Frustration

Eli stood and listened to Scarlet, frustrated but silent. He crossed his arms and sighed. “Please, just… don’t do this, Scarlet…” He stepped towards her bike, but it was too late. He watched her ride away until she was out of sight, and even then, he just looked at the empty street for a few minutes. 

Growling at himself, he walked back inside. This evening certainly hadn’t turned out the way he’d planned. He wasn’t worried about him and Scarlet…he knew he could sort this out, and he knew she wouldn’t go and dump him, but it was still aggravating. As soon as he was back inside, he grabbed his phone and dialed, rolling his eyes as he had to leave a message. “Reese. Eli. We gotta talk. Call me.” 

Flipping his phone shut, his next stop was down the hall where he knocked on his sister’s door and poked his head inside. “Ryan?” He was still confused as to why she was home already, and he felt just a little responsible since he’d been the one who had told Tal where to find her tonight. “How was the race? Didn’t you see Tal there?”


Justin played a little more with his spaghetti before taking another bite while listening to Beth’s answer. It was kind off funny, in a way. Him asking her advice for once. He nodded slowly at her thoughts. “I guess there are three sides to this one.” He couldn’t tell her everything – he wasn’t allowed to. The nature of this particular case was too sensitive. It wasn’t like a regular client where he was bound to confidentiality, but any case involving the Elite was labeled as private and he could only say so much. Not to mention, he wouldn’t want Beth involved anyway. 

He took a sip of water, still thinking. “I feel like I’m kinda stuck in the middle. If I’m loyal to one person, I’ll say everything that’s on my mind. But if I trust my gut, I’ll keep quiet about half of it. But I don’t even understand my gut on this one. I feel like I’m trusting someone I shouldn’t.” He sighed, knowing that probably none of this made any sense to her. “I met someone today that I like. I just do. There’s something there that… that intrigues me. But…according to all the facts, I shouldn’t have anything to do with them, yet I’m already protecting them and I don’t even know why.”

He smirked and looked back at Beth, giving her a sorry sort of grin. “You have no idea how hard it is for me to not just tell you everything all the time. And to be honest…” Just a little color rose to his face. “Well…” He shrugged. “You’re the first person I’ve ever wanted to tell everything to.”


The low rumble of the semi engine would wake only a few at the ranch. It was so early in the morning that it was still dark. The sky was just barely beginning to lighten along the eastern horizon, and stars were still shining brightly. It wouldn’t be too long before ranch dwellers would begin to rise and prepare for the day. Today though, only three were up already. Eric would have let Stacy and Ashlee sleep, but he wasn’t going to leave without saying goodbye to both of them. Four weeks away was going to be a very long time. 

After tossing his last bag into the cab, he stepped back down and turned to Stacy. He’d say goodbye to her first before going to see Ashlee. “Well…” He cocked his head and gave Stacy a small smile. Closing the gap between them, he set his hands on her hips, his eyes twinkling. “I promise I’ll call every chance I get. But boy am I gonna miss…” He paused and bit his lip. The late nights just sitting in the hayloft. The walks. The talks. The kisses. “…everything.” He grinned. “But maybe the month will go fast.”


There were always five or ten people who hung around to listen, while other passersby would wander close, perhaps leave a tip in the open guitar case, then go about their business. The street corner, lit by a warm street lamp, was an almost-surreal scene that attracted even those not prone to stopping and listening to two unknown musicians.

Kip’s fingers moved nimbly along the guitar strings, skillfully accompanying the notes played next to him. Quinn, as relaxed as ever, let his voice send soothing notes into the night air, singing along with the two guitars, and often encouraging Kip to harmonize – which he did quite well.

As the quaint song ended, a few people clapped, and Quinn lowered his guitar, sending a smile down at Kip. He leaned back against the brick building with one foot bent to rest on the wall, while Kip sat cross-legged on the sidewalk. He returned Quinn’s smile, and laughed. “You made up that last verse.”

“Did not! We’ve done that one before.”

“Yeah – but not that last line of words. You had me going in circles!”

Quinn laughed and sank down to sit next to his younger friend. “Okay, so maybe I forgot a few words and came up with my own.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what I thought.” Kip played a few random notes on the guitar before setting it in his lap and sighing. They’d been here for over an hour, and he was getting a little tired. It was a typical Friday night, though. For the last couple months, he and Quinn had met on this corner, giving the joy of music to anyone who cared to listen.

Quinn set his guitar aside and pulled his case closer to gather up the few dollar bills and coins they’d been given. It only took a moment to divide, and he handed Kip half.

“How many times do I have to tell you to keep the money?” Kip complained.

“You can tell me as many times as you want, and I still won’t listen.” Quinn dumped the small amount of cash into Kip’s own case.

“Yeah, well I’m not the one without a regular job.”

Quinn snorted. “First off, I’ve told you, I’m well set and taking my time figuring out where I want to get my main income, and second off, your job is nothing to brag about.”

“At least it pays my rent…sort of.” Actually, it was more like forcing Gramps and Gram to take any money at all, but since he was still living with them, he’d insisted.

“How’s it going, anyway?” Quinn flipped open a can of ginger ale and took a swig. “The job, I mean.”

“Pushing carts and stocking shelves at ungodly hours of the night?” Kip rolled his eyes. “I’ve been doing it six weeks and have survived, so I guess that means it’s going well enough.”

Quinn chuckled. “You could always chase down the band and forget about cart pushing.”

Kip put away his guitar and snapped shut the case but remained seated on the sidewalk. This wasn’t a new topic, nor was his response. “I keep telling you – when are you going to believe me? I added nothing to the band. They’re doing great without me. They already spent a whole month on the road. A relatively short tour, but for a band just starting, that’s big stuff, and they’ve sold quite a few albums too. All. Without. Me.”

“And all without the majority of the population. But that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t benefit from your talents.”

“Talents, shmalents.” Kip grabbed his own can of pop. “I fool around, that’s all. You know that.” That’s all this really was to him – something fun that allowed him to stay in touch with his love of music but without the pressure. If he messed up, there were no dire consequences and he let no one down. He’d stopped by a few times just to listen to Quinn, then had been coaxed to join in, and since then it had just been their habit. They’d never really agreed to meet every week, it just…happened.

“Yeah, well you got some shmalents then,” Quinn retorted. “You are one of the most naturally talented musicians I’ve ever met. A close second, if not just as good as my brother, and that’s saying something. You shouldn’t be wasting that talent here.”

“Wasting? Here?” Kip almost spit out his ginger ale. “What about you? You’re an incredible musician, but all you do is sing on the street corner, sing karaoke to make your girlfriend smile, and only once in a while take a gig at as much as a local coffee shop. How’s that for wasting talent?”

Quinn glanced at his watch. “Speaking of which…Anastasia should be here soon. We’re going out for ice cream tonight.”

“Don’t change the subject.”

Quinn sighed and glanced at Kip, dropping any silliness. “Look…I do this because I love it. I love the innocence. I love just making a few people smile. I love the simplicity. Making it big never did fit my goals or my personality. You, on the other hand… you do this because you’re hoping it will fill the hole you made when you left the band. You were meant to be there – it was your dream – and you walked away. You’re on this street corner because you crave a musical outlet since you no longer have the band – not because you love performing to a crowd of seven.”

Instead of getting upset, Kip simply fell silent and sipped his pop. What Quinn said wasn’t too far from what he’d discussed with Hope just recently. He was still seeing her every week or two, and it had helped. He was, perhaps, finally getting a few thing straight in his own mind and figuring out why he felt the way he did about things. “Well…as long as I’m still wrangling shopping carts for a living instead of playing in a band…and as long as you don’t mind my company…”

Quinn laughed and reached over to give Kip’s shoulder a shove. “If you suddenly disappeared, my grand audience might be disappointed, and I’d only make ten cents instead of five dollars.”

“Five dollars and fifty cents,” Kip corrected.

“Which translates into two dollars and seventy-five cents.” Quinn looked down the street to check and see if Anastasia was coming yet. “Hope she doesn’t mind buying the ice cream.”

Kip joined him in laughter and shook his head. Whether he was meant to be here or not – whether this was supposed to be his future or not – he was glad he’d found a friend in this musical vagabond. He finished the rest of his pop, waiting as well, but it was his own girlfriend he was waiting for. It would just be for an evening walk, but it was something he enjoyed. He and Karla didn’t have to ‘do’ anything to have a good time, and walking was something they both liked.