Those Three Chapter 2

“Ronnie! Please!” Lacy sounded like she was about to cry. “Did I hurt you all this time?! Did I?!” Ronnie decided to take control. He got his arm back from her and grabs her hand. She was startled as he forces her to come in Robert’s apartment with him and he shuts the door.

“Look! I already said leave me alone! Why are you even screwing with me right now?! You’re with Robert not me!”

“I…I know…” Lacy looks down. “Robert and I are worried about you. You seem distant now and we just want to know if you’re okay.”

“I am fine!”

“But…” Lacy looks down. “I know I really shouldn’t be getting into your business, but… you really do mean a lot to me still. Just because I like Robert more doesn’t mean I don’t care for you. I wanted to be best friends with you, but I guess that was really stupid me.”

“Yeah. It was stupid of you to think that we can just remain friends. Any dumb idiot should know that.” Ronnie said rudely to her. Lacy could tell Ronnie seemed angry. “It’s all because of your stupid ass! And my brother! I gave you up! So quit trying to talk to me!” Ronnie was about to leave the apartment now. Lacy felt like she was upset.

“Ronnie wait!”

“What? If Robert comes here, he will think you’re cheating on him with me. You know that right?” Ronnie chuckled a little.

“Ronnie seems a little different. He seems colder. His personality does. I hope it’s not from me. I shouldn’t of… But… I really thought I loved them both… I do love Ronnie but Robert… I love Robert more… I wish I can just be friends with Ronnie but… It’s not possible. I am being selfish again… And I can’t forget that woman he was going into an apartment with…” Lacy thought to herself. Ronnie walks back over to her. She stared at him confused. He pushes her against the wall.

“W-What?” Lacy was confused.

“I decided to give you up two years ago. I gave you to Robert. I decided to just let him have you. He’s lucky you know. Dad doesn’t yell at him much anymore. He let him quit school too. What an asshole dad I have! He won’t let me do whatever the hell I want like Robert! He helped Robert get this damn apartment with our grandparents! He buys Robert dumb cigarettes! He lets him do whatever the hell he wants! He even has the gull to yell at me when I get fired! You think I like that?! But Robert, oh no. He doesn’t dare talk bad about him!”

“Ronnie… I am sorry your father…” Lacy stared at Ronnie. “I am sorry that he did that. Robert didn’t know. Please don’t hate Robert.”

“And even you! You chose him too! And you wanted me to be your friend! Your best friend?! Really?! You know what kind of hell you put me through?!”

“Ronnie… I am sorry!” Lacy starts to cry. There was a knock at the door.

“I got to go!” Ronnie said and walks towards the door. He opened it. It was Stephanie at the door. Lacy noticed it was the female that Ronnie was going into an apartment with.

“Ronnie, come on. Don’t stay in here right now.” Stephanie tells Ronnie. He grunts a little and leaves. Stephanie stares at Lacy. “You know, I am honestly glad that you chose Robert.” Stephanie said and walks off. Lacy dries her tears and went to the door. Shutting it. She turned her back towards the door.

“I guess… Ronnie might be dating that girl. But… did I really cause him to get so angry…” Lacy thought to herself.

Stephanie and Ronnie were in the hallway together in the building. “You still have feelings for Lacy despite claiming that you gave her up?” Stephanie asks.

“It really isn’t any of your business.” Ronnie responds. “I need to get going. And I want to know why you took me here if you live across Robert? He will see me here too.”

“Not if you come in my apartment with me. You can come in and when I know that Robert is going in his apartment, you can leave.” Stephanie said with a smile.

“I don’t know.” Ronnie just walks back in Stephanie’s apartment with her. He went to the bathroom and shuts the door.

“Ronnie is upset.” Stephanie thought to herself.

Robert had gone back home when dinner was over. When he got into his apartment, he shuts his door and locks it. He noticed Lacy sitting on the sofa. She was looking down. “Is something the matter?” Robert asked her.

“Well…” Lacy looks up at Robert who had walked over to her. “There is something that happened…”

“What?” Robert asks.

“Ronnie.”

“Ronnie? What about him?” Robert asks curiously.

“Well… I went to check your mail, you know because you told me I can take it in for you because days you forget about it. Well… when I was leaving the apartment I saw Ronnie. He was going into the apartment across from us with some girl. Or woman. I don’t know. She didn’t look too much older.” Lacy responds.

“What?” Robert was actually surprised to hear Lacy talking about Ronnie.

“It’s true, and I tried to talk to Ronnie when I seen him. But he got angry with me. I just wanted to make sure if he was okay. He seems angry.” Lacy said and looked down again. “I have a feeling like he’s really angry with me and hates me.”

“Lacy, I wouldn’t worry about him anymore. You have me. Ronnie might be dating that girl.” Robert sat down on the sofa by Lacy.

“Maybe you’re right.” Lacy stares at Robert.

“Dad told me that Ronnie was fired again from his job. He told me that he don’t know what to do because Ronnie just seems like he’s angry all the time lately.”

“Ronnie told me… He told me that… He feels like your dad favors you more than Ronnie. I don’t know… Ronnie said some things but… I don’t know.” Lacy was hurt from a few things Ronnie said, but she felt like she didn’t have a right to be hurt. Ronnie was hurting more than her and she couldn’t just be selfish like she felt like she was.

Robert sighs, “Ronnie just seems like he’s been having it rough. It’s a shame he doesn’t speak to me anymore because I would try to help him out.”

“Your dad won’t help you talk to him?” Lacy asks.

“I never bothered to ask. I don’t want to get Ronnie to get pissed with me for it.” Robert got up off the sofa and went to make something to eat in the kitchen.

“I think Robert is home now, you can go back to your place.” Stephanie said and knocked on the bathroom door. Ronnie was upset. Trying hard not to be. He got out of the bathroom and just stared at Stephanie. “Are you really going to give Lacy up like you wanted to two years ago? Ronnie, I know you still care for Lacy.” Stephanie said. Ronnie walks out of the bedroom and went to the front door. Stephanie followed him. “Ronnie… I want to help you. I don’t want you to feel that you don’t want to be in love. I don’t want you to hate it anymore.”

Ronnie didn’t say anything as he left out of the apartment and left the building. “Ronnie… he’s depressed but he shouldn’t hold this much onto one girl… But… That’s being mean to me to think such things. Ronnie needs help.”

Ronnie had made it home and went to his bedroom. Right when he sat down, Bryan came into the bedroom. “You know when to come back don’t you? When Robert is gone.” Bryan said but Ronnie didn’t respond. “Ronnie, I want to know why you don’t talk to him anymore? It’s kind of odd because you two used to be close. I think you completely stopped talking to him when he moved out. Are you upset that Robert moved out?”

“No. I am glad that he did.” Ronnie answered. He pulled a cigarette out of his pack that was on the bed and starts to smoke.

“Hey, you got on something else on. I thought you were wearing something else when you left?” Bryan started to notice that Ronnie had changed his clothes.

“It’s really none of your business.” Ronnie answered as he was smoking a cigarette.

“Ronnie, I don’t understand it. Why are you acting this way? You used to be a lot nicer.”

“Things change Bryan. Nothing ever remains the same.” Ronnie responded and blew smoke out of his mouth.

“But… You really are…” Bryan looked down. He wasn’t sure what else to say to Ronnie at the moment. He decided to leave the bedroom.

“Bryan probably will never have to go through what I went through with Lacy.” Ronnie thought to himself. “I know he won’t. He don’t have to worry about one of his brothers liking the same girl as him and then stealing her.”

The next day had came. Ronnie had gone to school. He didn’t even have any classes with Lacy, which was good for him because he didn’t want to see her. Lacy, had some classes with Alana and Katie. At lunch, Lacy was sitting with Alana and Katie. She was also sitting with Craig and Max. Ronnie was nowhere to be seen. Madison and Bryan were also sitting at the table.

“Alana, I feel like I need to talk to you soon.” Lacy said to her friend.

“I need to talk to you about something as well. Should we talk after school?” Alana asks.

“That would be good. Where do you want to meet up? My house or your home?” Lacy asked.

“Hmm, how about yours?” Alana asked. Lacy nods.

“Alright.” Lacy agreed to it.

After school, Ronnie quickly wanted to get out of there to avoid Lacy at all cost. Ronnie got a ride, Tj who came and got him. Tj got a car from his dad. After Tj finally got cleaned up, his dad got him a car for a reward. Tj also started working at a job. Part time only. Tj’s father, Cliff also helped Tj get a license. Lionel, Tj’s older brother have gotten a job and had a child with Paige. They had a son that was born about a year and a half ago. Lionel also got cleaned up.

“I can’t believe that Lacy tried to talk to me yesterday!” Ronnie said as he was looking out the window. He was sitting in the passenger seat.

“Lacy must really care about you still. Even though Robert is her number one.”

“I gave her up. And she should know by now I don’t want nothing to do with her and Robert. For what she did to me.” Ronnie said. Tj glanced at Ronnie and then back at the road.

“Do you need me to drive you to work today?” Tj asks.

“No. Don’t even bother. I got fired.” Ronnie replies.

“This is the third time? You shouldn’t keep getting fired you know. It might be harder for you to get a job afterwards.”

“I can’t help it.” Ronnie stopped looking out the window and looked down. “I have to deal with things.”

“Yeah, we all got our share of problems. Lionel has been trying to make it work with Paige and trying to find an apartment together. They are looking for a two bedroom. Lionel is working but Paige stays home with her parents to take care of her son. Lionel has been complaining a lot to me about the fights the two get into and to top it all off, he said she might be pregnant again.”

“Wow. Why don’t they either cool it with the sex or do something not to have any more kids?” Ronnie asked and laughed a little.

“I know. I am glad I don’t have no kids. Their son is a little terror.” Tj chuckles. “So you want to go home?”

“Nah, I think I might hang out over your place or something today. I don’t feel like going home right now and being lectured into finding a job.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to deal with that shit either.” Tj agreed and decided to take Ronnie to his home. Well, actually his dad’s house. He still lived in the big house with his dad.