Okay I lied. Sam and Jake don't get the this chapter. Quinn and Bryan do. Sorry!
Quinn was sure he would've been homecoming king if his ex (this one who tried to say he was her baby daddy) hadn't been going around saying he'd abandon her. Most of his friends knew that it wasn't his, that he didn't 'abandon' her. The whole football team knew, therefore half the guys in school knew, but that wasn't enough.
Lacy, the girl, convinced everyone else that he was a man whore. It pissed him off, because if anyone saw the baby of hers, William, they'd see he looked nothing like Quinn. William had blue eyes and blonde hair. That wasn't him. Will had a square he'd Quinn had a round head. Will wasn't Quinn's child.
Quinn wanted a DNA test so everyone would leave him alone. He just had to convince Lacy to let him, but she wouldn't. He thought that was proof. Proof that she didn't want anyone to find out the truth.
Anyway he lost his place as King because of it and his rep was practically ruined he. He hadn't gone on a date since November. He honestly felt that this girl had ruined his life. He got dirty looks all the time. Teachers had lost respect.
His coach even talked to him about it the 1st day of school. The coach knew the whole story and was on Quinn's side, supporting him.
When the coach pulled him aside that day, Quinn thought he might is yell throw in the towel, but the Coach Lingen had just said he wanted to hear the story. As Quinn told him everything Coach nodded, understandingly. Coach put his hand on Quinn's shoulder, looked him in the eye, and said in his emotionally gruff voice "Quinn, things happen for a reason. Things work-out if you give them enough time and put in the effort. You know how to turn bad situations into good situations, I see it all the time on the field. You are a hard worker. People know that, and the ones that don't? Well, you need to show them what an honest and hard worker you are and they'll be on your side. Keep plugging along and stick to your virtues. You'll make it." And with that Coach Lingen walked off the field.
Bryan felt bad for Quinn. He knew how much it meant to him to be liked and being prom king meant you were liked. Not winning, obviously upset him. That of course was just another thing to make Quinn feel bad. All that Lacy stuff was bull crap. It made Bryan really mad, more so than Quinn. Quinn never got mad enough on his own behalf. If it was someone else's behalf though... He was very quick to anger.
Bryan loved that about Quinn. He was always there for Bryan and his brothers. He also never got mad about his brothers's successes even if they took away from his own. Like, for example, this year when Bryan got MVP while Quinn got hardest worker in baseball.
Quinn's acceptance speech was, "I don't deserve hardest worker. Bryan does, but I guess we can all pretend I do. Besides we all know I like football better." He then walked off the stage as everyone chuckled. They thought he was kidding, but he wasn't.
Bryan was the hardest worker when it came to baseball. If it was football then Quinn was your guy. But Baseball was Bryan's passion. He loved it more than anything, besides his family and friends of course. He didn't know what it was about baseball that he enjoyed so much. He liked it all, the only thing he knew he didn't like was that it was such a short season.
The other thing Bryan liked was Jane. A smile crept on his face when he thought of the night he asked her out.
Bryan hit call, biting his lip as he did so.
"Hi, Bryan, what's up?" Jane answered, cheerfully. Bryan took a deep breath before replying.
"Hey, you wanna go for a ride?" He hoped she couldn't hear the nerves in his voice. Hopefully, she thought this would be like their usual ride.
"Yeah, that'd be great! Where should I meet you?" Jane asked, she didn't sound suspicous.
"I'll ride to your place." Bryan suggested even though he was already on the way. He could see her house not far off and hoped she couldn't see him.
"Okay, see ya!" Bryan jumped at that, thinking she did see him! Then he realized that she was ending the call. He quickly said bye before he heard the phone call end.
"Well Rocky, let's hope this goes well." The horse's ear flickered as he listened. Rocky's easy pace calmed Bryan's nerves just slightly and he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He ran every sencerio through his head as he rode and before long he was turning into Jane's drive way. He caught sight of Jane standing by the barn. Rocky nickered and Jane turned her head as Crick returned Rocky's greeting.
Jane waved with a smile before she swung herself onto Crick. "Hey," Bryan called. As he rode closer he look Jane over quickly. He tried not to stare, but dang she looked good. She was wearing dark cut off jeans and a blue v-neck. She looked gorgeous though. She looked at Bryan and smiled, her eyes scanning over him. Bryan watched her cheeks get red as he felt his own darken. He'd been staring at her! She was probably creeped out now!
She brushed her hair back before speaking, "Where are we're going?" Her eyes continued to trail over his body. Bryan glanced at his white v-neck, regretting wearing. It was was a v-neck and tight, she probably thought he was gay! (A/N: It's not bad to be gay, but obviously Bryan doesn't want his crush thinking he is!"
"War Drum Flatt," Bryan answered, not looking her in the eyes. She'd notice and think he was even weirder if he kept staring at her beautiful eyes. Or anything else.
"Oh," Jane nodded, she fidgeted with her reins. They started out of the drive way, silently. After a minute of silence, "Has Jake said anything about Sam, lately?" Jane asked.
"A better question is does he ever shut up about Sam." Bryan snorted, feeling relieved to have something to talk about. "What about Sam?"
"Geez, she can't stop talking about him!" Jane smiled, forgetting the earlier awkwardness. "He's all she talks about. I wish one of them would tell the other they liked them." Little did they know…
Bryan nodded. "I hate when people obviously like each other, but they don't see it!" Bryan shook his head still smiling.
"I know right!" Jane smiled. "They probably won't get together anytime soon."
"Nope, probably not." Bryan agreed with a smirk. "They've always like each other you know?" Suddenly Bryan became sober. "When Sam had an accident, she was gone two years, Jake didn't talk more than maybe a paragraph the whole time she was gone." He know that sounded like an exgration, but it wasn't.
"Oh," Jane said, astonished. Her eyes were full of concern. That was one of the things Bryan loved about her. She genuinly care about everyone, especially Bryan's family.
"Yeah, mom tried to get him to go to the school counselor, because she thought he'd hurt himself he was so depressed." Bryan frowned like he could see Jake during those two years. Worry clouded his eyes. "He lost a lot of weight at first and then he started working a lot and he still wouldn't eat much. it was awful." Jane put her hand on her heart, like it ached. "Mom always had one of us with Jake, so he was wouldn't be alone. He didn't even notice. At night one of us would go check on him and he'd be whimpering into his pillow."
"Did he ever say anything in his sleep?" Jane asked. She kept her eyes on Bryan's.
"Yeah, the same thing every night." Bryan nodded. "'Brat, if you live I'll never let you get hurt again. Please Sam, don't die. I'm sorry. I need you. I love you Samantha,'" Bryan looked at his saddle horn. He didn't want Jane to see how much it hurt him to think of his brother so vulnerable. Jane waited patiently for Bryan to continue. "He sounded so defenseless. The first day she was gone Quinn and I heard him scream. We ran to his room and he was just a mess. Turning, shaking, sweating, we thought he was crying at first, but Jake doesn't cry, so we figured it was sweat. We woke him up and he had this helpless look in his eyes. He wouldn't look at us he just stared at the ceiling. I actually think he was crying,"
"Wow," Jane said. Her voice held remorse, like it was her own family.
"That's not it," Bryan said, sounding like he wished it was. "When Mom first heard Jake talking in his sleep, she came and got Dad. The rest of us followed. We all started crying. Jake was not supposed to seem so vulnerable. Dad left the room and downed a whole six-pack. Mom stayed at his bed the whole night. The rest of us went to Quinn and mine's bedroom, called Kit, and started praying."
"That must have been hard for all of you," Jane her voice calming. Bryan finally looked into her eyes. Her eyes held no judgement, just a calm supportive gaze. It was the first time Bryan had ever talked about the whole situation.
"The night she came back, Jake was so happy. He was whistling and smiling. He hugged us all when we got home. He took a shower and we could hear him singing. He went out to the barn and just hugged Witch. Played with Gal in the yard. Mom started crying tears of delight. Dad just smiled. We all thanked God for having Jake back to normal," Bryan smiled, remembering. "You may thing he's moody and quiet, but he's not as much as he used to be."
"Is he a good singer?" Jane asked, smiling. Bryan burst out laughing. She sure knew how to make him feel better.
"Yeah, actually he is," Bryan nodded. "But all of us Elys are." Bryan puffed out his chest, smiling brightly.
"Oh, really?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow. "Prove it."
"Maybe later," Bryan winked as War Drum Flat came into view. The horses stopped at the edge of the lake and started drinking. Jane and Bryan slipped off the horses. Jane bent to pick up her reins. Bryan saw an opportunity and grabbed her around the waist and slung her over his shoulder. Then ran into the water.
"Bryan, put me down!" She yelled and of course he obliged. She splashed into the water, but not before pulling Bryan under with her. They both came up sputtering. They took one look at each other and burst out laughing. Jane attacked Bryan. "You got my clothes wet!" Bryan fell over again, pulling Jane under too. When they surfaced Bryan kept his arm around her waist.
"Crap, I didn't think that through. I had an idea and we need to be dry for it," Bryan frowned, but Jane continued smiled and of course Bryan had to smile too. He waded out of the water holding Jane's hand. When he got out of the water he kicked his boots off, took of his shirt, and jeans so he was just in his boxers. He smirked when Jane gasped. He sure was glad he was in good shape.
Bryan was starting to think stripping down was a bad idea when Jane continued to look at him like he was crazy. Then she shrugged. "Good thing I wore a sports bra," She said as she stripped down to her undergarments.
"You know this isn't any worse than swimsuits," Bryan said, helpfully, as Jane ran to the lake as fast as she could. He watched dive in.
"You do have a point I guess," Jane smiled, reassured. "We should call Jake and Sam and get them out here," Jane thought out loud. Bryan frowned, he wanted to be alone. Jane must have read that on his face because she quickly added, "But I guess Jake can't do much with that leg."
"Maybe next time," Bryan said as he entered the lake. Jane looked at Bryan. He knew she was on to him and she liked it. Bryan ducked under the water and pulled Jane down with him. They splashed around in the water for a half an hour before they got out of the water. They sat down on a rock.
"Good thing it's hot today, our clothes are almost dry." Jane observed.
"Yeah," Bryan agreed, watching her out of the corner of his eye. The sat in comfortable silence a while. Bryan tried to gather his courage."Jane, I have to tell you something," Bryan said, looking at her. He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.
"I have to tell you something too," Jane said, biting her lips. Gosh, Bryan wanted to kiss though's lip.
"Just let me tell you first," Bryan begged. She smiled and nodded. "Look, I've had a lot of girlfriends. Like, I can't count them all," Jane frowned. Not a good start Bryan realized. "But, none of them are as nice or as beautiful as the girl I like now. I think about her all the time. I can't get her off my mind. Do you know who she is?" He asked. that's better.
"I think I do," Jane said, bitterly. Why did she seem mad? "Rachael. Sam says she has most guys wrapped around her little finger." She held her pinky for emphases.
"Oh, h*ll no!" Bryan swore, laughing. Jane's eye got wide and Bryan recovered. "Oh, sorry, I mean, no. She's you, Jane. I like you," He said then sliding his arm around her waist as he pulled her towards him. He kissed her on the lips he thought were so beautiful quickly then looked at her eyes. Jane was taken back. She didn't respond for a minute.
"You like me?" She asked, pointing at herself. He nodded nervously. "Oh, wow! I wanted to tell you I liked you!" Jane smiled.
"Really?" Bryan asked. She nodded. As if it were rehearsed, they both kissed the other. They both smiled against each others lips. The first kiss was short and hesitant. The second was long and deep. They broke away panting. "Let's head back to my place, get my pickup, and go to Clara's," Bryan suggested. Jane nodded. They started getting back in their now dry clothes. The hoped on their horses and loped to Three Ponies. Bryan was happy she was a good bareback rider, because they were riding as fast as they could.
"Where should I put Crick?" Jane asked when they reached Three Ponies. Bryan pointed to a stall as he untacked Rocky.
"Can you get the keys to my pickup?" Bryan asked as he put Rocky's saddle on the rack.
"Where are they?" Jane asked after she put Crick in the stall.
"Key rack in the entry way of the house. My wallet should be there too. It say's Bryan Ely on it in gold. Bring that too." Jane nodded and ran to the house. She had no idea why she was in such a hurry. She opened the door and ran into Jake.
"Hi Jake," Jane said as she spotted Bryan's wallet and keys, she grabbed them.
"Hi Jane," Jake said as he grabbed his own wallet. He hobbled out the door.
"Going to Riverbend?" Jane asked. Jake nodded. "Tell Sam that I'm going to call her tonight or tomorrow with the best news of my life!"
"I'm guessing Bryan told you that he likes you," Jake guessed.
"No," Jane lied.
"Oops, gotta go bye." Jake said as he went to the door.
"I'm just kidding Jake! He did!" Jane squealed.
"About time. He never shuts up about you," Jake smiled.
"Like you ever shut up about Sam," Jane laughed. Jake just waved as he left the house. Gave Bryan a thumbs up when he saw him and got in his pick-up.
Jane ran out the door to Bryan's truck and tossed Bryan the keys. He unlocked the pickup. They both climbed in and buckled up.
"So, you really like me?" Jane asked in disbelief. Bryan looked at her and hoped she could see the love in his eyes.
"Yes, I really like you," Bryan said and reached for Jane's hand. Jane put her hand in his.
"Good, because I really like you too," Jane smiled at him and Bryan smiled back brightly. The rode in comfortable silence 'til they reached Clara's. Bryan climbed out and went to Jane's side, she was already out though.
Bryan smiled as her and put out his hand. Jane looked at it and shook her head, Bryan frowned, Jane grabbed his arm and put his arm around her. Jane smiled up at Bryan, Bryan smiled down at her. With his previous girlfriends he wouldn't hesitate to put his arm around them, but with Jane he was always nervous.
They walked into Clara's. The place was packed with people trying to get ice cream. Bryan and Jane waited in line at the counter to order their ice cream. Bryan put his hand in Jane's back pocket. She did the same with her hand.
They finally got their ice cream. Bryan led Jane back to his pickup. This time he opened the door for her. They smiled at each other. Bryan got in and started the pick up somehow still holding his ice cream. He started driving not paying attention to where he was going.
They just drove listening to the radio and talking about nothing. When they went off rode Jane rolled down her window took off her shoes and socks and stuck her feet out the window. They smiled at each other.
Bryan parked under a tree in the middle of nowhere, he got out. It was starting to get dark. The stars were coming out. Jane climbed out too. She went to where Bryan was standing at the front of his truck. He grabbed her waist and set her n the hood of the pick up before climbing up next to her. They laid down and looked at the sky.
It was still really humid and Bryan was hot. He looked at Jane and decide he was to warm for his shirt at the moment. He pulled it off and set it under Jane's head to use as a pillow. She smiled at him. He laid back down.
Jane turned toward Bryan and pulled herself toward him. She tucked herself under his arm. She used his chest as a pillow and put his shirt under his head. They smiled at each other. They both moved toward each other and started kissing.
Bryan was hesitant. He pulled away when things started getting a little heated.
"I'm sorry. Am I moving to fast?" Bryan asked. Jane smiled sweetly at him.
"Bryan, sweet heart, we're just making out, we're fine." Jane reassured him. "The fact that you care what I think is so sweet," Jane said before she shut her eyes and kissed Bryan. He did the same. They laid in the light of the moon making out until Jane got cold. Bryan looked at the time on his cell phone and swore.
"It's 10:30!" He said grabbing his shirt and pulling it on. He climbed off the hood and helped Jane down. Jane looked at her phone also.
"My phone says 10:29." Jane smiled. "It's more in our favor." She said as she got in the pickup. Bryan smiled at her,
"Are you still cold? I have a sweat shirt behind the seat." Bryan said digging for the sweat shirt. He pulled out a blue hooded sweat shirt with an Under Armor sign on it and handed it to her. She pulled it on and smelled his Axe colon on it. Bryan got in and started driving fast toward Three Ponies.
"Bryan, I can call my parents and say I'm hanging out with Sam, that should buy us some time." Jane said digging out her phone she called her mom and said she was hanging out with Sam, and then she called Sam. "Sam? Hey, do you think we could hangout tomorrow. Yeah, I have something to tell you. Yeah, it's the same as I told Jake to tell you about. Okay bye." She hung up. "You have 30 minutes to get me and my horse home."
"I can do that." Bryan nodded and he did.
And they'd been together since then. They'd been taking things pretty slow though, which they were both fine with, but it was weird for both of them. It was a new type of relationship for both of them. It was more serious and loving and real.
Just so you guys know. I have a four day weekend(Opening of Deer season), so you might get a chapter each day! Coolio? Yeah. So I want to get to know you guys more, but none of you have been asking questions! What the hay? Ask me anything! Until you guys ask, I'm gonna ask you a question! What is your favorite couple! Of all books/fanfics/movies? Tell me what they're from! I wanna know your OTP (One True Pairing)!
Thanks!
~Morgan J. A.