Thirty-Two

Friday came and before I knew it Ryan was at my apartment waiting for me to get ready. I didn't do anything special with my hair and I threw on some fishnet leggings with a skirt and a tank top. I wore my flats though to try and keep it more like me. I was really wanting to try something different and Mackenzie bought this leggings for me a couple years ago. I just haven't worn them yet.

Ryan looks at me biting back a smile and laugh. " Just switch the tank top to a shirt. Long sleeve cause it is kind of chilly tonight."

"How about three- quarter sleeve?"

"Sure?" He says unsure.

I changed my shirt and we left my apartment. I turn to walk towards the bus station figuring that was what we were going to do to get closer to the farm. I was wrong when he pulls me back and I'm standing in front of a futuristic looking car. I look to Ryan confused.

"What is this?"

"It's a more modernized DeLorean." He says sounding proud. I was excited because it was a DeLorean. It may not be the model used in Back to the Future but it was still awesome.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I said slapping his arm.

"No." he was chuckling at me.

"Can I drive it?" I ask. I was too excited not to. I mean come on it's a DeLorean.

"Maybe later." He winks at me causing me to blush. It was a good thirty minute drive out to the farm. It was nice being able to see where I was going this time instead of being blindfolded and knocked out in the back of a van. He grabs my hand after he parks and cuts the car off. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I breathed out. I hoped I was going to be okay and being back out here wasn't going to throw me into a panic/ anxiety attack.

"You can stay next to me all night but Ray said he wants to introduce you to his girlfriend."

"Okay. Fine." I say. Ray knows and so does his therapist. I should be fine here and if Uncle Chris is here then I'll be okay.

Ryan and I walk through the back door hand in hand. He switches hands and wraps an arm around my waist to keep me next to him.

"Ryan where ya been bro?" I see someone I haven't seen before talk to Ryan.

"I've been busy." He reflexively pulls me into him tighter.

"Ooooh, this pretty one. Brad told me about her." The stranger was sneering at me. Ryan goes to tell him off but I beat him to it.

"Brad? How do you know him?"

"I'm his cousin and I don't remember speaking to you broad. Now let the big boys talk." He said as I realized he needed to be taken down a peg.

"Well, if I remember correctly and I do," I step away from Ryan and get into Brads' cousins face. "Your cousin tried to **** me then bitched and moaned when Ryan," I jerk my thumb backwards indicating to the man in question. "Beat the ever living fuck out of him. So why don't you go back home to your cousin and tell him the broad he tried to **** will cut his prepubescent nuts off if he tries to even insinuate that he did anything to me cause he's too big of a coward to tell it like it is." I step back into Ryan's arms and smirk.

"Let's get you something to drink." I hear Ryan whisper in my ear as wee leave Brads' cousin standing there trying to come up with a sentence in his half pickled brain. We get into the kitchen which was empty and he grabs a beer from the fridge and hands it to me.

"Nawh. I want something a little stronger tonight. In order to deal with assholes like him."

"Whatever." He shrugs and pours me a double shot of whiskey. I drink it all at once and my face scrunches up at the taste. A minute later Ray walks in with some girl trailing behind him.

"I thought I'd find you two in here." He winks at me. The girl finally catches up and stands next to me as Ray and Ryan do a bro hug thing. I will never understand the point of that but whatever.

"Is it just me or does that look painful?" The girl asks next to me.

"It looks painful." I was starting to feel the effects of the whiskey already but I was a lightweight anyways so a double shot could really fuck me up. "I'm Athea." I said looking at the girl.

"Yeah. Ray's told me a little about you. Mainly about how fucked up you had his cousin Ryan when he had you a while ago."

"Yeah it's been about two months now. Next week will be two months at least since I've been set back into society."

"I'm Ray's girlfriend. I'm a part of the mafia. I'm Brad's cousin. I was there that night Ryan beat him. Um.. sorry. My name is Sophie."

"I love it. And yeah I'm sorry about Brad."

"Don't be the fucker deserved it. I did hear what you said to my brother though and Ray's going to beat his ass later."

"I've learned that nobody crosses Ryan the hard way."

"Yeah. Uncle Chris is pretty important and well loved. Had he actually been guilty of the crime you wouldn't have been grabbed but I was with him along with Ryan, Ray, and Will." She shrugged.

"I'm not mad at him obviously."

"Yeah that's obvious. You've only looked at me for one second since I came in here." She says catching my attention. "What are you and Ryan anyways?"

"Oh.... he's my boyfriend." Ryan touches my shoulder at that moment.

"Boyfriend?"

"Well isn't that considered an s.o.?" I ask as he pushes a strand of hair behind my ear and kisses my cheek. we hung out in the kitchen and I had two more shots of whiskey. I was pretty much plastered and I didn't care.

"Come on. I think we need to go find my Uncle so he can see you again."

"No need. Athea," Uncle Chris says holding his arms open. I walk over to give him a hug a little unsteadily. "Welcome back."

"It's nice to be back I think. I haven't had a panic attack yet so that's good."

"I've noticed that Ryan doesn't stay here anymore. Could that be because of you?"

"I hope so." I walk with Uncle Chris as he leads me away from the little group in the kitchen and into the study.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing with adjusting back to your normal life."

"I wasn't dong the best. Ryan dominated my thoughts. Then he showed up in my apartment and with that and therapy I've gotten much better."

"Therapy?"

"Yeah Pat. She was kind of pushy and she talked to Ryan a couple weeks ago. But everythings okay. Oh and my best friend has met Ryan but she doesn't hang out with us because she doesn't want to be liable for harboring a fugitive if he gets caught. And I think I'm in love with him."

"Love. What would you do if he got arrested?"

"I'd fight my father to get him out."

"You'd give up family for Ryan?"

"Yes of course. Ryan has been more stable than my parents ever have. He even beats my best friend by five minutes." I shake my head. "That doesn't make sense."

"It's fine. I get it. Come on." He grabs my hand and leads me right into Ryan. "She's a little drunk."

"Yeah she wanted to be." I saw a familiar figure out the corner of my eyes as Ryan was talking.

"It's you. Wow. I can't believe Ryan still has you around."

"Yeah. My name is Athea."

"Like I care." She rolls her eyes and looks to Uncle Chris. "Why do you guys still let riffraff or outsiders in here?"

"Meghan."

"Oh your name is Meghan?" I ask sarcastically.

"Yeah you little skank. You still want Ryan to protect you?"

"No. I don't need him too."

"Really?" She scoffs

"I'm not like you needing to hang on every guy that gives me attention."

"Excuse me but before you Ryan was fucking around with me." I look to Ryan who looks confused. His look told me all I needed to know. I was probably being stupid but I felt pretty brave due to the alcohol.

"Are you related to a Brad by any chance?"

"No?"

"Funny. You both have loose lying lips. You in more than one way." I punched her before she knew what was going to happen. I sprained my wrist in the process due to not knowing how to fight but even through the pain it felt great to knock out a lying ho. I watched as she fell to the ground and felt Uncle Chris walk off. I look to Ryan who grabs me and pulls me back into the study.

"Where's a microphone?"

"I think you're too drunk to confront anybody else."

"Nope where's a microphone."

Ryan leads me to the stage in the backyard. I grab it and get everyone's attention.

"For all of you who want to listen to people like Meghan and Brad I'm going to set the story straight. First off you can take one look at Ryan and see he has no interest and had no interest in Meghan who tried to say she fucked around with him. Secondly, Brad is a lying sack of shit! He tried to **** me but Ryan beat the fuck out of him. I don't need people to fight my battles and I will knock your ass out if you try telling lies about me or my boyfriend again. Capische?" I drop the microphone and walk off the stage.