{((Nothing Ever Comes For Free))}i{((Part 2))}

[Sorry, this took so long. It's a bit choppy because I've written various parts on various days. But you'll just have to read it (or not) anyway. So, let's move on and get this party started.]

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"I'm so sorry!" he apologized again. "My name's Ryan Dylans. I hope it's okay if I buy you another drink!"

This Ryan appeared so sweet. He apologized repeatedly and looked so flustered. Rouge was painted across his cheeks as he ran back to Hunter with a fist full of napkins. Unfortunately, Hunter is a hard girl to gain forgiveness from. But he was getting close to forgiveness, which is a record for her. Ryan's dark green eyes glinted from embarrassment and with a genuine apology as he bent down from his taller height to attempt to dry her now stained clothes.

"It's… fine." Hunter replied through her teeth.

"No, it's not. I'm going to buy you another one." Ryan argued back.

Before she could reply with a seemingly well planned and witty comeback, Ryan was already at the cashier asking Quinn what Hunter's order was. Glaring at his back, she went against her better judgment of just walking away as if nothing had happened and stood in the same position as she had stood a mere minute ago when she first caught sight of Ryan. After ordering and handing over his money to Quinn, he looked back to check if Hunter had indeed waited for the coffee he was retrieving. She noticed the small twinge of his cheek as a small smile was pulled upon his soft lips when he noticed she had somehow not run out on him, this random man who had completely ruined her shirt.

'I'm only staying for the espresso I'm only staying for the espresso. I'm only staying for…' Hunter chanted repeatedly in her mind.

As quick as he had disappeared, Ryan was back right in front of her holding her espresso out to her. Cautiously, Hunter reached out to his hand that held her second round of caffeine that day. There was no way she was going to wait for a third espresso. But before he could ask her if she wanted to sit and maybe talk, she had disappeared out the door of Starbuck's just as he had appeared a short while before. Pausing in the spot where he stood, Ryan blinked a few times with a blank stare on the door, but gradually moved toward a table began reading the cover of the nearly-one-week-old newspaper lying on the table as if he were some ordinary person.

Sipping the espresso, Hunter made her way to the place where she always loved. It was her "secret annexe" like Anne Frank had. This was her place to hide out from the world when the walls of her bedroom where too cliché. The small abandoned park soon began to come into view.

Most people stopped coming to this park. It used to be such a booming spot for parents to bring their children for a day of just complete bliss. That was when Hunter came with her parents as a child. But she got older and her parents moved to a cozy, little suburban home and as if it was a conspiracy to make her forget the good times of her childhood, when everything went just right, a new and better park was built. It had three times as many as the three old swings in Hunter's park. And four giant slides instead of her mere one slide. The new park even had a giant sand pit, see-saws, more space for grown-ups to play, more benches for them to sit at and socialize while they watched their children, and just more. It was also inside the city so parents didn't have to travel so far just to spend time with their children. So, now this was Hunter's park or at least that's what she called it. She wouldn't couldn't leave it and all those actually pleasant memories.

As she approached one of the swings, she sat and brought her bag into her lap. It was made of a plain manila colored canvas fabric with black and red zippers all over, leading to various pockets. The main of it, though, was covered in red and black Sharpie. Whenever she needed to write a quick note or thought or just felt like doodling, she would always have a red and/or black Sharpie in her bag. Reaching into the main pocket, she pulled out "The Catcher In The Rye". Hunter hadn't read the book in quite a while, but found it a few days ago just lying on top of some books on her bookshelf.

She placed the earphones of her iPod in her ear and picked a random song to play without looking at it. "The Ransom" by Escape The Fate began to play as she started to slowly swing while reading. As cliché as it could sound, the hours passed by as if they were merely seconds. Hunter never noticed her stomach gently rumble as she read, listened to the songs switch, and swung back and forth. Well, that is until that gentle rumbling turned into loud growls. Somehow lunch had passed her by, so she decided it was about time to get up from this paradise.

Hunter began the small trek back to the main of the city. The sky looked so beautiful with the hundreds of different colors all molding into this picturesque view that even the best of the best artists couldn't duplicate. A sunset could be seen with its blues, pinks, purples, and more colors meeting the tangerine yellow sun, barely seen behind the tall buildings. But the many colors soon blended into a small midnight sky peeking out at the world with its speckled cheeks of bright stars. This was a beauty that was unmat-

BAM! As she walked along the sidewalk of the city, her and someone's shoulders rammed into each other as they tried to pass each other. And for a second time that day she was nearly knocked down, unbeknownst to her, by the same person. Oh, the wonderful luck she had.

"Bitch!" Hunter exclaimed as her head was faced down at her, now pounding, shoulder.

"I think you mean, son of a bitch." He shot back instantly with a smirk playing on his lips this time.

"Fuck, it’s you again." She replied without having to look up from her shoulder.

"Aw, I love you too. But I don't even know your name yet." As he said this, Hunter was almost fazed by his completely different demeanor from the last time they had clashed.

These greetings they exchanged earned hard glares from mothers with their children and old grumpy couples walking along the sidewalk as well. Though, most things could anger mothers with their children and grumpy old couples. But they weren't fazed very much by the glares and other expressions of disapproval.