Who We Are

"What'd you think?" Ronnie questioned loudly as he and the guys came bustling off the stage after about a half an hour. He came rushing over to me and knocked his shoulders into mine.

I nodded happily and wrapped my arms around his waist as he enveloped me in his arms, his scent engulfing me. "You were really good," I told him as he pulled back and held onto me for an extra second so I could catch my balance.

"You really liked it, Kat?" he asked as he let go of me completely and headed down the steps so that another band could take their place on stage.

"Yeah," I told him honestly, "I was really surprised."

He reached for my hand and tugged me away from the direct back stage area, following the guys back into the room where we met up with the guys before they all went on stage.

"Surprised by what?" Monte questioned, throwing his sweaty body down onto the couch next to Robert. The guys all sat in a line on the couch, the four of them squished there.

I bit my lip nervously because they were all looking at me. Their eyes were coated in dark kohl like Ronnie's, and they looked at me like they were waiting for something stupid to come out of my mouth. Ronnie nudged me with his shoulder and grinned widely, reassuringly. "Well," I stated, trying to wipe the nerves away, "Just by how good you guys are, honestly."

They're intense looks transformed into easy smiles. Max jumped up towards me and pulled me into a hug. "I knew you'd come around," he said loudly, wrapping a tattooed arm around my shoulder when he stopped hugging me.

I chuckled and pushed him away from me. He climbed back into his spot on the couch. I stood close to Ronnie as he sat down in a chair and started a conversation with the guys. They were trying to come down from their energy highs by ranting and raving about how it felt to be on stage.

After about ten minutes Ronnie reached out nonchalantly and pulled me down into his lap. The guys didn't even seem to notice and instead they continued to talk about things that I didn't understand.

Ronnie's arms were around my hips and his hands rested in my lap. I leaned back against his chest and laid my head on his shoulder, my eyes closing as time passed.

"This is a shitty date," Ronnie declared, "Do you want to get out of here?"

I opened my eyes and sat up straighter on instinct. I turned to sit sideways so that I could look at him. "I don't mind if you want to stay," I told him softly, "This is your show night."

Ronnie shrugged his shoulders. "How about me and you go get something to eat before I take you back to your friend's house," he asked with a smile, pushing me up off of his lap and standing up, catching the attention of his friends who had started their own conversation.

"You heading out, man?" Max questioned, looking up to us.

Ronnie nodded causing the guys to stand up. "We're going to get something to eat. I'll see you all later," he told them. He hugged all his friends and then they turned to me and pulled me in, too.

"It was nice meeting you," Omar said with a friendly smile.

"You too," I replied, "Maybe I'll see you around."

Ronnie chuckled and nodded animatedly. "She'll be seeing you assholes," he told them, ducking at Max swung his fist.

Ronnie and I headed back out to the car. Ronnie stole a glance at me and I looked away, heat rising to my cheeks. "What?" I asked when he glanced at me again.

"What'd you really think?" he asked bluntly, "You just didn't say much in there."

"Well," I murmured as I got into the passenger's seat, "Your friends are a little intimidating, Ronnie," I replied, picturing Robert's aviator covered eyes.

Ronnie chuckled and shook his head. "No, Kat, they just try to be threatening and shit. They're really good guys. You just have to stop being so fucking quiet around them," Ronnie replied. He started the car after that and gave me a look.

"I'm not quiet," I told him incredulously.

"Not around me," he replied cockily, "But you're insanely soft-spoken around the guys. It totally freaks me out, Katerina."

I reached over and smacked his shoulder. "Shut up, Radke. Don't call me that."

"There's the Katerina that I know," he answered with a smirk on his lips.

"I mean it." I glared at him threateningly.

"What'd you really think?" he ignored my harsh gaze and asked instead.

I thought back to the performance. Seeing the five of them on stage was really cool, but seeing Ronnie take control of a whole room of people was even cooler. He stood on that stage and sung the lyrics with so much emotion in his voice that it knocked the breath out of me.

He'd never explained anything about his band to me, but from the sound of his voice I could tell that the whole band meant a lot to him. Almost meant everything to him. The look on his face said it all. He lost himself when he was on that stage and he gave everything he had to the story that he was telling.

The lights flashed on him and his eyes melted. He told many difficult tales but being on that stage opened him up in a way that I hadn't seen before. As I stood there and watched him, I knew then why he and his friends were so close. They got to see a different Ronnie, a connected Ronnie. The singer on the stage wasn't cold or calculating like the boy who was seen at school. The singer was brave, and strong, and probably the most sparking sight that I'd laid my eyes upon.

Ronnie asked me again what I thought of his show.

I smiled at him and opened my mouth, having no idea how I would explain everything that I thought about it to him. So instead, I murmured, "It was amazing."

Ronnie grinned at me. "I'm glad you think so," he replied proudly.

"How often do you play shows?" I asked as we passed the light of the city again, going into the opposite direction of the time and heading back towards the neighborhood that we'd both grown up in.

"Every couple weeks," Ronnie replied, putting on his blinker to signal that he wanted to turn right.

"Where are we going?" I asked, looking around at all the flashy buildings that surrounded us, "We can't afford to eat around here."

"Shut up, Kat," Ronnie replied automatically, "Let me worry about affording shit." He pulled the car into the parking lot of a touristy restaurant.

My eyes widened when I recognized the building. "What are we doing here?" I questioned, pushing my back against the seat as I tried to back away from the memory.

"You haven't been here since, have you?" Ronnie asked, looking at the large diner.

I just shook my head. The building in front of me was a cute little restaurant that I used to live in as a child. Not literally, but it was where my mom worked on the weekends.

"Do you want to go in?" Ronnie questioned, nodding to the wooden door that would lead up in to the building.

"I don't know," I replied quietly, "I honestly haven't been here since she died."

Ronnie reached out and pushed my hair out of my face. He smiled at me and pulled his hands away from me. "Come on," he said, "Lets go inside and eat a burger or something."

I leaned back and looked at him. I was wondering why he'd started acting so different than he had before the other day. All my teenage memories of him were images of him in the street and the sound of his voice as he slurred hurtful words at his younger brother.

Ronnie stared back at me. "What's wrong with you?" he questioned.

I shook my head. "I was just about to ask you the same thing," I told him, pushing my hair out of my face on my own since it'd fallen back in my eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with me," Ronnie replied.

I chuckled and nodded my head in disagreement. "You're being nice," I said simply, "That obviously means that there's something disconnected in your brain."

Ronnie rolled his eyes and held up his hands in defense. "I'm a nice person, Kat," he told me, although a few days ago I hardly would've believed a word, "I just can't stand the fucking idiots that go to our school." He shook his head in annoyance.

"They're not that bad," I defended.

Ronnie looked at me flatly. "Are you kidding?" he questioned, "All the people like your friend Emma are so narrow-minded and ridiculous that I feel offended that I'm forced to be in the same building as them."

"Emily," I corrected, "Emily Henderson."

Ronnie waved his hand at me. "Doesn't matter. She's just another stuck up rich chick."

"I knew you hadn't changed," I replied, "You're the same rude Ronnie I've always known."

Ronnie just grinned at me and shrugged his shoulders. He looked towards the quaint building and responded, "Lets go in and get something to eat."

I sighed nervously and nodded my head. I climbed out of the vehicle and pushed the door shut behind me. The car honked as Ronnie locked it with a button and then he looked up to me and walked over to meet me at the front of the car.

Ronnie checked his back pocket to make sure he had his wallet and when he did, he offered me a quick smile and walked beside me to the front of the diner that my mother used to bring us to as kids.