After long last, here's another chapter; sorry it's taking so long to update everything but I've been bogged down with school work but in the coming week it's going to smooth out. A little note to Bree, I picked both of those names (first and last) for a reason and you guessed both reasons right; as for your vocal career, if you come out with a CD, I'll certainly buy it. Your songs always did remind me of Michelle Branch. So, everyone please read and review.
Holding hands with you when we're out at night
Got a girlfriend, you say it isn't right.
And I've got someone waiting too.
Chapter Four
Revolutions
Clear didn't mention her new job to her grandparents, figuring they wouldn't notice if she was late coming home from school every afternoon. In turn, they didn't press her about finding a way to make money to care for her new pet, as though they had forgotten all about the dog since last night. After Clear finished washing the dinner dishes and looking over her math homework for fifteen minutes before giving up, she decided to take Prince out for a walk. With nothing to use for a leash, she took the tie off her old robe and tied it loosely around the puppy's neck, pleased when the dog didn't try to free himself from her invention.
Neither of her grandparents said anything as she left the house, which Clear decided was better then them prying into her business all of the time. It was true that she needed someone that she could and relate to, but she knew her grandmother wasn't going to be that person anyway, even if the old woman was interested in the teenager's humdrum life.
The neighbor that Clear's grandparents lived in was nothing more then a glorified cul-de-sac, which meant a very short walk for both owner and puppy. However, Clear decided that since it was a nice night that she should extend the stroll into the adjacent neighborhoods. Prince tugged against his lead but, thankfully, didn't manage to pull lose.
If Clear had been more familiar with the topography of the surrounding neighborhoods she would have known the neighborhood directly behind hers was Creek Mill, otherwise known as the neighborhood that Alex lived in.
Of course, Clear did not know this information until she saw Alex standing on the sidewalk a few houses down from his own, tugging on a dog's leash as the golden retriever subsequently ignored him in favor of sniffing at a bush. Prince appeared not to notice the other dog and continued to sniff the concrete, which gave Clear the opportunity to study Alex for a moment, letting herself forget about Tod and commit to memory the way the moonlight shadowed Alex's faces in all the right places and how cute he looked when he was frustrated.
The German Shepard puppy tugged forward and Clear forced herself to walk forward, attempting to appear nonchalant and inconspicuous as she neared Alex. The boy continued to tug at the Golden Retriever's leash, unaware that there was anyone else on the road with them. Prince perked his ears suddenly, and whipped his head in the direction of the dog to his left; the tiny puppy began to bark viciously, startling both Clear and Alex.
The Retriever turned as well, a low growl rising in his throat, the hair on his hackles rising. "Cherokee, no." Alex mumbled, glancing down at the dog and tightly his grip on the leash.
The dog rushed forward, heedless of Alex's warning and charged the puppy; Alex attempted to retract the nylon leashing that fed out of plastic circle in his hand but the retriever continued forward. Prince whimpered and ducked behind his master's legs; Clear's presence did nothing to deter the barking Cherokee and he rushed around the brunette's legs, wrapping the tight nylon around her legs.
Alex attempted to get hold of the dog, put the retriever only pulled harder and the leash slipped completely out of his hands. Clear let out a cry of surprise and pain and dropped to her knees, the robe tie slipping out of her hand as well. Prince noticed he was lose and took off running down the street, yelping as though the hounds of hell were on his tail. Cherokee attempted to chase after him, pulling the leash tighter around Clear's legs, but he couldn't manage any more heed way.
"Cherokee! Sit, boy, stop! Lay down! Play dead; sit!" Alex commanded, desperately attempting to gain control of the dog and untangle Clear, who was attempting to claw the nylon away from her skin.
Seeing that the puppy he wanted so desperately to eat had vanished, Cherokee finally stopped pulling and sat down on the concrete, yawning. Alex knelt and began to untangle the leash, sighing slightly when Clear was freed; Clear frowned and gingerly pulled up her pant leg to see that the nylon had rubbed through the skin, giving her a stinging wound.
"Are you all right?" Alex asked, looking at the brunette with a concerned expression upon his face.
Clear nodded once, letting Alex help her to her feet. She looked around, her frown deepening when she realized that her puppy was no where to be seen. "Look, Clear, I'm really sorry about that, I have no idea what got into this dog; are you sure you're all right?" Alex questioned, causing Clear to look his direction.
"I think so but, I also think my dog ran away." Clear muttered, testing her weight on her leg and wincing when the stinging returned in full force.
Alex looked guilty for a moment before going back to looking concerned as he stooped to pick up Cherokee's leash, surprised at how suddenly docile the dog was. As he straightened, he caught a glimpse of the brunette's raw leg and wrinkled his nose unconsciously. "Your leg looks really bad, Clear, maybe you should have someone take a look at it." He remarked, confused at where his deep concern was springing from. He had a girlfriend all ready and Clear had a boyfriend, his own best friend.
Clear shrugged, attempting to look nonchalant despite the pain in her leg. "I think I'll be fine." She mumbled, touched at how worried Alex seemed about her well-being. Perhaps he did care about her after all...
"My parents could probably give you a ride home if you wanted, so you don't have to walk. And maybe on the way we can look for your dog." Alex offered, hoping that his parents wouldn't reject his hospitality.
A smile spread across Clear's face at his words and she nodded once, feeling color rise into her cheeks, grateful that Alex couldn't see her in the dark. "If it's not too much trouble." She mumbled, wanting to take him up on his offer but not wanting to be an inconvenience. Another plus to accepting his offer was the fact that her leg was hurting like crazy and she didn't much like the idea of traipsing through the brush and hurting herself even more.
With that matter settled, Alex and Clear headed toward the Browning house, Clear limping along and Alex leading the now calm retriever as he walked so enough so that he didn't leave the girl behind. During the short walk the two made small talk, which included Clear telling Alex about getting a job at the Green Igloo and Alex explaining that he was taking care of the neighbor's dog.
When they arrived at the Browning house, Alex was grateful that his mother and father didn't seem to mind Clear's arrival and the fact that they'd have to take her home in a few minutes. Alex led Clear into the kitchen and directed her to sit at the kitchen table while he wet a rag for her to hold against her leg. The brunette looked around while Alex busied himself, taking in the decor and trying to pretend as though being in her crush's house was no big deal. Thinking about Alex as her crush made her feel guilty because she did have Tod, after all, who truly did care about her.
"So, I'm really sorry about your dog, but I'm sure he'll turn up. Just like Lassie." Alex assured Clear as he wrung the rag out and carried it over to the brunette. He knelt and pressed the rag to her bare leg before he even realized what he was doing. Alex glanced up at Clear, who was staring down at him; both of them blushed and Alex stood, handing the rag to the brunette, who took it shyly.
"Um...I don't think my dog knows his way home, I just got him yesterday." She mumbled, clearing her throat as she pressed the rag against her leg just as Alex had done seconds earlier. However, the water didn't seem to have as soothing an effect as it had when he had held the rag.
Alex shifted awkwardly, running his hand through his hair as he turned away from the brunette, sighing deeply. He couldn't keep himself from thinking about attractive Clear was and how he had never realized it until just that moment. Sighing again, he turned to face her, wondering if saying anything would change their situation or just make it worse. "Clear I-" Alex began but was cut off when his mother entered the kitchen.
"Clear, Alex's father is ready to run you home now." Barbara told the brunette, causing both teenager's to look her way.
Clear nodded once, setting the rag back on the table and standing up, muttering a thank you to both Alex and his mother before hobbling out of the kitchen to follow Ken Browning toward the family car.
Once Clear had disappeared, Barbara turned to face her son, who seemed to be staring into thin air, or perhaps at some mental image that only he could see. "That Clear girl seems nice," she ventured deciding to continue when her son looked over at her. "She seems nicer then Adrienne." Barbara knew it wasn't her place to judge Alex's girlfriends but she couldn't help herself. Adrienne reminded her too much of the bitchy girls she had known when she had gone to high school with, the sort of girls that only dated guys to hurt them.
Alex thought about objecting but stopped himself before he could even think of a plausible retort. His mother did have a point, one that he found he couldn't deny.
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So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's based on a true story of something that happened to me. Sadly, however, there were no hot guys to free me from my dog's nylon leash; if you've never had nylon wrapped around your leg while a dog was pulling with all her might to get free, the consider yourself lucky. It hurts like hell. Anyway, "Why Can't I?" belongs to Liz Phair and I thought I'd come back to the roots of these stories for this song. Don't worry Dharke, I'm trying to find an Eminem song for you. Please review.
Holding hands with you when we're out at night
Got a girlfriend, you say it isn't right.
And I've got someone waiting too.
Chapter Four
Revolutions
Clear didn't mention her new job to her grandparents, figuring they wouldn't notice if she was late coming home from school every afternoon. In turn, they didn't press her about finding a way to make money to care for her new pet, as though they had forgotten all about the dog since last night. After Clear finished washing the dinner dishes and looking over her math homework for fifteen minutes before giving up, she decided to take Prince out for a walk. With nothing to use for a leash, she took the tie off her old robe and tied it loosely around the puppy's neck, pleased when the dog didn't try to free himself from her invention.
Neither of her grandparents said anything as she left the house, which Clear decided was better then them prying into her business all of the time. It was true that she needed someone that she could and relate to, but she knew her grandmother wasn't going to be that person anyway, even if the old woman was interested in the teenager's humdrum life.
The neighbor that Clear's grandparents lived in was nothing more then a glorified cul-de-sac, which meant a very short walk for both owner and puppy. However, Clear decided that since it was a nice night that she should extend the stroll into the adjacent neighborhoods. Prince tugged against his lead but, thankfully, didn't manage to pull lose.
If Clear had been more familiar with the topography of the surrounding neighborhoods she would have known the neighborhood directly behind hers was Creek Mill, otherwise known as the neighborhood that Alex lived in.
Of course, Clear did not know this information until she saw Alex standing on the sidewalk a few houses down from his own, tugging on a dog's leash as the golden retriever subsequently ignored him in favor of sniffing at a bush. Prince appeared not to notice the other dog and continued to sniff the concrete, which gave Clear the opportunity to study Alex for a moment, letting herself forget about Tod and commit to memory the way the moonlight shadowed Alex's faces in all the right places and how cute he looked when he was frustrated.
The German Shepard puppy tugged forward and Clear forced herself to walk forward, attempting to appear nonchalant and inconspicuous as she neared Alex. The boy continued to tug at the Golden Retriever's leash, unaware that there was anyone else on the road with them. Prince perked his ears suddenly, and whipped his head in the direction of the dog to his left; the tiny puppy began to bark viciously, startling both Clear and Alex.
The Retriever turned as well, a low growl rising in his throat, the hair on his hackles rising. "Cherokee, no." Alex mumbled, glancing down at the dog and tightly his grip on the leash.
The dog rushed forward, heedless of Alex's warning and charged the puppy; Alex attempted to retract the nylon leashing that fed out of plastic circle in his hand but the retriever continued forward. Prince whimpered and ducked behind his master's legs; Clear's presence did nothing to deter the barking Cherokee and he rushed around the brunette's legs, wrapping the tight nylon around her legs.
Alex attempted to get hold of the dog, put the retriever only pulled harder and the leash slipped completely out of his hands. Clear let out a cry of surprise and pain and dropped to her knees, the robe tie slipping out of her hand as well. Prince noticed he was lose and took off running down the street, yelping as though the hounds of hell were on his tail. Cherokee attempted to chase after him, pulling the leash tighter around Clear's legs, but he couldn't manage any more heed way.
"Cherokee! Sit, boy, stop! Lay down! Play dead; sit!" Alex commanded, desperately attempting to gain control of the dog and untangle Clear, who was attempting to claw the nylon away from her skin.
Seeing that the puppy he wanted so desperately to eat had vanished, Cherokee finally stopped pulling and sat down on the concrete, yawning. Alex knelt and began to untangle the leash, sighing slightly when Clear was freed; Clear frowned and gingerly pulled up her pant leg to see that the nylon had rubbed through the skin, giving her a stinging wound.
"Are you all right?" Alex asked, looking at the brunette with a concerned expression upon his face.
Clear nodded once, letting Alex help her to her feet. She looked around, her frown deepening when she realized that her puppy was no where to be seen. "Look, Clear, I'm really sorry about that, I have no idea what got into this dog; are you sure you're all right?" Alex questioned, causing Clear to look his direction.
"I think so but, I also think my dog ran away." Clear muttered, testing her weight on her leg and wincing when the stinging returned in full force.
Alex looked guilty for a moment before going back to looking concerned as he stooped to pick up Cherokee's leash, surprised at how suddenly docile the dog was. As he straightened, he caught a glimpse of the brunette's raw leg and wrinkled his nose unconsciously. "Your leg looks really bad, Clear, maybe you should have someone take a look at it." He remarked, confused at where his deep concern was springing from. He had a girlfriend all ready and Clear had a boyfriend, his own best friend.
Clear shrugged, attempting to look nonchalant despite the pain in her leg. "I think I'll be fine." She mumbled, touched at how worried Alex seemed about her well-being. Perhaps he did care about her after all...
"My parents could probably give you a ride home if you wanted, so you don't have to walk. And maybe on the way we can look for your dog." Alex offered, hoping that his parents wouldn't reject his hospitality.
A smile spread across Clear's face at his words and she nodded once, feeling color rise into her cheeks, grateful that Alex couldn't see her in the dark. "If it's not too much trouble." She mumbled, wanting to take him up on his offer but not wanting to be an inconvenience. Another plus to accepting his offer was the fact that her leg was hurting like crazy and she didn't much like the idea of traipsing through the brush and hurting herself even more.
With that matter settled, Alex and Clear headed toward the Browning house, Clear limping along and Alex leading the now calm retriever as he walked so enough so that he didn't leave the girl behind. During the short walk the two made small talk, which included Clear telling Alex about getting a job at the Green Igloo and Alex explaining that he was taking care of the neighbor's dog.
When they arrived at the Browning house, Alex was grateful that his mother and father didn't seem to mind Clear's arrival and the fact that they'd have to take her home in a few minutes. Alex led Clear into the kitchen and directed her to sit at the kitchen table while he wet a rag for her to hold against her leg. The brunette looked around while Alex busied himself, taking in the decor and trying to pretend as though being in her crush's house was no big deal. Thinking about Alex as her crush made her feel guilty because she did have Tod, after all, who truly did care about her.
"So, I'm really sorry about your dog, but I'm sure he'll turn up. Just like Lassie." Alex assured Clear as he wrung the rag out and carried it over to the brunette. He knelt and pressed the rag to her bare leg before he even realized what he was doing. Alex glanced up at Clear, who was staring down at him; both of them blushed and Alex stood, handing the rag to the brunette, who took it shyly.
"Um...I don't think my dog knows his way home, I just got him yesterday." She mumbled, clearing her throat as she pressed the rag against her leg just as Alex had done seconds earlier. However, the water didn't seem to have as soothing an effect as it had when he had held the rag.
Alex shifted awkwardly, running his hand through his hair as he turned away from the brunette, sighing deeply. He couldn't keep himself from thinking about attractive Clear was and how he had never realized it until just that moment. Sighing again, he turned to face her, wondering if saying anything would change their situation or just make it worse. "Clear I-" Alex began but was cut off when his mother entered the kitchen.
"Clear, Alex's father is ready to run you home now." Barbara told the brunette, causing both teenager's to look her way.
Clear nodded once, setting the rag back on the table and standing up, muttering a thank you to both Alex and his mother before hobbling out of the kitchen to follow Ken Browning toward the family car.
Once Clear had disappeared, Barbara turned to face her son, who seemed to be staring into thin air, or perhaps at some mental image that only he could see. "That Clear girl seems nice," she ventured deciding to continue when her son looked over at her. "She seems nicer then Adrienne." Barbara knew it wasn't her place to judge Alex's girlfriends but she couldn't help herself. Adrienne reminded her too much of the bitchy girls she had known when she had gone to high school with, the sort of girls that only dated guys to hurt them.
Alex thought about objecting but stopped himself before he could even think of a plausible retort. His mother did have a point, one that he found he couldn't deny.
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So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's based on a true story of something that happened to me. Sadly, however, there were no hot guys to free me from my dog's nylon leash; if you've never had nylon wrapped around your leg while a dog was pulling with all her might to get free, the consider yourself lucky. It hurts like hell. Anyway, "Why Can't I?" belongs to Liz Phair and I thought I'd come back to the roots of these stories for this song. Don't worry Dharke, I'm trying to find an Eminem song for you. Please review.