So, that was that. Chase had to admit to being a little annoyed with Brandon's condescending gesture, but he let it pass without comment, as Brandon was already heading off into the stores along with Summer.  It wasn't worth letting it bother him.  Brandon was one of those people who moved like a wa...

Chase took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.  He hadn't realized how tense he'd gotten.  He was pretty certain it was his fault that the atmosphere had gotten as charged as it was.  It was true that some caution was reasonable, but letting himself get unnecessarily paranoid wasn't going to do anyon...

Chase hesitated a little, unsure how to answer Lydia's question.  She was clearly looking to him for direction, but he hadn't really had much of one himself when he'd started wandering the mall.  His one coherent thought had been to hope that, against the odds, he would bump into Yukiko. She had bee...

"That's good," Chase said, genuinely meaning it. While it seemed to be taking her a little bit of effort, Chase was glad to see that Lydia was smiling now.  It meant that he'd probably made the right choice, by trying to talk with her.  He honestly hadn't been sure if he could really do al...

Chase Rodriguez continued from "Through Eyes of Love and Cold Glass"   Waking up in the decrepit Old Navy store had been a less than pleasant experience for Chase.   Perhaps it was just blind luck, perhaps it was somebody's idea of a joke, but he'd woken up right next to a tacky shirt wit...

B066: Chase Rodriguez Start The white, glowing words suddenly flashed onto the center of the monitor as the video started playing, causing Audrey to blink. A sudden creaking sound startled her briefly, but she relaxed a moment later when it wasn't repeated.  After all, it wasn't likely that her par...

((Ian Williams continued from: So, How Was Your Day? )) [hr] It shouldn't have been so hard to cross a freaking doorway. Ian heard Juhan calling, he tried to answer, but then he was gagging, choking back the bile in his mouth again.  It was so stupid.  He'd known it was coming, he'd known he'd have...

No. That was it. Against the impregnable wall of that single word, put up by Lydia and echoed by Max, all others were rendered meaningless, and Chase could only watch as events unfolded exactly as he'd feared. The sound of the gunshot was still ringing in his ears, along with Lydia's dying screams. ...

There was a time, long ago when he was still just a kid, that Chase had stopped two friends from fighting each other. One of them had accused the other of stealing his new ball, and it was clear they were preparing to fight over it. Both boys were intimidating in size, and none of the other students...

((Chase Rodriguez continued from: What's up, Dock? )) [hr] For one moment, it almost was peaceful. Chase had been nodding along as Lydia talked about choir, and even chatting a little himself, because that the morning announcements easier to deal with. There was a companionship to be found in mutua...

Ian nodded vaguely at the others' agreement, caught between a mixture of relief and regret. Somehow, he'd expected an argument.  He'd hoped for one, even.  It really wasn't much of a plan, after all, never had been, but it had been all he'd been able to grasp in the moment.  There should have been a...

"Mmm. When in doubt, use fire, eh?" The words were quiet, almost murmured.  Ian didn't really expect the others to get it, didn't really care.  It was a little joke for himself alone, and that was almost fitting, in a way.  The whole thing was joke at his expense, and he was the only one w...

They didn't get it. Ian just stood there quietly as the others spoke.  Perhaps it had been too much to hope for understanding, but they hardly even seemed to be listening.  It might have been easier if they'd simply lashed out at him, adding their recriminations on top of those he already owned.  At...

"No, no, it's nothing, I'm fine." Ian didn't mean to lie, but the words came out before he'd thought them through, a reflexive reassurance to buy himself some time.  This wasn't right, it wasn't what he wanted.  They were his friends, and he knew he owed them an answer, but the words simpl...

((Ian Williams continued from: Mata Leao )) [hr] It was funny how quiet things became, when one was all alone, when grey clouds hung overhead and a restless breeze flew by, and the silence became oppressive, demanding a respect that only served to let the now familiar recriminations echo all the lo...