Against the wind
We were runnin' against the wind
We were young and strong, we were runnin'
Against the wind
Ryan reached over to grab his pack as his ride pulled up to the curb. The middle aged driver looked with skepticism at the ivy covered walls. "Are you sure this is the right place, kid? This looks like some sort of school or something."
Ryan rolled his eyes. Of course it was a school. The word 'school' carved in stone outside the front gate should have been the first clue. I shouldn't be so hard on the guy, he thought to himself. At least he gave me a ride for the past few hours. "Don't worry, this is it. Thanks again." He closed the door to the four door sedan and waited as it swung back out into traffic before he crossed the street. As he walked up the long drive towards the main building, he reflected back on the long six months it had taken him to reach his destination. He had worked many jobs, doing everything from handing out fliers to putting up shingles. He had gotten rides from truck drivers, clergy, bands, and the overweight man next door. He'd had days where he couldn't eat anymore and he'd had days where he couldn't find anything to eat. The trip had been liberating and frightening and long and lonely and amazing all at the same time, but he was finally there, the address he had forfeited two months of pay to obtain scrawled on a yellow piece of paper clutched in his hand. The hall name had been burned into his skull but he checked the paper for the umpteenth time that day. Finally finding the dorm, he walked through the front door, ignoring the looks (and hungry eyes) he got from the females populating the lobby. Ascending the stairs two at a time, he finally reached the right floor. He checked the slip again, but he already knew the room number by heart.
Room 302. He was finally there.
After traveling 3,500 miles over six months, Ryan was at the dorm room of the love of his life on her birthday and he… froze. Questions raced to the front of his mind: What if he had come all this way for nothing? What if she had forgotten about him? What if she was seeing someone else? What if she figured out that she could do better? He was saved from answering these questions as the door to the room opened and a beautiful auburn-haired girl ran into his chest.
"Oh, I'm so sor- Ryan?"
"Hey Taylor," he managed to get out before Taylor Townsend jumped into his arms and kissed him hard.
Two and a half years later
Ryan opened the door to his apartment and threw his keys on the counter, sighing as he flopped on the couch after a long day of work. Construction was a hard job to have. He loved being involved with the building trade but the hours were long and tough. He couldn't have stuck with it without the help of his boss, Mike. He had helped Ryan get the job when he knew that it was against the law for him to work there. Mike looked at Ryan like the son that he and his wife had never had, so he watched out for him.
"Taylor," he called out, "I'm home."
"I'm in the bedroom," she yelled back. Ryan grinned, imagining what she might be doing in the bedroom all by herself. His dirty fantasies were shattered when he entered the room and saw his girlfriend sitting on their bed, studying.
"I figured you'd wearing a little less and not studying," he looked at the book, "French literature when I came home. Classes don't start for another couple weeks, Taylor."
"I know," she said, closing the book. "I just wanted to get a little head start on the rest of the class. You can never be too prepared."
"You've already got a head start. You graduated from high school a year early. You're a year younger than most of the people you go to class with, not to mention that you're smarter than most of them, too," he said as he joined her on the bed.
"Awww, thanks. But I had motivation to graduate early. After all, the faster I got out of that school, the more we could see each other. And I do so like having you come home all sweaty and dirty and manly smelling." Taylor smiled seductively as she pulled Ryan on top of her. "It does wonders for a girl's libido."
Ryan leaned down and captured her lips with his own. He was struggling with her buttons when the phone rang. Taylor moved to grab the cordless from the stand near the bed but was stopped by Ryan. "Leave it," he growled. She moaned in compliance as the answering machine picked up.
This is Ryan and Taylor. Leave a message at the tone. BEEP!
Hey Ryan, it's me, Seth. That caught Ryan's attention. I've got some bad news. A slight pause followed by a sniffle. Mom died the other day. I thought maybe you might want to come back and pay your last respects. Call me buddy. Bye.
A/N: Okay so I'd like to know what people thought of this. Just a little test to see if anyone is interested in reading a little more. Fair warning though: If I do go the full story route with this, it won't be ready for a month or so. Hope everyone enjoys!
AZ