Helping Hand -- Aric and Steph

[stephanie michelle davis]

As Stephanie walked away from her friend with Aric towards his car she looked around at the people that were still just pulling in. "Aren't they going to be pissed when they see the main attraction leaving early." She teased him some, a bright grin on her face as she stayed close by his side stepping over the grass and gravel that had been layed down. "Does this happen a lot though?" She asked looking up and over at him as they made their way closer to his vehicle. "You getting your face split open and leaving with some gorgeous stranger each night?" Of course she kept her teasing attitude going, Steph did not find herself attractive. She could have been if she cared that much about her appearance. She rarely wore make-up, only on the really special of occassions, and her hair was usually just tied back in a ponytail. Tonight she was surprised she'd taken the time to put it up and make it look good, though she was happy that she had since she'd met Aric and what girl wouldn't want to look good in new company?

As his car came into sight Steph heard him joking around about them walking ten miles. "Oh come on now, you can't show me this beauty and expect me to walk after this. My uh, knee hurts. Yup, that's it, my knee hurts real bad. You'd have to carry me and i'd sure get heavy after that long walk." Steph wouldn't have minded though, she could jog that long so a walk although it would take longer wouldn't be unacceptable. His car was nice though, very nice, and when they were close enough to it she picked her step up to get there before him to examine around it. She looked at everything from the tires and rims to the paint job and the interior through the window. He opened her sides door and immediately the smell of leather filled her lungs as she slid herself down gently into the seat. She let her body go limp against the backrest as she pulled her buckle over her waist to strap herself in. "This is nice," She said looking around in the car surprised that he could take sure good care of it like that.

She waited for him to get in the drivers seat, that roar as it started up sending a shiver down her spine, and Steph immediately looked at him speechless with nothing more than a grin pressed against her lips. "Oh, and about the rumors you were talking about earlier." The conversation had entirely slipped her mind as she'd been pre-occupied with other thoughts. "I might have heard a few, but I don't really follow them too closely. You should hear the ones about me, I guess people just feel intimidated by those that can do what others can't, so they try to knock them down a few pegs." She shrugged, most of her rumors consisted of her being a whore, something she most certainly was not, but since she'd been a girl that was the easiest rumor that people would believe. "I don't judge, it's not worth the hassle." People always turned out to be different than their reputations led you to believe, she had been finding out that Aric had been from what she'd even expect.

As they pulled out Steph looked out the window watching the trees whiz past them as he made his way towards the hospital. "So why'd you want to waste your time getting to know me tonight when there were so many other girls there?" She asked curiously looking and watching him as he drove. "I'm probably not half as interesting as any of them, i'm pretty much just your average soccer playing college student. Nothing too special about me." There was more to her than that, but she wasn't some wild go crazy girl that most others had been. She had goals and had to keep her hands clean to reach them.

[aricsummers]

Aric looked over at Steph and smiled "Eh...They may be distraught, but they will see me next week. Even if I'm not fighting, they know I'll be here." He told her. This was Aric's sanctuary, his kingdom. People here would bend over backwards for him, just to get noticed. It was sad, but whatever floated their boat. Aric listened to the question "I don't get my face beat in like this very often...As far as leaving with gorgeous girls each night, I haven't felt comfortable enough to ask any other girls to come with me. I usually just go home and doctor my own wounds. But I feel like I could trust this gorgeous girl..." He answered. He wasn't kidding, he thought she was beautiful. And her personality, from what he had seen, topped her off as a person.

Aric watched Steph as she neared the car. He smiled a bit and shook his head when he saw her checking out his car. "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure I could jog with you on my back... Ten miles isn't too far He joked with her. He watched her flp back in the seat and when he got in the car, he looked over at her "Well thank you...I'm guessing you like it?" He assumed. "I take pride for this thing...I worked on her for a couple years with my brother. It used to be his until he blew the engine...That was when he gave it to me, so I could learn how to work on my own car...He gave me tips on what I should do, but pretty much left me on my own." He said, thinking back to when he and his brother used to work on their cars together.

Aric could see the grin on her face without even looking over. He looked over and smiled a bit "Apparently it makes them feel better about something...But it's good to know you don't hang on every rumor like some other people. I figured your friend would forbid you to come with me...I could tell he has heard a few." He commented. From his reaction, Aric could see he had heard a few things, probably non of which were true. Someone who must not have known who Aric was, actually told one of Aric's good friends a rumor that Aric always left with a different girl every night. Aric had actually heard a rumor that he had a son that was five years old...Which means he would of had his first kid when he was fourteen. "Good to know...I don't appreciate people that judge without knowing someone. Everyone should have a chance."

"Honestly? When I saw you, I felt like I already knew you. I felt like I had met you before, but I know we haven't met...There was something about you that caught my eye. It's like I could tell what kind of person you were, just by looking at you for that brief second." He paused for a moment. "I think you are more interesting than most of the girls in there...You don't hang all over me, and you don't get all goo-goo eyed when I smile at you. It's nice to meet a girl that seems to be at my level as far as personality goes. I think we have a lot in common." He paused again and looked over at her "Plus, you're beautiful" He said before shifting gears, looking back at the road and slamming on his gas pedal, accelerating the car to about eighty miles an hour. He debated on whether or not he should go any faster...He wasn't sure if she would appreciate it.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Her face had been turned towards the cars pulling into the lot as he started to answer her, but soon she turned back to face him. "You're telling me you actually take nights off?" She asked, actually surprised that he would even think to. He seemed to be the hotshot around there, having the champ take a night off just didn't seem like something the fans would go for. It had been his decision in the end though, and they would have to accept. "So why the urge to go get this one checked out?" She asked, her nose scrunching up some as he'd used the word gorgeous towards her. "You caught me on a good night, usually my hairs pulled back in just a ponytail and i'm lounging around in sweats. You would so not find me even remotely attractive." Even if she didn't agree that she was attractive it still felt nice when others complimented her like that.

When he slipped into the car beside her though she just nodded at his question, of course she liked the car. "She's a beauty." She said as she looked back around inside. "You have a brother?" She asked, quirking her head to the side some with a faint smile on her lips. "My brothers would never do anything like that for me, it's hard enough just getting them to give me a ride to the store or something. I have three, all older." There, she had told him something else about herself. He had wanted to get to know her better so she figured telling him that would get things rolling. "Your brother at least sounds like a cool guy, giving you the car and all. I'm guessing you had to put a pretty penny in her though after a blown engine." Her brothers would work on their beater trucks so she knew somewhat about the way things worked, especially when they'd toss her the keys to her fathers jeep to run to the store and pick up a part they needed. Parts were not cheap for any car, a mustang had to be more expensive though than their old Fords.

When he started to talk about her friend though she looked out the window for a minute remembering his facial expressions when she told him what she was going to be doing. "He can't forbid me, i'm an adult right?" She asked, playing on his earlier comment while still in the abandoned warehouse. "He has a hard time when I hang out with anyone really," She told him truthfully. Her friends were sometimes too protective over her, it did tend to get annoying but still she wouldn't have them any other way. "I swear my friends care more about me than my own damn brothers." Again that was true, Steph not minding that one bit as she thought about her siblings. "They'd probably throw me infront of a train if it meant not having to put up with a bra in the wash with their clothes." She let out a giggle as she thought about her brothers overreacting when changing the clothes from the washer to dryer. "I swear they act like their ten." It was fun though, she had a good household to go home to during the summers. She just nodded when he'd said that chance bit though, she believed that one hundred percent.

"Maybe we knew each other in another life," She teased, furrowing her brows quick trying to hold back laughter. "I could be one of those girls," She said again with a grin. "Hanging on your every word giggling each time you look at me, batting my eyelashes and twirling my hair." She stopped talking, even just trying to joke about that wasn't working for Stephanie. She could never be like that, though she was a very physical person and normally would always have to be close to her friends. Either through a arm linking as they walked or the display of affection she'd given to Josh back at the warehouse, the hug and kiss on the cheek, Steph just loved the feeling of being so close to someone. Of course she hadn't known Aric for too long so she wasn't about to start trying to hold his hand or anything, but given time as she opened up and felt more comfortable around him she'd probably try doing at least a little more physical contact. Maybe just a nudge or something to start off with, those were easy and showed playfullness. "Beautiful? Yeah okay," She said, her eyes rolling some as her grin turned to a smirk, again it feeling good to have the compliment but her not entirely believing him. "Thank you, I guess?" She had just finished speaking when she could hear the engine hauling as he increased his speed. She watched the gauge as it rose straight past the posted speed to eighty miles per hour. "That all she got?" She asked, smirk on her face. Steph was all about speed, and none of her other friends vehicles had nothing on his. "This is insane!" She exclaimed letting a laugh escape as she looked out the window.


ooc, hope this is okay. it's like midnight but I figured I should get a reply in, so yeah. Hope this doesn't suck, i'm pretty much dead tired hah.

[aricsummers]

{{Ok, it's 1:45 in the morning here, I felt like I needed to reply, so here you go. If something doesn't make sense to you, 99.9% chance that it's not your fault. }}

Aric laughed a bit when Steph asked him the question about him taking nights off "I do. Every fighter needs to take some time to relax before facing his next opponent. Even the best of the best..." He trailed off. He tried to picture Steph in a different outfit, but as of right now, he couldn't picture it. But this was the first, of hopefully, many times that they would see each other. He would probably end up seeing her in her lounging clothes at some point. Aric would usually rather have more friends that were laid back, instead of high maintenance and snobby people, they just weren't his crowd.

"Thanks." He commented to the compliment of his car. "Yeah, his name is Sean...We have been through hell and back together." He mentioned. "Sean is thirty. He has eleven years on me, but that's cool, he could still kick my ass." Aric said. He wasn't joking, his brother may have been older, but Aric stood no chance against him. Sean had way more experience. "Wow...Three brothers? Must have been tough growing up" Aric thought back to when he was younger. Sean was always taking care of him, but having three brothers and being a single sister must have been a little harder growing up. "Oh yeah...Just a tiny bit. I only had to use most of my life savings to rebuild her" He joked. It was a lot of money, but Sean actually helped out a little, knowing it was his fault for blowing the engine in the first place.

Aric laughed at her 'previous life' comment. "I was probably a Knight, and you were some form of royalty" He played along. He listened to her talk about being one of his groupies "Nah...You couldn't handle it...It would get to rough for you to pretend that you were drooling over me, when you really weren't" He smiled and looked over at her. He then heard her say she wasn't beautiful...He wasn't about to try to win that battle. People always went back and forth on the subject. As Aric accelerated, he heard Steph's comment and he pushed a little harder on the gas, shifting gears again, now passing 100 mph. "Faster?" He asked loudly, trying to be heard over the purring engine.

Suddenly, Aric saw the exit sign for the Hospital and he had to slow down, so he started to break and downshift, getting ready for the turn. "Is 115 fast enough for you? That's what we got up to" He said smiling at Steph. He turned his attention back to the road and made his necessary turns until he got into the parking lot. He parked the car and turned the key back toward him, turning the car off.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Steph nodded again, she could understand about the break. Sure she wasn't getting plowed in the face or anything but still after a long match breaks were accepted with arms wide open. Sitting here talking to him was weird though, he almost seemed normal and to her anyone that could fight just for bragging rights couldn't have been normal. She would have thought he would have been some annoying pissed at the world kind of guy, and instead he's laughing having a good time just enjoying her company. Her boring company at that, she was impressed that he could be so different than she'd figured him to be from first glances on the mat. "You really think you're the best of the best?" She asked, curious. She liked to think of herself as the best, the ego made it easier to succeed because she never doubted a move, but in his situation the ego could just get in the way and leave him with a busted jaw passed out on the floor. It could go either way though, maybe his ego let him calm down a bit to relax more into the fight leaving no fault in his moves. The more she thought about it she was starting to tear herself in two different directions so she just stopped and moved on in the conversation.

Steph laughed for a second cocking her head to look over at him. "You named your car Sean?" She asked completely dumb to the fact he had just been talking to his brother, or at least dumb to the fact for a moment or two before it clicked. Instead of blushing, Steph rarely showed any shade of red on her cheeks except for when sun-burnt, she just laughing shaking her head looking down towards her feet. "Your brother, right. I knew that one." She teased some, feeling slightly embarassed in the end. When he said the age difference Steph did the math, Eric was only nineteen. Stephanie was a year older than him. "I would have pegged you as older than that," She said looking at him. "Fights must be aging you quickly bud, you could pass as twenty one at least." She teased, he looked around her age and infact had been. "You're only trailing behind me a year or so." She told him, letting him in on the fact she'd been twenty. "And you don't know the half of it about the brothers, it wasn't all bad though, just about ninety five percent of the time."

At the Knight/Royalty comment she just had to laugh. "maybe that's why i'm so damn broke this time around, karma. I could so act like a groupie though, I could handle it." In reality Steph had done something along those lines before. Faked interest towards a friend just to keep another girl from grabbing him up, she hated the girl and when she found out the chick had liked one of her close friends she made it her obligation to keep the two apart. She did a good job of it too until her friend told her he'd been crushing on her, and that pretty much ended that right there. "I'm a very convincing person," She said leaning over closer to him from her seat laughing some as she batted her eyelashes, just a joke of course because if she were to flirt that would not be the move to make. "Doesn't hurt that you're not bad on the eyes either, well when your face isn't all bloody and swollen i'm sure, but even so you've got a certain charm about your features." She decided she'd throw a compliment his way since he'd given her a few. She wasn't lying either, he had been a very attractive male.

She could hear the engine purr louder as the speed was picking up, him stepping on the gas pedal as Steph looked and watched infront of her. She didn't even look at the speed right now, instead she just relaxed against the seat closing her eyes some to make herself to feel the speed throughout her entire body. The only muscle working right now had been her face, a grin evident that she was enjoying the sudden speed increase. She didn't answer his question, mostly she couldn't hear him but partially because she wasn't even listening for him. This might be her only chance in a car like this so she was going to enjoy it, but as soon as she felt the car slowing down she popped her eyes open feeling her hair to make sure nothing was out of place. When she did put it up she made damn sure it stayed perfect until she went to bed, it was too much of a hassle just for it to mess up or fall out of place not even a little while after putting it up. "Fast enough, yes," She said looking at him, the grin turning to a smirk as she took a deep breathe seeing the exit come to view. "For tonight anyway," She gave him a wink before turning her attention out the window watching the small amount of traffic around them.

[aricsummers]

Aric looked over and shrugged "Not in the US, no...But from what I can tell, being the best here, isn't too hard. I've been up against some big guys, fast guys, strong guys, but none of them have been able to knock me out or make me tap...I mean, not to brag, but I think I'm a decent fighter." He said, trying not to brag too badly. He knew it was bragging, he didn't want it to sound that way though. "But, I have like ten years of experience too. The guys out here are at like maybe a year, or two...So it's almost like a pro fighting a beginner is how I feel sometimes. That's when I pull punches and do lighter attacks...To help build their confidence in themselves. I don't want someone to stop fighting because they lost to me. I'm not that kind of person." He told her honestly. He wouldn't want someone's dreams to be crushed because they lost terribly to a more experienced fighter. "I know I would probably quit if I got pounded beyond belief." He confessed.

Aric looked a little confused when she asked him about the name of his car. He looked over and started laughing lightly when she had caught herself "Yes...Yess, I named my car after my idle" He joked "But that would make sense though...But I don't have a name for my car...She's just my baby." He told Steph. He shrugged at her comment. He was normally told that he looked older. He had actually made it into a bar once because the bouncer in front thought he was twenty one. "No ma'am...Only sitting at nineteen. I will actually be twenty in a couple of weeks. I got held back in school" He confessed to her. He didn't like to tell people that he was held back, but he felt comfortable enough with Steph, which was odd, because he usually didn't trust anyone this quickly...But Steph was different.

He looked over at Steph, then did a double take to the road, then back to Steph, watching her bat her eyelashes jokingly. He gave a slight laugh and looked back to the road. He looked over at her for a brief second then turned his attention back to the road again "Well thanks. If I look okay now, I wonder how I would look if I were to clean up" He joked. He never really thought much of his looks. He knew he had a good body, but never really paid too much attention to himself.

Once they entered the parking lot, Aric found a parking spot and parked the car. He turned off the car, letting the purring sound cut off. He took the keys from the ignition and unbuckled his seat belt and sighed deeply. He then pulled the handle on his door and opened it. He stepped out of the car and went around to the other side and opened the door for Steph. He waited for her to step out and he shut the door behind her, then locked the car with his remote. He then started walking toward the hospital doors, making sure he walked the same pace as Steph to stay next to her. "We may be here for a little while...Hopefully my mom's friend is working, I can get in and out pretty quickly." He said with a slight smile. One of his mother's friends was a doctor here and he usually took care of Aric's more than minor wounds.

[stephanie michelle davis]

"Ten years?" She asked again doing the math in her head, so he had started fighting around the age of nine or so? That was impressive to say the least, she just hoped he wasn't getting into matches back then like he was so used to these days. "Did you take classes or something, or did you just pick moves up on the street?" She asked curiously, she could only imagine a nine year old on the street throwing it down with teenagers. It'd be a hell of a lot to brag about though, still the thought had her chuckling. "Same with me though I guess, I have been kicking a ball around since I could walk. Well not a soccer ball, the brothers were into football so when they left it around on the ground i'd just start kicking it all over. They tried teaching me how to throw it but that didn't go over too well." She stopped talking soon though, she always felt weird going on about her family unsure if he'd care to listen. Most people could care less about someones family, he just seemed to be a person that could honestly believe and cherish his family. She cherished that in a person, family was everything and those that didn't believe that she didn't bother to associate with, usually anyway.

He let the joke slide and didn't pick on her about it too much, that made her feel better as she just watched him as he spoke. "Is he really your idol?" She asked softly looking over at him. Most brothers hated each other, they were more rivals than friends, so again having him close to her brother could be a good thing on her book. "So let me ask you this, since we're trying to get to know each other better and all." She said straight out as she turned some in her seat, as much as the seatbelt could allow her too as they got into traffic heading in the direction of the hospital. "Would you put your car before a woman? Like put more time into her before the girlfriend? You don't have a girlfriend do you, I mean it might be a little weird having me in the car if she rides by and sees this." Steph had thought back on the conversation, she just couldn't remember if he had said he'd been single or not. The last thing she needed though was to start something with anyones girlfriends, she so did not need that drama. "In a couple of weeks? Awesome, got any plans?" She asked, most people would party any chance they had gotten, and she partially wondered if he'd been that partying type. She wondered if he'd done any drugs or drank for that matter, but she would leave that question for another time.

She just nodded with a grin at his next comment. She was sure the man could clean up well. She was also sure that she would get a chance to see him that way at one point, obviously since he'd wanted to get to know her better this probably wouldn't be their only meeting. Steph was pretty good at getting ahold of people to hang out, she hated being alone and found it much more comforting with someone else, so even if he'd try to blow her off she would surely try to set something up for another time. He didn't seem the blowing off type though, she was sure there would be some more encounters between the two. What happened and where they would go during those encounters had still been a mystery, but she would wait and find out soon enough. "I'm willing to find out," She said, hinting that this shouldn't be their last time together. "That is if you have free time on that busy schedule of yours down the road," She teased unsure if he really did have a busy schedule or not. "You showed me your skill, you got to least give me a chance to show you mine." She said, that seemed like a fair deal. She could make time for the two of them to be alone on the field, usually each night she'd go up there. It was much more fun with a partner, for her anyway. She wasn't sure how he would take it, maybe she would start off with inviting him to group functions if he seemed hesitant.

She watched him pull into the lot and park the car, shutting it off before stepping out and she was about to open her own door when he came and let her out. "Why thank you." She said with a grin, not too many men had the chivalry to open the doors for the women these days. Even in the hospital parking lot it felt nice. She walked beside him as they made their way to the door. "It's fine, I have nowhere to be." She said when he had told her they could be there for a while. "Gives us all the more time to chat right?" She asked, that had been the purpose of this ride together right? Steph usually wasn't that verbal though, this was weird but acceptable. He was fun to talk to, especially with the jokes and slight teases he'd throw her way randomly in the conversation. "Well aren't you just lucky," She said laughing about the comment with his moms friend. "You owe me after this, you know that right?" She teased, he didn't owe her anything. If she didn't want to come she didn't have to, she could have said no. It had been her decision, he hadn't forced her.

[aricsummers]

Aric nodded "Yup...Ten years." He answered rhetorically. "I started taking classes when I turned nine. I was only taking karate though. Then I learned about other fighting techniques down the line, that's how I got involved with the mixed martial arts. He told her a little background of his childhood. "I needed to find a way to get away from some people, and it seemed like going to those classes took my mind off of them at that time." He told her. He was speaking of his father. With his father always beating Aric, he wanted to try to find out how he could defend himself, hence the karate class at the beginning. Aric gave a laugh when she mentioned that her brother tried to teach her football. He could picture a smaller version of Steph trying to learn how to throw a ball. "I bet after a while, they just started tossing it back and forth to each other, leaving you out, huh? That's usually why people stop trying certain sports when they are younger, they don't get included very often"

Aric looked over and nodded "Yup...My brother is definitely my idol. He has always been there for me. He was there while my father wasn't, and he stood up for me when I needed it. I mean, sure, we had our fights, but we are still pretty much best friends. He had to beat up on me a few times to teach me a couple lessons, but what are brothers for?' He asked rhetorically. When Aric heard Steph start her question, he paid a bit more attention. When she asked about putting his car before a woman, Aric looked at her in a jokingly surprised way. "Not at all...Never would I put an object before a woman... I love my car, but I would never do that" He responded. "Nope...No girlfriend. What about you? Have a boyfriend?" He shrugged at Steph's question about his plans for his birthday. "Um...No idea yet. I'm guessing probably just a small get together with some friends."

Aric smirked a bit "Psh, busy schedule...I have school during the day, fight on weekends, unless I've made other plans, and other week nights, I don't do a whole lot. I'm sure if you were to call me at some point, I would be hanging out with you. I just don't do a whole lot unless I'm invited to do things." Aric nodded and smiled, looking toward Steph "Done deal" He said to her comment of playing soccer. Aric had never really played the sport, but he liked kicking the ball around with friends when he was younger. Plus he learned some stuff from his brother, because that was his brother's sport. He played it all through High School and college, then stopped and went to volleyball.

Aric nodded to Steph as she got out of the car and they started walking toward the doors. "Definitely" He responded to her comment about more chatting. "Yeah, I figured it was a pretty good thing my knows a few doctors here, but I only know one of them.." He told her as they made their way through the sliding glass doors. Aric looked around at the waiting room, there were about ten people there, but he then heard a voice from the left of him. "Aric...Good to see you again kid...How's your mom?" The man asked. Aric turned his attention to the doctor and shook his hand. The doctor looked at Steph and greeted her "Hello there. Dr. Roberts" He introduced himself. The look on the man's face was fairly joyful, until he saw Aric's eyebrow. "Fighting again Aric? By the looks of it...I'd say seven stitches, wouldn't you?" He asked Aric.

"Yeah, I would have guessed six, but you're the doctor." He joked. The doctor smiled a bit, but there was still some disappointment in his eyes. "Let's get you in a room right back here...The usual room will be fine. Nurse, let him through, get a shot in his right eyebrow and make sure he is ready in five minutes. I'll be right in Aric." Aric nodded toward the doctor and went through a pair of large doors that the nurse opened for the two. Once they reached Aric's 'usual' room, he opened the door and held it open for Steph. Once in the small room, Aric sat on the small medical bed and looked over at Steph and smiled lightly.

[stephanie michelle davis]

"Makes sense I guess," She said as he started to talk about going to classes. That is something that he had that some of the other fighters probably hadn't, technique and skill. He would be a hard one to beat if the others were just getting on the mat with no real background in the style, her friend Matt for example that had gotten on that mat one night just to be smart and soon hobbled off the mat defeated. She didn't laugh as she thought of that, instead her smile turned into just a soft one as she remembered nursing the wounds at school with a small group of friends. "Like bullies or something?" She asked, most children took up martial arts for defense, she could not see Aric as the type that would have bullies though. He could be the bully, he couldn't get bullied from what she had seen. He was an entirely different person than he was ten years ago though, maybe he was someone who'd been bullied.

"I guess you could say that," She told him after her brothers came up, the only reason they'd tried throwing it to her in the first place was because their father kept telling them to include Stephanie. She was so sick of that phrase, 'include stephanie', it always made her sound like she was some burden. Even to this day her father will call that out to the boys when Steph gets home for the weekend or something, most of the time they have no problem doing just that though because the group of them would kick the soccer ball around, and most of the time when they came inside most all her brothers would hang their heads considering their sister just beat them. Steph had always been proud of those moments.

Steph's eyebrows quirked some when he mentioned his brother being there before his father. "Where was your father?" She asked, unsure if maybe he had died or something as Aric was growing up. Either that or maybe his father was like her mother, some low life who ran away because they couldn't handle the responsibility of being a parent. Her smile immediately dropped from her face at thought of her mother, if she could even call her that.

Her mood picked up quick when he changed subject from their parents to his car verses women. "Good answer," She told him, chuckling something as he defended the answer throwing in a reason instead of just the simple 'no' from the beginning. "But i'm guessing you've got all the high school girls crushing?" She asked, him staying back a grade gave her the assumption he'd been graduating from High School this year. "I haven't had a boyfriend in years," she told him truthfully looking out the window. "Too complicated, my schedule is busy enough with everything going on, I barely have time alone." That had been half true, though she knew if she had found that person she could make allowances in order to see them.

Steph just nodded when he'd said it'd been a done deal, and stepped out of the car with him when it had been time. She walked with him and was about to say something when she heard a males voice talking to him from behind them. A man? Here she had thought it had been a woman, though she usually was wrong when jumping to conclusions. "Steph," Her voice was timid when she was in there looking at the other people in the waiting room, but since he'd introduced himself she figured she could do the same. The usual room? She heard that and cracked a smile, it had some humor in it. When the doctor told him the stitches and the two were led into another room she just looked around, going to sit on one of the metal chairs in the corner of the room crossing her legs to get comfortable in her seat. "I think you just pissed a good nine or ten people out there cutting in line like that," She teased some, her voice staying soft since it was just a small room.

[aricsummers]

Aric had to think for a second thinking whether or not he should tell her about the abusive scum that he legally had to call his father. "Never really had a problem with the kids at school. It was my home life that I needed the lessons for." He paused for a moment "My brother would defend me as much as he could against my father, but when Sean wasn't around, it was open season on my ass. My dad would beat the hell out of me and my mom knew about it. I guess she was afraid to say anything, thinking that maybe he would beat her too. After a while, I got sick of it and started to take classes for self defense. Sean actually started to teach me some stuff too. He had been in classes for a couple years for himself at the time." He paused for another moment, thinking back to one time in particular that his father had beaten him. "Then one day, I decided to tell a teacher at school and my father was thrown in jail for a few years."

Aric thought again for a moment "When he was let out, he came back...But this time, I knew how to fight back. I was eleven when he came back, he was stronger, but I ended up getting him in the backyard and he broke his hand by swinging at me, hitting the house with his bare hand. I had ducked just in time I guess. After that, my mom finally decided to get a divorce from him. Aric was happy that he didn't have to deal with the beatings anymore, but he wished that he and his father could have had a normal relationship. Aric had a feeling Steph wouldn't much, if anything, to say after that story, so he tried to start up a different conversation. "Now that you know most of my childhood history...How were your younger years?" He asked with a bright smile.

Aric smiled "I thought it sound like a pretty good answer" He said jokingly. Aric had to think about the girls at school "Well, actually, I have no idea. There might be some girls that are crushing, but I don't know. I haven't been told anything." He told her. Aric could kind of tell that a few girls were crushing on him, but he would think it was just because of his hobby. "I haven't had a girlfriend in a while...Doesn't seem like any girls want to actually get to know me...They just want to build their own reputations," I was kind of sad actually. No girls wanted to get to know Aric, they just wanted to say they had dated him for their own personal reasons. But Steph was different already. She was actually listening, or she was really good at acting like she cared.

Aric could see Steph smile a bit when the doctor told them to wait in the 'usual' room. It was kind of funny, but sad at the same time, the fact that Aric had a 'usual' room. When they got in the room, Aric looked at Steph when she made her comment "You're probably right...But it wasn't our choice, the doctor pushed us to the front of the line. Plus, if any of them needed more help then I do, Roberts would have brought them in first. Most of the people that come in late at night are either really busted up, or it's something they need to take up with a family doctor, so Roberts makes them leave anyway." Aric said. He heard Roberts telling stories to his mother a while back, so he knew a little about first aid and medical situations.

Almost right after Aric finished his sentence, a nurse walked in with a large syringe with a clear liquid in it. Aric knew it was for the numbing of his eyebrow and he laid back on the table. "You may need to drive my pretty little car later Steph. My eye might be closed from the numbness." He told her. He smiled a bit when he told her, imagining what was going through her mind. "Black stitches please" He told the nurse. Aric felt a jolt of pain in his eyebrow, letting him know the needle was injecting the numbing solution. He felt a relief of pressure when the needle was taken out. "The doctor will be in in a few minutes." The nurse informed the two. Aric sat up and watched the door close behind the nurse, he looked at Steph and could feel his right eyelid getting heavier. He could tell his eye was closed and he smiled at Steph "Purdy aint it?" He asked in a Texan accent.

The nurse had also removed the temporary butterfly stitches and his wound was opened up again. There was a bit of blood coming from the cut, but Aric couldn't feel it as it oozed from his eyebrow. "Um...Can you get me a towel or something so you don't have to look at my ugly mug while I can't control a quarter of my face" He asked with a laugh.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Stephanie listened as he talked about his father, and how his brother could only defend him for so long. She understood his need to take classes and almost felt proud when he told her about how he'd ducked in time to stop a blow from his father. A smile played on her face when he mentioned the broken hand, but only for a second as a more serious look washed over her. Abusive parents were something that Stephanie had known nothing about, so instead of talking and probably saying something completely unrelated to his topic she just sat there in silence for a minute taking all that he had just said in. "So i'm guessing you live with your mother now away from him?" Was all that she had asked, and then he had changed the subject. Stephanie could handle that, she didn't mind talking about her own childhood.

"Where to begin," She said, an over-exhausted sigh falling from her lips as she looked at him. "My mom ran off when I was just a baby, couldn't handle the pressure of being a parent. The funny thing was she was around for my brothers while they grew up, but after having me she just ran. You'd think she'd be happy to finally have a girl after three boys right?" Stephanie didn't seem mad or upset by this though, a smile showed that she wasn't bothered by her mothers antics. "My dad did the best he could with me but he had some trouble, me being a girl and all. He was used to boys, he could handle them. With me it was a whole new ballpark. I thought it'd be best to just act like my brothers, so instead of dressing up and playing with dolls i'd throw on a pair of jeans and act like them." She shrugged, thinking about her childhood some getting lost in her thoughts. "There were fights between me and the brothers, most of the time they'd be wrestling and i'd get thrown into it because I was in the wrong place, you'd think they would have taken it easy on me but I almost think they stopped thinking I was a girl, and thought I was just another brother. I don't mind that though." Again, another shrug as she looked at him seeing if she'd been boring him at all. "That's basically it I guess, I grew up and here I am now. In some strange hospital room with a man who is about to get stitches." She laughed some, who would have thought this would be happening tonight just because her friend had brought her to a fight night.

Steph smirked letting out another laugh when he said he hadn't been told if any girl was crushing on him. "Um duh, that is sort of what crushing is. You think a girl is going to have the guts to go up to some guy and tell him he's gorgeous and that she is into him?" Even Steph had problems just coming right out and telling guys her feelings, normally she'd just hint around at her feelings and hope the guy hadn't been too dumb to realize them. Her smirk turned into a grin as Steph shook her head watching him. "You guys, sometimes I swear you have no idea about the female gender." She teased, most men were usually too stupid to realize that most of the time the girl liked having the first move put on her, some girls just felt ackward making that attempt. Steph, well it could go either way with her depending on the feelings and situation. She had made a few first moves whereas would wait around for the man to move first sometimes, she had no real preference. "Eh, dating is overrated." She said after his confession. "Relationships just cause drama and shit ends up hitting the fan eventually anyway." Stephanie had never been good at relationships, didn't mean she never tried but they just usually all ended up failing, badly. "Let's just say i'm not the best spokeswoman for love and all that stuff." She said, her head shaking but still her not showing a sign of sadness. She was in love right now, with soccer. She didn't need a man, or so she thought anyway.

She just nodded as he explained about the doctor and all the people in the waiting room. She could understand why he'd push them away if it wasn't something that needed care that night, he needed the rooms open for those who actually had emergencies. Or minor cases like men getting their faces split open from fights, the thought had Stephanie chuckling some as she stopped quick as he talked about his car. "Makes me glad I finally got my license yesterday, only failed the driving test like eight times but still. I guess it didn't hurt that I flattered the instructor, who'da thought my first real driving experience with a license would be in a hot mustang? Don't worry though, I can usually stay in the lines." She teased trying to keep a straight face, for some reason she felt the need to joke because he might actually let her drive later if he couldn't see. She couldn't keep a straight face for long though and busted out laughing. "Nah, i've had my license for years. Don't know why, don't have a car, but I drive all the time anyway with friends or my dads old truck." She wanted him to know that if it came down to it she would know how to drive, but still she had never driven anything with that much power.

When the nurse came in with the large needle Steph's eyes widened for a minute as she watched her prep him and push the needle through his skin letting the numbing stuff do it's job. She pulled the needle from him and plucked the staples out before leaving after mentioning the doctor would be in soon. Steph could see the blood start to ooze from the open cut again and immediately stood when he asked her to get a towel. She looked around and saw a white towel sitting on the counter behind her. "You ever wonder why the towels and blankets and everything are always white? It just seems stupid because of the amount of blood that gets on them, they must have some powerful bleach." she said trying to distract herself from looking at him. He did look pretty funny right now and she knew if she watched hi she'd just start busting out laughing, and he would probably get upset about that. "Here, need help?" She asked walking close to him and picking the towel up near his face. She did smile but not laugh, she could control herself right now at the sight, and she gently dabbed some blood up from his eyebrow. She wasn't sure why she was going so gently, it wasn't like he would feel anything but still she felt the need to. "Here, I wiped up the drips and stuff, just like apply pressure or something until he gets here? Wait, what am I talking about? You probably know what to do, nevermind me." She laughed, somewhat nervously.


ooc, -dies- sorry it is so long. I didn't even hit on everything because i would have probably written a book, so yeah hope this okay hah.

[aricsummers]

Aric nodded and spoke "Yup, well, actually, I don't live at home anymore. My mother is a great woman, but I go kicked out of my house when I got in my last fight at school, she couldn't deal with the stress anymore. Which I understand." He told Steph. He had actually been glad that he had told her about her father, not many people knew, but it felt good to get it off of his chest. "I actually used to pick on kids because I knew I was better and my childhood history left me angry, until after I dealt with my father for the last time. That's when I did a full 180. I started to help kids, which ended me up in the principal's office a lot. Other kids would try to jump me for standing up for the smaller kids, so I moved schools a lot when I was younger."

"Well, Steph, it sounds like we have quite a lot in common. Not exactly, but around the same things. He was starting to understand Steph better, and he might of had a hint of a crush building inside of him. He wouldn't say anything, but he could feel something. When she made the comment of a girl straight up telling him that she liked him, Aric shrugged and smiled a bit "I would hope so...I know it wouldn't happen, but it's worth a shot to let someone know that you like them, it could start something up. It could be the start of a great relationship, or maybe it could build their friendship if it didn't work out. I've had it happen before. I've had a situation where the girl just didn't like me anymore than a friend, and we became best friends..." He admitted. It was true, Aric had been turned down before. He didn't mind it though, he understood that he wasn't Prince Charming.

Aric kind of wondered if Steph was kidding or not when she started talking about her license. He was a little worried, until she told him that she was kidding and that she had had her license for years. He felt relieved when she admitted that she was only kidding. "You honestly had me going there...Not cool" He laughed a bit. Aric knew he had to look like an idiot at the moment. "You can laugh...I know I look like Igor right now...I'm not laughing because I can't see it, otherwise I would be laughing at myself. I can tell from the look on your face" He told her, looking up at her face while she dabbed his eyebrow. "Nah, it's cool. You know what needs to be done apparently. I know basic first aid because of a few previous jobs with kids, but you seem to know what's going on." He told her.

He reached up with his right hand and grabbed the edge of the small towel, skimming Steph's hand as he grasped the towel. "Thanks, though...I think I can handle it from here...Unless you want to try to stop the bleeding...It's up to you." He joked. After a moment or two, the doctor knocked on the door and entered. He looked between Aric and Steph a few times, then made his way to Aric. "You want to stay sitting up or lay down?" He asked before removing the towel from Aric's eyebrow. "I'll lay back. I think you may need to stay over here Steph...Remember, I might need your hand" He said jokingly.

Even though the numbing solution had done it's job, there would still be some pain under the skin and while the doctor weaved the stitched through Aric's eyebrow...That's how it always was. Aric laid back on the bed and the doctor stood over him and started to thread the needle. "Pink stitches right?" The doctor teased. "You're going to feel some pressure, then a sharp pain, you know the drill" Aric nodded to the doctor's comment. As the doctor pushed the needle through Aric's eyebrow, he felt the pressure, but no pain...Yet. Suddenly the doctor started to weave in and out of the wound with the stitches and Aric cringed from the pain. "This is probably one of the worst ones I've had..." He mentioned to Steph. He hated not talking in hospital rooms, it creeped him out. Plus, he didn't want Steph to get bored, although she probably already was.

When the doctor finished, he tied the knot in the end of the stitches and patted Aric's chest. "Two weeks. Stay here for a few minutes, make sure you feel ok before leaving. If you feel dizzy or anything, let your friend know and she can go grab a nurse to check on you. You aren't driving tonight are you? You have a ride?" Aric nodded and looked at Steph with his one open eye. The doctor nodded "Alright. You may need to stay with him for a while to make sure he is ok." He said to Steph. Aric knew that he wasn't supposed to be alone for at least four hours after he got stitches, in case of the numbing not going away, or if he needed to be rushed back for any reason, but he didn't want to tell Steph. That might be weird. Plus, she was supposed to get back to her dorms when they were finished here. What was he going to do when they got to the dorm? Was he just going to sleep in his car for a few hours? He would figure something out. He wasn't going to be doing any driving until his eyes opened back up though...Hopefully only about thirty minutes, that's usually how long it took to wear off.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Stephanie had known that when you grow up in an abusive household as a boy you too tend to take on some of your fathers actions, obviously if the biggest influence in your life is beating people it's okay to, so she half expected Aric to be a bully in school. His father would hurt him and he'd take the aggression and pain out on someone else, it just made sense when Steph thought about it. She just nodded when he talked about his mother kicking him out, she could understand that as a mother she wouldn't want to keep hearing that her son was in fights. Especially if she had to spend all those years with an abusive husband watching him beat on her child. Stephanie hadn't heard him say the man was abusive on his mother though so she didn't jump to that conclusion. Steph chuckled just some as he started to talk about helping out the children, defending the smaller ones, and still getting called to the office. "So it's pretty much a lose-lose situation? You're screwed if you beat them, and your screwed if you help them. Go figure," She had skipped over the part about his father though, at least he'd gotten closure and could move on.

She just gave him a nod with a bright smile showing through. "So that must mean you live one boring as all hell life too huh?" She asked, that being her downfall after soccer practice and the games were done. Most of the time when she wasn't lounging around in her dorms she was off exploring the city and finding people to hang out with, but the problem with Stephanie had been that she would want company too late when they had already had plans. Plans that didn't involve Stephanie leaving her in the dark having to associate with strangers, something she was not opposed to doing if it'd meant she'd have some fun. Tonight for example, she could have just left and not said anything to him, and instead here she was standing beside his bed in a hospital room. Not the most fun but it worked for her, she was getting to understand him better and they seemed to be enjoying each others company.

Steph shook her head at the part when he had started talking about letting someone know your feelings, and how it could help and make the relationship stronger. "Or it could completely ruin your friendship because you'd be so uncomfortable around them, so whatever friendship you had would be ruined and, well yeah you get it I hope." Steph had a best friend, Aiden, the two of them had done everything together for a half dozen years or so and although neither never spoke up both knew the other had feelings for them. She liked how they just stayed friends though, she was afraid to move further because that could put the friendship in jeopardy. Steph was always skeptical when it came to relationships, but only because she had rotton luck with them. "At least you and her had a happy ending, I have heard too many bad stories about love and friendship though, I over-analyze things like that." She told him, happy that he could have at least let the relationship with her blossom into best friends, even if it had sounded like he'd wanted more.

Steph just nodded and laughed at his next part, he did look rather funny right now. She had never witnessed someone with a numbing agent anywhere on their face other than their mouths, and even just paralyzed lips people looked funny unable to move them no matter how much might they put into it. "I'm sort of the go to girl when some teammates get hurt," She said when he'd told her she knew what she was doing. "I don't know much, just a few things." She told him, she could do the minor first aid things but other than that she was lost and usually would just panic. "No, i'm good." She said holding her hands up when he had taken the towel watching him. When the doctor came in she backed up towards her chair, she wanted him to have whatever space he had needed. She watched as the two went through the motions, Aric seeming to know just what to do and not being too phased by it. When he made the remark to Steph she just laughed giving him a grin as she walked around to the other side of the hospital bed to be near him but out of the doctors way.

She stayed silent though through the banter from the doctor, he seemed like a nice man and Aric seemed comfortable around him. She watched the threaded needle come close to his skin and pierce it being pulled through the other side, her stomach tightened but only for a moment as he started to weave. "Need my hand yet?" She asked, a small chuckle as she held it out to the man cringed before her. Within a few minutes though the doctor was done and telling him his further instructions. Steph looked down at Aric for a second, a small smirk on her lips as she shook her head slightly before looking back up at the doctor. "Of course, i'll watch him." She told him, the doctor leaving the room to get the nurse to get his discharge papers ready for him to take with them. Steph tapped her fingers against the bed beside him leaning against it not breaking her gaze fixed on his eyes. "You plan this or something?" She asked, him having probably known that he would need to be watched for a while. "Something tells me you knew he was going to say that." She teased, she didn't mind, but she wasn't going to just come right out and tell him that.

[aricsummers]

Aric shrugged and smiled a bit "Yeah...My life is pretty...Uneventful. I mean, fighting aside, there is not a whole lot that I get out and do that is really worth anyone's time to talk about. I pretty much go to movies, sometimes hang out at the mall, work out, and go to clubs...Even though I'm not supposed to, the bouncers usually let me in because they know who I am." He told Steph. It was true, Aric didn't do a whole lot other than train. Although, if he got an invite somewhere, you'd better believe that he will show up. He would always pounce at opportunities to hang out, he was a social guy. "As far as like parties go...I don't go to high school parties much anymore, unless it's going to be huge." He mentioned. "Too much drama at those things" He added.

"Yeah, that's true...I guess there have been a lot of relationships down the tubes because of that." He admitted. He had seen it before, he had been fortunate enough for it not to happen to himself. "Has that happened to you?" He asked, doing a little history digging on Steph. He had told her a lot about himself, and she had done the same, but now he figured he would throw in a question. "Maybe I can show you a little more first aid too...I could help out on the team's medical team" He joked. He gave a brief smile when he finished his statement.

Aric heard Steph's offer and he grabbed her hand gently and gave a slight squeeze when the doctor threaded through the third time. He was in pain, but he didn't want to show it too much in front of Steph. He let go of her hand, right before the doctor finished and he tied the knot. Aric tried not to look into Steph's eyes when she fixed her eyes on his. He kept looking away jokingly and finally broke a smile. "Well, I didn't plan the whole thing...I didn't plan on having to come here in the first place. I didn't even plan on meeting anyone tonight. But after I met you, I figured it would be a good way to spend some time with you...Plus...I need a driver" He said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys, holding them out for Steph. He put on an innocent smile and looked her in the eyes, his right eye still closed from the numbing.

[["Sorry it's short. I couldn't think of anything else...I just thought that I needed to write something soon ]]

[stephanie michelle davis]

Stephanie had to laugh when he spoke up about hanging at the mall. "What would you possibly do at the mall all day, shop for clothes?" She asked with a smirk. "Or are you one of those people that doesn't make it out of the arcade once you're there?" She loved the arcade but didn't get too many chances to take advantage of the lame games they had there. She was lucky enough to have had a few chances to play a game of air hockey with random strangers, but other than that she tried to stay out of the arcade at all costs. Some of the people in there that she swore never saw daylight freaked Stephanie out as they walked around in their zombie state with their dark clothes and shitty disposition. "I'm more of a sit in the food court and take advantage of the free wi-fi kind of girl myself." She told him, sometimes she had packed her laptop to bring it from the dorm to the mall just to relax for the day. Even if she wasn't talking to anyone and just punching away on her laptop she didn't feel alone, that was one of the only reasons why she'd refuse the wi-fi at school to go to the mall.

She nodded at the parties comment. "I remember those parties rather well." She said as her thoughts trailed off to during her senior year and the many parties that she had attended, she had been graduating and that would be the end of an era so of course she was going to live it up, but at the parties she found more downers than those actually wanting to have a good time. People breaking up, making out with strangers to get back at the person that pissed them off, and of course the usual fight that came afterwards when the jealous boyfriend had had enough. "College parties are somewhat more chill, still some of that drama shit though. Especially when some stupid prick invites his high school girlfriend, I swear one high school girl at any party and it's bound to end terribly." She rolled her eyes never understanding why girls act the way they do. Steph too was that way though when it came to one person and that had been her best friend Aiden, she could get pretty psychotic when it came to someone trying to mess around with her best friend that wasn't worth his time.

When he asked her the next question she looked at him for a minute quietly before shrugging some, not entirely sure of what the answer should be. She figured she might as well get it out in the open, if the two were going to hang out he was going to find out about her best friend anyway. "There is this one guy," She started looking down at the bed as she leaned against it. "His names Aiden, him and I have been like best friends for years. He's on the soccer team too, but that's besides the point. Anyway, there was this one time that we sort of tried going on a date, and I mean the feelings were there and all that, but I just couldn't make the leap from best friend to boyfriend. Still can't, he's the type that comes in and out of my life like every week so instead of dealing with the drama I just take it in stride, I don't think anything is going to happen, at least not for a while. The maturity isn't there," She went on and on about her and Aiden and had to stop. He didn't need to know all of this, what if he didn't want to hang out with her anymore because she was so close to this Aiden guy? She looked up at him when she'd stopped talking. "Maybe, the most you'd have to deal with is a broken ankle or something, not too bad huh?" She asked, once last year during her freshman season she had remembered one girls cleat getting caught in the turf as someone was coming up to make a shot on the goalie. As the girl tried to move the other intercepted with her knee causing them both to topple over and the first girl to have broken a few of the smaller bones in her ankle.

When he had pulled the keys from his pocket Stephanie immediately brought her hand to his pulling the keys from his grasp and tossing them a few inches up into the air as she caught them back in their hand. "Well I guess I can help, you know since you need me and all." She teased looking at him with his eye still shut. "I mean seriously, who could turn down the chance to hell a stranger out who just so happens to have an unbelievably hot car?" She asked, a smirk now as she looked at him. "Doesn't hurt that he's not too bad on the eyes either, well without this whole shut solid eye thing going on. Not so attractive, i'm not going to lie."



[[ ooc, you could have taken more time if you wanted to, and it definitely wasn't short ]]