Typical

Eli couldn't believe what Ryan was saying. How could this have happened? How on earth had Tal apologized in order to make Ryan so mad?

"Wait you... how..." He runs a hand over his bandanna on his head, wracking his brain. "I guess... maybe I'd think it was weird if someone apologized to me for kissing them when I thought they enjoyed it... or something." He scrunches his nose, not really wanting to think about his sister and Tal making out. "Kinda... make 'em seem a bit... odd... or annoying or... something." A severe lack of confidence at the least, and to someone like Ryan, that would probably be a turn off. But to tell Tal not to come back? Maybe something he said really had given her the creeps. So did that mean Tal and Ryan were a bad fit anyway, or did it mean it was Eli's fault for sending Tal in the first place? He swallows hard. Tal wouldn't have apologized like a geek if Eli hadn't sent him.

Suddenly realizing he's still on the phone, he snaps out of it. "Um... maybe... you should sit on it a while?" He glances over his shoulder as he hears the clanging of some dropped tools. "Speedy, I gotta go. Just, um... I'll talk to you later."

Flipping his phone shut, he goes back into the garage but can't find Tal. Grabbing Paul, he stops him before he starts a paint job. "Paul.... where's Tal?"

"Oh... he just left like two seconds ago. Said he was having a bad day and was gonna take the rest of the day as sick leave." Paul quirks an eyebrow. "Why do I get the strange feeling this has something to do with him going to see Ryan?"

"Crap." Eli starts for the door. "Crap, crap, crap." Breaking into a sprint, he gets outside just to see Tal's car driving away. "Oh this is good... real good. Way to go, Eli, biggest dingbat on the planet. Now what are you gonna do?" Growling, he turns to go back inside and finish out the day. He'd think of something... right?


Tal grins as he drives down the street, seeing Eli in his rearview mirror. He hadn't planned on taking the rest of the day off - he wouldn't have, but Brian had come in, thinking he needed to work today, so Tal had made a quick decision to let him have the hours instead. And besides... it worked out perfectly.


..."Ryan?" Eli gets into the apartment, glad he'd seen her car out front. "Ry? You-" He spots her in the living room. Coming in, he doesn't even take his jacket off. He'd been stewing all day long. Scarlet was getting back in town tonight and he was supposed to meet her, but he couldn't, when he was still wrestling with what had happened earlier. Tal was his friend... and he'd messed things up.

Sighing, he slips between Ryan and the television and sits on the coffee table to face her and block her view so she'd have to pay attention to him. His leather jacket creaks and he hadn't bothered taking his bandanna off his head after work. "Look. It's a long, stupid story, but I sent Tal over to you this morning and told him to apologize. I was just being dumb, but he wouldn't have acted like such an idiot if it hadn't been for me. So please - at least let him come back. I didn't think you'd get so riled, and and and...." He he groans and rolls his eyes. "Just... give him another chance."


Around the corner in the hallway, Tal leans against the wall out of sight, trying so hard not to laugh aloud. He'd gone back to J&Js right when Ryan was getting off work and they'd decided to come back here together for when Eli showed up. Now it was awfully hard to stay quiet and let Ryan let Eli down slowly... or like a ton of bricks - however she decided.


Dylan was busy reading when Ashlee approached, so he didn't see her until she was standing at the table. Looking up, he was a bit surprised, shown by a quirked eyebrow. For several moments, one might think he didn't even hear what she said, as he only eyes her without saying anything.

Finally though, he shuts his book and leans back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. "Hate it. But that goes for just about every subject."

He continues to study Ashlee's face. She really was kinda cute. Stepping into his space a bit, but not too badly.

"You, on the other hand, look like a typical A-student that likes to keep her nose in a book." Maybe a little grin was tugging at one corner of his mouth... maybe.


Though Jason was losing consciousness, somehow he knew Katie was talking to him and it was comforting. As his body revolted against the overabundance of emotions, his mind tries to stay in focus. But it's all just one big vortex of swirling blackness - emotions that can't even be deciphered they're so mixed and muddled.

Rick works as fast as he can. Seeing Misty was taking care of Katie, that was one less thing he had to worry about, and he knew that Misty knew what she was doing. Doing all he can for Jason, he gets their new injection into him, hoping that it would calm Jason and give him a slight bit of the antidote as well until he could settle down and handle a full dose. At the same time, Rick pumps him full of other meds to counteract the seizure and try to keep Jason from falling into a coma like before.

Though it felt like an eternity, really it was only a matter of minutes before Jason was laid out on the table and the cot was pulled over beside it for Katie to lie on as well. Though not in as much physical danger as Jason, Rick knew that she would be utterly exhausted from the trauma and he wasn't about to take her condition lightly. This was dangerous for her as well.

Once the seizure ceases, Rick tries to rouse Jason. "Jase... Hotshot... can you hear me?"

Stretched out on the bed and sweaty from head to toe, Jason tries to open one of his eyes. Everything seemed so blurred and distorted... he felt terrible. A bright light meets his pupil and he scrunches his eye back shut tightly and gives a little groan.

Rick breathes a sigh of relief that Jason hadn't remained unconscious. He looks over to Misty, his eyes showing the inner torment he felt. He goes back to Jason though, determined to see this thing through. He checks his young friend's vitals first. "You're gonna be okay, Jason... just try to relax."

"It hurts," Jason mumbles.

"What does?"

"Everything."

"It's okay. It'll get better."

Jason swallows hard. He felt like he'd been hit by a train and when he'd wanted to just pass out into blissful unconsciousness, he'd been yanked back to reality. "Katie?"

"She's right beside you, Jase."

Jason rolls his head over a little and lets one hand flop down from where he laid to where Katie was. His scarred palm itched and burned but his flared emotions were no longer causing damage. Without much strength to open his eyes, Jason tries to find Katie's touch. "You okay?" he mumbles softly.


Rick leaves him be for now and goes to the counter, leaning heavily on it. He closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths. It was a miracle Jason was halfway alert and responsive. It was a miracle he was still alive at all, what with these attacks. It had to stop. It had to.