Introductions

"Oh, well that would work." Jason nods and takes a bite of chicken. "You could meet Sandy then too. I think you'll like her. She's been dying to meet you, I know." 

"Jason!" 

Jason looks up quickly, his eyebrows rising. "Hey, man, what's up?" 

A young man approaches their table, grinning from ear to ear. His reddish blonde hair was cut short and spiky, his build medium-height and athletic. He eyes Katie for a moment before looking back at Jason. "Well what do you think? I'm hungry."

Jason smirks. "Go figure. I've been here how many times and never ran into you?" 

"No kidding. We meet up once and now we're everywhere." The guy laughs, his green eyes twinkling.

A new grin creases Jason's lips. "We had to have gone right by each other a million times." 

"Probably." He pauses and glances to Katie again. "This the phantom girlfriend?" 

Jason laughs and shakes his head. "A phantom, she is not. Sorry." Introductions had completely slipped his mind. "Rusty, this is Katie. Katie, Rusty. He's an old friend from high school." 

"It's true." Rusty extends his hand to Katie. "Everything but the old part. I'll always be a month younger than him." 

"Yeah, yeah." Jason waves him off. 

Rusty grins. "I'd love to stay and crash your party, but I got my own girlfriend to meet up with. I'll catch you later." 

"Right." Jason watches him walk away, then remembers something. "Oh. Rusty!"

"Hmm?" Rusty stops and turns around. 

"Saturday night. Pizza and bowling. Sandy's idea. You going?" 

"Of course!" 

"Alright. See you then." Jason relaxes again and picks up his fork to finish his food. "Okay, so where were we? Tomorrow? So you wanna come along to the park then?" 

Confused, but trusting Ryan, Tal lets her go and tries to relax. It isn't easy though. His leg was packed in tightly, and so was his right hand. Not to mention, a brace was holding his head still, and it felt like the side of his face was all bandaged up. Accident? What accident? Fighting to remember, flashes of the dark alley come to mind. Then he knows. 

It doesn't take long for the doctor to come in and check him over, asking him a ton of questions about how he feels and if he feels this or that or if such and such hurts. What Tal really wanted was just to get out of here. But after learning the extent of damage, he's a bit shocked and dismayed. He was going to be here for a little while. 

After what seemed like forever, Tal is finally left alone with Ryan again. Though exhausted, he was at least alert now. It was hard to talk - his jaw was incredibly sore. But apparently that was to be expected since it had been fractured. He was supposed to minimize his talking, but he didn't want to just lie around in silence. 

Finding Ryan's hand again, he holds it, trying to reassure her... or maybe himself too. "What have you been doing the last few days?" he mumbles. "Don't tell me you've been here the whole time."

Letting her ponytail loose, Ariel shakes out her hair as she enters her house. A morning of horseback riding with her brother had been fun - it always was. 

Humming to herself, she wanders to the phone to find there was a voicemail message. Whenever going out to clear her head, she never took her cell phone. It was a rule she'd started long ago. 

Picking up the phone, she listens as she aims down the hall to her bedroom. Hearing Trey's voice, she pauses what she's doing, to listen a little more carefully. He... needed someone to talk to? He sounded... different. 

Easing down to sit on the edge of her bed, Ariel thinks. Whether Trey knew it or not, he'd broken her trust in a few ways. She wasn't scared of him, nor did she hate him, nor did she not forgive him. But... remembering how he'd been that night... it still made her somewhat uncomfortable. And remembering how she'd needed to baby him and pretty much manipulate him in order to get him to stay and settle down... She might have succeeded, but it hadn't been fun. She was glad she didn't have to watch him for the Elite anymore. That helped. And he had been kind of sweet that evening at the party and going out for pizza. It was just... Did she want to keep hanging out with him?

Shaking her head, she stands and goes to find some clean clothes then goes to the shower. Letting the warm water run over her, she sighs deeply. Trey needed a good friend, and she knew that. He'd always been a gentleman when sober. She did like his eyes. And... she wasn't one to just turn her back. There was no reason to.

She lets her thoughts go for now and finishes up her shower.  Putting on her clean clothes, she wanders to the living room and flops down on the couch with her phone. Dialing, she waits to hear Trey's voice.  

"Hi, Trey. It's Ariel. Got your message. Sorry it took me a while to get back to you." 

She twirls a strand of hair around her finger. "Lunch sounds good if it's not too late. Want me to come pick you up?"