Ray ||l.h.||

0.7

"He asked you out to dinner?" Ashton bleakly says, twisting his arms out of her grip and gently taking hold of her wrists instead.

Ray had tried to take careful but somewhat quick strides--well, as quick as a blind girl that's bursting with excitement can manage without breaking anything--back to their house, and snatched the door open.

She had called out to him, thinking he was in his room doing his Ashton things, but she heard him giggle from somewhere that wasn't upstairs and was actually in front of her. "I'm literally right here, stop yelling." He said, getting up from the couch.

They had ended up walking towards each other at the same time, bumping into each other and nearly tripping, but Ray didn't care. She had grinned and grabbed his forearms, partly for balance after the small collision and also because that's what she does when she tells others things that she's happy about.

"Luke wants to have dinner with me!" She had excitedly announced, bouncing in her worn out sneakers, and Ashton would have teased her about how her face was going to split in two if she didn't stop smiling so wide, but then he realized what she said.

After Ashton immediately showed that he isn't as enthused as she is, she stops hopping. "Yeah, aren't you happy for me?" She asks, wishing she could see his face so she would have more than a tone of voice to go off of to tell how he's feeling.

Her mind briefly thinks of what Ashton actually looks like, piecing together all the tidbits about his appearance that she's been told over the years, then gets back on the topic of him possibly being a Negative Nathan.

Ashton sighs and Ray feels him tug her towards the kitchen. He stops her, softly pushing her hip back to meet the counter so she knows where in the kitchen she is, then goes to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water. "I mean, I guess, but, why exactly are you going on a date with him?" 

Ray is a little thrown off by the question, seeing as the answer should be obvious. She also isn't sure why it matters to him so much. It's not like Luke's a bad guy; he's been here and talked to Ashton before, Ashton's seen how Luke takes just as good care of her as he does. Ashton shouldn't be worried about Luke screwing her over, or, at least not yet. The guy literally just asked her to have dinner with him, which no one even really does anymore. Ray's father would be pushing her into Luke's car if he'd heard about it.

"Because I like him," She coolly replies, leaning against the linoleum behind her. "What's wrong with you?" 

Maybe Ashton's just in a sour mood and his response to this doesn't really have anything to do with Luke and her. Ray doesn't really believe that, but she's trying to think of rational reasons as to why he didn't join in her planned celebration.

"Nothing, it's just, you remember what happened last time you tried to date someone." He says, teetering on the fence between patronizing and passive aggressive. 

Yes, she remembers, it wasn't even that long ago. It was in the ninth grade and the boy had used her as an easy way to have a main girl and side chicks, because, hey, she can't read his texts or see who he's flirting with. Ray knows his name is Jerome, but whenever anyone asks about him or the situation, she tells them she doesn't even remember it.

She doesn't think Luke is like that, though. Ray'll never really know if Luke would turn around and do that to her, but right now it doesn't seem like he would. Instead of thinking on that for more than a few seconds, she sucks her teeth and pushes herself away from the counter.

"Yeah, I do. Real punk move bringing it up, by the way." She answers, because it was and he knows it was. Ray hears Ashton put something down, probably whatever he got from the fridge and then she hears him snort.