Ryley Spicer's Story

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It was a bright and early morning in New York. Ryley Spicer was awoken to the sound of his alarm blaring. Groggily, he reached over to the nightstand that was beside his bed and turned off the offensive noise. He remained laying there for a few moments before finally getting out of bed and heading into the bathroom to get ready for the day. As he was showering, Ryley almost couldn't believe that he'd been in New York for over a year. It just didn't seem like it had been that long. He missed his family..well..those that he still considered family. His mother would still call him everyday and it was something that Ryley enjoyed. Being able to talk to her about anything meant alot to him.

It did not take him long to finish his shower and once he was done, he walked back out into his room to get ready for the day. He quickly dried himself off and got dressed in his work uniform which consisted of a white dress shirt, black pants, a black tie, black dress shoes, and a checkered apron. He then went back into the bathroom and fixed his hair and eyeliner. Finally, Ryley put in a different pair of plugs. Checking over his appearance, Ryley finally approved and walked back into the bedroom.

Once in there, Ryley made sure that he had everything that he always took with him, his phone and keys. He quickly made his way out of the apartment, locked the door, and then left his building. Walking down the street, Ryley always tended to stay to himself. It's not that he was shy or anything like that, but he was usually still half asleep and just wanted to be left alone. He was lucky, however, that he lived close to the diner that he worked at. He arrived fairly quickly and entered the little building. He could already tell that it was going to be a very busy day.

Ryley made his way to the back of the restaurant, to where the employees' lockers were, and quickly put his things up. He straightened his outfit before heading out onto the floor. For the most part, Ryley liked his job as well as he could. It paid the bills..well, part of the bills. He was lucky that his parents were still helping him out. Otherwise, he would have had to of moved back to Montana. Though he loved his family and his home, Ryley really didn't want to move back home. To him, that meant giving up..that he'd made a mistake. Defeat was not a option. He couldn't bear the thought of hearing his father gloating about his failure to make it in New York.

The day slowly passed, as did every day that he worked. He often felt like he was walking in a dream, that there was a haze over his eyes. He wanted..no..needed to get into Redford. There was no other option for him. Suddenly, a voice brought him out of his train of thought. "Hey! Pretty boy! I'm out of coffee!" Ryley turned around to see a rather plump man with a red face glaring at him. He couldn't stand being talked to like that. However, he held his tongue. "I'll fix that right away, sir." he said, quickly walking away from the man. He made his way up behind the bar and picked up the pot of coffee. He quickly made his way back to the man that had yelled at him and filled his cup. He placed a fake smile upon his face, "Is there anything else that I can do for you?" The man merely waved Ryley away.

For the rest of the day, Ryley went on in much the same manner. The end of his shift couldn't get there quick enough. Ryley, however, was working a double that day. He would have to put up with the dullness of life for some time. He was nervous about getting home, though. He had been checking his mail for the past two weeks looking for his letter from Redford. He needed to know either way..the outcome of Mrs. Smith's decision about him. He hoped so badly that he'd improved enough for the aging woman to allow him into the school.

There was no sense in worrying about it now. He had a job to do and he really needed to concentrate. Being a manager was not easy but it was something that he'd come to..enjoy for the most part. True, it wasn't as glamorous as his true ambitions but it could have been worse. At last, he was able to take a break and so sat down at the bar..and ordered something to eat. As he waited for his meal, he could hear all of the customers in the building talking about some new Broadway show that was opening soon. Though he'd been in New York for some time, he'd yet to see a show. Something that he hoped to remedy very soon. He just needed to find someone to take with him. He hadn't done much partying or socializing since moving, something that he greatly regretted. He found himself lonely much of the time. He sighed softly as his plate was sat in front of him. He slowly began to eat, trying to take up as much time as possible so that he could just clock back in when he was finished.

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Ryley had finished his meal and had gotten up from his seat as a customer sat down near where he'd just been sitting. He slowly made his way around the bar and back into the kitchen to put his plates up. While he was back there, he made sure that everything was going well before heading back out onto the floor. He walked behind the bar, checking on their current stock of napkins, ice cream, and much of the same stuff that sold rather quickly. As he was checking these things, his blue eyes looked up to see the customer that had come in right before he'd come back from break. It seemed that noone had waited on her yet.

Slowly, Ryley walked over to stand in front of her, behind the bar. "I'm so sorry that we've kept you waiting." he said, taking in the young woman's appearance. It was easy for him to tell where she worked at. The Stardust diner was much more popular than the little diner that Ryley worked at. Everyone knew about it. He was quite surprised to see someone that worked there, however, in the diner that he worked at. He couldn't even remember the last time one of them had come in. "Obviously my staff isn't doing their job very well. So, what can I get you?"

He waited for the young woman to answer him. As he stood there, a smile on his face, Ryley couldn't help but wonder what brought this young woman to this particular diner. After giving her plenty of time to answer, Ryley took her order and put it through. Instead of waiting for it to get ready before returning to her, he simply walked over to stand in front of her again."So, I have to ask..what is someone like you doing here? I can't say that I've ever seen someone who works at Stardust come in here." As he listened to the young woman before him, a young girl walked up beside him. "Um..Ryley? I'm sorry to bother you but there's a customer at table five that is being really rude to everyone. We're getting complaints about him..he's being really loud."

Ryley looked to the girl that had walked up. It was Ashley..a blonde who he suspected had a small crush on him. He smiled at her. "I'll take care of it. Make sure to get this young lady's order for her when it's ready. Sorry..work calls." He quickly made his way out from behind the bar and over to table five. Once there, he saw a man who was talking very loudly and was saying rude things..making the other customers around him uncomfortable. Ryley approached, speaking to the man. "Sir..sir? I'm sorry but I'm afraid that you're disrupting my other customers. I need you to stop or I'll have to ask you to leave."

The man immediately got angry with Ryley. "Excuse me? Who the hell are you? I'm a paying customer and I can do whatever I want you little prick. I'm not going to listen to..your kind." Ryley had to force himself to remain calm. He was clearly not happy with what the man had just said but simply gave a small shake of his head. He said nothing to the man but walked away, heading back into the back of the building, to the managers' office. Once back there, he dialed the police. He really wasn't in the mood for such things. He quickly explained what was going on and was assured that someone would be by quickly. Ryley made his way back to the front of the building but remained behind the bar, watching the man as he spouted off choice words about him and then was beginning to go on about the other customers.

After a few moments of watching the man, Ryley walked up to the bar, near the young woman he'd been talking to earlier. He was silent for a few moments before the police finally arrived. They quickly took care of the man, escorting him out of the building. When they were gone, Ryley looked to the young woman. "Sorry about that. He comes in every once in a while..drunk out of his mind. So, I'm Ryley." He paused for a moment, listening to the young woman. When she fell silent he spoke again. "I have to ask, would you happen to be going to Redford? You just..seem the type."

The wait for someone to take her order had been fairly long, but Emie didn't really mind the wait. People-watching was fun in the big city, what with all the tourists and other big personalities that ruled the streets- CEO, underpaid and overworked, unhappy and trying to make it big. By the time someone came to take her order, however, she almost had to do a double-take on account of his appearance. He looked, in a word, colorful. Very rightly too colorful for the muted colors of the diner. He asked what she would be having and she told him that she only wanted salad- after all, there were so many street vendors she could get something horribly fattening and amazingly good later on her way home or as she looked at the sites she had seen so many times- some that most tourists had never heard of. The abandoned restaurant a ways out from broadway and the sparkling geysers right around the corner from it that everyone seemed to disregard, or the area a few blocks from Main China town, where you could get almost any food you could ever want.

"So, I have to ask..what is someone like you doing here? I can't say that I've ever seen someone who works at Stardust come in here." Emie turned her head slightly, not expecting him to try to have a conversation with her. She normally didn't get people even looking at her when she was tired- her mom always said she just looked unapproachable then.

"Stardust is.... campy and tourists traps aren't any sort of adventure anymore. I don't know- sometimes the lesser known places are more fun. People aren't busy, at least, so you don't have to wait an hour no matter the time of day, and really the food is almost always better at non-tourist stops," Emilina didn't know why she was answering him, because normally she would simply give a quick 'I don't know' and hope the person left. He seemed nice enough, so she found herself answering truthfully.

Just as Emie finished what she was saying, a blonde woman came up to him and told him that there was a customer being rude. She also mentioned his name was Ryley, something that Emie put into her memory even though she probably wouldn't see him again, ever. Still, this diner was only a walk away from Stardust, so it wouldn't be an act of the divine to say she might come back every once in a while. The blonde woman stayed a while after, talking Emie out of her mind. She was the sort to talk just to hear her voice, and Emie could tell. Thankfully, she was pulled away to another table soon enough and only returned when she had Emie's food in hand, though that didn't stop her from talking. Emie wasn't even sure what she was talking about- something about her hair at this point and how she had spent at least an hour fixing it before she came into work. Whatever it was, Emilina couldn't care less and was happy when the blonde was pulled away for an order again and Ryley returned. He stood for a moment as the cops drove up, something that would astound any native. The streets were packed, even here. A cop would have trouble getting through anywhere. Emie supposed the station was nearby or something. It was always best for alcohol-serving places to be near a station, in Emie's experience.

"Sorry about that. He comes in every once in a while..drunk out of his mind. So, I'm Ryley." Ryley said once the male in question was taken care of. Emie was sort of frightened by the whole thing- sure, it wasn't unnatural for her to see cops coming in and taking drunks out of bars and things, but Emie's mind was still on 'Happy, Family Fun' and she just hadn't expected it.

"No big deal. I'm Emilina, or Emie if you want," Emilina said quickly, pecking at the salad the blonde woman had brought out to her while Ryley was dealing with the drunkard. After she finished introducing herself, Ryley said something she hadn't expected at all to be brought up- Redford.

"I applied. It's only my first year though- I only just heard of it. You'd think I would be more in tune with the goings on of my home city, but I'm not, apparently. Did you apply?" Emie told him quickly, her eyes darting down to her food before looking back up at Ryley. "I prolly won't get in though- my tryout was okay, but I hear you have to be better than okay to get into there," she mumbled, second guessing herself like always. Though, her words were at least part way true. She didn't really expect to win, though her performance was better than okay. She just didn't think she was passionate enough for it, really.

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Ryley listened to Emie closely as she spoke. "I applied. It's only my first year though- I only just heard of it. You'd think I would be more in tune with the goings on of my home city, but I'm not, apparently. Did you apply?" He smiled kindly at her. She quickly mumbled something else, however before he could answer her."I prolly won't get in though- my tryout was okay, but I hear you have to be better than okay to get into there," He thought for a moment about what she'd said. There was nothing that said he needed to tell her that he applied but he could see no harm in it. "I did apply. This is my second time applying, actually. Mrs. Smith decided that I 'didn't understand the true meaning of self expression'. So, I've been working here since then. I figured that I'd give it another go when I was able to. However, if I don't get in this time I'm probably going to have to go back home."

He paused for a moment, eyeing the young woman before him. "You know, you should be more confident about yourself. You have to be good to even get a tryout. I know last year I'd already gotten my letter by this time. I wonder what's taking them so long.." He fell silent, allowing Emie a chance to speak. He was terrible about rambling on if given the chance. As he was silent, he watched about the diner but would look back to the young woman every now and then.

Ryley smiled at Emie. "Well, its been real but I've got to get out of here. It was nice meeting you..and who knows..maybe I'll see you at Redford. If you ever need any help with anything, feel free to call me." He handed her a piece of paper that he'd quickly written his cell number on. With that, Ryley slowly walked away from the young woman and back into the back to get his things and to clock out. Quickly, he made his way out of the diner through the back door and made his way home as quickly as he could. He'd not wanted to leave but he was honestly beat and he wanted to check his mail. Maybe by some chance his letter had come.

When he arrived home, the first thing he did was check his mailbox. There were a few things in there including a richly colored envelope. He felt his heart stop. This was it. He decided that it would be best to wait to open it when he entered into his apartment. Quickly, he ran up the stairs and unlocked his door, walking into the medium sized living space. Ryley dropped all of his things, save for the letter, onto a small coffee table and made his way to the couch and sat. He sat there for some time, simply staring at the piece of paper. After what had seemed like hours, Ryely ever so slowly opened the letter.

Once opened, he pulled out the actual paper that held the fate of his future on it. His blue eyes quickly read over it and he felt as if his heart had stopped. He'd gotten in. He couldn't believe it. He had been so sure that they wouldn't let him in. A huge smile crossed his face. He was going to be able to stay after all. However, his thoughts immediately turned to Emie. He wondered if she, too, had gotten her letter and if so what did it say. He doubted that he'd ever see her again but..that thought made him a bit sad. He'd rather enjoyed speaking with her..even if it had only been for a few moments. He doubted she would ever want to ask him for help or anything like that. So, for all Ryley knew, Emie was out of his life for forever.

"You know, you should be more confident about yourself. You have to be good to even get a tryout. I know last year I'd already gotten my letter by this time. I wonder what's taking them so long.." Emie listened to Ryley before giving him a bright smile. She didn't get told much that she should be more confident. People were all about saying 'You have a pretty voice' or 'just get up and go out there- no one will hate you' but no one ever stopped and, with nothing to do with her voice or anything at all, told her to be more confident.

"Thanks. I needed that. I'll be headed home after this to check," Emie said casually before swallowing the last piece of salad and pulling the appropriate bills out of her wallet to pay for the meal. She set the bills down just as Ryley began to talk again.

"Well, its been real but I've got to get out of here. It was nice meeting you..and who knows..maybe I'll see you at Redford. If you ever need any help with anything, feel free to call me." Ryley handed Emie a piece of paper that, upon further inspection, had his number written across the page. Emie was thankful he had left after that, because she flushed possibility the brightest red she ever had and folded the paper into her wallet. Another waitress came to collect the tab for her food quickly enough, and Emilina was off fairly soon after Ryley, headed down past Broadway and into the more urbanized living areas where her home happened to be.

There was nothing in the mail box on the bottom floor, but that really didn't make Emie think anything. There was an old woman in her building that lived right next door, and she was always nice enough to pick up Emie's mail and slide it under her door so Emilina- who often came home tired and lazy- didn't have to stop.

The trip up to the third floor of the apartment complex was slow and quick, all at once, but the second she stepped off of the metal contraption she was rushing down the hall with her keys jangling in her hands. She slid the key into the lock and took a deep breath, bracing herself for a bright red letter that denied her entry into Redford. Once the door had been slung open and Emie had pulled the uniform dress off of her and tossed it into the hamper, leaving her in her simple white shirt and denim sorts, she grabbed the mail from under her door and flipped through it. Most of it was junk, one of them was a bill, and the last piece of envelope was elegantly decorated and the words Redford Academy were written across the front in beautiful scrawl.

Emilina dropped down on the couch as she read the letter again, her eyes darting over the words again and again. The letter said she had been accepted, and that they were happy to include her in the 'Redford Family'. Emie was understandably elated. Once the letter had been pinned to the cork-board in Emie's bedroom, where she kept all letters and pictures of importance, she thought about Ryley. He probably got his letter too and Emie couldn't help but wonder if he'd gotten in. However, once she thought of him she rushed off the bed where she had been staring at the letter and went to the hamper, grabbing her uniform out and from one of it's pockets the phone number. She hung it up on the cork board too before grabbing her phone from the bedside table and typing the number into the 'text box', as well as her mother's number, her fathers, and all the friends and family she could think of. She didn't know why she felt the need to include Ryley in the news, but she figured that would be the nice thing to do. Besides, she was about one second away from rushing outside and screaming it to the world, so why shouldn't she just go ahead and announce it to everyone she could? Still, she barely knew him, and she didn't want to seem weird. she reasoned with herself that if he had gotten in too she would have a friend at the academy, something she really wanted to know. Having one friend would be nice.

The text was simple, just 'I'm going to Redford -- Emie' but the words had a lot of weight to them. Emilina couldn't sit still. She pulled a more suitable 'going out' outfit- which basically amounted to her throwing on some simple white flats and pulling a simple short-sleeve jacket over her white shirt. After she fixed her hair, she grabbed the jar that held her 'Celebration/Going out' money in it-- she tried to save as much as she could from every paycheck, so she jar was fairly full-- and grabbed a few bills out before she walked back out of the door with a simple bag dangling from her arm. With the door tightly locked behind her, Emie rushed down the stairs, too impatient to wait on the elevator.

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Ryley decided that he needed to call his mother, to tell her the good news. He pulled out his cell and found her name in his contacts list. He then clicked her name and placed the phone up to his ear. He waited patiently for the older woman to answer. After having waited for five rings to happen, a woman's voice finally sounded. "Hello?" Ryley smiled at hearing his mother's voice. He'd not called her over the past few days and felt terrible about it. "Hey mom. How's everything up there?" he asked, relaxing on his couch. "Everything is wonderful. And how about there in New York? Have you gotten your letter yet?" Ryley hesitated for only a short moment. "Everything is good. Work is fine. Um..so yea. The letter came today. Looks like I won't be needing this apartment anymore so I'm gonna need to start packing.'

There was silence on the other end for several long moments before his mother finally spoke. She was squealing like a young girl that had gotten a date with the hottest guy in school. Ryley was laughing at her reaction. "Really? You're not just saying that? Just wait until I tell the family. I'm so proud of you sweetie!" His mother kept talking, going on about the business..and then his father. She told him how she wished that they would stop fighting. Ever since Ryley had come out to his family, his father had been acting as if he didn't exist any more. The rest of the phone call was fairly boring, them making small talk with one another. Soon, though, Ryley was getting off of the phone.

Not a minute later his phone buzzed, signaling that he had a new message. He quickly pulled it up, seeing that it was from a number that he was not familiar with. His eyes quickly scanned over the message, a smile forming on his face. So..Emie had gotten into Redford as well. That meant that he would possibly be seeing much more of her in the coming time that he would spend on campus. He added her number to his phone and then wrote up a message to send back to her. 'Hey..That's awesome! See! All you needed was to believe in yourself.' He paused in the middle of writing the message to debate with himself. He thought that maybe it would be best to do some sort of celebrating. He had, after all, been trying to get in for some time. He knew of a local club that had open mike from seven at night until one in the morning. He'd been there many times trying to perfect his singing and performing so most of the people there knew him.

'So..I'm heading over to After Life to celebrate. If you are interested, feel free to join me. I'll be there in..about a hour.' He sent the message, wondering if maybe he shouldn't have invited her. He had no idea what her talents were..why she was going to Redford. For all he knew, she would be his competition once arriving at the school.

Ryley got up from his couch and made his way back into his bedroom. Once there, he quickly changed into something more suitable for going out, redid his hair and eyeliner. He then checked over himself in the mirror. He didn't think that he looked too bad considering that he'd just worked a double. He grabbed his things, the same as earlier that morning, and walked out of his apartment.

The After Life was a dance club that was actually fairly popular for a local place. When he arrived, there was already a line out the door. He got in line, deciding that it was well worth the short wait. This place tried hard to get everyone in and as the night got later, the fewer people there would be waiting. Ryley wondered if Emie was going to take him up on his offer or not. He found himself curious about her. She was..different from most people that he'd met that worked at Stardust. He pushed her from his mind. Now that he was officially going to Redford, he needed to put on a game face. He was there to make it..and make it he would. He wouldn't allowing for anything else.

Emie, who was walking around times square aimlessly, mostly people watching, when she heard the chiming of her phone and felt the vibrations it caused in her pocket. Her mother had already texted her back with her congratulations, and her father was always busy and probably didn't have time to reply to her, but there were still many friends and family that had gotten that text and could be the ones replying.

Never the one to leave a mystery, Emilina pulled her phone out and read the contact name. Ryley. She had just put his contact in after she texted him, but she hadn't really expected him to care or reply. The text didn't send congratulations, which she had expected because of the content of her own message, but it did ask her if she wanted to join him at a club- After Life. Emie had heard of it, of course, as it was popular for what it was, but she had never been. In fact, Emie wasn't exactly a clubbing personalty. She didn't really see the allure of it- it was loud, rowdy, and sweaty. Plus, she was underage for drinking so she couldn't even do that, and she could drink soda at home and watch movies easily, and that in her opinion was more fun. Still, Ryley seemed fairly nice and he was celebrating for the same reason she was, so they could talk and have fun over a mutual thing.

Emie placed her phone back into her pocket and walked in the direction of the club, which wasn't much of a walk and only a few blocks away from the hustle and bustle. Besides, she had time to blow and it might be fun. Plus, she might as well get to know the one person she would be able to immediately hang out with- if he had gotten into Redford, that is. She didn't know what his talent was either- if he was a musically gifted person on an instrument maybe they could help each other out. If he was a singer though- he would be competition. Redford was a school for the best of the best, and anyone who wasn't the best was to be kicked out. Still, she wanted to be his friend and she would figure something out- more than two people in each talent graduated each year, after all, and even if he was the same talent she could compete with everyone else.

As Emie walked over to the club, she thought of Redford and the knowledge that she would have to move out struck her. She might be able to keep her job, as it had pretty flexible hours if you were nice about it, but the apartment would have to go. Everyone live on campus. After a few minutes of deciding what to pack and what to store at her parents house, she was at the club. There was a short line, but that was to be expected. It was a pretty popular place, after all.

After identifying Ryley from the other patrons in line, Emie walked over to him. He was the last in line still, thankfully, so she simply walked around and stood next to him.

"Hey, I got your message. I have some time to kill, so I thought why not. So, there are two options- you are here to forget, or here to celebrate. Circle one and turn in your answer," Emie said, a smile forming on her face. She was almost positive it had to be the second one-- he probably wouldn't have invited her if it was the first.

"So is this place any good? I've been in the big apple all my life, but I've never visited here," Emie shuffled her feet, suddenly aware that those words made her sound so... vanilla and boring.

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As he stood in line by himself, he received a few looks though he did not care. He was far past caring what others thought of him. Almost as if from thin air, Emie was next to him, speaking. "Hey, I got your message. I have some time to kill, so I thought why not. So, there are two options- you are here to forget, or here to celebrate. Circle one and turn in your answer," He turned to face her, a smile on his face. "Celebrating..for sure." He went quiet at hearing her speaking again. ""So is this place any good? I've been in the big apple all my life, but I've never visited here," Ryley smiled kindly at Emie. "I think it is. I mean, I can't speak for anyone else." Ryley laughed at this. "Some of the places that I've are..completely boring. Like..there's nothing going on..ever. They have open mike every night and so after I got turned down last year, I started coming here. At least that way I was able to get some practice in. Guess it paid off."

The line moved slowly and so Ryley moved up so that they were much closer to the door. They would probably get in the next time that the line moved. As they stood there together, Ryley realized that he'd not actually congratulated Emie. He felt terrible. He quickly racked his brain on how to make it up to her. Suddenly, it hit him. A smile formed on his face once again. "So, I didn't think to ask you earlier..what is it that you do? I mean, that got you into Redford."

As he stood there, listening to Emie, Ryley kept his eyes on their surroundings. There was now a couple of groups of people behind them now. He ignored them, finding that none of them drew his attention. And then, the line moved again. They were allowed in, Ryley led the way. The inside of the club was fairly dark with flashing lights as someone was up on the stage that was towards the back. It was loud though not too awfully loud. Since there were so many people inside and it was easy to get separated, Ryley gently took hold of one of Emie's hands, keeping her with him.

He led them to one of the back tables. He released her hand and sat down. The music that had been playing when they'd entered died down, a soft melody now playing until someone else got up to perform. "I can't believe that you've never been here." As he said that, a young man came up to the table to see if they wanted anything to drink. Ryley merely ordered a water, deciding it best to stick with something light. When the young man brought back their drinks and Ryley thanked him. "So..I believe that I still owe you a congratulations." he said, smiling. "So, I'm going to sing for you."

It was then that Ryley stood up from his seat and walked slowly to the stage. He stood up there for a moment, talking with the band. They would nod every once in a while, telling Ryley that they could do the song that he wanted to sing. Slowly, the dark haired man approached the mic and the lights dimmed and the music that they'd originally been playing stopped. Then, Ryley began singing. As he sung, he found his eyes falling to Emie every once in a while, even as he was all over the stage. To Ryley, the song did not seem to last all that long. They never seemed to last long. When he finished, everyone in the club clapped or cheered for him and took a slight bow. He quickly got off of the stage and made his way back to Emie. "Well? I'm not too terrible am I?" he asked as he sat back down with the young woman. His blue eyes fell on her, watching her for her reaction. Ryley knew that Emie probably sang. Why else would she be working at Stardust? However, he refused to come right out and ask her. He decided that she would tell him if she wanted to.

Emie was pleased that Ryley had gotten into Redford- the transfer to a new school, a new life really, would be easier with someone else. Emilia was a little less scared of moving out and spending her every waking moment competing with tons of other just-as-good-if-not-better students if she could have someone who she wasn't competing with there.

Ryley gave the okay on the quality of the club and announced that were an open mike-night type of deal inside of the establishment. Emie had never really been to an open mike-night really, though she did like to work at stardust and sing, but that was different entirely. campy showtunes and happy classics somehow felt different, and the entire atmosphere of the restaurant was welcoming and homey. Open mike night-- singing for no reason to it besides singing in public, really- scared her a bit. Customers at the diner could say the entertainment was bad but the food was okay, and that would make up for it at least a little. But if the entertainment was the only thing? That scared her - having no goal to her singing. It was irrational, she knew, but she couldn't seem to shake it.

The line moved quickly enough, which Emie was thankful for. She'd heard of waits for bigger name places that lasted hours. Ryley asked her about her talent, and she wrung her hands in embarrassment. She always felt that way about showing off her talent, or even mentioning it. If it came up, she second guessed herself and suddenly the thought that her parents and friends only told her she was good because they didn't want to hurt her.

"I sing... a little. At Stardust mostly- homey places... I'm a people pleaser and I don't always feel like I'm pleasing people when I sing," she shrugged her shoulders as the line moved again and they were allowed inside. There were a bunch of bright flashing lights and it was all very disorienting. Emie was fairly thankful when Ryley grabbed her hand and lead them through the crowd and the music to a table in the back. The loud noise died down and a softer beat began to play.

"I can't believe you've never been here," Ryley said, and Emie giggled. She'd never been to a club, at all. Not a single one. Someone came over and asked if they wanted anything, and she just ordered a water just the same as Ryley. She didn't want to look silly if she ordered something they didn't have and she had no idea what they did and didn't. Water seemed safe. After that was over, Emie got around to answering Ryley-

"I've... never been to a club. I'm a park person myself. Ducks and swing-sets and picnics," Emie said with a slight laugh.

Ryley said he owed her a congratulations, and she was fully prepared to wave him off and say that he deserved even more, because he'd applied twice and didn't give up, but he continued on and said that, for her congratulations, he would sing. Emie was delighted, really, so she smiled and leaned her head on the table as Ryley took the stage.

Emie was, well, speechless. The performance was amazing... stunning, even. Probably better than anything she could have pulled off. She couldn't command a stage that well. So, instead of answering when he asked her opinion, she just open-mouthedly gaped and stared at him.

"That was amazing, Ryley! I don't know why you didn't get accepted the first time you tried," Emie said as the male that had taken their orders delivered the two glasses of water to the table and Emie thankfully sipped at the cool liquid.

---

---

As he sat there with Emie, Ryley waited for her to answer his question. For a few moments, she simply stared at him and he was unsure as to why that was. When she did finally speak, Ryley smiled at her reaction. "That was amazing, Ryley! I don't know why you didn't get accepted the first time you tried," The waiter brought them their drinks and he merely nodded to the young man. He then turned his gaze back to Emie. "Thank you. From what I got out of it, I wasn't really putting emotion into my performances so I've been working on that for the past year. I actually used to date the owner when I first moved here. So after I didn't get into Redford and decided to stay until I was able to try again, I asked him if he minded if I used the place to practice. So, quite a bit of the time I would be the performer for the night. That was hard. Getting up and performing all night is tough. And the crowd wasn't always nice. I think that in the long run it was all for the best though. I can definitely tell a difference in my performing."

He fell silent for a moment, eyeing the young woman next to him. He normally wouldn't give out information such as people he'd dated for obvious reasons. Most people, Ryley had found, tended to judge him before really getting to know him..and he didn't like it. He could only imagine what was currently going through Emie's mind. As he sat there, he took a few sips of his drink..grateful that it was there. Though Ryley had dated the older man, they both had decided that they were far better as friends. They'd been far too different from one another to make it as a couple. Ryley had not dated anyone since, not finding the time to really pursue such things. Friends they still were and Ryley felt bad, suddenly, that he'd not talked to the other man in some time. Since they'd lost two managers at work, he'd been having to pick up more hours than he normally would have worked which left little time for anything else.

After realizing that he'd been silent for some time, he spoke. "So..are you any good at singing?" He smiled at Emie, hoping that realized that he was only teasing her. "I mean, I've not heard you or anything so I've no idea... Anyway, I think that we've got two days to pack and then the third for moving in. From what I've heard, we each will have three roommates which would make four people to a room. I've never been to the school but their rooms are supposed to be really nice. It'll make leaving my apartment easier. I've been there for a little over a year but I really like the place. Then there is work. I'm only a part time manager but since we've lost so many people I've been working a lot more hours which I won't be able to do once school starts."

Ryley was quite obviously worried about the diner. Since he'd been there for a year he'd grown rather attached to the place and the people. In all honesty..he didn't want to quite but he was seeing little choice. He could definitely work on the weekends but his mother wanted him concentrating on his studies. "What about you? Are you still going to try to work at Stardust while at Redford?" He gave her enough time to answer him before speaking again. "After our first semester we're allowed to begin trying out for shows and the like. That's something that I've never done so that should be interesting."

He was surprised that Emie had yet to say anything about him dating the other man. He was just waiting for it. He knew that she had to be curious about it. With her..he felt like he needed to be honest with her..and open. A strange feeling for Ryley. All of his life he'd hidden or smothered most things about himself because of how he was treated afterwards. Something he knew that he would end up doing once they got to Redford.

Emie couldn't say she was surprised at his decleration that he had, at one point, dated the owner. Well, more importantly, the fact that the owner was a male was what didn't surpirse her. Emie hadn't exactly grown up in in a home that actively protested sexualitties, instead her home was more the place that ignored them under the pretense that 'A person is a person, just use them and lose them". Some of Emie's only true friends growing up had been all maner of sexualities- Demi, Bi, even one that was Asexual..

"Wouldn't that be loud? I mean, nighttime is prime date time and clubs are, well, open at night. I'd get lonely after a month if all of the prime dating time was taken," Emie smiled ", Though , I wouldn't know, would I? I mean, I've never dated a female, so maybe it's the oppisate? Partying during the day and sleeping at night?" Emie giggled to herself before taking a long sip of her water. She'd learned to make sinsitive topics into jokes- that way everyone was either laughing and mad or laughing and happy. Laughing being the key part of the equation.

Emie wasn't uncomfortable with haviing a gay/bi (Emie couldn't be sure) friend, but she was a little interested. Most of her non-heterosexual friends were rather uncomfy with the subject of their sexuality and, well, she wasn't someone who pushed the issue. That wasn't really inclined to care about who they liked to date, as long as they wern't mean to the person they chose to date, why did it metter?

Ryley asked if she was any good at singing and she shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Well,, I'll have to go into work tommorow, so why don't you come see me there? If you have tie time, I mean.," Emie said as softly as the music would allow while still letting him hear her. Ryley explained they would have three days- two for packing and one for moving into the new living quarters. The task, for Emie at least, was going to be long and difficult, and she could tell.. There were lots of things she wanted to bring, but if Ryley was to be belived they would have three other roomates and she didn't want to bring lots of things to clutter up her room. Emie figured she could get the manager at Stardust to understand and help her shift the hours in Emie's favor a little- Emie almost never took off for sickness and did her job to the best of her abbility, after all, . As if reading her mind, Ryley asked her if she would stay at Stardust while at Redford.

"I'll think I'll try- minimal hours, of course. I really like it there and the people are pretty nice. The pay is not the greatest but beggers can't be choosers and, well, they help me with my lessons," Emie said quickly before turning to the stage, where someone else was getting up to proform. Ryley started talking about how after the first semester they could start trying out for shows, which was sort of a new concept for Emie. People at Stardust- Emie among them- could just try out for shows whenever one was avalible for tryout. Having to wait would be a new rule that Emie would have to adjust to. Still, she understood why. Having that many inexperienced people going to tryouts would pack a punch on their standard of education.

---

---

Ryley smiled at Emie. "I can come by. I'm off tomorrow..well as of right now. That could change depending on how busy the diner is..but I'll let you know if I'm not able to make it." He fell silent, turning his head to look at the person that was now up and performing. They weren't terribly good but..then again they really weren't terrible, either. Out on the dance floor it now simply looked like a mob of people all moving in time together. Though he loved dancing, Ryley didn't really care about getting in the middle of a moving mob like that. He just didn't like being that close to so many people that he did not know.

Sitting there at the back table, Ryley was glad that he'd asked Emie to join him. Realizing that perhaps she would be happier doing something else, however, he racked his brain trying to think of something that she would enjoy doing. As he silently thought, he decided that he should still speak with her though he was trying to think. "You know..think about it..I'm not really sure how I'm going to get all of my stuff packed in two days. You wouldn't believe how much stuff that I've got. I'm not even sure where all of it came from." He laughed at this. He had moved out to New York with only three boxes of stuff and now he was fairly sure that he could fit everything into at least five or six boxes..maybe more. He supposed that had something to do with the fact that he loved shopping. He always thought that he needed to buy something every time he went to a store.

The thoughts brought a small smile to his face. Speaking of shopping..he'd not done that in some time. "Do you have plans for tomorrow night?" he asked, carefully watching Emie. "I was thinking..maybe after work you'd want to do something? I mean we won't have a lot of free time after we get to Redford. And..I won't be able to cook for a while. So..I was thinking maybe dinner and a movie at my place? Or we can go out. Either is fine with me." He was still smiling, his blue eyes glued to Emie. He thought that perhaps he shouldn't have asked such a thing of her, but it was true. They'd not be able to cook their own meals after the got to the school. Something Ryley was not happy about. He was very particular about what he ate. Recently, he'd been trying to make better choices in what he was putting into his body.

As they had been sitting at the table for a good time now, the waiter came by again to see if they needed anything. Ryley didn't and asked him to bring the check for his drink. Ryley didn't plan on staying there for very long, anyway and knew the longer they stayed the more likely he was to get food and he really didn't need it. After the waiter had gone away to fetch the check, Ryley turned his gaze to Emie again. "Want to head out? There's too many people out there for me to want to get out and dance. We can just walk around if you want? Plus..I'm sort of hungry and I can't eat what they've got here. Unless you're ready to go home?" Either of which Emie chose, Ryley wouldn't mind. He found that he rather enjoyed her company and was glad that she too seemed to like him. At least..from what he could tell.

A few moments later the waiter returned with the check. Ryley thanked him before the man left for another table. Ryley pulled out his wallet and pulled out a twenty. He put the bill on top of the check and waited for the waiter to come for it. It didn't take long and the young man walked off to get change. As he was gone, Ryley spoke. "So you've lived here for all of your life? I'm from Montana. My parents own the Deer Lodge Publishing Company. My great grandfather started it. Everyone is upset that I'm not wanting to take it over once my dad is ready to retire. It's just not my thing. Besides I doubt that he'd let me now, anyway." Ryley fell silent for a few long moments. The waiter came back with the change and Ryley thanked him. He stood then, his eyes on Emie, waiting for her to join him.

Emie was oddly elated at the fact the Ryley could come to see her at work. No, not even that he can. That he might be able to, her mind corrected her, and she shushed it just as quickly. Emie swirled her straw around in her drink and sighed. This was really the reason she never bothered with clubs. They seemed all bright and shiny on the outside but horror stories on the inside. Boring, long-winded horror stories. Still, she was happy to be there.

Emie laughed when Ryley mentioned that he wasn't sure how he was going to pack everything. Emie wasn't really sure how she would deal with her things either- she had so many things in the old apartment, it would take her forever to decide what to do with it all.

"Oh don't I know it. I've got just so much... crap lying around and I probably only use half of it, but I can't bear to throw it into storage," Emie groaned at the thought of it, really. She had three, maybe four large-ish suitcases to her name, not nearly enough to pack her entire room, let alone her entire house. It wasn't like she was a shopping fanatic or anything, but she did enjoy to treat herself and it just sort of... collected.

"Do you have plans for tomorrow night? I was thinking..maybe after work you'd want to do something? I mean we won't have a lot of free time after we get to Redford. And..I won't be able to cook for a while. So..I was thinking maybe dinner and a movie at my place? Or we can go out. Either is fine with me." Ryley suggested and Emie immediately perked up. She figured that, with how tomorrow looked anyway- busy, busy, and more busy, she would deserve a break before going home and being even more busy with packing.

"Sure. I can show you around town. In fact, how about a picnic? There's an old place- closed years ago- that I know. It's completely abandoned but it had a really cool theme when it was working. It closed when I was thirteen or so- but I started sneaking in. It's really fun," she said, thinking over the location. She'd only ever told a few people about it, but no one had ever renovated it into anything and the owners hadn't taken much- only the tables and the big TV. Everything else- the decoration, even the old arcade- had been left in the building. It was ethereal and really cool.

"Want to head out? There's too many people out there for me to want to get out and dance. We can just walk around if you want? Plus..I'm sort of hungry and I can't eat what they've got here. Unless you're ready to go home?" Ryley asked and she nodded. It was really busy and food sounded good.

"So you've lived here for all of your life? I'm from Montana. My parents own the Deer Lodge Publishing Company. My great grandfather started it. Everyone is upset that I'm not wanting to take it over once my dad is ready to retire. It's just not my thing. Besides I doubt that he'd let me now, anyway." Ryley said in what seemed like an obvious gambit for small talk.

"Born and raised. My parents are really busy people, so really, you could say the city really did raise me. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and they safeguarded and protected me from the dangers of the city well, but from the moment I could ride a bike and tell a cab my address I got to do whatever, really," Emie said as Ryley stood and Emie immediately followed.

---

---

A brilliant smile lit up Ryley's face as he took in what Emie said. He did not say anything at first, simply taking hold of Emie's hand, leading her through the thick crowd. It took them much longer than earlier to make their way through. At last, they reached the exit and Ryley led the way out of the loud building. He remained holding her hand for a few moments after they'd gotten out of the club before finally letting go. He then began slowly walking down the street, taking his time. He had no place in mind but thought that it would be nice just to walk around town together. Ryley realized that he'd not told her if he wanted to have a picnic the following day. Having someone showing him around sounded wonderful. He'd never really made friends with anyone save the people that he worked with. Even then, he really wasn't supposed to spend time with his employees. "Yea..that sounds awesome! I can't tell you the last time that I've done something like that. If you want, I can bring the food?"

The street that they were currently walking along was still fairly busy. Something Ryley was used to. There was several street side restaurants and even several people trying to sell their handmade items. Suddenly, Ryley realized that he was hungry. He turned his gaze about them, trying to decide what he wanted. At last, he noticed a pretzel stand and decided that was what he wanted. "I'm starving." He said, smiling brightly at Emie. "I'm thinking a pretzel would be delish. Want one?" Ryley led the way to the small stand, and got in line. Luckily, there was only a few people in line before them.

As they stood there, Ryley eyed the young woman that was with him. For some reason, Ryley found himself really enjoying his time with Emie. Something that he had not experienced since the club owner that he'd dated. It made him..happy. Perhaps that was why he found himself smiling and unable to stop. As they stood in line, Ryley softly spoke with Emie, talking about things that really did not matter. At last, it was their turn. Ryley ordered and paid for the order. They had to wait only a minute as the man got their order together. When he was finished, he handed everything to the couple. Ryley thanked the man and slowly walked away from the large cart and took a seat on one of the benches that lined the street.

He ate slowly and continued talking with Emie. "I haven't had one of these in forever. They're so good. Back home, there's actually no place in my hometown that sells these. Probably a good thing, though. I think that I could live off of them." He laughed lightly. "You know, I didn't think that I would get in." he said, looking down. He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I mean, I've been performing since I was little and everything but my tryout last year was terrible. Mrs. Smith was brutal..but I'm glad that I got in. Maybe this way I can prove to my father that I can do this. He never did like the idea of me coming out here." He fell silent his blue eyes turning to Emie. He normally didn't talk much about his father. It brought up too much pain. To think about his father meant that he had to think about how he'd disappointed the older man so terribly that he would no longer speak with him..or even acknowledge that he was in fact part of the Spicer family.

Emie followed after Ryley quickly, weaving her way through the crowd of people with only Ryley's hand clasped over hers as her only guide. Emilina was thankful for that- she was small enough to be pushed around and kept in the crowd for ages. It took them quite a bit longer than it did on the way in to get to the exit, but eventually they got there. Emie expected Ryley to let her hand go just as soon as they got out of the largest bunch of people, but to her surprise (and somewhat to her excitement) he didn't. He kept a hold of her hand for a bit longer as they walked down the bustling, busy streets. The city that never sleeps, she thought offhandedly as someone brushed up against her.

"Yea..that sounds awesome! I can't tell you the last time that I've done something like that. If you want, I can bring the food?" Ryley asked after a moment and for a second or two Emie couldn't fathom what he was talking about, but she remembered that she had invited him to a picnic the next day.

"Oh, of course! If you want. I'm not really picky about my food, so bring whatever you like. I'm sure it'll all be wonderful," Emie said quickly as she brushed up against someone else, this one pushing against her harder than Emie anticipated. She barely held back her yell at the man- it was just what she did on a normal day, under the circumstances. Still, she wanted to remain polite so she just grumbled under her breath and walked a ways farther.

"I'm thinking a pretzel would be delish. Want one?" Ryley said after a moment of looking over the vendors and Emie nodded. She wasn't normally one for the salty and sweet, but pretzels had grown on her over her years. Pretzels with Cinnamon sugar on top.

"Mhm- sounds amazing. Cinnamon sugar," Emie said as they got into line. There wasn't many people and the line moved fast, so they didn't have much time to talk- but somehow the pair made it work. They talked about everything and nothing, and made it fit into the small amount of time it took to move in line. Emie found the conversation easy and liberating, something she was not used to. Conversations were forced for her. She didn't avoid conversation, not exactly, but she didn't go out of her way to find it, and when it found her she forced herself to be nice and sweet and the way someone like her should act. Talking with Ryley wasn't like that. The words didn't take her thinking and re-thinking, and she was happy about that.

Once the warm pretzel was placed in her hands, Emie got out her wallet to pay, but Ryley had beaten her to it. Emie blushed, feeling a bit like she was taking advantage of him. She made a mental note to pay him back later, but didn't bother with it at the current time. There were other days for that, but she didn't want to interrupt the happy, easy-going feeling she had at the moment. They sat on one of the nearest benches and Emie bit into her pretzel. It spilled sugar all over her lap but that only caused Emie to smile as she wiped it off of her lap. Ryley mentioned that no one in his hometown sold pretzels, and that brought a look of shock and slightly fabricated horror to Emie's face.

"That's just not right. No pretzels? That's a crime if I'd ever heard one. That's one good thing about the big city I guess- no matter how many pushy people and stolen purses and overpriced housing, you have to admit the food is amazing. Anything you want- it's here somewhere," Emie muttered before using her fingers to daintily pull a piece of the pretzel off of the main structure. Ryley started talking about how he didn't think he would get in, how his tryout the year before had been terrible, and Emie rolled her eyes.

"I highly doubt it was horrible. I don't think it's possible for you to be horrible. Especially if you were preforming from the second you got out of your diapers," the brunette said before putting the piece of pretzel into her mouth and chewing slowly. Ryley continued talking, and he seemed to be pretty happy about just talking, until the very end when he talked about his father, when his voice took on something sad.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll prove it to him, no matter what. My parent's are pretty supportive of all this, actually, following my dreams and such. They figure if I can make money off of it, it's fine by them. Stay out of their hair or whatever," Emie shrugged her shoulders and looked over the area around them. Street artists offering pretty spray-paint pictures of planets and quick bobble-headed sketches to tourists and street vendors offering foods of every occasion.

---

---

Ryley smiled gently as Emie spoke. He waited until she fell silent before he replied. "You weren't there. Trust me when I say that it was terrible. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. It just didn't go well. I was really nervous too so I'm sure that had something to do with it. Thanks, though. I hope that I can prove to him that I'm able to do something without their help. My father is the main person that doesn't want me doing this. Anyway, I suppose things could be worse." He continued eating the pretzel that he'd bought, enjoying it. Ryley watched as Emie looked at the street. As he looked at her, Ryley felt something odd. He was oddly drawn to the young woman next to him. Upon realizing this, he immediately became nervous. He doubted that she had any feelings for him. For all he knew, Emie thought that he was strange. However, he couldn't read her mind.

After he'd finished his pretzel, he waited patiently for Emie to finish hers as well. When she did, Ryley stood and held his hand out to her in order to help her up. He was smiling brightly at her. "You know, I can't wait to get to Redford. And..at least I'll know someone. That always makes things better." He gently linked arms with Emie. "I hope I haven't bored you too terribly." It was beginning to get rather late and if Emie had to work, then she really shouldn't be out too late.

He hesitated before speaking again. "We should probably head home. Would you like me to walk you home?" He slowly walked with Emie, a small smile still on his face. He hated that they'd not had much time to do anything but after getting off work later than normal..well it just didn't leave much time. They walked together for a while and Ryley allowed for Emie to lead the way. As they walked together, Ryley began eyeing her once again from the corner of his eyes. He just couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her. He found himself walking quite close to her and hoped that she did not mind. At last, they reached her apartment building, and Ryley stopped at the entrance to the building. "I suppose this is where I must leave you." he said, smiling. "I'm glad that you joined me." He hesitated for a moment. "Well, goodnight. And I suppose that I'll see you tomorrow. You can text me your shift and I'll be there about a hour before you get off."

After he stopped speaking, Ryley leaned in close to Emie and gently placed a kiss on her cheek, rather close to her mouth. Ryley then turned and headed away from Emie, refusing to look back at her. He knew that he should not have kissed her at all but at least this way if she asked he could play it off as a accident..that's he'd only meant to kiss her cheek. He made his way home and went up to his apartment. Once there, he gently laid down on his bed and pulled his bed out. He wondered if Emie would text him. He wished that she would. If she did, would she ask him about the kiss?

"You weren't there. Trust me when I say that it was terrible. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. It just didn't go well. I was really nervous too so I'm sure that had something to do with it. Thanks, though. I hope that I can prove to him that I'm able to do something without their help. My father is the main person that doesn't want me doing this. Anyway, I suppose things could be worse." Emie listened to Ryley as he talked about the audition and his family. Her family wasn't so bad, compared to that. Her father never disowned her, never once in her life, and the way Ryley told it it seemed his dad disowned him a lot. She felt a little sad at the notion, and clasped her hand over his and squeezed lightly, like she was trying to show her sadness without saying anything. Normally she wouldn't even think about holding hands with someone she met just recently, but it felt natural and simple. Easy, and sort of nerve-wracking. Emie hadn't experienced many butterflies in her life, but she had them now, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

Emie finished her pretzel soon after Ryley and let him help her up with a smile to rival his own. She brushed more cinnamon dust from her lap before Ryley began to talk about knowing someone from Redford and how having a friend would be nice there. Still, when he linked arms with her and they began to walk down the street, friend wasn't what she would think if she was an outward observer to the pair.

"You'd never bore me. If I wasn't out and about I'd surely be at home, boring myself to tears," Emie said lightly. Ryley asked her if she wished him to take her home, and she bit her lip lightly. She'd never revealed her home to someone she'd only known for a day. Then again, she'd never invited someone she just met to her work, either, so her past experiences were null.

"Sure, why not?" she said as she before gently leading him in the right direction. Normally she would hail a cab, but she figured walking wouldn't be bad. The trip was filled with comfortable silence, and even with Ryley pressing ever closer to her she didn't feel the need to push him away or walk ahead.

"I suppose this is where I must leave you. I'm glad that you joined me," Ryley smiled at her and Emie felt the butterflies return steadily, fluttering their wings lightly, "Well, goodnight. And I suppose that I'll see you tomorrow. You can text me your shift and I'll be there about a hour before you get off." with the last word, Ryley leaned down to her and kissed her cheek lightly, strangely closer to her mouth that would be deemed friendly. She smiled at him as he walked away. He didn't look at her, and Emie was strangely sad about that. She didn't have anything to say, exactly, but she really didn't want him to depart. Maybe he regretted kissing her? Emie surely didn't regret it. Maybe he regretted kissing her there? Maybe it had been an accident. Emie didn't hope so, but she didn't comment.

Emie sighed and walked up the steps to the apartment, walking up the staircase quickly before unlocking her door and all but collapsing on her bed. She didn't know if it would be good to text him immediately, so she reasoned she could shower first and then text him. She gathered her sleeping clothing and walked to the bath, running the water as hot as it could get. She jumped in soon after that and let the burn of the water pound against her back as she ran shampoo and conditioner through her brown tresses.

Emie walked out of the steam coming from her bathroom dressed in a simple gray nightshirt and shorts. She grabbed her phone off the counter and typed a message to Ryley- I work 7 in the morning to 8 at night tomorrow. I'll see you then, Emie contemplated adding a small heart to the end of the message, leaving it on and leaving it off multiple times before adding it again and pressing send as she collapsed on the bed.

---

---

As Ryley lay on his bed, his phone near him, he thought back to the earlier events. He ran a hand over his face, tiredly. He really shouldn't have kissed Emie at all. Just as he was worrying himself about whether or not the young woman would actually text him, his phone went off. He immediately picked the phone up and checked the message that he'd just received. His eyes quickly scanned over the short message. A smile soon found its way onto Ryley's face. He immediately noted the small heart that Emie had ended her message with. He waited a few minutes before writing her back. 'Sounds perfect. I'll be there around seven with food. See you tomorrow, Hon.' He made sure that there was a heart on the end of his message, copying his new friend. He then sent the message, not even thinking twice about it.

After the message was sent, Ryley got up and out of bed, quickly removing the makeup that he had on his face and then changing for bed. It was about ten minutes before he was crawling back into the bed and plugging his phone in to charge. He had a busy day ahead of him and he really needed to get some rest.

---

Ryley got up the next morning rather late. It was near afternoon by the time that he did crawl out of the bed. He ate a small meal before beginning to dig through his few closets for boxes. At last, he found what he was looking for. Ryley was lucky enough that he'd kept all of the boxes that he'd moved to New York with. He pulled all of them out and began to put them together. Once he was done with that, he began packing the things that he would not need at Redford, marking them so that he could send the boxes back home.

He spent most of his day packing up his belongings. By the time that four o'clock rolled around, Ryley had managed to get nearly half of his apartment packed up. He stood from the floor that he'd been sitting in for the past hour. He stretched, feeling his muscles moving for the first time in a while. Ryley looked at his phone, seeing that he had about three hours before he needed to be at Stardust. He decided that he was at a good stopping point and so slowly made his way to his bathroom.

Ryley got into the shower, taking his time, letting the water run all over his body. He hated packing. He would be happy when he was finished. Ryley was, however, looking forward to seeing Emie again. He found that he really liked her and enjoyed spending time with her. He only hoped that she felt the same way. When he was finished with his shower, Ryley got out and dried off, then heading into his bedroom to his closet. As he went through the clothing, he finally decided. Ryley got dressed and then headed back into the bathroom. Once in there, he did his hair and makeup and then changed his plugs to some plain black ones.

Once he was satisfied with his look, he check the time. He had just enough time to put together a meal and then head out. Ryley ended up fixing sandwiches as they would keep better than if he'd actually cooked. He made several different kinds and then found a bag of chips. The short man then found a small red cooler bag and put everything inside. He decided that they could get something to drink on the way to the location that Emie had talked about. At last, he was ready..and just in time.

Ryley gathered all of his things and then headed out of his apartment. He then waited on the curb, hailing a cab. The car ride to Stardust didn't seem to take all that long and before he knew it, he was getting out of the car and slowly making his way inside the building. It was much more crowded than his little diner, that much was obvious as soon as he walked in. He didn't have to wait long before he was seated. Ryley kept his eyes on what was going on around him. It was a busy place, something that Ryley liked. A young man, around Ryley's age came up to him and asked if he could get him anything. Ryley ordered a drink though told the young man that he was there to pick someone up after their shift. The young man looked Ryley up and down, taking him in before walking off to get his soda. Ryley soon noticed Emie. Instead of trying to get her attention, he decided that it would be best to just wait for her to notice him. He had a brilliant smile on his face and then his drink arrived. Ryley decided that he would gladly sit there and wait for Emie for as long as he needed to.

Emie woke up very early the next morning, even earlier than she normally would- five in the morning, to be exact. She knew she needed time to pack, so she quickly brushed her teeth and threw on her underclothing of a simple white shirt and black shorts before putting her hair in a small bun at the back of her head and setting to work. She emptied her closet out and spent the better part of that next hour placing each article into either one of the three large-ish suitcases she had found or into a hamper so she could drop them at her parent's house for storage. She checked the time- six. One hour until work. She quickly zipped the one suitcase she had filled with items (hopefully all the clothing she would need) and placed it in the corner and walked to the bathroom, throwing on her flashy work outfit and running a brush through her hair. She quickly applied her makeup and checked to make sure she had everything she needed from the apartment before running out of the door with only fifteen minutes to spare before work.

Thankfully, she was a native and knew her way around. She slipped through lesser-known alleyways of... questionable standards (thankfully Emie wasn't someone people messed with- if they tried she knew where to throw her punches and kicks to pack a punch) until she arrived at Stardust, sliding around the crowded customers til she got to the back. She clocked in quickly and slid an apron on before checking the song list. Three until she had to go up. She groaned and started going to the tables, taking orders and delivering them just as quickly.

The day passed fairly quickly, and she prided herself on the fact that she only checked the time every other table. She checked the song list once more a few minutes before Ryley was supposed to show up, and she smiled. She was up for a duet soon, to one of her favorite songs to sing. Ryley showed up not long after that, but Emie didn't notice him at first. She only even realized he was there when Eric, one of the few male singers they had at the diner, came up to her as she was pouring drinks.

"Hey- there's a guy over in my section- says he's waiting on one of us. Twenty says it's Mattie," Eric said with a bright smile and Emie rolled her eyes as she loaded her drinks onto a tray. She wasn't one for workplace gossip, but almost everyone else in the building was. A quick scan over Eric's section revealed Ryley, who hadn't seemed to notice her yet.

"I'll take that bet- he's here for me. You owe me twenty dollars. I expect it in cash, Eirs," Emie said smugly as she playfully bumped into him on the way to the tables, throwing a gloating smirk over her shoulder. She delivered the drinks to the table quickly before starting her walk to the song list, but Eric beat her to it and threw a microphone at her, which she caught and pointed at him peevishly.

"Summer lovin'. Up now, you and me, Em," he said with a smile and Emie rolled her eyes as her coworker announced it to the crowd. Emie stood up on the walkway between the diner and walked down the catwalk just as the song started and Eric started singing. Emie sat down on the catwalk next to a couple just as her part started.

"Summer lovin, happened so fast," she sang, focusing on getting her voice to the correct pitch. The original singer had a very high voice, but it was a weird kind of high-pitch. Emie had to think about it every time she sang the song. Emie jumped back on the catwalk and walked over the thin walkway, singing her notes after her coworker. They sang most of the song normally, jumping from table to table and parading over the catwalk, but near the middle Emie folded her legs over the catwalk and leaned over to were Ryley was sitting just beside the walkway. "He got friendly, holdin' my hand," she sang the notes a bit softer than she normally would have, but it seemed to fit the song anyway so she went with it, singing a few notes from there before the song got slower and sadder, when she stood up walked towards the back again. The song ended not long after that and she threw her mic towards her duet partner.

"Hey. I'll take the table that won me twenty bucks, Eric," Emie said before rubbing her fingers together in a gesture that was immediately recognizable as 'money' and danced over to Ryley's table.

"Well? I'm not too terrible am I?" Emie used his own words against him as she grabbed his near-empty drink and placed it on her tray so she could refill it.

---

---

It was announced what song was getting ready to be performed. Ryley turned his gaze to the catwalk, watching as both Emie and the waiter that had served him performed together. Near the middle of the song, Emie came near him. He watched as she sang, and he was unsure of how she normally sang the song but could almost swear that she was singing rather softly as she leaned towards him. It didn't seem like no time that the song had ended and Emie was out of his sight for a moment. He looked up, seeing her suddenly dancing towards him. When she reached him, she repeated the same words that he'd said to her the night before. A brilliant smile found its way upon his face. "Far from terrible, I'd say. You were absolutely amazing! We're definitely going to have to sing together at some point..you realize that, right?"

Ryley was glad that he'd been able to come to the diner to see her perform. She had truly been spectacular. As Emie stood near his table, Ryley noted that the waiter from earlier was watching them. He seemed to have a curious look to him and Ryley wouldn't be surprised if the young man asked Emie why he'd come by to see her. Ryley quickly pulled his gaze from the other man, looking back at Emie. "I should probably let you get back to work. Your friend doesn't seem all that happy that you're over here talking to me." he said, looking apologetically at Emie.

He pulled out his phone, content with simply surfing the internet until Emie was able to clock out. As he sat there, slowly sipping the soda that his friend brought him back, Ryley began texting his mother. He always felt as if he didn't talk to her enough though she would always tell him that they talked more than many would. His mother had been quite accepting of his lifestyle unlike his father. Ryley began telling the older woman about Emie and how he found himself liking her quite a bit. More than he thought that he would.

His mother sent him a message back, asking if that was really such a bad thing. It took Ryley a moment, thinking about it. No. In fact, he was rather glad that he liked Emie as much as he did. A smile slowly found its way upon his face. He was almost willing to say that he was rather attracted to her..that he would very much like to get to know her quite well. It had been a very long time since he'd even tried at getting close to someone. He was unsure of if the young woman was feeling anything similar or not. Nor..would he ask. He looked up, spotting Emie. She appeared to be finishing up so Ryley put his phone back in his pocket. As she approached him, he got up, gathering his things. "Ready?" he asked, smiling. He then linked arms with her but then allowed her to lead the way as he had no idea where they were going. "We'll need to stop somewhere to get something to drink. I figured that was easier than trying to pack something. Really though, you have amazing chords. I got the sense that you did not believe me earlier. Trust me. I don't compliment people very often." He was grinning, hoping that his friend understood that he was being serious.

"Far from terrible, I'd say. You were absolutely amazing! We're definitely going to have to sing together at some point..you realize that, right?" Emie heard Ryley say and she smiled, thinking of the prospects of singing with him. It wouldn't be bad, maybe even fun. She just sort of imagined her life would lead to Broadway and Ryley's would lead to the red carpet. Still, it would be fun to sing with him while she had the chance.

"I should probably let you get back to work. Your friend doesn't seem all that happy that you're over here talking to me." Ryley said and Emie had to do a double take. She looked from Eric to the table and back again probably three times.

"Eric's all talk. He wouldn't hurt a fly, and even if he could he couldn't hit a brick wall if he was running into it. However, he is like my brother and, well, I think you're setting of some protective signals. He's not much into piercings," Emie pointed to her ears for effect before walking away to bus tables. She wasn't set to sing for a few hours, so she just walked from table to table quickly, aiding in other performer's songs when she had to and serving drinks at a pace that would match any fast food joint. Still, she didn't really like the fact that she tripped more often than normal. It may or may not have had something to do with the fact that her mind was constantly forcing her to look back at Ryley and wave like an idiot or smile a cat-ate-the-canary grin, but it was interfering with her work, and by the time her work shift was over she was almost ready to say mercy and just up and leave. She was sure there would be residual bruising on her kneecaps and shins from all the tables she ran into.

Emie walked over to Ryley quickly as he was putting away his phone, and he asked if she was ready. She nodded and waved goodbye to her fellow coworkers and good riddance to the crying child that had taken up post in what was previously her section. She wasn't sure how that kid had that much air that would allow him to continue crying nonstop, but he wasn't her problem anymore. Emie lead the way for a while, in the direction of the abandoned restaurant, but they stopped a little ways away from Stardust and Ryley mentioned they needed to buy drinks. He also complimented her on her voice, and she blushed more than she wanted to. She wasn't used to complementing, especially serious complementing, and Ryley was dead serious. Emie smiled through her blush as she lead them up to a corner concession stand and ordered a bottle of pink lemonade for her. She waited for Ryley to order as well before handing the teller the right amount of money and taking the chilled bottles from the cooler. She wasn't about to risk it with open containers- it wasn't like the door was just open and waiting for anyone where she was going. It took a bit of work.

Emie lead them through the center of the big apple quickly and down a seemingly forgotten about street. The houses that lined the street screamed old money and Emie smiled as she walked down the street that she'd past many times in her life. After the stroll down the street she made a sharp left and walked down another street that everyone but a few couples had forgotten about. It was out of the way- no one cared about this street anymore. A shame too, because it was pretty at night. Emie walked over some holes in the ground quickly, jumping through them like she had for years to avoid them, even though they weren't active. They only became active at night, anyway. At dusk. After the meal, at least. She jumped down some steps that lead into an abandoned looking building with a distinctly spaceship theme before turning to Ryley.

"Mars 2012. Closed down when people realized that 2012 was over and, well, aliens didn't roam the earth yet. Should have gone for 3000 or something like that," Emie shrugged before looking over the old building with adoration.

---

---

Ryley smiled as he noted Emie's blushing after he'd complimented her. He merely smiled, enjoying the reaction that he'd gotten out of her. He followed Emie as they made their way to a concession stand. They didn't have to wait at all before they were able to order their drinks. His friend ordered a pink lemonade and Ryley decided on a water. He had been about to pull out some money but Emie beat him to it. He thanked her and then they began walking again. Emie continued to lead the way through the center of the big apple and down a old looking street. Ryley had never been down this street and he couldn't help but try to take in everything that he was seeing. It was obvious to him that this had once been a place that the wealthy had inhabited and he couldn't help but wonder what this place had been like back when it had been a popular place.

He tried to focus his attention onto Emie..he didn't want to lose her and get lost there. He'd have no idea how to find his way back out again. Suddenly, Emie made a left, walking down another street. When she began jumping over some holes expertly. Ryley tried to follow her lead though he was not nearly as graceful as his friend had been. Emie then jumped down some steps that seemed to lead into a old building that had a spaceship theme to it. He followed and came to stand next to the young woman. "Mars 2012. Closed down when people realized that 2012 was over and, well, aliens didn't roam the earth yet. Should have gone for 3000 or something like that," she said, looking over the building.

To Ryley, it was obvious that she was rather fond of this place. He allowed his eyes to roam over the place. He could certainly imagine what this place had been like back when it was a popular place to be. All of the lights..the music. All things that Ryley always loved about the places in New York. They were always so alive..so colorful. Everything here was so much different than back in Montana. There, everything always seemed so bland..so boring. He smiled, then, turning his gaze back to Emie. "I bet this place was crazy when it was still open. We don't have anything like this back in the small town that I'm from. I love it."

Ryley then allowed for Emie to lead the way to wherever she wanted to go, so that they could eat. Once they arrived, Ryley began pulling out the food that he'd brought. "I wasn't sure what kind of sandwich that you would prefer..so I brought a little of everything..and chips." he said, grinning. Ryley joined Emie, sitting rather close to her..closer than he probably should have. He picked out a ham and cheese sandwich and began eating. He had to admit that he was rather enjoying himself with Emie. He wasn't quite sure when they would be able to do something like that again..they would be tied up with Redford and things that related to the school. He was actually becoming more and more worried about it the more he thought about it.

"You know..I'm glad that we met." he said, falling silent once again. He remained this way for a few moments before explaining. "I have trouble with letting people get close to me..ever since I was in middle school. I was picked on pretty badly most of the time. I mean, I know that not everyone is the same but I just can't help it." He wasn't looking at Emie now. He couldn't bring himself to. It was not often that he spoke so openly with someone.

"I bet this place was crazy when it was still open. We don't have anything like this back in the small town that I'm from. I love it." Emie kind of had to giggle at Ryley's words. She understood that smaller places didn't have strange-theme restaurant, but this one was far from 'crazy'.

"Everyone hated it. Still, it has the best decor ever and I thought it was the coolest place in the world when I was a kid. The food was always bad, though. Good thing we brought our own," Emie laughed lightly as she said the words, imagining it back when it was still open- the gift shop was amazing and the mars rocks made everything look space-agey.

Ryley motioned for her to go on and lead them through, so she walked towards the back of the building, past the boarded up front window and when she got to the back she walked up to the fire exit, which lead into the kitchens. She pulled open one of the big service windows and ducked in, grabbing blindly for a flashlight she had stored in the building a year ago. She flipped it on and walked to the large arch that separated the kitchen from the eating area. Surprisingly, bugs hadn't really invaded yet. Not badly, at least. So, Emie walked a ways until she got to a large tv set that was stationed in the wall, set into deep red rock 'formations'. Emie walked behind the structure and flicked a small on switch and the Tv flicked on, the alien on the screen preforming sign-language and speaking in garbled noises. Emie turned off the sound before returning to Ryley.

"The TV runs on solar power- the rest of the place was electric aside from the spaceship ride. Understandable, I guess. The tv's huge and plays on a loop. Good enough to see by," Emie said and sat on the middle of the floor, surrounded by the empty red rocks. Most of the tables had been taken and the ones that hadn't been were in poor condition.

"I wasn't sure what kind of sandwich that you would prefer..so I brought a little of everything..and chips." Ryley said and Emie smiled, enjoying simply talking with him.

"Are you sure you brought chips? I get pretty mean if I don't have chips," Emie jested as Ryley sat down, rather close to her. Emie didn't mind, and she grabbed a turkey and cheese sandwich from the bag, biting into it quickly.

"You know..I'm glad that we met." Ryley said after a few moments of comfortable silence, and Emie held back from commenting. She wanted to say 'I'm glad too,' but she got the feeling he wasn't done talking. "I have trouble with letting people get close to me..ever since I was in middle school. I was picked on pretty badly most of the time. I mean, I know that not everyone is the same but I just can't help it." Ryley proved her right a few moments later, but the words he said were surprising.

"Well, I'm glad you're being open with me. I'm not going to pretend like I can understand you completely- I was ever horribly bullied or anything like that- I wasn't. Used? Sure, but I let that happen. My parents are rich, and that makes me well off. I was bound to have some 'leech' friends- but leech friends are good sometimes. They'll never give you the truth you like your real friends will. I understand where you are coming from, though. Trusting people is difficult if someone's thrown that back at you," Emie said quietly after a moment and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly very nervous.

"I've never brought anyone here before. It's always been my secret place. I've got no deep dark secrets to share with you, though I feel like I would share them with you if I did. This is as secret as I get," Emie looked up at the walls for a moment before realizing that Ryley was shying away from her. Emie knotted her brows together for a moment before deciding to leave him be. He would come around if he wanted to.

---

---

Ryley listened intently to Emie as she spoke. "Well, I'm glad you're being open with me. I'm not going to pretend like I can understand you completely- I was ever horribly bullied or anything like that- I wasn't. Used? Sure, but I let that happen. My parents are rich, and that makes me well off. I was bound to have some 'leech' friends- but leech friends are good sometimes. They'll never give you the truth you like your real friends will. I understand where you are coming from, though. Trusting people is difficult if someone's thrown that back at you," He could understand exactly what she was talking about. Though his family wasn't the richest family in the States they were the richest in the small town that he was from. He'd really not had much of a problem with people wanting to be his friend just so that they would get things. They'd rather pick on him because of the people that he'd dated. He couldn't name more than a handful of people that he'd ever truly considered a friend.

"I've never brought anyone here before. It's always been my secret place. I've got no deep dark secrets to share with you, though I feel like I would share them with you if I did. This is as secret as I get," When Emie spoke again, Ryley still didn't look at her. He was just so unused to speaking about why he didn't let anyone close to him. He soon realized that he'd not replied to his new friend. He could only imagine what she was thinking. He turned his gaze to Emie, smiling brightly. "I'm glad that you shared this with me. I really don't have any secrets. Well..save for the bullying thing. However..if I did I imagine that I'd gladly share them with you as well." he said, finishing up his sandwich. As he looked at her, Ryley smiled.

As they sat there together, rather close, he wondered what she truly thought of him. They'd not known each other for very long but Ryley felt a strange pull towards Emie. Almost as if they were meant to..be together. Like they'd always known each other and had simply been apart for most of their lives. Suddenly, Ryley decided to ask something that he'd not asked yet. "So..are you dating anyone? I mean, I would hate to be spending time with you to only to end up getting my ass beat because you're taken."

Ryley waited for her to answer, looking to his shoes for a moment. He was actually surprised that his new friend hadn't asked why he'd been bullied so terribly. That was normally the first question that came out of peoples mouths when they found out. He was glad, though, that Emie seemed to merely accept what he'd said and moved on. He looked back to Emie, his blue eyes holding her gaze steadily. And again..there was that feeling that he wanted to be closer to her..more than friends.

"I'm glad that you shared this with me. I really don't have any secrets. Well..save for the bullying thing. However..if I did I imagine that I'd gladly share them with you as well." Ryley said after a while of silence and Emie nodded, smiling at him. She was glad they both admitted they would share with each other. Truthfulness was high on Emie's friendship checklist, and she's glad he would entrust her with any secrets he may have had. She really wanted to be his friend- maybe more than his friend. But, his friend for the time being at least.

They sat fairly close together, and Emie resisted the urge to lean against him, instead finishing her sandwich in a few bites and chewing on her lip. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, and in her mind the strong feelings she already had for him were strange- she'd never liked anyone this fast before. She wasn't quick to make friendships, and normally she was reserved around people-- that prevented many from ever getting close to her. It was a strange feeling, not having to worry if she would ever be his friend, ever talk to him and not feel the need to shut off. It seemed like the only natural course of action, to be his friend-and-maybe-more. Still, she didn't want to push him, and she could easily not feel the same about her, and she didn't want to make him go away.

"So..are you dating anyone? I mean, I would hate to be spending time with you to only to end up getting my ass beat because you're taken." Ryley said, and Emilina frowned in confusion, not sure she'd heard him correctly. After double checking to be sure she had, she smiled brightly.

"Nah- I've not dated anyone in months. Joseph, I think his name was," Emie said lightly, not enjoying talking about it with Ryley. She would tell him if he wanted to know, because that only seemed like the good thing to do, but she didn't particularly enjoy the feeling welling in her chest.

Emie looked over to Ryley and noticed his eyes, really, for the first time in their short relationship. They were blue. Outrageously, undeniably blue. Emie took a slow breath and closed her eyes, looking back down, discovering she couldn't look at him for much longer. She'd do something rash if she did, like lean closer or make a fool of herself. Emilina checked her watch, the silver of the polished metal gleaming slightly. It would be just dark enough now. "Hey, there's something I want to show you," Emie said after a moment of thinking before putting her items away.