Sorry it's been a while again! I've just been so busy, but I'll get another chapter out as soon as possible!
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**
“Fucking finally, kid!”
I rolled my eyes as I climbed into Ronnie’s car and turned to raise my eyebrows at him. It’d been two days since I’d chosen to go out with my cousins instead of him, and he’d obviously made a note to remind me of that.
“I haven’t seen you since before your birthday, Jesus Christ!” He continued, pulling out of my driveway and speeding down the road.
“I prefer to be known as Midge. Jesus Christ is a bit of a mouthful.” I smirked back at him.
“Funny.” He sarcastically rolled his eyes. “Did you have a good birthday, anyway?”
“I did.” I nodded my head back at him. “I got some money...and a car.”
His eyebrows shot up immediately. “That expensive-looking car in the driveway was yours?”
Again, I nodded, a smile tugging at my lips at his reaction.
“You’re spoilt.” He stated, shaking his head in disbelief.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes again. Every one of the guys had said that multiple times since I’d got my car, and it was getting a little old to hear now.
“Where are we going, anyway?” I questioned, in attempt to change the subject.
“To a party.” He shrugged “To get absolutely fucked, seeing as I wasn’t there on your birthday.”
“I did invite you.”
He shrugged again. “I know. But, you know...it could’ve gotten a little awkward. What with me having been in care with Linds and all that.”
I’d honestly not thought of that part of things, and it made me suddenly relieved that Ronnie hadn’t been at the party. Also, even though Zacky didn’t remember it, I knew for sure that had Ronnie been there, the kiss wouldn’t have happened.
“Yeah, you’re right.” I agreed, shifting in my seat as I tried to shake the kiss from my mind. “Whose party is this, anyway?”
“Just a friend’s.”
I wanted to roll my eyes for a third time. I was so used to that answer now that I almost expected it. I never actually was informed as to who all these friends were of Ronnie’s. He’d just show up on the day, tell me we were going to a party and then drive me off to some uninviting house in a rundown area where everyone would be stoned and drunk off of their faces and I’d just feel uncomfortable and end up drinking ludicrous amounts of alcohol to make the time pass.
It was becoming a routine.
We were soon parking up on the side of some road and I sighed as I got out the car, staring around the place. It was all the same to me now—these places that he’d take me to. They all looked the same. Cracked pavements, overgrown front gardens, boarded up windows and random pieces of furniture strewn across the yard. Pretty much every house in the small street looked like a crack house.
“Midge?” Ronnie loudly said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Hello?”
“Huh?” I diverted my gaze from my surroundings to him, blinking up at him.
“This is for you.” He suddenly produced a bottle of vodka from his jacket, chucking it towards me, at which I abruptly reached out to catch it. “Happy belated birthday.”
I knew immediately that he’d have stolen it, but I smiled gratefully all the same and he began leading the way up a garden path and to the worst-looking house in the whole street.
As soon as someone opened the door, I was hit by the distinct smell of weed and alcohol. Unfortunately, it’d stopped surprising me, seeing as it was such a common occurrence now. As usual, some drugged-up guy greeted us at the door, sharing some sort of handshake with Ronnie and then smirking at me as I walked past him and entered the house.
Instead of leading me into some abandoned room and just getting drunk with me like he usually did, Ronnie grabbed my hand and pulled me into what I was guessing was supposed to be the living room. There were a couple of old, dusty armchairs that were occupied by two guys, both with a girl each on their laps. Everyone else in the room had taken to the floor.
A guy and a girl were knelt down at a coffee table, each snorting a line of cocaine, while in one corner, another guy and girl were making out. There was just one other guy who seemed pretty content by himself, sat in another corner, smoking a joint.
I felt uncomfortable already. Ronnie seemed to mistake it an enthusiasm somehow, as I glanced at him and he grinned at me, tightening his hold on hand and pulling me over to the loner guy in the corner.
“Nathan, dude, this is Midge.” Ronnie said to him, kicking his leg to gain his attention. “Midge, this is my cousin Nathan.”
With that, Ronnie pulled me down to the floor so that I sat directly in front of Nathan. He said nothing for a moment, his joint still hanging out of his mouth as he slowly inhaled the smoke, staring me up and down. Eventually, he took the joint away from his lips and held a hand out to me, at which I hesitantly shook it.
“Where’d you find this one, huh, Radke?” He chuckled, continuing to stare me up and down as he shook my hand. “She’s tiny.”
“Honestly?” Ronnie laughed along. “I met her down at the station.”
Immediately, Nathan looked more interested. He retracted his hand and stared between Ronnie and I, tilting his head as he began to take drags on the joint again.
“Okay.” He said. “I’m gonna go ahead and guess...you got caught with alcohol?”
My eyebrows immediately shot up as I wondered how he could’ve possibly known. He didn’t seem at all surprised at my reaction. He actually looked slightly amused.
“How did you...” My words trailed off as I stared between him and Ronnie, still surprised. Ronnie just chuckled.
“I know your type.” Nathan shrugged. “You look pretty innocent. I knew it wouldn’t be anything too radical.”
“I wouldn’t go making any judgements just yet, Nath.” Ronnie laughed. “She only looks innocent because she’s small. Just wait until you get to know her.”
Nathan simply nodded, removing the joint from his mouth and holding it out towards me. I stared down at it with raised eyebrows, my thoughts immediately flickering to Zacky and how mad at me he would go if he found out.
“I’ll pass.” I shook my head. “Thanks.”
He glanced at Ronnie with a frown, mouthing something to him that I couldn’t quite catch, and Ronnie just shrugged. It just made me feel even more uncomfortable than I already did, but I tried my best to shrug it off as he handed the joint to Ronnie and sat back, staring at me.
“Drink your vodka, Midge.” Ronnie said, staring at me as he took multiple drags on the joint. “Enjoy it.”
I cracked it open and began to drink it from the bottle, simply hoping that it might take the edge off of me a bit. I was used to sharing it with Ronnie, but there seemed to be plenty more bottles around, so I had it all to myself this time.
Although the alcohol was quickly taking its effect on me and was easing me up just a bit, I was still completely uncomfortable around these people that I didn’t know. I’d never really been particularly thrilled about these parties that Ronnie had dragged me to so many times, but I’d grown used to us just sitting in a room on our own and getting drunk. This just felt weird.
“Can we go somewhere a bit quieter?” I quickly muttered to Ronnie, as Nathan became engrossed in a drawing on the wall.
“Hm. Later.” Ronnie murmured back, closing his eyes and lighting another joint. “Just...relax.”
But I couldn’t help but sigh, knowing that that would be extremely hard to do.
**
Six hours laterwas when Ronnie decided we could leave Nathan by himself again and go somewhere quieter.
The pair of them hadn’t been great company, as they’d just been getting more and more stoned as they talked about things I had no clue about. I’d ended up just miserably drinking while wrapping myself in my own thoughts. By the time we stood up, I was extremely drunk. As was Ronnie, along with being stoned.
He laughed as I stumbled, and steadied me slightly, then grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room and towards the stairs. I had to watch my step, as my walking wasn’t all that great anyway due to my drunkenness, but the stairs were damp and all worn down. And the house had also become considerably dark.
I was surprised to find how quiet it actually was upstairs. I’d expected maybe a couple of people to be up there, but there appeared to be no-one. Ronnie tugged on my hand and pulled me to a room right at the end, opening the door and dragging me in, before he then shut the door behind me.
As he flicked a switched, a dim lightl hanging from the ceiling flickered a couple of times and then came on, making the room only half-lit. Ronnie grinned at me, blatantly beyond stoned by that point.
I smiled back at him, stumbling on the spot as I failed to keep my balance. He only laughed—pretty hysterically.
“You’re drunk.” He stated, thoroughly amused as he stepped closer to me.
“You’re stoned and drunk.” I shot back at him, giggling.
“That I am.” He nodded simply. “So...listen,” He edged even closer, stopping in front of me and staring down at me, “I’m going to Long Beach in a couple of weeks to see some friends and I want you to come along and I told my friends about you and they want you to come, too. So, will you? Will you come to Long Beach with me?”
I blinked up at him, trying to process what he had said in my mind, seeing as he’d spoken so fast and slurred practically every word. Once I’d managed to understand him, I tried to think over it in the most sensible way that I could. That wasn’t working too well.
I knew that, had I been sober, I would’ve immediately thought of the downsides of the situation and made up an excuse. But right now, I was extremely drunk. All I wanted to do was have a good time. The offer seemed way more appealing than I knew it usually would.
So I nodded, widening my smile.
“Sure.” I said. “Yeah, I’ll go.”
“Good.” He grinned again, stepping even closer and placing his hands on my shoulders as he chuckled, staring down at me. I continued to smile up at him, but I was slightly taken back when he leaned down and forcefully kissed me.
I didn’t know how to react. I knew for sure that I didn’t want this, but I couldn’t tell myself to push him off. When he found that I wasn’t resisting, he deepened the kiss and began to push me back, until he had me backed up against a wall.
I didn’t push him away, but I didn’t kiss back either. I knew I wasn’t doing myself any favours, but I just couldn’t seem to think.
Before I knew it, he was trailing kisses from my lips, along my jaw line, and finally down to my neck, causing me to inhale sharply. He chuckled, pleased with my reaction, and continued, moving a hand to the bottom of my shirt.
It was as he began to pull up my shirt that I realised just what was happening, and my body stiffened.
“What are you doing?” I shakily whispered, not daring to move.
“You’re eighteen now.” He huskily murmured into my ear, kissing my neck again. “You’re legal.”
He proceeded to pull my shirt up even further, and I managed to wriggle a little so that I had my arms free to abruptly push him away. He stumbled back slightly, blinking at me, and then stepped closer again, leaning down once more.
“No!” I said, holding my hands out and pushing his chest away. “Not this. I’m not like that and you know it.”
He blinked at me again, seeming pretty shocked, before his eyes suddenly narrowed.
“Oh yeah?” He spat angrily, towering over me intimidatingly. “Can we go somewhere a bit quieter? What was that all about, huh?”
“I just wanted to get away from all of the...people!” I exclaimed. “I literally did just want to go somewhere quieter.Not to do this.”
“You set me up! You’re fucking leading me on!” He glared at me, stepping even closer so that he was practically shoving me against the wall with his own body. “What’s the point in giving me that impression and dragging me up here if you won’t put out?”
I suppressed the urge to whimper, trying not to show that I was feeling extremely intimidated. It wasn’t very easy, considering he was so much taller and stronger than me.
“We always go somewhere quieter.” I then said, my voice coming out a lot weaker than I’d intended it to. “That’s all I wanted to do.”
“No.” He shook his head vigorously. “No fucking way. You knew exactly what you were doing! Don’t give me that bullshit!”
I almost jumped out of my skin when he leaned past me and plunged his fist into the wall angrily, clenching his teeth as he retracted it and then repeated the action.
“Ronnie, you’re completely overreacting.” I shakily told him, my voice cracking.
He pulled away from me abruptly, reaching a hand out and knocking something harshly onto the floor.
“Don’t you tell me what I’m fucking doing!” He yelled, turning to face me with a thunderous expression. “You’ve been leading me on this whole time!”
“No I ha—‘’
“You fucking bitch!” He interrupted, clenching his fists.
I wasn’t sure whether to stare at his fists or his face, but it didn’t matter at that point. I was absolutely terrified and trying my hardest not to cry. I’d never seen him like this before.
“I’m sorry.” I choked out, running a shaky hand through my hair.
“Don’t.” He stepped towards me again, shoving me back.
“I—‘’
“I said don’t.” Once again, he interrupted. “Now you’d better get the fuck out of my sight before I beat the shit out of you, I swear to God.”
It took only one more intimidating stare from him for me to rip away and quickly stumble out of the room, trying my hardest to run across the hall and down the stairs as quick as I could. I wanted to just get to the front door and leave, but that was proving to be pretty hard as I discovered that quite a few people had relocated to the hallway and weren’t going to move without a fight.
It was becoming even harder to get out as I dodged and bumped into numerous people, not being able to see, due to the fact that it was pretty much pitch black. Most people didn’t even notice me running into them, but it was just as I was growing closer to the front door that I felt myself collide with someone again, and they noticed too damn well.
Before I could apologise and continue past whoever it was, a male voice loudly swore at me, and someone’s fist abruptly connected with my face at a great force.
It knocked me to the ground easily, but I knew that no matter how much pain I was in, I just needed to get out of here.
I managed to pick myself up, not even caring anymore that I was shoving people out of my way in an attempt to get through. It worked better that way, as I was soon at the front door, yanking it open.
All I wanted to do was go home to my nice neighbourhood and be with my nice family. I couldn’t even remember the last time I was this scared.
And as I stepped out of the door and into the street, I couldn’t help but choke out a sob, beginning to quickly walk away from the house and try and find my way home
With tears streaming from my eyes, blood pouring from my split lip, and rain pelting from the sky.