Burnt Out

☆Ex☆

Hayden

Last night Ray had asked me to sleep beside her. She had fallen asleep almost instantly. She must've been really tired. I could tell by the prominent dark circles around her eyes that she wasn't getting much sleep.

Although, sleeping wouldn't help much if it was the soul that was tired.

I barely slept last night because I couldn't help but stare at her all night long. She looked so beautiful but even in her sleep she didn't seem to be completely at peace.

Despite getting to lay in the same bed as her, surprisingly, that wasn't what was occupying my thoughts.

Last night while Ray was sleeping,  her phone began to ring, interrupting the tranquility of the moment. I had reached for the device and silenced the call, not wanting to disturb her sleep.

But as I glanced at the screen, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. It was Jake who had been calling her, and a quick scan of the messages he sent after hanging up revealed a series of concerning texts.

Jake: Are you avoiding me?

Jake: Are you fucking Hayden now? You're a slut

Jake: This won't be good for you Ray

Jake: I'm gonna finish what I started

Warning bells went off in my head. Not only did he call her a slut but the content of his messages had grown increasingly concerning. What the fuck did he mean by, "I'm gonna finish what I started."  What had he started and what did he intend to finish?

As I walked through the empty hallways of the school, my mind was consumed by the disturbing messages that Jake had sent to Ray.

I could ask Ray what was going on, but I knew she would most likely just shut me down like before. Still, I had to try. Whatever was going on seemed serious, and I was determined to ensure Ray's safety no matter what.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when I saw Jake standing in front of Ray by the lockers. His hand was gripping her arm, and though she ripped her arm away from his grasp, he put his hands on her again. 

I felt a surge of anger course through me.

Before Ray could push him away again, I was there, yanking Jake off her and shoving him to the ground. In a matter of seconds, I was on top of him, throwing punch after punch at his face. His features quickly turned into a bloody pulp, but the anger inside me wouldn't let me stop.

A crowd started to gather around us, murmurs and gasps filling the hallway. It wasn't until someone shouted that the teachers were coming that Ray finally intervened. She pulled me off Jake and led me to the back of the school before the teachers could catch us.

Breathing heavily, I leaned against the brick wall, my knuckles throbbing from the impact.

"Why did you do that?"

"He touched you," I shrugged.

Ray sighed, shaking her head. She grabbed my hand and lifted it up to get a closer look at my bloodied knuckles. Without a word, she took out a tube of antiseptic from her bag and gently applied it to my injuries. When she was done, she put the tube back in her bag and looked at me.

"You got hurt because of me," she whispered, chewing on her lip.

She tried to release my hand, but I held onto hers, pulling her closer.

"I would do this again in a heartbeat. I don't mind getting bloody knuckles for you."

I looked into her eyes as I spoke, wanting her to see how sincere I was. "You mean more to me than you realize, sunshine."