One of those days (Open)

[Taylor Morgan]

Taylor sighed as she was making her way around the mall today. She really wasn't going to buy anything. She was more into browsing and seeing what she liked. Then maybe later she would buy it for herself. Walking down the walkway her shoes clicked slightly as she was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a purple/black tanktop as her hair was done as usual. Clutching her purse towards her she turned the corner as she ran into someone almost causing her to fall backwards.

"I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going" Taylor apologized rather quickly as she looked up to see.....

[Brian Matthews]

He hadn't even been in the mall for five minutes and here he had already ran into somebody. Or had she ran into him, did it really matter? Of course he had only been here for about a week so running into somebody wasn't the best way to start off checking out the town. For the past few days he had been at home helping his dad move things around. "It's probably my fault too since I was kind of off in my own little world. Besides, its not like I haven't been ran into before." He said and then studied the girl for a moment before he thought back to what he had been thinking about before he had been interrupted. He was worried about Ryan, of course he had been for the past years but since moving here he was more distant and ran away every time he saw him.

It was sad really, Ryan was only a year younger then him but he acted as if he was some monster that he needed to be afraid of. He'd never did anything to scare him and he had tried to help him. But every single time Ryan either would run away or just sit there and stare at him. He could see the pain that was in Ryan's eyes and he'd give anything to help him. Still, he knew that nothing would reverse the physical damage done to Ryan and that was probably part of the problem right there. "So, is the mall normally packed with people?" He asked curiously and then wondered if she had noticed the sliver stud that was in the top of his right ear. His sister had said that people probably wouldn't notice it and he hoped she was right. He didn't feel like telling every single person that he met about what had happened. Since it really wasn't a nice story, he'd gotten drunk at a party last year and woken up to find his ear was pierced.

[Taylor Morgan]

She chuckled slightly and nodded at this guy she had run into. Lucky her huh? However, Taylor had her eyes set on someone else. This guy was cute but there was only one guy she was crushing on and that was Jordan. It seemed crazy but she was really liking him. A quote popped in her head 'you can drive at 16, go to war at 18, drink at 21 but when will love ever be real?' That was true when would love truly be real for her? She hated being hurt and seeing other people hurt because of it.


"Well it's a mall usually it's packed everyday since this is the main hangout place for everyone. I'm Taylor and you are....you must be new because I have never seen you around before" she said to him as she extended her hand out to shake his. Maybe she would make a friend out of him.

[Brian Matthews]

How right she was, he was new and hadn't been around the town very much. He shook her hand before looking around again. This mall was huge, of course he was used to the smaller malls that were down in southwestern Wisconsin where he came from. "Brian Matthews, it's nice to meet you Taylor and you're actually the first person that I've met here. Even though I've been here for about a week now. My parents have been keeping me busy doing anything and everything it seems." He said and then wondered if he should tell her about Ryan. She probably would run into him sooner or later and she might as well know how he would react. Of course sometimes Ryan would have little episodes where all of a sudden he would just start crying. Then somebody would come and get him and he'd be forced to carry Ryan back home. Usually he would put up a fight but he never broke loose from him. Actually, he was beginning to think that Ryan was bipolar since he tended to fit all of the criteria. Of course, he knew that his brother was on about five different medications.

"My sister actually met somebody who helped her fix her bike of course I didn't see them. But she isn't one to make things up, the only thing that I got out of her was that this person was cute and that they appeared to be slightly nervous around them." He said and knew that his sister was guy obsessed and that she most likely was already looking for a new boyfriend, once she found one then he would watch them like a hawk. There was no way something was going to happen to her.

"This is going to sound odd but if you ever see somebody ultimately freak out for no reason at all. It's probably my brother, he was hit by a car and sometimes he'll have flashback. Or at least that's what I think happens to him, he doesn't talk to me." He said and then waited for her answer, most likely she would ask questions about Ryan and he would answer them.

[Taylor Morgan]

"Likewise Brian" she said as she shook his hand as she watched his gaze. "I know it's huge right? Not used to it are you?" Taylor asked cocking her head to the side looking at him. She wondered what his story was. Everyone had a story. Like a chapter of a book waiting to be read and discovered. Besides he might be really interesting to listen to.

'Nervous? Cute? Jordan?' she thought to herself. It must have been. "Oh she must have run into Jordan. Yeah he isn't exactly going thru a great time right now. My friend, Branden is his best friend...so I met up with him and we got to talking. I'm trying to help him open up more and see that not all girls are kaneving devils. It's a long story behind Jordan and it sucks basically." Shaking her head she sighed a bit.

This was a shocker for her. His brother was hit by a car. That must have been brutal. "Wow....well of course. People are usually traumatized by those things. It's scary I know. Everything in the world seems to want to weigh us down in some way."

[Brian Matthews]

Yes, he wasn't used to a huge mall like this. Actually, they had lived out in the country before so he wasn't even used to living in the city. It was all new to him and he knew that Ryan was having the hardest time. He had heard him get up four times last night. The only reason he knew that was because Ryan had gotten up and walked around his room for about fifteen minutes before the room became silent again. "You're right actually, I moved here from this small city down in southwestern Wisconsin. Although, I didn't live in the city I lived out of town and I must say it was a lot quieter out there then it is here. Oh and yes, I did work on a farm everybody seems to be asking me that. Well, my sisters friends that she's made have." He said and then smiled at her before thinking about what she had told him about Jordan. It all hit him now, he knew who she was talking about.

"You know what, I actually know how you're talking about. Or at least I think so, knowing me I probably could be wrong. Anyway, I was reading the newspaper the other day and they kept talking up a Jordan Anderson. I've heard that name before though, I guess that this school had a really big run during football season. They even got a little mentioning in the newspaper that I used to read." He said and then wondered if it was the same person, he would feel really stupid if it wasn't.

"I know what you mean by long stories that suck. One of those that I have would be how Ryan's been for two years. He was traumatized even more since the driver that hit him was drunk and driving about thirty miles over the speed limit and he was left for dead in the ditch. Ever since he's turned away from me, seriously. He doesn't talk to me or even stay in the same room as me anymore." He said and then wondered what Ryan was doing right now. Most likely hiding up in his room reading, that was where he usually was. One of the few times he was out of his room was when he was persuaded to come downstairs and eat. Although he knew Ryan wasn't eating as much as he should since he'd lost a lot of weight recently.

[Taylor Morgan]

"Yeah Jordan is something. Pure athlete as I heard. A really nice guy it's just girls get him nervous because of what happened recently. It shouldn't have happened to begin with but things happen for a reason I suppose but not this one" she shook her head disappointed that it had to happen to a great guy that she liked a lot. At least he was talking to her and telling her things. He was being open at least and slowly helping him thru it.

'Mhmm maybe I could help this Ryan?' she thought to herself. Taylor was all about helping people. Maybe she would grow up to be a social worker or something like that. She knew the field and was strongly encouraged by others to seriously to become a social worker or an advise columnist. "You know...if you ever need my help I would love to maybe talk to Ryan. I know as you say he doesn't talk much and he is basically shut off but I would be willing to help him. Maybe have Jordan talk to him as well about it. Even though they don't share the same experience it would still be good for Ryan to talk to someone. To get thru to him."

[Brian Matthews]

Some of his friends had said that he was lucky to be moving up here. Their opinion was only based on the teams though. Sure this towns team did make the newspapers a lot but he really couldn't compare things unless he joined a team here. Which wouldn't be that hard to do since he had been preparing for yet another football season but now he'd been on a completely different team. "Really, well I suppose he would be awfully good by the way the newspaper was talking up him and another person." He said yet was curious about what had happened to make this Jordan nervous around girls. Yet he wasn't going to ask since it wouldn't be polite. Besides, knowing smaller cities like this one he would find out soon enough. He'd had his share of girl problems like breaking up with his girlfriend when she found out he was moving. She had tried to convince him to try and get his parents to let him stay but he knew that wouldn't have ever happened. They somehow thought that he would be able to help Ryan, how they heck could he do that when Ryan wouldn't even speak to him?

"Perhaps, but you see he's been to so many different people that he's just learned to shut down whenever somebody tries to talk to him about the things that have happened to him. Plus he doesn't like strangers and crowds either so you can imagine how much fun he's going to have going to a new school. But, I suppose you could try and talk to him." He said and wondered if she could possibly be the one who would be able to break through to Ryan. Even though nobody else had been able to even get him to really talk to them. "You can have whoever you want talk to him, perhaps one of you will be able to send him a message that says he doesn't have to be afraid of me." He said and then thought that she wouldn't really want to discuss all of Ryan's problems with him, besides there was a whole list of them.

"So, I take it you've lived here for awhile?" He asked and knew that her answer would be yes, after all she couldn't have just moved here a week ago.

[Taylor Morgan]

Taylor nodded at him. "Yeah he is sure something" she said to him. She bit her lip after that remembering Jordan. She could imagine him right now as it made her heart flutter in her chest just thinking about him. "He really is something." Her eyes moved back to Brian and smiled slightly. Was she love struck over Jordan? Most definately yes!

She listened to his. This kid would be pretty heart to crack them. Maybe she wouldn't be able to but she wasn't going to not try. She was going to and maybe she would see a breakthrough in him just like Jordan. "Well I can try. I got Jordan to talk to me and not be nervous around me so maybe I can help Ryan understand some things." Taylor wouldn't take no for an answer. She was determined to help everyone.

"Yeah all my life so I pretty much know this town front and back. If you'd like I could give you a tour. Free of charge" Taylor chuckled slightly as she smirked at him. She would be willing to do anything for anyone.

[Brian Matthews]

He could tell by her actions and by the way that she had said that he really was something basically twice that she liked Jordan. Of course, he wouldn't have picked up on it if he hadn't been around so many girls during his lifetime. His sister was always having friends over and he'd had a couple of girlfriends plus he had friends that were girls. At least she didn't have some faraway expression in her eyes and she wasn't saying how cute he was or something. That was what his sister did whenever she fell for some guy and after awhile it just made him sick. "You know what, I think that you like Jordan. Yes, I know that I've only known you for about five minutes but I've been around too many of my sisters friends. I'm not about to go tell everybody that though, after all I don't even know the guy. Even if I did I wouldn't do something like that." He said and then looked at her for a moment before he thought back to what she had said about helping Ryan. If she could help Ryan even understand a few things then she would be a success.

"Yeah, even if you could help him make sense of one thing you'd be doing a lot more than I ever could. Heck, if he came out of his room for you then that would be a huge accomplishment. You see, he doesn't like anybody that comes into the house with me either since I think he thinks they're just like me." He said and then sighed before thinking about what she had said about a tour. If she honestly was serious he wouldn't care. He didn't have anything else to do and a change of scenery could be a good thing. Since he didn't feel like being in this mall any longer today. He wasn't like his sister, he couldn't shop until he fell over for exhaustion.

"If you were serious about that I hope you know that I would take you up on that offer. Since I don't feel like being in this mall anymore today. Since I bet that my sister will make me take her here. My parents make me babysit her even though she is fourteen." He said and then wondered what her answer would be.

[Taylor Morgan]

Taylor looked at Brian and then somewhere else until her attention went back to him when he was talking about Jordan. "Well...I can't lie but I do like him..." she paused for a moment. "Alot actually. It's just I don't want to get to close because maybe he doesn't like me the same way I like him." Taylor sighed as she didn't want to think of that at all.

"I could try my best and see if Jordan would be able to help him as well. Not saying they are in the same situation but they both fear and seclude themselves. Maybe he can help him and I can help as well. I have a way of getting to people." Taylor ran her right hand thru her hair as she couldn't concentrate. She didn't know why she couldn't.

"I am serious. I am always serious upon things like this. I will take things head one. I am the gung-ho type of girl. Besides I don't give up on people that easy. Not yet and never."

(yeah short sorry skewl again lol...its a crap post i know)

[Brian Matthews]

So he had been right, well at least he was right about one thing so far. "Really, well then why don't you just go right out and tell him that you like him? Of course, I don't know this person so you might not want to take that advice from me. Then again, you mentioned his best friend. So perhaps you could talk to him about it, I really don't know and am probably rambling." He said and then stopped talking, he wasn't one for giving people dating advice or even advice on how to ask a person out either. Since he was the kind of person who wouldn't usually seek a person out and then ask them out, that simply wasn't the way he worked. Still, he hadn't been the most popular person ever and ironically that honor had belonged to his best friend. He looked around the mall at all of the different people who walked by. His sister had made him feel like a loser when she had proudly said that she had several friends already while he didn't have any. If his dad hadn't made him do so much then he probably would know more people.

"I know what you mean and trust me if he even spoke to you then you would have honestly done something. The problem is, he doesn't trust people easily and he'll probably be afraid of you until you say or do something to earn that trust. I can give you a warning though, don't mention basketball around him." He said and knew that was one of the things that he had learned pretty quickly. Ryan had been a natural at basketball and now he had completely abandoned the sport. He never had even attempted to play after the accident as far as he knew. Of course, Ryan could have tried to when he wasn't around but the chances of that happening were slim. After the accident he had abandoned most of his friends, even when they hadn't wanted to be pushed away. After awhile of trying to earn Ryan's trust most of them had just given up and labeled him a lost cause. He would have too but Ryan was different than most lost causes. He had known what it was like to be happy and he had friends before the accident.

"Well, it's good that you're serious. Sometimes I am, but you can't be serious all of the time. Or you can be but then you would probably be very stressed out and bitter and I couldn't stand being like that." He said and then wondered what all of those bitter people did. Most likely they didn't do anything that was even remotely fun.

((that's alright))