Why? ((open))

[Street]

Street grinned, she hugged him tightly around the neck, having to jump to do so. "See? This is why I talked ta ya instead of Asher about this. Asher would've told me ta think about Levi's feelin's." Street sighed. She'd heard Mush. "I'm sorry about what she did, honestly, Mush. She had no right ta do that. No right what so ever." She hugged him again softer, but still gentle. "I wish i could take away the hurt she gave ya... I wish I could so much... More then anythin'. Tell me how ta help ya." She told him, almost ordering him to do so.

[Mush Meyers]

Mush looked down at Street's pleading eyes. He had never realized how pretty they were. They were gray. They kind of reminded Mush like the clouds after a storm. But they were nice. He smiled. Then, brought back to reality with a crash, he stopped grinning like a fool. Street was one of his best friends. He'd known her the longest, and she probably knew everything about him. Plus, she was involved with his other best friend. She was off limits. He thought for a minute. "I dunno Street. Honest." He told her, looking anywhere but her eyes.

[Street]

Street looked at him with a weird look on her face. "What are ya smilin' for? Are ya makin' fun of me?" She demanded, concentrating on him. She reaced up to ruffle his hair, her sleeve fell down to reveal a bruise in the shape of a hand on her thin, bony arm. "Don't go doin' weird stuff unless yer gonna explain it." She told him, laughing.

[Mush Meyers]

Mush laughed. "Nah I ain't makin' fun of ya. I'd never do that. I was only thinkin'." When she ruffled his hair, he noticed a bruise on her arm. His smile faded along with his laughter, and he took her hand gently. "Street?" He asked. "What happened?" He automatically thought she fell, but looking at her arm closer, it was almost like someone had forcibly grabbed her. He looked up into her eyes, searching for an answer. Big mistake. The moment their eyes connected, all other thoughts were erased from his mind. He blinked a few times, bringing himself back as she spoke.

[Street]

Street chewed on her lip. Great, he'd seen. But... how was she supposed to tell him? Levi grabs her arm and pulls her to him. "Don't walk away from me, Rose!" She glares at him. "Stop tryin' ta get me ta do things I don't wanna!" Now it's Levi turn to glare. "You told me you were ready!" She looks stunned. "I-I... I thought I was, but I'm not. Yer hurtin' me, Levi." She gasps. His grip on her arm tightens, she pulls her arm back and punches him across the face. She looked up at Mush, her eyes wide. "It was nothin', Mush. Just a little accident. Ya know how I am..." Her eyes slipped away from his. She didn't want to say anything to Mush. He'd get mad, and would probably be hurt too. Oh... and Levi. Levi would get in trouble.

[Mush Meyers]

Mush stared at Street suspiciously. "Street i've known ya since we were little. Yer a terrible liar." He wanted to smile but he didn't. He tried to keep a blank face but he knew his eyes were showing how hurt he was. He never did like when people lied to him. Especially when he found out. Street didn't move her arm or try to get away, but he let go of her arm anyway. He didn't want to hurt her anymore than she already was. "Street. Please, tell meh."

[Street]

Street looked him in the eyes, then nodded. "Well, I didn't tell ya why I hit Levi. He doesn't know his own strength, but ya know that, and he grabbed my arm a little too hard..." She sighed. "Please don't over react. It was just a little thing. I over-reacted by hittin' him." She looked off into the distance. "I've never really punched anyone before... Except-" But then she seemed to remember something and shook her head. "Never mind."

[Mush Meyers]

Something inside of Mush stirred when Street told him this. And it was angry. He swallowed hard, attempting to calm down, for Street's sake. He took a deep breath. Then registered what she'd said, or not said. "Street?" He asked quietly. "What? What were ya gonna say? Come on i can take it. I'm a big boy." He smiled at her. Half telling her he was joking around and half telling her he wasn't going to flip out on her or Levi.

[Street]

Street looked him straight in the eye. "There are some things that ya don't even know about me." She said quietly, then she took a deep breath and started into her long, locked away memory. "There was this boy named Tyson. He lived under the bridge when I first started living there. He... he took an interest in me, and he made me uncomfortable. I tried not ta be alone with him, but one day, no one else was there. He came up ta me... and... well..." She bit her lip, not sure how to say. He'd been so close to getting what he'd gone after her for... "But I knew where John's knife was, so I grabbed it and I stabbed him and kept stabbing him. Then... I realized what I'd done..." Street looked at her hands dreamily, like she had on that day so long ago... "So I rolled him inta the river and tried to clean the blood away. There was so much blood. I didn't think one person could hold that much blood." She looked at him, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. "I was seven." She murmured. "As ya can imagine I have issues with 'stuff' like 'that'. And I never told anyone why it was like that and I knew Levi wouldn't understand. Well, he might've if I explained it..." Street rubbed her cheeks, leaving smudges from her dirty hands. She wiggled her toes. "You know... I can't remember ever havin' shoes. Not even in the orphange."

[Mush Meyers]

Mush couldn't believe what he was hearing. Street had actually killed someone before. His Street. No. he told himself. Not your Street. Your friend Street. He looked at her as she looked down at her own feet. He hadn't heard the shoe bit because he hugged her. Not extremely tight. But Mush had tried to say many things in his hug. He knew it wouldn't get rid of what she'd done to that kid way back when, but he was hoping he could help her, shield her in some way.

[Street]

Street felt surprised by the intensity of his hug, but she clung to him, her hands clenching the back of his shirt tightly. She then let her do something that she hadn't done for years; she cried and didn't force herself to hold back. She didn't understand why. She'd dealt with this, she'd come to terms with it, but something about telling Mush and him hugging her instead of walkign away, made her chest swell with something she couldn't name. And she just thought one thing; oh Mush...

[Mush Meyers]

Mush felt Street clinging to him and he hesitated in pulling away. When he did he looked into her eyes again. The innocence he saw there, he just couldn't believe that anyone could hurt her, ever. Escpecially Levi. The feelings of protection stirred again. He'd known Street forever and he'd always thought she was like a little sister to him. But now, he thought, maybe it was more than that. The way everything seemed to disappear when he looked into her eyes. He never felt that way. Not even with Ophelia. "Street, i..." He began, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to say. What he needed to say. So, he stopped talking and looked at the ground.

[Street]

Street felt him pull away, she reluctantly let him. She wiped her face and nose on her ragged sleeve. She sniffed once, then looked up at him. "Ya've gotten taller..." She murmured, sounding a little jealous. She looked at him quickly when he said her name. "Huh? What'd ya want ta say, Mush?" She asked quietly, she leaned towards him, expecting him to whisper something.

[Mush Meyers]

Mush looked back up at her. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it shaking his head. He gave her a small smile. "Nothin'. Come on let's keep walkin'." He put an arm around her shoulders. He stared into the sky, watching the clouds. He thought Street had made a noise like she wanted to say something, and he looked down at her. But when he looked nothing had changed. He shook his head and took a deep breath. He couldn't tell her. I can't. He thought to himself. His thoughts were so scattered he almost didn't hear Street.

[Street]

Street allowed herself to be led along. "Mush..." She said quietly, pulling on his sleeve slightly. A familiar figure had just appeared down the sidewalk. His hair, his profile, how he leaned against the building were all aching familiar to Street. "Mush, it's Levi. He'll get mad... Or ya'll get mad..." She looked at him. "Maybe I should go talk ta him alone first... Right?" She didn't want anything to happen to either of them.