Common Girl

Ella broke out into a fit of coughing as she collapsed onto her couch. She was in the denial stage of becoming sick, as Ronnie was in the denial stage of having romantic feelings for someone. She groaned as she checked the time knowing she had to get ready for work, on the bright side she gets paid today and in five days Ronnie would be bursting through her front door. She sat in silent misery for a few moments before pulling herself up and getting ready. Another good thing was her new friend Jamie would be at the bar again tonight and she'd have someone to talk to.

Ronnie had been trying to convince Jacky he didn't mean what he said as well as trying to convince himself. To make matter's worse he always gave Ronnie knowing glances when Ronnie would kiss Audrey. It was terrible for Ronnie but quite comical for Jacky because he was convinced that the two had been in love all this time. But that was complete bullshit of course.

*

"You're late again Ella, that's twice in the past week and a half" Her boss scolded.

"So sorry sir, won't happen again" She said rushing to tie around her waist the piece of black fabric used to shield her clothes from alcohol stains. The man nodded, clearly annoyed but other wise said nothing.

Ella was working her ass off today, for some reason the bar was extremely busy and she was the only one working. Finally the rush died down as whatever band was playing actually started to play and most people were watching the performance. Ella spotted Jamie sitting a few seats over and made her way to the girl. striking up conversation about weather or not the band playing was good or not. The decided that the were both bad and good. However that is possible.

"So what do you do for fun? Take me through the life of 'Ella the under age bar tender'" Jamie asked using an announcer voice for dramatic effect.

Ella laughed before answering "Um lets see" She paused and made a face indicting she was deep in though. "I do jack shit all day then come work here!" She said with fake enthusiasm. Jamie laughed at Ella's way of explaining. "Now take me through the life of 'Jamie the under age drinker'" Ella mimicked Jamie's tone.

"Well, unlike you 'Miss drop out of school to work at a bar'" Jamie started "I go to school everyday and get great grades and then I come lecture high school drop outs on how imported school is" She said with a fake tone that made Ella burst into laughter.

"Oh yeah! likely story!" Ella said sarcastically.

"Oh hush, hush. You're a hypocrite" Jamie said with a sly grin.

"Never said I wasn't" Ella said with the same crooked smile.

*

Ronnie was getting ready for an interview, only him and Jacky were around so they would be the only ones and Jacky was known to be very quiet during interviews though he had warmed up to it since they released their second album. Ronnie met Ella during 'The Drug in Me is You' tour and they were now on tour with their third album.

Ronnie sighed in the mirror taking in his appearance before touching up his black eye liner and moving to the front of the buss to meet Jacky and whomever the interviewer was. They woman quickly went over a few things to cover making sure the boys were okay to answer. Ronnie was known to have a short temper and everyone knew that.

The interviewer did a quick interdiction of who she was and who they were before turning to face Ronnie and Jacky. "So, what's it like being on tour with Falling in Reverse, you guys are a huge successful band so touring can't be all that bad right?"

"Tour is pretty fun actually, we get to play lots of shows and meet our fans and see a lot of cool stuff, I mean you start to miss home awful quick but uh, Ronnie brought with girlfriend with us and like, we see each other everyday and night... and day and night... Yeah... I can't wait to go home" Jacky answered.

The questions went on like that until it was near the end, the girl turned to Ronnie and addressed him directly. "So you guys recently dedicated a song off you're first album to someone, was that all of you or just you're idea Ronnie?" She asked.

"Uh, no it was all of our idea... I like, suggested it but it was from all of us" He answered.

"And I'm sure you're fans are dying to know... Who was this lucky girl? A girlfriend maybe?" She raised her eye brow at Ronnie. His thoughts were somewhat: Seriously?! did Jacky not just tell you my girlfriend came with us? and you know I just told you that it was the bands idea not just mine! But he repressed the urge to say this out loud.

"No Ella is her name, my girlfriend is Audrey, our merch girl. But Ella is just a friend of the band and we felt she deserved some recognition because of everything she's done for us" Ronnie explained rather rudely, he had no patience for this interviewer.

"Is she a special someone to a Falling in Reverse member?" They lady hinted. Jacky smirked and bumped Ronnie with his elbow.

"No she is not a girlfriend of anybody" Ronnie snapped through gritted teeth. Jacky chuckled lightly earning an elbow jabbed in his side.

The interview went on with tension and the moment the interviewer left Jacky was face down on the couch, arms pinned to his sides and Ronnie sitting on his back. "AH! Ronnie get off!" He screamed like a little girl.

"What. The. Hell. Were you thinking!?" Ronnie growled, not fazed by Jacky's struggling.

"You have to tell her dude" Jacky stated, giving up the struggle against Ronnie's hold.

Ronnie furrowed his eyebrows in a confused state "Tell who, what?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"You have to tell Ella you like her!" Jacky explained.

"I do not like Ella you fucker!" Ronnie yelled and started beating Jacky with a pillow, still not getting off him and pinning his arms down with his knees.

"Yes you do! you're both just too blind to see it! why do you think Audrey got so jealous!" Jacky got out between hits.

"Audrey was just being a jealous bitch and you know it!" Ronnie screamed way to loud, with every word he hit Jacky with the pillow.

*

Days had passed... five days to be exact and Ella was just finishing her make up when her apartment door swung opened. She spun around to see non other then Ronnie Radke standing with a huge grin on his face as he took her in his arms like they hadn't seen each other in years. He smelled like he recently showered and a familiar cologne. "Hey Ronnie" she mumbled into his chest. "Hey" He replied kissing the top of her head. They stood there hugging and not talking for a few minutes.

"You smell good" Ella said once they pulled apart to sit casually on her couch.

"Thanks, you sound sick" Ronnie frowned "Are you sick?" He asked examining her face making her squirm uncomfortably under his hard stare.

"No.. yes.. maybe.." She stuttered "Stop staring it's creepin' me out!" She exclaimed covering her face.

He let out a low chuckle "Fine, fine... but are you? because you're more pale then usual and you sound sick"

"I guess a little... I mean I'm not dying or anything" She thought for a second "And... I might be contagious so... maybe you shouldn't stay to long. I'd feel terrible if you got sick" She frowned but moved a little farther away just to be safe.

"Oh come on, I haven't seen you in weeks I don't care if you're sick" He insisted, wrapping his strong tattooed arms around her tinny body "I'll take care of you! It'll be great" He also then told her the band would be over later tonight to see her but Ronnie wanted to get some time alone to show her songs he wrote on the road.

Ella rolled her eyes but put her arms around his torso in a sideways hug "Thanks Ronnie" She murmured. Ronnie pulled Ella down into a laying positioning on his chest and he sang to her all his in progress lyrics as they did many times before. He didn't show the band all of his songs, only the ones Ella liked the most and those would be the ones used. Ella smiled at the way his chest moved as he sang in different pitches and tones.

"An angel fallen down,
lost and underground
is still a angel I have found..."
He continued the rest of the lyrics and opened his eyes to see Ella looking up from his chest at him with glossy eyes.

"Ronnie that was amazing" She said in awe. She had never heard Ronnie put that much emotion in a song since he wrote 'The Day I Left the Womb' and 'The Departure'. His voice was raw with emotion giving it so much edge. The lyrics flowed together beautifully in a way that made you want to sing along to ever word you knew. "That was... perfect" She smiled widely and kissed his cheek, he blushed at her compliments but continued to be modest.

"It's new... No one else has heard it and it needs to be edited..."

"Don't say it has to be edited, you know damn well it sounds perfect!" She scolded flicking his nose.

"Ow, pain! But okay, okay I won't change anything... jeez women, abuse" Ronnie said in a defense like way.

"Good, I think that might just be the best song you have ever showed me" Ella flashed an innocent smile "Who's it about?" She asked and clearly caught him off guard. He took a moment to think about it before stuttering.

"I... uh.. I... No one... it's not about anyone" He got out after a few minutes off silence, he knew very well who it was about but he wasn't about to tell her that. She would get the wrong idea.

"Audrey?" She asked in a soft whisper, or more have suggested in this case. Ronnie almost saw hurt in Ella's eye's for some reason. She wasn't acting upset but something inside him felt like she had something on her mind she desperately didn't want there.

"No" He chuckled.

"I'm no fan of her" Ella said softly.

"Neither am I"

"Why'd you do it?" Ella changed the subject still talking in a soft whisper like voice that made Ronnie's eyes feel heavy like he wanted to fall asleep with her talking.

"Do what?" Ronnie asked, his voice quiet but hard and scratchy. He never broke eye contact with the girl lying on him with her chin lightly pressing against his chest so that they were only inches apart.

"Save me... Why didn't you walk away when I told you to?" She asked for the 1000th time.

"Because no one deserves to die, not even the drug addicts because we change into some of the best people alive" He whispered.

"I love when you say that, It makes it much less surreal" She smiled a beautiful smile with a slight quiet laugh, her warm breathe that smelt like mint ghosting over Ronnie's face in an almost intoxicating way.

"Finding you was the smartest thing I ever did Ella, loving you was the easiest" He smiled slightly and pushing fallen strands of her midnight hair out of her face.

She sighed happily and put her head down over his heart "I love you Mr. Ronnie Radke."

"I love you too"

And there they laid for almost two hours talking in a hush tone while Ronnie tangled his fingers through Ella's soft black hair, Ella listened to the faint beat of Ronnie's heart inside his tattooed body and wondered: Who will one day take her spot? Wrapped in this mans arms knowing he is all she has to hold on to? Who will be the girl who gets to hear the faint thump inside his chest every night before she falls asleep. Who would take her life support away?

Ella knew she was nothing without Ronnie, sure she loved to be independent living on her own and not in a foster car system or another detention center. But inside she knew, if Ronnie would have saved her and didn't stay at her bedside until she woke up 15 hours after he brought her there, then Ella Moore would be dead. Maybe not that night but surely by now she would be dead. He stayed until the moment she woke up, she explained everything and so did he. After she was released Ronnie put the band falling in reverse on Ella's suicide watch. Neither of them understood why exactly Ronnie chose to stay apart of her life but they are both glad.

They were happy he did and that's all that mattered.

Just then there was a loud bang on her door causing them to near jump from there skin...