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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Community / Home
- Published: 03/18/2023
A Change of Heart
Born 1997, F, from MO, United StatesA change of heart. What an interesting title for a story. Well, this story isn't like most that this author has written. This story starts with a baby with good parents, a roof over his head, and a warm fireplace that always kept the home warm during the winter. His parents knew they had to raise their son with good principles and that someday, he would be a very important person in the world. This family wasn’t the wealthiest in the world, but they were happy and that's all that mattered at the time. Years passed by and the boy grew, but he got the opportunity of a lifetime when he turned sixteen. He was chosen out of hundreds of young adults to become the rookie in a racing competition and he gladly accepted it. His parents were proud he was chosen but were nervous since he was still young, and they prayed it would turn out alright. Seven years passed by, but they weren't wonderful.
The boy did become rather famous because he turned out to be amazing at car racing and won several awards for getting first and second place, but there was something different about him that his parents didn’t like. The boy had become spoiled and ungrateful. He did give to charities, but only if he had to and he didn't want to. Many people admired him and wished to be him. Even though he seemed to be very happy, he was very sad inside and lonely since he didn’t really have real friends or someone to talk to. One day, his agent surprised him by saying, “I think it’s time you took a vacation from all the fame to somewhere that no one would find you.” “Oh really? And where would that be?” he asked him. His agent turned to him and said, “It would be on the other side of the mountains where you haven't been before. That would be a good place for you to go.” Confused about why his agent was doing this, Rylan didn't object so he packed and started his trip the next day.
It was a long drive, but he kept himself occupied by texting and calling his friends, but he promised his agent that he wouldn't tell them or anyone where he was heading until he made it into a small town where he got pulled over by a cop for going over the speed limit. Mad that he got pulled over, Rylan started to use his not-so-charming attitude on the cop and ended up getting a big ticket along with a court session. Due to his attitude and mistreatment towards the judge and cop, Rylan got his car put in a lot where he couldn’t get to it and his cell phone taken away for a month. Since a citizen talked to the judge, he was allowed to stay in a hotel room, but still had to pay for it and he had to do community service for the month he stayed there. For the next few days, it wasn't very pleasant in the town because of Rylan’s attitude and hostile ways toward the citizens. One night while he slept, the citizens decided they were going to be nice to him whether he liked it or not.
The next day, Rylan was woken up early by knocking on his hotel door, so he got up and hesitantly opened the door to see one of the mothers from one of the houses nearby to the hotel standing there with a child beside her. “Hello,” she said warmly. “Um, hi,” he replied, sounding confused about why she was there. She asked, “Did I wake you?” “Uh, no. You didn’t,” he said. The lady smiled and replied, “Good, I'm glad. Well, I came because my son and I brought you breakfast, and my son wanted to meet you face to face. He’s your biggest fan and when he heard you were here; he was so excited. He was so excited that he wouldn't stop talking about you and he wanted to be your friend.” Rylan smiled at the little boy who had become very shy and hid behind his mother.
Crouching down to be at eye level with the child, he said, “Hello there. What's your name?” The boy peeked out at him and said, “Eric.” “Hi, Eric,” Rylan said back then held out his hand and the boy looked honored while he shook Rylan’s hand, “Nice to meet you.” They soon left after giving him the food they brought and while he ate it, Rylan did some thinking but knew he had to be where he could be alone without interruption, so he quickly went to the bathroom and showered then got dressed and left. Several hours later, one of the women stopped a man and asked, “Have you seen Rylan?” The man looked at her and said, “I haven’t seen him at all today. Do you think he's feeling alright?” “I hope he isn't sick,” said another man who overheard the conversation, “He’s been working so hard that maybe he needs a day off.”
When the sun started to set, the citizens started to get worried about him and were wondering if they should gather a search party, but then they saw him walking out of a nearby woods. One of the citizens walked over to him and asked, “Where were you?” Rylan looked at him and said, “Just a ways away.” “Doing what?” the citizen asked him. “Thinking,” he replied, “I had quite a few things on my mind that I needed to think through without interruption.” A woman stepped forward and asked, “What were you thinking about?” “Just some things I needed to do,” Rylan said, “Things I need to change with my life.”
“Such as?”
“It’s a really long thought process. That’s why it took so long. Anyway, I need to apologize for my rude and unkind behavior so I’m really sorry. If you would let me, I’d like to make it up to you all… if that’s okay.”
The citizens looked at him surprised and before they knew it, it was the next day. One of the young women went for a walk one early morning and saw what she thought she’d never see. It was Rylan up on a ladder working on the outer part of the roof of a house. “Hello!” she called to him and he turned around, startled, then almost lost his balance on the ladder, but managed to get it back quickly while dropping a few nails. “Crap,” he said then he started to climb down the ladder. “Sorry,” the young woman said to him, “I didn’t mean for you to almost fall.” Rylan crouched down on the ground to pick up the nails and replied, “It’s okay. I was just concentrated on my work that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings.” He started to pick up the fallen nails then she crouched in front of him and picked up a nail that he was reaching for and gave it to him. He looked up at her and said, “Thanks.” He was surprised to see that she was actually really pretty and looked down at the ground while taking the nail, afraid to be caught staring. She smiled at him and replied, “You’re welcome.”
When he stood up, she did, too, then she asked, “What are you working on?” Rylan looked at the roof then at her and said, “I’m working on the outer part of the roof and what needs fixing up.” Surprised, she asked, “You know how to do that stuff?” He nodded and said, “My dad was a carpenter so he’s the one who taught me what I know now, but I don’t know if he still does it nowadays.” “Wow,” she said with admiration, but then she realized something, “What do you mean that ‘you don’t know if he still does it’?” Rylan started to climb the ladder as he said, “It’s… kind of a long story, but I’ll make it short. My dad and I aren’t speaking to each other.” The young woman’s eyes softened as she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude on personal things. Oh, I just realized you don’t know my name. My name is Briarose.”
He climbed down to her and shook her hand saying, “Nice to meet you, Briarose. You probably already know my name because I’m the troublemaker.” She smiled shyly and said, “That’s not how I know your name, actually. I know it because you’re the top celeb that’s always in the magazines.” “Ah,” Rylan said, “so you read those?” Briarose looked down and blushed then replied, “Sort of. I like to know what the celebrities are up to and since you’re always on them… so yeah.” “I only do those because my agent tells me to,” he told her and she looked surprised, “and because I like how I look on them.” He smiled at her and she smiled back then he said, “Just kidding. If my agent didn’t tell me to do them then I wouldn’t really do them as often as I do, but the fans are always looking for the latest celeb gossip and rumors.” “And what do your friends think of your magazine appearances?” she asked him. “What friends?” he asked, sounding confused. “The ones you are always with at parties and in photos with,” she clarified. “Ah, them,” Rylan said, “They could care less about how I look, but if it makes me popular then that’s really what they want.”
Briarose was surprised more, but when she recovered she asked, “They don’t really care about you or anything besides popularity? That’s not good friends at all.” “It’s the kind of friends I have,” he told her, “Pretty much the life I have and that’s what fame brought me.” She looked at the ground then at him and asked, “What about your mother? Doesn’t she talk to you?” He shook his head and said, “Not anymore. She used to call me every day until it suddenly stopped, and we haven’t spoken for quite some time.” He looked down and told her, “That’s all that happened when I became famous. I became a jerk and was all about fame. Now I see why some people don’t want to be famous and there’s no way for me to back out of it.” “Surely there is a way,” she said to him, “There must be a way for you to drop out of fame, isn’t there?” Rylan shook his head and said, “No, not with the contract my parents signed with my agent that says I’m pretty much his property now and his responsibility.” He sighed and said, “I had better get back to work or I’ll never get done. It was nice talking to you.” He smiled at her before going back up the ladder to finish working.
Later, Briarose thought to herself of how she could help him. The weeks went by and soon, the town loved Rylan for who he really was. One evening, it snowed unexpectedly so when Rylan was supposed to head home, he had to stay longer because the storm got worse. Once the roads were somewhat clear, Rylan made a decision to stay and find a place there, but his agent argued with him and told him he had to leave that night or else he was going to come there and make him leave. Knowing he couldn’t win that fight, Rylan said goodbye to his friends sadly then got in his car and started to leave town. When he was a ways from it, he called Briarose, but she didn’t pick up so he left a message saying, “Hey Rose. I’m sorry for leaving so soon, but I had no choice otherwise I would’ve stayed longer. I’ll miss you. Wait...what the-?” His call ended short. Briarose was on her way home from the other side of the town when she saw an ambulance rushing by and when she got home, she didn’t think anything of it until the next day when she heard the news. Some of her friends were talking to each other and she heard one of them say, “I bet you all heard the news.”
The others shook their head and Briarose asked, “What’s going on, you guys?” That friend looked at her and said, “You might need to hear this Rose because it involves your friend Rylan.” “What’s the matter with him? Is he okay?” she asked. “He got into a bad accident last night and, from what I’ve heard, the doctors are not sure he’s going to make it,” said the friend and she looked very, very worried so she rushed to the hospital that her friend said he was in and went to his room. When she walked into his room, he didn’t open his eyes or move so she assumed he was still unconscious. She walked over to him and touched his hand. He seemed badly hurt with a large bandage on his left temple and several more on his arms and chest that she could see, but she guessed there were more.
Just then a doctor walked in and saw her. “Are you a family member?” he asked her, and she turned. “No,” she replied, “I’m his friend. What happened to him?” The doctor looked at her and said, “From what I was told, his car got hit from behind and he lost control and then rolled about six or seven times.” “Was he going the speed limit?” she asked. “Yes,” said the doctor, “Actually, he was going a little under the speed limit and the person that hit him was going too fast. I’m not sure if the police found the person responsible for the crash, but I’m sure they will.” The doctor checked to see if Rylan was still breathing and doing alright then said as he stood straight, “If luck is on his side, he’ll wake up, but if not… Well, that’ll be for his family to decide.” Briarose stayed with her friend throughout the day and night until the day after the next, an older man and woman came rushing in but stopped when they saw Rylan still lying unconscious. They slowly entered then the man asked quietly, “Rylan?” Briarose looked up at them and asked, “Who are you?” The woman looked at her and said, “We’re his parents. Will he be okay? What did the doctor say?”
She repeated what the doctor had told her about Rylan, but then she hesitated and eventually said, “The doctor says if he wakes up, that’s a good sign, but if he doesn’t then he doesn’t.” His mother covered her mouth with her hand and tears came to her eyes. For the rest of the day, they waited patiently for him to wake up and worry. By the end of the day, they were losing hope that he would, but then he quietly groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Rylan’s gaze first settled on his friend and he smiled at her then he looked at his parents and asked, “Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” His mom walked over to him and said, “Well, we’re here to see you and have been praying hard that you’ll make it.” She took his hand and asked, “How do you feel Rylan?” He smiled at her and said, “A little tired, but I’m sure the wreck could’ve been worse.”
Surprised, Briarose asked, “You remember the accident?” “Yes,” said Rylan, “At least until I hit my head, I’m guessing. There is something I don’t remember, though. Why did you and I not speak to each other?” He directed the question at his parents and his parents looked at each other then his mother said, “Your father and you didn’t speak to each other for a while because the two of you had a fight, but after a while, we both tried to call you and you never got back to us so we’re guessing that agent of yours had something to do with that.” Rylan looked surprised and tired then a nurse came in and said, “Time for the pain medication, Rylan.” He looked like he didn’t like that, but he didn't argue as the nurse put the medication through his special tube on his arm, and within a few minutes, Rylan was asleep.
While he slept, Briarose talked quietly to his parents, and then… his agent came bursting into the room and exclaimed, “Rylan!” “Shhh!” Rylan’s mother, father, and Briarose growled. “He's asleep,” Briarose growled quietly. Rylan’s agent came into the room then looked at Rylan’s parents and asked, “What do you two think you’re doing here? He’s no longer your property.” Rylan’s father narrowed his eyes and was about to respond when Rylan’s mother growled fiercely, “He is no one’s property because he’s a free person. You have absolutely no right to call him yours. If I remember right then his contract expired when he turned eighteen, so you have no control over him at all. He’s free to make his own decisions if he chooses so.” Rylan’s agent looked angry and was about to argue when the doctor came in and asked, “Is there a problem in here?” Rylan’s mother said, “Yes, there is. This man is going to upset Rylan when he wakes up and that’ll be very bad for him.”
The doctor looked at the agent and told him, “You had better leave or I’ll have to call security to escort you out.” The agent narrowed his eyes and replied, “Fine, but I’ll be back to talk to him when he’s better.” Then he stormed out of the room and Briarose sighed in relief. While Rylan slept, Briarose talked to his parents quietly and got to know them a bit better. When Rylan was finally better after a couple of weeks that almost led to a month of recovery, he did talk to his agent and decided that he wasn’t going to let him be his agent anymore, so he hired a new one that was going to go by his terms and be nicer to him. One day, while Briarose and Rylan were walking, she slipped on a piece of ice and tried to stop herself from falling by grabbing onto him but ended up pulling him down with her. He landed on top of her and she was on her back. “Are you okay?” he asked her, worriedly.
She looked up at him and said, “I'm okay. Are you?” “Yeah,” he replied, “I guess ice is very slippery.” Rylan got off her then helped her up while she laughed and said, “Of course. Ice is very slippery. Haven’t you ever seen ice before?” “Well, no,” he replied, “I’ve only seen it on tv since I’ve only been to hot places, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.” Rylan ended up moving to that small town and, with permission from the mayor, built a race track with him and all the town sponsoring it. The town grew to be a large city, and all were happy about it. Rylan made headlines in the magazines when he married Briarose and she moved in with him then they soon had two children. He eventually retired from being a racer and they both lived quite happily for the rest of their days.
The End.
A Change of Heart(Odette Rivers)
A change of heart. What an interesting title for a story. Well, this story isn't like most that this author has written. This story starts with a baby with good parents, a roof over his head, and a warm fireplace that always kept the home warm during the winter. His parents knew they had to raise their son with good principles and that someday, he would be a very important person in the world. This family wasn’t the wealthiest in the world, but they were happy and that's all that mattered at the time. Years passed by and the boy grew, but he got the opportunity of a lifetime when he turned sixteen. He was chosen out of hundreds of young adults to become the rookie in a racing competition and he gladly accepted it. His parents were proud he was chosen but were nervous since he was still young, and they prayed it would turn out alright. Seven years passed by, but they weren't wonderful.
The boy did become rather famous because he turned out to be amazing at car racing and won several awards for getting first and second place, but there was something different about him that his parents didn’t like. The boy had become spoiled and ungrateful. He did give to charities, but only if he had to and he didn't want to. Many people admired him and wished to be him. Even though he seemed to be very happy, he was very sad inside and lonely since he didn’t really have real friends or someone to talk to. One day, his agent surprised him by saying, “I think it’s time you took a vacation from all the fame to somewhere that no one would find you.” “Oh really? And where would that be?” he asked him. His agent turned to him and said, “It would be on the other side of the mountains where you haven't been before. That would be a good place for you to go.” Confused about why his agent was doing this, Rylan didn't object so he packed and started his trip the next day.
It was a long drive, but he kept himself occupied by texting and calling his friends, but he promised his agent that he wouldn't tell them or anyone where he was heading until he made it into a small town where he got pulled over by a cop for going over the speed limit. Mad that he got pulled over, Rylan started to use his not-so-charming attitude on the cop and ended up getting a big ticket along with a court session. Due to his attitude and mistreatment towards the judge and cop, Rylan got his car put in a lot where he couldn’t get to it and his cell phone taken away for a month. Since a citizen talked to the judge, he was allowed to stay in a hotel room, but still had to pay for it and he had to do community service for the month he stayed there. For the next few days, it wasn't very pleasant in the town because of Rylan’s attitude and hostile ways toward the citizens. One night while he slept, the citizens decided they were going to be nice to him whether he liked it or not.
The next day, Rylan was woken up early by knocking on his hotel door, so he got up and hesitantly opened the door to see one of the mothers from one of the houses nearby to the hotel standing there with a child beside her. “Hello,” she said warmly. “Um, hi,” he replied, sounding confused about why she was there. She asked, “Did I wake you?” “Uh, no. You didn’t,” he said. The lady smiled and replied, “Good, I'm glad. Well, I came because my son and I brought you breakfast, and my son wanted to meet you face to face. He’s your biggest fan and when he heard you were here; he was so excited. He was so excited that he wouldn't stop talking about you and he wanted to be your friend.” Rylan smiled at the little boy who had become very shy and hid behind his mother.
Crouching down to be at eye level with the child, he said, “Hello there. What's your name?” The boy peeked out at him and said, “Eric.” “Hi, Eric,” Rylan said back then held out his hand and the boy looked honored while he shook Rylan’s hand, “Nice to meet you.” They soon left after giving him the food they brought and while he ate it, Rylan did some thinking but knew he had to be where he could be alone without interruption, so he quickly went to the bathroom and showered then got dressed and left. Several hours later, one of the women stopped a man and asked, “Have you seen Rylan?” The man looked at her and said, “I haven’t seen him at all today. Do you think he's feeling alright?” “I hope he isn't sick,” said another man who overheard the conversation, “He’s been working so hard that maybe he needs a day off.”
When the sun started to set, the citizens started to get worried about him and were wondering if they should gather a search party, but then they saw him walking out of a nearby woods. One of the citizens walked over to him and asked, “Where were you?” Rylan looked at him and said, “Just a ways away.” “Doing what?” the citizen asked him. “Thinking,” he replied, “I had quite a few things on my mind that I needed to think through without interruption.” A woman stepped forward and asked, “What were you thinking about?” “Just some things I needed to do,” Rylan said, “Things I need to change with my life.”
“Such as?”
“It’s a really long thought process. That’s why it took so long. Anyway, I need to apologize for my rude and unkind behavior so I’m really sorry. If you would let me, I’d like to make it up to you all… if that’s okay.”
The citizens looked at him surprised and before they knew it, it was the next day. One of the young women went for a walk one early morning and saw what she thought she’d never see. It was Rylan up on a ladder working on the outer part of the roof of a house. “Hello!” she called to him and he turned around, startled, then almost lost his balance on the ladder, but managed to get it back quickly while dropping a few nails. “Crap,” he said then he started to climb down the ladder. “Sorry,” the young woman said to him, “I didn’t mean for you to almost fall.” Rylan crouched down on the ground to pick up the nails and replied, “It’s okay. I was just concentrated on my work that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings.” He started to pick up the fallen nails then she crouched in front of him and picked up a nail that he was reaching for and gave it to him. He looked up at her and said, “Thanks.” He was surprised to see that she was actually really pretty and looked down at the ground while taking the nail, afraid to be caught staring. She smiled at him and replied, “You’re welcome.”
When he stood up, she did, too, then she asked, “What are you working on?” Rylan looked at the roof then at her and said, “I’m working on the outer part of the roof and what needs fixing up.” Surprised, she asked, “You know how to do that stuff?” He nodded and said, “My dad was a carpenter so he’s the one who taught me what I know now, but I don’t know if he still does it nowadays.” “Wow,” she said with admiration, but then she realized something, “What do you mean that ‘you don’t know if he still does it’?” Rylan started to climb the ladder as he said, “It’s… kind of a long story, but I’ll make it short. My dad and I aren’t speaking to each other.” The young woman’s eyes softened as she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude on personal things. Oh, I just realized you don’t know my name. My name is Briarose.”
He climbed down to her and shook her hand saying, “Nice to meet you, Briarose. You probably already know my name because I’m the troublemaker.” She smiled shyly and said, “That’s not how I know your name, actually. I know it because you’re the top celeb that’s always in the magazines.” “Ah,” Rylan said, “so you read those?” Briarose looked down and blushed then replied, “Sort of. I like to know what the celebrities are up to and since you’re always on them… so yeah.” “I only do those because my agent tells me to,” he told her and she looked surprised, “and because I like how I look on them.” He smiled at her and she smiled back then he said, “Just kidding. If my agent didn’t tell me to do them then I wouldn’t really do them as often as I do, but the fans are always looking for the latest celeb gossip and rumors.” “And what do your friends think of your magazine appearances?” she asked him. “What friends?” he asked, sounding confused. “The ones you are always with at parties and in photos with,” she clarified. “Ah, them,” Rylan said, “They could care less about how I look, but if it makes me popular then that’s really what they want.”
Briarose was surprised more, but when she recovered she asked, “They don’t really care about you or anything besides popularity? That’s not good friends at all.” “It’s the kind of friends I have,” he told her, “Pretty much the life I have and that’s what fame brought me.” She looked at the ground then at him and asked, “What about your mother? Doesn’t she talk to you?” He shook his head and said, “Not anymore. She used to call me every day until it suddenly stopped, and we haven’t spoken for quite some time.” He looked down and told her, “That’s all that happened when I became famous. I became a jerk and was all about fame. Now I see why some people don’t want to be famous and there’s no way for me to back out of it.” “Surely there is a way,” she said to him, “There must be a way for you to drop out of fame, isn’t there?” Rylan shook his head and said, “No, not with the contract my parents signed with my agent that says I’m pretty much his property now and his responsibility.” He sighed and said, “I had better get back to work or I’ll never get done. It was nice talking to you.” He smiled at her before going back up the ladder to finish working.
Later, Briarose thought to herself of how she could help him. The weeks went by and soon, the town loved Rylan for who he really was. One evening, it snowed unexpectedly so when Rylan was supposed to head home, he had to stay longer because the storm got worse. Once the roads were somewhat clear, Rylan made a decision to stay and find a place there, but his agent argued with him and told him he had to leave that night or else he was going to come there and make him leave. Knowing he couldn’t win that fight, Rylan said goodbye to his friends sadly then got in his car and started to leave town. When he was a ways from it, he called Briarose, but she didn’t pick up so he left a message saying, “Hey Rose. I’m sorry for leaving so soon, but I had no choice otherwise I would’ve stayed longer. I’ll miss you. Wait...what the-?” His call ended short. Briarose was on her way home from the other side of the town when she saw an ambulance rushing by and when she got home, she didn’t think anything of it until the next day when she heard the news. Some of her friends were talking to each other and she heard one of them say, “I bet you all heard the news.”
The others shook their head and Briarose asked, “What’s going on, you guys?” That friend looked at her and said, “You might need to hear this Rose because it involves your friend Rylan.” “What’s the matter with him? Is he okay?” she asked. “He got into a bad accident last night and, from what I’ve heard, the doctors are not sure he’s going to make it,” said the friend and she looked very, very worried so she rushed to the hospital that her friend said he was in and went to his room. When she walked into his room, he didn’t open his eyes or move so she assumed he was still unconscious. She walked over to him and touched his hand. He seemed badly hurt with a large bandage on his left temple and several more on his arms and chest that she could see, but she guessed there were more.
Just then a doctor walked in and saw her. “Are you a family member?” he asked her, and she turned. “No,” she replied, “I’m his friend. What happened to him?” The doctor looked at her and said, “From what I was told, his car got hit from behind and he lost control and then rolled about six or seven times.” “Was he going the speed limit?” she asked. “Yes,” said the doctor, “Actually, he was going a little under the speed limit and the person that hit him was going too fast. I’m not sure if the police found the person responsible for the crash, but I’m sure they will.” The doctor checked to see if Rylan was still breathing and doing alright then said as he stood straight, “If luck is on his side, he’ll wake up, but if not… Well, that’ll be for his family to decide.” Briarose stayed with her friend throughout the day and night until the day after the next, an older man and woman came rushing in but stopped when they saw Rylan still lying unconscious. They slowly entered then the man asked quietly, “Rylan?” Briarose looked up at them and asked, “Who are you?” The woman looked at her and said, “We’re his parents. Will he be okay? What did the doctor say?”
She repeated what the doctor had told her about Rylan, but then she hesitated and eventually said, “The doctor says if he wakes up, that’s a good sign, but if he doesn’t then he doesn’t.” His mother covered her mouth with her hand and tears came to her eyes. For the rest of the day, they waited patiently for him to wake up and worry. By the end of the day, they were losing hope that he would, but then he quietly groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Rylan’s gaze first settled on his friend and he smiled at her then he looked at his parents and asked, “Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” His mom walked over to him and said, “Well, we’re here to see you and have been praying hard that you’ll make it.” She took his hand and asked, “How do you feel Rylan?” He smiled at her and said, “A little tired, but I’m sure the wreck could’ve been worse.”
Surprised, Briarose asked, “You remember the accident?” “Yes,” said Rylan, “At least until I hit my head, I’m guessing. There is something I don’t remember, though. Why did you and I not speak to each other?” He directed the question at his parents and his parents looked at each other then his mother said, “Your father and you didn’t speak to each other for a while because the two of you had a fight, but after a while, we both tried to call you and you never got back to us so we’re guessing that agent of yours had something to do with that.” Rylan looked surprised and tired then a nurse came in and said, “Time for the pain medication, Rylan.” He looked like he didn’t like that, but he didn't argue as the nurse put the medication through his special tube on his arm, and within a few minutes, Rylan was asleep.
While he slept, Briarose talked quietly to his parents, and then… his agent came bursting into the room and exclaimed, “Rylan!” “Shhh!” Rylan’s mother, father, and Briarose growled. “He's asleep,” Briarose growled quietly. Rylan’s agent came into the room then looked at Rylan’s parents and asked, “What do you two think you’re doing here? He’s no longer your property.” Rylan’s father narrowed his eyes and was about to respond when Rylan’s mother growled fiercely, “He is no one’s property because he’s a free person. You have absolutely no right to call him yours. If I remember right then his contract expired when he turned eighteen, so you have no control over him at all. He’s free to make his own decisions if he chooses so.” Rylan’s agent looked angry and was about to argue when the doctor came in and asked, “Is there a problem in here?” Rylan’s mother said, “Yes, there is. This man is going to upset Rylan when he wakes up and that’ll be very bad for him.”
The doctor looked at the agent and told him, “You had better leave or I’ll have to call security to escort you out.” The agent narrowed his eyes and replied, “Fine, but I’ll be back to talk to him when he’s better.” Then he stormed out of the room and Briarose sighed in relief. While Rylan slept, Briarose talked to his parents quietly and got to know them a bit better. When Rylan was finally better after a couple of weeks that almost led to a month of recovery, he did talk to his agent and decided that he wasn’t going to let him be his agent anymore, so he hired a new one that was going to go by his terms and be nicer to him. One day, while Briarose and Rylan were walking, she slipped on a piece of ice and tried to stop herself from falling by grabbing onto him but ended up pulling him down with her. He landed on top of her and she was on her back. “Are you okay?” he asked her, worriedly.
She looked up at him and said, “I'm okay. Are you?” “Yeah,” he replied, “I guess ice is very slippery.” Rylan got off her then helped her up while she laughed and said, “Of course. Ice is very slippery. Haven’t you ever seen ice before?” “Well, no,” he replied, “I’ve only seen it on tv since I’ve only been to hot places, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.” Rylan ended up moving to that small town and, with permission from the mayor, built a race track with him and all the town sponsoring it. The town grew to be a large city, and all were happy about it. Rylan made headlines in the magazines when he married Briarose and she moved in with him then they soon had two children. He eventually retired from being a racer and they both lived quite happily for the rest of their days.
The End.
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BEN BROWN
03/21/2023I really enjoyed your story. It says a great lot about life changes. Well done for being todays star.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Shirley Smothers
03/21/2023A sweet story of independence. I think we all get trapped into a life that may not be what we really want. Enjoyed reading this.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
03/21/2023What a terrific story, Odette! Nicely written. He takes control of his life and gets the girl. Perfect! Congratulations on short story star of the day!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
JD
03/20/2023i think u packed a whole lifetime into your short story, Odette. a lot of parts of the story seemed to be missing, since it jumped from one thing to another fairly quickly and skipped the details inbetween several times, but for the most part it was an enjoyable story with a happy ending. Thanks for sharing it with us, and happy short story star of the day.
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