Author's Note: Hey, all. You know how I'm a complete idiot? Well I just now realized that I had cliche misspelled in the title. And it's been like that forever. slaps self Well, maybe now that it's fixed, maybe I'll get more people reading. Meh.

I rubbed my temples, aggravated. I was standing stiff-legged at a bus stop. I had been here for at least an hour, and every bus that rolled by was either gone before I could cram myself in, or was much too crowded for my delicate sanity to take.

I swear, if the next bus is no good, I'm just up and leaving.

I looked around tersely, trying to spot the next bus. Then I did a double take. An insanely good-looking someone was staring straight at me. He looked about my age, with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. As I stared back at him, he turned a fetching shade of crimson, and I felt myself go a similar shade, though I doubted it could have been as becoming.

He was standing only a few people away from me, though almost everyone in between us was shorter than we were.

I was surprised as he looked back at me, suddenly determined. He pushed his way through the small crowd, and I couldn't feel my legs.

"Erm, hi!" The boy said as he approached me. He was a bit taller than me, which was quite a feat, seeing as most guys my age are around the same height me, since I probably stand at a few inches below six feet. Yeah, I know; I'm so feminine and blah blah blah. Shut up.

I'm also extremely mature. Can't you tell?

"Hi!" I almost gasped, and a very impatient man jostled him a few inches closer to me. He sent me an apologetic look, and just then, the bus rolled to a stop in front of our crowd.

I was reluctant to leave the boy at the stop, so without thinking, my hand snapped out to grab his wrist. I fought through the crowd so that we were some of the last people to board.

I plopped down in a seat close to the back, beaming. Then I remembered the boy I had toted along, and felt like my face would burn right off. I let go of his wrist, and he grinned, sitting next to me.

"I'm Ryan Jackson." He said, and we both gripped the seat as the bus jerked forward.

My mind raced for a moment, and I could only sit there and grin at him, eyes wide as I freaked out. I imagine I had a really creepy expression going on, because something like worry flashed across his face before I righted myself.

"I'm Madeline B-Byrd." I stuttered slightly. I wasn't used to coming up with names on the spot, though mine was halfway decent.

"Cool name." Ryan grinned, and my insides fluttered. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, uh, where…?" I trailed off, wondering how to phrase it. I'm leaving New York so that scientists don't capture me and force me into more painful genetic experimentation and training to kill wasn't going to cut it.

"Yeah, where? I'm just sort of wandering around the city. But with bus fares, that probably isn't the greatest idea." He smiled sheepishly at me, and I suddenly had the urge to spill my guts out. But I didn't, which was for the best. I could only grin back like the pile of mush I was.

"Oh, uh, I-"

"I mean, it's okay if you don't wanna tell me." Ryan offered. I couldn't help giving in.

"No, no, it's fine, really. I was actually just doing the same th-thing that you are doing." I said lamely, and Ryan beamed.

"Oh! Great! So we can do something. I mean, I-if you want to." He added, glancing sideways at me.

I just nodded, and as soon as the bus rolled to a stop, we were off the bus, side-by-side and almost running. He led me to a small ice cream parlor, and it was just so awesomely cliché that I just about giggled.

We sat down a few minutes later, cones in hand. I examined mine from every angle before tentatively licking it. I had chosen plain old chocolate, due to a lack of experience with ice cream. It was really good.

Ryan watched me slurp up the dribbly, headache-inducing goodness with a barely suppressed smile on his face, and I internally thanked the heavens that he wasn't staring at me like I was some idiot. Which I am.

At one point, he offered me a spoonful of his greenish thing that was surprisingly good and yet even colder than mine. I think it was mint or something, but who would ever think to make mint into an ice cream flavor?

"So." He said, folding his fingers behind his head and reclining in his hard iron chair. I stopped licking my fingers for a moment to listen better.

"You live in New York, I assume?" He asked, and I shrugged, popping my last brown-smudged finger out of my mouth. Clean as a whistle.

"Uh, yeah, for the time being. I mean, my family moves a lot." I said, proud of myself for the fluid, plausible lie.

"Where did you live before you guys came here?" He asked, and I thought quickly. For some reason, a book review from the Internet popped into my head.

"I lived in forks, Washington. You know, up on the Olympic Peninsula." I traced the shape in the air, and he tilted his head.

"I think I've heard of that place actually. Wasn't it in that… uh… was it in a book?" He pulled a face, as if it was going to bug him until he figured out what it was.

We sat for a moment, pondering, before we shrugged and continued on.

"Is it you and your parents, or…?" he asked, and I hesitated before shaking my head no.

"My mom and me, and that's it." I said. If I needed to become 'my mom', it would be less of an awkward transformation if she were a woman. There's a reason that I don't do guys much.

"Oh. That's kind of funny." He mused, and I tilted my head, puzzled. Ryan glanced at me and then rushed to explain, "Oh, no- I mean, I live with just my dad, so I mean, it's like, just kind of weird and stuff."

I grinned as he fell silent, flustered. If I knew that people were this much fun to be with, I would have tried this long ago.

"That is kinda funny." I offered, and he grinned back thankfully.

We small talked for a while, and I was insanely pleased that I was doing so well. I mean, I wasn't as socially awkward as I could have been, but it was pretty bad.

Eventually, we walked out of the parlor, and I tucked the address into my mind in case I ever flew through this part of town again.

The sun was dropping towards the horizon quickly, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of the sky as we walked down a particularly busy street. I had never really looked at the sky from down here; from beneath the lights and from among the writhing mass of warm bodies. It was hectic, and at the same time, very peaceful.

Ryan's hand tightened around mine, and I looked back down at him. We had stopped under a streetlight, and he was pressed against it to keep from being carried off in the river of people.

His expression was soft, and I practically melted, though I was confused as to why he would be looking like that.

"What?" I asked, and I moved closer so that a bike speeding along the edge of the sidewalk didn't clip me.

"Nothing." He said quietly, though I heard him perfectly. I felt my head tilt in question, and suddenly he perked up.

"Hey, let's go to the park!" He said, and before I could answer, was leading me off again. I followed, dazed and thoroughly confused.