Men Don't Change: Chapter 2
Hilary just kept running. She didn't care where she ended up, as long as she was away from Tyson. She had this eccentric feeling that someone was following her, and, try as she might to shake off the feeling, it was impossible to ignore. She took turns and sped down alleys. She tore across streets, not bothering to wait for the lights to change. Honks and angry shouts trailed after her, but she didn't care. All she knew was that the one time she really needed Tyson with her, he wasn't around because of her stupidity.
Eventually, the need to avoid the stalker wore off, and she slowed to a stop under the bridge in the park where Tyson and Max had first met. The sound of water lapping onto the sandy, but in some areas grassy shore calmed her. She sat down on the hill, trying desperately not to fall asleep. Last time the water had lulled her out of consciousness, she had stayed out past curfew, worrying the team, and sending Tyson after her. Normally, she wouldn't care. It had once been so comforting to be awakened by the feel of his jacket on her shoulders, the sweet sound of his concerned voice, and the addictive scent of his cologne. Now, she didn't want him near her. It would only hurt her more. She'd have to find another friend's house to stay at while her parents were on vacation. Maybe Kai would take her in? No, he didn't give a flip what happened to other people. But she was sort of a teammate...didn't that mean they had to stick together in a time of crisis? She was rationalizing reasons to stay with Kai; that was odd. And this wasn't a crisis. All she had to do was be a little nicer to Tyson and apologize, and maybe he'd take her back. For now.
However, pride wouldn't allow her to apologize first. And apologize for what? All she had done was try to make him see that he couldn't always have someone cater to his every whim, though in an extreme way, she admitted to herself. She had thought that going with him would make him a little more mature, "sober him up" (used in the way 'get him to get serious'). She had had a time trying to tune out her friends' warnings and the country songs' words against that theory. Now she finally knew, after a whole year, that "Men Don't Change" was correct. "Dead on balls" accurate. She started singing it to herself, not realizing what she was doing until she had ended the song and she heard a voice behind her compliment, "Lovely voice. Though wasted on such a pathetic song."
Frightened, she quickly turned around, just in time to see Kai hop expertly off one of the support beams of the bridge.
"Oh, thank God it's you, Kai. I thought you were – "
"Tyson?" He interrupted. "A stalker? I noticed you tried to avoid someone. I wasn't sure if you knew who it was."
Hilary dropped her gaze. "Yeah, I thought a pervert or something was...well, you get it. I got worried. Is that how you found me here?"
"I had a hunch you'd end up here, anyway."
"So why follow? Why not just beat me here and tell Tyson where I'm at so we can straighten out a few things, and everything become peachy again?" She exaggerated her sarcasm, but it didn't affect the team captain.
"I didn't think that's what you'd want. You need time to think to yourself." She looked at him directly in the eyes. As far as she could tell, he spoke the truth.
"So why are you here?"
"Tyson took it pretty hard. He'd be devastated if you were harmed in the slightest. I just decided to help you avoid any situation where that might occur."
She smiled a little. He had kept a straight face, though she had never known Kai to grin very often. He was always so serious. When he was in a room, sometimes that attitude spread like an epidemic, and fun became temporarily...obsolete. As though painlessness and no feelings at all were the only things you could feel.
"You know," she told him, "this is the most you've ever said to me at once." He said nothing. She went on, "Sometimes I wonder how you can exclude yourself from the social life. Everywhere you go, people see you as a mystery, an enigma. Many even hate you. Can you even feel happiness? 'Cause whatever people feel, others feel too. Like when you're sad at a party, everyone else is, too, and it ruins the mood. That's how you are. The way you act at the time affects others. It affects me. But even so," and she turned to him, "I'm glad you're here."
Kai remained emotionless, and Hilary resumed facing the water. Storm clouds carpeted the sky, so it seemed later than it was. Almost like it was night instead of morning.
"I'm guessing we'd better get going soon, huh?" she asked him. When he didn't answer, she was a little scared he was gone, like without him, she was defenseless. But she knew he was there, like a guardian spirit. They just sat there for a few minutes, until Hilary broke the silence.
"You want to know something weird?" She didn't wait for a reply she knew wouldn't come. "I feel like I can tell you anything." Again he didn't answer. She waited a while before speaking again, "Do you know why I said yes to Tyson?"
"No." He actually answered. "To be honest, it was a stupid thing to do."
She chuckled under her breath for a moment. "I thought maybe if I helped guide him, he'd grow up a little. You know, a little less naïve."
"You didn't love him," concluded Kai, to her surprise.
"What?" Hilary turned to him. "But I did."
He shook his head. "You went with him for the wrong reasons. When you fall in love with someone, you adore their bad qualities as much as the good. And if you don't, then you accept those idiosyncrasies. It appears to me that you tried to transform him to perfection by changing the negatives into good. That in itself proves you didn't love him."
Hilary was a little angry that Kai was lecturing her over something he couldn't know anything about. "Alright then. When I figured out he'd never change, why did I stay with him. Explain that, rich boy."
"Psychology."
"Say what?"
"It's only natural that humans try to do the impossible. So although you knew it was impossible to force him to change, it only pushed you harder to actually accomplish it. That's what happens. You try harder to achieve that goal. And many times, people do. That's why it was once said that nothing is impossible."
"You've spent too much time with Kenny."
"No. Kenny believes in limitations. I believe in exceeding those limitations. That is the distinct difference."
"That, and your obnoxious attitude."
"In the eye of the beholder."
"Now I'm officially confused."
"'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' What things are is how you perceive them."
"Oh." Silence. "I really did think I loved him, Kai," she said eventually. She sighed. "I guess it was just a crush. Do you think it was wrong that I pursued it?" "If you did what your heart told you to do, and you don't regret it, then it wasn't wrong." "I don't know if I regret it. Sometimes, I felt like I was spending that time wrongly, like it was time I could've spent with the right one. Yet, at other times, I felt like I was spending it with the right one. Why? You've had all the answers so far; can you tell me this?" "No." She was disappointed. "This because it is something you have to look inside yourself for." He reached out his hand to help her get up. She examined it a second then took it. At that moment something took over them both. Without realizing it, Kai used that hand to pull her closer, but she didn't resist. She wanted this to happen. This extraordinary experience that followed has been known since the beginning of time as a kiss.
Hilary just kept running. She didn't care where she ended up, as long as she was away from Tyson. She had this eccentric feeling that someone was following her, and, try as she might to shake off the feeling, it was impossible to ignore. She took turns and sped down alleys. She tore across streets, not bothering to wait for the lights to change. Honks and angry shouts trailed after her, but she didn't care. All she knew was that the one time she really needed Tyson with her, he wasn't around because of her stupidity.
Eventually, the need to avoid the stalker wore off, and she slowed to a stop under the bridge in the park where Tyson and Max had first met. The sound of water lapping onto the sandy, but in some areas grassy shore calmed her. She sat down on the hill, trying desperately not to fall asleep. Last time the water had lulled her out of consciousness, she had stayed out past curfew, worrying the team, and sending Tyson after her. Normally, she wouldn't care. It had once been so comforting to be awakened by the feel of his jacket on her shoulders, the sweet sound of his concerned voice, and the addictive scent of his cologne. Now, she didn't want him near her. It would only hurt her more. She'd have to find another friend's house to stay at while her parents were on vacation. Maybe Kai would take her in? No, he didn't give a flip what happened to other people. But she was sort of a teammate...didn't that mean they had to stick together in a time of crisis? She was rationalizing reasons to stay with Kai; that was odd. And this wasn't a crisis. All she had to do was be a little nicer to Tyson and apologize, and maybe he'd take her back. For now.
However, pride wouldn't allow her to apologize first. And apologize for what? All she had done was try to make him see that he couldn't always have someone cater to his every whim, though in an extreme way, she admitted to herself. She had thought that going with him would make him a little more mature, "sober him up" (used in the way 'get him to get serious'). She had had a time trying to tune out her friends' warnings and the country songs' words against that theory. Now she finally knew, after a whole year, that "Men Don't Change" was correct. "Dead on balls" accurate. She started singing it to herself, not realizing what she was doing until she had ended the song and she heard a voice behind her compliment, "Lovely voice. Though wasted on such a pathetic song."
Frightened, she quickly turned around, just in time to see Kai hop expertly off one of the support beams of the bridge.
"Oh, thank God it's you, Kai. I thought you were – "
"Tyson?" He interrupted. "A stalker? I noticed you tried to avoid someone. I wasn't sure if you knew who it was."
Hilary dropped her gaze. "Yeah, I thought a pervert or something was...well, you get it. I got worried. Is that how you found me here?"
"I had a hunch you'd end up here, anyway."
"So why follow? Why not just beat me here and tell Tyson where I'm at so we can straighten out a few things, and everything become peachy again?" She exaggerated her sarcasm, but it didn't affect the team captain.
"I didn't think that's what you'd want. You need time to think to yourself." She looked at him directly in the eyes. As far as she could tell, he spoke the truth.
"So why are you here?"
"Tyson took it pretty hard. He'd be devastated if you were harmed in the slightest. I just decided to help you avoid any situation where that might occur."
She smiled a little. He had kept a straight face, though she had never known Kai to grin very often. He was always so serious. When he was in a room, sometimes that attitude spread like an epidemic, and fun became temporarily...obsolete. As though painlessness and no feelings at all were the only things you could feel.
"You know," she told him, "this is the most you've ever said to me at once." He said nothing. She went on, "Sometimes I wonder how you can exclude yourself from the social life. Everywhere you go, people see you as a mystery, an enigma. Many even hate you. Can you even feel happiness? 'Cause whatever people feel, others feel too. Like when you're sad at a party, everyone else is, too, and it ruins the mood. That's how you are. The way you act at the time affects others. It affects me. But even so," and she turned to him, "I'm glad you're here."
Kai remained emotionless, and Hilary resumed facing the water. Storm clouds carpeted the sky, so it seemed later than it was. Almost like it was night instead of morning.
"I'm guessing we'd better get going soon, huh?" she asked him. When he didn't answer, she was a little scared he was gone, like without him, she was defenseless. But she knew he was there, like a guardian spirit. They just sat there for a few minutes, until Hilary broke the silence.
"You want to know something weird?" She didn't wait for a reply she knew wouldn't come. "I feel like I can tell you anything." Again he didn't answer. She waited a while before speaking again, "Do you know why I said yes to Tyson?"
"No." He actually answered. "To be honest, it was a stupid thing to do."
She chuckled under her breath for a moment. "I thought maybe if I helped guide him, he'd grow up a little. You know, a little less naïve."
"You didn't love him," concluded Kai, to her surprise.
"What?" Hilary turned to him. "But I did."
He shook his head. "You went with him for the wrong reasons. When you fall in love with someone, you adore their bad qualities as much as the good. And if you don't, then you accept those idiosyncrasies. It appears to me that you tried to transform him to perfection by changing the negatives into good. That in itself proves you didn't love him."
Hilary was a little angry that Kai was lecturing her over something he couldn't know anything about. "Alright then. When I figured out he'd never change, why did I stay with him. Explain that, rich boy."
"Psychology."
"Say what?"
"It's only natural that humans try to do the impossible. So although you knew it was impossible to force him to change, it only pushed you harder to actually accomplish it. That's what happens. You try harder to achieve that goal. And many times, people do. That's why it was once said that nothing is impossible."
"You've spent too much time with Kenny."
"No. Kenny believes in limitations. I believe in exceeding those limitations. That is the distinct difference."
"That, and your obnoxious attitude."
"In the eye of the beholder."
"Now I'm officially confused."
"'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' What things are is how you perceive them."
"Oh." Silence. "I really did think I loved him, Kai," she said eventually. She sighed. "I guess it was just a crush. Do you think it was wrong that I pursued it?" "If you did what your heart told you to do, and you don't regret it, then it wasn't wrong." "I don't know if I regret it. Sometimes, I felt like I was spending that time wrongly, like it was time I could've spent with the right one. Yet, at other times, I felt like I was spending it with the right one. Why? You've had all the answers so far; can you tell me this?" "No." She was disappointed. "This because it is something you have to look inside yourself for." He reached out his hand to help her get up. She examined it a second then took it. At that moment something took over them both. Without realizing it, Kai used that hand to pull her closer, but she didn't resist. She wanted this to happen. This extraordinary experience that followed has been known since the beginning of time as a kiss.