by C. R. Marcum
Raylynn reached the foot of the stairs to find Paisley standing with her arms crossed.
“Ten minutes exactly, so calm down killer.” Raylynn said as she took the last step at the ten minute mark. She had made sure to time it. Raylynn enjoyed messing with Paisley. It was fun to see her get flustered.
“Good job, now c’mon, Dad made biscuits and gravy for you. He knows how much you like it.” Paisley said as she grabbed Raylynn’s hand.
“Pais, I remember where the kitchen is, I really don’t need a tour guide.” Raylynn said as Paisley practically pulled her along.
As they rounded the corner, Raylynn could smell the gravy. It made her mouth water. She didn’t realize she was as hungry as she was. The girls sat down and made their plates, while Richard pulled a container of fresh fruit from the fridge. He sat the bowl on the table and took his seat.
“So, girls, any big plans for tonight?” Richard asked with a smile. Family breakfast was a requirement for Richard. This was his time to build his relationship with the girls, and he took full advantage of it. It didn’t bother Raylynn as much as it used to. In fact, she found it comforting.
“Well, school of course, and then we will have to come home and do whatever homework we have, and then I think we have dinner plans with Ty. You know to celebrate Coop’s big 18. And then we might go see that movie that we told you about, you know the one about that guy that’s gay, but nobody knows it.” Paisley said, impressively in one breath.
“Well, that sounds great. How about I cover dinner and a movie for you three? It’s the least I can do.” Richard said as he handed Raylynn a hundred-dollar bill.
“You don’t have to do that Uncle Richard, I still have a bit of money saved.” Raylynn said as she tried to hand the money back.
“Nonsense. You take the money and have a great time.” Richard smiled.
“Thanks Uncle Richard, that is really nice of you.” Raylynn said sheepishly.
“Don’t mention it, but it is getting late, shouldn’t you girls be heading out?” Richard said directly to Paisley who had already finished her breakfast and was slightly bouncing in her chair.
“Yep, c’mon Coop, we gotta go.” Paisley said as she jumped up and put her plate in the sink. “I even made your giant coffee to go.” She said as she grabbed Raylynn’s mostly uneaten breakfast and sat it on the counter.
“Okay, I guess we are leaving now. Thanks again Uncle Richard.” Raylynn said as Paisley ushered her towards the front door.
Raylynn reached the door and went to open it when she was suddenly in the dark. Paisley had covered her eyes, and she couldn’t see anything.
“Paisley, what the hell are you doing? I can’t see with you doing that. Knock it off.” Raylynn said as she tried to wiggle away from Paisley’s grasp.
“No, trust me. Now the door is already open, just take two steps forward.” Paisley said as she guided Raylynn out of the door.
“Okay, are you ready?” Paisley asked
“Ready for what exactly?”
“One, Two, and Three…Happy Birthday Coop!” Paisley said as she dropped her hands from Raylynn’s eyes.
Sitting in the driveway was the most beautiful car she had ever seen. The brand-new Charger was custom, Raylynn could tell. It was blacked out, except for the purple racing stripes that ran the length of the car and the purple rims. The windows were tinted to the point that she couldn’t make out the color of the interior. Raylynn stood; slack jawed, staring at the beautiful car.
“She’s speechless!” Paisley exclaimed
Raylynn felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her close. She looked up to see her Uncle Richard smiling warmly at her. She could faintly hear Paisley rambling about all of the cool features the car had, and what she had picked out, and that she had been dying to tell her for weeks and weeks. Raylynn just smiled at her Uncle.
“This is too much; I can’t accept it, even though it is the most beautiful car on the planet.” Raylynn whispered to him.
Richard smiled and placed a kiss on the top of her head as he handed her the keys.
“It’s yours Raylynn, enjoy it.”
“I, really just don’t know what to say.” Raylynn said looking at the keys in her hand. She could still hear Paisley going on and on, but in the moment all she could focus on was the keys. “Thank you.” She said as she wrapped her arms around her Uncle.
“Happy Birthday kid and good luck.” He said with a smile and a nod towards Paisley.
“Thanks, I’m gonna need it. I swear I need to find her off button.” Raylynn said with a smirk.
“If you find it, let me know.” Richard said, and with one more quick hug, he turned and went back in the house.
Raylynn slowly made her way towards the car. Paisley’s voice was coming more into focus. She could hear her a bit clearer, but still all she could focus on was the car.
“So, do you love it?” Paisley asked as Raylynn ran her fingers along the curves of the hood.
“Pais, I…I am in love with it. I just don’t understand why…I mean, why did you guys do this for me?” Raylynn asked as she stared at her.
“Well, for one, you’re family, and for two, you are going to need your own car. I have to start staying after school for drama rehearsals. Then of course, you need to be able to make it to the football games. So, I talked to Dad and he agreed. He let me pick out every detail. I got the right shade of purple right? Never mind, I can see, it matches the purple in your hair. I just thought, why pick one off the lot when I could get it custom made for you.” Paisley rambled “Now, would you please press the button so we can get in, you’re driving!”
Raylynn hit the unlock button and slowly opened the driver side door. She slid in carefully and looked around. The inside was custom too. The seats were black leather with the same purple running down the middle. The steering wheel had the same purple in the middle. The car was just as beautiful inside as it was outside.
Raylynn looked carefully for the ignition but couldn’t find it. It took her a second to realize that it was a keyless start. She found the button and pressed her finger to it gently. The engine purred to life and Raylynn smiled so big it actually hurt her cheeks.
“So, I took the liberty of downloading all of your music to the built in Mp3 player. By the way, your music is kinda depressing. I mean there’s a lot of talk about bleeding and dying, and darkness. Anyway, I did add a little bit of my music, you know for when we are together.” Paisley explained as Raylynn put the car in drive, and pulled onto the street. She couldn’t help but laugh at Paisley’s distaste for her music.
“Thanks Pais, for all of it, but honestly, my music isn’t really that bad.” She defended playfully.
“Yes it is, I don’t understand why they are all so unhappy, I mean, they have tons of money now, they should be happier.” Paisley said seriously.
“Yeah, ‘cause that’s how it works.” She said as they made their way towards school.
“Well, it should work like that.”
“Can I ask you something Pais?” She asked as she pulled into their parking spot.
“Of course!” Paisley answered as she got out of the car.
“Why did you pick the Charger?” She asked
“Because, it’s a kick ass car for a kick ass chick.” Paisley answered.
With that the girls entered the school. They said their goodbyes and headed towards their own first period class. Raylynn sat through the boring lecture first period had to offer, barely paying attention to the rambling teacher. It really didn’t matter though; Raylynn was pulling an A without much effort. Her thoughts kept creeping to her car sitting in the student lot. She barely heard the bell ring and only realized it when the other students began filing out. She packed up her things and headed towards Bio, smiling.
Raylynn took her usual seat in the middle row and waited for Ty to come in. He had slowly gotten better at making it to class on time. When he finally entered the class he smiled brightly at her a
nd made his way to his seat. He fished around in his bag for a minute before finally pulling out a small gift box. It was wrapped in purple paper. He smiled slightly before setting it on her desk.
“Happy Birthday.” Ty whispered.
“Ty, you didn’t have to get me anything. I’ve already gotten more than anything I could have ever hoped for.” Raylynn said trying to pass the gift back.
“Just open it would you.”
With a resigned look, Raylynn slid her finger under the tape that held the paper closed. The paper came off easily to reveal the small box underneath. Raylynn took the top off and found a keychain lying in the box. It was the Avenge Me symbol. She shot a look at Ty and smiled.
“This is perfect. Thanks Ty.” She whispered as she removed the keychain from the box. She slid the keys out of her bag and placed them on the chain.
“No problem, I know it’s not much, but I figured you would need one.” Ty whispered back with a sheepish grin.
The rest of the day progressed in much the same way as always. Raylynn spent the next two periods alone, and then got to spend the rest of the day with her two best friends. When the last bell of the day rang, the three of them walked at a casual pace towards the student lot.
“So, we of course, have some homework to do, and then we will head to the diner. Let’s say six o’clock.” Paisley said with her usual buoyancy.
“Sounds good.” Ty replied as he scanned the lot for his ride.
“Looks like someone needs a ride.” Raylynn said in a tone she didn’t quite recognize.
“No, I’m fine. Someone will be here soon.” He answered.
“One of these days, you are going to have to take our offer. I mean, you know where we live, it’s kinda not fair ya know. Anyway, so after dinner I thought we could go and see that movie, and maybe even hang out at the beach after.” Paisley said.
“Yeah, that sounds great. C’mon Pais, if we are gonna get our homework done and get ready by five-thirty we kinda need to go.” Raylynn said “See ya at six Ty.” She said as she grabbed Paisley by the hand and headed towards her waiting car.
The girls made it home and got started on their homework right away. They finished in record time and started getting ready for the evening plans they had made. Raylynn threw on a fresh pair of black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt after her shower. She ran into Paisley in the hallway on her way to her room. She knew by the look on her face that Paisley was none too pleased with what she had on.
“Raylynn Grace Cooper, you are most certainly not going to look like your usual self tonight. Here, wear this.” Paisley said as she tossed a purple tank towards Raylynn.
“What’s the big deal Pais, I mean we are just having dinner with Ty.”
“The big deal is, it is your birthday and you are going to look nice. Don’t fight me on this Coop.”
“Jesus, fine I’ll wear the damn shirt.” She said. The look on Paisley’s face was one of those Do Not Mess with Me looks.
“Great.” Paisley said as she turned and left Raylynn standing in the hallway.
Raylynn headed towards her room with the purple top in hand. There were a lot of things about Paisley that she had come to realize in the few months that she was there. First, she was bubbly by nature, and she liked to get her way. Paisley was also the kind of person that had to be perfect. Her hair, makeup, clothes were always perfect. Paisley was never sad, never took a lazy day, and was always the most talkative person in the room. Raylynn called it word vomit. It was even worse if she was excited. Even though they were so much different, Raylynn loved her and couldn’t imagine making it through the last few months without her.
She had just finished putting on her mascara when Paisley came into the room carrying a makeup bag and shoes. She eyed the bag quickly before taking a step back.
“NO! You are not going to put all that shit on my face. Nope, not gonna happen Paisley.”
“Oh, c’mon, just a little eye shadow, maybe some highlighter and I would love to do a contour.” Paisley said as she winked at her. “I’m kidding, but you are going to wear these."
Paisley held the wedge sandals in front of her and smiled brightly. Raylynn sighed and took the sandals from her very pushy cousin.
“Fine, if it makes you happy.” She stated in a flat tone. As she took a seat her stomach let out an angry growl. It was very loud. She looked to Paisley who stared at her a little shocked.
“If you would have eaten something at lunch, your stomach wouldn’t sound like it was eating itself.” She giggled
“Well, if someone hadn’t stolen my breakfast, I would be fine.” She quipped back as she strapped up the sandals and stood.
“WOW, Coop, you look HOTT!!!” Paisley said as she looked Raylynn up and down. “Turn around and let me check you out.”
“No and stop looking at me like that. I am the average one in this group.” She said with an eye roll.
“Get over here and look at yourself.” Paisley said as she led Raylynn to the full length mirror on the back of the door.
Standing there looking at herself, all Raylynn could see were the flaws. She was too skinny, her breasts were too big for her frame, her hair wasn’t quite right and her face was average. The worst part was, wearing the tank that fit tight against her skin, she couldn’t hide the flaws. She turned to the side and could see that her hair wasn’t quite long enough to hide her ass either.
“Yeah, ok I looked. Can we go now?” Raylynn said as she stared blankly at her cousin.
“Whatever here put some of this on,” Paisley said as she handed her a tube of sparkly lip gloss. “The Chap Stick has got to go; your lips are too pretty not to gloss them.”
“I don’t think I like you today.” She said as she quickly applied the gloss and walked out of the room.
“Yeah yeah, but you love me.” Paisley said as she followed.
The girls made their way downstairs and almost made it out the door when Katrina stepped into the foyer.
“Well, don’t you two look like a couple of working girls. Where are you going dressed like that?” Katrina spewed the words out like venom.
“What’s wrong with what we have on?” Paisley asked with a touch of sadness in her voice.
“You both look like little tramps, I’m just saying that both of your tops are a bit low-cut, and your makeup looks like you applied it with a paint roller.” Katrina said with an evil look in her eyes.
“Go to hell Katrina.” Raylynn said as she approached her Aunt. “You’re just jealous that you can’t look like her. I’m going to say this one time, and one time only; If you say anything else to Paisley that isn’t an actual compliment I will tell Uncle Richard what you are doing. He will leave you, and you will have nothing. So I suggest you back the fuck off.” Raylynn said before she realized what she was saying.
“You wouldn’t dare.” Katrina said. Her look was of hatred.
“Try me.”
Raylynn grabbed her bag and pulled Paisley out the front door. Raylynn looked at Paisley closely when they got outside. She was wearing a white tank that had the prettiest little flowers printed all over it. It fit her curves perfectly. It showed just enough of her cleavage to make you wonder what was underneath, without showing too much. Her jeans fit tight, but perfectly hugged her ass. She had her hair up in her usual braided bun and her makeup was picture ready. Her long legs pulled the eye down to her perfectly painted toes that just peeked out of her wedge sandals. She looked amazing.
“Pais, forget about her. She’s just an old bitch. She wishes she could look like you.” Raylynn said.
“She hates me, I swear, no matter what I do she just hates me.” Paisley whispered, defeated.
“She’s jealous. Now, come on it’s over now, and it is my birthday. Let’s just forget about her and go meet Ty. He’s gonna flip when he sees us.”
“Why would he flip? He sees us every day.”
“No reason lets go.” Raylynn smiled. Sometimes she wondered if Paisley real
ly didn’t notice that Ty was completely in love with her, or if she was just pretending she didn’t know.
The girls climbed in the car and headed down the driveway. Paisley allowed Raylynn to pick the music without complaining. They girls smiled at each other as they pulled onto the street and headed towards the diner to meet Ty.
The drive downtown was uneventful. They talked and laughed as they listened to a mix of both girl’s music. Raylynn would never admit it, but Paisley’s music didn’t make her want to stab a pen in her ear anymore. They made their way towards the little diner they had agreed to meet at. It was six past six when they pulled up in front of it. Raylynn parked just before the alley and threw the car in park.
As the girls climbed out of the car, they scanned the area for Ty. He wasn’t out front.
“He’s probably waiting at our usual table.” Paisley said as she came around the front of the car.
“Probably.” She said as the girls started towards the diner. It wasn’t until the group of guys almost trampled them and took off towards a waiting car, that Raylynn noticed the heap in the alley.
“Is that a person?” Paisley asked as she followed Raylynn’s gaze.
Raylynn’s gaze caught sight of a bag lying upside down against the building and without even knowing what was happening she was running. “Call 911! It’s Ty.” She yelled barely hearing the scream from behind her.
4.
“Ty, can you hear me?” Raylynn asked dropping to her knees next to the heap that was Ty.
“Oh My God please tell me he’s not dead, he has to be ok, is he ok?” Paisley asked through her tears. She was shaking so badly that she had leaned against the building for support.
“Just call 911 Pais, he’s breathing, but he needs help.” She ordered as she slowly rolled Ty to his back.
“I’m trying, but I’m shaking so bad I can’t put in the numbers.” Paisley replied with her phone in hand.
Raylynn noticed Ty opening his eyes slightly and making noises. She leaned down close to his mouth and listened.
