The Art Of Loving A Bad Boy

Chapter 8

The day went on pretty well, Blaze and I ended up being late, again. But I was the perfect excuse, and it felt so free to be able to bend the rules a little bit. I mean I was just testing the waters.

My Father ended up on a trip to Bali, and to turn my loneliness into happiness Charlie came over with his girlfriend, and now we're watching Charlie and Anna argue about why Ben and Jerry's has two different kinds of cookie dough ice cream. Along with arguing about which one is better, and honestly the original is best.

"Calm on Half-baked is the way to go," Charlie explains, pointing his silver spoon at Anna as if starting a sword fight with their spoons.

Anna clangs her spoon against Charlie's forehead before backing away into defense mood, "You're lying not to just us, but yourself."

"Unguard!"Charlie screeches, his voice cracking with another strike to Anna's spoon.

Anna points her other hand to Charlie's girlfriend Taylor and myself, as we dig into Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. "See ladies?" She asks us, waiting for us to agree with her.

We shake our heads in agreement, before laughing at poor Charlie's miss fortune.

"This just isn't fair!" Charlie pouts, sticking his bottom lip. "I'm outnumbered, four girls to one guy." He nestles into couch cuddling into Taylor's side placing his face to her stomach talking to the baby. Girl.

I drop my spoon on the living room table, shocked with what Charlie just said, "Wait-" I shout loudly with excitement. "It's uh-"

"Yup," Taylor says with a soft smile, "We found out later today that we are having a girl." She rubs her hand over her little belly, with Charlie looking into her eyes and her beaming from ear to ear.

Tears trickled down our faces, with excitement.

Anne and I both screech, there's no way that this little girl won't be spoiled rotten and be a daddy's girl. Charlie was the best male figure I've ever encountered in my life and no doubt about that.

We all embrace in a hug with happy tears, and clank is spoons together before taking one last bite of our ice cream.

I grab the jar of ice cream and continue towards the kitchen, taking my cue to leave as Anna beings talking to Taylor about a baby shower. Go figure she also has a nat for those things,

When I approach the kitchen I place the ice cream tub into the freezer when I spin around Charlie is sitting at the island.

I jump back from the awful scare that he just gave me, my heart thumping to the beat of a racehorse. I place my hand on my chest to calm my breathing down.

Charlie looks at me with the biggest glare, I reply to his glare, "Congratulations!" I chipped in, trying to avoid the conversation that Charlie is about to bring up.

He rolls his eyes, before gesturing me to take a seat in front of him. "Rayna," he sighs, "you know what I'm about to ask."

It's now my turn to roll my eyes, as I tell Charlie how my day went and told him about Blaze and Archer. He seemed quite pleased with my explanation of how much I enjoyed the classes.

"So this Blaze kid," Charlie reaches over jabs my forearm, tagging along with a wink from his left eye. "You and him? Huh?"

My eyes bulge out if they could fall out of my socket it would. "No, Charlie!" I raise my voice in disbelief, "Blaze is a friend." I mutter under my breath.

"Okay, sorry." Charlie puts his hands in front of him in defense, "But, you like your classes? You've already made a friend. So?"

"So, what?" I shrug my shoulders not wanting to give in to the satisfaction that Charlie was right.

"Rayna, are you going to stay?" He asks softly looking up with his turquoise eyes, pleading with them.

I softly whisper a yes under my breath.

"Rayna.." Charlie coos my name, exaggerating the ending of it.

"Yes. I want to stay." I say a little louder, with a hint more excitement.

"SHE SAID YES!" Charlie screams at the top of his lungs then proceeding to get up from his seat and approaching mine giving me a hug.

Then in comes along Anna and Taylor, as they joy in on the hug.

Joy, I haven't had that in a long time. Today I felt so much joy, so much pain, and this right here was what the old Rayna craved.

"We're all so proud of you, Rayna." Charlie beams, as Anna and Taylor, chime in.

I smile before we hear aloud announcement coming from the living room, we all look questionable at each other before we all take off to the living room.

It's the plasma screen TV, and it's Archer on the news. His eyes red, from crying at the bottom of the CNN report stating 'Adams family disorientated from the loss of Rebecca Adams.'

The camera pans over to perky blonde women standing with Archer and his father.

"Mr. Adams, the whole world is in shocking with the passing of your beautiful wife Mrs. Adams." The annoying pitch of the reporter's voice echoing through the TV.

Mr. Adams begins to speak, his sharp jawline was covered by lightly grown in the beard. He looked nothing like Archer, he looked like a stern businessman like my father.

Maybe Archer and I were more alike then I thought. I muffle out the words that Mr. Adams has spoken and paid attention to the way Archer keeps staring off into the distance.

He looked annoyed, his whole entire body was shaking with anxiety.

"Man," Anna speaks up, intruding my thoughts. "He really looks like he doesn't want to be there."

Charlie replies, "I wouldn't either, his father is basically using this as a publicity."

"How selfish," I reply, relaying how I really felt.

My Father was the same way when my mom passed he didn't really give a shit.

This just seemed too much to deal with, not just for Archer but for me as well. My mom's passing surely made for my heart to be broken and for sympathizing of others I did not want.

Yet, here's Archer standing in front of the world having to deal with all eye on him and his father is using it for publicity.

Anna sees my frustration and reaches for the remote, shutting the news off.

"Rayna." She says my voice softly engulfing me into a hug.

She knows they all know it's still hard sometimes. My mother was a protector, she pushed me in ways I never wanted to be pushed, she still cared. Even in the end, she cared and I've been putting her down.

While Archer was broken too, his wounds were still so fresh and maybe I could help him.

Hey guys! It's been a while since I created an author's note! But PLEASE give me a VOTE, a COMMENT, and SHARE my story? THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!

Love, Briann