Invaded Space

Carson loves Misty’s spunk and lets that show through his grin. He reaches up to brush her cheek playfully. “Would you stop worrying about me?” His eyes narrow slyly and he leans in to kiss her lips softly, drawing back just a little, his voice lowering. “Life’s too short for you to spend your time worrying about what’s going through this rampant brain of mine.” He returns for another kiss. “How about we just forget about everything else and just enjoy the fact that we’re practically alone here?” A final kiss seals his desire to divert the conversation completely away from himself.


As everyone gathers backstage, Jason suddenly feels claustrophobic. He wasn’t used to this anymore, and it was just a bit overwhelming. He was utterly exhausted, and with each passing moment, he grew more weary just from the effort it took to be on stage tonight.

Taking a swig of water, he tries to clear his head, but it’s difficult. Hearing the plans to go out for pizza, he hesitates. He could feel himself crashing on the inside, and he really didn’t want to deal with any more people right now. He’d made it through the performance…he’d made it through some interaction with Katie…but to involve himself in a social event…tonight..?

Aerith catches him by surprise with her hug, and he gives her a tired smile and a shrug. “You never asked.”

His eyes dart from one person to the next, continuing to come back to Scott and Katie, watching their interaction and their laughter and teasing. He’d tried so hard all night…he was just plain tired now…completely worn out, physically and emotionally. After forcing himself through the motions of the evening, all he wanted to do was retreat.

Con chuckles and roughs up Jamie’s hair. “Yes, we can go have pizza. As long as you promise to behave yourself and don’t go dancing on any countertops again.”

Scott grins and slings an arm around Katie’s shoulder. “I’ll carry you if you’re that tired. But one way or the other, you’re coming, because I’m too scared to go by myself.”

“Yeehaw!” Kyle runs from the other end of the backstage area, sliding in through the middle of the group. “Let’s move out! I got someone to watch our stuff – us boys can come back later to clean up. I’m starving!”

“Here here!” Phil raises his hand. “Let’s go!”

The group starts to move, some splitting up from each other, others winding up riding together, and finally in the chaos everyone is off to Mom and Pop’s. Arriving, their entrance is loud and enthusiastic, the band waving to Herb and Mabel. “Hey, can we invade the back room?” Kyle calls. “We’re kinda rowdy tonight – wouldn’t want to scare away any of your other customers!”

For a few minutes, everything is chaos again as people find their seats and yell back and forth about what kind of pizza they should get. And somewhere in the middle of it all, Con manages to glance around and notice that someone was missing. He happens to catch Jen’s eye with question.

She gives him a knowing look and shakes her head. She was the only one Jason had spoken to before everyone had left the community building. Him slipping out the back had gone unnoticed as everyone else had celebrated the idea of pizza.

Wyatt looks over to Aerith. “So…this isn’t so bad is it? They get a little rowdy, but they mean well.”


Jason has no destination in mind. The fresh night air felt good, and his escape felt even better. He just needed to get away from it all. Wandering the streets for a while though, his misery slowly starts to return, as if pouncing on the chance to attack, once he was alone again, for…he was alone.

Finally deciding he didn’t want to go home either, Jason finds a little café that was open late. He didn’t know anyone who frequented this place…it would be nice just to sit down and be by himself for a while.

After parking, he goes inside and just orders a soda before sliding in to sit at a table. Sitting back in his seat, he can feel the irritation starting to return….slowly…but it was. He was more upset with himself than anything. He replays his encounter with Katie…she was finding happiness elsewhere and deserved it. He should be happy for her…but instead, he was left miserable. She wanted to have a friendship with him, and so did he…but he wasn’t even doing that right. Would he ever quit botching things up?

Jason’s physical tiredness was affecting his mood more than he realized, and things just looked more dismal than they should. His emotions were hitting a low on the rollercoaster ride, and it wasn't certain that he even realized the shift in his outlook or attitude.

He slouches in the booth and swirls his glass of coke absentmindedly, smearing a pattern of wet rings on the table. He knew he should be out with JetStream…he should be out with his friends… They would question him later… And he knew he was depriving himself of something he should enjoy. But he was tired of pasting on a smile like he had all evening. He was tired of pretending he felt good and happy when he didn’t.

“This seat taken?”

Jason looks up with disinterest at a young woman who looked to be around twenty-one. She was thinly built with extremely short bleached blonde hair and green eyes that sparkled with a love for life. Her tight jeans, spiked hair and makeup proved her uninhibited nature as she held herself with confidence. “It’s taken by me,” he responds flatly.

“Well it certainly doesn’t look like it.” The young woman moves to sit down, but Jason stretches out his long leg to set a foot up on the other booth. He was in no mood for an aggressive girl.

She sets her hands on her hips and gives a little sigh, staring at his boot. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
Without hesitating, she reaches down to shove Jason’s foot back to the floor, and slides into the booth before he has time to block her again.

Smiling, she reaches her hand across the table. “Hi, I’m Camryn Lane.”

Jason ignores her with disgust. He’d come here to be alone, and though normally at least trying to be polite, Camryn’s presence rubbed him the wrong way tonight.

Camryn rolls her eyes and withdraws her hand. “That’s okay, I know your name anyway.”

Jason finally looks at her, his tone indicating his displeasure with her presence. “Am I supposed to know you?”

“Well why else would I have just introduced myself?”

“Look, you might find amusement in invading someone else’s privacy, but I don’t.” Jason shifts his weight to stand.

Camryn places a hand on his arm. “Please don’t go. I’m sorry if I cut into your ‘alone time,’ but come on – at least be a gentleman and enjoy my company. I won’t keep you forever and then you can go back to your sulking.”

For some reason, Jason relents, though sighs with irritation. “What do you want?”

“Do I need a reason to want to spend time with the hottest member of JetStream?”

Jason’s eyes shoot up and he can feel the heat creeping up the back of his neck.

“Oh, don’t go and be embarrassed,” Camryn chides. “You can’t help it.” She cocks her head. “Where have you been anyway? I’ve been watching JetStream all summer and they talked about you, but tonight was the first time I’d seen you.”

Jason jumps on the opportunity to scare her away. “I was in prison,” he replies without blinking. “For murder.”

Camryn quirks an eyebrow, but is undaunted by the news she deems as the truth. “Wow. Is that where you got that nice scar?” She nods to Jason’s eye.

“Nope.”

“Well how’d you get it then?”

Jason keeps trying to get rid of her. “Came from a knife after I’d been kidnapped by a mob of assassins and torturers.” He looks Camryn in the eye. “Any more poking into my private life you want to do?”

Camryn leans back in her seat, studying Jason. “One would have thought from your presence on stage that you were quite the enjoyable character. But my hunch proved to be right after all.”

“And what hunch was that?”

“The one that told me there was more to you than meets the eye… You’re a complicated character, Jason…yes…you are.” Camryn nods as she speaks. “But that just makes you all the more intriguing. So did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Murder somebody.”

Jason looks at Camryn with disbelief. “Are you normally this nosey?”

“Are you normally this difficult?”

“Yes.”

“Well stop it. I asked a question.”

“I have a right to decline answering.”

“That just makes you look like you’re afraid of the answer.”

Jason bristles. “I am not afraid of the answer.”

“Then tell me what it is,” Camryn persists.

“Fine.” Jason holds up his hands, then lets them fall back to the table. “Yes, I killed a guy.”

“How’d you get out of prison so soon?”

Jason rolls his eyes. “Look, this is none of your business, and I suggest you stop.”

Camryn shrugs. “It was an innocent question.”

“I got out because I was acquitted.” Jason takes a swig of his coke. “Otherwise it would have been forty years.”

“Wow.” Camryn studies his face. “No wonder you’re bitter…you’ve been through heck, haven’t you?”

Jason grits his teeth, not knowing why Camryn’s bold statement should get to him like it did. She was a total stranger, and an annoying one to boot. He stares her in the eye. “I suggest you either quit with the interrogation or leave.”

“Alright.” Camryn holds up her hands. “Enough about you then. Fire away.”

Jason doesn’t even know why he stays. But something about this young woman, despite the annoyance, was intriguing. “What do you do?”

“I work at a museum.” Camryn grins. “I live in an apartment here at the edge of town with my roommate, Sandi, my parents live about two hours away, my older brother is in Minnesota with a wife and two kids, and…I love good music, so that’s why I listen to JetStream.”

“And what’s your point in coming here tonight, other than to be an irritation?”

Camryn doesn’t answer him. “So who’s the real Jason? The one I saw onstage earlier, or the one that’s sitting across from me now?”

“You tell me.”

“I don’t think it’s either.”

Jason narrows one eye, looking at Carmyn’s own penetrating stare. “If he’s not one of those two places, then where is he?”

Camryn cocks her head, thinking. “I don’t know…but you do.”

Silence reigns over the table for just a moment before she slides out of the booth to stand. “Well, Jason, I need to get going. Thanks for the chat.”

Jason looks up at her with an amount of bewilderment. “Oh yeah, sure…glad you…enjoyed yourself?”

Camryn laughs, her smile lighting up her face and making her eyes sparkle. “I’ll see you around. Tell Kyle I said hello.”

“Kyle?”

“He’ll know.” She throws Jason a wink. “Take care of yourself."