Situations Are Irrelevant Now

I didn’t bother waiting for Max’s answer, seeing as that would be a complete and total waste of my time. He’d been trying to get back at me ever since that incident on the tour bus, so obviously I already knew his answer. The little asshole was going to turn me over, thinking that that would ever stop me fromusing being with Megan. Well, he can’t turn me over if he doesn’t know where I’m at.

Quietly, I stepped across the soaked grass and back to the treehouse. Megan was still dead asleep, and she looked so peaceful. I just couldn’t wake her up over something like this. Damn…I gotta get away. I’m turning into such a pussy.

Luckily, there was some paper and pens over in a wooden cabinet on the other side of the room. I never was good at writing down my thoughts, so I can’t say how good this is going to be.

Dear Megan,

By the time you read this letter, I’ll already be gone. I’m on the run from the cops, and you’re just about the only person I can trust right about now. I know that you, Max, and me have been living together for a while now, but there are still things about me you don’t know. Those late nights I was out, when you probably thought I was with some whore, I was doing something else. I was getting my hands on any drug I could find. I’d come home, probably looking like I was drunk, but in reality I was high. I couldn’t tell you about it…and I couldn’t tell Max either. You guys would just give me shit about it and try to make me stop.

I got a thrill ride from sneaking around, getting high at night and then coming home like nothing happened. I’ve escaped from the cops plenty of times, and have quite the large record down at the police station. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to escape the law, or even escape my own fate, but I’m going to try. I’m meet up with my brothers and some of old friends. They should be able to help me out, one way or another.

I can’t believe I’m saying this…but I really will miss you Megan. I’ve spent so much time avoiding you that I might have prevented something better from happening. I’ll come back for you if I can. But I can’t make any promises at this point…I just don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.

Well anyway, I hope to see you soon and I hope that Craig will just go away and out of our lives. This has been the longest week with him here. Don’t try and find me, I don’t want you to get messed up in this shit. I’ll contact you when I can.

-Ronnie

Carefully, I opened her hand and placed the folded piece of paper on her palm. She probably wouldn’t be too happy, for multiple reasons, when she reads that letter, but there’s nothing she can do about it. There is a chance that she could turn to Craig, or even Max, in my absence, but I trust her love for me. She won’t forget about me easily or at all for that matter.

As I went to leave the treehouse, I stopped at the exit. Inside, I could still feel multiple feelings raging inside of me. Part of me wanted to add something as simple as ‘I love you’ at the end of that note; however, that was only a small portion of me. I shook the thought from my mind and crawled down the ladder.

After texting Chase, one of my brothers, I took off running into the night. I wasn’t about to go down easily, that's for damn sure.

*Normal POV*

I felt some movement around me, but it didn’t feel quite significant to make me want to open my eyes. I had just had a shockingly unexpected night, and I was afraid that if I opened my eyes, I’d see that all of it was a dream.

I was going to turn over to get more comfortable, and when I went to move my arm, I felt that there was something in my hand. Maybe that was important enough for me to look at. My eyes shot open to find my body alone in the treehouse with a letter in my hand. It was too dark in the house itself, so I sat on the edge of the floor near the exit so that I could use the lighting from the hazy moon and the back lights of the house.

Obviously, the letter was from Ronnie, which shocked me itself, seeing as I’ve never seen Ronnie write anything. The more of the letter I read, the more I felt the tears roll down my face. Ronnie…all that time, he had been doing drugs? That would explain so much – his behavior, his late nights, and his lack of paying the bills when it was his turn to pay.

And now not only is he on the run from the cops, but he’s just making things worse for himself by going to back to his brothers. They’re the ones that got him into the druggie life, and plus I didn’t get a good vibe from them the first and final time I met them. Chase and Randy Radke…not the best guys to associate with. I needed to talk to someone about this.

Leaving the treehouse behind, I burst in through the kitchen doors and found Max hanging up the phone and looking a little distant. “What’s wrong?” we both asked at the same time.

There was an awkward silence once neither of us spoke. “Uh, you go first, mine’s a little complicated,” I suggested.

Max shrugged, “Ok, if you insist. Well…some dude called from the police department and asked me if I would help them find Ronnie, since he apparently escaped from his holding cell earlier today. I…I didn’t know what to do at first. I mean, you know things have been tense between Ronnie and me lately, so it was tempting to turn him in as soon as he came back here, I’m not gonna lie. But then I realized that he’s my best friend and I wouldn’t turn him over to the cops, especially because I didn’t want him to go to jail over what happened last night. That, and the fact that we can’t let this ruin the band…”

I leaned forward and hugged him tightly. “You did the right thing, Max, you really did. Now, for my turn. I don’t even need to talk, just read this.”

I handed Max the letter, and I think he understood that it was from Ronnie. His eyes scanned the revealing words written on the paper. He seemed to be speechless after reading it.

Finally, he found a way to speak. “You know…I always knew that he had an issue with drugs, but that was back in high school. I never would’ve thought he would still be doing this now, especially with ETF getting recognized.”

“What are we going to do?” I sighed, racking my brain to think of some way to save Ronnie before he digs himself a deeper hole.

Someone else entered the room from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see that it was Craig, looking slightly awkward. “Sorry, I kinda overheard most of that,” he mumbled.

“It’s ok, Craig. Maybe you can help us out,” I said, inviting him over to our little circle of thought.

He nodded, “Well, let’s see…where do you think Ronnie is heading?”

“If he’s going with his brothers, then probably somewhere sleazy,” I rolled my eyes.

Max thought for a moment. “What about that one strip joint out on the edge of the city…the one right by the desert?”

“That’s where I’d be if I was looking for a quick fix,” I agreed.

We decided to head out in that direction. And in all honesty, I don’t think any of us were prepared for what we were about to witness.

*Ronnie’s POV*

The club, Temptation, was known as the best place to get the best fix. I had met up with my brothers, Chase and Randy, and my old friend from high school, Joe Rader. In the dark of night, these guys were my only family. We spent all our money here at this very club, and having the best times of our lives.

To celebrate our sudden reunion, we picked up our glasses of beer and clanked them together, cheering. Chase and I decided to be the ones to make the purchase. There was a new guy in the business, Michael Cook. He was younger, but still knew what he was doing.

We met up with him in the darkest corner, where we couldn’t be seen. He gave us a baggie full of pre-packed cigarettes with our lovely drug grounded up inside. Chase handed Cook the money and we went our respective ways.

After what felt like an hour after we lit up, a thought finally crossed my mind. I breathed out a large cloud of smoke before speaking. “Hey, Chase, who does that little dude work for? I mean, a guy that young isn’t doin this on his own.”

Chase thought for a minute, and took an extra long time to answer…seeing as his mind was just about as fogged over as mine was. “Michael Colquitt, I think is the dude’s name.”

That name sounded familiar…too familiar. I slammed my glass down on the table when I realized why. “Son of a bitch, you know who he’s related to, don’t you?!” I shouted.

The other three guys just stared at me with blank expressions. “Marcel,” I said.

Their eyes widened. “That’s right, he’s that bastard’s brother!” Randy exclaimed, making the connection.

Anger raged inside of me as soon as I found out that Marcel was in the same building. Years ago, his girlfriend at the time started talking shit on Max, and we got in a minor fist fight. Ever since then, we’d have to deal with his gang to get our drugs…and ever since then, they’d make us pay twice the normal price.

Oh, if he was here tonight, then I was gonna make sure that he pays for what he’s done. Who knew I’d get away from the cops and get to beat that asshole up all in one night?

Life is good…for now.