What If

What If By Bayli Lane

Have you ever asked yourself what if? This is for you.




Because of Copyright Laws... I couldn’t actually include the lyrics to the song “Dear God” by Avenged Sevenfold. However, it is highly recommended that you listen to the song and even look up the lyrics when the song is mentioned. Plus, it’s a great song.

(If you have the Spotify App installed on your reading device you can click on the song title hyperlink and play the track)





The twist in my stomach when he walked into a room, the feeling of completion when his arms wrapped around me in an encompassing hug, the tightness in my chest when his eyes crinkled at the sides when I made him laugh or smile, the smell of tobacco on his clothing as I breathed in with my face tucked into his neck, the never ending trust when he drove twenty miles over the speed limit: it’s alarming the things I still remember about my time with Arrow.

I remember every word, every action, every hug. I remember when his lips would touch my cheek, or the time we nearly kissed but stopped. I remember the fuming look in his eyes every time we had an argument, the glassy look when we had to say goodbye. I remember him being scared when his mom kicked him out of the house, the long phone calls full of laughter, the heated argument we had when he broke up with my friend. I remember all of it.





Arrow and I met when we were fourteen. We went to the same high school. It was the first party I’d ever been when Arrow and I found each other. We were opposites in some ways and like minds in others. We were both hot headed in the sense that we didn’t let people take advantage of us. Arrow was worse, though. He got into fights on a regular basis; someone could look at him wrong and he’d have their throat in his hands. But with me… with me he was tender, caring.

I’ll never forget the exact moment Arrow came barreling into my life like he was always meant to be there. I arrived at the party nearly an hour before when I found myself out in the backyard looking over the patio and into the newly mowed grassy landscape. Darcy, my best friend, danced inside with a drink in her hand, surrounded by guys. She was that kind of girl - the kind to get a male’s attention without even trying. I needed to get some air. Some boy in our class that I didn’t know didn’t seem to understand the signals I was giving him that I was not interested. So, without further ado, I told Lance that I needed to run to the restroom, and I made my way outside to get away from his overly friendly fingers.

I leaned against the wooden rails wrapping around the deck area and took in a deep breath, allowing my shoulders to relax, when I heard the sound of the back door cracking open. I looked over my shoulder and found Lance walking towards me. Enough was enough. He clearly needed me to be harsher with him to get my point across.

“Lance, listen, I’m not interested in a relationship. I’m here to have some fun tonight. That’s it.”

He laughed cruelly while continuing his stride towards me. “Briar, I’m just here for a little bit of fun too.” He stood directly in front of me and ran his chilled fingers down my arm which made me cringe and break out into nervous goose bumps.

“What are you doing?” I muttered while shifting my weight to the other foot and trying to create space between his body and mine.

One of his fingers trailed across my shoulder, across my collarbone and started to head south to my breast. “Having fun.” The words were barely audible as his eyes zoned in on my chest.

I slapped his hands away from me. “Hands off, Lance,” I hissed out and tried sidestepping him and moving towards the door leading inside of the house.

“Not so fast.” Before I had time to react, Lance had me backed up to the wooden rail, his body pinning me and pushing me away from the door so no one could see us.

Fear screamed inside of me, telling me now was the time to fight back, warning me that Lance had one purpose and one purpose only for being out there with me.

I tried lifting my legs to knee him, but I couldn’t get my legs up high enough. His legs were tightly pressing mine to the wooden rail. My arms were tucked to my chest and incapable of moving due to his pectorals pressing into me.

The smell of his sweat filled my senses when he leaned in and pressed an open mouthed, sloppy kiss to my neck, right below my ear. I’d remember that smell forever; this moment would change me if I couldn’t get away from him, I’d never be the same girl. I knew it deep inside of me.

“Don’t do this,” I squeaked out.

His answer was a moan and lick to my neck.

This can’t happen!

I leaned forward pressing my lips to his neck, letting him think I was going to kiss there; instead I sank my teeth into his skin.

He roared, pulling his face out of my chest. I let go when his hands started to squeeze my sides painfully. I knew I was grimacing, that tears were forming in my eyes, that bruises would form where his fingertips dug into my skin. He narrowed his disturbed eyes at me.

“You’ll pay for that.” His right hand let go of my side and moved to the button of my jeans where he quickly unbuttoned them and started sliding his hand inside.

“Stop! Please stop!” I cried out while his hand moved dangerously close to a zone no one had ever gone and a place I definitely didn’t want him to touch. I whimpered when I felt him touch the waist of my panties.

“What the fuck is going on here?” a masculine voice demanded from behind Lance. I tried looking over his shoulder, but I couldn’t see his face.

“Help!” I yelled out as loudly as my voice would go.

I clenched my eyes together; silently sending a prayer up that whoever was out here with us would help me. I heard the thundering of footsteps and before I opened my eyes, felt Lance’s body being ripped away from me. I sucked in a breath and opened my eyes to find a bigger guy holding Lance up against the side of the house, his neck in his hands. Lance’s eyes were opened wide and dilated with fear, and his mouth hung open, trying without succeeding in taking in a breath.

I watched, enthralled with the bulging veins in the arms of the guy that just saved me. I wanted to see his face so badly I could physically feel my heart thudding up and down in my chest.

“Do you like hurting women, you piece of shit?” he asked what I assumed to be a rhetorical question since Lance couldn’t even breathe, let alone speak.

I continued staring as he leaned into Lance and started speaking in a lower voice. I tried my hardest to hear whatever he had to say, but I couldn’t make out the words. Suddenly he let go, and Lance went running around the house, looking like he was running for his life. Heck, maybe he was. I hoped so.

I never took my eyes off of the guy who managed to scare Lance, not even when he started walking towards me. It only took him a few steps before he stood directly in front of me. Worry creased his brows.

Those eyes. I couldn’t tell if I was breathing, because those deep, whiskey eyes stunned me.

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking back and forth from one of my eyes to the other.

It finally hit me, in that exact moment, looking up at this stranger, that I was okay. That what I thought was going to happen did not happen. First, relaxation fluttered over my limbs causing my shoulders to loosen and my stomach to unwind its knots, and then I felt utter gratitude.

“Thank you so much,” I said in a whisper, my voice refusing to get any louder because my throat was tightening with emotion. Without thinking, I threw my arms around the guy’s waist, gripping with all the strength I had, laid my head against his chest and shook as relieved sobs began thundering through me.