the truth might be out there, but it's not here. ( shyan )

ch. 1 ; new beginning

"Ryan --" Jen bounds up the school's steps, Kelsey and Zach by her side. Once her dear friend doesn't answer, she tries again. "Ryan --" Nothing. "Ryan --" How can he be this distracted? Really, how? "Ryan!" That one comes from Kelsey, who was steadily getting more and more annoyed while Jen tried to get Ryan's attention patiently; the thing was, Kelsey wasn't patient. Kelsey's impatience works, Ryan's head snaps up from his laptop, eyes slightly narrowed and irritation clear across his face.

" What? " He snaps, eyes moving from Jen, to Kelsey, then to Zach, and his face softened. Zach looked uncomfortable, and Ryan simply sighed, head moving back to Kelsey. He couldn't get mad now, not at his friends -- he knew it was his fault for ignoring them, anyway.

"Dude, what's been with you? You didn't return our calls last week and when we came to pick you up this morning, you told your mom to tell us you weren't home even though we could clearly see you through the window. Talk to us. " Kelsey speaks out, voice suddenly lower, more subdued, with concern coating it like candy.

"Yeah, man, we're worried about you. You've never gone this long ignoring us." Jen adds, sitting herself down next to Ryan, with Kelsey taking his other side and Zach criss-cross-applesauce in front of the boy.

"We miss you, Ryan. It's not the same without you. When I say that, I mean it's harder to deal with Kelsey's snide insults. Plus, you're pretty much 90% of Jen's impulse control, and we can't handle her as well as you do. We can't lose you." Zach explains, hands fiddling together, ever the comic relief, and for once, Ryan was more than thankful for it. He simply laughs as he listens to his friends, leaning back against the column they're all sitting in front of and combing a hand through his hair.

"Guys, I'm fine, honest, it's just -- I've been really busy with this one case, and --" The three around him groan collectively, drowning out his voice. "No, seriously, this is a big one! I know it gets annoying, but just try and support me, okay? I think there's something big here, I really do. And it's just, it's really been stressing me out because I'm trying to get everything together so I can head out and go actually explore for once, and you know how scared I get of that kind of stuff, and there's no one to go with, and it'd be the biggest thing I've ever posted on my blog, and it just has to be perf --"

Jen immediately interjects with a finger placed upon his lips, "It's cool, dude, chill. We're here for you, alright? Just...calm down. I know you love this supernatural stuff and all but it's starting to get worrying. We might need an intervention. What's it on, anyway? Why would you have to travel for it?" She tries to sneak a peek at his laptop, craning her head to see.

Ryan shakes his head, swatting the short-haired girl's finger away and swiftly shutting the laptop, "Not telling yet, I'll show you guys when you come over after school -- yes, you're coming after school, by the way, 'cause I feel like a shit friend and the least I can do is make you guys some food. Plus my mom is worried I'm like, turning into a hermit. I think she wants me to do a youth group or something." The other three laugh, nodding along with whatever Ryan was rambling on with now; they're just happy to have their best friend back.

Ryan's still rambling about some weird ghost show he was watching the night before when he feels an elbow jab into his side, and he lets out a startled yelp, the words, "Kelsey, you dick!" tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

They're all sitting on the steps of their school, and Kelsey points across the courtyard to the drop-off, whispering "Look" . Ryan, Zach, and Jen all look, all puzzled by what they see. Sara Rubin and Ashly Perez are together, which isn't anything new, but there's also a fifteen foot (that's how Ryan saw it, anyway) giant standing with them.

Sara and Ashly had always hung out together, which made sense because they were the only two members of Buzzfeed High School's welcome committee. The reason they were the only members? The town of Cedar Oak was tiny, barely five hundred people. Ryan, Jen, Zach, and Kelsey had known each other since they were in diapers, growing up and going through school with their classmates. Newcomers didn't appear often; if they do, they leave within the next year or two. That's just how it goes, and how it's always gone. Nobody really seems to mind it.

For some reason, though, the giant kind-of-sort-of-really takes Ryan's breath away. He's extremely tall (coming from someone who's 5'9 & ¾, that's saying something), with whispy blond hair and beautiful hazel eyes -- from what Ryan can see. He's kinda plain, kinda gangly, but it's in a cute way. He doesn't realize he's staring until hazel eyes stares back, and immediately Ryan shakes his head as if to snap himself out of his trance, feeling his cheeks get hot.

"When was the last time we got a new kid?" Zach asks offhand, studying the giant with confused but intrigued eyes. None of the group is paying enough attention to Ryan to realize he's blushing, and he silently thanks whatever higher power there is that his friends are too distracted to notice.

Ryan and Jen both shrug, Ryan still a little too awed to talk. Fortunately, Jen does it for him, "I dunno, freshman year? Safiya Nygaard. She left in the middle of junior year, I think." The other three nod in remembrance, now taking the form of some little huddle.

"We should go talk to him! I think he's kinda cute." Kelsey suggests, and Ryan feels Jen cringe a little at his side; she's had a crush on Kelsey since they were seven, and Kelsey's only been with boys. Jen's still holding out hope.

"I dunno, let's let Sara and Ashly have him for now. They don't really get to do this whole welcome thing much, y'know? Bring him over at lunch or something." Jen speaks quickly, words jumbled together in the beginning of her sentences before mellowing out for the last one. Ryan feels compelled to interject and say no , their group was fine, they didn't need anyone else, but he's too curious about the beautiful boy and why he's in Cedar Oak of all places.

Just as he opens his mouth to speak the bell rings, signaling the start of the school day, which to him meant the beginning of a long year in hell.

The group stand together, slinging their backpacks over their shoulders. "You guys ready for another year?" Jen asks, a slight frown on her face, though there was excitement in her eyes.

"Jen, I haven't been ready for a year of school since I came out of the womb, and even then I was a bit iffy about it." Zach jokes, though his face is crumpled, looking up at the sign with 'BUZZFEED HIGH SCHOOL' emblazoned on it in big red letters, looking like he's eaten something sour.

The crew laugh, and they all begin to walk through the big, plastic double doors. Ryan can't help but look back at the giant as they do, though, and he discovers, much to his chagrin, that said giant is already looking straight at him, as if he's studying Ryan. Oh god.

Well, this is gonna be a fun senior year, Ryan thinks, keeping his eyes downcast and turning back around, listening to Zach and Jen have a conversation about avocados and how they contribute to society.