Chapter 35: Boys Night Out
PLEASE Read and Review!
* * *
The world took a strange turn for Ryan the next weekend, and it all started when Anthony invited him to a "boys night out". The very fact that he had been invited confused him, but that Anthony had been the one to do it shocked him beyond belief. Even after the unselfish act he had performed he did not expect such quick forgiveness. Every week a good chunk of the boys went out to a club and partied all night. Under usual circumstances Ryan would have declined the offer, but then he realized the havoc they could wreak and decided to be somewhat of a chaperone. Around nine o'clock Max, Anthony, Ryan, Gambit, Kurt, Bobby, Roberto, and Ray all pushed their way through the crowd and smoke to a table in the back corner. Ryan grimaced at the smell and asked himself for the hundredth time why he had come. He felt trapped and smothered.
"Hey, hey, hey," Max said breaking Ryan's thoughts. "The honnies are lookin' hot tonight."
"As long as you pick well all will go well if you know what I mean," Gambit said nudging him in the ribs. "Just watch an ol' pro." He walked onto the dance floor and cut in to a couple dancing. The guy grabbed him by the should but soon gave up when he got a good look at Gambit's enormity. The girl did not seem to have any problem at all.
Max grinned. "Dude I'd better go after my squeeze before he does." His eyes traveled around the room for a few moments before they came to rest on a blond in the middle of the crowd. She danced with every man on the floor, her body undulating with the music, her skin glistening in the light. Max raised his eyebrows and pointed to her.
"That, is my squeeze tonight."
"So you're the smoldering temptress kinda guy?" Anthony asked.
"Oh yeah, the wilting flowers are boring in bed. Now if you'll excuse me." He slid off to the dance floor.
Ryan shook his head. He watched Max glide in front of the blond. He smiled. She smiled. They spoke a few words and continued to dance. Ryan looked away slightly disgusted. He did not particularly care to observe people dancing hip to hip. He took a sip of his soft drink and relaxed into the plastic booth cushion. The dark music swallowed him up
dragging him back to a time that he would prefer to forget. It reminded him of the pain, the crash of the door at random intervals during his endless night, the fire of his anger brimming to the top threatening to spill over, the guilt. But he felt the guilt no more, now he felt only the anger, only the desire for vengeance. The audacity of those men! They murdered his family and for two years he thought he had done it.
The music changed and he eased out of his trance. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. When his eyes landed on the bar he laughed. There stood the giant. Andie's brother Asher.
"Would you like to share with the rest of the class dude?" Anthony asked.
"Your friend is here," Ryan said pointing to the bar.
Ryan realized the depth of his mistake as a smile spread across Anthony's face. "I'll be right back," Anthony said.
"Wait, Anthony don't start anything," Ryan said, but Anthony was already pushing his way through the crowd.
Ryan stood and followed him wishing with every step that he could redirect Anthony's attention. He did not know Asher's power but he knew both of their tempers. The fact the Andie had kissed Anthony did not help the situation one bit.
Anthony reached the bar before Ryan could catch him. He leaned against the counter in plain view of the giant. While he ordered a drink he acted like he did not notice Asher, however, clearly noticed him and Ryan watched his already monstrous muscles tense. Anthony glanced over as if by chance.
He pointed a finger at him. "Hey, you're Andie's brother, Asher right?"
Asher nodded, his jaw one giant mass of tense muscle. His mouth remained a thin line.
A smile pulled Anthony's lips away from his white teeth. "You know," he said leaning forward as if he were sharing a secret. "You're sister's not half bad for a fist timer."
/Oh please no, Ryan thought. God why did I open my big mouth?/
What happened next happened so fast that it even surprised Ryan. Asher snapped his fingers, an orange glow filled his black eyes and a hand shot out toward Anthony. Flames rushed from his fingers but did not go far. A blue electric looking force field surrounded his hands and the fire died. It was not until Asher glared over at Ryan that he realized his
own outstretched arm.
Anthony pointed and laughed. Then he looked at Ryan. "I could have done that."
Ryan shrugged. "It was a reflex."
"What did you do?" Asher asked. Ice chipped from his words.
"He waved his magic wand-" Anthony said as if explaining to a little child.
"No," Ryan cut him off. He turned to Asher with a small sense of victory. "In laymen's terms, you've been hexed."
"Who the heck are you?" Asher asked annoyed, "This is between me and Eminem over there." He pointed Anthony's way.
"Eminem!?!" Anthony yelled. "I'll show you Eminem." Anthony lifted his hand, raw energy building up.
"No. He's not worth it." Ryan insisted.
"Yes he is." Anthony snarled.
"Anthony, do not make me hex you too."
But Anthony raised his hand hatred smoking from his eyes. Ryan sighed. Me and my big mouth. They're gonna burn this place down. He raised his hand too and Anthony's hands disappeared beneath the blue shields.
/Wait, I didn't do that, Ryan thought./
"Ryan!" Anthony yelled.
"Hold up, I didn't do it this time," Ryan defended himself. "I was going to but-"
"I got to it first." They all turned in the direction of the cold voice.
"Wanda?" Asher said.
She did not answer.
Her green eyes remained locked on Ryan. They did everything in their power to freeze him, but he only grinned. "Well, now that the children have been put in time out, we should make them go to their rooms. What do you say?" He asked.
"Children?" Asher and Anthony asked.
"Sorry X-geek but we're not exactly on the same team if you didn't notice." Wanda said.
She tried to hex Ryan's power using only one hand but Ryan merely brushed the hex off like he would a mosquito.
"Wow kiddo, let's not start anything here. Didn't we just stop these two from burning down the place?"
A growl escaped from Wanda's lips and one of the overhead lights above Ryan's head broke loose from the ceiling. He heard the moan from above just in time to step out of the way and avoid serious damage to his body. With a loud crash the light hit the floor and with a sickening crunch the bones in Ryan's foot cracked under the weight. He ground his
teeth and refused the yell.
A crowd already formed around them and he did not want to make any more of a scene.
Suddenly everything went black. Ryan felt the heavy object lifted off his foot and two strong hands half dragged half carried him away. He hovered in his world of darkness and confusion until they reached the door and stepped into the moon light. He now saw that Gambit had pulled him out and Kurt now appeared in a puff of blue smoke with Anthony kicking and cursing.
"You kids need ta be a little bit more careful from now on." Gambit snarled. "Especially you Mr. Schamaluffel. Next time we won' drag ya out of trouble, savvy?"
Ryan nodded. Anthony cursed under his breath. Gambit glared at him and he stopped.
The double doors whined open and Max swaggered out into the light with the pretty blond on his arm. "Hey, where's the applause?" He asked.
"Applause?"
Max rolled his eyes. "Without me we might all be in prison by now," he said. "I did cut the power- holy crap look at Ryan's foot!"
They all looked down. The bloody mass of brown leather floated above the ground suspended by Ryan's leg. He then remembered the fiery pain and let out a little groan that slowly turned in to a sob. He sunk too the ground severely embarrassed and severely in pain.
Anthony hoisted Ryan up and put his arm over his shoulders. "Come one, we'd better get the cry baby back to the mansion," he said with a grin.
"I'm not a cry baby," Ryan retorted.
"Yeah sure," Anthony laughed.
"Would you like me to drop something on your foot? Yeah, didn't think so." They hopped to Anthony's car and he slid into the leather seat, resisting the urge to let on how much pain he was in.
"See you guys later," Max said sliding into his own car. The blond already sat in the passenger seat. He grinned and winked.
Ryan shook his head as the car pulled out of the parking lot.