when you were really little,” he began to cry, “I don’t want Max getting mad at me for keeping you to long. I will see you another day,” he said running his hand through my hair.
I shook my head, “I have something for you,” I said reaching for anything I could give him in my purse. I pulled out a small stuff animal.
‘A stuffed penguin?” Ronnie laughed.
“It’s all I have on me right now,” I laughed hugging him.
“I will keep it, I promise,” He said pulling me tight.
I kissed him lightly on them lips, just like I would with Monte and Max, “I will miss you,” I said crying.
“Darling don’t cry. I love you to much to see you sad,” he said running his hand through my hair again, “get back to Max so I don’t get in trouble please.” I nodded, “Bye I love you.”
“Bye Ronnie I love you too,” I said walking out the door to Craig. He grabbed my hand and laced our hands together before we walked out to my car.
“Are you okay?” Craig asked when we got to my car.
“Yeah I am better,” I smiled.
“Good,” he said leaning down and kissing me on the lips, “That was long awaited,” he laughed before kissing me again. He pulled away from me, “We need to go.”
“Craig, When is the next time you will be able to kiss me without somebody interrupting it?” I asked, well I though I finished what I said but all I got out was, “Cr..” before his lips were on mine again. He didn’t deepen the kiss but stepped away.
“I will drive home,” he said smiling.
“Okay,” I said still mesmerized by his kiss. The whole way home we were singing ‘Fer Sure’ by Medic Droid. Being around him made me so happy.
We pulled up to Chelsea’s house and Craig grabbed my hand like he did every time. We walked in the door and saw Chelsea, Max, Mikey and Gerard. Mikey immediately gave me a death glare. I ignored him and sat down with everybody in Craig’s lap. He snaked his arms around my waist.
“How did it go?” Max asked.
“Good,” I smiled.