Ronan: To the Moon and Back

Rae wakes up from her nights sleep with a gasp, sitting up slowly. She shoves her fingers through her messy hair and reminds herself that the dream was just that. A dream. One that leaves her heart aching and muscle spasms in her chest, yet she still pinches her skin just to make sure. She gatherings her barrings, wipes the sweat from her forehead, calms her breathing until it's back at its normal rate, then gets ready for work.



The diner she works at is called Jaspers, owned by the name itself. It sits on the corner of a small intersection, and serves great food, classics and new twists on the classics. They serve one American item, which is the Philly cheesesteak, because Jasper himself had gone over to Philadelphia to visit family and fell in love with the greasy and mouthwatering sandwich. The tea is great and the coffee better because Jasper roasts his own beans and secretly adds a dash of nutmeg each time. It's warm, and cozy when it rains, and plays soft classic rock music through the speakers in the ceiling. Jasper is kind, and the cook Glenn, is gentle. Her coworkers are lovely and she's built lasting friendships with them. They understand when Rae has to suddenly take off because of Ronan and split the tip jar unevenly giving more to her because they all know she helps her mother pay the bills; despite Raelyn's protests. Though it's hard working double shifts at a 24 hour diner, she loves it. Well, most of the time. Raelyn's double shift at the diner has her on edge. She was fine with the late night/early morning shift, going to work at 12:00am until 5:00am. She did get a five hour break though, going home and sleeping through most of it, before she had to be back at ten.



It is now one in the afternoon, and apparently everyone has decided to take their lunch break at the same time. Rae is beginning to hate her uniform, as she does when she's stressed at work, taking it out on the old fashion looking shirt. The material is an off white with maroon boarding around the hem of the shirt, sleeves and collar. Thankfully she's allowed to wear black jeans as part of it, because the girls had refuse to walk around in skirt all day long and Jasper had no problem throwing out that dress code. Her shirt has several stains scattered in different places, all different colors, due to the plate a little kid threw at her. Rae had only smiled politely, explained she had a younger brother who use to do that and went on her way.



She takes orders from behind the counter for the people who are sitting there. Loving them for being easy to serve. She waits on four gossiping old ladies, who comments on the little camera tattoo on the side of Rae's forearm, a few inches above her wrist. They deem it distasteful and tacky to mark up your body. She mentally thanks the heavens that they hadn't seen the eight inch dream catcher etched on the back of her left shoulder; that would probably give them an aneurysm. Rae serves a group of posh business men, with one man from their group eyeing her like she's the meat instead of the hamburger on his plate.



Then there were the two girls who sat at the counter, giggling with judgmental eyes at Rae the whole time. They teased everything about her. The way she placed the orders, how she smiled kindly at others, and made a comment about that one businessman, saying Rae was a slag who was probably going to ride her way to money in the back of his Mercedes. Rae has to bite her tongue back several times.



She may or may not rant to the cook Glenn, an older man with a pot belly and warm eyes, who may or may not have either spit in their food, or spiked it with a bit of his laxatives. She wasn't going to ask and she didn't want to know, but thanked him nonetheless when the two girls suddenly run out of the diner after paying hastily. Rae reminds herself never to get on Glenn's bad side.



The clock on the wall is just hitting the two pm mark, when another costumer walks in and sit on one of the spinning stool tops at the counter. It 's a face all to friendly to Rae and she's about to greet the new person when she's beckoned; rather rudely.



Three teenage boys are sat at the corner table and had been giving Raelyn a hard time. Asking her to unroll their silverware, cut their meat right there at the table for them, and snapping their fingers at her while she was passing and within easy earshot. It was the snapping that, ironically made her snap. Rae whirls around, fire in her eyes and hands on her hips.



"Excuse me." Rae begins hotly, "do I look like a dog to you? No? That's right, so don't you dare snap your fingers at me. And while we're at it, I am not your mother. Cut your own damn meat and use your own fork. Did your mother not teach you how to respect people, let alone your female waitresses? I bet your girlfriend loves that trait about you. Whoops, I'm sorry. My bad. You probably don't have a girlfriend, do you? Not with the way you treat women like they're beneath you. Now could you kindly get the fuck out of this diner?" With that, she stalks off behind the counter. It only takes two minutes for the boys to pay, with no tip, and hurry out of the diner. She didn't want their money anyway.



"Oh, I do hope you have a lovely day!" Rae calls brightly after them, sarcasm dripping from every word.



A low, long whistle reminders her of the new costumer at the counter. "Someone forgot to take their happy juice this morning."



Raelyn glares the girl. "I had three cups of it thank you. I've had a horrible day and they just got the short end of the stick." She turns and sticks her head through the pick up window. "Jasper, Kari's here. I'm taking my break." She's given a thumbs up, and allowing her coworker and friend, Liz, to take over the rest of the dwindling customers. Rae hops over the counter top, and lands on a seat, falling forward dramatically into Kari's arm.



"Take me to Pairs, darling! Let us run away and forget rude people, leave them behind and nay look back. Let us fall in love under the stars and take off our tops at the beaches." Rae rambles into her friend's shoulder, speaking like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.



"I'll pass. I'm already in love and he's already seen me with my top off. Maybe next time." Kari pats Rae's head sympathetically.



Rae sits up, pouting. "Romance is lost on you."



"That bad?"



"Some guy in an expensive suit groped my arse today. So yes." Rae makes a disgusted face.



Kari makes one back. Her black and lavender ombre hair is pulled up into a bun, brown eyes lined with kohl and a frapuccino from Starbucks in her hand. Kari sees her eye her drink and without a beat, bends to pick up another cup she had been hiding beneath her stool. She rolls her eyes when Rae claps happily, take the drink and sips away.



"Jasper will have your head for drinking this." Kari states.



"Jasper doesn't make caramel ribbon crunches, now does he?"



"I'm mad at you." Kari informs, pouting comically. Rae just blinks, clamping the straw between her lips as her response. "Here I thought I was your best friend, only to find out from the newsletter instead."



Another blink, with a head tilt this time. Rae's suddenly confused.



Kari looks around, then drops her voice. "One Direction doing some charity work at Hummingbird Hospice. Now," she brings her voice back up, "I'm quite sure I know someone who practically lives there. Why wouldn't she tell me?"



Rae winces. "Sorry." She says, putting down her drink. "I, erm, sort of forgot? I've been busy these past few days working, helping mum and visiting Ronan."



Kari smiles understandably. Raelyn knows that Kari loves her with all her heart and understands a lot. She knows Rae has horrible horrible anxiety when it comes to her brother, and get so wrapped up in her mind with negative possibilities that Rae some times forgets to mention things.



"I'm only joking, darling. I know you wouldn't blab about it anyway. How's Ronan doing?"



"Good, yeah. Good. He's good." Rae twirls a piece of her hair from her ponytail around her index finger. She takes a long sip from her drink.



"Rae. Did something happen?" Kari questions gently, placing a hand on her friends.



"Not with Ronan, he's doing alright. He loved when they sang to him. They're really nice lads, by the way. All five of them." Rae takes a breath. "I had that dream again. It's always the same one, over and over."



"Why didn't you call me?"



Rae shrugs. "I dunno. It wasn't as bad as last month. No panic attack or unbearable spasms. It was fine."



"Oh, pumpkin!" Kari coos, tightening her hand on Rae's.



"Kari, you only call me that when you're feeling sorry for me. You know I don't want that. It's not your fault."



"I'm not feeling sorry, I'm feeling like some times I can't help you. And yeah, I know." Kari waves her free hand the moment Rae opens her mouth to protest, "you don't want any help from anyone because it's your burden to bare and not anyone else's. You don't want them to feel your pain or have to feel sorry, but Raelyn. You can't keep doing that to yourself. You'll crack."



"I know." Rae admits sadly. "But honestly, I'm perfectly fine now." She flashes her a smile.



"Tell that to the boys who's run off." Kari mutters darkly.



Rae shoves her playfully. "I get off at four. Do you want to come see Ronan with me?"



"Yes!"



Rae laughs. "Calm yourself. They were only there on Friday. Probably just a one time thing."



Kari only deflates a little. "I still want to come. You need help finishing the photos for the newsletter?"



"Yeah, and thanks. I'll call you?"



"Just like you did when the One Direction boys came." Kari quips sarcastically.



"You'll live. I'm sure Lucas would have loved you purposing to one of them."



"It's Liam, darling. Liam. If you're going to be my maid of honor you have to know the groom's name."



"My bad. I'm sure your boyfriend will be the best man."



"He knows it." Kari agrees. "He's opened to polygamy."



"Kari!" Rae swats at her friends thigh, laughing along with her. "You're an idiot."



"Love you too." Kari stands up, giving Rae a tight hug. "Call me later, yeah?"



"Yeah."



They bid each other goodbye after that. Raelyn finishes her shift much happier than before, mainly due to Kari's visit, a friendly face to brighten up the gray walls of the diner. She's been friends with Kari since Primary school, ever since they traded their sandwiches at lunch. They had been there for each other during their first heartbreaks and loss of innocence and had gone through the backstabbing of someone who use to be their friend. Kari was there with Rae when she heard the news of Ronan's tests results. She had been there for her parents divorce, and several panic attacks.



Kari was there the day Raelyn had stopped crying. Through dry eyes, Rae told Kari she felt like she could no longer cry. She had forced herself to stop, because tears were such a pathetic waste, as she was told once before. So she just stopped; held them in and as a result, she now suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. She deals with painful spams in her chest and tends to rub and scratch at it until her skin is red and raw.



***

Notes

Since this story was created and posted throughout the span of two years, it means I had to pleasure to witness a few things. Like this past note I found originally in front of this chapter. "Popping out chapters like the way Harry popped out on stage at my show with that stupid banana and chomping away at it like he's a hungry hungry hippo. (ihatethatkidjkidonthatehimatallimethimokbye)" That was in Florida- Miami...where the paps swarmed that deck...I was there that night. It was horrible. Anyway........