Hi! Thank you for reviewing, it lifted my spirits! XD Again, if you don't see the review, I apologize for the last chapter being in all Italics … I have no idea what happened there. Well. Here it is. The chapter in which we meet Ryan!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Never Back Down.

The next morning I woke up at around seven. I got dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and my favorite Paramore t-shirt. I ran a brush through my hair, deciding to wear it down for the day and slapped on some deodorant and a spray of almond scented perfume in case I met any cute guys.

I slipped on my DC's, grabbed my purse and stuffed my necessities in it - My Zune HD, earbuds, wallet, my notebook that held all my story ideas and sketches, a couple pens and sharp pencils, cell-phone, Icebreakers (my personal crack), perfume, a small hairbrush and some ponytails, a couple tampons (just in case!), and a small pocket-sized book ("The Lake House" by James Patterson). I headed into the basement and quickly made a bowl of cereal. I gulped it down, washed it down with a glass of orange juice and then brushed my teeth.

I scribbled a quick note to Carol and Bill (who were still asleep) as to what I was doing, grabbed an ice-cold bottle of water out of the fridge, and stuffed it in my purse.

I headed outside, deciding to walk instead of drive and began down the street that led out into town.

The part of Orlando where I now lived was small and quieter than downtown. There were all the necessities - a Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Aldi, Office Max, Best Buy, Target, McDonalds, Wendy's, two movie theaters, a Chinese restaurant, a couple pet stores, a JC Penney, Kohls, Sears, Menards, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts … and they were all within ten minutes of my house. The school, Cypress Creek High was about fifteen minutes at the edge of town. It was near a small creek (Cypress Creek) and a beautiful park and forest preserve. It was a beautiful perfect place to live.

I went to Starbucks and grabbed a frozen latte and then headed to the park to sit in the shade and read.

Ryan POV

Ryan McCarthy was alone for once. He wasn't hanging out Aaron or Ben like he usually did and he didn't have a girl hanging off his arm. In fact, he hadn't had a girlfriend since the school year had ended. Aaron and Ben had been the only two friends of his that had stuck around after Jake Tyler had beaten him in the Beat Down. He was still quite popular but definitely not the king he had been before.

Ryan had learned his lesson well. He had apologized personally to Max Cooperman and Baja Miller and even to Jake for insulting his father. He had focused more on his studies and gotten his grade average up to an A by the end of the school year. He had gotten accepted to New York University and already had his major picked out - a double in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice (who would've thought? XD). He had still kept up with exercising every day and would participate in small fights every weekend in or so. He was quieter and nicer to everyone and his house was no longer the place to go for parties, although there still was some every once in a while.

But Ryan McCarthy was not completely changed. He was impulsive and still had a fierce temper. He was arrogant and could still be a jerk to anyone who angered him. Deep down, he was still half the jerk who'd taunted Jake Tyler at the party and half a good, well-meaning young man.

Today, on Sunday August 31st, Ryan was headed to the park by the high school. He liked going there to think about things and sometimes study if he needed to. But as he approached the park, he could see that there was a person sitting in his favorite spot underneath the willow tree. A girl.

He approached the girl until he could see her clearly. She looked to be about seventeen years old with long slightly curly blonde hair that fell to a couple inches past her shoulders. Her skin was white like milk and beautiful and soft-looking. She was slim with a great figure that would look amazing in a bikini. She wore no make-up that Ryan could see. She was beautiful in a very natural way. Her small, cute, slightly upturned nose was buried in a book. Ryan could tell she wasn't like any other girl he'd met. She looked smart. Very smart. And she wasn't wearing slut clothes like all the girls in Orlando. Instead she wore dark blue jeans that showed off her great ass and hips and a cool, tight-fitting, black Paramore t-shirt. She was also listening to a Zune HD, and not an iPod like everyone else had.

Ryan slowly approached her and sat down in front of her.

"Hey."