Loving Raylynn

by C. R. Marcum

  “No fuckin way that’s girl scout. She looks hot!” Lucas said leaning forward to get a better look.

  “Damn Ty, now I see why you like her so much.” Jax said patting him on the shoulder.

  “Hey babe, are you that flexible?” Jax asked Raylynn with a smile.

  “Excuse you?” she said with a smile before she popped him on the leg.

  “Damn, I was just wondering. I mean it could make for an interesting sex life.” He said pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her.

  “Yeah yeah, I see how it is.” She said before pulling him in for a kiss.

  “Hey, who’s that guy?” Drake asked nodding towards the field.

  Raylynn turned her attention to Paisley, and she instantly saw who Drake was talking about. It was Brian, and he was obviously flirting with Paisley.

  “That’s Brian Callahan, the captain of the football team, and a certified prick.” Ty answered, his jealousy on full display.

  “Is that her boyfriend or something?” Lucas asked still looking at the field.

  “Hell no!” Ty and Raylynn said in unison.

  “Damn, okay. I was just asking.” Lucas replied.

  “Why’s he keep looking at her like that then?” Drake asked no one in particular.

  They all watched in silence as the obvious flirting continued. After every play he would look over and flash her that sickening smile. Paisley would smile and so on and so forth. It was painful to watch. At one point, Raylynn could see her talking to Aspen, who looked equally hot in her uniform. Aspen was looking in the stands, and for a moment she thought she was looking at Jax, but it didn’t take long for her to realize that it was Ty. Aspen was checking him out hard. She had waved a few times, but Ty only had eyes for Paisley.

  When half time rolled around, Paisley put on a show. She was thrown and tossed and flipped in every which way. She did so many tumbles that Raylynn felt sick for her. The guys were in awe. It was a whole new side to Paisley that they hadn’t been aware of. Paisley was confident on the field, and it seemed like everyone took notice.

  “So, how long do you think it’ll be before some guy snatches her up and makes her his?” Ty asked quietly.

  “I don’t know Ty, I guess it depends. Look I know you like her, and I know you’d be good to her. I really wish you would just tell her how you feel.” Raylynn said bumping her shoulder against his.

  “I know Ray, I just worry that if she doesn’t feel the same way that it’ll make things awkward between us.” He replied.

  “Look, I can’t watch you pine after her with no hope of anything ever progressing. So, either you tell her or I will. She’s not gonna be single forever Ty, and if someone beats you to it I don’t wanna hear your sob story.” Raylynn told him sternly.

  “Shit Ray, I’ll tell her. After the game, I’ll just tell her.” He said.

  “Good, that will give you plenty of time to get rid of your boner.” She replied with a smile.

  The game ended with a win, and Paisley was ecstatic. She was jumping and flipping and Raylynn could see her happiness. It was nice to see. Ty had been psyching himself up during the whole fourth quarter, and now that the game was over he was ready. Raylynn stood and clapped and yelled for Paisley, the guys joined in and they quickly became the loudest people there. Paisley looked at them and smiled before turning to talk to Aspen.

  Raylynn gave Ty a nudge and he smiled. He had just started to walk towards the stairs when Drake grabbed him by the arm and pointed towards the field. Paisley was talking to Brian. She was all smiles and had given him a nod before he lowered his head and gave her a small kiss. It was just a peck, but it was enough. Paisley was interested in someone, but it wasn’t Ty.

  “Ty, it’s nothing. She was probably just congratulating him on the game. Cheerleaders do it all the time.” Jax said.

  “Yeah, besides, you have an admirer of your own.” Lucas said nodding towards Aspen.

  Paisley left the kiss quickly and had bounced over to Aspen. Ty watched them as they talked and giggled and looked up at the stands. In the time it took for them all to sit down, Paisley and Aspen were on their way up there.

  “You’re smokin Girl Scout.” Lucas said when Paisley approached.

  “Umm, thanks I guess, anyway Ty you know Aspen right?” She asked.

  “Yeah, we met.” He replied, unsure why he suddenly felt nervous.

  “Good, so anyway, Brian asked me to the harvest dance and of course I said yes, but when I told Aspen she told me that she wasn’t going, because she didn’t have a date. I told her that it was unacceptable and that you would take her Ty, and don’t worry Coop, I got you a date too. Brian’s friend Nick was very happy to hear that you didn’t have a date, so you are going with him. I am so excited, anyways, I have to go. I’ll see you guys later. I’m staying at Aspen’s tonight though so I won’t see you until tomorrow Coop. Love you bye!” And with that she and Aspen bounded down the bleachers and out of sight.

  Raylynn and Ty sat staring at one another. Both unable to fully process what had just happened.

  “That just happened.” Lucas said laughing.

  “You can get out of it though right babe?” Jax asked seriously.

  Raylynn turned to face him shaking her head in pure disbelief.

  “You’ve met her right?” She asked him.

  “Yeah, but she can’t really expect you to go with some guy you don’t know.”

  “Trust me, she does.”

  “I don’t want to go with Aspen.” Ty said shaking his head.

  “Well at least Aspen is good looking, I don’t even know who the hell Nick is.” She said.

  “If he’s one of Brian’s friends, he’s probably on the football team. So there’s that.” Ty replied.

  “You’re sure you can’t get out of it?” Jax asked again.

  Ty and Raylynn looked at him and both shook their heads no.

  “Fuck, well he better not touch you.” Jax pouted.

  “You’re right, he better not.” She said. “Now, can we please get outta here?”

  “Yeah, I’m ready to get you home.” He replied standing and holding out his hand for her.

  She gladly took it and let him lead her out of there. When they were finally out of the crowd, she handed him her keys.

  “I have a horrible headache, would you mind driving?” She asked.

  “Your Charger? Fuck yeah I’ll drive.” He replied before giving her a kiss.

  “Thanks. Tonight was just way too much.”

  Jax opened the passenger door and watched as she climbed in. Once she was safely inside, he ran his fingers across the hood, admiring the curves before sliding into the driver’s seat.

  When they made it back to Jax’s, the other guys were already there. Jax had been extra cautious on the drive there as he didn’t want to damage her car in anyway. Raylynn was thankful that the others had already made their way to their rooms. She was in no mood to talk, she just wanted to be alone with Jax.

  Jax opened the door to his room and stepped aside to let her in. She smiled sweetly and made her way to the bed, kicking her shoes off on the way. She climbed up and made herself comfortable before turning to Jax.

  “You just gonna stand there?” She asked.

  “I got something I gotta do real quick. I’ll be back in a second.” He replied before shutting the door.

  Raylynn laid quietly, reflecting on the events of the last few hours. She felt out of control. With everything that was going on with Katrina, and now this dance that she wanted no part of, she needed to gain control somehow. The only thing she had in her life that was her choosing was the guys. She had Jax, who made her feel important, sexy, and wanted. Then she had Syn and Drake and Lucas who made her feel safe, and welcome. Then there was Ty. He had quickly become like her brother. She loved them all, even though she had only known them for a short time. Her thoughts were cut short by Jax, who had finally made it back.

  “Lost in your thoughts beautiful?” He aske
d.

  “Sorry, I was just thinking about how much I like being here with you, and the other guys.” She replied, pulling herself up to sit.

  “We like having you here too. It’s nice to have someone here who gets along with all of us.” He said, sitting a plate on her lap.

  “What’s this for?”

  “To eat, I was starving so I made us both an omelet. Hope you like bacon and cheese.” He said smiling.

  “I do, but I eat mine with hot sauce. You guys got any?” She asked. The smell of the food making her salivate.

  Jax smiled and pulled the bottle of sauce out of his back pocket before handing it to her.

  “I eat mine like that too.”

  “You are too much, you know that?” she asked.

  “So I’ve been told. Now eat up, omelets suck when they get cold.”

  Jax climbed up on the bed and made himself comfortable next to her, before tearing into his food. Raylynn couldn’t deny the fact that she was hungry. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and with everything that had happened, she needed some comfort food.

  Jax turned on a movie, a B rated horror flick, and they ate in silence. When they had finished eating, Raylynn reached for her bag. Once she found it, she pulled out her phone and her meds. She had never taken her meds in front of Jax, and she hoped that he wouldn’t ask about them. She was relieved when he didn’t, and she downed the pills quickly. She made sure to turn her ringer down before sitting it on the bedside table.

  She wasn’t exactly comfortable in the clothes she was wearing, but she hadn’t planned on staying with Jax. She hadn’t brought any clothes with her. She was so thankful when Jax gave her a T-shirt to wear. She could smell him on it, and it made her instantly relax.

  Jax had pulled her pillow close to him after he removed his jeans and shirt. He was lying in just his boxers, but nothing about the moment led her to believe that he wanted more. She snuggled up next to him, and laid her head on his chest. The last thing she remembered was him rubbing small circles on her shoulder.

  Raylynn was woken by the sound of her phone ringing. She had no intention of answering it though. The feel of Jax’s arms around her made her feel so safe. She didn’t want to lose that feeling for anything in the world. She needed that safety, and Jax provided that for her. She had snuggled back into her pillow when her phone started ringing again. She knew instantly who it was. Paisley was the only one she knew that would call her back to back. She let out a small groan and reached over and grabbed it.

  “What?” She grumbled.

  “Well, that’s no way to answer your phone.” Paisley replied.

  “Well, what do you expect when you call me this early?”

  “Never mind that, you need to get up and dressed. I’m coming to get you. We will be there in twenty minutes.” Paisley answered, her happiness bubbling over.

  “Why Pais, can’t you just let me sleep in for once?” she asked.

  “No, we have dress shopping to attend to. So, get up.” She said before hanging up the phone.

  Raylynn sat staring at the screen. It was only nine in the morning, and of course Paisley would want to start shopping. She knew that the dance was coming up, but she didn’t want to go anyway. She had hoped she would have a few days to piss and moan about it before actually having to try on dresses, but obviously Paisley had other ideas. She could only grunt as she threw back the blanket and started looking for her clothes.

  “Come back to bed.” Jax moaned.

  “I can’t, Paisleys’ on her way to get me. We are going dress shopping yay.” She grumbled.

  “You sure you can’t get out of this?” he asked sitting up.

  “No Jax, trust me if I could I would. I don’t want to go either, but Paisley would make my life miserable if I didn’t go. So, I’m going to get dressed, suck it up and go dress shopping.” She replied pulling her pants up.

  “Damn it. Fine, but get a long dress please. I don’t want to have to spend the night worrying whether or not that prick has his hands on you or not.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure that guys care about the dress, and not what’s hiding under them.” She said with a smile.

  “Thanks, that really put my mind at ease.”

  “Glad I could help.” She squealed as Jax grabbed her and pulled her back on the bed.

  “Yeah, tons of help.” He said before bringing his mouth to hers. The kiss had just started to deepen when her phone began to ring again. Jax let out a small groan before moving to the side to let her up.

  She barely managed a smile as she turned and walked out the door, leaving Jax alone.

  Paisley was on a different level this morning. Her normal peppiness had been replaced with an over the top bubbliness that Raylynn wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle. Her only redeeming quality for the moment was the extra large white chocolate mocha that she had thought to grab for Raylynn before coming over.

  Aspen and Paisley spent the entire drive to the city talking and laughing and making plans for their dresses. Raylynn sat quietly in the backseat, dreading everything about the day. She had never been one for school functions of any kind. She loved to dance, but never did it in public. She just wanted to stay home, and be with Jax instead of going to the dance with some jerk she didn’t know.

  When they pulled up in front of the boutique, Paisley and Aspen nearly leapt out of the car. Raylynn was taking her time, and Paisley was growing more impatient by the second.

  “C’mon Coop, get out of the car, or I will drag you out myself.” Paisley said with a stomp of her foot.

  “I’m coming, forgive me if I’m not excited to pick out a dress for a dance I don’t even want to go to.”

  “Just suck it up already, you’ll be fine.” Aspen interjected.

  “Pretty sure I wasn’t talking to you.” Raylynn shot as she finally climbed out of the backseat.

  “Didn’t ask if you were.” Aspen spat back.

  “Alright girls, that’s enough. Let’s have fun and find our dream dresses.” Paisley said stepping in between them and wrapping her arms around their waists.

  “Fine, let’s just get this over with.” Raylynn replied as they made their way towards the door.

  “A little enthusiasm would be nice Coop.”

  “I’ll see what I can do Pais.”

  An hour into dress shopping, and Raylynn still hadn’t tried anything on. She never actually intended to, but of course Paisley had other plans.

  “If you don’t actually try something on and show a bit of excitement, I am going to pick one for you.”

  “Oh no you’re not, I’ll find something on my own.” Raylynn said standing.

  “That’s better.” Paisley said with a smile.

  Raylynn looked around the shop, and everything was sickly shades of pink and blue. Nothing she saw was even close to her style. She was looking for black, but there were only two black dresses in the whole store. One was a floor length skin tight dress. The second was an eighty’s style dress with ruffles all over it. Neither one was her style, but at least the second one would make for a hilarious picture for Jax. She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture and sent it.

  She grabbed the dress and walked over to Paisley, smiling the whole way.

  “I found the perfect dress. Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked.

  “Oh my god Raylynn Grace Cooper, you are not wearing that thing!” Paisley shrieked.

  “Why not? It’s perfect.” Raylynn giggled.

  “It’s hideous! You are not wearing that, and since you won’t take this seriously, I’m picking your dress!” Paisley screeched.

  “No! I was just kidding!” she replied quickly.

  “Nope, you lost your chance to find your own dress. I am picking it out, and I will be doing your hair and makeup. You have no say in the matter.” Paisley said, her tone all business.

  “Pais, no. I will find something.” She retorted.

  “NO! You aren’t taking this seriously. I am going to pick
your dress, and you will look great. Now, what size are you again?” Paisley asked.

  “Uggh! Paisley Jo Marler you are a pain in my ass!”

  “I know, now what size are you?” Paisley asked with a smile.

  “Five.” She replied sitting.

  “Great! I’ll be back with the perfect dress!” and with that she was gone.

  Raylynn sat nervously waiting for Paisley to return. She wanted nothing more than to vanish into the walls and not have to be here. She would get Paisley back for this, she just had to figure out how.

  Paisley returned not but ten minutes later with a dress hanging over her shoulder. She looked pleased with herself, and that look made Raylynn nervous. It was in that moment that the idea struck her.

  “What are you so happy about?” Paisley asked. “You haven’t even seen the dress yet.”

  “Because, it doesn’t matter what dress you picked. I will wear it, and you can do my hair and makeup. I’ll even wear heels if you want me to. I only ask for one thing in return.” Raylynn said grinning.

  “Really? You won’t argue or anything?” Paisley asked shocked.

  “Nope, no arguments no pouting, and I’ll even dance.” Raylynn replied.

  “Okay, anything you want. Shoot.” Paisley agreed.

  “I get to dress you up too. I want to pick your dress and do your hair and makeup too.” She said with a smile.

  “Um, no. Sorry, I can’t do that. The dress you picked was horrid, and I refuse to wear it.” Paisley pouted.

  “No silly, I will pick out a good dress for you. I promise.”

  “You promise I’ll look good?” Paisley asked seriously.

  “Yes, I swear on my life that you will look amazing.”

  “Uggh fine, but if you pick out something ugly I will beat you.”

  “I won’t. I’ll be right back. You’re a size three right?” She asked

  “Yeah.” Paisley resigned.

  “I’m picking out my own dress thank you very much.” Aspen said stepping out of the dressing room wearing a beautiful red satin dress.

  “That one I hope.” Paisley said.

  “I think so. My boobs look amazing in this one.” Aspen replied looking at herself in the full length mirror.