Internal Organs

If He Was Straight You Should Worry

"I missed you too. Gosh it's been a while, yeah?" Ryan asked him, patting the on the table across from her, a gesture for him to sit.

"Too long I'd say," he smiled as he pulled the chair out from across her and say. "How have you been Kaelee?"

"Well my name is Ryan now legally and stressed. Very stressed."

"Ryan. When did you change it?"

"The week after I disappeared. It was a thing so my mom couldn't find me. Or anyone really."

"For the longest time I thought you were dead."

"Good. I was hoping to get that message along," she saw the confusion in his eyes and began to explain. "I didn't want my past to catch up with me. I wanted to be a new person."

"Why?"

"I was being smothered by everything. Never mind that. What's up with you? What are you doing with yourself? Your girlfriend is pretty."

Tristin's eyes scanned over the papers on the tables with scribbled designs of Ryan's commissioned boards. "Well I teach now."

"Really? You did what you wanted! I'm proud. Are you-?"

"A high school art teacher."

"That's fantastic. Good for you," she smiles at her friend.

"Jace and I aren't dating yet. I want to ask her soon though."

"How do you know each other?"

"School."

Ryan raised her eyebrow in question, knowing that she was young looking. "She teaches in the elementary school in the same district. We've gone out for a month now."

"Well don't keep her waiting big boy. That may be hazardous."

Tristin only chuckled as he watched her. He noticed that her scar crinkled as she laughed. It was a sweet laugh. A laugh that filled him with an ache of remembrance and longing as emotions swelled over him. "So what do you do besides run the store?"

"Skateboard if I have time. I'm going to teach Xander how to ride next time I'm free."

He turned and watched as Jase geeked over Xander's work loud enough for them to hear. "Should I be worried?" asked Tristin.

"If he was straight you should be worried. But he's gay. Unless she's really a guy. Then you're screwed. Xander turns straight guys gay. Trust me. He's the hottest bottom I've ever seen. Most of them are cute but he's just... Ugh." Tristin turned to her with a cocked eyebrow. "I've got the hots for my gay friend. What can I say?"

He just chuckled. "Are you dating anyone?" he finally asked before the question further chewed his brain.

"Nope. I haven't for a long time. I plan on eating a lot one day and growing so fat. Then within a few hours or minutes I'll split into two exact copies like an asexual organism."

"So like a cell going through mitosis?"

"Basically."

"That sounds like a master plan."

"I believe it's very possible."

"Sure is."

Ryan just chuckles before standing up. "What brings you here anyway?"

"Well I was itching to know what happened to you, not showing up for graduation and all."

Ryan stiffened a little. "Well yeah. Well I'm here. Probably always be."

He nodded before standing up, towering only slightly over her 5' 7" with 6' 2". Since she was the same size as Xander she felt a little intimidated. He just smile at her. "So you have an art show later?"

"Yeah," she smiled as she turned and headed to the garage.

"I might see you there!" he shouted above the noise of the band, all of them practicing a song, a cover of The Cure that Kills Us.

"That's great! Buy some stuff for your girly friend," she winked at him as she tossed a water bottle to Raven as she sang.

I might have to. I might buy a skateboard from you too." Ryan only smiled as she grabbed a armful of band shirts and walked back past Tristin who followed her like a lost puppy. She went and laid them on a box full of CDs and other merchandise that she had collected by the door. "You know I only live like 40 minutes away. We should go out for a drink one Friday or something like that."

"Maybe a Saturday night. I run the store all week long basically so I'm busy. Then Cuda-er, I mean Alexis, usually has date night on Saturday's so I watch the little one. I'm sorry," she apologized as she looked up to him. Maybe around Christmas you can come over. We try to get everyone that doesn't have much of a family around here to come and visit. It'll be the perfect time."

"That sounds great," he smiled.

Ryan bit her lip and blushed as she turned to the front of the store. She could hear Jace  laughing at Xander who was laughing himself. "She's a great girl. Be glad you have her."

Tristin only scratched the back of his head and blushed a little. "Yeah... She is."

Ryan turned to him. "Wanna stick around? We have about twenty minutes till shop closes than we're ordering pizza. After that is the show."

"Um... I guess that should be fine. It looks like we might be here for a while," he mumbled as he glanced to them up front.

"Like I said," Ryan started as she headed up front, "If he was straight you should worry."