Loving Raylynn

by C. R. Marcum

  “Are we ready?” Brian asked.

  “Yeah, lets go!” Aspen squealed grabbing Ty’s hand and almost dragging him behind her.

  Raylynn giggled to herself. She watched as the others started piling into the limo. She turned and gave the guys one last look before starting the short walk to the car. The last thing she saw before climbing in was Jax riding by on Syn’s pan head.

  Once safely inside the car, Raylynn turned on Nick.

  “What the fuck were you thinking?” she asked, the annoyance apparent in her tone.

  “What? I saw those guys staring at you and figured I’d help you out.” He said.

  “I don’t need your fuckin help. I swear, what part of Keep your fuckin hands off me didn’t you get?” She snapped.

  “Excuse the fuck outta me, I just figured you wouldn’t want a bunch of thugs staring at you.”

  “Those THUGS are my friends, and if I didn’t want them looking at me I would tell them. So since you’re obviously fuckin slow let me spell it out for you, Don’t Fuckin Touch Me. The only reason I’m even on this date is because my cousin wouldn’t take no for an answer!” she yelled.

  “Ray, calm down. I’m sure he was only trying to look out for you.” Paisley said, sliding closer to her.

  “I don’t care Pais, I don’t want him touching me.”

  “I won’t fuckin touch you again, shit. Can we just drop it now and try to enjoy the rest of the night?” Nick said, sliding further away from her.

  “Fine, let’s just get this over with.” She conceited.

  “Great.” Nick replied, pulling a small silver flask out of his pocket, and taking a sip.

  “There, see now everyone is on the same page, now we can have fun.” Paisley said.

  Brian reached for Paisley and pulled her close to his side. Raylynn could see her blushing from a mile away, and it made her nauseous. She couldn’t imagine a worse guy for her cousin. She wished Paisley hadn’t been so blind to Ty.

  She looked across the limo to find Ty staring at Pais. She cleared her throat to get his attention. When he looked up she just smiled a small smile at him. She knew how he felt, being here with someone other than the one person you wanted to be with was a horrible feeling. She felt for Ty, but she also felt for Aspen. She was so into Ty, and he hadn’t said two words to her. Aspen was a great person, and had managed to make Raylynn like her. She secretly hoped that Ty would open his eyes and see someone other than Pais.

  The drive to the dance seemed to go faster than anyone anticipated. Raylynn wasn’t ready to go in, but she had no choice but to get out of the car and go in.

  The music was loud, and the lights dim. People were everywhere, and Ray instantly felt out of place. She wanted to turn around and go find Jax. She had no idea why she had let Paisley rope her into this in the first place. She was only comforted by the fact that Ty had been roped into it too.

  Brian had grabbed Paisley by the hand the instant they got into the building and pulled her to the dance floor. Raylynn watched as he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her in close. They swayed to the slow song that was playing, and Paisley looked honestly happy. She watched as Brian let his hands slid a little lower on Paisley’s back. She wanted to storm over there and tell him to get his hands off of her, but Paisley just laid her head on his shoulder.

  Ty came up on her left and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

  “Lets find a table or something, I’m not in the mood to dance.” Ty said, pulling her towards the tables.

  “Sounds like a great idea. I have zero intentions of dancing with anyone besides you.” She replied laughing.

  “You could always dance with me or Pais, or even Aspen.” Ty said. “In fact, if you three girls wanna dance I’d be more than happy to watch.” He finished with an eyebrow raise.

  “Fuck off Ty.” She said, pushing him away from her before sitting down at the table they had secured.

  “Fine, I’ll keep dreaming.”

  The two of them sat and talked for what seemed like forever before Aspen made her way over and sat down.

  “Hey Ty, can you get me a drink? I’m so thirsty.” She said sitting.

  “Sure, I guess I can do that for ya. I’ll be right back.” He replied standing.

  When he was safely out of earshot, Aspen let out an exasperated groan.

  “Is he ever going to notice me?” She asked looking to Ray.

  “Aspen, I don’t know. He is hung up on someone else. I don’t know why, or if he will ever get over it, but I’ll talk to him okay.”

  “Please Ray, I really like him.”

  “I know, and I really think he would like you too.” She replied just as Ty walked up with three drinks.

  “I grabbed you one too Ray.” He said, sitting the drinks down.

  “Thanks Ty, I doubt my date is gonna come anywhere near me, let alone bring me drinks.” She said laughing.

  “Even if he did, I’m not sure you’d want it. I don’t know what he has in that flask, but it’s strong. I could smell it on him when we got out of the car. I’d be worried he’d slip you something.” He said, half kidding.

  “I’d kill him, and he knows it.”

  “I’d pay to see that.” Aspen added, scooting closer to Ty.

  “I bet, hell you’d probably jump in and help me kill him.”

  “You already know. I don’t like him anyway. He dated another girl on the squad for like two months and then as soon as she slept with him he dumped her. He is a capital D.I.C.K.” she said seriously.

  “And my loving cousin decided to hook him up with me.” She said, looking to the dance floor.

  The music had changed and was now drumming out a deep beat that could easily be danced to. Paisley was putting on a damn good show. She was shaking her ass and turning her back to Brian, who in turn pulled her close and let her grind into him. Raylynn could do nothing but watch. She swore she could practically see Brian getting hard, and the vision made her gag a bit.

  She wondered what in the world had gotten into Paisley though. She never in a million years would have thought that Pais would be dancing with someone like that. She must really like Brian, Raylynn thought to herself before turning back to the conversation happening at the table.

  “So Ty, are we gonna dance or are we just gonna sit here all night?” She heard Aspen ask.

  “I don’t really dance, sorry. I bet there are a ton of guys that would be happy to dance with you though.” He replied.

  “Yeah, well I didn’t come to the dance with them now did I?”

  “Look Aspen, I’m sure you are a really nice girl, and you are incredibly attractive, but I didn’t ask you to the dance. Paisley set us up. I didn’t want to come to the dance at all.” He said, a bit rudely.

  “Fine, if that’s how its gonna be I’ll just leave you alone asshole!” Aspen said before standing and storming off.

  “Way to go dipshit.” Raylynn said after Aspen was out of earshot.

  “What? I’m not interested in her.” He defended.

  “You didn’t even give her a chance Ty. Aspen is actually pretty cool once you get to know her.”

  “Well I didn’t see you giving Nick a chance, so you have no room to talk.”

  “That’s different and you know it.” She said. “Look, all I’m saying is that you and Paisley are never going to happen. You need to move on, forget about her in that way.” She finished.

  “I know Ray, I know. It doesn’t change the fact that I really like her. Just because I know it’s never gonna happen doesn’t mean that I can just replace her with another girl. It just doesn’t work like that.” He said.

  “Well, you should at least make tonight a good night for Aspen. She was set up on this date too. You are an amazing guy Ty and I know you feel bad about how you treated her.”

  “Yeah, I do. I think I really hurt her feelings.”

  “Naw really, ya think?” she said with a sideways grin.

  “Fine, I’ll go find her.” He sai
d, standing and adjusting his vest.

  “Go get her tiger!” Ray yelled laughing.

  “Shut it!” Ty yelled over his shoulder as he walked in the direction Aspen had headed moments earlier.

  Raylynn sat at the table alone for awhile, watching Paisley and Brian dancing. Every so often, Brian would disappear for a minute before reappearing with a drink for Paisley. She would down them quickly before starting in on the next dance. She really seemed to be letting her hair down. She was looser than Ray had ever seen her, and she seemed to be having the time of her life.

  After awhile, Ray took off to find Ty. Instead, she ran into a very drunk Nick.

  “Hey sexy, you ready to kiss and make up?” He asked, taking a step closer to her.

  “I swear Nick, you touch me and I will beat the shit outta you.”

  “Don’t be like that. C’mon, let’s dance. I bet you can really move.” He said, stepping closer still.

  “I’m warning you, I will swing first and ask questions later. Don’t test me.” She replied, holding her ground.

  “Awe now, I bet we could be good together. I like your smart ass mouth, I bet you can suck a good dick.” He said reaching out and grabbing her by the waist and pulling her up against him.

  Her reaction was instant. She shoved him hard in the chest and when he let go of her, she swung. Her fist connected with his nose, and she saw the blood start to pour out. He grabbed his face with his right hand, while his left held the wall for support.

  “If you ever touch me again I will fuckin kill you. Do you understand me? I’m not one of those little cheerleaders you usually fuck with. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Stay the fuck away from me.” She said calmly, waiting for his reply.

  “YOU CRAZY BITCH!” he yelled, still holding his nose.

  “Yeah, I am. Don’t forget that little fact either. Now you might wanna go clean yourself off, don’t want to get blood on your nice shirt.” She replied laughing. The pain in her hand was well worth the broken nose she was almost positive she had given him.

  “You were just a pity date anyway, I can have any girl I want. I only agreed to go with you so that Brian could hook up with that Paisley chick.” He said, staggering away.

  “Ha! Paisley isn’t gonna hook up with him anyway!” she yelled after him, not sure if he could even hear her anymore.

  It wasn’t long before Raylynn found him. Ty was sitting in a corner drinking punch and staring at his phone. She could only shake her head at the sight. Ty was still miserable, and honestly so was she. This night was turning out to be a huge mistake. Jax was pissed, so was Aspen. Ty was miserable, and her hand hurt. Actually, she thought, punching that prick was the best part of the night so far. With that thought, she took a seat next to Ty and bumped his shoulder with hers.

  “Anything important?” she asked, nodding towards the phone.

  “Naw, just checkin in with Drake. Honestly, I think I’m just gonna have him come pick me up. Aspen is pissed and Paisley couldn’t care less about me being here.” He said sadly.

  “Nope, you aren’t leaving me here alone. I’ve already had to punch one douche in the face tonight, don’t make me punch another. Cause if you ditch out on Aspen, you will definitely fall into the douche category.” She said, rubbing her knuckles.

  “Wait, who did you punch?” he asked, checking her hand.

  “Nick, he put his hands on me again, so I broke his nose.” She replied with a shrug.

  “Damn Ray, with the one hitter quitter.” He said, holding his hands up defensively.

  “Yeah, so don’t make me knock your ass out too.”

  “Fine, I won’t leave. It’s not like tonight can get much worse now could it.” He stated flatly.

  “Don’t say that. It can always get worse.” She said.

  “Yeah, how?”

  “Like this.” She said standing and grabbing him by the hand. “Let’s go, you’re gonna dance with me.”

  “No I’m not!” he said, trying to pull his hand out of hers.

  “Tyler get your ass up and dance with me. I am wearing a dress, I have on makeup, and heels. Someone is gonna dance with me.” She said tugging him up.

  “No Ray, please. I don’t want to dance. I just want to sit here.” He pleaded.

  “Not an option. Let’s go.”

  Ty stared at her for almost a full minute before finally giving in.

  “One dance Ray, I’m serious.”

  “Sure Ty, one dance.” She replied pulling him to the dance floor.

  They passed Paisley and Brian on their way, and Ty had been right, Paisley didn’t even acknowledge their existence. She was dancing with Brian, and it was like nobody else mattered. Raylynn just shook her head and led Ty towards the other side. They found a spot that wasn’t as crowded and Raylynn started to move. She let her body take over, and the up-tempo music allowed her to lose herself. She grabbed Ty’s hands and placed them on her hips and quickly realized that he was nervous. He acted like he didn’t want to touch her. She rolled her eyes and pulled him closer.

  “You know how to dance right?”

  “Yeah, but…you know.” He replied.

  “No, I don’t.” she said, still moving to the beat.

  “It’s weird isn’t it? I mean, you’re my best friend.”

  “And? It’s just dancing Ty, it’s not like we’re fucking. Now dance with me would ya?” she asked, coming to a dead stop.

  “Fine, let’s dance.” He said laughing.

  Raylynn started moving again, and this time Ty followed suit. He really could dance, she was impressed. She allowed Ty to lead a bit, but when the DJ switched up the music to 90’s throwback jams, she had to take control.

  Jax

  It hadn’t been as hard to talk the others into coming as he had thought it would. He was having a rough time staying home, and knowing that she was alone with that motherfucker made it even harder. When Ty had quit texting Drake, he knew he had a reason to go. He had told them that he was just gonna go check in on them and they had all gotten ready. He knew it was just to keep him outta trouble, but he had known that when he said it.

  They walked into the gym and found a corner to post up in while they looked for the girls and Ty. It had only been a moment when Jax spotted her. She was dancing, and just the sight of her made him ache. The only thing that made the sight of her dancing with another man tolerable was the fact that it was Ty. Jax knew that Ty would never break the bro code, and he also knew that Paisley was more Ty’s speed. Ray was too much for him to handle. Jax watched them dance for a second before letting the others know that he was gonna go say hi.

  He was almost there when the song changed. It was a deep sexy beat, a song he knew too well. He had always liked this song, it was a panty dropper for sure. He watched as Raylynn turned her back to Ty and started to move her hips in that sexy way that girls do. Ty stepped back and looked around. Jax knew he was uncomfortable dancing with Ray in general, but like this was way out of his comfort zone.

  He walked up and tapped Ty on the shoulder, and when he turned around he looked relieved. Ty smiled at him and walked off the dance floor. Jax walked up slowly behind her and waited for his opportunity. Ray stepped back slightly and raised her arms above her head. Jax seized the moment and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against him and started to move with her.

  “Damn Ty, what got into you?” she called over her shoulder.

  “Guess again.” He whispered in her ear before nibbling her earlobe and pulling her even closer.

  The moan that came from her did nothing but make him want to take her on the floor. She tried to turn in his arms, but he didn’t let her. He liked this, the way she was grinding was amazing, and he wasn’t ready to let it end. He held her tight and moved his hips with hers. He pushed into her and she pushed back. He liked the access he had to her neck and shoulder from this angle, and when the sexier lines of the song would come up he would whisper them in her ear. He was just happy th
at he could dance, otherwise this would have been a wasted opportunity.

  When the song was over, he spun Ray around and pulled her close.

  “Hey sexy, how’s your night been?” he asked with a smirk.

  “Ya know, getting hit on every two seconds didn’t get old at all.” She said with a smile.

  “Only once every two seconds, these high school boys must be stupid. I’d have been following you around all night.” He said, turning his hat backwards and smiling down at her.

  “Oh yeah, well you weren’t here.” She said laying her head on his chest. The song had changed to a slow love song and they were swaying to the music.

  “I’m here now baby, and your date better not try to cut in either, cuz I’m not letting him anywhere near you for the rest of the night.” He said, cupping her under the chin before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

  “I wouldn’t worry about that, he’s off somewhere cleaning the blood off his face.” She said with a laugh.

  “Why, what happened to him?”

  “I broke his nose. No biggie.” She said with a shrug.

  “What the fuck Ray? Why? What the fuck did he do?” He asked, looking back and forth from her to scanning the rest of the room.

  “Calm down, he just grabbed me and pulled me into him after I told him not to touch me, so I hit him. It’s fine, I can handle myself Jax. Now, dance with me please.” She said, pulling his face to meet hers.

  “Yeah alright, but if I see him on the way out imma beat the shit outta him just because I can.” He replied before pulling her closer.

  He slid his leg just in between hers and put his hand on her lower back. The music picked up again, and the two of them moved like they were one person. He was getting turned on from just dancing with her. She was perfect and he loved her.

  “Hey Ray, have you seen Paisley?” Aspen asked, pulling her from him.

  “Um, last time I saw her she was dancing with Brian.” She replied, turning to see Ty running up from somewhere behind her.

  “Has she seen her?” Ty yelled coming up behind Aspen.

  “Last time I saw her was when we started dancing, why what’s going on?” she asked, panic starting to rise in her voice.