don't understand

Kyle grins and accepts the twinkie, shaking his head. "Fair warning - giving me sugar is not always a wise thing to do. But I'm not gonna stand here with my stomach interrupting us."

Unwrapping the plastic, he listens to Alice. He takes a bite of the treat, then cocks his head as he chews, one eye squinting a little as he tries to figure her out. This really was about him... He hadn't thought it would be. But it was becoming apparent by Alice's questions that it really was him she wanted to know about - not just the band. He couldn't help but be a little flattered, though he still didn't believe there was enough interesting things about him to really be making this big a deal out of it.

"Emotional side, eh?" He pauses again to finish the twinkie, stuffing the wrapper in his pocket until later when he'd find a trash can.

Kyle folds his arms across his chest, still leaning back against the tree. He never really talked to the others about how things felt. They wouldn't always understand, and he never had wanted anybody to get the wrong idea about what he was saying. They all assumed things were great, so he'd always just let them be happy and think that way. But Alice was just looking for facts, and there was no worry there about making anyone feel bad.

"You know when you find right where you're supposed to be? Like, you find your ultimate niche?" Kyle nods. "That's how it feels to be onstage. I've never been scared of it, never been nervous about it. It's in my blood, and it's hard to live without. The crowd is exciting, and getting out there to see them the first time at an event is the best adrenaline rush you could ever have. It's like being on a rollercoaster without ever having to leave the ground."

He gives a little sigh. His eyes showed a contentedness, but some turmoil as well. "The best moment? There have been two." He knew them so well. He never talked about him, but oh, he remembered them.

"When the band was just getting started, our first "real" gig was at this same park. We were the intro for a bigger band. It was the only time my dad got to see us perform like that. I remember looking out and seeing his face. He was so proud that we'd made it. And today I understand that part of it was probably because we were doing something he'd always had a dream about."

Kyle fall silent for a moment, not appreciating his own melancholy. He moves on quickly. "The other time was after a show a couple years ago. We'd played quite a few Christian songs that night and... she came up to me afterward and thanked me. Said she'd been going through a rough time, and the songs had really touched her. I knew then that I'd never take God out of a show. I don't always know what people really think, or if they really enjoy that style of music or worship, but... one time... one time was enough."

Pushing off the tree, Kyle starts to walk again, letting humor rescue him from the moment. "I'm hitting a sugar high. If I don't walk, you'll have to contend with me trying to stand still."

Forcing a grin, he shakes his head. "I don't know why you're so interested in me, let alone outside of the band. Karate is a hobby, layout and design is a hobby, and as of yesterday, don't even have a job. So... I'm nothing special, Alice. There are others out there who carry much more intriguing, much more worthy stories than me. Besides, I don't know where I'm going or what I'll even be doing two weeks from now. I got an offer for..."

His voice trails off as he realizes he may have said too much. "I just... I don't understand what you're wanting from all this."


For some reason, the grimace on Jess' face when talking about liver just hits Axel the right way. A laugh surfaces - something that not many people ever got to hear. "As long as you don't make me eat it, I won't make you eat it either."


Carson bursts through the front door of Mom and Pop's, not even bothering to use the back entrance. He knew he'd told Herb he'd be a little late this morning, but not this late. He'd enjoyed his morning with Misty so much though, that he'd had to pry himself away. At least there weren't that many customers yet today.

Jogging to the counter, he sees an opening between Mable and Aerith. Vaulting over the counter, he lands, grabs Aerith, and sweeps her into a dip. "Good morning and thank you for covering for me."

Setting her upright, he leans over to give Mable a peck on the cheek. "And good morning to you too, my dear lady. Have you kept your husband in line this morning?"

Carson grins and winks at her before heading through the double-doors. "Herb! Help has arrived!"