many the MILES (open)

[jordan hart]

Glancing around she felt nervous, several people were looking at her with sidelong looks. And they weren't pleasant. Shivering internally she looked at her feet, perhaps she should just go home instead of taking the "long way home"? It would probably be a safer option. Biting her bottom lip she paused mid step debating what to do. Realizing that she was passing the mall she saw how warm people seemed inside and currently she was not warm nor dry standing outside. Hurrying through the parking lot she made her way into the mall, a wave of noise hitting her as soon as she passed through the glass doors. It had been both windy and snowing outside, not a pleasant combination in the least. In addition Jordan hadn't dressed properly, considering it had been decent when she had stepped out of her apartment door that morning.

Her day at work had been usual, except for the fact that she had managed to cut herself on a broken plate another waitress had dropped. She had been on clean up duty, and had forgotten to wear protective gloves. Jordan had inspected the wound and figured it wasn't big enough to warrant a band-aid, no matter how much she loved the cartoon's on the outside. Or how colorful the outside was. Her snow boots were splattered with a mix of snow and dirt from the sidewalks that were halfway shoveled. When she had left her apartment at the beginning of her shift it had been barely snowing. Now it was a blizzard. Within minutes her clothes were soaked, sticking to her small frame. Her hair was plastered onto her ivory face her cheeks now pink from the wind.

Laying on the bench she closed her eyes, dripping onto the ground from her wet clothing. Considering she was in a mall Jordan could have gotten clothing, but the little money she did have probably wasn't enough to buy anything worthwhile. At least staying here would be warm for a little while until she was kicked out. Opening an eye she saw someone standing over her. Jordan yelped in surprise rolling over and falling off the bench with a wince. That would probably bruise. Glancing up the person, a young man her age, was clutching his sides, his friends far away doing the same. Flushing she stood up brushing herself off, her cheeks bright red. Opening her mouth to speak she realized she had nothing to say. Flushing deep red she looked at the ground unsure what to do.

[nate mitchells]

Nate’s face certainly was a common one around the mall. When you had nothing to do and a lot of people at your disposal, you had even less to do. Sure, he liked to pick a few fights every once and a while, but that wasn’t his fault. Ok, yes it was, but Nate wasn’t the one who would let another person walk away with more pride. His eyes surveyed around the room with a curious expression; there was no one there who he could either annoy or fight. They were mostly younger teenagers who thought they were so cool because they rich mommies finally let them out of the house alone. He smirked as he saw a girl who looked to be his age making out with some other guy. He knew he could easily ruin that little relationship, but he didn’t bother to. Seriously, he just gave the girl a smirk when he passed her and that seemed to make the other think that she had been checking him out. Nate gave a small wave to the guy before he kept walking.

It was funny how when you weren’t around your gang, you felt like every other person. Like, how some people around here thought that they were cooler than drugs, alcohol and sex, but once you got into that life, you loved it more than anything. Nate knew he wouldn’t make fifty, probably wouldn’t even make forty, but that wasn’t something that bothered him. After all, what use was it to be really old and not have anything to do? Nate obviously wouldn’t be the man settling down. He wouldn’t put a kid through the life he had lived; no matter how much he loved it.

Though, it was a good life, being the leader of the Disciples. He was silently plotting to beat the Bloods soon. Though, he need not think of that now. He slipped between two groups of giggling girls. A few looked back at him, but the way he walked, a lot of people would look at him. He was always walking with his head held high, good posture and this little smirk on his lips that just seemed to tell people that he was more than he appeared. And, indeed he was. He heard a few kids snickering about his clothes; he only called them kids because they hadn’t lived through a thing he had.

He wore dark jeans, ones that hugged his hips, but were stained with god only knows what. Most of it was blood, but there were some other unmentionable things. He paused as he saw a few kids make a girl fall to the ground. Nate may have been a conceited jerk, but he wasn’t one for that kind of mean-hearted things. He walked over, his hand slipping to his waist, where a gun was hidden. “Kids, watcha doing that for?” He asked as he looked down at them. They were younger, shorter and obviously spoiled. He wasn’t one to take any of their crap so he slipped one hand into his pocket. The way he smiled at them, it was almost daring them to make a wrong move.

Though, after a few seconds, he ignored them and turned around to the other girl. She was standing and blushing. He gave her a small smirk, closest thing to a smile that he would ever manage. “Name’s Nate. These idiots bugging you?” He asked looking at her carefully. Yes, Nate was already checking her out, but that was just who he was. After all, he wasn’t just gonna act like a complete gentleman. He wasn’t even close to that, he just had a bit of a nice streak in him, even if it ruined him sometimes.

[jordan hart]

Then someone came to her rescue. Jordan had been frozen into place when they had started to laugh at her even harder than before due to the fact that she couldn't think of anything to say in retaliation. Just like her body her brain had frozen in place, she swore she could hear an echo inside her skull. Looking up at her rescuer she expected a security guard. Absolutely and completely wrong. Her eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the young man's face, a year younger than herself, well more like a few months. Jordan remembered him completely. She had known him when she was wandering around, met him when she had stopped at his town, just around the time when he had left.

Then they both had ventured here, but rapidly lost touch. Jordan constantly wondered what had happened to him after they had lost touch and was pleased to see that he seemed to be well. At least outwardly. But when recognition didn't dawn on him her broad smile turned into a slight frown. True it had been awhile since they had last seen each other but Jordan didn't think it had been that long. Watching the boys walk away slightly intimidated, as if they knew who he was. Confusion quickly passed through her features when he introduced himself.

Jordan laughed softly shaking her head, "I know who you are. You don't remember me?" She asked her voice slightly hurt her lips pouting. Then an idea dawned on her, something that would help him remember this one time together. When they were traveling to New York they had managed to hitch a ride with a very creepy old guy. So with a smile she sat down on the bench pretending she was driving a car then put on a Southern accent, "So little guy...you single...you like the men folk? Ya like me?" It was a dead on impression of the guy, he had attempted to hit on Nate but failed...miserably.

[nate mitchells]

He watched the kids leave with a smirk on his face. So, rumor of him still did get around. That was good to know. He turned back to the girl and was surprised when she said that she knew him. He narrowed his eyes at her, easily starting to think that maybe she was from another gang and that helping her had been a bad idea, but as soon as she started to impersonate that truck driver he recognized her. Though, a blush flared on his cheeks for a few moments at the memory of that old man hitting on him. He thought that he had heard somewhere that said man had been arrested as a pedophile. He looked at her and shook his head in pure amusement. How could he have forgotten about the first person to show him kindness when he was on his own? He shook his head again and clapped his hand on her shoulder, “Jeez, Jordan, you had to pick that memory. Now I have very bad thoughts.”

He let go of her shoulder and sat down. He was getting looks, but he quickly slipped the gun into his pocket before more of it could become visible, ”Seriously, next time you need me to recognize you, please, don’t chose a memory that reminds me of how I actually had to kiss that guy so he wouldn’t call the police on us two run-a-way children.” He shook his head in disgust at the memory before he added, “I wish I could think up an embarrassing memory for you, but you know me, unless it’s bad, I don’t remember it.” He looked up at her and then looked her over…just to make sure she was ok.

He remembered the day they had parted. It had been the day that he had joined his first gang and the day that they had argued about that whole thing. Look at him now, he was the leader of a gang and she was still a citizen. He smiled at the fact that she seemed healthy enough. Though, she obviously looked like she was in a bad spot, ”Let’s go grab something to eat. You look freezing.” He said as he stood up and offered his hand to her. On a normal occasion (like, four years ago) he would have wrapped his arm around her shoulders, but for now, he settled with the offered hand…until he realized that she must have been cold. He slipped his not-so-heavy coat off and put it around her shoulders.

”You ok though? You look like you’re in a rough spot.” He said as he offered his hand again. He didn’t live far and he didn’t care much for that jacket, so he didn’t worry about leaving it behind. Though, he did want to make sure that Jordan was ok. If anyone in his gang saw how he was acting, they would probably have a panic attack, but he really couldn’t care less. He would probably have put a bullet in their head had they dared to make fun of either Jordan or himself.

With his other hand, he smoothed his tan t-shirt and looked at her again, ”No shitty fast food though. I don’t need to get a heart attack with how I live.” He had a feeling that just saying that would hint to her that he was still in a gang. He didn’t care. There would always be that confidence factor around him, though now he had horrible images in his mind. Just for old times, he started to whine again, ”Why’d you put the memories of that guy in my mind. I thought sleeping with other people would get him out of my mind and it did…Until you came around.” He said, teasing her by the end of it as he motioned for her to follow, ”Food time.”

[jordan hart]

“Jeez, Jordan, you had to pick that memory. Now I have very bad thoughts.” Jordan's smiled widened visibly, barely even registering the gun in his pocket when he made a move to conceal it. Something like that just didn't occur to her, after all the Nate she knew and remembered was that little boy at 14 when she was 15. It wasn't something she couldn't forget about him. She understood that the city was tough, she had been through it for a few years, but Jordan just couldn't comprehend that the kid she once knew when she was just a kid herself had grown up.

Jordan smiled at him, although several chills worked their way up and down her spine due to the fact that her clothes were damp at best. It was good to hear from him, so she let him whine about her embaressing him with that trucker impression. Well what else would he have remembered? It's not lik he had the best memory known to man, so she needed to pick something that didn't happen everyday and he could have at least remembered a small portion of it or the whole thing. Shaking her head she rolled her eyes at his behavior, the small smile on her face still. It was nice to see a familiar face in the city after such a long time.

Food? At the mention of food she looked up at him. Well she was freezing that much was true and currently she'd love something to war her up, like hot cocoa...with marshmallows. Yet that was something that wasn't typically in a mall, more like a Starbucks. Although she brushed passed the thoughts of being cold she was just about to take the hand that he offered when he drapped his jacket over his shoulders. This was a rare moment for Nate, the tough guy act he had put on years before had originally been hard to get past, but she had managed. It seemed that once Nate knew you he was the sweetheart (or at least as sweet as he was going to get) toward you.

Grinning she stood kissing his cheek, "Thanks Natey-kins." Jordan adored teasing him although never about anything serious. Thankfully her voice was low enough that only he could hear, she figured that somethings had definitely changed since their last visit to each other when they had fought. Nate had been falling in the wrong crowd while Jordan had tried to talk him out of it. A fight ensued, which consisted more of him yelling than her and they had both gone their seperate ways. Jordan worried about him and the trouble he could be getting himself into at the moment. Then he asked her about her own health. It was decent enough, but not being able to afford to go to the doctor wasn't exactly a good thing either. Jordan shrrugged as far as she could tell she was in good shape.

That's when the ultimatums came about what kind of food exactly they were going to ingest. Laughing she shook her head, "Don't worry about it, as long as it's hot food I'm fine." Which wasn't entirely true, Jordan needed something cheap. She didn't have much to spend on food that week, tips had been lousy at both jobs. Hearing the memory comment she rolled her eyes. If he wanted to have a promiscius lifestyle then it was fine with her, but don't go blaming it on her. "Actually as I recall you wanted to give him a kiss out of your own free will. I think deep down you thought he was sexy." Jordan said with another teasing smile as she poked him gently in the side. She had missed Nate, even the whining that had accompanied the man. "How about chinese?" She asked pulling him toward the Chinese store, it was cheap and hot food. Both requirements on her list for a good meal.

[nate mitchells]

He looked down at her seriously for a second as he thought of what he could possibly say. He knew that they hadn’t gotten along about him being some sort of gang member before, but he had needed to get into that crowd so he could survive. Jordan had been able to survive on some talents that he couldn’t possibly been able to survive on. Nate had needed to go into a gang; he had needed the family-like support that it could offer. Sure, if he had been able to know what he knew now, he would never have done that and he would have rather starved in the streets. Though, now it was far too late for that. He fingered the waistline on his jeans absent minded for a second, but her voice woke him up from his day dreams and he almost regretted slipping back into his own thoughts. That was something that he needed to remember now to do.

”Hm? Natey-kins? I swear to god, if anyone hears that you call me that…I dunno what’ll happen, but you’ll be marked.” He said without thinking, but as soon as he heard what he had said, well, been able to think it through at least, he sighed in frustration. He looked over at her and ruffled the back part of his hair for a few seconds before he tried to start speaking, ”I know you don’t agree with how I was planning on living my life, but I’m in a gang, well, not in it anymore. Come on, though. I’ll explain inside.” He said with a weak smile to her. He did care more about her, but she was family. There was no doubt in his mind that this person was special. Seriously, she had helped him get here at least.

”Flirt with that guy? Psh, he was the farthest thing from sexy. I think you’re making up things just because you’re jealous that I’m totally hotter and people like me more.” He teased back at her. There was no way that he was going to let her out do him when it came to teasing each other. He looked down at her and shook his head in amusement, ”Chinese food.” He knew he was acting very out of character for him. Though, around anyone else, even lovers, he wasn’t this friendly. There certainly was something about the fact that she was just such a nice and special person that got to him…He didn’t think that. He was only thinking that because she had been nice to him in his time of need. Seriously, never take his thoughts towards Jordan as a crush. That had died years ago, with the child that had once been him.

He wondered if he should just tell her that he was planning on buying her food. Seriously, it was a lot easier just to pay for things with a credit card than to split the bill. Oh well, that could be a pleasant surprise for her. Meh, it’d be a good surprise, so she didn’t need to worry, but he was just waiting on her questioning him about the marked comment. He let her lead him to the Chinese Food place, but as soon as they got into the small wanna-be restaurant, he took the lead and looked over at the waitress. ”Table for two.” He looked over at Jordan and laughed, ”It’s been ages since I’ve had Chinese Food.” He remembered the last time that he had eaten this food, but all traces of smiles faded from his face. That had been his lunch before he had gotten into that shooting that had killed his mother.

He shook his head to clear the memory away before he lost himself in his thoughts. He looked down at Jordan and started laughing, ”Jeez, you really didn’t grow at all since…four years ago now? Wow, it feels like an eternity since I thought that I could make it on my own. Look at me now though, perfectly fine.” He said with a proud smile at the shorter girl. Yes, he loved his height, but he wasn’t completely the tallest. He was just six foot, maybe a little shorter. He didn’t care much though. After all, it wasn’t like height made you who you were. If that was so, then he wouldn’t be the proud leader of the Disciples. He followed the waitress to the table and looked at Jordan, ”So…What could we talk about that won’t make me hide my head in shame?”

[jordan hart]

At the word marked Jordan flinched. She knew what that meant, after all it had caused there friendship to severe before. It was something she didn't like to talk about. In her denial gangs really didn't exsit, although she wasn't that deluded. Deep down she understood that they were a part of life, whether or not she was going to accept them as the norm was something else entirely. Jordan felt that they weren't a necessity to survive. After all she wasn't in one and she was surviving. It's not like she was rolling in money but she could stand fairly stably on two feet.

Deciding to ignore the comment she looked up at him again, her lips turned downward when he mentioned him being in a gang. In all honestly Jordan did not want to revisit the subject again. After all the last time they had talked about it, it hadn't ended up well. More like in disaster. She had a lost a good friend, someone she had known for years and it never sit well with her. But this was a subject she really didn't budge about. Everything else was flexible. So she just gave him a small nod of her head, obviously not to pleased that he had brought it up only a few minutes after seeing each other again.

At his next comment laughter burst out of her. "What?" She said her voice shaking slightly as she attempted to form a complete sentence in between bursts of laughter. Looking up at him again she finally got it under control. "You're completely off your rocker, I hope you realize that." Of course she was teasing him, after all she knew he was sane, although perhaps not as sane as she had remembered him to the fact that he had joined a gang. There were things that he had probably seen that Jordan would blanch at. But at this moment she preferred to think of him as that naive boy she had met years ago. The one that had needed her kindness and she was willing to give it freely. They stepped inside the Chinese restaurant. Immediately people turned to look at th two. After all they did look a little odd.

Nate was more than 6 inches taller than her with a bad boy look to him. While Jordan was almost the complete opposite, dark hair and light eyes with an innocent appearance. She dressed cutely, despite the jacket that Nate had given her. In addition she was still damp from her partial walk home. They were odd looking to say the least. Resisting the urge to blush she sat down at the table provided them as she moved to look at the menu. Something cheap but filling. Most likely she wouldn't eat breakfast in the morning and just have to wait for lunch. ”So…What could we talk about that won’t make me hide my head in shame?” He said as she sighed leaning on the table slightly. "How about how you're doing? Besides who you're hanging out with. Any girlfriends? Boyfriends? Or should I just ask about conquests?" Jordan asked with a small smile tilting her head to the side.

[nate mitchells]

Nate knew that she didn’t like his life style. He nodded his head and said, “Happier thoughts. That’s always a good thing to have.” He looked down at her and laughed at the height difference. He knew that people saw a huge difference between them, but he also thought that they were thinking of them as going out. After all, he saw a few quizzical looks at him from people he knew. They wanted to know why he was smiling and not smirking, why his coat was on this smaller girl who looked like she could be snapped in half by the weakest gang member. Of course, he shot them looks so that they wouldn’t say a thing or even come up to him. He didn’t need her to be introduced to people in gangs. She seemed like she had a good life without them, so that was how he wanted to keep it. She was safe the way she was.

”Off my rocker? Who says that besides you?” He teased with a grin as he looked at the menu. He saw a few things he liked, but this was the type of food that he didn’t eat too much, so he didn’t know what to get. ”What are you going to get?” He asked curiously as he looked over at her. She asked the one question that made him start laughing really hard. He looked down at her with a curious expression before saying, ”So…Which side do you want to know about first? Boys? Girls? Conquests?” He couldn’t help, but shake his head in amusement. She was just asking for it, so he thought about the funniest story that he could possibly tell her about some one-nighter that he had. One that was funny, but for a few seconds he couldn’t think of one which was actually rather interesting. Usually, the cocky asshole couldn’t help, but keep talking.

”Well, how about you talk a bit about yourself and what you’ve been doing while I think of some things.” He couldn’t help, but laugh at the fact that he couldn’t even think straight. Maybe it was just the fact that he was with a person that he hadn’t even seen in a few years. Four years to be exact. Four…long…years. Though, that didn’t matter at this point. He looked at Jordan, trying to see how healthy she looked and how she seemed to be getting along. She was small, she had always been small as he had remembered. He gave a nostalgic smile and looked over at Jordan.

”Ya know what you want. I know what I want for an appetizer and drink.” he had noticed the waiter standing by them. ”I’ll have a water and some pork fried rice. Jordan?” He asked as he looked over at her. He hoped that she knew what to get, otherwise he would be laughing at the fact that he was way more decisive than she was. His eyes met her’s for a second. He wondered what could possibly be going through her head at that moment. He also wondered how much she had really changed. They had only been around each other for about ten minutes…That wasn’t too long.