The Ring of Fire (Kadence)

[Nicholas Darwin]

It was early, really early, and Nick was out on his usual morning jog. Even if he didn't play as much football as he used to, he still needed to stay in shape. After all, he was a football coach now. He hadn't given up his career of becoming a famous football player or anything, but life often seemed to get in the way so for now he had to take whatever he could get.

He had his iPod plugged into his ears and as usual he was listening to the same old music he did every time he was out jogging. The weather was nice, but luckily it wasn't too hot.

Love is a burnin' thing,
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire.

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher,
And it burns, burn, burns,
The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

His life hadn't turned out exactly how he had expected it to, but for now he was content. He couldn't complain, since he had gotten himself a job, and had somewhere to live. So far, so good. And of course the most important thing was keeping himself in shape, though with his power it wasn't all that important. But still, looking as good as he did was a gift he had to take care off.

The taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet.
I fell for you like a child
Oh, but the fire ran wild.

He didn't expect to run into someone this far out, and not this early. He didn't see the girl before they bumped into each other. ''What the hell.'', he mumbled as the girl who obviously didn't see where she was going ran straight into him. (Not that he used his eyes any better, but of course, he'd never admit to something like that.) ''Hey! Watch where you're-'' And then he saw her face.

She was a pretty little thing with blue... No, green? Eyes that lit up her entire face. Wait, something was familiar about her pretty face and short, blonde hair. ''Kadi?'', he asked and took out the earplugs from his ears. He took a step towards her with his usual bright and charming smile. ''Will you look at that... Little Kadi McAvoy.''

[Kadence McAvoy]

Honestly, Kadence had never really planned out what she wanted to do when she was an adult. She didn't know when she was asked as a child and she hadn't known all throughout her time at Hammel. Hayden had been so different, he knew exactly what he was going to do and he did it, if only for a short amount of time. She honestly felt like a disappointment to her parents because they expected so much from her and she couldn't deliver like her brother had, not that they ever compared her to him.

She got lucky when she got the job at the club she worked at. First as a waitress now as the bartender. Kade couldn't complain because it was a steady paying job with great tips and she had a really good friend there. Which was shocking in itself seeing as how she was still working through those major trust problems she had. Van was a nice guy though, which was more than she could say about the guy that played every song that could possibly crush her. That was frustrating.

Over all, Kadence couldn't complain about her life, it was how it was because she made it that way. She just hated it because she thought she could have a great life and make her brother proud of her and yet she was still no better than she was before. The only thing she changed was that she didn't go for guys that treated her poorly because she didn't date at all. She hardly even flirted because she was so afraid of finding another guy like Mason.

That thought made her shake her head and clothes her eyes while she ran around the lake. It was early, really early. So when she bumped into what felt like a massive rock, that's exactly what she thought it was. But she heard an irritable voice and when she looked up, she saw a man's face. Kadence backed away slightly, "You could have moved." She snapped back at him before he stepped towards her, saying her name in recognition.

Kadence finally realized who it was, and she couldn't remember the last time she saw him. His last year at Hammel? "N-Nick? Oh my gosh! How are you? I haven't seen you in forever," She said with a bright smile. If she could ever possibly trust another guy in her life, it would have to be him because back at her days in Hammel, he was someone that was always so nice to her. Mason hated him, which only made her like him more now.

[Nicholas Darwin]

He chuckled as he opened his arms towards her. ''Come here, Beautiful.'', he said before pulling her in for one of his bear hugs. Sometimes he forgot how strong he was, usually when he was happy to see someone. And this, this was one of those times.

''Hi Princess.'', he whispered into her hair with a cheerful tone. He hadn't seen Kadi in forever, probably not since the end of his last year on Hammel. She had been dating some asshole named Mason, which Nick had never been a fan of. ''I've been great!'', he said as he let go of her. ''And look who's all grown up!''

Honestly, Nick had disliked Mason and the way he had treated Kadi to the point where he had beaten him up and threatened him. He remembered the day as if it was yesterday. He had been out drinking with a few friends when they suddenly had run into Mason and some of his buddies. Of course, most people seemed to adore Mason but Nick could see through his facade without problem, and he had noticed the way he was around Kadence. Yeah, sure. Nick wasn't the best person himself, but at least he didn't treat women like dirt, and especially no one as sweet as Kadi. So, one thing lead to another and Nick ended up beating Mason half to death, and then telling him to stay the fuck away from here, or else Nick would follow him to finish the job. He truly hoped that Mason had kept his promise and stayed away, though he doubted that was a fit topic to bring up now.

''How ya been, kiddo?'' He bumped her shoulder with his and grinned. She was far from being a kid anymore, and as far as he could tell, the years had been kind towards her. She had grown from a pretty little flower to a beautiful woman.

[Kadence McAvoy]

Kadence wrapped her arms around his neck as he hugged her and giggled, “Whoa, Nick. Did you get stronger because I’m pretty sure you’re crushing my intestines.” But it was okay because it was Nick! She couldn’t believe how much she missed him. If anyone had a personality like her older brother did, it was Nick which was probably why she had always really liked his company. Though it would be creepy to say she was like Hayden seeing as how she’d always had such a big crush on him.

He set her down and she gave him a little twirl, “All grown up? Right. I don’t think I’ve gotten any taller since I was fourteen.” Kadi laughed and looked at him again, “But you, jeez Nick. I mean you’re towering over me way more than you did the last time I saw you. Are you still playing football?” He had to be in order to stay in the shape he seemed to be in. Boy was he in good shape.

The whole thing with Mason was unknown to Kadence. She hadn’t heard about him getting beaten up and she definitely didn’t hear that Nicholas had threatened him. She just couldn’t picture him doing anything like that because he was such a sweet guy. For all she knew, her father had a stern talking to with Mason and his family and more or less told them that he was never allowed to see her again. That was also around the time she’d put a restraining order against Mason. No one ever mentioned him to her after that and she was sort of glad to get the reprieve. He’d screwed her up majorly and around that time was also when Nick went off to college. It was a relief that he hadn’t had to see her go through all of the counseling, not that she was much better nowadays. Either way, she never would have expected for Nick to hurt Mason.

His question caused her to frown briefly, but his smile made it disappear. Kadence laughed, “I’ve been okay I guess. Just working like crazy.” Still trying to ignore the feeling she got whenever her older brother was mentioned or if the topic of Mason was mentioned. It had been years since either thing happened and yet she still was just as screwed up.

[Nicholas Darwin]

He laughed and just hugged her tighter and closer as she complained about him crushing her, but of course not so hard that it would hurt. Now that would have looked bad for him. Either way, he was happy she seemed glad to see him even after all this time. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her until right now, and he couldn't understand why he hadn't kept in touch with her.

''Hey, it's better to be tiny and cute, rather than big and ugly. Clearly, I'm the exception.'', he said with a confident smirk on his lips, though for once he was kind of joking rather than being arrogant. ''Well, not everyone can stay small forever, Tinkerbell.'' Nick loved teasing her, and he hoped she didn't get too offended by the various nicknames he had called her so far, and those that were yet to come. He rubbed his cheek and put his arm over her shoulder, leading her towards the water edge. ''Nahhh. Not as much at least. I'm working at the Rec Center as a football coach. How about you?''

Nick wasn't sure if he should tell Kadi about what had happened with Mason, or if she even knew at all. He figured this wasn't the time nor the place to talk about something like that, and especially when he didn't even know if he had stayed away or not. He felt guilty about not paying more attention and keeping an eye out for her, but as far as he could remember she was a strong-minded kid who could take care of herself.

Leading her closer and closer to the water, a slight devilish grin grew on his lips. ''Oh yeah?'', he asked and chuckled. ''Well, heck. It's better than doing nothing, ya know?'' At this point they had reached the water and his true intentions was brought to life as he held her by the wrists and threatened to throw her into the water. ''All this running in the heat... Can't be good for ya.'' He chuckled and pushed her a little closer to the edge.

[Kadence McAvoy]

Kadence didn’t mind him hugging her closer, she just kept her arms around his neck and hugged him back just as tight (which wasn’t necessarily possible seeing as how tiny she was). She couldn’t believe he was actually here right now. Of course she always figured he stuck around because his family was here, but not everyone was as close with their family as she had been. She remembered hearing about his little brother a few times and she wondered just how alike they were because if Nathan was anything like Nick, well he was probably a great kid.

“Oh clearly. You are pretty giant though, but not ugly in the slightest. You still have those dashing good looks you’ve always had,” And that was why she had never tried going for him. He was way too good looking for her. So she stuck with Mason who was okay-ish. “Hey I’m not small, I’m fun-sized thank you very much,” She replied with some of her well-known sass. The nicknames were something she was used to. Everyone called her something different. Shrimpy, Shorty, Midget, and the list went on and on. “Oh that’s cool, at least you’re still sticking with football. I’m sure you’re the best coach they ever had,” She said with a smile.

Kadence scrunched her nose as he asked about her profession. It was nothing to be proud of, even if she was damn good at what she did. She liked her job, but at times it felt like she was just settling for something because it was easy for her to get. “I’m a bartender at one of the little clubs here in Pilot Ridge. Started off as a waitress, but now I do all the fancy bottle moves and stuff behind the counter. And I get to catch kids like us that try the old fake ID routine.” She remembered those days.

She allowed him to pull her to the water, but she was onto him. Her eyes narrowed the closer they got and she gripped him tight. No way was she going to let him get out of this dry. “Oh no you don’t! Nicky, c’mon you wouldn’t. Pretty please, I’m wearing white!” This was going to end in everyone seeing her purple polka-spotted bra and a very wet, determined Kadence. No way would he get out of this.

[Nicholas Darwin]

Well, her compliments was a confident boost, not that he needed one seeing as he could boost it all on his own. But it was nice hearing it every now and then anyways, and especially from some as cute as Kadi. He laughed and ruffled her short, blonde hair. ''You're not so bad yourself. Growing more and more beautiful by the minute.'' He wondered why he had never hit on her when they were younger. Maybe it was the age difference that had seemed oh so big before, or the fact that she already had someone, even if it was the biggest douche to ever walk the face of the earth.

''Oh, I don't doubt it at all.'', he replied to her fun-sized comment. Honestly, he could think of more than one way that could have meant. He grinned at the pretty blonde and chuckled. His nicknames had no bad intentions behind them, and he hoped she would let him now if she had anything against him calling her nicknames, even if they were meant to be cute. ''You bet I am! The best coach to walk on Mother Earth!'', he said with a dramatic tone added to his voice. ''And the most handsome, of course.''

Being a bartender wasn't something to be ashamed of, at least not in Nick's eyes. It actually sounded really cool and made him wish he had thought about that when looking for a job. ''Damn, gurl. You're working fast up the ladder.'' He said and leaned slightly forward. ''Man, it must be so much fun, and you better make me something good when I come visit you on duty!'' He winked at her before bumping into her shoulder once more. It had been a while since he had gone clubbing, or drinking in public, so it was no wonder that he hadn't seen her around. But at least now he had a good excuse to go out and drink.

Nick had to admit, the fact that her t-shirt was wet just made it all the more tempting to actually throw her out into the water. ''Y'know, that's kind of the point.'', he whispered into her ear with a slick voice and a grin on his lips. Besides, he didn't mind getting wet himself, it would be a good way to cool himself down after the jog. He lifted her up as a groom lifts his bride and walked out into the water, and when the water reached him to his upper thighs he glanced down at the girl in his arms. ''Ready?''

[Kadence McAvoy]

She swatted his hand away when he ruffled her hair and laughed. Kade didn’t see her compliments affecting him in any way seeing as how everyone thought that about him. He was attractive of the utmost degree, whoever claimed he wasn’t probably needed medical help. His compliments however caused her to blush and chew on her lower lip. Someone like him saying she was beautiful? Oh please. He was just being nice. Her mind drifted to what Mason would always tell her. Saying she needed more makeup to cover that thing called her face. That her cheeks were pudgey and she needed to work on some cardio.

Kadence pushed back the memories and focused back on him. She smirked and shrugged, “What can I say, people prefer fun-sized.” At least that’s what she always heard. Tall girls complaining about how all the short girls took the tall guys. It wasn’t their fault. “I can imagine, those boys are probably good and whipped into shape. How long have you been working at the rec?” She asked honestly interested. It was rare that she went there seeing as how she preferred working out without people around her. She was too self-conscious.

Kade shrugged, “I guess so. I mean I couldn’t start as a bartender since I was only eighteen. And it is fun, until the guys get really drunk and feel the need to grab ass. But Van, my partner, keeps ’em off.” He winked at her and she laughed, “Of course. You definitely have to come visit me, it’d make things so much less stressful. And you know, I’d get to see you more.” Maybe on one of the days she got off around midnight they could actually hang out and club together. She wouldn’t mind that a bit.

Laughing breathlessly, she shivered. That was so unfair! As he picked her up, she placed her arms around her neck lightly. “You’re a horrible person I’ll have you know,” Kadi laughed and kept close to him as he walked into the water. He asked if she was ready and her heart got caught up in her throat. Oh gosh she hoped it wouldn’t be freezing. At least it was hot out. “As ready as I’m going to be,” She squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for him to toss her.

[Nicholas Darwin]

In Nick's eyes Kadence had nothing to feel bad about; She was downright stunning. And why she ever ended up with someone like Mason was beyond him, she was so out of his league it was almost funny. And if he had just been trying to be nice, he'd have called her cute or pretty, but no, she was beautiful. As beautiful as they get. Naturally at least. And with those red, blushing cheeks it just made her even more so.

''They better be, or else I've done a horrible job.'', he laughed and rubbed the back of his head. God, how long had he been working there now? A few weeks, months? He had completely lost the count. ''Err... Good question.'', he replied with a chuckle. ''A few months, maybe?'' He was rather proud of the boys he was training, they had been doing a really good job getting themselves in shape and working on dem skillz. ''You should come watch us practice sometime.'' Man, he really hoped she would.

His face lit up as she pretty much invited him to come visit her, and it made him happy. He was glad they had managed to reconnect this quickly even after all that time. ''Dun' worry, old Nick here will keep you safe!'' He pretended to flex his muscles (Which he intentionally did anyways, just because he liked showing off.) and winked at her. ''Sure, babe. It'd be my pleasure.'' Seeing her more was absolutely something he could look forward to, and he bet it would be a lot of fun watching her do her job and tease her if she screwed up or someone made it awkward for her. (He would totally make things awkward for her, snicker.)

His eyes gazed over her lips for a second, and he found himself wanting to kiss her, which was a surpise to him. It was the perfect moment for him to do so, yet it seemed like the wrong time. It was all rather confusing to him, but he didn't want to come off as creepy or ruin their friendship in any kind of way. But still, the urge to kiss her lips nagged inside his brain and he had to bite his tongue to control himself. He just stood there for a minute or two, just looking at her. Looking into those pretty eyes of hers...

He snapped out of it and quickly shook his head. Man, he had to get a hold of himself before he did something incredible stupid. And then, he dropped them both into the cold water. He felt a kind of ease take over his body as the cool water calmed his mind down. He loved the water, wheter it was cold or warm. It was a huge part of him and had been a even bigger part of his life as he grew up. He breached the surface and laughed, a deep yet warm kind of laugher.

[Kadence McAvoy]

Laughing along with him, she smiled, “I’m sure you’re not doing a bad job. You were the star football player at the university for how long?” Kadence hadn’t gone to college, but she still heard about sports quite a bit at the bar and she kept tabs on the names she knew. Nick’s being one of the few. “Oh wow, that long huh? That’s really great, Nick. I’m glad you found something so fitting for you.” And it really was, he was the perfect jock, even if he wasn’t a complete jerk like Mason had been. “I’d love to! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you play,” She smiled.

Seeing him flex, she rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but mentally drool. Nicholas was insanely muscular. “My hero,” She pretend swooned, even though it was sort of real. If any guy ever picked on her while she was working and he was there, she could only imagine the damage he could do. It was nice knowing she had her own body guard. Van would be so jealous. The though caused her to smile wider. Him visiting her at work would be so much fun, she was sure. Even if he was bound to pick on her. She didn’t mind it coming from him, it was how he’d been back in school as well.

Kadence looked up at him as he looked at her and she wondered what he was thinking. The way he looked at her was different, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Just as she was about to ask what he was looking at, the both plunged into the water. Shortly after he surfaced, she came up for air and slicked her hair back. As he laughed, she stuck her tongue out and swam away from him, beckoning with her eyes. Captain of the swim team should be able to catch her.

[Nicholas Darwin]

He was glad someone else had faith in what he was doing, and it made him feel both prouder and happier about what he had chosen to do with his life so far. He grinned as she brought up the fact that he had been a pretty damn good player back in his days. ''Not long enough.'', he said with a chuckle. He had loved for it to last longer, but even he had to face the harsh truth and go on with his life. It was sad, but he had found a way to cope with it. And if he was lucky, he'd get another shot. He was happy about her wanting to come visit him at work, and he could introduce her to all the kids on his team. ''It's a date, then.'' He grinned at her.

Honestly, it would make him more than happy to feel as if he could protect her if even a little. He bowed before her and looked at the ground before him. ''Anything for you, My Lady.'' As he stood back up he looked deep into her eyes and smiled. Besides, he doubt he'd enjoy it much if anyone else hit on her before he got the chance, so it was a win-win situation however he looked at it. And the fact that she wanted him there was by far the biggest compliment she could ever give him and his ego.

Kadence stuck her tongue out at him which only made him laugh even more. And as she tried getting away, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her closer. ''Oh, no. It's not going to be that easy, missy.'' He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his body, her back against his front, and then he let himself fall backwards and they were back under the water, and as the water engulfed them he planted a playful kiss on her cheek before he let go of her. He breached the surface yet again and took a step back. He was enjoying this way more than what he had thought he would, and he really hoped she was enjoying his playful side as well.

[Kadence McAvoy]

Everyone missed their glory days. Or rather, everyone that had glory days missed them. At least Nick had something from his past that was worth reliving. Kadence was all but running from hers. All of the problems she faced were something she never wanted to relive and honestly she hated just thinking about it. She smiled and nodded, “You’ll get your chance soon enough.” She really did think he would be able to do whatever he wanted given the chance. She couldn’t wait to visit him at work anymore than she could wait for him to visit her. But the word date had her hesitating briefly. She hadn’t dated anyone since Mason….

When he bowed, she forgot all about her prior worry and giggled again. “Aww how sweet,” She looked up at him and internally sighed. It would have been nice dating him before she got all screwy. Maybe then she wouldn’t be so worried that things would get so out of hand. Dating someone now was going to be tough. She was still working on the whole trust thing and as much as she liked Nick, she was still being careful.

Just as she was about to get away, he grabbed her wrist and tugged her closer. Her chest tightened and she bit her lip when he wrapped his arms around her waist. She could feel his tight abdomen and his big arms around her. It was a wonder she was still breathing. She gripped his arms and laughed, “Nickkk,” She giggled and sucked in a deep breath before going under once more. His lips brushed against her cheek and she let out a rush of air, having to surface quickly. Once she did she narrowed her eyes at him. Kadence leaped at him and swung so that she was on his back, clinging to him tight.

[Nicholas Darwin]

It was a relief hearing someone else tell him he'd get another shot, because in all honesty he was really hoping for one, though his chances were slim as he hadn't heard much from the recruiters after he quit college. But he wasn't going to give up or lose hope, he wasn't quite ready for that yet. And he hadn't really meant it as a date-date, but it wasn't like he'd actually mind dating her or anything, but he wasn't really familiar with it, considering how he had been running things in the past. Yet, it was more than obvious that Kadi wasn't a one time kind of gal, and he wasn't going to treat her as such.

Honestly, Nick was glad he hadn't dated Kadence back in High School or whatever the heck he was doing back then, because they wouldn't have ended up being as good friends as they were today. He would have slept with her and that would have been that. Now though, he was more mature and actually thought about what he did and his actions. And for once in his life he didn't mind things going slow.

Nick enjoyed the way she felt in his arms and against his body. He enjoyed the smell of her hair and her perfume, even as creepy as that might have sounded. She smelled really nice, and the way her warm body felt against his was breath taking. Once they both had surfaced, she leaped towards him and climbed up his back. ''H-hey!'', he called out with a voice filled with cheerful laugher. He leaned his head slightly back so he could peek up at her. ''How's the view, Spider-Monkey?'' Nick smirked at her and held her up with his arms, so she wouldn't fall. He figured dragging her under two times was enough for now so he started walking back to the shore with the beautiful blonde still clinging to his back.

''Damn girl, you gotta gain some weight. I can barely feel you up there.'', he said and chuckled. In his opinion, she didn't need to gain nor lose any weight. She was perfect just the way she was, and Nick really hoped she knew that too.

[Kadence McAvoy]

It was probably a good thing that they didn’t date, she’d admit. She saw what Nick did with girls and she didn’t necessarily want to be a part of that. Not that he seemed like he treated girls poorly, she just had no interest in a sex and run type of deal. She had been at one point in her life, but that came to an end right around when she started going to her therapy sessions. Kadence wondered what he was like now, if he was the same as he was back in high school. Part of her hoped he wasn’t because she really did like him still.

It was sort of strange that he thought she smelled nice, but only because as a pheromone manipulator her own scent was sort of odd. It wasn’t supposedly off-putting, but it wasn’t all that great either. Then she realized that she was emanating a pleasant odor because she was around him and she wanted him to think of her like that. Her ability fed off of the pheromones already in place which meant he had to like her as it was for this to work and she really wasn’t even consciously doing it. She kept her arms around his neck and smiled, “It’s a lot higher than what I’m used to. But the view right now is really great.” She looked down at him and nuzzled his cheek in a friendly way. Or rather what she hoped would be considered friendly.

His weight comment had her momentarily freaking out. Mason had always said she wasn’t skinny enough and now she was too skinny? But then she remembered what Dr. Neville told her. Not all guys are the same. Nick wasn’t like Mason. He didn’t think she was too skinny, he was just making a joke because she was tiny. “I can eat as horribly as I want and still be like this. It’s all a matter of metabolism,” She said with a smile. Leaning down close to his ear, she whispered, “And like I told you before, fun-sized remember?”

[Nicholas Darwin]

Truth be told, Nick wasn't sure if he had changed since high school or if he was the same playboy. He had never gotten the chance to prove otherwise, and it was all probably due to him not finding the right girl yet. All the other girls hadn't meant anything to him, but then again, he had never given or taken the time to let them mean something. And seeing as he hadn't jumped the gun with Kadi yet, that was a pretty damn good sign.

He smiled at her comment and closed his eyes briefly as she nuzzled his cheek. It felt really nice, the way she touched him and talked to him. It made him regret never giving a girl a chance before, because the thought of dating didn't sound so bad at this point. At least if you looked past the drama and all the fights that often followed. But heck, if you really liked someone it would all be worth it, right? And he didn't read too much into the nuzzle because his mind was too busy debating whether he had made a mistake not dating or not.

''I love a girl with an apetite.'', he said and grinned. In his opinion, girls who could eat a real meal that wasn't salad or something that didn't contain calories was extremely sexy. And he could feel the goosbumps on his body appear as she leaned in close to his ear. Man, she really did smell nice. ''Don't tempt me to find out.'' His voice was of a more playful and joking tone than a serious one, and he hoped she didn't read too much into it, even if there was a slight chance he actually meant it.

They had reached the shore by now and as warm as it was in the sun her didn't doubt that they'd get dried up pretty quickly. ''Now, let me get a look at that white t-shirt you were talking 'bout...'' He shook her up and down, left and right while smiling. ''Oh, come one, Princess. Gotta share the goodies y'know!'' He didn't expect her to actually do it or anything, and he wouldn't blame her if she didn't. But being a boy, it wasn't like he'd mind if she did either.