Tragic Magic (Ronnie Radke Love Story) [Book 2-sequel to The Drug In Me]

3. Meeting Derek

*Ryker*

After Ronnie was taken back to his room, a few nurses came in and brought extra chairs for the others to sit down on.

Ryan finally realized how strange I must feel with a stranger in the room, and he introduced the new guy.

"This is Derek, he's gonna be in the band, and Ron left" Ryan said, and Derek came over waving.

Ron left? When? So much has happened while I've been gone...

He sat down next to me and leaned on the bed, searching my eyes. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I know you don't know me but I've heard lots about you and I'm really glad you're back and okay. I thought I might be able to help you a bit" he said, and pulled out an iPod from his pocket.

He offered me an earbud, and explained to me that he always listened to music when he didn't feel good. I nodded and put the earbud and soon Metallica was blaring in my ears.

It felt so nice, knowing that he didnt know me but still thought of what he could do to make me more comfortable, bringing his ipod and letting me listen to his music. I decided that I liked Derek then.

He had long-ish black hair, and his chin and lower cheeks were a bit darker than other parts of his face, like he hadn't shaved in a little while. His eyes were kind and his lips had small creases at the ends from smiling and laughing I supposed.

He smiled at me and then leaned back and tapped his hands to the beat, listening to the music. I did the same, letting it numb the pain and dampen the worries and stress.

I looked around at my-were they my family? Could they be? It felt like they were. They had been with me always, and now that I knew them they seemed to support me and care about me. Hell, they were sitting in my room instead of waiting for the nurses to let them into Ronnie's room.

Jacky and Ryan were talking, and Max was sitting next to Derek, staring blankly into his lap. His tears had dried, but his eyes were still slightly moist and cloudy. He was still shocked I think. It must have been so hard for him when Ronnie was in the coma, they were like brothers, they've been together for so long.

I thought of a video I had seen a while ago, with Ronnie and Max. They were singing, and it went something like this "we're brothers, we're singing and we're lovers...brothers, we're brothers" and then Ronnie laughed strangely. It had always made me smile and laugh whenever I saw it.

Just thinking about it made me laugh, and soon I was guffawing and snorting and I couldn't stop and the others looked at me like I was crazy but I kept laughing, and it hurt my bruised body, my sore stomach, but I kept laughing, laughing at the video, laughing at myself, laughing at everything. I laughed until I cried and even then I kept laughing, laughed till I was exhausted and couldn't make another sound.

The others didn't say anything. I don't know if it's because they didn't know how to respond, or because they understood that it had been half a year since I had last laughed, since I last felt anything but pain, fear, despair, and sadness.

I took the earbud that had fallen from my ear in my laughing fit from Derek's hand and I put it back in and I closed my eyes and listened to the Iron Maiden until I must have drifted off.