Jones Sparrow

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

Raymond wasn't sure how she'd react to his ramblings. He was on edge; nervous of what he'd say. He'd spent over a decade trying to forget about the woman but he knew he couldn't. He spent decades thinking of what he'd say if they ever saw one another again, and now that he had that opportunity he felt like an idiot... but then there was a flicker of a smile. A smile that he used to love so long ago and it sent a small chill running down his spine. He listened to her response about Ryleigh. He could only imagine what she had said and done these past few years, and he was sure that if he was still in town she'd be spitting venom at him as well. She was always the hot tempered one, but also the most loyal, so it was a bit hard to hear that she turned on Valerie so viciously.

The two sat in awkward silence for a moment, not really sure how to say what they needed to, but maybe too afraid to say it. His heart hurt. He hurt for Val and how she has been attacked by Leigh for so long. He was hurt that Val was seeing a guy. He was hurt that she left him at the lake house and started this all to begin with. He hurt that he left without saying goodbye, that his pride overwhelmed his feelings towards not only her but his friends as well. She kept apologizing and he kept shaking his head, hoping that she could see in his face that he was sorry too. His question led to her joke that made him laugh slightly. Leave it to Val to try and make a joke at a time like this.

When she said that it was nice to see him, his green eyes flicked towards hers, a thin sad smile on his face. "You know I could never really stay mad at you, V..." Raymond said softly. Even when they were younger that was the case. His mother would say that she could have driven his car into a lake and all she'd have to do was smile at him and Raymond would start apologizing that his car wasn't light enough to float. Raymond bit his lip slightly. He wanted to reach out and hold her; to take her presence in and assure her that it was okay... but was it? Even when she said it was nice to see him, a part of him didn't believe it.

It would have been real nice to hear her say that in the bed of that lake house that morning.

"It's real good to see you, too... All things considered. He knew that if they stay here any longer he might saying some things that they both might regret. "I... ah, Know you got a thing with that guy so... so I don't wanna keep ya. I'll brace the fury of 'Hurricane Ryleigh' for a while." He hid his jealousy with a crappy joke and faint smile, hoping it was convincing enough for her not to feel bad. "I'll see ya tomorrow." He backed up slightly. He knew that he would see her at the funeral tomorrow, but after the exchange with Ryleigh he wasn't sure that she would make it to the lake house. Hell, he didn't know if any of them would even want to at this point. A part of him was hopeful, though.

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

Raymond did intend for any of this to happen. It all went by so fast that the comments from Leigh came out viciously, Jimmy's comment made Raymond look over at him with a look he hadn't given him in a decade, and then went fully back to the now argument between Valerie and Ryleigh. Raymond understood as Val explained- even if it killed him inside. He didn't even sent her a letter, or texted her, or hell, even told her that that night was the best night of his life... How many times had he gone on dates while he was in Hollywood? Granted none of them went anywhere. Most of them were attempts to feel how he did back home, assuming that Val would have moved on. Apparently she had, and Ryleigh wasn't too happy about it.

He never remembered the two going at it like this, Ryleigh yelling that she was "running off again" made his heart twist but he wasn't going to let this go any further. Before he could interject Jimmy had appeared and put his hand on his shoulder, shaking his head as if not to get involved. "Leigh--" Raymond spoke but was immediately shut out by Val's defense, and once again his heart twisted at Val saying that he wasn't around to be yelled at. Once again he wanted to intervene as soon as they started talking about them sleeping together, but was quieted by the comment that came after. Jimmy walked away a couple of steps while Raymond looked down to the ground. All he could do was listen to Val's voice. For years he had dreamed of hearing her voice again. He wanted to hear her laugh, the little squeal she would do when she got excited about something... but all he had heard since coming back was her voice on the verge of tears and anger. It broke his heart.

The two girls had always been close, or so he had remembered. There was a comradery between the only girls in the group, but it seemed that was all but gone and Raymond was absolutely to blame for some of that. Raymond was speechless. Every regret, every missed opportunity, every time he should have called but didn't. It hit him in that moment that he was to blame for this all. "Val." Raymond finally found his voice, a bit cracked as well, but she didn't stop, especially when Leigh called after her again. "God damnit, Leigh, lay off her!" Jimmy said in frustration. Raymond took off after her, and as he did he heard Ryleigh call out at him this time. "You're about ten years too late for going after her, Ray!" He shook off the ice in her tone and exited the bar, hoping to catch Valerie in time.

He glanced around the streets, barely making out her figure as she turned the corner. "Val!" Ray called after her. "V! Just- Wait! Please!"

Back in the day Raymond was one of the only people to cool Valerie down. There would be arguments or conflicts within the group or just in town, and while everyone expected Austin to go after her to talk her down, he would often look to Ray. 'You guys are on a same wavelength.' he would say before shrugging. It was that simple to him.

He thought Austin would say the same thing in this moment. God, he wished he was here.

"Val...!" He breathed, and finally she seemed to stop to give Raymond a little bit of her time, even though he knew he didn't deserve it.

He approached her, panting slightly, and as he looked at her he felt his throat starting to close up. This was the first time in ten years that they had been this close together alone. He could still see parts of tears dried on her face, her beautiful eyes watery and slightly puffy. How many times had the two of them looked at each other in similar situations when they were younger? That felt like a lifetime ago... and while she looked almost exactly the same, she seemed like a completely different person. Or at least that's what he thought. He never had trouble talking to Valerie, but now...

"I..." He gave a nervous chuckle, putting a hand on his face before giving a sigh. "Don't really know why I rushed out here. Figured that Austin would have told me to way back when. He always said that we shared a total of one brain cell between us." He pointed back and forth to their heads with a sad and small smile, but sighed again. "Ryleigh didn't mean that shit, and I wanted to apologize for that 'dog' comment. I truly had no idea... and I'm sure that he's- ah..." There was so much that he wanted to say. He was angry at her, confused, sorry, guilty, happy to see her in a way. "You alright?" Raymond asked, knowing that he might be on a verge of getting smacked and/or yelled at.

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

I am trying to find some gifs of harrison ford to try and do that gif thing that you do since it's a really cool idea... but it is very hard to find a gif of the man that isn't Star Wars or him not exposing his chest XD

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

The voting only lasted a few moments, but it was the tensest Ray had been in a very long time. A part of him was silently begging Leigh or Val to shake their heads and walk out so that they could all just move on with their lives and be happy... but he knew deep down that none of them have truly been happy in a while. At least, not happy enough to get rid of any doubts of "what could have been." "Thanks, guys." Jimmy spoke with a sad smile. Ray gave a weak smile to the small group of friends before taking a large gulp of his beer. "That does it then." He spoke softly, and while a part of him dreaded this moment, he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't curious on how this was going to go.

Still, memories of his last night in Rhodes lingered in his mind the more he thought about going back to that lake house. Life was so much simpler back then. If only his pride didn't get in the way, then he might have been able to see Austin one last time. Make him laugh, hear his pep talk to get the courage to talk to Val and- he didn't know- apologize? Ray had a feeling that Leigh had this anger towards Val, but if Raymond was being honest maybe leaving town and never looking back for ten years was a bit too much.

"Well, I'd hate to say it, but I open soon and I gotta sober up and clean a bit before that happens." Jimmy downed the last of his drink. Raymond looked around and chuckled a bit. "Looks like you needed to clean up a few years ago. Need any help?" Ray asked, but he knew Jimmy's answer already. "Nah. It'll keep me distracted before the funeral tomorrow. Besides, ya'll can visit later. Drinks'll be on me." Jimmy looked at Ray with protesting eyes as he saw him pull out his wallet. "Fine, fine..." Ray defeatedly put his wallet away and gave a sigh. Raymond looked over at the two girls at the bar, not exactly having a plan or anywhere to go besides back to his childhood bedroom.

"You ladies have any plans before happy hour? Was thinkin' about taking a walk around town. Wanna see what's changed and what's stayed the same." While he was talking about their small town, he also was curious on talking with his old friends some more, getting to see what had changed and what hadn't with them. Raymond had constantly glanced at Valerie's ring finger, a stupid little hope that she had no family to go back to. "I'm free, but Val might have made plans with Leo already." Leigh spoke up, finding a way to attack Val and hurt Ray at the same time, a pit in his stomach already starting to form. Ray did a good job at hiding the fear from his face, but the thought of Val being with someone always made him a bit sick to his stomach, even as kids.

"Leo? Don't know a Leo from when we were kids... he a new dog or something?" Raymond asked a bit obliviously and hopeful, but by Leigh's sudden burst of laughter, he could tell that he just made a fool of himself and Val which was the last thing he wanted to do. In Ray's defense, there have rarely ever been newcomers to their little city of Rhodes.

"I guess you could say that, Ray."

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

@WolfLover

It's not bad at all! It was a great post :) I should get a post up soon!

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

Ryleigh's comment stung slightly. He had it coming to him, and while she may have meant it jokingly, he knew her well enough- at least back then- to know when she was covering hurt in her voice. Top that with the look on Valerie's face and it made it even worse. His chest nearly erupted from the pain that was coming from it. Seeing his old friends in his home, knowing that he'd never see Austin again... the sound of Val's slightly trembling voice as she did her best to keep a brave face on for not him, but for her other friends hurt him more than leaving that day a decade ago. Her question felt like a slap to the face, a stab in the chest, a yearning for love all at once. He didn't know what to say at first. He swallowed hard trying to stop his own slight shaking. "It's been good." He managed to say, giving slight nervous nods.

"How are you?" His lips asked, but as he looked at her, his eyes were practically saying: "I missed you more than I've ever missed anything before."

Before he could even get a response he heard a gasp come from Ryleigh, and as he looked up he could see a cloud of smoke coming from the small kitchen window from behind the bar. "Jimmy! You alright in there?" Ray called out, moving towards the back. "Yep, yep... just forgot to clean out the grease trap from last night is all!" He called out with a cough. "God damn, Jimmy, I'm surprised you haven't burned this place to the ground yet!" Ray called out, a bit of his southern accent coming out as he rushed to help in the kitchen. Jimmy smiled slightly as he saw Ray come in. Hearing his frustration felt like a blast from the past. It always seemed to go that way when they were all together. A chaotic mess with either Austin or Val to try and calm the situation.

Once the potential fire was put out, the bar seemed to get quiet again, only the soft sound of country music filling the air. Jimmy had urged Ray to help himself to a drink at the bar where he found Ryleigh and Val again. "He hasn't changed much has he?" He laughed and shook his head, looking behind the bar for a beer. "Oh man... Haven't had a Sweet Water since I was in high school." Ray muttered, pulling out the beer from the local brewery from the layer of ice. As he popped the can he looked at the two girls with a nervous smile, not entirely sure what to say, and trying to figure out what was going on in their minds. "'Member when we all snuck into this bar with fakes, and we nearly got into a bar fight because someone was flirtin' with Ryleigh and Jimmy swung a pool cue at the guy?" Ray said with a chuckle.

"I remember almost getting free drinks for the rest of the night before Jimmy tried to swing a pool cue and he ended up hitting the stool next to the guy." Ryleigh replied. "He wouldn't've bough you nothin' but well whiskey and PBR." Jimmy came through the kitchen doors holding a tray of food. "I did you a favor."

"What about me? Damn guy broke my sideview mirror as we drove off." Ray commented, taking the basket of the burger and fries from his friend, giving a nod of thanks.

As Jimmy passed out the food, he set an extra one down towards the end of the bar with a cocktail of fireball and lemonade. "For Austin" Jimmy explained quietly. No one seemed to mind. Raymond lifted his drink in the air. "To Austin." Ray's voice cracked slightly before taking a sip. Fortunately for everyone Jimmy was good at getting people talking and easing the awkwardness out of the room. The burgers were about as good as Ray was expecting, and he wasn't sure if it was the drinking, the nerves, or both, but the burger and conversations were getting better and better as time went on. "How long you plan on stayin', Ray?" Jimmy eventually asked, pouring an unhealthy amount of ketchup next to his fries. Ray played with the beer can in his hand, shrugging a bit. "Dunno... Obviously gonna stay for the funeral, but after that... Not really sure what the plans are." Raymond stole a quick glance at Val before looking at everyone else.

"Well... I got another surprise for ya. Austin had always wanted us to all get back together- and- well, you know... spend a weekend at the lake house." Raymond's eyes went wide, and his heart started to beat faster. "I know it's a lot, but... I think it'd be good for the lot of us. Give us time to hang out and remember Austin... Give us a time to catch up, relive old times." Jimmy trailed off looking at his own drink. Ray's eyes moved to everyone. He didn't really know what to say, but he knew that he already felt immeasurable guilt for a lot of things... Letting Austin down and refusing his last wish wasn't something he wanted to do, but at the same time, the last time he set foot in that house was when-

He looked over at Valerie once more and his throat swelled. "I don't know, Jim... There's a lot of bittersweet memories in that house. Allota baggage, too." Ray said, trying to be vague and doing his best not to look over at Val. "I'm just not sure if I can get the courage to go there without Austin." Raymond finished the last of his beer with a sigh. "I get it, but to be honest with ya, I have a feelin' this will be one of the last times we can all be there as a group. Austin's still fresh in our thoughts and memories, and I don't wanna go another ten years down the road and forget him just how we forgot about y--" Jimmy had been drinking too much, and while he didn't let the whole thing slip, Raymond got the gist of what he was saying. 'We don't wanna go another yen years down the road and forget him like we did you.

"Look, if one of us doesn't go, we all aren't going... But whatd'ya guys say? Hold it to a vote?" Jimmy raised his hand. "All in favor?" He looked at the three of his friends, all obviously unsure and hesitant about it, but eventually, in an act of bravery (and guilt) Raymond held up his hand while his other one reached for another beer.

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

Jimmy and Leigh had been making small talk while they waited for the rest of the group to arrive. The two of them making bets, talking about the gossip and wagering how Raymond would look in person after all these years. Jimmy did a dramatic and exaggerated "Hollywood" accent to mimic the man, causing the two to laugh before Valerie entered the room. Jimmy opened his arms with a huge grin. "There she is!" Jimmy's grin faded with an eye roll at her comment. "Nope, just making sure to drop your burger a time or two. Don't worry, it's nice and clean." Jimmy joked back, leaning against the bar to look at the two ladies in front of them. "Bold of ya to assume that we haven't started drinkin' already." The man slid Val's drink of choice towards him- already prepared for her. "Look. I know this is gonna be hard on all of us... but the sooner we get this outta the way, the sooner we can- I don't know? act normal? All things considered. It's what Austin would have wanted." Jimmy sighed and shrugged at the two, hoping that they somewhat agreed.

As the three started to talk, Raymond had just made his way to the bar himself. He wore an old blue t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of sneakers. As he got closer to the bar Ray took off his sunglasses, looking down at his watch, hoping he wasn't too early-or late to meet Jimmy. Should he have come sooner to seem eager? Or would that look too desperate or guilty? He shook his head slightly, either way Jimmy was going to tease him. He was ready for it; after ten years of being away he deserved any insult he could think of. He stepped into the bar, the smell of food almost covering the stench of old beer and liquor that was on the floor. Country music softly played in the background, and he could already hear the familiar laugh of Jimmy Hayes.

Ray smiled and looked over at the bar, expecting to see his friend talking with regulars... but instead he saw an even more familiar sight. Ray's smile faded very slightly; he didn't know if smiling was the right thing to do here. It was like a weird dream. Jimmy looked the same, maybe even a tiny bit taller. He was still jovial; his smile contagious and he knew he was dying to break the tension with some lame joke that he's been working on for the moment Ray came back. Ryleigh Grey looked nearly the same as she did years ago, but maybe more 'mature' which Ray would have never thought would happen. She was always the wild one, but her messy blonde hair had tamed, and her eyes seemed a bit more dimmed- he didn't know if it was the death of Austin, her growing older, or maybe a bit of both... and as his green eyes jumped to the next person, his heart nearly stopped.

Valerie Johnson. God, she looked even more beautiful than the day he last saw her. For ten years Raymond had tried to forget about Val, trying to convince himself that it was for the best for the two of them- she had left after all... after a night that Raymond thought was perfect. Even after trying to move on he couldn't get her face out of his mind. Her laugh, the way she moved her head when listening, how she'd always seemed to sing the wrong lyrics to Ray's favorite songs-- all those memories flooded his mind as he looked at her. All the happiness, and bitterness that they brought.

Jimmy was the first to greet him. "There he is!" Jimmy embraced the man in a hug. He was still a bit shorter than the man. "Jesus, did Hollywood give you another 3 feet?" The comment made Ray laugh a bit. "Nah, I think the alcoholism just stunted your growth since 7th grade." Ray teased, patting the man on the back. "You look great, Jimmy."

"Right back at ya, Hollywood. Although you look prettier in the movies." He turned to look at Leigh and Val that had gotten up to greet their old friend, grinning a bit. "Hope ya don't mind, thought you'd want to see the old gang again." Raymond was somehow caught off guard by this, even though he shouldn't have. It was totally something he should have seen coming-especially from Jimmy. Ray's heart was racing slightly, but he kept the smile on his face. He was genuinely happy to see them, but he couldn't seem to get himself to fully look over at the brunette that seemed to be cautious on walking up to him. He was genuinely shocked that Val agreed to meet up with him. A part of him was hopeful that she was here out of some sort of curiosity... to see him again, to see if she felt the same way he felt about her. Or maybe she was just here out of a favor to Austin and the rest of them.

"Miss Raleigh Grace. Really good to see ya again." Raymond looked over at Leigh with a smile, noticing a pang of bitterness in her face before she came to hug him. Letting go of the blonde, Ray's attention once again moved to Valerie, giving a small smile. "Hey, Val." His voice felt dry, but he did his best to meet her gaze.

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

Finally got a post up!! So sorry for the delay, It won’t take me that long to post again! Haha

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

Raymond’s mind was swimming in memories as he drove down the tattered old roads of the small town. It was funny; it had been ten years and yet he knew these streets like the back of his hand. He could practically drive with his eyes closed… which he almost did from the lack of sleep, but he shook his head to keep the thought of sleeping away. Soon enough he drove to a modest little house with a single front porch light on, and a bittersweet smile filled his face. After all these years he was finally home. Raymond turned off the car and gave a light sigh and rub of his eyes. Was he really ready to go through all of this? To hear the questions, the anger, the sadness, the pain of everything going on in this town? He wasn’t exactly sure, but he knew Austin wouldn’t hesitate, so he wouldn’t either. Ray climbed out of the car, and as soon as the door slammed shut he could hear the squeak of the front door.

Out came a woman with graying brown hair and brilliant green eyes. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, and it was no wonder why. “Ray-Ray…” The woman choked back a sob, and immediately threw her arms around him. “Hi momma.” Ray said softly, holding her tight. although he talked to his parents the most in this town, they had never pried on him coming back. He would send gifts and photos and letters every now and then to them, and besides the few trips he paid for them to visit him in LA, this was the first time in years that he’s been face to face with his parents. “Oh, you’ve gotten so handsome!” Maggie Chase exclaimed, putting a hand to her son’s face, and soon the smile turned to sadness, and she shook her head. “I’m so sorry about Austin.” She spoke softly, but Ray shook his head, trying to give a brave smile. “it’s alright, Ma… Have you talked to his parents?”

“Every now and then when they aren’t busy. The funeral will be in a couple days, and they mentioned something about you taking a trip with everyone up to the lake house.” she trailed off, looking up at her son quizzically to see what exactly he was thinking. “Is everyone coming, or—“

“I don’t know. Honestly haven’t heard much of the plan except from Jimmy.” It was clear that she was asking if everyone was going to be there- including the woman he had spent a decade trying to forget… but as he looked over at the house next door, his heart felt a pang of sadness and guilt. No, he could never forget about her. “Hey, son.” A gruff voice said, and next to him was a large man in a baseball cap and overalls. Robert Chase hesitated to go in for a hug but did so eventually. Even though he had aged a bit since he last saw him, he was still as strong as ever. It was only natural since he was the only mechanic in town.

“Oh, you must be exhausted, come in! We made your room nice and clean, and we made your favorite: fried okra and roasted chicken!” As Ray grabbed his luggage, he took one last look at the neighbor’s house. He was sure that she probably didn’t live there anymore, he was sure that she tried to get as far away from his place as she could… but he couldn’t help but imagine seeing the brunette peak out the window, giving him the smile he had fallen for again… With a sigh he turned away and entered the house.

——-

Ray tried to get as much sleep as he could, but that didn’t seem to work. He got up early to help his parents around the house- noticing his room was exactly how he left it. Movie and band posters, an assortment of toys and knicknacks he had collected in his childhood, and on the walls were pictures of him and his friends that they had taken with polaroid's. He smiled faintly at them, gently placing his fingertips on some of them, and stopped as soon as he came across a certain one. Raymond had just pushed Jimmy into the lake. He had a fear of the water when he was younger. Raymond was laughing with a few missing teeth, Austin shaking his head but laughing with him with a hand on his shoulder, and in the background the two girls were desperately trying to get the young Jimmy out of the water. Ray’s eyes flickered to look at the brunette with the braided hair and looking over at him in the picture mid yell. He could practically hear her scream. “Raymond Chase you better help him!”

After a moment of staring at the picture, the smile on Raymond’s face turned into a twisted contortion of pain. He put his hand over his eyes and sobbed quietly, but soon stopped, trying to get his composure. With a few deep breaths and wipes of his eyes, he turned to get ready for the day- he had to meet Jimmy at his bar. Apparently he makes “the best burgers in town.” Jimmy Hayes was many things, but a cook he was not.

This should be interesting. Little did he know that Jimmy had talked to Ryleigh on the phone and tried to surprise him with the gang around- he wasn’t sure if Val would even humor the thought of coming, but Jimmy had asked if Leigh could somehow convince the brunette. The sooner they meet, the sooner the trip to the lake house will be less awkward.

Rhodes (WolfLover and Jones Sparrow)

The lights flicked on in the lavish Los Angeles apartment as a figure walked in. The man was holding a bag of groceries, leaning his ear to his shoulder as he listened in on the conversation. Green eyes flicked around, trying to find a place to set his groceries down, trying to find anything to do to occupy himself during this call. It was a small phone conference with his managers, and they just have him on the call to interject with anything. This was the less glamorous side of being a famous Hollywood actor, but Raymond Chase wasn’t complaining- at least not right now. “…very nice to be working with Raymond Chase himself!” Raymond’s attention moved back to the phone at the sound of his name. “Pleasure’s all mine.” Was his response, just wanting to hang up and sleep. He had been talking with all sorts of studios about potential roles. He had just got done shooting a recent film, and rewarded himself by doing something “human.”

While many celebrities get engulfed in the luxurious life, Raymond did try to treat himself to just doing something normal like get his own groceries or drive himself somewhere or even just take a weekend to camp or fish or something like that. Sometimes he wished that he was back in his hometown sitting on the lake with a beer just… relax. His mind started to wander back to Rhodes, which wasn’t too rare for the man. He often thought back on his youth and the days worrying about school and what he and his friends were going to get into. Jimmy would probably steal some beer from his dad’s bar, Austin would shake his head in disapproval while Leigh would laugh and peer pressure Austin while he and Val—

“Raymond, you there?”

“Uh, yeah, sorry. It all sounds great! If you just want to send Ryan the details and we can look it over…” Suddenly he felt his phone vibrate against his cheek. Pulling it away, he looked to see a name that send chills down his spine. “hey, guys, I’m really sorry but I gotta go. It’s an emergency.” Before he could even get a response he hung up and answered the other line. “Hello?” Ray asked, trying to keep his voice from cracking. “Ray… buddy.” A familiar yet older voice filled his ear; Jimmy Hayes was on the other line, and he didn’t sound like himself. Normally the two would talk every now and then, but it was rare to not have it on a holiday or something. “How’re you doing, man?” Ray asked. There was a pause on the phone and then a sigh. “I… uh, not good. Ray… I don’t know how to tell you this but—Austin died.”

———————————

Raymond rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other was on the wheel of the rental car. It was late at night. He was driving down the old rural roads he knew all too well as a kid, but now it seemed to haunt him. Ever since he got the call, he tried to immediately fly out of LA and to the closest Airport to Rhodes. Unfortunately Atlanta was a few hours away. He had eaten, hadn’t slept, all he could think about was getting back home… He was angry, scared, confused, frustrated, but more than anything: guilty. He should have visited at least once. He should have called Austin more, be more present to his friends and family- god, he hadn’t even seen his parents in over ten years! He slammed his hand against the wheel, frustrated with himself. If he had just put his damn pride away… He sighed and looked on, thinking about the reasons why he left. He wanted to do more than just sit in Rhodes his whole life- or so he thought to himself. He would have been completely happy with doing that if he just had that one person, and suddenly, the realization came in.

He would have to see them all again. He was scared of what they would think of him, how he had just ran off without a word… and he was terrified of seeing Her again. Valarie Johnson. He smiled slightly at the thought of her and their last night he had, but then it turned to bittersweet resentment. It didn’t mean a damn to her… If it did, she would have called at least once- or maybe he should have. He didn’t know. He was exhausted, and it wasn’t long before he saw the welcome sign into his hometown.

He rolled the windows down, taking in the views of corn fields, woods, and small streams that littered the town. His mind flashed back to his younger days where he would drive his old truck, challenging the other kids to a race before the cops chased them off the road. He remembered sitting on that corner with his friends eating candy and planning their weekend adventures. God, he had forgotten how much he had missed this place… but did Rhodes miss him?