Moonlight

"I'm fine." The words came out of Scott's mouth too quickly, and he knew it. His eyes glue themselves to his monitor as he types in his password. "Had a rough night... again... that's all." 

The pause that follows sends heat up his neck and he finally slumps back in his seat. He didn't feel like being here today. The only reason was because Justin told him to. Otherwise, he'd still be in bed. Where nothing could go wrong. Where he could just sleep. Where he wouldn't have to try and get any work done. 

"Just, um..." His fingers run along his keyboard absentmindedly. "Make sure I eat something... today... will ya? I'm not doing so well in that department lately." He knew Dalton would sense it was more. He was his best friend, after all. But he didn't know how to voice what else was going on inside of him right now. Justin was right... it really was starting all over again.

A grin sneaks onto Jared's lips and he gives Grace another sidelong glance. They were sitting awfully close together, but... she was here to work today, right? He didn't want to take advantage of her visits. After all, it was her job half the time. Did... that mean she wouldn't want any affection though? 

Caught staring, Jared quickly moves his concentration back to his food. "Yeah, that um..." He clears his throat. "That'd be nice. If I ever get back on these stubborn feet of mine, it would be even better. Squeaky wheelchair wheels tend to ruin moonlit walks." He stops. "Not that... moonlight has even been mentioned, although maybe we should try it sometime just to see what happens."

Mick chuckles. "You might not want to say you're a 'great guy' too loudly - somebody might think you've got a big head."

Reaching over he gives Chad's shoulder a pat. "As long as you don't do anything to break our trust, you're welcome here. I'm sorry that leaving is the best option right now. If Jim settles down, it would be nice for all of us to get to know you better." 

Putting all her effort into scrubbing a pan in the kitchen sink, Rosalyn barely feels the tear run down her cheek. Everything just seemed to be going wrong and despite a peaceful walk with Chad, she still felt torn and confused. Why couldn't something like this just be simple?

"Rosalyn?"

Whirling around, she accidentally splashes some water out of the sink. "Clint..." She turns quickly back to the dishes before swiping at her eyes. "What do you need?"

"Nothing." He wanders in closer to lean on the counter and just watch her for a few minutes. "You okay?"

More tears form. "I'm fine. Why?"

"I dunno. Figured if I was in your spot, I'd be feeling pretty crappy."

Rosalyn throws him a look. "Was that supposed to be an effort at empathy?"

Clint grins sheepishly. "Maybe. Look, I just wanted to say if you'd rather not go home tonight, you can come to Wendy's and my house if you want."

Rosalyn continues to scrub the pan. "What? Don't approve of me spending the night with Chad?"

Clint sighs. "I didn't mean that. I know you didn't do anything stupid - other than being there with him all night, which did look pretty bad. But I have a feeling you won't do that again so... I just wanted to give you another option, that's all."

Finally pausing her work, Rosalyn nods, her eyes remaining on the soapy bubbles. "Thanks... that means a lot."

"Sure." Clint gives his sister's arm a squeeze. "I'll see you later?"

"Mm... yeah." Left alone again, Rosalyn lets her tears spill over once more. Why couldn't her father possess the same understanding that her brother did? Clint could be a retard, but Rosalyn knew that this was the real him, underneath all his boyishness. Why, oh why couldn't her father be like that? She honestly wondered how long Chad would put up with all of this before he changed his mind about being with her.