The Wrong Side of the Tracks

Watching her was something he enjoyed. It was unclear initially why, but when she threw the bottle back, and took a number of gulps herself, he knew. She was so different from him, so clearly different. It wasn't just the house, or the gang, or that they had grown up different – but it was the fact that even with their differences they had somehow found one another. That with his anger and her shyness that they were both there. The expression on her face made him smile at her, before throwing the bottle back himself and doing what she had. Shaking his head slightly at the own bitter stinging that the liquid caused he sat it on the couch, his hand firmly on it. It was there so she could get it if she wanted, but so she knew he wasn't urging her to drink. He didn't want to pressure her into that.

"Yea it isn't for someone with a weak stomach," he reached forward to grab the television, "Speaking of, have you eaten?" Empty stomach, and drinking was never a good combination – and he hadn't eaten since earlier that day. "Cold pizza it is," he set the bottle on the floor next to the couch, turned the television on before handing the remote to her, and headed in that direction, "I don't need you seeing me trashed from a few swigs." A smile rose to his lips as he grabbed the box, and plopped back down next to her.
 
Reese wiped her face a bit, having gotten a little messy after such a sudden shaking of her face. She watched him do the same thing she did, even shaking his head from the burning. She found herself smiling a bit, finding that even in all of their obvious differences, she still found a person to talk to...to speak with on common grounds. It was rather strange, but in a good way. He was right that it wasn't for someone with a weak stomach though, she could already feel the buzz starting to hit her. This stuff was no joke. At the offer of food though, she nodded her head a bit. It would be impolite to get smashed before even really having a conversation with him.

Holding onto the remote as he collected the pizza box, she started to flip through the channels slowly. There didn't seem to be anything really interesting on until they got onto the discovery channel. It was the show where those guys busted myths...and blew stuff up. It certainly would be good entertainment with the pizza and vodka. She was tossed up a bit as he plopped back down on the couch with the box, her eyes looking over the cold slices before she picked up a small one.

"Thanks...for this...And I mean letting me stay here...Though the pizza is also nice." She said as she chewed slowly, her hand drifting to the vodka bottle slowly.
 
The television added a certain livelihood to the house. Made it really feel like there were people there, even if there were only two. Reese had chosen a peculiar option for a girl, blowing things up was typically a fun thing to do for a guy, but nonetheless he wouldn't complain. It would amuse them if things fell silent, or got too awkward. Then again he could always retire to his room if it came to that point. He hoped it wouldn't he enjoyed having a woman's company, enjoyed having something pretty to look at in all of the ugly crap that they had gathered in their house.

Her words surprised him, thanking him for doing something as simple as letting her stay in his very, very empty house. A shrug of his shoulders was given as his eyes fell to her hand, slowly latching onto the bottle. "I don't mind, as you can tell it's empty here," his eyes stayed on her hand, "And drink up. The good thing about this house is that we don't really seem to run out of liquor." A toothy grin graced his face, as he picked up a piece of pizza, and ripped into it. Eating leftover pizza cold was something Charlie had always done. He wanted to smile at the thought, but still felt sadness with it.

"So," he glanced at her slightly when his mouth emptied, "I don't really buy you trustin' some gang thug, so, what was it just Marcus you were worried about? Cause it seemed like somethin' more." He set the box between them, lifted his butt from the couch, while still letting his back lean against it, so he could retrieve his cigarettes and lighter from his pocket. When he had, he let his body conform back to the couch, grabbing one of the white sticks, and letting it hang limply between his lips. He used the lighter which had been tucked into the pack, to light the amber aglow. A puff of swirls rose up around him, and he removed his hand which had been shielding the little show. He knew the girl didn't smoke, hadn't asked for one, hell, she hadn't even commented on it. In fact she hadn't said much, it made him wonder if she was just there because he was extending the offer, and she wanted to hide out. Typically when you met new people you explored them, found out about them before trusting them, and the oddity of it alone made him curious.
 
Reese took hold of the bottle and held it to her side, finishing off her piece of pizza before knocking back some more of the vodka, this time not shaking her head as much as she was used to the burning. He was kind to let her drink as much as she liked, though she would limit herself. There was no need to get smashed at a gangsters house. Caspian might not have been a bad buy, but he was drinking to and alcohol did crazy things to people. Also, he mentioned there being other men that lived in the house and just because Caspian was a gentleman did not mean his cohorts were.

His question caught her off guard and she paused in the process of pulling the bottle to her lips again. She looked to him a moment as he started to light a cigarette and smoke inside, the smell quickly filling the room. She didn't mind it much, it was something that she often smelled when out drinking with friends. They all smoked but she didn't, she'd rather be able to breath properly later in life. She had hoped that she would not have to explain herself, but he was letting her stay in his house. Then again, she wasn't about to tell him her whole life story either...He probably had no interest in her past and she had no interest in reliving it through telling it. Deciding to give a simple explanation, she turned to look at him as she held onto the bottle.

"My father...He gets a bit mean when he drinks. And I know that he never comes home sober from work. I had intended to just leave him snacks and stay up in my room tonight. It's not like he eats anything I've ever made for dinner anyway so it wasn't going to be too big of an issue. But he's been snappy as of late...coming to me to start arguments over silly things. I just didn't want to deal with him tonight. I was jumpy enough from Marcus...I didn't need him making it worse." She said as she glanced to him.

"Besides...I doubt you invited me just because of Marcus either. I won't pry, but I'm certain that it isn't just because you think it is your duty." She joked a bit after that, giving a half smile before she turned back to the bottle.
 
A nod of his head was given, though his entirety stiffened, and there was no carefree smile on his face. He didn't know if she noticed how he had reacted but he didn't care if she had. Instead he concentrated on the smoke, working on forgetting what a horrible image that appeared to be imprinted into his memory, of her black and blue… beaten. Part of him wanted to make sure he never ran into her again, so he would never have to see that in person, never have to care about her, or who hurt her. Instead he was a robot the cigarette moving to and from his lips. He wasn't prepared for that answer. His eyebrows lifted for a second as he watched the swirling smoke in the dim lighting. He shifted his elbows to resting on his knees, sort of leaning over the carpet, towards the television.

"I'm sorry," it was all he could manage, as he stared blankly at the television.

Something about this situation reminded him of before Charlie. He continued working on the half of the pizza which was still in his cigarette free hand. When the crust was finally in his stomach, he sat back against the couch. "Honestly, it's partly that, I did get you into that whole Marcus shit," he turned his head sideways to look at her, "And partly cause I don't mind having a good lookin' girl spendin' the night if it makes her feel safer." Caspian held his hand out for the bottle, he needed more of it. Needed a buzz after the night he had.
 
"It's not your fault." She started to say as he said he was sorry. "It's life. Besides, He's a weak hit when he's drunk...barely hurts."

She felt a bit better...Admitting that to someone other than herself. Not even her closest friends knew about what her father did to her when they weren't around. She gave a small smile as he said he offered because of Marcus, and then laughed as he so smoothly commented on her locks. Passing the bottle to him quickly, she just chuckled a bit as she looked at him.

"You're just saying that to be flirty." She teased a bit as she sat back on the couch. "I bet you say that to all the pretty girls who are in distress and need to be rescued. I bet you get lots of kisses then, all those ladies you are saving." She continued to joke a bit more as she started to laugh again.

She calmed a bit as she looked to the television, now just sitting and relaxing. She felt oddly tired and yet completely awake at the same time. She really couldn't tell why she felt like this, if anything she should be slowly knocking herself out by chugging that much vodka in one sitting. However, the more she sat there, the more awake and aware she felt...but completely safe. It wasn't a paranoid awareness...It was a calm and relaxed awareness...as if her body no longer had to worry about anything and could just be as it was. It really didn't make sense, but it certainly felt wonderful.
 
Caspian didn't believe her. Her knew what it was like living under a hard hand, he had lived under two in his life, the foster system was one, and the Justice's was another. While no one in the Justice's beat him, he had experience in that from the rivals, from his first 'home'. He knew that convincing yourself it wasn't that bad, was half of the battle. Caspian wondered if her dad tried hiding the bruises though, because it had always been necessary for his foster parents to… which meant that they usually had thought about what they were going to do before they did it, thought about how they could cause more pain, before they did it…

Her words ripped his thoughts from his head, causing him to jump to a new topic. One he had accidentally started. Just like that, the thought, the idea of what she had spoken of was buried like an old bone he was done with. He laughed easily at her, shaking his head in amusement. "Yea you keep telling yourself that," he smirked at the television, "I haven't saved anyone besides you. And I'm not countin' it either, cause I got you into that mess."

She had passed him the bottle earlier in the conversation but he had been too absorbed in it to drink. He took a few good gulps, letting it sting his throat, warm his cheeks, and slush around in his full stomach. His cigarette was almost gone, and he took one long drag on it before he grabbed an ashtray which was resting off to the side of the couch, and put it out. A small silence fell over him, before he turned to her, his face intensified by the darkness around them, "Tell me something." The words were plain, not a question, no cliffhanger, just words waiting for their 'something'.
 
She just chuckled a bit at his words as she sat there on his couch, curling her legs under herself to warm her feet. She was only a little cold, but that was because she wasn't wearing socks and it was chilly outside. The rest of her was warm though, thanks to the alcohol. He was probably being honest with her, so she didn't doubt him. He was a gangster, not robin hood. If anything, he'd only help someone if he was the cause of the problem or if he saw some type of benefit from it. Closing her eyes for a moment she just sat there, listening to the TV going and not much else. She really didn't feel like watching it, but the noise was welcome.

His demand did catch her attention though, making her peek open one eye as she glanced in his direction. That was rather blunt. But, he wasn't really pushing for anything specific so maybe he just wanted to hear something, like she enjoyed the simple noise of the TV set. Thinking for a moment, she was silent until she figured out something she could say. She didn't have much and she probably dropped the largest bomb she had on him earlier so she doubted she come surprise him with much else.

"For the majority of my childhood...I believed that play-dough was fairy poop." She said plainly, giggle a bit as she looked at him. "Now...You tell me something."
 
His dark gold orbs took in her face, the way that the shadows from the television played off of them. It brought a soft smile to his face even before she spoke, he drank her in. The liquor was toying with his vision, shifting things here or there, a fuzz turned his vision almost to still frames. His eyes were cameras capturing whatever appeared before them, before a blink captured it and stored it away in his head. As soon as his eyes closed though, things lost their place when he opened them back up, things shifted, it was an ever moving slideshow of photos – something he often found trippy the next morning. When Reese's words drifted into his head, he cocked an eyebrow, letting the meaning of them shift around in his head, before he let out a delayed scoff type laugh. His hand lifted to his lips, his hand created a sort of C shape around his full lips.

Even when Reese asked for something of his, he was still laughing off her comment. He shook his head heavily first, trying to get rid of the buzz, or the words she had given him. With another few gulps, he set the bottle between them on the floor. He leaned back against the couch, his tongue ran across his lips, and his teeth pressed softly against the soft flesh of his bottom lip.

"Hmmm," he thought lightly, "You're different than girls around here. Like you're still good." His words weren't coming out right as they often didn't when he had too much of his liquid courage, "I mean, you haven't seen what they have, what we have," he corrected himself. "I guess, you're just refreshing. I see these girls handing themselves out like candy, and I jus' can't trust a girl like that," he shrugged – not entirely sure what he was getting at. "I don't know," his head was leaning against the back of the couch but he looked towards her, trying to figure out if he was entirely fucking this up.
 
It seemed that her host had gotten buzzed a bit more quickly that she expected, then again, she was also feeling her buzz hitting her. Her eyes felt heavy, but not in the sleepy sense. Her vision was starting to get a little wonky, even with her glasses on, and it was understandable since she hadn't really eaten much before downing quite a bit of vodka from a bottle. When he finally started to laugh, she also did, giggling a bit as they two of them chuckled over her rather stupid comment. Proof enough that the alcohol had accomplished its mission to make her not only buzzed, but to lose a bit of her maturity and thought process.

As he spoke, she turned and looked at him, listening to him fumble with his words for the time being. Even though in a sober state, it would not have made much sense, she completely understood him while buzzed. His words made sense, even if to anyone else he would have been terribly confusing. Sitting up a bit she moved over to him, stumbling a bit and accidentally placing a hand on his thigh.

"No...No I get it." She said as she sat back, her hands moving to her tights as she sat on her feet, their knees touching each other as she leaned against the back of the couch. "I'm different...from what you're used to...and you find it...nice." She said as she then leaned towards the bottle on teh floor, her balance making start to tumble off the couch.
 
She had already been looking at him when he had turned his head to see her. Even in the dark lights, her pale skin seemed beautiful. He tried to turn that off, but with his eyes watching hers, he couldn't. When she moved towards him his heart started to hammer away, wanting to break free, but it slowed when she sat back again, away from him, just the gap which had been there, was now gone. The pizza box still sat on the table a few feet away from them. He nodded, looking down at her hands, her legs. Hell she couldn't catch him checking her out in this lighting – right? Well, he could hope as much. All of this talk was getting to his head, causing him to want to reach out, feel another humans touch. Still her knee brushed against his leg, and finally ended up resting there.

Her words were just repeating what he said, but simplified, it amused him, and he snickered, "Man you made that easy." His eyes had been on her legs when her upper body leaned towards the floor, towards the bottle, and she began to slip forward. Caspian's eyebrows rose, and without thinking, his arms reached to her each side of her waist, and held her so she didn't fall to the mucky floor. Instead, of letting her fall he pulled her back to her sitting position, his face full of amusement.

"Let me help you with that," he leaned over towards his her, and the liquor, picked it up, and swayed closer to her. His shoulder now rested on her, some part of her, but he didn't know which – he wasn't paying that much attention. All he knew was that that barriers between them had partially been broken, for whatever reason. He held it towards her, but she didn't take it. Instead he turned to look into her eyes, and it turned out they were only inches apart from one another. He could feel the soft waves of air coming from her nose. Without thinking his eyes glanced down towards her lips. If she didn't see that, then he could have gotten away with a lot more – not that he would have ever thought of it, but his action was that obvious. Even the look in his amber eyes spoke of want, of need, of a desire in him to touch her, and that was exactly what he did.

Shifting his body, he let the bottle rest back at the floor. One of his legs was now folded beneath him, and the other hung over the side of the couch. One of his large rough hands lifted to the side of her face, starting at her temple and running downward to her jaw line, and his eyes again lingered on her lips. He leaned in slightly, almost as if a curious child, as he waited for her to close the remainder of the gap. There was only the noise of the television around them, and off in the distance cars. If they had listened close enough they could have heard their own breathes, his heartbeat strumming away to a new beat, a faster one.
 
Reese gave a small squeak and then a giggle as she was caught and then pulled back up into a siting position. She hadn't meant to loose her balance but the alcohol in her system did not make her muscle control all that great. It was a miracle that she was able to even sit up straight at that moment. She only gave another giggle as he leaned down to grab the bottle up for her, his shoulder bumping into her own as she watched him pick it up for her. As he turned to her with the bottle she was distracted by how close their faces were, how she could feel his breath hitting her face. It smelled of alcohol and tobacco and other lingering things but...it was welcoming. It was comfortable...If such smells could be considered as such.

She found herself not frozen, but stunned as the two of them locked gazes and then started to look over each other's features, hoping the other wasn't noticing as they did so. Reese wasn't really thinking about what was happening, or what it entailed. She was buzzed to the point where she wasn't considering the consequence of her actions, of what was happening in that moment. It took a moment for her to realize that he was moving to face her, a leg getting tucked under him as he now faced her. His rough fingers ran over her skin in that moment and she found herself closing her eyes and taking in the sensation.

She probably should have been scared, started saying no, doing something to hint that this wasn't something they should do...but she didn't want to. She wanted his touch on her cheek, to look into his eyes and to see him so close to her. It made her feel...happy? Wanted? Something positive, she was certain. Eyes opening again, she noticed him lean in and she did the same, their lips connecting in a soft kiss. It wasn't a deep one, but it was a long one, lips against lips as she leaned into him a bit more. A small hand rested on his chest as she kept her lips on his, only pulling back to take in a small breath of air.

She looked up at him again as the moment paused, her eyes innocent and curious as she was not sure what this meant now or if any more was expected of her.
 
(OOC: excuse typos on a comp without spell check)

Caspian hadn't dared leave his eyes opened as he waited in the space between them. Intead his tawny eyes had shut, the anticipation nearly killing him. As if some magnet drew them together, she finally pressed to him. Two polar opposites on the same plane, connecting, and becoming one - even if it was just for a few split seconds. She was soft, from the side of her face to her full pink lips. It was hard for him to stop, because it had sent a current through him, electrical and buzzing to life something he had long forgotten he could experience. His hand scooped in along the side of her neck holding her steadily as they pressed their lips together. Even the pressure from her tiny hand upon his chest sent sensations to his drunken head which confused and enticed him. By the time they had pulled apart hid heart was thudding with such force he was scared even she could hear it.


Though when her eyes met his again, he saw a deer stuck in the headlights. Not the freightened deer, but the naivety and intrigue which a deer holds in such a predicament. A small smile was given, his eyes falling to his lap, as his hands removed themselves from her, unsure if she wanted to proceed with that track. Certain though that he would allow himself nothing more than to indulge in kissing the beautiful girl - he had a tendency to get attatched. Instead he lifted a hand to sweep a rogue hair of hers behind her ear. He leaned his head then agains the back of the couch, his eyes still on her.


"Don't worry," he smiled, "I know what that look means, and I respect it."


He shifted his legs, and let a hand fall over his pants, just in case she got curious, she didn't need to know how enticing she was to a guy like him. She didn't need to know how badly he wanted to continue exploring her, or how badly he felt drawn to her, regardless of all the forces in the world that would work against them. He closed his eyes to try to play off whatever it was she might be reading into. He had self restraint and he knew he needed it now more than ever. After tonight no matter how much he wanted to be with Reese, get to know her, he couldn't. They were different. He did things she couldn't even fathom, and she didn't want a life with him... he was nothing. Of no importance.
 
Reese was slightly dazed as she sat there, this kiss had made her feel several things. It had sent a spark up her spine and her heart beat pick up to a pace she was unfamiliar with. It was if she had been running and had lost all of her breath. When his hand had touched her neck she almost shivered in his grasp, the sensation having pushed strange yet wonderful feelings through her. His words brought her from her thoughts though as me mentioned being respectful. Did he think she wanted to stop? Was he really being polite? That was something she had not expected from him, even if he had been so kind as to let her in his home.

She didn't push things though, she knew better than that. She was too buzzed for her own good and even now she found herself starting to get tired. The final attack of the alcohol, knocking her out so that she would have a very deep sleep. She wanted to keep talking, or at least try to stay awake at the moment, it was hard though. The vodka was hitting her a lot more than she had expected it to. Turning a bit and sitting back into the couch, she looked back to the TV for a moment before she turned to look at him once again.

"Thank you...You're kinder than you let yourself think." She said softly as she looked back to the TV.

As much as she wanted to try more, she knew better. It was time to stop. It was very unlikely that things would ever properly develop between them. He was a gangster and she...she wasn't. She grew up in a lightly better neighborhood, even if her father wasn't exactly the best. He also had some better connections. A small yawn slipped from her as she laid her head back, a sigh slipping from her.

"You couch...is really comfy." She mumbled a bit as she started to drift off in front of the TV.
 
While the vodka was hitting him rather hard he was maintaining himself pretty well. The after affects of the kiss were still sending his head whirling. Even his words sounded odd to him, the caring nature of them, the fact that he was laying off of her. Well, he would blame it on his upbringing, on Charlie, on anything but his true nature. When she called him out on his own thoughts, he shifted his eyes towards her slightly, and hers were closed. Instead half of his lip lifted upwards, a mocking smirk present there. He watched her as she yawned and really got comfortable. She was at ease, and he remembered his first night away from his foster home, and away from the streets. The fear of being struck in your most susceptible state was entirely gone, a comfort that was taken for granted by millions.

He watched her as she drifted to sleep; the rising and fall of her chest, and the wave of air that escaped her nose. He leaned down to grab the bottle, and headed for the kitchen, capped it and put it away. Glancing again at the couch, at Reese, he sashayed back over to the couch, his feet as unsteady as his eye sight at the moment. Instead of leaving her there alone, he inched in next to her, slowly leaning her towards him, and then when she was resting against him he closed his own eyes. He drifted to the blackness of sleep. The nothingness which often came after a good drinking session, the kind when you awoke things felt fuzzy, surreal. That was just how he awoke, his body laying along the couch this time. He shifted, stretching his arms, before raising a hand to his pounding head. A groan was let out, as he looked around, attempting to piece together where his night had gone, how it had, and what exactly was going on now.
 
Reese...was gone.

Her shoes, her bag and everything else about her was gone. She had woken up long before Caspian had, having only gotten a bit of dizziness from the drinking she had done the night before. However, waking up in his arms had given her a bit of a start and she found herself in a rush to get back home. Her father would be gone and she would return home to clean up there. However, as she stood there with a bag on her shoulder and her flip flops on her feet, she had felt a bit guilty just leaving without saying anything...but she also felt bad about waking him up. Finding a piece of paper and a pen, Reese wrote a small note and left it on the coffee table so that he would see it upon waking up.

Caspian,
Thanks so much for letting me spend the night. It was nice to feel safe for once and not worry about a pointless happening out of nowhere. I'm sorry for not staying around for you to wake up, but I had to get home and make sure it wasn't burned down in my absence My father is hardly a chef in all honestly, doesn't even know how to start the stove. Anyway, I promise to pay you back somehow. Maybe if you ever get tired of living in a messy house I can clean it for you.

Until we bump into each other again,
Reese

***

Reese had gotten home without any trouble, though she hand to make sure to move quickly so she wasn't noticed. Upon returning home, it seemed to all be in one piece. Only a few dishes and beer bottles were scattered about. Thinking about cleaning, she found herself pausing as she remembered the mess at Caspian's. She found herself feeling a little guilty about having ditched him like that, but waking up in his arms had surprised her...and sparked something in her. She had been dressed still upon waking up but she had hardly expected for him to cuddle with her. It had been nice, but she also knew that wanting to be with him would only hurt later on. They just weren't meant to be. Sighing, she walked towards the stairs, moving up them to put her things away and start cleaning up her father's mess.
 
Gone. That was all he thought as he sat there rubbing his head, struggling to remember his sleeping hours. Struggling to remember if he had done anything wrong... Instead he settled on letting his teeth run over his bottom lip before tightly shutting his mouth. Gritting his teeth caused his jaw to set, and his cheek bones to appear higher than they were, not that it mattered no one was there. No one could see the annoyance, the frustration and sadness which lined his face. He had accepted that they wouldn't be together. He already knew they were too different, but he had hoped that she had wanted him. He had hoped that his good deeds, and honorable behavior had somehow spoken to her - at least in some sense.


When he let the frustration subside he stood, shaking his head, and bumping clumsily into the table which was before him. Shrugging off the clanking of glass, likely beer bottles atop the table, he headed for the shower, and the medicine cabinet. He would sell the remainder of the week, get his buddies out on probation, and hopefully let his life get back to the normal, uninteresting life which it was before Reese. In fact, he wanted to forget her entirely.


Popping three advil's he showered cleaning off the stale scent of alcohol, and any remnants of her scent. He was being mildly bitter when he thought of that little bit, but he thought she deserved it. He was angry about how things had happened. How she had just left, and how he probably wouldn't ever see her again. Caspian gathered his things, today dressing a bit more discretely... he was going to the station after all and how bad would it look being dressed in gang colors? No need to put himself on the radar of the cops any more than he already was, so he stuck with a white t-shirt, and some jeans. The usual plain black adidas shoes on his feet.


He followed through with his actions. Selling the remainder of his stash for more than he had intended, and getting three of his friends out on bail. They joked all the way home, this time not having the luxury of taking a cab, because they had pooled every single cent they had to get them all out. Thought Brendan had made the final pieces fall together, he also was running the show on a number of other things, seeing as he was a superior. This meant that when he said that two of the boys would be at Courtside again that evening, each slinging a different sort of drug, that they would be... and the third would be at a nightclub elsewhere also slinging, which also would happen. The good news was that Caspian wasn't alone that night. Instead Nate joined along, and that made the frustrations, and curiosities about Reese a little better than it had been.


There was smoke lingering in the club, a veil upon the bar that made it look a little shadier. The girls from the night before had shown up again, and while Caspian dealt both poisons, Nate hung out with the girls, joking and flirting - even sharing a bit of his own celebratory purchase. Caspian on the other hand, hadn't purchased anything - not a drink or drug in the bar was going to satiate him tonight. There was too much on his mind, and the spaced out nature which he held, was proof enough of that.


"So then this dude, tries hittin' on me, no joke, the fucker thought I was soft, or some shit," the girls looked at Nate with wide eyes. Caspian sat off to the side his elbows on the countertop, and his head staring at the design on the granite. "So I beat his ass, cops moved me to a single cell then," he smirked wider, the girls gigglng and fawning a bit.


"What's with him?" Julianne leaned in to Nate and nodded towards Caspian.
A shrug was given from Nate before he turned to his buddy, and delivered an elbow to his side, "What's goin' on kid?"


Caspian jumped at the touch, and turned to his friend with scorn on his face, "Nothin' man, just not want I wanted to do tonight." He intentionally looked to each of the girls with a plain face. They reminded him of Reese - certainly not because they were similiar, but because they had been with him when she had called. He turned back to the counter, continuing to ignore them for the most part. Unless a seller approached and in that case Nate motioned Caspian for the sale, and they would go outside to do business. Though those were rare on a Monday night...
 
Day had turned into night and soon Reese found herself lonely and bored. She kept thinking about Caspian and hoping that he saw her note. She'd feel even worse if he didn't She had wanted to part on good terms, no bad ones. There was also that hovering worry that she would have to speak with her father when he came home that night, and she doubted that he was happy that she had slipped out again and not been there at all when he returned. For once in her life...she felt nervous. Concerned about her father's return. Not because of him not getting there....but because of what he might do to her. She was not used to this fear, this concern. Maybe it was that one night of peace that made her realize the real damage her father was causing.

She needed to find a way out.

Texting some friends, she asked if they wanted to hang out but found that none of them had the time to spare. She then looked at some movie times and found that nothing ran late enough to allow her to avoid speaking to her father when she returned to the house. A sigh slipped from her as she sat back in a kitchen chair, drinking a cup of coffee to try and keep herself from sleeping. Sleeping was risky when her father came home, he was not above waking her up roughly to start a fight. It was then something she remembered from Caspian. He talked about a bar he frequented...Maybe she should just go solo drinking for a night.

She didn't have to specifically go to his bar but there were plenty of clubs within walking distance or even a taxi ride that could get her there and back safely. Glancing a the clock, it was late enough for her to get in and not be noticed to much thanks to crowds. She didn't want to get dressed up though and figured that if she didn't try to look nice she wouldn't be approached to much. She put on some skinny jeans, a t shirt and then tossed a sweat shirt over that, only touching up some makeup on her face before she packed her house keys, fake ID and wallet.

Walking along, she wandered for awhile until she seemed to find something of a club. It seemed a little shady but it wasn't in a bad neighborhood...Just along the edge of one. Heading inside, she glanced around quietly before slowly walking towards the bar and sitting on one end.
 
Another round of giggles escaped the girl's lips, Caspian though heard nothing – in his sad state of blank staring. He sighed heavily and swiveled on his chair. He would at the very least attempt to be checked in. He would try to pay attention, to loosen his bones, so he wasn't so rigid, so bitter. Instead he ended up ordering a few shots for the group. Nate had been going light on the liquor, due to the whole bail money issue, and the girls were certainly picking up his slack. Buying him a drink when he had finished one – Julianne was from a wealthy family, even if she was trashy. She had tried to get Caspian to drink up, but he had shifted them aside. His attitude a little subpar due to his hangover, and Reese. He promised himself he would stop thinking about her, about her name…
They all clinked their shots together and cheers'ed, to freedom, and having reliable friends, then they all downed the drink. When Caspian had finished up his shot, he slapped it on the countertop, and Julianne bought him a different one. It would be one of the few perks of dating the girl. Though she had a case of switching her men up nonstop, but she had always had her eye on Caspian, even if she never admitted it.

"So Casp, what is up?" she said as she handed him the rum and coke drink.

"Nothin' really," he shrugged, "Heard Brendan is throwin' a bash in about a week, said we all should show up, the whole gang." That was the biggest news he could think of – at least the biggest news he was willing to share. She, as he was now calling her, was not something he wanted to share.

"Oh right on, what time you pickin' us up?" she sheepishly ran a hand down his chest. Caspian though kept his amber eyes on her blue ones. It was a shame really, he thought to himself, that she was like that, because she was pretty. That is when his eyes spotted the short girl walking past the group and to the bar, a getup that really was casual compared to the other females there - she sure was aiming for peace tonight. It wasn't that which caught his attention; it was the shoes, the hair. The sides of her glasses... Could it really be?, he asked himself. Part of him burned with fury, deep in his stomach. He wanted to go over and ruin her peace, give her a piece of his mind over her disappearing the night before, over how much she had been taunting him. But he would refrain from causing a scene with all those drugs on him – even if the bartender knew him, he wouldn't deal with Caspian hassling paying customers.

"Casssspiannnn?" her voice whined at a high pitch, easily heard along the bar. Caspian turned his eyes quickly away from her, and to Julianne. He had a feeling another pair of eyes were on him now. His white shirt, and jeans not feeling like enough of a statement anymore.

"What's up?" he looked to her face.

"What time should I expect you?" she still spoke in a whine.

"Talk to Nate," he said plainly. The girl never got his hints, she just always wanted what she couldn't have. With the drink in his hand, he let his eyes wander back to her. He thought she might have looked over, but he wasn't sure if it was her or another patron. He wanted more details, wanted to know what he did wrong, and mostly he was angry. After all he had done. Instead, he shifted away from the group slowly. He slipped into the seat next to her.

"And I was just thinkin' you must not have any spare time ta call a guy," he faced the mirror which lined the back of the bar. Bottles of liquor blocking anything at eye level, "Guess I was wrong, huh."
 
Reese had already ordered a rather frilly drink, probably containing more alcohol than was healthy to have in a life time let alone one night. She didn't care though, she would nurse it for the night since she didn't want to be at home and knowing how late her father usually was she had a lot of time to kill before the coast would be clear. Thanking the bartender as he placed her drink in front of her, she gave a happy sigh after sipping it. The pleasant sweetness masked the burning alcohol that was hidden inside, making it far easier to take down than the vodka from last night. At that thought, she remembered Caspian and gave another small sigh. She was feeling bad about leaving. A small part of her wished she had stayed longer...waited for him to get up and then say her goodbye face to face. Still, her concern over her father was something she could not ignore and she knew for a fact that is she had stayed long enough for Caspian to wake, she probably would have never left in time to actually clean things up at home.

Her mind was brought back to the real world though when she heard a whiny voice speak his name, making her turn towards a group further down the bar. She didn't see his face though, there were other people in her way. Assuming she was just hearing things she turned back to her drink and sighed again. She needed to get him out of her head, he was far to distracting to be any good to her mental health at the moment. Deep down, she wanted to see him again, talk with him again...maybe even sit on some concrete stairs and watch him smoke again. Anything to just be near him. Gangster or not, he gave her a feeling of security that her father never did, not even in the alarmed house with a lock on each door. Maybe she was developing a crush? That would certainly be a first as her opinion on most men was very belittling. Caspian was different though...or at least he seemed different.

Blinking a bit in surprise as she heard a familiar voice, she turned and stared as Caspian was sitting next to her. She was stunned into silence for a moment before a small smile took to her lips. As much as she wouldn't admit to it out loud, she was excited to see him so soon, she had thought that would be her last encounter with him...but she had been happily proved wrong.

"Caspian, I didn't know you'd be here...Did you see my note?" She asked quickly, she just had to know. She didn't want him to think she had been rude...though why she was concerned about that was a mystery to her mentally.
 
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