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

Chapter 8: A Dance with the Devil

"I told you drinking would be a bad idea!" Dani reminds Rylan.

Rylan glares at her friend while trying to massage her temples so the effects of the hangover would wear off faster. "You never said such a thing! Not last night!"

"Well, I'm saying it now. That was pretty darn stupid of you." Dani shoots back. Then she watches Rylan, concern etched on her face. "What happened anyway? Does it have something to do with Cas? Because you mentioned him a few times in your sleep."

Rylan groans, more from the question than from the hangover. "Dani." She whines. "I don't want to talk about it. Now can I please have some aspirin or coffee or something to ease the throbbing in my head?"

Dani sighs in frustration, but then gets a devious look on her face. "You don't get any aspirin until you tell me what happened last night." She crosses her arms defiantly.

Rylan looks at her in surprise. She hadn't expected backlash. Rylan narrows her eyes, checking for any signs that Dani will waver on her resolve, but finds none. She mumbles incoherently. "Muhuhuh. Fine." She rolls her eyes and instantly regrets it as the action sends stabbing pain to her brain. Rylan groans again. "I don't understand how things could have gotten so out of hand. I didn't even want to go in the first place, but I tried to enjoy myself. I went to see what was going on outside. Blake startled me and—"

Dani interrupts quickly. "Wait, Blake was at the party? Rylan, why didn't you tell me?"

Rylan becomes flustered, trying to remember everything that happened. Certain details she just can't conjure up. Why didn't she mention Blake? Something about Cas...

"I don't know, it all happened so fast." Rylan shakes her head slightly. "Blake said some stuff." Rylan struggles to remember. The words rush out of her like water from a faucet. "He started talking about me like some shiny new toy he wanted and then he threatened you and Tuck and Cas showed up and was acting all strange and—"

"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down, Rylan. I can't understand you. Take a breath." Dani sooths. "What are you saying?"

Rylan's eyes go wide as everything clicks in her head. "Blake is never going to leave me alone." Her words press down on her chest like a boulder and Rylan feels like she's choking. She looks at Dani, covers her face with her hands, and groans, "Why did this happen to me? What makes me so special?"

Dani shrugs helplessly and says quietly, "I don't know..."

"Dani, he threatened you...and Tuck and Cas! What am I supposed to do? I can't give him what he wants." She shudders, hating all the possible things that means. "But if I don't, he'll finish what he started yesterday before school." Rylan stares into the distance, imagining facing high school on her own. "I can't lose the only friends I have."

Dani clasps Rylan's hand tightly in her own and forces her to look in her eyes. "Blake won't hurt us, okay? Nothing bad will happen. We'll continue to avoid him and his band of pests and eventually they'll graduate and be gone and that'll be the end of it. Alright?" She sounds like she's trying to convince herself as much Rylan.

Dani's hopeful tone breaks Rylan's heart. It's all about positivity for her. Saying the words didn't make them true. Rylan knows avoiding Blake will be next to impossible and she has to face another year with him after this one. "You're right. I know you're right." She lies.

"We have to get to school soon." Dani says, changing the subject. She opens the fridge door and drops two paper sacks on the table in front of Rylan. "I packed us lunch."

"Can I ask you something?"

Dani purses her lips. "You just did sunshine."

Rylan rolls her eyes, forgetting her headache until her head starts spinning again. She takes a moment to catch her breath before asking, "Um...What's Cas's deal? I mean, I never asked before, but he can't possibly be quiet--the way he is around me--all the time. I mean, I saw him having animated conversations at the party."