*velvet ropes in the crowd {cici

Kieran Caldwell

Kieran wasn't really sure where he was going: when did he? He didn't really pay attention to what was going on around him, or rather, he rarely paid attention to himself. He had to admit, his life was a boring one, but he was okay with that. Not many approached Kieran; he was just kind of in the background. He liked the background though, quite unlike his brothers.

That's where he was going. He remembered now: to see his oldest brother, Andrew. God, Kieran had never liked Andrew. Of course, Andrew had his own house now so Kieran's mother strongly encouraged him to go visit Andrew. Wanting to get out of the house, that's what he had done.

Kieran slipped his hands into his pockets, but suddenly, some boy walking in front of him dropped a cake and burst into tears. Kieran wasn't really sure of what was going on, but he decided stopping to help would be a good excuse to be late to his brother's. "Hey man, you alright?" He asked, kneeling down awkwardly.

Kieran wasn't convinced. Whoever this boy was, he seemed troubled, like there was something really bothering him. Of course he said he didn't need help, but wasn't that everyone's excuse? Wanting some way to procrastinate, Kieran started picking up chunks of the destroyed cake with his hands and throwing them in the trash. He didn't even know why he was helping this kid. Still, he knew it was the right thing to do so he just continued.

"Here, I can get another if you'd like. I've got money. Lots. I'm assuming you were bringing it to someone?" What else would some teenager do with a cake, walking down the streets? Maybe he was bringing it to his girlfriend, his sister, his mother? Who knew? Honestly, though, Kieran knew it wouldn't be right to walk away, not after this boy had broken into tears. "I'm Kieran. You?"

Just by the way Czar seemed to be rambling, Kieran knew there was something different: maybe not something drastically different about him...but something. Kieran still felt like it would be wrong to walk away. Walking away would be like abandoning a chance to help someone. Kieran just couldn't do it. Sure, he wasn't always "Mr. Helpful," but this boy seemed to have more in common with him than he could have assumed at first. He seemed more like an outsider, just like Kieran. "Well, mind if I tag along? Maybe? I mean, I'm supposed to get to my brother's house, but honestly, that's the last place I want to be right now." He didn't want to sound annoying or anything, but he didn't want to leave either. Whatever, he thought.