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[color=darkgray][indent][indent]It was another beautiful summer morning in South Boston, and the blond-haired beauty named Elaine Lancaster was driving down the familiar roads that lead to Edenridge. When she had made the decision to leave town after her gut-wrenching breakup with Roddy Callahan the previous year, Lanie had hoped that the move would mark the beginning of her complete disassociation with the cursed town. Roddy had been making big and steady steps in his recovery journey, and she had hoped that by this point in time he would be strong and healthy enough to drive himself to her new home to spend time with their baby. This, of course, had been foolish thinking on the young woman’s part. Fast forward, and she was [i]still[/i] making the wretched drive back to the place that had almost ruined her life-- just like she had consistently been doing three out of four weekends a month for the last damn year.

The entire situation made the normally sweet, outgoing and cheerful girl silently seethe with anger and bitterness. It wasn't that she regretted having her daughter-- quite the opposite, actually. Rylie's arrival had been a true eye-opener for Lanie. It gave her a new purpose, a new outlook in life, and taught her that good things can come out of the darkest moments. It also wasn't that Roddy was a bad father. From the moment he had found out about their incoming child, he'd been nothing sort of supportive, taking complete responsibility for his actions, fulfilling and excelling his role as much as he could under their special circumstances. What was [i]truly[/i] upsetting Lanie was the fact that she only had her own damn, stupid self to blame for putting herself in these sticky situations. 

Maybe if she had focused a lot more of her high school life on schooling and cheerleading rather than being the savior of the shaggy-haired broken boys of Edenridge, then perhaps she would’ve saved herself a lot of pain and heartache. She didn’t [i]have[/i] to fall in love with Decky to help him and his brother out of that dark place they were at. Just like she didn’t [i]have[/i] to let herself get knocked up by Roddy after bonding over shared trauma and failed relationships, and helping him stay caught up with his schoolwork. But no: her weak heart had decided that these were the two young men she was destined to give every last part of her to.. Only for them to discard her without so much as a look back.

[i]How fucking pathetic.[/i]

Lost as she was in these bitter thoughts, Elaine failed to notice a growling red motorcycle getting hot on her trail as they approached a curve. Without warning, the rider darted right past and cut in front of the blonde’s red Kia Sportage, causing her to abruptly slam on the brakes with just enough time to avoid colliding with the metal bike.

[color=A442AB]“[b][i]Fucking asshole![/i][/b]”[/color] Lanie yelled out to the disappearing figure of the mysterious rider, slamming the horn of her steering wheel in frustration. The sudden, violent stop of the car and her mother’s high-pitched screeching seemed to have startled the sleeping baby in the backseat. After a few wobbles of her tiny lower lip, Rylie Callahan’s cries filled the car, and not long after she was joined by the sound of her mother’s own overwhelmed sobs. 

Someday, like today, it all felt like it was too much.

Elaine allowed herself to let out all of the poisonous, negative feelings she'd been carrying for a few long minutes before pulling herself back together, soothing her infant daughter, and getting back on the road again.

A short fifteen minutes later, and the young mom was pulling into one of the parking spots in front of Beau's Café: the place where she and Roddy would start off their “shared custody” days at. Lanie's comfort and gentle demeanor had put Rylie back in her regular, easygoing good spirits, and she was all smiles and giggles as her mother released her from her car seat and hoisted her up in her arms. Less than a minute later, the tinkling of the small bell atop the café’s door signaled the two ladies’ arrival. It only took about ten seconds for the blonde’s green eyes to spot Roddy, and after letting out a resigned sigh, Elaine made a beeline straight for his stool at the end of the room.

[color=A442AB]“Hey,”[/color] she greeted him coolly as soon as she was within earshot, wasting no time in passing him the infant that had been letting out small giggles and squeals of excitement as soon as her blue eyes had fallen upon her dearly beloved daddy. Once her hands were freed, Lanie took off her shades and placed them in one of the available side pockets of her mommy backpack. Hopefully her eyes weren’t still bloodshot or swollen from her little meltdown earlier. [color=A442AB]“Sorry I’m a little bit late today. Some asshole on a red motorcycle cut in front of me when I was making the turn after the highway exit, so I had to slam on the brakes so hard it woke my poor baby up,”[/color] she explained, pouting at her daughter and giving her a few little kisses on her chubby cheek. [color=A442AB]“I had to stop on the side of the road to calm her down before I could finish up the drive here. But, hey, at least she looks like she’s a lot more happy now...”[/color] the blonde finished, shooting Roddy a disinterested look before shifting her attention to the establishment’s owner.

[color=A442AB]“Hey, Mr. Beau!”[/color] she called out to the dark-skinned older man, happily waving her hand at him. The difference between how sweetly she handled her daughter, how cheerfully she’d addressed their former English teacher and her standoffish manner with her ex-boyfriend was obvious. Clearly, there were still many open wounds and raw feelings in Lanie’s heart to be cordial at best with the father of her child. [color=A442AB]“I’ll have a French Vanilla Latte, a banana nut muffin, and a tiny cup of sugar-free whipped cream for Miss Thing here,”[/color] she told him, turning back to her baby with an adoring smile on her face.[/indent][/indent][/color]