Who We Are

Ronnie Radke ended up outside with his brother two days later. He was shouting at his father on the front porch as the old man kicked them both out of the house around dinner time.

I looked at Gianna as she tried to climb out of her chair to peak out of the lone kitchen window. I pointed to her and said, "Sit down and eat."

She pouted but sat back down in the wooden chair. She didn't pick up her fork again as she questioned, "How come their daddy doesn't love them?"

"He does," I told her as I took my own seat, "He just gets really mad sometimes."

Gwen looked at me across the table. "Why are you telling her that?" she questioned, "That man doesn't love them. He's never nice to them."

"You shouldn't think that hard about it, Gwen," I said, "It doesn't concern you."

Gwen rolled her eyes and shoved another forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. I started a conversation with Lisette and Octavia as we ate.

"School is boring," Octavia said with a sigh, "I wish it was summer again."

I chuckled. "We're only two weeks in," I told her with a grin.

My smile dropped off my face when Ronnie started cussing from his front yard. I sighed after a few minutes of his ranting, and pushed myself up from the couch.

Gwen's eyes went wide. "What are you doing?" she questioned, her eyes following me as I moved towards the front door. "You said to mind your own business."

I grumbled under my breath and slipped into my shoes. I unlocked the door before I pulled it open and stomped down the front step and across the yard. Ronnie and Riley looked up to me as I marched over to them. Ronnie put a smile on his lips.

"What is your problem?" I asked quietly, knowing my oldest sister was perched at the window.

Ronnie shook his head and motioned towards his front door. "Nothing really," he said, "Same old shit."

I glared at him. "Watch your mouth," I demanded, "I have little girls in that house listening to every bad word that you're shouting."

Ronnie glanced towards my house as his brother winced. "We're really sorry," Riley apologized, walking over towards me, "My dad is just-"

"She already knows, Ri," Ronnie said, "Dad's a raging alcoholic. The whole neighborhood knows."

"You're wrong," I muttered, "Gianna doesn't know and I plan to keep it that way." I let my folded arms drop to my side as Ronnie gave me an apologetic look. "Are you two hungry?" I asked softly after a couple moments.

So they followed me back to my house. My dad wasn't coming home for another three hours, anyway. I let Gianna finish before I kicked her, Octavia, and Lissy out of their chairs and had the Radke brothers sit down and fill their plates.

"Eat up," I murmured, sitting in the chair next to Ronnie.

Gwen put her plate in the sink and gave me a harsh look when she thought that neither of the boys were looking. When she stormed out of the room, Ronnie asked, "What's her problem?"

"She doesn't know anything," I told him, glancing at Riley and wondering if Ronnie had shared the news with his own sibling.

Ronnie nodded like he'd read my mine. "He knows," he said after he swallowed.

I looked to the younger brother. I wondered how they'd learned to be so accepting of each other. I knew my sister and I knew she wouldn't be okay with anything that went on between Ronnie and I, even the two of us talking like this.

"You can't stay," I told them when they'd finished eating and put their plates in the sink.

Riley frowned but as cut off by his brother before he could say anything. "We're going to Max's anyways."

I nodded my head and followed them to the front door. Ronnie pulled it open and grabbed my wrist. He gave Riley a look before he pulled me outside and closed the door behind us.

"We don't need help," Ronnie said quickly, "That's not why I asked you out or anything."

I nodded my head. "I know," I replied, "That thought never even crossed my mind."

Ronnie nodded, too. "Well, okay then," he muttered.

"Yeah."

He sighed and looked down into my eyes. It was slightly unnerving and I swallowed harshly, trying to look away but failing miserably when he reached up and held onto my chin softly. "I don't want you to think that you need to help us anymore than you had before you agreed to go to the show with me. I appreciate it and all, but I don't really want too much to change between us."

I traced my eyes over his face and pushed his hand off of my own. "I'm doing it for Riley," I told him, "He's just a kid."

That caused Ronnie to chuckle. He shook his head at me. "You're just a year older," he told me like I'd forgotten.

"I know," I said slowly, "But my life has been easy compared to his. I can spare some dinner."

Ronnie smiled slightly. "Thanks for not including me in that," he muttered, "I can handle myself and Riley, if I had to."

"I know you can," I replied.

"Good," Ronnie concluded. He looked over his shoulder, down the street towards his best friend's house. "We should get going before your dad gets back and shoots me or something."

I shook my head. "He's not going to be back for a couple hours."

"Does that mean I should stay?" Ronnie took a step closer to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, a cocky, but playful, grin on his face.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I agreed to one date, Radke," I muttered, "Don't be getting any ideas."

Ronnie held his hands up in defense. "I'm just playing with you, Silverstein. You get riled up so easily. Someday, I'm just going to make you explode."

"Go away," I demanded, pushing against his stomach until he backed up a few steps.

"Then give me my brother," he replied.

"You're the one that shut the door on him." I pushed open the door and saw Riley sitting at the bottom on the stairs. He looked up when he saw me and I nodded towards Ronnie. "Time to go," I told him.

Riley hopped up and slid out of the door. I pulled it closed behind him and leaned against it as Ronnie waved goodbye and Riley thanked me for dinner. I stood there and watched the two of them walk down the road, shoving one another into the middle of the road.

"What was that?"

I came face to face with Gwen as I came back into the house. "What was what?" I questioned as I walked around her and went upstairs.

She scoffed loudly and followed after me. "You were flirting with Ronnie Radke!" she whisper-yelled, knowing that if Gianna heard she'd just repeat it to our dad.

I furrowed my eyebrows and went into our room. "I was not," I told her angrily, "I let them eat dinner and kicked Ronnie out of the house."

"Yeah, yeah," she sneered, "I heard everything. But I can read between the lines, too, Kat. You're not the only one in Honors English. You were telling him to leave but everything else about you was saying something completely different! You like him!"

I glared at her. "You're insane," I replied, "He's Ronnie Radke, not Johnny Depp."

Gwen stopped talking to me about it but I could still see the questions in her eyes as she pulled out her books and started on her homework. I pulled on more comfortable clothes and did the same, keeping my attention locked on the math problems instead of my sister's accusations, or Emily's, or what my father would do if he found out that about the conversation that I shared with Ronnie again tonight.