Hey, I updated! Over the summer I'm going to try really hard to try and update more frequently.

A/N: I know that the last section with Taylor doesn't really make sense, unless you are a policy debater (which if you are both a fanfic reader and a policy debater you should be my friend!) But basically its supposed to leave Chad and tangentially the reader confused, sorry about that. Also I know she is supposed to be on the Academic Decathlon team, but I know nothing about Academic Decathlon and a lot about debate.

Petting the Mountain Lion
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I stare at the door, it's a deep red with an elaborate gold knocker that shines handsomely in the morning light. I made a move to pick up the heavy handle, then notice the small round button above the door handle. Crap. Do I push the doorbell or use the knocker? The doorbell would be louder, but what if I woke her parents, worse yet her brother? The knocker, on the other hand, well they're mostly just for decoration right? It also runs the risk of not being heard, the house is extremely large and her room isn't exactly right by the front. So then would I just stand out here like an idiot? Of course I'm kind of doing that now anyways, what's wrong with me? Shaking my head I turned to leave. At that moment, the big red door opened, "Oh shit," I thought, "How am I going to explain this." Then, I hear that voice.

"Ryan! I'm going for a run, I'll be back in half an hour," she's backing out of the house while yelling. Slamming the door, she turns around. Seeing me she stops and stares, and I can't help but stare back.

For the first time seeing her standing there in her well beaten running shoes, make-up-less, hair naturally curly and pulled back, I realize how tiny she is. She gives me a shy smile, probably embarrassed that shes seeing her this way, and then she seems to snap back into place. The hand holding a ridiculously rhinestoned pink ipod is placed on her hip, she demands in the mountain lion growl, "What are you doing here?"

I give her my best smile, or at least I hope it's a smile, "I thought you might need a running buddy."

She raises a curious eyebrow, then shakes her head, "Whatever. Just keep up."

I'm not wearing the right shoes, but I see that this will be my only chance to see her this way. Shrugging I turn to follow her. She may not look like it, but the Mountain Lion is in excellent shape. It never occurred to me because she's so skinny but I thought if she set the pace, that I was just going for an easy jog. Before I know it I 'm breathing hard and sweating as I chase her, and she just keeps on running with ear phones in, holding that annoying pink ipod.

She was finally slowing down; unfamiliar with this area of town I slowed down with her. Looking around I see we're in a park. Not one of those parks around where I live though. You know those parks in the movies with perfect green grass, children playing in the sand box, mothers and nannies gossiping on the sidelines. She stops by the water fountain draping her earphones around her neck and bending over to rest her hands on her knees, she looks over to me, "Didn't think you'd still be here."

I grin then reply, "I eat runs like this for breakfast."

She just gave me a look and goes to get a drink. Walking over to a near by bench, she sits then pats the seat next to her.

Obligingly, I sat down.

"Well?" she asks.

"Well, what?" I counter.

"I know you're not here just to come running with me, what do you want?"

"Maybe I just want the pleasure of your company?" I try to sound aloof as I casually drape an arm across the back of the bench.

"I don't have a single friend that would run this far just to be with me."

"Well, now you do."

She gives me this look, it's guarded, yet heartbreaking, with a firm voice she repeats, "What do you want?"

I give a small shrug,"I don't know."

Her voice raises,"What do you want?"

I frustratingly repeat "I don't know!"

"What do you want?" She was practically shouting now.

And I raise my voice in response, "I don't know!" The mothers and nannies are starting to notice us.

She gave in steely look with those brown mountain lion eyes, and in a slow deadly tone she says it again. I can hear the words pushing past her teeth, "What. Do. You. Want?"

Finally, not knowing what to say, I whispered, "To be happy."

"What?"

"I want to be happy. I just want to be happy okay?"

Her face changes instantly, "What does that even mean?" Her voices cracks slightly as she asks the question.

I look at her face carefully before I reply,"I don't know, I just want to feel something, anything."

"You think you'll find that here, with me?" There is this sad, but hopeful look on her face that is just so fragile and beautiful.

"I don't know. I mean, yes, otherwise I wouldn't be here, I guess, would I?"

"I suppose you wouldn't be." She looks around at the picturesque park.

I followed her gaze, at a loss for words.

The next question is so soft I almost miss it through the chirp of the birds and laughter of the children, "Why me?"

I look at her carefully, tan skin, fake hair, a nose too big to be attractive, all the things I used to make fun of, then repeat like a puppet, "I don't know."

"The heart has its reasons, where reason knows nothing." She looks away from me while she quotes.

"Shakespeare?"

She lets out a small laugh and shakes her head, "Woody Allen."

"Oh," I blush feeling ignorant. "Close enough."

She smiles again as she stands, "Chad?"

"Yes?" She offered a hand and I took it and stood.

"We should go back, Ryan gets worried if I'm out too long."

"Okay." We set off in the direction we came from.

She never let go of my hand.

We're quickly approaching the front of her door again, and turn to face each other on her front steps. I open my mouth, not entirely sure what what I'm going to do or say, "Well, I had fun." Had fun? I could kick myself, that was so lame.

She looks at me then smiles coyly as she opened her front door, "Stay right here, I'll be back soon."

The door slams shut leaving me to stare at its intimidating bold red. I try to follow the pattern on the knocker while I wait for her.

A few minutes passed and she came out again, "Give me your hand." That demanding Mountain Lion voice is back.

I hold it out without question, her small hand slipped a small cool metallic object in mine, I looked at my palm to see a small key attached to a pink cord, "What is this for?"

"It's the key to the pool house around back. The door sticks a bit but all you have to do is give it a little shake then it'll open."

"Why do I need to the key to get into your pool house?" I questioned.

She gives me a pointed what-do-you-think look in response, "Monday. Five o'clock. Be there." She goes back inside.

I smile and say to myself, "Okay then, five on Monday it is." Turning on my heel I ran back home.

Lying on my bed, I hold the bright pink cord and dangle the key above me. Not only wast the string pink it also was sparkly. Hearing my phone ring, I flip it open without seeing who it was, "Yo, Chad here."

"Hey Poppet, how was your day?" Her voice was as cheerful as ever.

"Taylor!" I was actually surprised she called, normally when she's at a debate tournament I don't hear from her until she gets back, she always gets really into them and never bothers to call. So if shes taking the time now, it must really mean something, "It was kind of boring really, I spent like an hour today trying to get caught up on homework."

"Oooh, don't strain yourself, a whole hour," I could just see the teasing smile by her tone.

"How is, the tournament?"

"It's great, we're 3-1 right now, but next round is power paired high low, so we're probably going to hit West A tomorrow, we dropped to them first round, and we're locked neg."

Oh crap, here comes the debate speak again, no matter how many times she explains it to me, I really just don't get it. Well, 3-1 means shes won three and lost one, A team is their best team, Taylor and her partner are East Highs A team, but what does power parring mean? "Neg is your good side right?"

Taylor giggled, "No silly, thats aff, my 1ARs are infinitely better than my 2Ns."

What? 1AR... rebuttal, right, what the heck is a rebuttal? "Well, three wins and one loss is really great."

"Oh yeah, and even if we lose to West High's A team tomorrow round six is prower protected, and I'm pretty certain my speaks are high enough that we'll break even with a 4-2 record."

I yawned, "That's great sweetie."

"Listen, I should probably go, coach wants me to be able to function in the morning, we're the team with the best record right now."

"Okay, sweet dreams."

"I will, Love you Chad."

"Love you too." I hung up the phone and shook my head, I have no idea what just happened in that conversation.