"Your Lies Keep You Alive.."

Ronnie

5 years later.

"Thank the fucking gods!I am once again a free man",I boasted.

Nasty,one of my closet friends,patted me on the back. "I know right,I'm so glad to be rid of my girlfriend too".

The two of us looked at each other before busting out in laughter.

Today I,Ronnie Radke, was free and as far away from prison as I could be and to celebrate Nason (Nasty) had made it 1st priority to get us some 'real fucking food'

"Seriously though,you've got no fucking idea what it's like in there.You're fighting for your goddamn life everyday just trying not to get shanked or be made someones bitch",I raised a hand to rub my eyes,"I'm so fucking glad to be outta there".

Nasty smirked,"So the butt sex,no good?".

"Fuck you Asshole!".

The two of us joked on and on until the conversation ceased when the waitress came back with our orders.She was making it very obvious how attracted to me she was but I wasn't taking the bait.

Nasty peered at me but I was too busy stuffing my face to care for anything going on.The feeling of being watched became to overwhelming though.

"What?",I asked through mounds of food.

Nasty just shrugged.

Like hell I was letting this go,"What is it?".

Nasty leaned over ,"Dude that perky little waitress has been eyeing you since we came in ".

My turn to shrug,"So what?".

"So what?!",Nasty was in shock,"the Ronnie I know woulda jumped on that shit by now".

I just shrugged again.

"You're not still hung up on her,are you?".

Nasty caught my eye at the mention of her and knew the answer already.

"C'mon man!You can't be serious?!She doesn't know who you are,she doesn't remember a damned thing about you!She probably doesn't even know you exist!".

I flinched at Nasty's tone,I knew she didn't remember me but I didn't need anyone rubbing it in my face.

He lowered his voice,"I know she was your best friend man but that part of her is gone now.Remember what the doctor said?..

'She's suppressing all her own memories.When she wakes,well it would be miraculous if she remembered her own name.I'm sorry Mr.Radke'.

..a fucking miracle Ronnie,point is if she wanted to remember you she would have by now".

The small diner seemed to grow quieter with every passing second.

"She was more than that and I wish I woulda told her before any of that ever happened.I regret lying to her and being a dumbfuck and getting fucking locked up when I coulda been with her trying to get her to remember me",II sighed and rubbed my eyes."Now I don't even know where she is".

I wasn't tired,I just didn't want people seeing me an emotional wreck.

Nasty sighed too,"Tough shit man".

Before either of us could say anything else my phone started ringing.
I stood up,not bothering to tell Nasty where I was going and walked outside before answering it.

"Yo?".



Amira

"Imani...Mani..hey Mani",I had been trying desperately to get my attention for the past 5 minutes.

Imani was off in space somewhere and lazily rolled her eyes my way,"Yeah?".

I smiled ,"You ready to go?".

She nodded and I followed her out towards the car.

We had gone scouting all day,trying to find the best restaurants,the best shopping malls,and the nicest parks.We had moved to LA a week ago and just now were getting used to it.

1 yr after Imani had been released from the Mental Ward a series of gruesome events began happening around the home.Dead animals would be found in random areas around the house and the blood would always stain the windows.Bones would litter the porch steps and sinister messages would be scrawled on the vehicles in the driveway.The FBI had sat down with Papa Temp,our grandfather,and I.They had told both of us that the people who had taken down our parents we're still at large,not a single trace could be found on who they were or where.A police officer suggested the remaining family move out of the area and seek refuge wherever they felt safe/comfortable.Imani still refusing to grasp the memory of that incident would be told that we were all moving down to Los Angeles so I could start in a new school.

Though Imani seemed fine and undisturbed,I knew that everyday was a constant battle to keep her memories at bay.

I was asleep when it happened and due to the fact I was a drop dead sleeper I had no recollection of being tied up until I heard my sisters screams and he came running up the stairs to find me.

I never dared speak of him. I was convinced he had to have done something horrible for my sister to completely shun him out.

They were best friends for Christ sake!

"I like it here",Imani spoke quietly.

I smiled,"I thought you might.What would you like to do tomorrow?".

Imani gripped the steering wheel,absentmindedly looking over the colorful drawings tattooed on her skin.

She couldn't make out the first from the last but whatever it was it brought a glossy sheen to her eyes,and she'd loose herself again.

I could remember walking past her bedroom sometimes and hearing her talk to her self.Little one word sentences that never linked together to make sense.

Memories she tried so hard to forget.

"IMANI!!!".

Imani came out of her daze and just barely made it out of the way of an incoming suburban,the driver leaned out his window to flip her off and curse.

I was in utter shock,"Mani?Are you okay?".

Imani brushed her bangs out of her hair and let free the breath she'd been holding back,"You don't have to baby me Amira,I'm the oldest one here".

When we stopped at a red light I shifted in my seat to look at her,"I will never baby you. I was put here to make your life hell and hell it will be I say!".

Imani cracked a smile,"Shut up".

"Not before you tell me what you want to do?".

The light turned green only to turn red about a block away,that was when Imani saw it.

The cutest little diner we'd seen since we got here.

She reached over and in front of me to point at it,"We are going there for lunch tomorrow".

I stayed quiet for a long time,but when I saw the longing in my sisters eyes I agreed,"Lunch date set".

"And before that we're gonna get you all set up for school next week",Imani glanced at the diner again,not being able to wait.

I silently groaned.

What Imani didn't see though was the man standing outside the diner,the man on the phone pacing back and forth .A man she would never recognize.

The man I knew to be the one and only Ronnie Radke.

And as we drove away,me still gawking at that man he too looked up in time to see me.His eyes widening and his phone dropping to the floor,everything happening in slow motion.

Just like the movies.

"Fuuuuck...."