Ocean Eyes

Love?

Giddiness was not a feeling Ryder Kane was particularly accustomed to.

She had never really had much to look forward to growing up. Vacations had been next to none and her birthday normally came with a dollar store gift from her mother. As she grew up, she had lost the sense of excitement in life. Sure she felt happy when she was with her siblings. Sure, she had looked forward to seeing Carter in the early days of their relationship.

But the butterflies in her stomach, the ever constant hum of excitement in her bones felt like nothing she had experienced before. It seemed so juvenile and childish. Ryder wholly disapproved of her new found butterflies at the hand of a certain male.

Disapproving or not, the bouquet of wildflowers on the table in front of Ryder made her insides squirm with a warmth that she had never felt before.

Paul had dropped her off at home nearly an hour ago, yet the feeling had yet to fade. They had spent the surprisingly sunny day outside, hiking through woodland trails and talking. The two had spent hours conversing over anything from first grade teachers to their childhood fantasies. He seemed to drink in every detail about her and she shuddered as she remembered how earnest his dark eyes had been. He cared about her and Ryder still had trouble fathoming that.

"So Caroline tells me you're a senior, Ryder. How's school going?" Billy Black had kind eyes. That was the first thing Ryder had noticed when she had first seen him sitting on the porch forty five minutes earlier. He and Caroline had been in deep conversation and Ryder had been surprised when her mother laughed. She hadn't done that much, a genuine, amused chuckle.

Billy Black had long black hair that he wore pulled back with an ornate tie. He wore the standard outfit of a plaid shirt and jeans as well as a leather necklace. His smile was well used and it seemed the wheelchair he was confined to hadn't dampened the mans jolly spirit.

Ryder had heard about him before, of course. He was very close with Harry, the two practically best friends. Along with the police chief from Forks, they embarked on weekly fishing trips. Ryder had never met them, but she had listened to countless stories told by her over dramatic uncle.

Enough to not immediately hate Billy when she had seen the look on her mothers face.

It was no secret that Caroline Kane had a taste for toxic men. First it was Ryder's father, a man who had left when Ryder was but a year old, claiming the life of a father was too stressful. Then came the downward spiral of Carolines life, the countless drug peddlers and petty criminals that she'd given her damaged heart to. Each left her, some with little more than a passing farewell and others leaving her with a child. Ryder, Violet and Jackson where the remnants of her past, smoldering relationships.

But Billy made her happy. Ryder had picked up on the emotions as soon as she'd seen the two lock eyes. They made eachother smile and that was all Ryder could want for her mother.

"It's okay." She twirled a forkful of spaghetti idly. "I don't care for it much, but that's just me."

"Are you thinking about college any time soon?" Billy nodded in understanding. The La Push school system wasn't the greatest, he was well aware of that. The thought of university wasn't very common among students. Most on the res went into vocational training, like how he had skipped college and became a mechanic.

"Maybe Forks Community." Ryder tried to keep a straight face as Jackson snuck a taste of her spaghetti. A quick and precise jab in the ribs left him giggling and pulling away from her. The rest of the table laughed as the boy pouted. "I'll probably start full time at Quillayutes after I graduate."