~My Teacher Hits Me~ (Book 1) [Rewritten]

Chapter 7: Smashed

Rylan uses anger to cover up her worry. Blake is right. Cas can't protect her. Not without harming himself and she isn't about to let that happen. "What was that?!" Rylan demands and jerks Cas's shoulder to get his attention. "You were really going to start a fight? Right here, right now?"

Cas takes a deep breath but speaks just as angrily, "What is wrong with you? You act like Blake is such a dick, yet you seem to talk to him everywhere we go."

Rylan's mouth drops open in shock. "He is a jerk. He's the reason I got detention. You must be crazy if you think for one second that I actually like talking to that...that...parasite!"

Cas shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. "What is going on?" Cas asks, searching Rylan's eyes for some explanation. "Because obviously I'm misunderstanding the relationship between you two."

Rylan balls her hands into fists at her sides. "Relationship?" She squeaks. "There is no relationship between me and that psycho, and even if there was, it isn't any of your business." Rylan spits.

Why is he prying? Cas had barely started talking to her--hell, she thought he had something against her. Rylan remembers his intensity in the video store and the way he tensed up when she mentioned Blake at school. Blake had insinuated there was something there when Cas looks at her. Is that what this is to him? Some jealous feud? The thought annoys Rylan.

"What do you want from me, Cas?"

Cas stares at her, taken aback by her question.

"Up until today I thought you hated me. Now you're acting all weird. I don't need your help and I certainly don't need you getting into fights for me."

"Rylan-" Cas starts, but Rylan just walks away through the crowd and back into the house. She spots Dani standing in the hallway with two sodas.

"Oh, there you are." She smiles, but when she glances between Cas and Rylan's grim faces, her expression quickly switches to confusion. "Rylan, what's going on?"

"I think I'd actually like to try something more alcoholic than that." Rylan says, glancing pointedly at the sodas and ignoring Dani's question. Alcohol is supposed to numb you and make you forget things. Rylan wants to find out if that's true. She could use a distraction.

"Um...ok. Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Dani glances behind Rylan to Cas again, searching for an explanation, but not receiving any.

"Are you a-"

"Dani, I swear if you ask me if I'm alright..." Rylan interrupts threateningly.

Three hours later, Rylan is drunk and dancing around like a madwoman. Cas has looked her way, more than a dozen times with disappointment and worry. The few times Rylan caught him, she glared, smirked and made strange kissy faces at him, and even stuck her tongue out at him more than once.

Dani watches apprehensively as Rylan almost falls over for the fifth time while swaying her hips in a way that screams I can't dance. "What do you think happened?" She asks Tuck.

"I know as much about her inner thought process as you do."

Dani gives him a look.

Tuck shrugs. "I have no idea." He translates.

"Well, do you think she's alright?" She asks.

Tuck glances at Rylan and purses his lips. "I think she's going to regret this in the morning." He finally says. "I'll go get Cas and we'll get out of here before Rylan starts pole dancing or something." Tuck shudders and shakes his head in disgust at the thought.