He's Dying to Get Inside

Derek wiped the rest of the makeup off of Raylee's face and smiled, cupping her cheeks with his hands. She could feel her skin heating up beneath his touch, but she hoped no color was showing.

"There is the Raylee I know," he tilted her chin up, "not a speck of makeup, all natural beauty."

She took his hands into her own and ran her thumb over his knuckles, "I wasn't trying to lie to you the other day, I just didn't know how to respond... I don't know what was going on in my mind when I was talking to Alex. He mentioned you and I just flipped, I didn't think, I just acted."

"Not a Ray move."

"I know," she agreed looking into his eyes.

Derek was still sitting next to her on the ledge of the tub, he pulled one of his hands free to cup her cheek again, pulling her face closer to his. Once she felt his breath on her face, a smile rose to her lips. Raylee didn't give him the chance to attempt taking things slow again, she didn't need someone to interrupt them, she pressed her lips against his, not sure what to do once she did that.

She could feel him chuckle before moving his lips slowly, causing her's to move along. Ray melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close. His hands slipped down along her ribcage and rested on her lower back. She pulled away from him, resting her forehead against his and catching her breath, his thumbs made circles on her back until she dropped her arms.

Raylee cleared her throat, "I should probably go talk to Darcy."

"Did I-"

"You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry," she patted his cheek and walked out of the bathroom, going across the hall and knocking on the door. "Darce, it's Ray, can we talk?"

She heard the other girl approaching the door, but it didn't open, "If you're here to rub it in my face that you spent the night with Alex, than I don't want to talk to you! How could you even come here and be that shallow?"

"I did not spend the night with Alex, I only went to that party to find Derek; and when Alex found that out," she paused, "if Derek didn't come looking for me, or didn't find me, Alex would have hurt me."

Darcy cracked the door open, taking in the sincere face of her friend.

"I'm sorry that I said those things to you, I just couldn't believe that you let him in. Dar, did he force you?"

"No."

"He had a list, he told me something about having to sleep with everyone--"

Darcy broke down, her muddy eyes flooded with tears and her cheeks became rosy. The other girl pushed back the door and took her into her arms. Ray rubbed her friend's back trying to calm her down, once Darc's body stopped shaking, they stepped apart.

"I knew I didn't mean anything, I only got so mad at you because you were right. I am foolish, I always have been, and now I'm going to have a child to show it. How can I tell my mother? She'll hate me, and my dad, I don't even want to think about it."

"I'll help you through this, so will Derek."

The girl ran a hand through her hair and let out a sigh, "I was thinking about abortion."

"That contemplation won't ever happen."

"Huh?"

Ray took a deep breath so she wouldn't snap, "You can't do that, it's immoral. At least give the child to someone who cannot have one, to take a life would be selfish and painful. You'll look back on this day and wonder how your child would have been; they change you, Darcy, they do, it might be good for you to go through this."

"I can't do it."

"You still have a lot of time until an abortion is out the window, at least think on this, for me?"

"Okay."

Raylee hugged her again, "I'll see you in school on Monday."

She walked back to Derek's room and leaned on the door frame, smiling at him. He felt someone staring at him and turned around on his chair, facing her. He took her hand and pulled her downstairs.

"I should bring you home," he explained.

"Yeah, my mom can never find out about what Alex did, I told her I was meeting you there."

He nodded.

~x~

"What's up with you?" Jack asked Alex.

It was the following morning, all four boys had stayed at the Gaskarth home, but they were the only two up. The coffee haired boy ran a hand through his hair, sending his new highlights astray. He just shook his head, rolling on his side, ignoring his friend. On the bunk beneath them, he could hear Rian or Zack waking up.

"Is it because I told everyone?" he whispered.

Alex continued to examine his baby blue wall as if it was the most magnificent thing he'd ever come across. He was never one to show his feelings, he found that expressing your feelings make you a weaker target to bullies. When he felt Jack's hand on his shoulder, he sighed and rolled back over, pressing his back to the wall so they weren't right in each others' faces.

"I just didn't want anyone to get hurt, I wasn't only thinking of them, it was for you too. I know that you know deep down what you were doing wasn't right."

"I do," he sighed again, "I just got so caught up in it."

"You need to apologize to those girls, they may get mad at first, but they'll forgive you eventually."

"All except the girl I got pregnant."

"She doesn't need your apology," Jack offered a small smile, "she needs your support."

"I need a job, will you go job hunting with me?"

"I got you into this mess, I surely am going to help you get out of it. I'll help you with that chick's baby as much as you need, as long as you're putting in an effort too."