Saved - 2

[Rowan]

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Two



?You smell nice today.?

Gabriel glanced up at Cindy Bryce in surprise. ?I?m sorry, what??

She lowered her head, and he nearly backed right into his open locker door. ?You smell nice today. What is that??

Hell if he knew. His mind flashed through his morning routine, searching for anomalies. ?Oh,? he said, remembering the lotion Mrs. Payne had given him for his bruises. ?It?s a mixture of lavender, mint, comfrey, and a little bit of coconut oil.?

Cindy smiled. It was the first time Cindy ever smiled at him. ?Where did you get it? How much did it cost??

When Tristan?s mother had told him what was in it, Gabriel didn?t think such varied scents could smell good together. But there was a balance to it, and apparently Cindy agreed. ?It?s homemade.?

She straightened and linked her hands behind her back as she pouted. ?Too bad. I was hoping to buy some for myself.?

Gabriel reached up into his locker?one level too high to be convenient?and pulled out a small jar. ?Here,? he said, opening it and holding it up to her. ?You can have a little bit.?

?Really?? She lightly touched the pad of her middle finger to the lotion and touched a dab to each side of her neck. She cooed as she rubbed it into her skin. ?It feels cool.?

?That?s the mint.? He closed the jar and returned it to his locker. ?I might be able to get some made for??

Cindy kissed him on the cheek. ?Thanks. What?s your name again??

?G-Gabriel.?

The bell rang, and Cindy hurried to her class. ?See you around, Gabriel!?

He waved awkwardly, let his back fall against the lockers behind him as the halls cleared.

What was that all about?

*****

Tristan leaned against a wall in the cafeteria, watching as Gabriel ate alone at a table in the corner. His dirty blond hair curled around his forehead and his ears; his bright green eyes were focused on some book.

Gabriel Wadin Rivers.

Tristan smiled. That name could almost be Navajo.

He?d been trying to get closer to Gabriel since the first day of school. But every time the little guy saw him coming, he?d take off in the other direction. Taking it slow seemed to be the best way to go about it?it was just sheer luck they?d met in the weight-room yesterday.

Or fate.

If he?d known Gabriel had been getting kicked around, though, he would have introduced himself a lot sooner. The bruises were bad enough, but the scars... what kind of monster put scars on such a sweet kid?s body?

Tristan clenched his fists. He?d make sure no one ever put a scar on Gabriel again.

The muscles all over his body twitched, and when they were done, his clothes felt a hair tighter. His guardian spirit, no doubt. Another clue that Gabriel might be the one.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Tristan went to close the distance between them.

?Hey, small-fry.?

His head shot up. ?H-Hi.? He closed his book, held it in front of him. ?How did your test go??

Although it was obviously an unconscious move, Gabriel had shifted himself into a protective position. So much pain...

Tristan loosened up and smiled, trying to put him at ease. ?Knew most of the answers. There were a couple where I could use those tricks you taught me to figure them out. I think I did good.?

?Well. You did well.? Gabriel winced, cringed back.

Tristan pretended not to notice. ?Gonna tutor me in English next??

?You don?t need a tutor,? he said softly. He seemed to startled to find he was clutching his book to his chest, and set it back onto the table.

?Why?d you say that??

?Yesterday, whenever your parents were around, you spoke with perfect diction.?

His mouth crooked. ?Noticed that, did you??

He nodded. ?Why do you speak differently in school??

?I?m the strongest, fastest guy on my team. It?s easier for them to be around me if I have a few, obvious flaws.?

Gabriel?s voice went soft. ?You want to fit in??

?Doesn?t everybody??

He traced the pattern on his book. ?I have a lot of flaws, but I don?t fit in.?

Tristan set his fists on the table and leaned forward, drawing Gabriel?s attention to his body. ?Why don?t you sit with the geek-squad over there? I?m sure they?d like that big brain of yours.?

Some of the light faded from his eyes. ?No, not so much.?

?Why not??

?Because of sand.?

Tristan frowned, trying to follow. ?Sand??

?Say the average person?s intelligence is a single grain of sand.? Gabriel leaned forward, looked at the table where the smartest kids in school sat. ?Each person at that table has a bucket full of those grains, and if they get together, they can build the most amazing sand castles you?ve ever seen.?

?So? Why can?t you take your bucket and hang out with them??

Gabriel stared down at his lunch. ?Because I don?t have a bucket, Tristan. My grains would fill an entire beach.?

?And that?s why they don?t like you??

?It?s not that they don?t like me. It?s just that they feel like they can?t build anything with me.?

?But you have the most sand. You can build the best castles.?

He glanced up. ?I think my analogy is breaking down here. The problem with doing any sort of project with me is that I will always have the answers before you do. Even when I hold back, you know that I?ve got it all figured out. It?s... disheartening to be around me.?

Tristan thought about that as he took a seat at the small table.

?Wh-What are you doing??

He looked at Gabriel?s wide, green eyes. ?Sitting down, is that okay??

?Aren?t you...? He lowered his voice. ?Aren?t you afraid of what people might say??

?Nobody talks shit about me.? Tristan studied Gabriel?s brown bag lunch and picked up a carrot stick. ?You eat healthy. Can I have this??

?S-Sure.?

He twirled it around in his fingers before taking a bite. ?How is your body feeling? That stuff my mom give you help any??

Gabriel?s hand went to his ribs. ?A lot, thank you. It?s so cool that your mother incorporates herbalism into her traditional medical practice.?

Tristan smirked. ?You got it backwards. Herbalism was here first, so that?s the traditional.?

He smiled, brilliantly. ?True. Guess you don?t need a tutor anymore.?

?Fuck that,? said Tristan, his voice gruffer than he?d intended because he was trying not to show how much that smile got to him. ?I?m going to need plenty of help in chemistry. Algebra, too.? He paused, took another carrot stick. ?You can help me with Algebra, can?t you??

Still smiling, Gabriel nodded. ?But you don?t need help in English, right??

Tristan chuckled. ?No, that?s my best class. I like to write.?

?What do you write??

He looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before answering. ?Poetry, mostly.?

?Wow.? Gabriel rested his elbows on the table. ?Can I read some??

Tristan bumped Gabriel?s forehead with the heel of his hand. ?Hell no. I don?t let anyone read my stuff.?

Gabriel rubbed his forehead, and Tristan panicked. Sometimes his strength was a little hard to control.

?Did I hurt you??

And suddenly Gabriel was smiling again. ?I?m just not used to touches that aren?t...?

?Violent?? Tristan filled in, his voice gentle.

He ran his fingers through his hair, which shifted the curls on his head around. ?Yes.?

?Don?t worry, little man. You came through with your part of the deal, so I?ll come through with mine. You?ll see.?

Gabriel looked about to say something, before he covered his mouth to stifle a yawn.

Tristan grinned. ?I really didn?t think our study session would take the whole night.?

He dropped his hand. ?It?s alright. Aren?t you tired??

?Not really.? Tristan remembered the phone call Gabriel had made after ten o?clock. ?I can?t believe your aunt and uncle were cool with you staying in our guestroom with such sort notice.?

Gabriel shrugged.

That loneliness again. He?d take care of that, too. ?I?ll come over to your house today so that you can help me with my math. I?ve got football practice though, and weight-training after that, so meet me in the weight-room just like yesterday.?

?Wh-Why do you want to come to my house??

?So I can see it.?

Gabriel?s brow furrowed, but he agreed.

Tristan stood, ruffled those soft curls of hair. ?See ya later, half-pint.? He walked away, to get his own lunch, to sit with his team. He would have liked to spend the entire lunch period with Gabriel.

But it was still too soon for that.

[Rowan]

Part one of this story can be found at:

http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4987


Hope you liked part 2. Short, but necessary. The next chapters should be longer.

-- Rowan

[muscl4life]

It's unecessary saying that i loved it with the many extra "o" that people use when they lack of better words (like me) - I found it really gracious. Their relationship was deep even before they started talking.

Guardian spirit? Hehe i think I don't remember saying anything about that, but it is the best part when you "order" a story of THE Rowan (I'm sorry dude this was THE last time) he'll incorporate your ideas but then he'll go beyond...

Unusually short chapter but it was just as amazing - if not slightly better - than the first one

I'm gonna enjoy this ride while you are still focsuing on that - God knows when you are having a next idea and get of the train...

Take care

PS - i love the way you seem to find a picture that illustrates your posts, it shows how much dedication you put in each installment. Just another thing to admire about your works.

Bruno

Bruno

[bigbearny]

Amazing as always Rowan! keep it coming..

[FuzzTBlackbird]

I'm very, very intrigued by this story. In almost every other, there seems to be the potential for violence in the relationships between the big guy and the little guy (with the exception of Flow, obviously), so to see such a tender relationship developing right off the bat makes this one special. I'm enjoying it immensely, and I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve.

-Fuzz

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Rowan,

Thanks for another great story. I've already been sucked in. Can't wait to read more about the guardian spirit.

Thanks again,
Donnie

[More2048]

im really liking this. its good to read a story that dosent jump in right away. helps you connect to the characters more.

[Ender]

Originally Posted by FuzzTBlackbird

I'm very, very intrigued by this story. In almost every other, there seems to be the potential for violence in the relationships between the big guy and the little guy (with the exception of Flow, obviously), so to see such a tender relationship developing right off the bat makes this one special. I'm enjoying it immensely, and I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve.

-Fuzz

I was thinking about "Flow" too... and the smart but tiny brother of one of Jake's buddies that ends up the object of Jake's "demonstation" at the party... Gerald was it?

Ender...

[TheMM]

Originally Posted by muscl4life

THE Rowan (I'm sorry dude this was THE last time)

5 bucks says you do it again.

Very nice with the "Guardian Spirit" thing.

[Braun1]

Rowan,

Another wonderful story beginning. I love these 'big jock befriends outcast and they both benefit' stories. I look forward to seeing what direction this one takes.

[Ryne]

Brilliant! Simply Brilliant! I can't stress how good this is getting! Keep going!

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by muscl4life

PS - i love the way you seem to find a picture that illustrates your posts, it shows how much dedication you put in each installment. Just another thing to admire about your works.

Heh. Yeah, it's a new thing I'm trying-- matching the avatar with the newest post. It's probably an indication that I have too much time on my hands.

Originally Posted by bigbearny

Amazing as always Rowan! keep it coming..

Thanks. Next installment should be Friday.

Originally Posted by FuzzTBlackbird

I'm enjoying it immensely, and I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve.

hmm, neither can I, to tell you the truth...

Originally Posted by DonnieJvilleNC, TheMM

Can't wait to read more about the guardian spirit.
Very nice with the "Guardian Spirit" thing.

That should be fun.

Originally Posted by More2048

im really liking this. its good to read a story that dosent jump in right away. helps you connect to the characters more.

I'm having such a great time with the characters in this story. You have no idea.

Originally Posted by Ender

I was thinking about "Flow" too... and the smart but tiny brother of one of Jake's buddies that ends up the object of Jake's "demonstation" at the party... Gerald was it?

Yep. Tom and Jerry.

Originally Posted by Braun1

Another wonderful story beginning. I love these 'big jock befriends outcast and they both benefit' stories. I look forward to seeing what direction this one takes.

"Saved" is going to be a little different from the rest of my forum stories. But I think it'll be good.

Originally Posted by Ryne

Brilliant! Simply Brilliant! I can't stress how good this is getting! Keep going!

That's the plan. lol.

I'm glad you guys like this story so far. I'm looking forward to writing the rest.

-- Rowan

[gogr2]

another cool story... keep it up Rowan.