Turning to look at the door, Jared was used to seeing unfamiliar people in and out of here every day. This one seemed different though - she didn't look like one of the normal nurses. She was prettier than most of them, that was for sure.
"Excitement? Oh yeah... tons." Giving Grace a wry grin, he accepts her handshake, slowly with his sore arm. Though his mood wasn't the greatest, there wasn't any point in being rude. "Physical therapy, huh? If I'da known you were it, I mighta tried harder to wiggle my toe sooner."
Faint humor twinkled in his eyes. He usually got whacked for flirting with the nurses, but he didn't have anything better to do with his boredom. He was going out of his mind, lying here day in and day out. "So what happens now?"
Eric's smile just grows even bigger as Ashlee begs her mother to let her ride. It had been worth the wait. Worth the surprise.
"Yeah you better try them boots on - otherwise we might have to postpone the riding," he teases.
Watching Ashlee, his eyes drift back to Stacy. His expression thanked her... he was grateful for her allowing him to do this....
"Alright... you ready?" Eric grins down at Ashlee as they stood in the paddock. He held both Static and Moonbeam who were both saddled and waiting. "Left foot, left stirrup and swing yourself up." He pats Moonbeam's saddle. "Since this is your first time, I'll keep hold of the reins and Static and I'll steer 'til we get the hang of this."
He gives Ashlee a wink. "Up ya go."
"Pizza and movie sounds good," Jason agrees. "In... fifteen minutes." His eyes drift close and he wraps his arms around Katie, sighing deeply. "Just fifteen minutes."
It actually turned out to be half an hour after he'd dozed off, but they were able to enjoy some supper and a movie together before Katie went home. They never did talk about Sandy or Hunter again, although that whole thing still bothered Jason, even over the next couple days. He didn't bring it up though. By now it was too late anyway to stir up anything and Katie hadn't mentioned Hunter again, so surely there was nothing there anyway for him to be uptight about.
The weekend came and went, and it wasn't until Monday that Jason told Katie he'd be out with friends again that night. He mentioned Rusty and Will, but kept Sandy's name out of it. That day after work, Jason said he'd see Katie tomorrow.
Monday night. Hunter sits on the floor of his living room, paper,
pictures and other paraphernalia scattered around him. The box that had
been sitting by his shelf was tipped over and half-empty. He wasn't sure
what had prompted him to go through it now. Other than the fact that
his buddies were all going to the riverside tonight and he hadn't really
wanted to. He'd been there a million times, and tonight he didn't have a
date so it would be boring. Of course he hadn't told them that. He'd
told Wade that he had a girl over at his place and wouldn't be available
until morning. And, as predicted, the lie was accepted and he
maintained his reputation. And of course, the result was him sitting
here on his floor like a lame dufus, sorting through old stuff he hadn't
even wanted to look at.
Setting aside another karate
medal, part of him wanted to hang them up somewhere, and part of him
just wanted to forget all of them. It wasn't so much that he disliked
remembering the sport... but it reminded him too much of Break Out. He'd
done a lot before that group, for sure... but that was the last time
he'd done anything with karate and so that's what stuck in his mind
whenever he thought about anything revolving around the sport.
Sighing,
he scrounges around in the box and pulls out a picture frame. Inside
was a photo of him and Kyle. A lump rises in his throat. He missed
having a best friend. He missed having a guy he could trust with
anything. He missed hanging out and laughing. Kyle had been like a
brother.
Hunter thinks about Break Out and when they'd
had to say goodbye. It hadn't been fair to anybody. Nobody knew what
they were going to do or how they would survive. Futures had been turned
upside-down without notice. Chaos. Inward panic and dismay. For
everybody... except Kyle. An opportunity had been dropped in his lap
before he'd even left the team. Not only did he have Alice, but he
suddenly had a bright future again, just like that.
The
old jealousy starts to boil again and Hunter turns the picture
face-down onto the carpet. Kyle had just walked away scott free. That
was it. See ya. Gone. And everybody else still had to figure out how to
survive. How did he rate, getting the girl and the future? What was so
great about him that he got special treatment?
A sigh
surfaces. The image of Kyle's face the other night was burned into
Hunter's mind. Surprise. Displeasure. Disappointment. Irritation. Hurt.
But seeing all that in Kyle's eyes hadn't brought any satisfaction. On
the contrary, it had just made Hunter even more mad. A few years ago,
Hunter would have calmed down and apologized right away to work things
out. And now...?
Rising from the floor, Hunter leaves
the mess where it is. Slipping on his motorcycle boots and grabbing his
leather jacket, he's out the door, downstairs and around the corner to
the small shed where he kept his bike. Releasing the padlock it takes
him only a few moments to take out his motorcycle, don his helmet and
hit the road.
Leaning low over the bike his eyes focus
on his lane through the face shield of his helmet. The lights flew by in
a blur as he leans to the right and left, weaving through traffic. A
red light whizzes by as he disregards stopping at an intersection.
Shifting gears, his body lowers even more. The city streets were a
dangerous racetrack - even more so at this time of night - but he didn't
care.
After leaving Break Out, he'd wandered a while
before falling into a group of street racers. He was a quick learner and
a natural behind the wheel, gaining him a few fast wins. After that, he
was hooked. He'd raced both car and motorcycle, picking up the sport
very quickly, which gave him a jumpstart on much-needed income. He
couldn't quit though. Not after experiencing the adrenaline rush. The
crowds, the booze, the excitement... it helped drown out his past
whenever he wanted. Winning his current car and motorcycle had been
icing on the cake. And coming to Nevada... maybe he felt drawn to his
roots. Or maybe he wanted to check out the desert racing. Or maybe
somewhere deep down, he'd wanted to see if his past still existed.
Missing
a turning car by inches, Hunter could feel his pantleg brush the
bumper. Death - or worse - missed by a mere two inches. Flashing lights
suddenly appeared in his mirror. Not a surprise, but he wasn't worried.
Still swerving around traffic and dodging red lights, the cop gets
further and further behind. Hitting the breaks and sliding on the
pavement, Hunter skids into an alley and cuts his headlight. Looking
back over his shoulder, he waits a few moments before seeing the cop
drive by. Poor clueless soul. Steering back out onto the street, Hunter
aims in the opposite direction, speeding up again.
Half
an hour later, Hunter's speed had slowed. He'd outraced two more cops
and had just about been plowed down by a delivery truck. He was numb
though. None of that bothered him.
Pulling into a gas
station at the edge of town, he finally cuts the engine and takes off
his helmet. Dismounting, he unzips his jacket and starts pumping gas,
heaving a deep sigh as he waits. Maybe the lake would be a good place to
go tonight. He checks his watch. It was almost ten o'clock. Most likely
there would be very few people at the beach at this hour. Some quiet
would be nice. A bit of star gazing. It was a far cry from a party, but
it seemed to fit his mood tonight. Although... being alone wasn't so fun
either.
As the pump clicks off, he hangs it back up again before heading
into the station to pay. While there, he grabs a liter of Mountain Dew
and a couple milky way candy bars. Back at his motorcycle, he puts his
purchase in the side compartment and mounts up again. Just ready to
start the engine though, he pauses. Why the thought crossed his mind, he
wasn't sure. Maybe it was just because there was nothing else to do or
no one else to be with. It was silly though. At this hour? It wasn't
late to him, but to some, it was plenty late to be out doing anything.
He shrugs. What did he have to lose? Settling back in the
motorcycle seat, he retrieves his cell phone and finds Katie's number to
text.
Bored. Wanna hang at the lake?
