Past the Guard

Cannon Ball High?

"So kid," Liam said when Rylin entered the apartment building almost a week later. "Are you going to enroll in school or are you just going to keep ambling around all day?" It wasn't often that Liam was in the lobby when Rylin got home, but when he was he always made pleasant conversation with the lonely 17 year old. He could tell she was anxious about going to school, though he didn't know why. 

"I will," she assured him, "I just can't find a good school. All the ones around here seem like horrible places. No offense."

"None taken," he told her with a wry grin, "have you looked at Cannon High? It's where I graduated from, and it's not that bad a school?" 

Rylin stifled a laugh at the name, " you want me to go to a school called Cannon Ball High?" She could just imagine the humiliation when anyone asked her where she went to high school. 

"It's a better school than most in this area," Liam told her, ignoring her made up name. "Just give it a try." 

She agreed to check it out the next day. 

**

When the time came, Liam abandoned his post at the apartment complex to drive her to the school and help her enroll. It was a long arduous process since she didn't have her previous transcripts, but she managed to convince the principal that she was legally emancipated and it helped that Liam was there vouching for her. It helped even more that he was an alumni. The school secretary, Dianna, printed her a schedule and that was it; she was enrolled at Cannon Ball High. 

She went to lunch after Liam promised he would be back to pick her up at the end of the day. She didn't want to start school right away, but Liam thought it would be best and she was already indebted to him. She entered the lunchroom and found herself in the middle of a shouting match between two tables. 

"It's not my fault that your dad found out," a guy from one table yelled, and his friends all nodded and yelled in agreement. 

"Maybe you should've done a better job of hiding, you ass!" A girl from the other table retorted and her friends let out a chorus of 'yeah's' and 'exactly's'. Rylin moved away as fast as she could and bumped into someone. Cheeks flushing, she turned to face the person she'd run into. 

"I am so sorry, I didn't see you there," she apologized instantly. It was a boy, probably about her age. He was 6' tall and wore a v-neck t-shirt that showed off muscles that shouldn't exist on a teenage boy. He had light brown hair, and green eyes that shone in the fluorescent cafeteria lighting. He smiled at me in a way that told me he was used to hiding things. 

"No harm done. I haven't seen you before, you new?" He raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her. 

She flushed again, "first day." She told him smiling weakly. He nodded as if he understood. 

"I get it, I was new last year. I'm Jared, what's your name?" He took her arm and led her to the lunch line. She gratefully followed, happy to have someone show her what to do. 

"Rylin." She smiled at him, more genuinely this time. 

"So what brings you to the big city?" Jared asked as he led her through the serving booth. "Was it the murder, or the bad vendor food?" 

She laughed lightly at his dry sarcasm. "Believe it or not, it was the company." He turned and grinned happily. "Really," she told him, "everyone I've met so far has been great!" 

"Well," he replied with another smile, "you're about to meet two more great people. Come sit with me and my friends." It wasn't really a question, but she would've done it anyway. Rylin followed Jared to a round table by the emergency exit in the back of the cafeteria. Sitting there were two people. One of them was a girl, she had an open lunch box in front of her with a sandwich in her hands. She had straight blonde hair that fell just below her shoulders and dark blue glasses pushed up on her nose. She wore a white and tan sweater under a burgundy leather jacket with dark blue skinny jeans and combat boots on. She was sexy-nerd. Rylin instantly felt inadequate in her flare jeans and flannel shirt. 

The other table occupant was a male. He had black hair that was a little too shaggy for his facial features. He had a black Nirvana t-shirt on with a pair of jeans and vans. His eyes were light brown and he sat with a silent dignity. "Hey guys," Jared said plopping into the seat beside the girl. "This is Rylin. Rylin, these are great people." He grinned at her before placing a kiss on the girls cheek. Rylin sat awkwardly beside Jared. The two kids examined Rylin. The girl was the first to offer her hand.

"Hi," she said giving her a warm smile, "I'm Lyla, it's nice to meet you." Rylin shook her hand and smiled back.

"You too." 

"Titan." The boy nodded his head at her and then went back to staring into oblivion. Rylin couldn't help but watch Titan, even as Jared talked her ear off, pausing occasionally to be affectionate to Lyla. She was intrigued by the dark haired boy.

**

As promised, Liam picked her up at the end of the day. She walked up to her apartment grinning. When she was unlocking the door, she heard a voice directly behind her. "Good day?" 

She jumped a foot in the air, but she recognized the voice. "Yeah," she told Paxton, "it's been great!" When she turned around, Paxton was smiling at her. 

"Can I hear about it?" He asked, "you can come over and have dinner at my place." Rylin nodded happily. She and Paxton had become fast friends even thought they had such a large age gap. Paxton could tell that Rylin needed someone there for her, and he was prepared to be there. She had been around a lot and he wanted to know what was making her so happy. 

"Yeah, just let me change and I'll be over in like 20 minutes." Rylin told him and he agreed before going to his apartment to put dinner on. 

**

Paxton opened the door to a freshly showered and changed Rylin. She had settled in to life in Portland very easily. "Come in," he told her, waving his hand towards his apartment. She entered and looked around. Rylin had never been in his apartment before, they generally talked in the hall and her apartment and once in a coffee shop (which was when she found out he was a police officer). His apartment was laid out almost exactly like hers, but he had more furniture, and a TV, which Rylin couldn't afford at the moment. 

Officer Abbot walked into the kitchen and stirred something on the stove. She made herself comfortable on the couch. "So tell me about your day," he said while he bustled about the kitchen. There was an excellent smell coming from whatever he was cooking. 

"Liam took me to enroll in school." She told him and he turned towards her with a grin. 

"It's about time! Where did you enroll?" He was more excited about it than Rylin would have thought. 

"Cannon Ball High" she told him.

He laughed out loud, "you mean Cannon High School?" She nodded sheepishly and he laughed again. 

"It just sounds like that's what it should be called." She muttered.

"No, no," he said, " I like it, it's cute." She blushed slightly and he went back to stirring dinner. "So, how do you like it?" 

Rylin smiled again, "it's so much better than the school I went to before, I made some new friends, and my teachers are awesome!" She told him and he grinned while he dished out what looked like tuna casserole into bowls and carried them to the couch, handing her one before retrieving forks. 

"Well, I'm glad you like it. You're going to tell me all about these friends of yours." 

She laughed "okay, just let me eat."