G'morning Sunshine | {beth}

[Rylan Avery]

Light streamed through the windows, enough to cause his body to shift, attempting to block out the rays disturbing his sleep. It had been one of the few nights he'd actually slept soundly in the past few weeks, and hadn't paced around the house in a worried manner. By now he was awake, but hadn't quite decided whether or not to open his eyes, hoping that the light would shade to darkness, and he'd regain all the sleep lost within the last few weeks. The room was quite chilly, meaning someone in the house had most likely gone out the previous night and left the window open.

Rylan opened his eyes, revealing a perfectly neat bedroom, and two sleeping puppies, one on each side of the bed. Feeling pretty content, (maybe a little cold), he adjusted himself onto his back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before swinging his legs quietly onto the floor. The carpet was also cold, and the initial shock of the frigid air seemed to envelope his figure. Frozen for a moment, he then searched for a clean shirt to replace the one he had on. A glance was taken to a seemingly still asleep figure on the opposite side of his bed, deciding to continue downstairs to help make breakfast.

The hallway however, was warm at a comfortable temperature, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee surrounded the area. Cocking his head slightly to the left, he noticed that possibly he was the only one awake in the Avery house, but that was surprising, as the time lingered closer to nine o' clock. Sighing, he moved down the stairs, a hand steadying his half-awake body by gripping the smooth wooden railing. Peeking around the corner and into the kitchen, he spotted no one, just the bare counter tops, and blinking light of the automatic coffee pot. Mornings at the Avery house were always a treat, and included elaborate meals, fresh coffee, and the low murmer of an early morning movie from the TV adjusted for all sitting at the breakfast bar to see. As every morning might consist, the TV was put on first, and channels were flipped until something caught the human eye. Today, it happened to be saturday morning cartoons, quite the favorite of his until another member awoke. He had been pondering on the idea of what to make for breakfast, but hadn't decided as of the moment, so poured two cups of coffee, and headed back up to his bedroom after turning off the TV.

The room had gotten warmer, since he'd left the door slightly ajar when he originally left. Setting a cup on his desk, and the other in his hand, he settled into a favorite bean bag chair, continuing to read as he'd been doing the night before. Rylan favored the quiet atmosphere of the house, especially on mornings like this.

[Beth Collins]

As Ms. Collins heard the movement of the sheets, she looked over. She noticed that it was only Rylan. He was just waking up and not noticing that Beth was awake yet. She pretended to be asleep, and kept her eyes slightly closed, not wanting Rylan to stop and look at her. Beth bit her bottum lip as Rylan changed his shirt infront of her. Yeah, he did that alot, but the past month, she had seen him in a new light. Not the best friend, but also the crush.

She waited untill he went downstairs to unfold her self from the bed sheets. Beth stood up, only to reveal a long t-shirt and some shorts. It was hot at night, so she decide to wear less to get throught the night.

Beth walked over to the bathroom, she brushed her teeth, washed her face and brushed her hair. When she was done she looked around. It seemed as though Rylan and her were the only ones awake.

She walked downstairs, smiling when she saw Rylan watching some Saturday morning cartoons. They used to watch it always when they were younger. Beth walked over to him smiling. She sat down beside him as she began to talk. "Did you have a good sleep?"

[Rylan Avery]

It was only a matter of minutes before he was on his second cup of coffee, a fist clentching to rub at his eyes in a tired gesture. Rylan rested his elbow upon the counter, allowing his gaze to fall back on the television, but only for a couple seconds. His attention wavered to the sliding glass door, where the full view of outside could be seen. The entire street was pretty much deserted, except for the occasional loose dog who wandered aimlessly across the street.

His fingers traveled through his hair, evening it out to give it a less tousled look. Taking another sip of his coffee, he pushed the book aside, focusing his attention on the television, but not attempting to comprehend anything that was happening.

Rylan stood, making his way over to the counter, still trying to decide what he, or anyone else, might want for breakfast. Leaning against the counter, he surveryed his options; pancakes, waffles, french toast, and pretty much anything you could think of. Sighing, he returned to his seat, glancing up at the sound of Beth's voice. His eyes adjusted toward her, a smile spreading across his lips. A light shrug was given at her question, though he nodded. "Better than most days," He paused, preparing himself to continue. "You?" He asked, moving back to the coffee pot to add a bit more sugar and cream into his cup. "Coffee?" He offered, preparing to pour her a cup of the brewing liquid.

[Beth Collins]

As Rylan stood up and walked to the counter she watched him. Curious to see what he would do next. Beth stared at the cartoon that was on for a while then stood up to follow Rylan to the kitchen. She leant on the counter. Beth herself couldn't cook. But she had always loved to watch people cook.

"Better than most days,"

Beth smiled to herself. Maybe she had created that? Maybe he liked when she slept over, in his room? She knew she liked it. Any girl would like to share a room and bed with Rylan Avery, also known as the hottest guy ever. Maybe she was exagerating slightly, but she had her point.

"I slept like a baby." she said with a smile as thoughts fluttered her mind. She watched him make coffee. She hadn't been the one to drink and like coffee. She liked tea and alchole. But she stopped drinking and partying after the murder. But maybe she would go soon, with a friend.

When Rylan offered her, she shook her head. "Nope. But I would like a hug, you always give me hugs, except today," she said with smile. She loved how he hugged her. Before she hated it, but she adored them now.

[Rylan Avery]

As he made his way into the kitchen, he looked back to see her following him. A gentle smile formed at his lips, and he elevated himself lightly on the counter. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?" He asked, realizing she hadn't been able to get a word in before he asked yet another question. Rylan was always a generally buisy person, which in the long run wasn't such a good thing. He then turned to face her, still pondering on the idea of what to cook. Rylan enjoyed cooking, actually, he loved it. Some people found it strange, but when your parents weren't ever home, you had to learn to put food on the table for younger siblings. Once their parents left, they'd spent the first week ordering pizza, going out to eat, and cooking only things that were simple. Over time, Rylan learned to cook, and was pretty good at it.

Rylan loved the company of someone sleeping beside him, he found himself even more relaxed. A smile formed as Beth spoke, glad she too had slept soundly. "Good," He said, watching her for a moment. Honestly, the house was lonely without some beside he and his two siblings. Usually, the other two wandered out earlier in the morning, leaving him to find his own source for distraction. He liked having someone to keep him in check, which was the whole reason for him getting more sleep than he owuld normally have had. On any normal night, he'd of paced the entire house several times, maybe watched a bit of television, but never actually fall asleep until about three in the morning.

"Nope. But I would like a hug, you always give me hugs, except today," His gaze shifted in her direction, smiling. "Aww, Come here," His voice was more of a teasing tone, but he eagerly stepped toward her, his arms enveloping her into a hug. It used to be where he'd hug her just to make her squirm, but now it was different... Everything was different.

[Beth Collins]

As Rylan pulled her closer to him she smiled. It was always so nice to be around Rylan. He made her feel so good. Better than she should feel. Her brother died and all she cared about was herself, her safety. What happened to her other siblings? Did they not matter? To her they obviously didn't.

She hugged him tightly as her thoughts of her siblings fell to the ground. She thought about how she had seen Rylan in a new light, not as the friend but as a future boyfriend. Beth held onto him as they talked.

"I'd like some scrambled eggs with orange juice." she began she was trying to eat healthy. She didn't want to get fat and not be able to dance. "No fat."

She never remebered Rylan as being the cooking type of guy. He was more of a jock then a chief. "So, when did you learn to cook?" she asked as she jumped onto the empty counter. The counter felt cold to her thigh.

[Rylan Avery]

His mind wound around the thoughts and feelings he'd had over the past few days. What had brought this on? Never had he though of Beth as anything but a friend, a friend like Joie was now. He sighed contently though, and pushed the thoughts from his mind. For a moment he wanted to think of Beth staying over as more than just a source of protection, but in a sense it was. They enjoyed the company of one another, and it was only natural being friends for such a long time. Life had a tendancy of getting complicated, and for once, he felt like it wasn't going to be ok. That same feeling was that everything would get complicated, but in the same gesture, he felt like things already had.

Rylan smiled at their tight embrace, realizing how relaxed he was, which hadn't come easily in the past couple weeks. Actually, it hadn't ever come easy to him, and most people knew that. Blocking people out was easy, but letting them in, like he'd done with Beth, was even harder. It took an immense amount of trust to get him to let you in, which is why he chose only certain people.

A light nod was given as she told him what she wanted to eat, though his eyebrow quirked upward at her next comment. As the two parted, he took a moment to glance her over. A worried expression lingered upon his features for a moment, but he did his best to hide it. The last time Beth had really worried about things like that... He shook the thoughts from his mind, moving toward the refrigerator to retrieve the necessary items for the scrambled eggs. Retreating to the counter where Beth stood, he began cooking. "Since when did we start worrying about fat again?" He asked curiously, the usual worried look involuntarily coming to his face. "If my opinion counts, I don't think you should be worrying at all."

Rylan paused a beat after he spoke, immediately regretting his curiousity, in case she thought it to be out of line on his part. The two had been friends for quite a long time, and he couldn't help but to worry about her well-being. He was somewhat releived at her question, attempting to put on a friendly smile. "After my parents stopped coming home to cook or put food on the table, they started giving us cash to go out to eat. So, instead, we ordered take-out, and made those boxed pizzas. I think we practically lived on them for a month, and then I just put my energy into learning to cook... It's a whole lot better than what we were eating," He explained, a small smile forming at the memory.

[Beth Collins]

When he added the remark of her watching her weight she smirked. She had gone through a stage where she was really skinny. Almost on the edge of being anprextic. She had to go spend the nights at the hosiptal some times. And even time she saw the same face, Rylan. He was always there for her, holding her hand when ever she was hurt. He was the bestfriend any girl could ever dream of, Beth had all the girls dreams and desires.

"Since I saw how skinny Faiqa is. You have to cut on things too." she smiled as she patted his stomach lightly. When she listened to him talk on she smiled. That was really nice. He was usually making fun of her, but he never meant it.

"Thanks, Rylan. That means alot to me."

She walked away and towards the little breakfast table. She listened to how he started to learn how to cook. She got boared after a while and lost interest.

"Anyways, when will this be ready. 'Cause I'm really hungry." she said as she laid back in the chair she was sitting on and smiled at him. She watched him cook. He was a good cook. Why hasn't she noticed this earlier?

[Rylan Avery]

Rylan hated hospitals, and hated the fact of having a friend in that very hospital. Even though he disliked them, he'd been there for Beth when she had to spend the nights. Actually, he'd slept over a couple nights at a time, even though those that weren't family we're supposed to. Surprisingly, he'd lied to the nurse about being her older brother, who was away at the time. Rylan had had his share of visits too, and each time Beth was there along with him. It was nice having friends you could actually trust, wasn't it?

He eyed her for a moment as she patted his stomach, shaking his head lightly as he laughed. "Have you seen our refrigerator? With all that ice cream even I can get fat pretty quick," He paused, reaching into the upper cabinets to grab two plates, and two glasses, proceeding to the refrigerator to retrieve the orange juice. "But, we all know I never get fat," He joked, holding back another laugh. In actuality he had gained weight in the past year or so, but it looked good on him, considering about ninety-nine percent of it was muscle.

"Thanks, Rylan. That means a lot to me." The corners of his lips turned upward into a smile, glad he'd actually said something nice for once. Moving back to the counter, he portioned out the eggs, taking everything to the table where Beth now sat. Setting the plate in front of her, he sat across from her, pouring them each a glass of orange juice.

Taking his fork, he went to stab at a portion of the eggs, but paused, his gaze shifting to Beth. "I've been meaning to ask... But, you're doing ok lately, right?" He asked, the usual stone cold look in his eyes softening to a more welcoming gaze. He couldn't help but worry about her, or wonder how she was doing with everything, it was just his natural curiosity.

[Beth Collins]

Beth was also a softie for ice cream. She could eat it every day of her life and never get sick of it. Fat, yeah. But it was all in the moment. She imagined herself eating a cold, refreshing scoop. The thought of it made her want it even more.

"Now you have me thinking about ice cream!" Beth screamed at him, smiling after. Beth was weird like this. She was very out going, but she could also be shy at times. It was mainly if she knew you really well, then she would be outgoing towards you. But if she doesn't know you, then she will be a bit more shy.

"I hate you for that." she said glaring at him. She wanted to stay in the middle. She didn;t want to turn fat. No, that wasn't a option. She would try her best to stay thin.

When he arrived with their breakfast she smiled at him. She was hungry after thinking about ice cream. She took her knife and cut a portion of her eggs. She stabbed her fork at it and help it up towards her mouth. She bit it and smiled. The eggs tasted soo good. He made it just right. SHe sipped a bit of her orange juice.

She looked up as he asked if she was alright. Beth hadn't told anyone, but she was getting too thin now. The doctors said that she was anorexic. She didn't like it. Everyone made fun of her for it.

"Yeah, I'm alright.." she lied to him.

[Rylan Avery]

Rylan had grown up around ice cream, and could live on it. Ice cream had always been a source of comfort around the Avery house, which was why they kept it around. He'd never been able to pass up the offer of the frozen treat, also one of his greatest weaknesses food wise.

Rylan smiled at her words, shrugging lightly. "Tell you what," He paused, trying to think up something suitable. "Ice cream in trade for you spending the day with me?" He asked, grinning at his mock bribery. He hadn't been spending as much time as he would have hoped with Beth in the past couple weeks except for the nights she spent at the house. Truthfully, he missed all the time they spent together.

Rylan sighed as he got himself settled, toying with the food with his fork for a moment, but took a bite after a couple moments. Lifting the glass of orange juice to his lips, he let the liquid slide down his throat, allowing his eyes to settle back upon Beth. He'd definitely noticed a difference in her, which most likely was his reason for asking if she was ok.

"I hate you for that." He glanced up at her as she spoke, shaking his head, a light chuckle emitted. "Too bad you don't mean it," A smile slid onto his lips, though his mind was still on Beth, making the small a bit more forced, not genuine like his normal smiles. You could say he was worried, or just overprotective, but it was more of a combination of the two. The thing he disliked most, was that he knew something had changed, he just couldn't pick out what.

He nodded as she said she was all right. Usually, he would have picked up immediately by the tone and vibrations of her voice that she was lying, but as before his mind was elsewhere.

[Beth Collins]

"Ice cream in trade for you spending the day with me?"

Beth laughed. Of course she'll hang with him. He was her best friend and she did like him. She wouldn't be able to turn him down. She smiled as she took a sip of her drink and looked up at him, ready to start speaking.

"Of course. I can't reject your offer." Beth said to him. She wipped her mouth and was done eating. That tasted soo good.

[sorry, short post]

[Rylan Avery]

Rylan smiled, glad at her accepting his offer. Finishing his food, he sat back in his normal relaxed position. The glass of orange juice was hidden in his hands, and every so often he'd lift the glass to his lips. Other than that small movement, the room was silent. He glanced back toward Beth after a moment or two, hating the quiet that had settled.

"So, what should we do today, then?" He asked, hoping she had something in mind. Rylan wasn't ever very good at entertaining people, and Beth knew that, but usually once he knew you (like he knew Beth) it became easier. On a normal day, Rylan would have been up at five thirty, already preparing for an early morning run and basketball session. He was late in going to bed, and early getting up, even as a child he never liked sleep.

ooc;; ick. mine sucks.

[Beth Collins]

Beth looked around occasionally. It got quiet quickly. Beth never liked the quiet. She always broke it. But this time, Rylan was first to talk. She smiled, they both hated silence.

When he questioned her about what they should spend their day doing she thought. They could hang by the school, saty at his place, or they could go to a club. Beth smiled, she knew what to say to make him confused.

"We could do each other." Beth said looking at him pouting her lips. Inside though, she laughed. She wondered what he would say.

[Rylan Avery]

Rylan had shifted an awful lot in the silence, forcing himself to focus heavily on something that was making noise. He sighed, glancing to Beth expectantly, waiting for an answer to his question, but not about to rush it.

Rylan normally though of just hanging out, watching movies, taking walks, clubbing, the normal things friends did. He busied himself with thinking, his arms crossing over his chest as he did so. He watched her for a second, then his gaze maneuvered back to his hands.

He immediately glanced up at her comment, surprised by her words, but at the same time not so surprised. He gave a casual shrug, deciding to play along with the game, at least with his interpretation of her words. "Hey, I'm game," He replied jokingly, though his tone sounded pretty serious, holding back a laugh. It was never a dull day with Beth in the house, especially when she was in the mood for playing mind games.