I Like the Remix

Raelyn groaned out in pain when she woke up to the sun coming in through the window. Her head was throbbing violently. She threw her arm over her eyes to try and keep the sun out as she tried to recall just how much she actually had to drink the previous night. The past couple of days were a drunken haze. It had been a week and a half since she had dropped off the books at her mother’s house. She’d been ignoring Zacky’s calls and text messages, and when she was invited to anything he might be at… She’d been using work as an excuse not to go. Thankfully, Tori was spending all of her time with Brian, which meant Raelyn was able to dodge the questions and lecture on her drinking habits as of late.

She forced herself out of bed when she heard her phone going off in the other room. When she made her way into the living room, the ringing stopped and she sighed. Raelyn grabbed her phone and rolled her eyes at the notification that she had missed a call from Zacky. She tossed her phone at the couch and headed for the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth.

About an hour later, she had put on a little bit of makeup and staring at her reflection, she could barely tell that she had been completely wasted out of her mind the night before. She dug around in the medicine cabinet and downed a couple of aspirin before heading back to her room to get dressed.

Once she was in her favorite pair of jeans and a Captain America tank top, she felt ready for the day. She grabbed her purse and headed to the living room to grab her phone. Once she had her sunglasses on, she headed for her car. Her phone went off again… she finally pulled it out and let out a frustrated sigh. Zacky had sent her a text saying he had something important to talk to her about and would she please come over. Realizing that avoiding him wasn’t going to solve the problem, she decided to agree and sent a text back saying she’d be there in twenty minutes.

---

Raelyn parked on the street in front of Zacky’s house and took a deep breath. After trying to gather her jumbled thoughts, she walked up to the front door and knocked twice. Less than a minute later, Zacky had opened the door and led her into his living room. She took a seat on one of the arm chairs and waited with her arms crossed. When he didn’t speak up… she did. “You said you had something important to talk about. So talk.”

Zacky cleared his throat and looked up at her with nervous green eyes. “I...well…” He rubbed at the back of his neck and bit down on his bottom lip. Raelyn rolled her eyes as she waited for him to continue. “The other day…” He trailed off and looked down at the ground, unable to continue.

“Oh, you mean when Meaghan came over and told you she was pregnant?” Raelyn asked, crossing her legs and leaning forward to meet his gaze when he looked up at her shocked. “And you went on to tell me that it was nothing important?” She continued and watched as he gulped.

“Raelyn,” Zacky started quietly. “It’s not-”

She cut him off. “Oh please. Don’t dig yourself a bigger grave by saying ‘It’s not what you think.’ I think, she came over and told you… And then you got freaked out and rather than letting me in… You told me it was nothing important.” Raelyn’s glare was icy.

Zacky fidgeted nervously. “Raelyn, I-”

“You didn’t even have the balls to tell me about it!” Raelyn shouted at him in frustration. The anger was a front… more than anything she was hurt. So his ex was pregnant, and it was probably his kid. If he couldn’t tell her about something that big… What else would he end up hiding from her? “Your mom was talking like you guys were dating… Does she know?”

Zacky looked away from Raelyn’s angry blue eyes. Unable to hide his feelings of guilt at the fact that he hadn’t told his mother that he was no longer dating the woman he had gotten pregnant. She had already nagged him about the fact that he had gotten her pregnant before even getting engaged. He wasn’t even sure how the hell Raelyn had found out. Meaghan hadn’t come around his house since she first came forward to tell him she was pregnant. He had been at a loss for words and had no idea how to tell Raelyn. “Meaghan told her that we were together…I didn’t deny it.” He finally answered.

Raelyn closed her eyes for a moment to try and calm herself. She was infuriated and his statement had done nothing but aggravate her more. “Are you going to correct her?” She asked, her voice quiet, and deceivingly calm.

Zacky sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not that simple, Raelyn.” His parents wouldn’t understand. And Meaghan was manipulative… She’d find a way to twist it around and get his family to look at Raelyn like she was trying to get between them.

Raelyn bit her lip as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “I’ll make it easy for you.” She promised as her eyes fell to the floor. She clenched her fists at her side to keep him from seeing that they were shaking. “There is one thing I hate more than anything else in this world, and that’s liars. Whatever we are,” Her voice was so soft he had to strain to hear her. “It’s over. Your reputation as momma’s perfect little angel is still intact. I’m going home now. Have a nice life, Baker.” She stated spitefully as she quickly gathered her purse and headed out the front door, slamming it shut behind her.

Zacky just watched her leave. Silently, he stood up from the couch and headed for the kitchen to grab his bottle of Jack Daniels. Going after her would be pointless… living the lie Meaghan was building would just be the easier choice.

---

Tori smiled as she held onto Brian’s arm. They had gone out for lunch and were headed back towards his motorcycle. He’d been utterly romantic and she could tell he was really trying to convince her to take him up on his offer. She kept telling him that she’d have to think about it… She hadn’t even told Raelyn about it yet. She knew Rae wouldn’t care that much either way, but she still wanted her opinion. “You think Raelyn is home?”

“No… I vaguely remember her saying something about a job… I think.” She tilted her head as they came to a stop at his bike. “Why?”

Brian merely smirked as he got on his Harley and waited for her to do the same. When he felt her arms wrap around him, he spoke up. “Let’s go back to your place. Have some fun… And talk this out.” He hit the kickstart and before she could respond, they were off.

Tori rested her head against his back as she watched the scenery pass by. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander for a moment. The possibilities were endless. Once upon a time, she had thought Brian would be her happily ever after. She would dream of walking down the aisle in a beautiful dress, her dad handing her away to Brian… And his genuine smile as they stood in front of a priest. Once upon a time she had wanted it all… The dream wedding and the white picket fence.

Did she want to go there with him all over again? As she pondered the answer, they came to a stop and when she pulled away and looked up, they were parked in front of her apartment building. They both got off, and when she went to glance towards the parking spots assigned for their apartment, Brian pulled her into a tight hug. “Care to continue what we were talking about inside?” The tone in his voice had her shuddering.

He pressed his lips to her neck and chuckled when she dropped her purse. She swatted at him and grabbed her purse, pausing for just a moment to fish out her keys. Once she had them in hand, she sauntered by him to the door and held it open behind her. “So are we talking first, or?” She inquired as her eyes darkened.

“Maybe a little of both.” He decide and without warning had her pressed up against the wall. “It's been nearly two weeks. You have to have some sort of idea on whether it’s a definite no or at least a maybe.” The look in his eyes were pleading and when she went to open her mouth to answer, he kissed her deeply to try and avoid a bad answer.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a happy sigh. “It's not a definite no.” She conceded softly. She giggled at the boyish grin on his face. He surprised her by lifting her off her feet and tossing her over his shoulder. “What are you doing?!”

“Celebrating. I’m extremely happy that you're at least considering living with me.” He told her happily. They made it down the wall and paused when they heard something fall. “You said Raelyn wasn't home, right?”

“Rae?” She called out and when she heard no response she shrugged. “It may have been next door.” He nodded and put her down so he could peel her shirt off. “Really, in the hallway?” She asked with a pointed look. He rolled his eyes but respected her wishes by grabbing her hand and leading her into the other room.

---

Raelyn gagged at the thought of what they had been doing outside of her bedroom, and to be safe she tried to stay in there with her headphones in for at least half an hour. But after half an hour she realized, that eating would probably be a good idea and got up. She pulled out her headphones slowly and let out a relieved sigh when she didn’t hear anything. She crept out of her room and nearly ran back in when she heard their voices.

“I love you, and I want you to know that I’m not trying to pressure you into anything.” Brian’s voice came from within Tori’s bedroom, her door cracked. She found herself interested and slowly walked towards the door. Tori hadn’t made it clear on whether or not they were actually in a relationship or not.

A soft sigh followed by what sounded like a kiss, and then Tori spoke. “I know. I’ll move in with you.” Raelyn felt herself stumble backwards at what she said. After all that the two girls had been through together… After listening to all of Tori’s grievances over the man laying naked in the bed with her at the moment… She was just going to leave her alone without a word to her about it…

She heard some shuffling and hurried back into her room. She closed the door quietly and slid down the door. Tori was her best friend… And she was going to leave her. Victoria had been friends with all of them at one point before… She was going to be the outsider again. The thought of losing her best friend was what made her decision for her. She crawled towards her bed where she had left her purse and pulled out her phone. Hitting the second number on her speed dial, she waited until the ringing stopped. “Jeff? I want the London job.”