Rayline.
And with that, something clicked inside me. I tried to be nice and ask him if he was okay, but instead, he snapped at me and told me to leave. My jaw clenched and I knew for sure that he could see the anger that was building up inside of me.
"All right, but a word of advice for you, cold bastard — when someone is being nice to you, maybe you shouldn't act like a jerk," I said, the words coming out uncontrollably, but I didn't regret it, and he seemed annoyed by my words, the orange color in his eyes flashing even brighter this time. He opened his mouth to speak again, but his voice was cut off by another.
"Hey! Look who it is!" I turned around to see a man, who was not familiar to me, suddenly come over and put his arm around Cole's shoulders. However, from the look on his face, it seemed that he was not happy with the man's presence. The man was of medium build with dark brown hair and was obviously drunk, judging by his body movements and the single shot that he was holding.
"I never thought I'd see you here." The man spoke to Cole, then looked me up and down. "You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend!" Cole brushed the man's hand off his shoulder.
"Oh, we're not together," I replied quickly, making him glare at me and the man raised his eyebrows.
"Well then, I'm Hayden, Hayden Smith to be exact." He held out his hand with a bright smile and I took it. "But you can just call me Hayden."
"Rayline Hale, just call me Rayline or Ray."
"Can I get you a drink, Ray?"
"She doesn't drink," Cole said sideways in response to Hayden's offering. I shook my head in annoyance.
"You know what? Screw that, I want one, Hayden." Ignoring Cole's presence, I answered him.
"Looks like it," he smiled and grabbed my right hand, pulling me towards the kitchen. But as I followed, there was another tug on my left wrist.
"What are you doing?" Cole asks, but I pull my left hand out of his grasp.
"Why don't you just mind your own business?" I repeat his words with a sneer and his face drops. This time I can see the alternating flashes of red and black in his eyes as I allow myself to be pulled into the kitchen counter by Hayden.
"Liquor or beer?" he asked as Cole stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching me from behind.
"Shots of liquor," I said with a sweet smile.
"Alright," he replied smirking, and picked up a shot glass along with a bottle of Vodka.
He filled the small glasses and handed them to me while I eyed the clear liquid. I'd never tasted liquor before, and to be honest, I probably should have chosen beer. But I had gone too far and there was no going back. I raised the glass to my lips, sipped, and swallowed. A burning sensation surged through my throat and chest, and I couldn't help but make a pouty face, coughing occasionally and making Hayden laugh.
"Wow." I wiped my lips with my hand, it felt so crazy.
"You're so funny," he said as he filled the second glass. I sighed, not ready for another drink. But Cole's piercing gaze motivated me even more. I picked up the glass and exhaled again before forcing myself to take a second sip. I looked down as the bitter taste hit my throat.
"Maybe you should slow down," Cole said as he leaned against the table while Hayden poured another.
"Why?" I tilted my head to the side and placed a hand on the cool granite surface.
"Because this is obviously your first time drinking and you could hurt yourself."
"Why do you care?" I replied and he pressed his lips together. "What's your excuse? Afraid to have fun?"
"Yeah, come on, Cole Spencer, go have some fun!" Hayden gulped down the rest of his cup, and I agreed with a smile, taking the third drink and downing it in one gulp. This one was a little easier than the previous one.
"I guess you don't know how to let go, and that's why you're such a jerk." I poked him in the chest and could see the annoyance on his face. Meanwhile, Hayden was pouring another glass.
"Oh yeah?" He raised his eyebrows, stood facing me, and without turning his head, took my glass and downed the drink. He didn't even show his face as he downed the drink while Hayden cheered him on from the side. Hayden then walked around the bar and put his arm around me.
"One more to take home." He handed me another glass and I looked at Cole who shook his head. So I took another sip with a smile. "What do you say we take this party over to the living room?"
Hayden gleefully pulled me along, and I smiled. However, as soon as I entered the next room, a wave of dizziness suddenly hit my body. My steps were a little unsteady, but the encouragement he gave me made it all worth it. I was brought to what looked like a dance floor, many bodies scattering and crowding, and I followed the hand that led me as I laughed.
I'm not sure how long I danced - in fact, I'm not sure if I was with him all the time or just dancing with a stranger. My body felt hot, and a layer of sweat began to form, glistening on my chest and face. But I didn't care at the moment. My jacket was long gone, so the thought of covering my skin was out of the question.
When I finally felt tired, he led me to a sofa, his hand pulling me along. He sat down and I looked around for a place to sit.
"You can sit here." He patted his lap with a smile. Normally I'd say no in a second, but through the haze, I can see Cole watching me from the other side of the room, and a sneaky idea hits me that takes over. I slide into his lap with a smirk, wrapping my arms around his neck to hold him tight, and I can feel the warmth of his hands on my waist. I look over at Cole again. He is holding a shot glass of liquor, which makes me wonder how much he has drunk, and I see the strange look in his eyes.
"Green," I mutter to myself as I watch the flash of color in his eyes change.
"What?" Hayden turns to me, but I shake my head.
"Uh, it's nothing," I smiled.
"You know, I really like you, Ray. You're different from what I thought you were before," he told me.
Well, that's probably because I don't act like myself, I thought, but I just smiled. "Thank you. I really like you too."
His hands then wrapped around my neck and I felt myself being pulled forward and instantly my body stiffened. I wasn't sure if I wanted to kiss a man I'd just met drunk, but I wasn't sure if I could help myself. It was just as our lips were about to meet that I felt a tug on my shoulder.
"I need to talk to you." I turned to see Cole's hand clasping mine.
"Well, maybe I don't want to talk to you." I tried to turn around, but he was pulling at me again. Hardly.
"Please." He was pleading with me.
Rayline. I wanted to say no again, but there was a look in his eyes, something sincere. I nodded reluctantly and he grabbed my wrist, lifting me from Hayden's lap and pulling me into a secluded hallway. I stumbled a little as we walked, and when he stopped, I stood up and crossed my arms. "Anything you want to talk about..." "I'm sorry," he said. There was silence between the two of us as we stood frozen. The last thing I expected from him was an apology, and now I'm really surprised. "What?" I say and he sighs and looks away. "I'm sorry, okay?" He pauses, seeing how surprised I am. "I shouldn't have been so rude to you. You were just trying to be nice." I watched him closely, not sure if he was being honest or not. But something inside of me told me that he was being honest, and I nodded my head. "It's okay." I looked down and played with my fingers. "I've been a bit nosy." I looked back up. There was a small smile on his face, and his eyes sparkled with a hint of yellow. And
Rayline. There was a warmth that surrounded me as my mind struggled to figure out what was going on. It was dark. I could barely see. But as the light slowly increased, I could make out the outline of the face above me. It took a while for my vision to clear, but when it did, I could see that it was Cole. He was holding me. My head was pressed up against his chest as he carried me, stepping over large branches and rocks along the way. "Wh-what? What happened..." Before I could finish asking, a voice called out to me. "Ray!" I heard Darren's voice calling in the distance and when I looked out I saw that Cole had carried me back to Taylor's house and Darren was running over to me. "Where the hell are you going?" I could see the worry on his face and he looked at me and Cole as he helped me stand up. I grabbed his shoulder as I struggled to come back to reality, and he held out his hand to make sure I was steady. "She's had too much to drink," he said curtly as he handed me to Darren
Rayline. I entered the lecture hall and rubbed my eyes as I made my way to my desk. I wasn't sure why I was so tired. After all, I was just doing my homework and relaxing because I wasn't allowed to leave the house due to the party incident earlier that night. Maybe it was because my mind was still running a mile a minute no matter how hard I tried. I plopped down in the chair and leaned over the table, resting my chin on my arm as a pillow. I only opened my eyes when I heard someone sitting next to me. I was expecting to see Taylor greeting me with a smile, but instead, it was Cole, and I quickly stood up to straighten up my sitting position. "Hey," he said as he pulled out a notebook. "Uh... Hi," I looked at him strangely. "What?" He raised his eyebrows and I blinked a few times. "Nothing, I just didn't expect you to sit next to me." I then reached into my bag and pulled out my own notebook, and he hummed quietly in response. I began to fiddle with my pencil. Why the hell did
Rayline. Neither of us spoke for a minute until I finally sat down. "So," I said, and he blinked as he clapped his hands together, "I've been doing a little research on the stories of angels, their attributes, and so on." I pulled my laptop and notebook out of my bag. "Me too." He took out his textbook as well. "Good, now we just need to discuss more about demons," I said as I typed on my laptop and started to concentrate. "Okay, I've already highlighted this chapter." He opened the book to the right page and ran his finger along the words. I leaned over to read along, not realizing that my face was hovering next to his. He swallowed slightly uncomfortably and turned the page. "I... um." I turned to him, waiting for what he was going to say. "It says here about their powers and stuff." He pointed to a section and I began to read the notes aloud. "Superhuman strength, speed, intelligence..." I continued reading. "Shapeshifting?" I said, tilting my head towards him. "I didn't know
Rayline. I glanced down at the notebook to see the notes I had scribbled : Hazel = fear, anxiety — Green = envy/ jealousy? Orange = annoyance — Red = lust, anger Pink = ? — Yellow = happy? Blue = sadness. Silver =? Healing? Speed? Strength? I immediately slammed the notebook down and put my hand on it. At the same time, I closed my textbook, which was still open on the chapter about mythical creatures, and pushed all my notes aside as a wave of panic spread through my body. "Wh-what-what, it's just something for another class." I did my best to sound convincing, but when I raised my eyes to look at him, he was still frozen. When his eyes finally lifted to look at me, I could see a flash of hazel behind the contact lenses, fear. "I... um, I have to go." He quickly went back to his things, grabbed everything, and put it in his bag. "Wait, where are you going?" I asked frantically. "I-I have to go home...sorry." He slung his bag over his shoulder. "W-wait, um..." He stopped and
Rayline. I look around my room to see my clean bath towel and quickly grab it before returning to his side to apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding and another curse word comes out of his mouth. "Cole, we should call an ambulance, you're bleeding too much," I said, but he flicked his hand at my wrist while shaking his head frantically. "No! Don't call them," he whined. "I can't - I can't go to the hospital." His eyes met mine, a flicker of hazel flashing across them, and I sighed as my mind began to connect the dots as to why. "All right..." I said, and he let out a sigh of relief before pulling his hand back. "Stay here and try not to make too much noise or my parents will wake up." He nodded and I stood up. I don't know why I felt the need to protect him, but right now he looked so helpless, so desperate, that if the only thing I could do was tend to his wounds, I would. I quietly opened the door, poked my head into the hallway before stepping out, then closed it behi
Rayline. "Ray?" I heard a call, followed by a loud bang that made me jump. I heard it again - the voice was coming from behind my door. "Ray, why is your bedroom door locked?" I heard the doorknob being turned repeatedly and jumped to my feet. As I ran to the door, I saw Cole get up as well and look around before rubbing his eyes. "Sorry Mom, I'm not dressed yet." "All right, can you get the door?" "N-no, I'm still not dressed." I looked at Cole, who also looked worried, and there was a hint of hazel in his eyes. "Okay, but dinner's ready." "All right, I'll see you in a minute." "Okay." I waited until I heard her footsteps disappear down the stairs to breathe a sigh of relief, but then I saw the naked young man on my bed and I panicked again. I looked down at the floor and the medical supplies. Everything on the floor was covered in blood, towels, and his torn clothes. Then I rushed to the mirror, only to find his blood covering my hands and arms, stains on my pajamas, and even
Rayline.I quickly ran across the hall to the bathroom, opened the sink, and grabbed a pair of gloves along with a bucket, sponge, and disinfecting wipes. When I returned with everything in hand, Cole was on the phone."Yeah, I'm sorry... No, I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you..." I made sure to lock the door again and put all the cleaning supplies on the floor. "I'll be home soon, I promise... Okay, I love you." He hung up and put the phone down, watching me as I tied up my hair. "That's my mom.""Ahh," I nodded. "Is she worried?""Yes. She's afraid I won't come home.""Well, that's understandable," I said as I knelt down and started piling the blood-stained towels next to his torn clothes. Then I reached over and grabbed his jacket, and when I lifted it, I saw there was a hole in the back, two large cuts down the middle. But he had no injuries on his back. I took the cloth and ran my fingers along the holes."Are you trying to find out?" His voice sounded low and I jumped slightly,