Torn

Kyle just listens for a few minutes, not showing a whole lot of reaction, though it's evident by his face that he's surprised at some of Alice's words, and truly contemplating them.

Glancing at the picture of her, a smile quirks his mouth and he continues to listen. Letting her talk, his eyes roam the park, realizing that everything had become gray and not as many people were around. A look upward made him realize that clouds had rolled in. The scent of rain was in the air.

Bringing his focus back to Alice, he suddenly just stops walking and turns to look at her. "You're very insightful," he muses. "More so than I'd like, because you see way too much of me just by looking in my eyes. I'm tempted to be intimidated... but it's just not my nature. At least let me get even, though."

He falls silent, staring into her eyes, just studying and searching. His voice grows quiet. "You see so much... you look into people's hearts. That's uncommon for someone in your line of work. But it doesn't bother you, does it? You like being the odd one... the rebel, perhaps. It doesn't scare you to be the first to venture into the unknown."

A raindrop splashes on Kyle's face and he blinks, looking up at the sky again. Thinking quickly, he gestures to a nearby shelter. A few picnic tables were under the roof, and he straddles one of the benches, waiting for Alice to sit down too.

"I don't know why I'm telling you all this," he admits. "I shouldn't, if I know what's good for me. But... for some reason I trust you."

He runs his thumb along the wood grain of the table. "I don't know what I want, Alice. I don't know where I'm going, or what I even want to happen. I love JetStream. I always have. Not just because part of it's family, but because I love the teamwork and the performances. But nothing felt like singing for Cryptic the other night either. I've never felt so good after a show. For the first time, I felt I could finally just be me... I didn't have to worry about showing anybody up or stepping on toes."

He rolls his eyes. "Not that I think I'm all that, or the greatest or whatever. But I've never been all I could be... not with JetStream anyway. There was always somebody else in the front, and I figured my place was in the background. Sure, I sing some with them, but not like I did with Cryptic."

Kyle pauses, looking out as a slow rain starts. "And now..." He shrugs in defeat. "Don't print this, but Logan might be pulling out of Cryptic and moving on to other things. If that happens, they want me to take his place. But that leaves JetStream without a keyboard player, unless I deal with both bands. But the way JetStream reacted the other night... I don't think doing that is the best answer. So the only way not to make waves is just settle back to where I was, behind the keyboard and only behind the keyboard."

Again, he pauses. It was apparent he really had thought these things through. "I know that I can't always worry about what other people think, but they're my friends. And if I have to sacrifice something in order to keep those friendships strong, then..."

His voice trails off, and he's not even able to finish it. A scoffing laugh surfaces. "What am I saying?" He shakes his head and looks up at the shelter's rafters. "I'm miserable. And to top it all off, I've got an offer to hit the road with a group of people that has absolutely nothing to do with music. I want to get away from here so bad I can taste it. But what bridges will I be burning by doing that? I don't even know what my passions are anymore."

A downpour comes in answer to his statement, making it almost hard to hear under the roof. The rain comes down in sheets, the visibility not even allowing one to see across the park.

Kyle looks out at it, and slowly a quirky grin forms. Getting up, he steps out into the cold rain. With the moisture came a cooler temperature, and he could see his own breath in the air. Spreading out his arms, he spins under the cloudburst, not caring that he was getting totally drenched. His denim jacket is soaked within seconds, his hair matted and dripping with water.

Backing up away from the shelter, without a care as to who might be watching, Kyle lowers himself to the sidewalk and lets himself fall backward until he was lying straight out, his arms out to the sides.

Letting out a loud whoop, followed by a laugh, he just stays on the ground, soaking up the moisture. Face-up under the rain, he closes his eyes, the smile still on his face as he gets pelted with the cold rain.