running in the rain , [open]

[austin bradley clay]

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running in the rain

Nothing says welcome back to Easton like a rainstorm. Having spent the majority of the last four years in California, he had become accustomed to almost always having gorgeous weather. To say he was slightly missing that aspect of the west coast would be an understatement. If he were fully financially independent, he probably would not have moved back. However, Austin loved his family, and had a job offer back in Easton.. so here he was, sitting inside the gym after a workout and waiting for the rain to lighten up so he could get out to his car. Just as the thought of the rain lessening crossed his mind, the roar of thunder shook the building.

Great.

Austin wouldn’t be shocked if the gym lost power with the strength of this storm. Oh well. He decided he might as well make good use of his time and headed back into the area of the gym that held the machines. Since he had just finished some weight training he decided to work in some cardio. Normally Austin liked to go running outside, but he wasn’t looking to go running through a monsoon.

Seeing that a treadmill at the end of the row of machinery was open, Austin decided that was his best option. Headphones in, music playing, he hopped on the machine and pushed the quick start button. He’d be warmed up and running soon enough.

He continued running for about half an hour before pushing the cool down feature on the treadmill. The rain didn’t seem to be letting up any time soon, but at least the thunder and lightning seemed to have halted for the moment.

After wiping down the machine he headed to the locker room to shower. He wasn’t sure it was completely necessary considering that he was about to run through the rain, but he had no interest in making his car smell like sweat.

Rinsed off and smelling fresh, Austin shook his head and prepared to get soaked. Just as he was turning the corner out of the locker room he bumped into someone who he hadn’t even seen coming. “Sorry,” he apologized, reaching out his hand to steady the other person. “Didn’t see you there.”

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[Ava Hope Reynolds]

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"'Go try yoga', she said. 'It'll be fun', she said." Ava grumbled to herself as she left one of the aerobics rooms located in the gym with a poorly rolled yoga mat and a limp. Her mother told her she looked a little tense lately, and to take her friends down to the gym to try yoga. Ava initially protested, but you never say the words "on the house" in front of Ashley and Jessica. They were grade A moochers, and any chance they could do anything for free, those little harpies jumped on it. Convinced it wouldn't be so bad, she got Jessica to drive the trio to the gym for their first yoga class.

Big mistake.

Halfway through the class, Jessica bailed, leaving Ava and Ashley to fend for themselves in lotus position. Great. There went their ride. The two girls looked like they had just been run over by a taxi. They were so sore that halfway down the hallway, Ashley plopped in the floor and sat, waving Ava on. "Go on without me!" she said in a pitiful squeak. "Save yourself! I'm gonna call Tad to pick us up."

Wanting to sit, but knowing if she did she'd never get up, Ava called back to Ashely. "I'll meet you out front! Good luck."

She trudged along slowly, like the little engine that could, thinking about how she could have possibly gotten herself into this mess. Usually, it was the three of them pulling each other into some hair-brained scheme or crashing some frat party. The one time they try to do something legitimately good for themselves, it kicked their butt.

"This is what happens when you try to be healthy. Heh, learned my lesso--"

Suddenly, she felt herself colliding with a brick wall. A tall, 6'3 running brick wall with perfect abs.

"Hey watch it buddy!" The voice of a petite figure would call out as she quickly swung around to see who it was.

"Whoa momma. I mean, I'm so sorry..." Ava stared at the broad shoulders that were squared off in front of her, probably longer than was socially acceptable, but then finally brought her gaze up to a familiar face.

"Wait, Clay?" She raised a brow and examined his features. Yep, it was Austin Clay alright. "What are you doing in Easton? I though you were a Californian sunshine guy now."

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[austin bradley clay]

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running in the rain

Austin smirked, seeing the younger girl stare at his figure and rescind her comment about watching out. It took Ava a moment longer than Austin to realize that they knew each other. His family had known the Reynolds for a long time, they’d practically grown up together – and it had been really hard for him to miss Abby’s funeral. He’d sent his condolences, but he couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling.

“On days like this I wonder what possessed me to come back here,” he joked. “But yeah – I was going to stay in California but I had better job prospects over here,” he shrugged. No need to go into financial details. “I’ll probably end up back on the west coast someday.”

Hopefully.

“You ready to graduate?” he asked, interested in catching up. Austin knew that the year had to have been hard on her – Abby should be crossing the stage and getting a diploma this year too. Austin was rather perceptive; he could read people well, and was generally good at guiding a conversation when he needed to even though he preferred to play the role of the listener.

Because his mother was very much a socialite, Austin was very well versed in conversational skills. It was by choice that he generally chose to throw them out the window. Listening was much more fascinating – he liked learning about other people, not talking about himself. He already knew about himself.

Suddenly the lights flickered, followed by a loud crash of thunder. Yep. Time to get out before the building really did lose power. “Did you drive here?” he asked, protective instincts kicking in. Austin wasn’t even entirely comfortable driving in this weather, no way was he going to let Ava drive in it. He’d offer to take her home and she could pick up her car when the weather cleared.

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[Ava Hope Reynolds]

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"Hell, on days like this I wonder what possessed me to stay." She replied to his first comment.

"And if you do end up on the west coast again, please take me with you." Ava clutched her hands together in an animated cry of desperation. She was just kidding, but at the same time, she really wasn't. Easton had been nothing but a thorn in her side since she came back here. As soon as she graduated, she wanted to move to the farthest regions of the universe and never return. There was just too much to remember here. Too many bad happenings, too many people she never wanted to see again. She loved her parents, but she wished they would move somewhere else so she'd have an acceptable place to come home to.

If she left Easton, there was no possibility for return.

"Am I." She responded when he asked if she was ready to graduate. Then, the lights and thunder happened.

"Holy Toledo...!!" She said, jumping at the sound the lightning made when it cracked the sky. When he offered her a ride home, she realized she and Ashley didn't have to call a ride at all.

"I would be forever in your debt if you could take us home. Our ride bailed on us." She said, thumbing back at the hallway Ashley had been sitting in. She plucked her phone from the pocket of her yoga pants and began to text Ashley.

"I found us a ride. Where are you?"

She got a text back.

"Called Chad. He is going to come pick me up. You go on."

Great. Ditched by both of her friends within an hour. Ava rolled her eyes and stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

"I'm sorry, when I said 'us', I was apparently referring to my yoga mat. Because now its just me." She gave him her best sarcastic smile, then looked outside. "Since when did Virginia start having monsoons?"

The rain was ridiculous. If they were going to make it to his car, where ever it was, they were definitely going to have to make a run for it.

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[austin bradley clay]

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running in the rain

Austin chuckled at Ava’s response. “What? No way. The mat stays here,” he teased. He didn’t have much to say about Virginia and its seemingly new decision to provide its residents with torrential downpours. All he really cared about was hoping that it wasn’t a frequent occurance. “Probably about the time I decided to move back,” he shrugged.

Alright. Time to make a run for it. “Wait here, I’ll pull the car up.” There was no sense in having both of them run out in the rain. He threw the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, stepped outside, and bolted in the direction of his Range Rover.

Once inside the car, Austin slammed the door shut and took a moment to pull off his now soaked outerwear. He made a mental note to start leaving a towel in the car. With another crash of thunder, Austin started the car and pulled out of his spot, driving as close to the gym entrance as he could manage.

He made sure the doors were unlocked so Ava could jump right in. As a courtesy, he also turned the heat on so she wouldn’t freeze sitting during the drive back.

“Glad you didn’t get washed away,” he smiled as Ava got into the car. The storm really was wild. He wasn’t sure he remembered the weather being like this in a very long time. Austin waited for Ava to have her seatbelt on before he drove away; he definitely wasn’t going to be speeding today, visibility was low.

Austin messed with the radio a bit once they were on the road, trying to find something worth listening to. “So, any plans for next year?” he asked. Austin wouldn’t have been bothered by a quiet ride, but he knew small talk was probably more appropriate. After all, he was interested in catching up with Ava – it had been a while since he’d attended an even with her family.

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[Ava Hope Reynolds]

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Ava smirked when he said the mat was staying. She always knew him to have a bit of a sense of humor, but she didn't remember that fact until just now. Perhaps it was because most of the rich guys she knew were pricks, boring, or immature, and her brain couldn't help but assign those traits to him out of habit, perhaps as a coping mechanism. Good thing he had already proven her wrong.

"Oh, so should I take the fact that monsoons follow you across the country as an ill omen?"

He intrigued her. It was weird because the last time she'd seen him she was much younger, much like a big brother type, seeing as how she grew up with his sister and all. Now he just seemed like an ordinary guy. He was even gentleman enough to go and brave the wicked weather, practically drowning in the process, and pulling the car around to get her so that she wouldn't get wet. That was a first for her.

She put her jacket over her head and clutched her yoga mat tightly before walking to the car. Once she was in, she sat on the passenger side, still slightly soaked, wondering how just those few steps would get her so wet. The mat proved to be an annoyance, so she tossed that in the back with her bag.

"Man, I am so glad this isn't a regular occurrence. I would never leave the house..." She complained slightly.

Once the were going, she looked out the window thoughtfully at his question. She'd never really thought about next year.

"Nothing set in stone. I just want to get out of here. Even if I don't go do college." She began, grateful he had turned on the heat that was helping to dry her toes. Ava held her hands in front of the vent.

"What about you? I know you said you just got back, but what are you going to be doing now that you're here?" She inquired. Easton wasn't the biggest town on the East Coast, but it was also by no means tiny. It was known for its high class and high society gatherings and its elite and socialites.

"If you're young and rich in Easton, you generally really don't have to do anything for money. Just sit there and look pretty." She scoffed to herself. "Which you wouldn't have much problem doing."

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[austin bradley clay]

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running in the rain

One thing Austin could definitely relate to was the need to get away from Easton. He had gone about as far as one could manage without actually leaving the country, and he would never regret that decision. Even now, he knew that one day he would have to move back out to California – but work said otherwise.

Austin had gone to school with a full football scholarship. Upon his graduation, Easton High School had offered him a full time coaching position. It was higher pay than he could get as a beginning industry man, so he accepted. However, in the off season he was able to work on making films. So overall, this had been the best opportunity for him to get himself a steady income while doing two things that he loved. Many college graduates were not so lucky.

“I’m an athletic coach at EHS,” he answered simply, sparing the high schooler the details of his filmmaking – for now, that was more of an expensive hobby. “And yea, if you’re rich you don’t have to do much. I’m trying to build myself up without excessive family loans.. so I’ve got to work.” Realistically, Austin could work for a fast food chain and still never have to worry about income, but his parents had taught him to fend for himself. Life wasn’t always easy, and you have to make opportunities for yourself, they aren’t always handed to you.

He shook his head and laughed at her comment about sitting around and looking pretty. He would be modest in saying that (in particular) the high school aged females of Easton gave him a decent amount of attention. Austin was mostly embarrassed by it; it was strange for young girls to be very forward with their feelings for him. He wasn’t going to pursue a relationship with a high school girl. No way. He’d dated them before and at that age, they are nothing but little drama lovers. No thank you.

A few minutes later Austin pulled into the parking lot by the Dulcinea dorms. “There’s an umbrella in the glove compartment,” he informed. “Take it.” He’d be able to park in his garage so he didn’t really need it. “It was nice catching up, give my regards to your parents,” he smiled, sure that within the next few weeks they would probably all be having a dinner or something along those lines at the Country Club.

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[Ava Hope Reynolds]

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"Oh. Well, thats weird. You? Faculty? Man I must be getting old..." She shook her head and looked frantically in the visor mirror, stretching at the corners of her eyes to try and undo the non-existant smile lines and crows feet that she was starting to imagine there. Were she and her childhood friends really almost at that age where they had to get -- dare I say it -- jobs? She tried not to think of those things. She could still remember when he and Chase used to pick on her and the other girls: Austins older sister and his younger sister Tris, Chase's sister Aily and her and Abby. They'd be having tea parties and the boys would be outside making faces at them through the window, trying to scare them. Those were the good old days. Why couldn't they just go back to that time when everyone would come together as friends. Yeah, they were rich kids, but they were still kids back then. Just like now, they were teenagers, and they had to live in a corrupt city that dealt lightly with everyone's deaths. Thats why she wanted to get out of Easton, move to Singapore, become a missionary or something at the end of the year. To not have to remember all this.

If he wanted to come back to this place after everything that happened, so be it. But Ava wanted no parts of this place.

"Excessive family loans, eh?" She nodded thoughtfully. "Heh, I just call it an allowance. But I guess that's true. I'll remember that when I have to become an adult and pay bills and whatever it is you people do." She smiled and crooked an eyebrow upward at him.

"Umbrella? A lot of good its gonna do me now." She said with a laugh, pointing at her hair that had still gotten wet, even under the jacket she put on her head. "No thats okay. But you've been quite the white knight today, so kudos for that."

She put the jacket back on her head and stepped out of the car, leaning in to respond to his last statement. "Oh I will. My mom is gonna gush when she hears little Clay has come home. Well, big chiseled Clay."

"You should go see her and my dad sometime."

If there was one thing everyone knew about Ava, out of the two sisters, she was the one who suffered from F.O.M. syndrome the most. Or in layman's terms, foot-in-mouth.

"See ya, Chuck." She said, saluting him with two fingers and then slamming the door behind her.

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