Chapter 6: Captivation.

Geno's POV

When I saw her following Jordan, I couldn't help but be a little excited at the fact that I could get to know her better. Yes, she seemed quiet and reserved, but I couldn't help but be intrigued by her. And yes, she was still in high school. But not for much longer, and technically she was 18. She wasn't like most high school girls though. A good inclination to that was the simple fact that she wasn't drooling all over Sid. Yes, she did seem excited to meet him, and the rest of us for that matter, but she wasn't expecting or hoping to captivate any of us. I thought that was what made her so beautiful to me. She didn't have to try, it was all natural. And looking at her now, in a pair of jeans she had tucked into a pair of snow boots, with a simple hoodie on, her hair down, and the slightest amount of make-up on, I found myself getting very distracted by her. I had been around a large number of gorgeous women before. But none of them had the kind of pull on me that she seemed to have. And most of them were so fake anyways. I would rather know what a woman is going to look like without all that make up on, then wake up and get the shit scared out of me just by looking at what was staring back at me. I chuckled to myself at that thought alone, knowing what all make-up could do to fix a woman's appearance. I was taken out of my thoughts when she finally spoke up about not being 21, and in a round about way apologizing for ruining any fun at the local bars she seemed to think we would have rather been attending tonight. With a little more small talk, we finally decided to just call it and night and get some pizzas. Soon enough we were back at the house. Luckily, our cleaning lady had just came yesterday, so the house looked presentable. Colby told her to make herself comfortable, and with that she grabbed a plate full of pizza and made her way to the couch where she grabbed the remote to our flat screen and put Sportscenter on. For about the 3rd time since I had met her, I had a ridiculously stupid smile on me face.

"Sportscenter is so overrated.."I commented while sitting down next to her.

"Depends on what sport you are referring to. It has great coverage of basketball, baseball, and football. I just wish it showed more hockey and tennis," She replied.

"Tennis?" I questioned, "I don't know a whole lot of people that find that that great.." I finished with a small smile.

"Well now you have. You better watch yourself, "she warned. "First you insult my favorite TV show, and then one of my favorite sports." With a little laugh she got up to get herself a drink, and returned moments later.

As the rest of the guys finished eating, they decided they wanted to play Guitar Hero. I couldn't help but be amused at how excited she got at this idea. And I soon figured out why.

"96% of the notes compared to your 89, I'd say you just got your ass kicked by a girl."

With that I could only smile, and I was completely relieved when Marc started asking her about herself.

"So, do you have any brothers or sisters?" He asked.

"Well, not any biological ones, but I do live with a lot of people," she replied hesitantly.

With that she got up abruptly to get another soda. I could tell there was something she didn't want to discuss, but just left it at that. When she returned, Marc continued with his 20 questions.

"So is Ty your real name, or is it short or something?"

"Short. My real name is Tyler," she answered politely, while trying to hide her aggravation.

"A girl Tyler.. that's cool," he commented. "And you graduate this year?"

"Yep. I officially have 26 days left," she said proudly.

And with that, the guys got lost in their video games again, leaving her alone. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard her sigh. There was definitely something she didn't feel comfortable telling us. It was getting late, and then she finally spoke up.

"Well, I suppose I should be heading out, I have a term paper to go over tomorrow before handing it in," she stated with obvious disgust in her voice.

"Well let me give you a ride," I offered.

Once again she seemed hesitant.

"No really it's okay, I love walking anyways."

"At night, in a strange neighborhood, and by yourself though?" I questioned.

"I can take care of myself. Have been for a couple years now," she replied bluntly. I had really hit a nerve there...

"I'm sure you can, it's just that we brought you here, and I'm not going to make you walk home. Besides, it's really cold outside," I answered calmly.

"I don't live that far away anyways," she replied. "I'm sure I can manage."

"You really live around here?"Colby asked. I laughed when he didn't give her time to answer before he asked another one. "Where at?"

Once again she was at a loss of words. I could see her thinking to herself how she was going to avoid this specific topic. "Do you know where the Center of Pittsburgh Foster Home is? Around there," she answered vaguely.

"That is nearly 10 blocks away, just let him take you home and stop being stubborn," Kris said with a smile.

"Okay fine, lets go then," she replied with a small amount of attitude.

As we got into my SUV, I could tell she was more than a little irritated. She went about telling the directions to her house. And we wound up in front of the foster home itself.

"This is me," she replied coldly. "Happy now?"

"I'm sorry, I had no idea--"

"That's right. You didn't," she interjected. "But you had to keep pushing didn't you."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"Talk about what," she answered.

"Well, how you wound up here I guess, I don't know. It seems like something has been bothering you all night."

"It's a short story. Mom left when I was little, didn't have any close relatives, and well after...." she took a small amount of time to compose herself. "After he passed, I didn't have anywhere else to go. This was the best option I had." And once again, I saw tears on the brim of falling from her beautiful green eyes.

"I'm sorry," I sighed trying to soothe her.

She blinked back the tears before responding with a small smile. "Don't be. It's not your fault." Her words and brave front didn't hide the pain I could see in her eyes. "But its getting late. I suppose I'll run into you at the arena here pretty soon so see you later. Oh and thanks for the ride."

And with those last few words, she left me completely captivated and alone to my thoughts. I waited for her to get in before driving away, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He literally was all she had, and that comfort and security that came with having a father figure in your life was ripped away from her the same night he was. She was so mentally strong, but then again she had to be. It made everything a little more understandable... Why she was so closed off from everybody, how she seemed perfectly content being by herself. Hell I couldn't blame her. But she couldn't stay broken forever. I knew underneath all her pain and suffering, she still had a perfectly good heart...