Loving Raylynn

by C. R. Marcum

  “No, cops. Take me home Ray, please.” He said in barely a whisper.

  Raylynn searched his eyes and found a look of desperation before he lost consciousness.

  “Pais, help me get him to the car. We have to get him help.” Raylynn said as she stood.

  Looking down at Ty was like looking at the aftermath of a twelve round MMA fight, with Ty being the loser. His right eye was swollen shut already. His nose sat awkwardly on his face and there was blood everywhere. That was only what was visible, she worried what the rest of his body looked like. Paisley slowly approached Raylynn and looked down at him.

  “How are we going to get him in the car?” Paisley asked

  “You grab his arms, and I’ll get his legs, we lift on three okay?”

  “Yeah, okay.” Paisley replied as she reached down and grabbed Ty’s arms.

  “One, two, three lift.”

  They lifted Ty a meager two inches off the ground, before quickly dropping him again. They tried again with the same outcome.

  “Okay, new plan.” Raylynn said breathlessly. “We are both going to grab his arms and pull him to the car. I mean, it’s only like fifty feet away, so he should be fine. When we get him there you climb in the backseat and pull and I’ll push his legs in. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay, but maybe, you should move the car a bit closer, I mean he is bleeding. I’m not so sure dragging him out onto a downtown sidewalk and shoving him in the backseat is a good idea.” Paisley said as she stood bent forwards with her hands resting on her knees. Both girls sounded as if they had just run five miles.

  “Good thinking, I’ll be right back.” Raylynn said as she started walking towards the car. Running would have been faster, but she wasn’t sure she could. She returned a few minutes later and got as close as she could.

  They began the slow drag of Ty through the alley, stopping every few steps to get a better grip on him. When they finally made it to the car, Paisley opened the back door and climbed in. She positioned herself on the seat with one leg on the floor and one in the seat. She reached down and grabbed Ty under both of his arms and waited for Raylynn to get into position at his feet.

  “Ready?” Raylynn asked as she grabbed his legs.

  “Ready.”

  “Alright, Pull.” She said as she lifted Ty’s legs and began to push. She could see Paisley straining to lift him alone. “C’mon Pais, pull.”

  “I…AM…PULLING!” Paisley grunted.

  “Well…Pull…Harder” Raylynn said through clenched teeth.

  “He’s…Heavy…”

  “NO…SHIT…” Raylynn grunted out. “PULL…DAMNIT!”

  “Would you like to trade me places? No, didn’t think so! So, shut up and PUSH!”

  “Well maybe if I had been allowed to wear my sneakers, I could get a better footing and be able to push harder!” Raylynn yelled.

  “DO…NOT…EVEN…BLAME…THIS…ON SHOES!”

  With that, Paisley gave one big pull as Raylynn pushed hard. She could finally feel Ty start to slide a bit easier into the car. She gave one last push and heard a squeal.

  “Help…Coop…he’s…squishing…me.” Paisley said from almost completely underneath Ty.

  “Shit, Pais.” Raylynn said as she folded Ty’s legs at the knee and rested them against the seat. Slamming the door she went to the other side and opened it. Raylynn reached in and wrapped her arms under Paisley’s and pulled.

  “Ouch. That hurts, he’s on my knee!” Paisley yelped

  “Well, use your other foot to help push him off of you while I pull.”

  “He’s hurt enough don’t ya think without us adding to it.” Paisley quipped.

  “I think that ship sailed when we started dragging him. So either you put your foot on his shoulder and push or you are stuck back there.” Raylynn stated while still holding Paisley.

  “Fine, but if he asks why his shoulder hurts, it wasn’t us…agreed?”

  “Agreed, now push.” Raylynn said as she pulled.

  Paisley pushed her foot against Ty’s shoulder. She could feel herself start to slide before feeling the strap of her wedge sandal bite into her ankle.

  “Stop pulling, my shoe is stuck on his pants, he’s gonna break it.”

  “Your foot or your shoe?” Raylynn asked.

  “My shoe damn it.”

  “Get over it.” Raylynn said. With one last hard pull Raylynn could feel Paisley coming loose just as she started to lose her own footing. She felt the sharp pain in her butt right before Paisley let out a squeal.

  Both girls sat in the alley for a second before slowly standing and surveying the damage. Raylynn still looked okay, minus the scratches on her hands and the blood on her shirt. Paisley looked a mess. Her bun was now sitting a bit crooked and the fly a ways were out of control. Her shirt and jeans were now covered in Ty’s blood, and her left shoe was broken at the strap. Paisley looked herself over and Raylynn could see the horror in her eyes.

  “He ripped my shirt! I’m all covered in blood, my shoe is broken my jeans are ruined, I look like the survivor of a scary movie!” Paisley squealed.

  “At least you’re a survivor.” Was the only reply she could get out through her laughter.

  “Shut Up!”

  “You’ll be fine, but Ty won’t if we don’t get him some help soon.” Raylynn replied as her laughter calmed.

  “Fine, let’s go. But just so you know, this blood is never going to come out.” Paisley said, climbing into the passenger seat.

  Raylynn gave Ty one last look as she shut the backdoor and walked around to the driver’s side. She looked around the alley one last time and spotted Ty’s bag. She walked over and picked it up. As she was walking back a realization hit her. She climbed in sitting the bag on the passenger floor board and looked over at Paisley who was still staring at the rip in her shirt.

  “Um, Pais. Do you know where Ty lives?”

  “No, do you?”

  The girls looked at each other and then back at Ty. He was moaning a bit, but still looked unconscious.

  “Well, how the hell are we gonna get him home then?” Paisley asked as she turned her gaze to Raylynn.

  “Wake him up?”

  “And how do you suppose we do that?” Paisley asked turning to look at Ty again.

  “Shake him. Or poke a sore spot maybe.” Raylynn said seriously.

  “I’m not poking anything,” Paisley said with both of her hands in front of her. She pressed her back against the door. “That’s all you.”

  “Fine.”

  Raylynn turned herself slightly and got up on her knees. She reached back and shook Ty by the shoulder gently. When he didn’t stir, she shook harder. She could hear him moaning, but there was no sign that he was waking. Raylynn shook her head, sighed, and squeezed his obviously broken nose in between her fingers. Ty quickly opened his eyes as the pain racked him.

  “Stop, stop, please.” Ty said through tears.

  “I’m sorry! I need your address. We need to get you home.” Raylynn apologized as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket.

  “11…24…Crescent…street.” Ty replied slowly.

  Raylynn plugged the address into her GPS and turned back around in her seat. With one solemn look at Paisley, she threw the car in reverse and pulled out of the alley. Once on the street again, Raylynn hit the gas and rushed towards Ty’s house. They were finally going to see where he lived; she just wished it were under better circumstances.

  The twenty minute drive seemed to stretch on for hours. They watched as the downtown condos and nice homes turned to smaller homes. The further they got from the city the worse the homes started to look. They noticed more and more people walking and standing on corners. The cars that were parked on the street were older. It reminded Raylynn of home.

  Raylynn pulled up in front of 1124 Crescent Street and put the car in park. It was a small one story white house. The porch stretched across the entire front, and had two pillars that sat on either side of the stai
rs. The house was in decent shape from what she could tell. One of the better looking ones on the street, but the chain-link fence made it clear that this house was not to be bothered. Her focus shifted to the men on the porch, she wondered which one was Drake. Ty had told her about his older brother, but she had never seen him. She saw one of the men on the porch staring at her car. She killed the engine and looked to Paisley.

  “C’mon.” Raylynn said as she reached for the door handle.

  “Wait, we’re getting out? Why would we do that?” Paisley demanded. She had been staring at the group of large men.

  “Jesus Pais, really? You act like you’re scared or something.” Raylynn said as she opened the door.

  “Because I am, I think I’ll just wait here.” She said to Raylynn’s back.

  “Suit yourself.” Raylynn said as she climbed out of the car. She watched as one of the men, a large, darker skinned man slowly came down the stairs. His right arm behind his back, his hand resting at his waistband.

  “You girls must be lost.” The man said sarcastically as he looked at her.

  Raylynn turned her head to see that Paisley had climbed out of the car, a look of terror plastered to her face. Under any other circumstance, Raylynn would have found this hilarious, but today was not that day.

  Raylynn took a step forward, looking at the man, and then looked around him towards the group on the porch.

  “Hey, which one of you is Drake?” she asked ignoring the man in front of her.

  “Depends on who’s asking.” The man in front of her stated. His hand finally relaxing. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the top of the gate and looked at Paisley before returning his gaze to Raylynn.

  She knew in an instant that the man in front of her was Drake. The family resemblance was apparent.

  “Oh, just the girls that brought his brother home. Ya know, after they found him bleeding in the alley.”

  The three men on the porch jumped up at the mention of Ty. One of them, jumped over the railing and started running towards her. Raylynn took a step back as the dark skinned man jumped the gate and landed in the spot she had just been standing in. She opened the backdoor. It was all of two seconds from the mention of Ty for all four men to get to Raylynn. She faintly heard Paisley squeal when the men jumped the fence.

  “What happened?” One of the men asked stepping closer to Raylynn.

  “I don’t really know, we found him in the alley by the Downtown Diner. We were meeting him for dinner.” Raylynn said staring at the man.

  “Did you see anybody around him?” the man asked.

  “Syn, stop asking questions and help me get him out!” Drake barked.

  The man took a step back, still staring at Raylynn, before running around to the other side of the car, the backdoor flew open and he disappeared inside. The man Drake called Syn, lifted Ty’s head and shoulders easily and pushed gently as Drake pulled his brothers legs out of the car. Once Ty’s body was mostly out of the car, Raylynn watched as Drake cradled Ty against his chest and easily lifted him up. She watched as one of the men opened the gate to allow Drake through.

  It all happened so quickly that Raylynn didn’t notice that Paisley had come around to the driver’s side and was standing almost too close. Raylynn watched as the men followed behind Drake. They were up the stairs and in the house before Raylynn remembered Ty’s bag in the front seat.

  Raylynn reached into the car and snatched up his bag. Paisley was watching her intently as she closed the door and started up the walkway.

  “What are you doing?” Paisley whispered.

  “I’m taking Ty’s bag in. You coming?” she asked turning to face Paisley.

  “No, I am not, and neither are you! We need to get out of here! Like, Now!” Paisley screeched as she took in her surroundings.

  “Whatever Pais. Stay here if you want, I’m going in.” Raylynn tossed as she made her way up the stairs and onto the porch.

  “Shit, wait up.” Paisley said as she tried to run after her. The broken strap on her shoe made even walking difficult.

  Raylynn knocked on the screen door and waited. She could hear the commotion coming from the other side. It wasn’t long before one of the men came and opened the door. Raylynn looked at him intently, her impatience growing stronger by the minute. She shook her head and looked the man in his eyes.

  “Ya know, you could invite us in, considering we saved Ty.” She said as she continued to stare at the man. He had made no effort to speak or move.

  It was then that she heard the yell from inside the house. “Lucas, call the doc!”

  The man looked back at Raylynn and then to Paisley, who stood frozen in place, before pushing the door the rest of the way open. Raylynn grabbed the door before it could slam shut again and looked to Paisley before walking into the house.

  The scene inside was chaotic to say the least. Someone had stripped Ty down to his boxers and had laid him on the couch. The man that Drake had called Syn was kneeling next to Ty checking him over for wounds. Ty was unconscious but moaning at the same time. It was like he was trying to open his eyes but couldn’t. There was another man sitting on the coffee table in front of Ty with his head in his hands.

  Raylynn surveyed the rest of the room quickly. There was only one lamp to light the room which made it difficult to see all the details. She could see the beer bottles, and ashtrays on the side tables, and the smell in the air was somehow familiar. She looked at each of the men that were tending to various needs that they deemed necessary. The man that had been at the door was on the phone standing at the end of the couch.

  Raylynn stepped further into the room, while Paisley stood very still by the front door. She looked like she could bolt at any minute. Raylynn stepped closer to the couch. She needed to see Ty, to make sure he was ok. It was then that the severity of Ty’s injuries was apparent. He had a gash above his left eye, which was still bleeding a lot. His chest was covered in bruises and cuts. His right side was almost completely black around his ribs. She looked back at Paisley and shook her head.

  “He’s hurt bad Pais.” Were the only words she could muster.

  She could feel the unfamiliar sting of tears behind her eyes and the lump in her throat was the size of a grapefruit. She hadn’t cried in years. She had learned that crying didn’t help. This was different somehow. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all her fault. Ty had been meeting them to celebrate her birthday. He shouldn’t even have been there. Before she could stop it, the tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She hadn’t even noticed that Drake had entered the room and was staring at her.

  Faster that she thought possible, Drake was in her face. She could smell his cologne and feel the anger that radiated off his body. She looked up at him just as his assault began.

  “Why in the fuck was my brother downtown? He knows better than to go down there alone! He wouldn’t have just taken off without even telling me! It’s you isn’t it, you’re the reason he was there!” Drake yelled facing Raylynn.

  “We were meeting for dinner; we eat there once a week after school.” Raylynn defended.

  The man that had been sitting on the table looked up and saw the girls. He jumped up and came to a stop next to Drake.

  “Oh yeah, well eating there at three is a lot different than eating there at six! He never should have fuckin been there!” Drake yelled again.

  The other men in the room found themselves standing on either side of Drake. The two that looked alike stood to his right and the other on his left. The one in the Lakers hat put a hand on Drake’s shoulder.

  “Drake, calm the fuck down. Ty knew what he was doing when he took off, he knew the risks.” He said turning his back to the girls.

  “Syn, don’t fuckin touch me! It’s not your fuckin brother laying there with his brains beat in, so don’t tell me how to handle this!” Drake said as he shrugged the hand off his shoulder.

  It happened in a flash, so quickly that it took Ra
ylynn a moment to even register what she had seen. Paisley was in between Raylynn and Drake. She pushed Raylynn backwards and turned on her heal towards Drake.

  “Don’t you even blame this on her, she was just trying to celebrate her birthday with her friends and this happened.” She yelled.

  In that moment, everything stopped. The entire feel of the room changed. Everyone, including Raylynn stood with slack jaws listening to the verbal assault that Paisley had aimed at Drake.

  “It wasn’t her fault; it was those guys, whoever they were, not her, not me! If you think that we would ever put Ty in a bad situation, you have another thing coming buddy! Ty came because he is a great friend, even though I have no idea where he would learn that from because all I can see is a big PRICK who likes to yell at women!” She screamed.

  And then it happened, Paisley shoved Drake hard in the chest.

  Raylynn grabbed Paisley by the arms and pulled her backwards as soon as the shove happened. She had tried to grab her before but wasn’t fast enough.

  “Calm down Killer, its fine, I’m fine.” Raylynn said as she wrapped her arms around Paisley who was still trying to get to Drake.

  The laughter that came next was loud and long. Everyone in the room was laughing with the exception of Paisley and Drake, who were still staring at each other angrily.

  “Damn Drake, you gonna let that little girl push you around like that?” the man to his right side asked through his laughter.

  “Jax, you better not make her mad, she might make you regret it.” Syn laughed.

  “Everybody shut the fuck up!” Drake yelled over the laughter. He turned his gaze to Paisley and Raylynn, as the laughter died down. “I think you two have done enough damage for one night, you need to leave.” He said and turned his back to them.

  “No, we aren’t going anywhere until we know that Ty’s okay. Regardless of what you think, he’s our best friend; we can’t just leave not knowing.” Raylynn said as she let go of Paisley and walked over to the coffee table and sat down.

  “Really, you think you get to decide if you can stay in my house or not?” Drake asked with a smirk.

  “At this moment, yeah that’s exactly what I think. Would you care to know why?” Raylynn’s answer oozed with sarcasm.