Disclaimer: I do not owe the Covenant or the song lyrics that are listed. Only thing I own is the character Rayna.
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Chapter 2: Follow My Head or My Heart
I looked up to see Reid walking over to me, phone in hand. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it before leaning against the car beside me.
"Smoking is bad for you, didn't you hear?" I said before taking a drag off mine.
"What can I say? I'm a rebel." Replied Reid with a smile on his face. It took me back to when that smile would make me weak at the knees.
"So you wanted to talk. Talk." I finally spoke after a moment of awkward silence. He took a deep breath. He was nervous.
"I wanted to apologize for everything." His blue eyes looked into mine.
"It was two years ago. Water under the bridge now." I said breaking our stare.
"No, you don't understand." He shook his head, "I blame myself for everything that happened. Hurting you, causing you to leave, and your parents' death."
"Reid, you shouldn't. It would have happened regardless of you or not. It was their time." I commented.
"If I didn't kiss that girl, you wouldn't have called them and they wouldn't have died. How can you say it wasn't my fault?" He looked at me again, searching for the anger that I lost for him a long time ago.
"Things happen for a reason. They were going to die, there was nothing that you or I could do about that. It happened. We can't go back and change it."
"I don't understand, you should be screaming at me. Yelling in my face. Wanting to tear me apart after everything. That is what I was prepared for. Why aren't you doing that?" He sounded frustrated, like he wanted me to do that. But I couldn't. I couldn't be angry at him for my parents dying. I couldn't put the blame on him for that.
"I spent a long time being angry. I was mad at myself for calling them. I was angry at you for what you did. But after some time, I realized that they wouldn't want me to have so much anger. They wouldn't want me to scream, yell and throw things. They wouldn't want me to blame you or myself for their death. They believed in kindness and forgiveness. They believed everything happens for a reason, they believed in fate. And especially all the stuff that happened with you and me, they wouldn't want us to be upset with each other. It was a mistake. Us being together, it didn't work." His face looked hurt at my last sentence.
"How can you say that?" He said in disbelief.
"Because Reid, you cheated on me. If you were really happy with me, you wouldn't have even thought of that." I spoke truthfully.
"It was a mistake. A mistake that cost me a lot. I was stupid and didn't know what I had with you till you were gone. If I could take it all back, I would in a heartbeat." His blue eyes stared at me as he ran his fingers through my hair. I hesitated a moment before removing his hand from my hair.
"We can't though. Mistakes were made and we have to live with the consequences." After a minute I continued. "Listen, it's going to take a long time before I can trust you completely but I think we can at least save the friendship that we had before. You were one of my best friends. And friends is what I need right now."
"I am fine with that. I swear I will do everything in my power to earn your trust back." He held my hands. Part of me believed his words, but there was doubt as well. Was he going to hurt me again? Should I just take his words on blind faith? Two things I knew were true. The first was that he went through as much hurt that I had. We both spent time blaming ourselves. The second was that in the two years I have been gone, he was always in my mind. I tried hard to forget about him. And for a while it worked. But with him standing in front of me, just inches away, his skin touching mine. All those feeling came flooding back.
"I'm sorry that you have been hurting the past two years." I said, bringing a hand to his cheek. "I have to go." I turned and walked away from him. He didn't say anything, he just let me go. Thoughts kept racing through my mind. My head was telling me to stay away from him because if he hurt me once, he would again. My heart was saying take a chance, the feelings were still there. So which one do I listen to? My head or my heart? I wished I had my grandmother to talk to.
It was my first week in California. I had spent most of the time in my room being depressed over everything. Knock Knock. My grandmother walked holding a cup of tea.
"It is such a beautiful day outside, Rayna. Why don't you go and enjoy it?" She opened up the curtains on the windows to let the sunshine in.
"I'm not in the mood too." I said rolling over in the comforter.
"Okay, bullshit." She used and the covers came off the bed. I sat up in surprise. She chuckled then looked at me. "My darling, where exactly do you think you got your powers from?" I was silent. She sat down beside me. "I know it's hard. But I can assure you that your parents would not want you to be sad. You will see them again."
"How do you know? Is there a spell that we can use?" I asked, hoping that we could do something.
"There is things out there that allows one to see and/or communicate with the dead. But my dear, that's not our way. It will take you down a dark path that is very dangerous to others and yourself. It's better to leave things how they are." She brushed the hair out of my face as she spoke.
"I just want to see them. I want them back." I sounded desperate.
"You are saying that out of grief. I understand the pain you are feeling. You just have to have faith that everything happens for a reason and that you will see them again." Her words gave me a little comfort but it didn't stop me from wanting to see my parents again. "Now out of bed. Take a shower and I'll show you the family book of shadows."
"Rayna, you okay?" A voice called me out of the memory. I looked up to see Chase and that I had made it almost to my dorm.
"Yeah I'm fine. I have a lot of stuff on my mind. Just being back has brought up a lot of memories and feelings." I said as I ran my hand through my hair.
"Do you want to talk about it?" His voice had some concern.
"I don't know yet. Plus, I don't really know you. I just met you tonight and don't think spilling all my secrets to you would be a good thing." I answered.
"It's alright, I get it. I just want you to know if you ever want to talk, I will be there." He offered.
"Maybe someday I will take you up on that offer, just not tonight. I just wanna get to my room and sleep." I didn't want to decline his offer but a lot of things happened today. And I really did feel exhausted from it all.
"It's okay, I'll see you tomorrow then?" He walked me to my dorm.
"Yeah definitely. Good Night." I said as I opened it up.
"Night." He turned and left. I stopped for a moment, there was still something a little off about him. I shook off the feeling as I entered my dorm and locked it for the night. I turned on some Celtic music as I started getting ready for bed. My pajamas consisted of just a Rolling Stones t-shirt and my underwear. After my face was free of makeup, I laid in the bed and let sleep take me.
SHIT! I jerked up in the bed. My body covered in sweat. Something happened. Someone was using, so much that it woke me up. I laid back down, trying to calm my erratic breathing. There was another witch in Ipswich, I wasn't the only one. I had to find out if they were friend or foe.
You've been waiting so long
I'm here to answer your call
I know that I shouldn't have had you waiting at all
I've been so busy, but I've been thinking about what I
Wanna do with you
I know them other guys, they been talking bout the way I do what I do
They heard I was good, they wanna see if it's true
They know you're the one I wanna give it to
I can see you want me too
Now, it's me and you
I groaned as I turned off the alarm that was set up to go off at 6:30 am every morning. I pushed off the covers, threw on some yoga pants and laid out the mat. I had set up a rotating exercise routine that consisted of yoga, running, swimming, boxing and jump roping. The songs that I had set up for my alarms told me what my exercise regime was for today. I started to relax as my body got familiar with each pose.
Thirty minutes later, I was done and took a quick shower. When I got back to my room, I saw that there were a couple text messages waiting on my phone.
Hey, Sarah, Chase & I are gonna go shopping in a little bit. Wanna join? Kate
Yeah, meet you at 9? I'm gonna grab some breakfast first Lol Rayna. I quickly went to the next one.
Hey Rayna, do you wanna meet us at Nicky's later? Tyler
Yeah, I will ask Kate and the others if they would like to go too. Make it a big group thing. Rayna. I put the phone back onto the bed and started getting ready. Within 20 minutes, my hair was dried and in a fishtail braid. I was dressed in jeans and a light blue peasant top. The only makeup on my face was a bit of tinted moisturizer and mascara. I grabbed my things and exited my dorm. After locking it, I turned and instantly walked into Reid.
"Hey, where's the fire?" He smiled at the look of surprise on my face. He had the same jacket that he wore last night. His blonde hair hung down almost touching his blue eyes. For once, there was no beanie. It was strange to see him without it.
"Sorry, Reid. I didn't see you there." I said pushing my dorm keys into my pocket.
"It's alright. I was actually coming to see you." He put his fingerless gloved hands in his pocket nervously. "Do you want to grab some breakfast?"
"Sure, I guess. I was about to head to the cafeteria." We started walking down the hall. "How did you know which dorm was mine?"
"I asked Sarah after she ran into me last night."
"She ran into you?" I brought an eyebrow up, questioning his statement.
"It's not what you think. You can ask her." He was getting defensive.
"Uh huh sure. I believe you." Sarcasm came from my mouth and I added a playful punch on his arm. I knew Sarah would never go for Reid. Especially with the way she was looking at Caleb last night. He smiled at me again. When we reached the cafeteria, we grabbed our plates and sat down at one of the many empty tables. For the most part, we ate in silence. I could see him glancing at me from the corner of my eyes.
"So why did you move back?" I knew it was a question that he had been wanting to ask since he saw me last night.
"My grandmother passed away. It was her dying wish for me to come back here." I answered before taking a drink of juice.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I learned to deal it."
"Why did she want you to move back here?"
"She knew how much I loved it here and how many friends I had. Friends is all I have now."
"She was right, your friends really missed you." His blue eyes sparkled at me.
"I missed you all too."
"Well, isn't this sweet? Rayna and Reid having breakfast together. Careful Ray. Once a cheater always a cheater, right Reid?" Kira stopped at our table. A smile twisted onto her face as she spoke.
"Go away, Kira. It's too early to deal with the bile you're dishing out and the way too strong perfume. What is that? Skank by Spread it somewhere else?" Her face turned to shock. She apparently haven't had anyone talk to her like this since I was last here.
"What's yours? Slut by Shut your mouth?" She tried to insult me.
"Actually it's Bitch by Go Fuck yourself." Kira's face twisted to anger. She leaned on our table, getting in my face closer.
"You are gonna regret that." She threatened.
I laughed and shook my head. "Really? I don't think I will. Come one, Reid. I suddenly lost my appetite." I grabbed Reid's hand and he followed me out of the cafeteria, chuckling as he went. I didn't let go of his hand till we were outside and away from Kira.
"Did you see her face? I think she really missed you." Reid had a smirk on his face.
"Yeah, and I missed her wonderful personality." I said sarcastically before taking a bite of bacon.
"So what do you have planned for today?"
"Shopping with Kate, Sarah and Chase then Nicky's later."
"Wanna meet at Nicky's?"
"You know for someone who didn't talk to me for two years, you seem very anxious to hang out with me a lot lately." I commented giving him a very curious glance.
"We have a lot to catch up on to make up for lost time. I would like to get to know the new you." He had gotten done with his food, his focus seemed purely on me. It made me both nervous and excited. But he was right, he had no idea about the new me. I had learned a lot being in California.
"What do you want to know?" I asked before finishing my last bite and pushing my plate off to the side.
"I remember your dream was to be a singer. Is that still true?" He recalled.
"It is. I started writing some songs but nothing to 'on the radio' worthy yet. I, at least got over my stage fright. Wanna go outside for a cig?" I picked up our plates and got up from the table. He took them from me and walked them over to the discard pile.
"How did you do that?" He questioned as we walked out of the cafeteria.
"I got up the nerve to audition for a musical."
"You in a musical? I find that a little hard to believe. You wouldn't even sing in front of guys and me." He seemed in disbelief. It was true, I was deathly afraid of doing any sort of singing in public.
"Let's just say, my grandmother gave me a little confidence booster." Actually, she slipped a special potion in my lemonade for a while. She later told me what she had done after opening night. 'I just wanted you to believe in yourself as much as I do. You're a shining star and deserved to be seen by everyone.' I couldn't get mad at her for it. It helped me tremendously. When we reached outside, I leaned against the trunk of a tree and lit a cigarette.
"I feel like there's more to that story." He lit a cigarette as well.
"There is. Maybe I will tell you one day." I teased him. He gave me a smirk and moved a little closer to me.
"Full of secrets now?" His face inches away from mine. His scent, a mix of smoke and sandalwood cologne. It was intoxicating. His blue eyes looked into mine, a bit of lust was in them.
"I've always had them. I just -"
"Hey Rayna!" Sarah's voice cut me off. I saw Sarah, Kate and Chase walking over in our direction. I took a step back from Reid.
"Are you ready to go?" Chase asked. I glanced at Kate, who had a smirk on her face.
"Yeah, I am. Do you care if I drive?" I turned to Sarah.
"I don't care. That's fine with me."
"I'll see you later, Reid."
"Yeah, catch you later at Nicky's." He replied before the rest of us walked off. I looked back at Reid as I got into my car. He was watching me as well. Calm down, Rayna. You need to cool off.
"Are we gonna go? Or are we going to spend the day watching you and Reid stare at each other?" Kate's voice knocked me back into reality. I gave her a hard stare before starting the car and driving out of the parking lot.
"What is the deal between you two anyway?" Chase finally spoke after a moment of silence.
"It's a really long story. But Rayna and the guys grew up together. Then Reid and her started dating, and then he kissed another girl. So, she called her parents to pick her up from the party that we were all at. They died in a car accident on their way there. So she went to live with her grandmother in California for two years. Now, she's back and there's sexual tension between her and Reid." Kate blurted out.
"God, Kate! You make my life seem like some tragic Lifetime movie." I snapped at her.
"So you dated Reid? For how long?" Sarah seemed intrigued by the new information about my life.
"All through freshman year." Kate seemed to do all the talking for me.
"And he kissed another girl?" Sarah continued with the questions.
"Yes he did." This conversation needed to get over with.
"And that led your parent's death?" Chase commented.
"It wasn't his fault. So don't put the blame on him. It was no one's fault. How could any of one know that would happen? Kate shouldn't have said that." I tried explaining.
"Still, I don't know how you could stand being near him like that after what he did to you." Chase continued with a disapproving tone.
"Am I happy with what happened? No. But is it going to stop me from trying to save the friendship I had with him. We have known each other since kindergarten." I tried to get my point across. There was a couple minutes of silence in the car.
"So you and Caleb never had a thing right?" Sarah finally ended the tension.
I started laughing, "No, Caleb is like my big brother. That's way too weird."
"Big brother? You all were that close?" Chase asked.
"Yeah definitely. It's always been the five of us. Caleb and Pogue are like my big brothers. Tyler is my little brother and Reid, well it's hard to explain him." I explained as I parked the car.
"Caleb's the oldest, I'm guessing." Chase continued.
"Yup. Caleb's birthday is actually in a couple of weeks. The Pogue's is in October, mine is January. Reid's is Valentine's Day and Tyler's a March baby." We all got out of the car and headed into the nearest shop.
"Wow, you really know them." Sarah seemed impressed.
"Remind me later to tell you every embarrassing story about Caleb. Stuff that would make him blush if you ever mention it to him." I said with a sneaky smile.
