FicWad

Ray blinked, and silently repeated Gerard's words in his head. And for once, he was speechless.

"Ray?...Say Something." Stephanie said in a small voice. Ray chuckled, then raised his head.

"No, I'm sorry. It's, it's great. My sister...My best friend...? Hey. I'm happy." He said, a forced smile plastered on his face.

"Seriously?" Steph asked, taking Gerard's hand into her own.

"Yeah."

"Wow." Gerard smiled.

"See baby? We were going out of our minds for nothing. Everything's ok." Stephanie told him and they exchanged a short kiss. Ray's blinked again, and wondered how it was so easy all of a sudden for them to do this in front of him.

"Well, um...Hey.I'll let you two talk and uh, I'll be back later Steph ok? Take care of her Gee." Ray said with the smile still painted on, and backing out of the door. Gerard and Stephanie looked at each other in awe as the door clicked gently behind him.

Ray stepped out in front of his family and friends wearing a stunned expression.

"Ray? Honey, what's wrong?" Christa asked him. He watched as everyone turned to give him their attention.

"I just got some...Wow...Some really, mind-blowing news..." He trailed off, and everyone else seemed to be hanging onto his every word. So he continued. "Stephanie just told me, that she and Gee...Are together. And have been, it seems, since he's the deadbeat Father of her first child, for months." Ray shook his head, then slowly realized nobody else, besides Christa, was as shocked as him. Not even his own Mother.

Mikey finally broke the dreadful silence.

"So he finally told you?" He said, nodding and smiling on the inside for his brother.

"What do you mean, finally? Am I...Was I..The only one who didn't..." Ray paused, and not a single pair of eyes in the entire room met his.

"We wanted...We wanted to wait until they were ready. It wasn't really our call Ray." Frank said, his eyes cast away from Ray's accusing stare.

"It wasn't your.." Ray scoffed, once again pushing his hand through his curly mane.

"Raymond, sweetheart. Let's try and handle this as calmly and with as much dignity as..."

Ray rolled his eyes and cut his Mother off abruptly. "Mom. Really? Are you kidding me? All of you lied to me. Every single one of the most important people in my life kept this secret from me. Except for Christa, of course. It's like a conspiracy!" He exclaimed. No one dared to say anything.

"We're all so sorry, Ray." Alicia spoke in a whisper. Ray held his hand up to halt her.

"I expected a little more from you guys...Especially you, Frank. And my own Parents..."

Mrs Toro-Ortiz's head dropped, and her eyes watered. Mikey wrapped his arms around her.
Ray grabbed Christa's hand, pulling her up from her seat. "We're going...I've gotta..I've gotta clear my head." He said tugging Christa along as she glanced back at everyone else wiith an apologetic look on her face.

"Ray! Come on!" Mikey called.

"Let him go, sweetie. Been that way since he was young, that one. Hotheaded. It'll be alright with him once it sinks in." Ray's mother stated. And they watched them go.

As Ray and Christa reached the elevator, Gerard and Mikey's mother walked out.

"Hi Ray. Christa."

"Hi Donna." Christa replied.

"Great. Just great. So even you knew before I did Donna?" Ray just shook his head and let the elevator doors reclose.

Donna walked down the hall until she came upon the other family members.


"So...I take it he knows, huh?"



uh...yeah. short. but i'm working on more.