i'd rather feel pain then nothing at all ;; open

[tish.ღ.martin]

Trust me and take my hand
When the lights go out you will understand

Well, so far, things had been pretty unexciting in Tish Martin’s crazy life. Seattle was considered one of America’s major cities, yet for the life of her Tish could not see why. It might be because she had grown up in the rough streets of New York her whole life, where everywhere she went she had guys grabbing her or otherwise begging to take her home. Here it wasn’t so much the case, unless you counted Micah Orsino… which she didn’t. Micah and Tish had a great relationship, one that Tish loved very much, but since then he had occupied himself with his skanky blonde, and Tish seemed to see less and less of her roommate everyday. Not that Tish minded so much. Micah was just a friend with wonderful benefits, and she had no problem with sharing him; Tish only wished she had herself another go-to. Oh well, she’d live, and if she ever got desperate, she could always go and pick herself up another guy that was more than willing. For some reason, Tish hadn’t been all that into the guys around here lately. It was odd. There was always one guy that she could find that stood out to her; one that, no matter what, she was going to take home with her. Maybe it was the fact that she currently had Micah at home who was pretty much willing to bend to her every will when that sort of thing came up… not that Tish didn’t do a little bending herself. She didn’t understand herself anymore… but that would change soon enough… at least she hoped it did.

It was about 12 noon when Tish finally managed to roll herself out of bed, and it not taking her long to realize that Micah had already left for the day. She didn’t know where he had went to or what he was doing, but she really didn’t care. He had come home late the night before, she knew, and had crashed a couple seconds later in the room next to her. After that, she hadn’t heard a sound in the house, and she herself had fallen back asleep. She was welcomed with the usual site, a messy room with her clothes and Micah’s scattered to and fro. He hadn’t even been in her bed last night, but he hadn’t picked up the clothes he had left from nights past. Tish didn’t pick them up, but simply went to the bathroom to take a shower, emerging an hour later to find clothes. Tish wasn’t much of a cook, and neither her nor Micah had done the grocery shopping over the last couple days, so there wasn’t much left in the house. So, she was going out for breakfast/lunch. Tish found a tight pair of jeans, a tight t-shirt, and then her black leather jacket. Once she had put those articles on, she grabbed some money from her drawer, which was placed in a secret spot with her heroin, and then headed out of the apartment, making sure that it was locked behind her and that she had her key. The last thing she wanted was to have to go over to Brit and Kade’s and get one, them having a copy to the apartment because Tish forgot hers so many times.

Tish took her time walking to the Starbucks that was located just down the street from her apartment building. It was a nice little place, and it was about as far as Tish was willing to walk to get anything to eat. After getting herself a coffee and a muffin, she found herself a corner booth and ate her meal. It wasn’t much and she took her time eating it, watching the people as they came and went. From where she sat, she could see a little high school freshman and her boyfriend a couple booths away, trying their hardest to keep their hands off one another, but most definitely not succeeding. On the other side of the place she saw a girl reading a book, a guy typing on a lap top, and another guy talking on his cell phone. Gosh… people really didn’t communicate with each other much around here did they? Oh well, that was fine with Tish. She finished her muffing and her coffee, then threw her jacket back on and left. To kill some time before Jared’s opened, Tish walked around the street and the park for a couple of hours, sitting on a bench most of the day with her iPod jammed in her ears. She didn’t have a single thing to do, and for once she found herself so close to boredom that it almost drove her to tears. She ended up showing up at Jared’s earlier than usual, and because of her connection was able to go in early. She sat at the bar while Brit worked on restocking the area behind it, knowing that her presence irritated Brit, though she’d never openly say it.

Eventually they let the people in, and Tish occupied herself with working the crowd and having a good time. She made the most of her time, and it wasn’t long before she was dancing in the middle of a bunch of good looking men, which was definitely how she liked it. Tish loved to be the center of attention, having all the guys watching her, and the girls throwing her dirty looks because they were so jealous. Okay, so Tish was self-centered. So what? She knew what she had, and she loved to flaunt it. Was it her fault that God had given her this awesome body that pretty much every guy on earth wanted to be on top of? What it her fault that she was so desperately wanted by men? No, not really. It was her, fault, though, when she rubbed it in all the other girl’s faces. But Tish didn’t really care, and it didn’t bother her any. Unlike most other girls, Tish wasn’t just looks. This girl could hold her own in a good girl fight… though Brit was probably the only girl that she didn’t want to cross. She’d watched the brunette tussle with a couple girls back in North Carolina when they’d went after Jeff. In Tish’s honest opinion, that was just not worth it. Besides, tonight Tish wasn’t looking for a fight… she was simply looking for a good time.

Eventually Tish tired of the dancing and the attention, and she said farewell to the guys, knowing that they watched her move from their site and over to the bar. She found herself a seat, just happening to sit on the side Brit was working, and she got a dirty look because of it. “Aww, come on, Brit. All I want is a drink.” She was thrown one of those, “yeah right” looks before Brit left to fetch her something from behind the bar. When she returned, Brit tossed Tish a beer, not even asking what she wanted, and then went on to the next person. Tish didn’t mind the choice of beverage, and she didn’t expect anything more of Brit than that angry and cold encounter. After all, the girl hated her, and Tish wasn’t stupid enough to believe that she didn’t. Tish just didn’t let it get to her, and she pretty much acted as if it didn’t bother her a bit. Brit’s hate towards her did bother her slightly, but that was only because there was really no reason for it. Tish wasn’t going to say anything about it, though. Let Brit be mad. She couldn’t interfere with Tish’s night of fun. No sir.

[david tyler ,]

you know i'm here to save you

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David had only been in Seattle about a week, and he had spent most of the time inside. This was because that there was still a load of unpacking to do, but it was more because that it just rained so much in Seattle. David did not like the rain. It was his enemy. He'd never seen snow where he lived until he went to Washington for college. Up until then he had to go to the mountains to see the fluffy white stuff. He had to say that if he had the choice between snow and rain, he'd pick the snow. Rain was just not something that he liked. He'd lived in Pheonix, for God's sake. He loved the warm and the sun. California was just as good, but once he moved to Washington, with all of the cold and rain, he spent most of his time indoors. He and rain just didn't get along, so when he could he avoided go out in it completely. He had a hard time falling sleep most nights hearing the pounding of the rain on the windows of his new apartment, but he was almost getting used to it. Almost. He went to bed earlier and earlier each night in a pathetic attempt to be asleep by a reasonable hour, and so far he had failed miserably. He was going to get it right. Maybe he'd go and pick up some ear plugs. That should help a little.

He had spent the time outside of his apartment with his cousin Sydney Blake. She was one of his best friends, no question about it. They had grown up together up until Sydney and her family moved to Seattle, but they had always managed to say close even with the lack of contact. She had helped him explore the city, and he'd met quite a few new people along the way. He met her friends Zach Cool and Autumn Brooks, as well as another of her girlfriends named Tyler Durden, and another girl named Brittany Morgan. Actually, Brittany and David had met each other before Sydney even got a chance to introduce them to each other. They met one day through a random IM conversation, and even with that slight bit of contact it seemed to make him a little closer with her than any of the other girls he had met. Still, he hadn't been able to make anyone that he would be able to consider a friend, but he definitely had high hopes for the people that he'd encountered so far.

Tonight he had ventured outside of his apartment to get better aquainted with one of the many places Sydney had introduced him to over the past week. He had been as impressed as anyone that two twenty-one year olds had been able to open such a big place. It sounded like such a crazy idea, but it seemed like this was a huge place for them. There were always people there, give for the late morning hours. Otherwise, this place was always juming, whether it was staff getting ready for the rush or the people who loved hanging out at this club, it seemed like this was the place to be in Seattle. Sydney had been able to get inside without waiting for her doors to open since she personally knew the owners and a few of the employees who worked there. She had gone around and introduced him to the people. At first it had felt awkward to have Sydney parading him around to meet all of her friends, but he soon realized that it was purely the person she was. She wanted to make sure that he was comfortable in Seattle, and she must have known that familiar faces were always comforting. At least she was trying. Aunt Erin and Uncle Michael had welcomed him to their house and said he could come back any time he wanted. He'd been able to get to know Tanner a little better. He kind of thought as Tanner of the baby of the family, because he had been the last to be born. Next to Nikki, his 3 month old kitten, he was the youngest member of the family. It turned out that the kid was pretty cool, but puberty years were tough, and he was just starting to grow into them.

Now David needed some him time. He had pulled out some old jeans and a white tank top, which he pulled a blue button down shirt over, leaving it unbuttoned. After slipping on his Vans, grabbing his keys, and giving Nikki one last loving pet, he was out the door on his way to Jared's. His cell phone was stuck in his pocket, just in case Sydney decided to call, or his parents wanted to talk to him for some reason or another. Even thought it was still pretty chilly outside, David didn't bring his jacket. He didn't want to have to discard it once he got to the bar, so there was no use in bringing it. The rain had taken a break for once, and he was greatful for it. He probably wouldn't be as lucky coming home, but for right now he smiled up at the still cloudy sky and nodded. So rain had held up it's end of the bargain. He slipped into his Chevy Corvette convertable. It was a very nice car, a gift from his parents for Christmas. A very expensive gift. But David was so used to it that he didn't think much of it. He had given them both a hug and a kiss, said thank you, and that was that. The truth was that he loved his car. It was sleek with all black interior and exterior, plus quite a few extra features. Sydney had been jealous the moment she had seen it. She wasn't the type to hold a grudge for something as silly as a car, but she had asked if she could borrow it some time. David didn't mind.

The drive to Jared's didn't take long. The club was only several blocks away, and on a warmer day he might have even taken the time to walk there. His apartment was pretty close to all of the action. Trying to find parking at Jared's was pretty crazy, though. Even though it wasn't that late, the whole parking lot seemed to be filled. He finally found a space some ways down the street, and he had to stand in line for another five minutes and wait to get into the club. He was on the verge of shivering the entire time thanks to his genius move not to take his jacket. He still wasn't used to cold weather. You couldn't really blame the guy. He had grown up where the weather never seemed to dip below the mid-sixties. Now it was hardly barely fourty-five degrees outside. Finally he made it inside.

There were people everywhere. Next to his apartment, this and the Blake household were easily the two places he'd spent most of his time, but Sydney had always been with him. Now he was alone. He knew that he could fend for himself; he'd been doing it for almost all of his entire life. He wondered around for a few moments, taking in the scene around him. The crowd of dancing people was huge, and off to the side the familiar bar had people hanging around it as well. Considering David wasn't exactly the dancing type, he figured he would be spending most of his time around the bar. He headed over to the bar, getting a couple of glances from the girls taking a break from the dance floor. There were only a couple of free seats, and he took the one closest to him, between a pretty redhead and a half drunk kid who couldn't be more than 18. He leaned forward and waited to be served.

ooc , finally dooone! sorry it's so bad. <3

[/size]

[tish.ღ.martin]

Trust me and take my hand
When the lights go out you will understand

Tish watched Brit work behind the bar with a certain curiosity. No, Tish was not that way, but she was simply watching her in a way that made her wonder if working at the bar might be a good thing for her. Micah had already offered to pull some strings for her, not that he needed to, and Tish did feel kind of bad about taking things from Micah and not really helping out herself. Micah didn’t complain, he wasn’t really the type to, but she was feeling bad about it. The inner goodness that belonged to Tish Martin was starting to show. Crap. Not many people would believe it, but Tish could be a very good person if she wanted to be. She wasn’t really one that most would call loyal, unless given a reason to be, but she was not one to mess with if you wanted to keep what good looks you lacked of. There was only one person that had ever beaten Tish in a fight, and that had been Brit. The girl might not look like much, but get her in a bad mood and you don’t stand much of a chance. Tish had learned, and since then she didn’t push all the buttons… only a couple of them. Really, Tish had no idea why Brit hated her so much. She simply didn’t get why it was so essential for the girl to hate her. Not that Tish really minded. She had been the girl with no friends for a long time. After a while, you got pretty used to people hating you.

Tish didn’t even notice the guy that sat down next to her. Had she, she probably would have been there, working her charm on him and giving him a lot of attention instead of just sitting there, drinking her beer, and watching Brit as she worked. Of course, it didn’t take long for Tish to take notice of the new man at the bar. She just happened to glance over and see the tall, very nicely built man sitting next to her. She didn’t make herself known at first, simply letting her dark eyes work their way over his figure as subtly as possible. Tish wasn’t one that liked to make it obvious that she was checking someone over… unless that person knew her very well, and she knew that they would not mind. Like Micah. With Micah, Tish never kept it secret that she was into him, especially when he was making it clear that he was into her. No one could deny that Micah was a beautiful, beautiful man, and Tish wasn’t so bad herself. To the occasional onlooker it would almost seem as if Tish and Micah were dating. They lived together, they were together often, and really, they were just comfortable around each other. Of course, if people continued to watch the array of people that came through the apartment, they’d also think that it was a very open relationship… or that neither of them were faithful at all. That wasn’t the case at all. Tish and Micah were just friends. They had pretty much grown up together, and when Tish had returned to Fate to find that Micah had grown up very much and very nicely, she didn’t hesitate in adding to what they had had originally. Just because Tish was sleeping with Micah didn’t mean there was more to the relationship. Anyone who even knew the two of them closely could tell you that.

Then, of course, there was the matter of Kale Davis. Tish had never been one that was high in morals, but sleeping with that man was definitely a new low for her to have reached. Tish couldn’t really help it though. The man was very attractive, and he was a damn smooth talker. The benefits might not be the best, but since when did Tish really care? Though, her opinion of him had slowly started to change over the course of time. She had been with him a couple of times, and Micah hadn’t been all that happy about finding out that Tish was with that particular man, but really there wasn’t all that much to what they had. Tish couldn’t even go as far as to say that they were friends. She didn’t really like the man’s outlook on life, his morals, or the way he treated people. Tish had been in town when he had used Brit, and she had started to see that he was doing that very same thing here in Seattle with a couple of the local girls. That didn’t stop Tish from sleeping with him, but she always left right after it was over, and outside of their occasional affair, she didn’t really talk to him. You see, Kale Davis was pretty much Tish Martin in pants… well… if she still had money, that is. Tish had been raised early on in a rich family, but she had been young, and her parents had instilled a sense of goodness in her that was still present, she just didn’t show it. Tish knew that she wasn’t better than anyone just because of what she owned or had in her life. She did, however, view herself better on a basic human level… at least in her looks. The truth was, despite Tish’s self-confidence and “I’m too sexy for my shirt” appeal, she had a lot of inner demons that she hadn’t really owned up to yet. Who knows, she probably never would. They were demons that she wasn’t really ready to face, and probably never would be.

As Tish’s dark eyes finished looking over the guy beside her, Brittany Morgan returned to that end of the bar, and what do you know she seemed to know the guy. Well… that certainly made things more interesting. “Hey you. What can I get for ya?” Brit smiled warmly at him, completely and totally ignoring Tish, which was no surprise. Tish simply smiled at this, her dark eyes returning to the pretty brunette that worked the bar. In Tish’s mind, she wondered why Kade would ever let his girl work behind the bar. Honestly, Tish had seen how many of the guys were attracted to the girl, and how if given even the slightest chance, would have taken her home. Brit was a modest girl, Tish knew, and she didn’t dress at all like any of the other girl’s in the bar. She left lots of room for the imagination, making sure that most of her body was clothed, and she certainly didn’t flirt with any of the guys. If only Kade realized how much every guy in the club wanted a shot at his girlfriend... she probably wouldn’t be working the bar then. Brit had listened to what the guy wanted to drink and she simply grinned at him. “Coming right up.” Yeah… Tish hadn’t had that kind of warmth. It wasn’t much of surprise, but it was weird for Tish to see Brit so warm instead of mean and cold. Maybe that was only how she was with Tish? Brit didn’t take long to get the boy’s drink of choice, and she handed it to him with another smile. She was summoned by a guy sitting on the other side of Tish, and it was only then that Brit seemed to realize that Tish was still there. She must of saw the look in Tish’s dark eyes, too, because that was when she leaned towards the boy and said. “I’d advise you to stay away from that one... she’s nothing but trouble.” With a somewhat dirty look cast Tish’s way, Brit moved from their end of the bar and over to the other customer, leaving Tish with the stranger.

It was time for Tish to work up her charm. She smiled at the boy, turning her body so that she faced him. “Aw, don’t listen to her. I’m not near as much trouble as she thinks I am.” Tish offered a small laugh at her words, then took another drink of her beer. She sat the bottle back down on the bar and used her free hand to flip her long red hair over her shoulder. Tish hadn’t worn anything overly revealing that day. Her maroon t-shirt clung tightly to her perfect form, showing off every curve of her body, and high lightly the size of her breasts nicely. The jeans were tight and low-rise, revealing a medium sized portion of her stomach. Tish had abandoned her jacket the minute that she had come in, placing it with Micah’s in the back room, knowing that he would bring it with him if it happened to be there when he left. She didn’t think that her choice of clothing would damage her chances with the man she had found, after all the other guys hadn’t seemed to mind it any. Then again, she had no idea what to expect from this guy. She wouldn’t worry about it, though. A lack of clothes wasn’t all that she used to get guys. Tish had many, many tricks up her sleeve.

[david tyler ,]

David hadn't been in Seattle for too long, but in the short time he had been there a lot of long lost memories had come back from his childhood days. His Aunt Erin had basically been his mother for the first five years of his life, and now that they were back together she had welcomed him back into her home like another son. Erin had always had an open heart and treated him like her own son. As a result, it seemed, David always thought of his cousins Sydney and Gabriella as his sisters. They'd been through this awkward young years together, having loads of fun along the way. They'd gtten into their share of trouble as little kids, and when the Blake family moved out of Arizona it had been a difficult adjustment for David. The boy had felt alone, like his family had abandoned him. He spent the better part of his summers up in Seattle to visit them. At least during that part of the year it wasn't freezing. It had still been a little chilly for his taste, but he'd managed. Once he moved to California the Blake family had been able to come down and see his family as opposed to him going to Seattle to see them. This was preferable, since California was warm and sunny and Seattle wasn't.

When people asked him why he didn't like rain, he never seemed to be able to come up with a good answer. It was just wet and dark and he hated that. But something inside of him knew that he really didn't hate rain. He just loved the sun so much, and the rain was the opposite of the sun. He liked the warm, dry, and humid. He'd lived in Arizona and California for eighteen years of his life and had never even seen snow unless his parents went on vacations to the mousins or something. Then he comes to Washington for college and it snowed for three months straight. He had never missed the beach so much in his life as he did in the two and a half years he spent at that college. As soon as he got settled in here he was going to take a two week vacation in sunny California. Maybe he'd even take Sydney with him. Or, if he waited until summer, he could bring Tanner and Gabby as well. Tanner had never really been anywhere warm for a decent period of time. He deserved to know what he was missing out on.

Some people said that David was just too stubborn to adjust. Maybe they were right. It'd been almost three years he'd spent living in Washington and he still hated being in the cold all the time. Every chance he got he would sneek away to California, back home where the warm sun always welcomed him. Now he liked to think that he could grow a little more since he had made the crazy decision to move to Seattle. If he could live in Seattle, he could do anything. It wasn't like everything here was bad. Like he said, there was this Aunt Erin and Uncle Michael, plus Sydney and Tanner. Gabby was a few hours drive away, but she did come to visit every once in a while. He hadn't gotten the chance to see her yet, but based off what Sydney had told him he would be able to soon enough.

He almost felt like a little kid around Sydney. Half because she relaxed him so much. She was just so sweet and outgoing and easy to talk to. The other reason was that she had been parading him around, showing him off to everyone. She introduced him to his new surroundings and kind of guided him to a place he was comfortable being. he believed some of this was because she cared about him, and partly because she liked to brag about him. He had breezed his way through high school, maintaning a 4.8 GPA for the better part of his four years there. Once he had made it to college, the classes were a little harder, but nothing that David couldn't handle. He had been the staring linebacker for his school's football team for the past two years. He loved animals and could read a Harry Potter novel in a two hours. There were really quite a few things about him that were pretty amazing, and Sydney liked to make sure that people knew that. Not to mention that she absolutely loved his car to death and would use any excuse to get a ride in it.

He barely noticed as the girl net to him let her eyes linger on him for a few moments longer than nessesary. It only took a few moments for the bartender to come over and ask him what he wanted. To his delight, the girl that came over to him was Brittany Morgan, one of Sydney's girlfriends and one of the few people he had actually held a couple conversations with in his time here. When she asked him what he wanted, his was three simple words. "Beer. Any kind." He had a really crazy love of beer, and although he did like some brands more than others, it all tasted good to him. It only took her a minute to get him his drink, and once she did he felt a smile grow on his face in responce to the one on Brit's. Once her eyes landed on the girl sitting next to him her smile vanished. She leaned forward to whisper a warning to to David. Although he knew that Brit had meant for him to stay away from the girl, for some reason it peaked his interest. He looked over at her and took her in a little more fully with her eyes. She had a nice body, a pretty face, and red hair. Red hair was always a turn on for David.

She smiled as she turned toward him and he returned the smile. She claimed she wasn't anywhere as much trouble as Brittany had said she was, but part of David hoped that she was. "I dunno. You kind of have that air about you," he commented in his smooth voice. He was teasing her, and he hoped that she could pick up on that. It was almost interesing. There were so many guys that would never dare even to make eye contact with him, but for the most part he didn't faze girls at all. It was like they were immune to the fact that he always looked like he didn't want to talk and were hopeing that they would be able to liven up his time a little bit. That wasn't to say that David minded that. He loved getting attention from girls without having to worry about the hassle from the guys, but he still found it a little amusing. This girl looked like she wasn't afraid of talking to just about anyone. He couldn't blame her. Based off of her looks, he guessed that she got hit on a lot. "David Tyler," he introduced himself. He always found names important when trying to start up the small talk, and it made it less awkward later when you'd be talking to them for a while and still didn't know their name. Sure there was always the "I don't think I caught your name," line, but he hated having to cut off a perfectly good conversation topic to find out something as stupid as what her name was. Things like that meant something to a lot of girls.

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[tish.ღ.martin]

Trust me and take my hand
When the lights go out you will understand

So, what Tish had said wasn’t necessarily true. Okay, so as far as trouble went, it wasn’t like she’d ever been known to physically hurt anyone, but there were probably many people out there that would roll there eyes at such a statement. Brit was one of them, obviously. The thing was, wherever Tish went, it seemed that trouble always followed. It wasn’t like she went around looking to see what she could get into, but it seemed that sleeping with married or taken men didn’t always turn out the best. What was it that they always said? A woman always knows. Well, it seemed that either the guys she slept with weren’t all that bright, or the women were just really smart. It always seemed that those men got figured out, and Tish was left to deal with the icy glares and cold, angry words. It didn’t really bother Tish, but hey, she wouldn’t mind there NOT being a fight every once in a while. Other than that, though, there wasn’t really much in the form of trouble to go with Tish Martin. She had learned over the years, though, that men often liked mystery and danger, and they were more than often turned on by trouble. In a way, Tish had to say she was too. Maybe that was why she occasionally had affairs with married men or a couple teachers from her high school. The danger, the adrenaline that went with it… well, that was enough to get anyone’s pulse going, and managing to get away with it just made the whole thing better. Mostly, though, for Tish it was just fun. The chase, the teasing, the deceit. All of it was fun for her, and like any girl, she absolutely loved the sex. What can I say, Tish was a very friendly person. She doubted that that would ever change.

"I dunno. You kind of have that air about you." Tish had certainly got his attention… and his interest. It seemed to her that he almost hoped she was trouble, once again returning to her theory that men loved trouble. That was fine by her, though. Tish could be anything for anyone. She grinned at him, taking another drink and then leaning towards him slightly. “Well, maybe I am nothing but trouble… but I’m also a ton of fun.” She winked at him playfully, and then laughed before she sat up straight and took another drink. “Besides, I just don’t like it when she comes out and tells people like that. I prefer that they find out for themselves. It’s more fun that way.” Tish was certainly on her game tonight, and she let her lips linger on the bottle of her beer as she drank again. Of course, it didn’t take much for Tish to “appeal” to a guy’s better nature. After all, she was amazingly beautiful, and even if she wasn’t, she had an amazing body. It really didn’t take much for guys to want her. Okay, so Tish was a whore, what more can I say? She was a woman who had to grow up fast… well… in some ways at least. Really, Tish wasn’t very grown up… not by some people’s standards at least. She stayed out late, woke up late, didn’t really hold a job, and didn’t really care about what happened to her or anyone else. She could be considered childish and immature at times, but not everyone saw her that way. Though, not many people often got the chance to even see her outside of a bedroom. She preferred it that way.

"David Tyler." Ahh… so he saw names as an important thing. Tish knew some girls out there saw such a thing as important and essential when talking to someone, but Tish wasn’t really one of them. She wasn’t always interested in getting to know people in a personal way. Some people had often commented that she was a man in a skirt, meaning that she had the sex drive of a man, and sometimes even the morals of a player. Tish had no problem going home with a man only a minute after meeting him, yet at the same time she didn’t always mind getting to know someone better either. In her lifetime, Tish had never had a boyfriend, though many of the boys had wanted her in that way, but she had had several friends with benefits. Commitment wasn’t really easy for her, because Tish had never really had to do such a thing. Honestly, she wasn’t even totally sure that that was something she was even capable of. She’d never tried to find out. “Tish Martin.” Well, if it was important to him, she’d give it to him. She gave him another one of her charming smiles, then took another drink of her beer before she set it on the bar again. “So, David, what brings you to Jared’s tonight?” She used her hand to flip her hair back behind her shoulder, then leaned against it. Her dark eyes watched him easily, her seeming so at ease with all of this. She was at ease, though. This kind of thing was as normal to her as breathing. She didn’t have to think about anything, didn’t hesitate, and she most certainly never backed down. The thing was, though, that Tish had never really been rejected. What guy would reject a girl like Tish, anyway? That didn’t matter though. No matter what, Tish always seemed to get what she wanted, and at that moment, she was fairly certain that she wanted David Tyler.

[david tyler ,]

David wasn't really a player. He didn't go out and try to find girls to use or anything, and when he was dating someone seriously (which had never really happened before), he wasn't going to go out and cheat on them. He never really had been able to experience a real long term, loving relationship with any one person, but if he did, then he wasn't going to go out looking for other girls or try to find a way to get out of it. Maybe he just wasn't the kind of guy that girls considered to be their boyfriend. That never really bothered him. He did like having his share of fun, and he wasn't really the most romantic person in the world. He guessed he kind of knew what to do when you had a girlfriend like...call her and stuff. Buy her flowers. Sure. If he had a girlfriend, he would know what to do. But since he didn't, he never really had to worry about that stuff, and at the moment that was how he liked it.

He had never really thought about his romantic future too much. He knew he had wanted to be in the NFL, but that dream had gone down the drain when he lost his scholorship. He had gotten offers from many different schools, and he had been one of the most talented players on his team, but once he had gone to the NFL to see if he had a chance, they told him to play in college another year. He wanted to play football, he didn't want to work. He had to decide what he was going to do with his life again. If he was going to become a doctor or a vet, he was going to need to go back to school. Maybe he had just taken this semester off to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, where he wanted to go. He did need a break. Plus, he wouldn't have been able to study medicine at his old school. They didn't exactly have the best program for that.

But tonight he wasn't supposed to be thinking about any of that. All he wanted to be doing right now was relaxing and having a good time in this club. By the look of how things were going at the moment, he was going to be having a great time by the end of the night. He had learned, over the years, that he had the skills to smooth talk a girl. He wasn't, however, the best at reading people. He might think one thing about a person and realize that he was completely wrong later, even though they usually played along at the time. He was a smart guy, and he was good at a lot of things, but when it came to reading girls, he was just like every other person with a penis. Girls were half his weakness, but in a strange sort of way. He wasn't going to go crazy over them or anything, but he couldn't look at them and just know things like he could do with guys. It didn't bother him too much. He figured it was a common disability that males had.

“Well, maybe I am nothing but trouble… but I’m also a ton of fun.” David looked at her for a few moments, taking note of the space that seemed to be closing between the two of them. This only lasted a few seconds, because she sat up straight again and turned her attention to her beer. “Besides, I just don’t like it when she comes out and tells people like that. I prefer that they find out for themselves. It’s more fun that way.” He felt a smirk turning up the corner of his lips, although someone might mistake it for a smile. He couldn't help it. It was obvious that they had both played this game before, and in his mind he was happy about that. If they were both playing, that meant that at the very least they both had some kind of interest in each other. At the moment that was all he could ask for, but if he was as good at this game as he thought he was, she might as well be getting into his car right now. "I'm sure that there are plenty of people willing to find out for themselves," he told her in his deep voice, the smirk on his face turning more into a smile every moment. It went without saying that he was one of those people. He brought his drink to his lips and took a gulp, savoring the taste of the beer on his taste buds for a few moments.

He waited a few moments before he got her name, but it was a pretty one. Easy to remember, which was definitely one of the more important things to David. He repeated it in his head a couple of times to make sure that he would remember it properly before offering her a dashing smile in responce to the one on her face. His beer might as well have been forgotten sitting in front of him. He knew that he wanted this girl. He knew that he wanted Tish. And when David Tyler wanted something, he got it. He felt his fingers tighten on the beer in his hand for a moment as he took a deep breath. He wasn't nervous, but years of football had taught him to always take a deep breath before starting a task. “So, David, what brings you to Jared’s tonight?” He had a feeling that 'I was bored' was going to sound pretty lame unless he changed up the wording a bit, although that statement did sum up why he had decided to come here during actual operating hours. "Guess I was just looking for some excitement," he told her in a smooth and alluring voice. He allowed his eyes to linger on hers for a few moments longer than nessesary. "And you? What's made you came to Jared's tonight?" He couldn't help but smile at how he sounded to himself, trying to nudge the little hints out of her.

[tish.ღ.martin]

Trust me and take my hand
When the lights go out you will understand

Tish’s life had been so far from easy that it was almost laughable. If you asked her about her parents, and listened as she talked about the stuff that they used to have, and the way they had once lived, you’d almost certainly have to wonder how she ever ended up the way she was. Tish had never put much thought into how she was raised. She had known that it was all wrong, and that she shouldn’t be living that way, but there wasn’t much else that she could do about it now could she. Her uncle had been a big, tough guy, and saying no to him meant that she got the shit beat out of her. At the time she was going through, Tish had hated everything about it, she still did, but it was because of her childhood that Tish was as strong as she was. She was very strong, but it was also because of this stuff that Tish didn’t commit to anything. If you couldn’t trust the people closest to you, the ones that were supposed to guard and protect you, then who could you trust? Tish’s guardian had done a terrible job guarding her from the horrors of the world, and he had even been the cause for a lot of it. If he wasn’t molesting her in his own bed at night, then he was selling her to the highest bidder. When she was eleven she had had her virginity auctioned off in his bar, the winner a cop from the local police force. Everything in her life told her that no one could be trusted to save you except yourself, and if you couldn’t stand on your own two feet, then there was no way that you would ever make it.

Maybe that was why Tish hated so many people. She looked around at their sheltered little lives and how naïve they were to the world. There were girls that got creped out because a skinny little boy with a gun was following them into a dark alley way. Tish had learned there were scarier things in this world, and so there was very little in this world that scared her. Tish had had many nights where she had no where to go. Sometimes that was the scariest thing of all, not having a place to go home to. She had never felt safe or comfortable, but her game face was a good one, and she had perfected it over time. Seattle was the first place she had felt at home at in a long time. This was the one place that she felt comfortable and at ease. Maybe it was because she was around Micah and other big, strong men all the time, or maybe it was simply because she had a place to call home. She didn’t know why Seattle made her feel so at ease, but those were the most likely reasons. Not that Tish couldn’t take care of herself. She’d been doing it for almost two years now, and really she’d been doing it long before that. She wasn’t afraid to get into a fight with a guy, and she had once beat someone so bad once that they almost didn’t get up. After one fight, the other person didn’t get up. That wasn’t important, though. The point was that Tish could take care of herself. It might not always be by legal means, but at least she was making it.

It was because of Tish’s upbringing that she always found herself playing this game that she was with David. She had been playing this game almost her whole life, and there had even been a couple of guys out there that had been nice enough to help her improve. Tish had the body needed for such a game, and her dark eyes could always catch those of the other player. She had an air of mystery at times, never talking about where she had been or who she was, but at the same time always being up front about what she wanted. Tish had a way of being subtle, but at the same time giving an open invitation to the other guy. She was a high stakes player, a lot of the time the outcome of this game determining whether or not she had a place to stay that night. Tish very rarely got turned down, and when she did, it was usually because the other guy was seeing someone, and they were just too damn faithful to cheat. Tish had always kind of respected guys like that, had even once wanted such a guy for herself, but in the end it had never really worked out. There were several of guys in her past that could have been that guy; would have been that guy, but Tish was too much of a wild spirit. She couldn’t commit to them, and they were all just too blind to see it. Tish had long ago buried those hopes for a normal, committed relationship. God knew she was a long way away from commitment that involved her being faithful herself, and she doubted that she’d ever even be happy with just one guy. Who knew, though, maybe one day that would all change. It was unlikely, but at some point it was also possible.

Tish was very much on her game tonight. She was doing an excellent job, even though she was fully clothed. The look in the guy’s eyes, though, made her feel that he wished she weren’t. That simply fueled her approach. Brit had no idea that by telling the guy to stay away from Tish, it was the worst possible thing that she could have done. There’s nothing a guy likes more than mystery or danger, and Tish could certainly be any number of those things; ask any guy in her past. "I'm sure that there are plenty of people willing to find out for themselves." And did that include him? Tish thought that it was very likely that it did. That made her smile widen. Oh, yes, she liked where this was going very much so. She laughed softly, taking another drink from the bottle. “You’d be surprised just how many do.” The intense sincerity in her voice made it clear that she wasn’t kidding, and the grin on her face said that it wasn’t in the serious way that anyone with their mind out of the gutter would think. She meant it as a way to flirty, and to lure him even further in. He had taken the bait, and she oh so hoped that he let her reel him in. She didn’t say anything else, but simply watched his movements from there on out, waiting for him to answer her question. So far Tish hadn’t treaded lightly on this situation at all. She had a talent for finding the perfect guys at night. You know, the lonely ones, or the ones that desperately wanted female company. Occasionally she had picked wrong and ended up with a complete psycho and had to run down the fire escape to keep from being cut or killed or otherwise physically hurt. David didn’t look crazy, but sometimes it was hard to tell.

"Guess I was just looking for some excitement." Oh really? She loved the voice he used when he said that. It was her job to be reeling him in, not his to pull her in. She was already hooked, and that voice only increased her desire. But it wasn’t like Tish wanted to come off as easy, though that was pretty much what she was. Tish wasn’t really all that picky when it came to who she was going to sleep with. As long as they had descent looks, a fairly fit body, and weren’t totally wasted when they asked her to come home with them, she was perfectly happy with whatever she got. She didn’t see those standards as all that high, really. Not in the slightest. "And you? What's made you came to Jared's tonight?" Now, there were certainly a number of ways she could answer that question. She could be blunt, but that would make her seem uninterested, which she obviously wasn’t. She could make it flirty, suggestive, or a number of other things, so how was she gonna answer that question? She didn’t take long to think about it, seeing as Tish was very in this game and very much wanted to move this along as quickly as possible. Her dark eyes held him, seeing that he looked longer than he had before. She smirked and then grinned, letting the last drops of beer move past her lips. “Me? Well, I wanted to see what Seattle’s best had to offer. So far, I like what I see.” Her voice had that alluring tone to it that lay just below the surface. She eyes had that flare of lust that was soaring through her body, and she had leaned even closer to him as she said it, waiting to see just how he reacted to her advances. She thought about waiting for him to say something on that comment, but then decided to just go ahead and add to it. “And have you found your excitement, David?” Her tone stayed the same, but as she asked the question, her head tilted slightly to the side, looking up at him. “’Cause if you haven’t, I’m sure I can help you find some.” That was practically an open invitation for him to show her what he wanted, and it was said in a highly flirty and suggestive way. God was Tish on a roll tonight. She had serious game tonight, and all of this wasn’t coming with any effort at all. She was a player, for sure, and this was an easy game for her to win.