One Way or Another

“You want this?” Stacey gestured to the receipt.

Ray’s POV

“Umm ya sure…” I snatched it and shoved it into my wallet with my master card. “Jess lets go, our family is probably tiered of waiting.”

“Okay.” Jess gleamed. We walked out of Stacey’s jewellery store. “I have a fiancée and his name is Ray!” She sang.

I smiled. “I’m in love with the most beautiful girl in the world.” I quietly sang back.

“Gehe.”

I opened my mouth to say something, when I noticed that there was someone standing about ten feet in front of me. Her mouth was gaping wide, I thought it was Krista. I was wrong.

She inhaled sharply.

“Ray honey what is it?” Jess asked me.

“Nhmmm?”

The person that I thought was Krista stormed up to me. “RAY!” She screamed.

Jess froze beside me.

“YOU BASTARD!” She slapped me hard across the face.

“Hey get offa him!”

“WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE BITCH!” She screamed at my fiancée.

“Why don’t you fuck off!?” Jess spat angrily in her face.

“Because I was engaged to him.”

I looked over at Jess. Her eyes were pried open and her jaw was open like a door.

I turned my attention to my ex-fiancée Jasmine. I noticed that they looked a lot alike.

“So what are you to him?” Jazz asked Jess.

“I’m his fiancée.” Jess stuck her nose in the air. I didn’t think that Jess cared too much about the whole situation, or she just covered her emotions well.

“Oh, ―just a tip. Ray is a man whore, he can’t keep a commitment. ―You see he left me for Krista, and I just ran into her. She said that the little scank that Ray left her for was with him today. ―But you look to sweet to be the bitch that stole Ray from Krista.” Jazz explained. “I doubt that you are the famous ‘Daddy raped me, Gerard come back home and save me’ Jessica.”

Jess looked up at me. “How does everyone know about that?” She asked concerned.

“Donna?” I said confused.

“Hmm.. Okay.”

“Jasmine, leave us be.”

“FUCK YOU TORO! ― YOU HURT ME NOW I WILL HURT YOU!” Jasmine went to pounce on me. Jessie flung herself in front of me.

“Stay away from him.” Jess warned Jazz.

“Huh ya.. and what are you gonna do?” Jazz asked venomously.

“Oh, I don’t really know at the moment.” Jess retorted.

Jessie and Jazz started to walk around in a circle, like two animals going in for an attack for dominance.

“Girls stop it.” I interrupted their little battle.

Jess looked at me, Jasmine didn’t. Jazz lunged at Jess. Even though I thought Jess wasn’t looking at me, she was alert of the situation. Jess dodged Jasmine. Jazz fell flat on her face onto the ground. Jess crouched down beside her.

“Don’t show your face around either of us again.” Jess growled at her, she stood up. “Let’s go Ray.”

I nodded and we continued heading for the doors. Once we stepped out side I guessed it was alright to talk. “That was something Jess.”

She looked at me, clearly upset about something. “Two people that you loved today have both told me that you left them.” Tears were rising in her eyes.

I caressed her face. “No, darling. I love you. I thought I loved them. Jasmine was a psychopath, and I left Krista the time you came into my life.”

Tears fell from her unique green eyes. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears that were glistening on her face, her diamond ring caught the glow of the dimming sunlight. “You left Krista when I was thirteen?”

My heart sank. None of us liked talking about that one year. “Yes.” I choked back a sob.

“Thirteen.” Jess said very boldly.

“Um, yes.”

“Thirteen?”

“Yes you were thirteen, Jess.”

“You-YOU-you fell in love with me when I was thirteen!?” Jess squealed.

“Yes Jessica, I fell in love with you when you were thirteen.” I admitted.

“I don’t even look that good!” Jess gawked at me, her eyes sparkling in the sunset.

“Lie, you’ve always looked good to me.” I smiled.

Jess blushed. “Oh okay. Lets go, I need to beg my bros for their make-up, and Mikey’s straightener.”

I nodded. “Alrighty then.”

We held hands as we walked to Jessie’s car. Upon walking to Jessie’s car, we ran into two teenage girls.

“Omigawd it’s Ray Toro!” One of them squealed.

“HOLEY SHIT IT IS!” The other one screamed.

Jessie smiled. “Ya it is!” Jess was so enthusiastic at some times.

“Um.. Ray could we have your autograph?” The second one asked me. The other girl jabbed her friend in the side with her elbow. “Ow, Sandra that hurt.”

“Awh Ima sorry.” The one that was Sandra hugged the other girl.

I smiled. They were most definitely best friends. “So what would you like me to sign girls?” I asked.

“Um.. ―” Sandra looked at her friend. “Sadie what are you gonna-”

“Here Ray!” Sadie pulled out “The Black Parade” drawing that Gerard had drawn, she also pulled out a black permanent marker.

“Okay, would you like to make it out to anybody?”

“Sure would!” She said as she passed me both the drawing and the marker.

“And who to?”

She smiled and came up to me and whispered ‘Sandra’ in my ear. “Okay, to your mom it is.”

Sandra was still looking in her bag, as I signed the drawing.

Sadie came up to me again. “She is like all over you, like peanut butter on toast.” She told me quietly.

“Haha so is my Fiancée.” I giggled.

“Speaking of your Fiancée,” Jess piped up. “She is going to go start her car.” She dangled the keys.

I nodded. “Kay, be there in a few.”

She huffed. “Okay, but hurry.”

“Don’t worry!” I laughed.

She shook her head and went off to her car.

“Okay, there you go Sadie.”

She smiled. “Thank you Ray.”

I hugged her. “No thank you”

She giggled and stood over by Sandra. Sandra came up to me with a newly bought “I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love” album. I could tell it was new because the store packaging was still on it.

“I umm can’t get this off..” She admitted.

“That’s okay Sandy.”

“Hehe, Sade, did you hear that!” She giggled.

“Sure did.”

“And who would this be out to?” I asked, as I tore off the clear film.

Sandra basically put her lips on my ear. “Sadie Wallise.”

“Oh okay, your imaginary friend, Wally” I signed it, and handed it back to Sandra.

A car was approaching quite fat towards us. I looked at the car as it halted to an abrupt stop a mere 3 feet away. The driver honked the horn four times quickly. Then held the beeper down.

The girls started laughing, Sandra doubled over.

The driver rolled down the window. “Did he piss himself?!” The driver hollered at the girls.

I looked down to see that I didn’t piss my self..Holey fuck!!! I did get a little dizzy although. I wobbled in front of the driver that probably thought I was some fucking drunk.

“Ray honey!” The driver got out of the car and came to support me. It was Jess.

“Holey mother fucking shit Jess! That scared be to pieces!!!” I stammered.

“Awh honey I am soo sorry!” She caressed my face. “Lets go before you get hit by a car.”

I nodded horrified by the thought. I was still a lil wobbly so Jess helped me into the car.

“Jeez Ray. Ima sorry, quit fucking around with my emotions!” She giggled as she got into the car. She looked at me, bewildered. “Ray snap outta it please.” She asked as we took off to her house.

I attempted to clear my throat, I did eventually, but it was tormented. “Sorry.” My voice cracked. I wasn’t quite aware that I had toyed with her emotions today ― I figured the proposal was really the only thing that bothered her.

“Don’t apologize Ray. ―You should no better not to apologize to me after I did something like that to you.” She smiled. Jess looked up at the corner that we were turning.

“Sorry.” My voice cracked once more. Krista, proposal, Jasmine.. There has to be something else, I thought to myself The baby? Donna and Bob? I snapped back into reality when Jess spoke.

“Quit being so thoughtful, it’s kinda creepy..” Jess had a bit of shock, and terror in her eyes.

“What exactly was bothering you honey?” I turned to face her.

“Well I was just thinking I will have to raise this baby all alone, with out you.” Her eyes were now deep and expressive.

Immediately I thought that she thought I was leaving her. “I told you I wasn’t going to walk out on you, don’t you understand that?”

“No Ray you’re going to be on tour!!” She giggled.

I sighed, I too always thought of the worst situation first. “Oh crap silly me sorry.”

“Nah it’s okay.”

I hadn’t noticed that the car was in motion. We were half way back to the Way house hold. This was going to be one hell of a storm.