Burnt Out

☆Love☆

Hayden

I glanced at Ray as I drove to her house. Ever since I had dropped her off at her house earlier, I had a bad feeling.

It didn't take long to reach her house since her house was really close to Scar's gym. As we sat in the car outside her house, I couldn't help but notice that she didn't immediately get off like how she normally would.

I held my breath, willing her to voice the words that hung between us like a fragile thread. Please ask me to stay. Please ask me to stay.

And then, her voice broke the silence, tentative and hesitant.

"Can you stay over tonight?"

"Yes," I agreed, perhaps a bit too quickly, but I couldn't help it. The thought of spending the night by her side made me feel...giddy? I had never felt that before.

Her smile widened ever so slightly, a flicker of genuine happiness in the depths of her eyes. It was a rare sight, one that I cherished more than words could express. For too long, I had seen her mask her pain behind a facade of indifference, keeping her true emotions buried.

But tonight, as she looked at me with a genuine smile, I knew that I would do anything to keep that smile on her face forever.

As we went inside the house Ray glanced at her phone before informing me that her parents weren't home. 

I couldn't help but notice the subtle shift in her demeanor—a fleeting expression of relief that flickered across her features before she turned away. It didn't take a genius to piece together the pieces of the puzzle. Ray's strained relationship with her parents was no secret, and the absence of their presence seemed to bring her a sense of solace, if only temporarily.

"Do you want hot chocolate?" Ray's voice floated from the kitchen, breaking the momentary silence that hung between us.

"Yeah, sure," I replied.

I was about to head to the kitchen when the door bell rang. Since Ray was busy making hot chocolate I decided to check the door.

As I opened the door, I was met with the unexpected sight of Jake standing on the doorstep. His expression shifted from shock to anger in the blink of an eye, but he quickly regained his composure, his features settling into a mask of forced nonchalance.

"What are you doing here man?" he asked, forcing a chuckle.

"I could ask you the same question," I retorted.

Jake's response was another forced chuckle, but his eyes betrayed a simmering anger. He had a crazy look in his eyes.

Ray's voice echoed from the kitchen, her footsteps drawing nearer. She paused abruptly as she caught sight of Jake standing in the doorway, her expression clouding with an emotion that I couldn't quite decipher.

"Who is—" she began, her voice trailing off as she took in the scene before her.

Jake's grin was unsettling, a hint of menace lurking behind his forced smile as he turned to face her. "Ray called me over. Right, Ray?" 

I felt a surge of protectiveness wash over me. Jake was lying, there was no doubt about that. But why and what was he actually here for? Something was off. I could tell that the way he was acting was making Ray uneasy by the way she gripped my shirt tightly.

"Go away, Jake," Ray commanded.

"You don't mean that," he said, his voice taking on an eerie quality that sent alarm bells ringing in my mind.

Despite Ray's clear instruction, Jake attempted to push past me, his movements aggressive and unsettling. Without hesitation, my hands braced against his chest as I pushed him back.