That's the Way Love Goes

A/N: Flashbacks begin and end with "~~~~~~*~~~~~~" Page breaks
Please, Please review. I write faster when I know someone's reading.


Chapter 1
Perfect Strangers

"My parents hate us being together," The little girl and boy, no older than eight years old, continues swinging on the swing set located in a park cut straight from Leave It To Beaver.
"So do mine, but I'm moving today. My day says to get away from you and your family. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye." The little boy replies back, dragging his feet as he swings back and forth. "I don't want to say goodbye."
"My dad came into my room again last night."
The small boy halts the swing completely and moves to stand in front of the girl. "What did he do this time?" His voice squeaks in sadness and concern for her.
She only sounds a silent sob. She rolls up her shirt sleeve to reveal a black and blue bruise on her forearm, and another on the side of her back. "He made me take off all my clothes, and watch him touch himself and then he touched me. He let his milk out all over me and into my mouth." She flicks her tongue as if she can still taste the fluid in her mouth. "Then she came in; my mother. She came in and beat me to keep me from saying anything, because he doesn't do it to her anymore; what he does to me. She threw me against the wall and banged my head on the floor until I went into this cold sleep, where you weren't..."
"I'll always be there." He hugs her not wanting to let her go back to her house where she would go on to be hurt. "When I'm older I can stop them from hurting you, but now-."
"Get your ass over here now! I told you never to talk to that little bitch again!" The boy's father, Jay, walks from one side of the playground facing the little boy's back. "Get over here, boy!"
She hugs him tighter. "Don't leave me, yet!"
"I'll never leave you. You're my best friend. I love you!"
"You get over here now young lady!" Both of the little girls parents, Grace and Jake, walk over to the swing set. "What did we say about seeing him? We are above low-lifes like him and his family."
"Don't talk about my son like that! It's you and that stuck up bitch of a daughter that are the problem!"
The children squeeze each other more as their parents begin to pry them apart. "No!" The little girl screeches. "Don't let them do it to, me again! Help me!" She peers into his eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong! I swear I was good! Please don't let them do it to me, again!"
By this time, the children's grasp is only being held together by the tips of their fingers, but the boy refuses to let his friend in need go. "I promise I won't. I promise I'll get you away from there. Just don't forget what we talked about. No matter what happens don't ever forget. No matter how far we are apart. It's true. Don't let those assholes tell you any different!"
"I won't!" She says with one last scream as their parents rip the children different ways. "I promise." She whispers.

~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~

Torrance looks down at the surface of the moon. It has long been covered with cement and asphalt, since when he left nine years ago to go to Earth. He is now eighteen years old. His face is strong and has chiseled features, surrounded by dark, spiky, black-blue illuminating hair. He looks up at an old Victorian style mansion house.
"Hey baby." A forty something prostitute walks up to him. "Fifty dollars and I'll make you moan all night."
Torrance rolls his eyes at the toothless prostitute. Once upon a time she probably was beautiful, but then was not now. He walks underneath the black metal balcony he knew so well, but has not seen in nine years.
So many memories...
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~
The eight year old boy takes the six year old girl's hand in his. They overlook the girl's balcony into the boys’ balcony next door. "What if we can't find each other again, Torrance?"
Torrance wipes away the tears running down the girls face. "I'll find you again," he states determined and matter-a-fact.
The girl smiles up at Torrance, but a frown, quickly, steals it away. "He'll come for me again tonight."
"Why don't you stay at my house?" Torrance tugs the small girl, by her arm, to the door.
"I can't."
Torrance looks into her deep brown eyes. "I don't want them to hurt you anymore. I don't have anyone else but you."
The girls eyes begin to water as the door knob turns slowly. "Go." She whispers as the wind takes her voice away.
The door hinges squeak open. "Princess?" Jake's slurred, drunken voice comes from the other side of the door.
"I'll be okay."
"You're scared. I can't leave you when you're scared."
"Please. I'll meet you at the swing tomorrow to say goodbye."
The little boy steps onto the balcony and she slides the door shut as Jake opens the door entirely. "Come here, princess."
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Torrance walks away from the balcony, back to his jet black and silver motorcycle. He revs the engine trying desperately to throw away any remembrance of the girl he once loved, as he pulls off in a whirl of moon dust.


Crystal looks into the mirror. She is wearing a white button up blouse and a red and black plaid school girl skirt.
Another boring year at Pendville High School.
She thinks to herself as she smoothes out the wrinkles of her school uniform. Her auburn colored hair hangs in pig tails down her back. It is her senior year and no one, but herself, knows how glad she is to be graduating and moving out of her house.
"Crystal!" Her mother calls to her from the foot of the stairs.
What!
Crystal opens her bedroom door and uses her most sickingly sweet voice. "Yes mother?"
"Your father is leaving for work!"
"Good ridence."
"What did you say sweetie?!"
"I said have a nice day!" Crystal looks forward to the time at school she has away from her non-existent parents as she grabs her red book bag off the reclining chair in front of her big screen television. "Bitch."


Torrance walks into the halls of Pendville High School wondering how he is going to find Crystal while going to a dump like this. In actuality it was not a dump at all. However, superfluous necessities like a fourth floor Starbucks cafe and a third floor shopping center did not mean anything to him. He was sick of going from preppy school to preppy school looking at all of the beautiful and shallow faces and having nothing to really see. He rolls up the sleeves on his dark blue suit. The collar of his white button down shirt is suffocating him, along with his deep red tie. Pendville is by far the strictest, but richest high school he has been to yet.
Torrance makes a mental note of every mindless drone that walks into homeroom, so that he can make sure to avoid him the rest of his life.
Money didn't always matter...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~
"When I grow up, Tori, my daddy says he'll give me his Reed business. I don't want it though." Crystal is sitting in the middle of Torrance's lavish ballroom; the only place where they can be alone from their parents for moments at a time.
"My dad said he's going to give me Tyler Corp. Our dad's don't seem to like each other much. They used to be best friends. That's why they got houses next to each other, but then they got mad at each other."
"That's why they don't want us to play together?"
Torrance nods her head. "But don't worry. When we get big we can make our dad's companies be friends, again. We would never fight."
"Yeah."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey kid! Wake up homeroom is over." Torrance raises his head to a gentle tapping on his shoulder.
"Huh?"
"The new kid's a HOT one, Angie." The short-haired, voluptuous blonde nudges Torrance, again.
"Brittany, do you know who you're poking?" A fiery red haired girl asks. "That's Torrance Tyler. Heir to the mult-trillion dollar company Tyler Corp." Torrance eyes are bloodshot red. He had stayed up all night. "They own everything. Cars, houses, electronics, space ships, fast food franchises, even those designer shoes you're wearing. There's nothing in the universe sold without them knowing about it. That poke you just gave him is worth billions. The only company that compares and that happens to be it's rival is-."
"Reed Inc." Torrance is finally fully awake. He stands up from the chair and turns to Brittany. "Thanks for waking me, but I'm late." Torrance brushes his hair from his sleep deprived eye, Brittany only nods speechless. "Maybe we'll meet up, again." Torrance grabs his belongings and rushes out of the room.
Brittany and her red-haired companion, Angie, stand in the same place, dumb-founded. "Definitely."
"You think he knows that the heir to his rival company goes to the same school as he does?"
"I don't know, but he'll find out soon enough." Brittany smirks.



Crystal sits in her Galaxon History class annoyed with the same people every year. She knew the only reason most of the girls talked to her is because she is unbelievably wealthy and the reason the guys did not pass her by is because she is beautiful. Nothing ever changed. No one ever liked her for her. No one ever cared what happened to her.
No one except...
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Crystal looks up at the big boy who pushed her down on the ground. "That's what happens when girls get in my way!" The boy yells at her. She can barely hold back her tears anymore when someone from behind the boy pushes him down on the ground.
"Don't ever touch my friend, again!" Torrance screams at the boy, as he runs away crying. Torrance helps Crystal from the ground and lightly brushes off her dirty and skinned knee. "You okay, Crystal?"
Crystal nods her head. "Thanks Tori."
"No problem."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crystal snaps out of her daydream when the shrill bell rings throughout the classroom. "Hey Crystal!"
Crystal turns around as Brittany, Angie, and the rest of the herd come over to their shepherd. Crystal stands up from her desk. "I would stay and talk, but I gotta run."
"Did you see the cute new guy, yet?"
Crystal shakes her head. They all follow her out of the classroom loyally. "You look great, Crystal." A curly brunette comes up beside Crystal.
"You've seen me in the same uniform for four years, Cynthia." Crystal starts a slow sprint down the hallway. "Gotta jet! Maybe we'll meet up, again."
"Definitely!" Cynthia yells after her.



Torrance walks into the semi-crowded cafeteria. After his run in with the bobsy twins every pretty girl with big breasts had ran up to talk to the so-called "HOT" guy. "Hey bitch!" Torrance continues to walk towards the food, his favorite thing in the world, when another yell sounds towards his direction. "I said hey bitch!" A tall sandy, red-haired guy comes up from behind Torrance, surrounding him with a group of five other guys. "So this is the new guy that has the girls creamin' in their pants? He doesn't look so great to me."
Torrance yawns and walks through the crowd of little boys that are obviously not worthy of his time. The same blonde-haired girl from before comes running up to his arm. "Hello again."
Torrance looks down at the stranger on his arm, confused. "You're...Bridgette?"
"Brittany."
"Right."
"Yo Brittany!" The same boy comes from behind the new couple and snatches Brittany off Torrance's arm. "What do you think you're doing with my girl, bitch?"
Torrance keeps walking, ignoring the entire situation. By this time he is outside in the courtyard and decides to take a seat under a tree and close his eyes. "Can you keep it down?"
Brittany shakes her head at the boy next to her. "Leave him alone Rob."
Torrance laughs. "What kind of name is, Rob?"
"Are you going to take that from him?"
"Shut up, Greg!"
Torrance stands up from the tree seeing that he is not going to catch up on his sleep there. "So um...Brittany you want to go out later after school? I just got back in town and you seem nice enough to give me a refresher course of the area."
"Sure! I'll meet you in front after school's over."
"Great. I have to jet." Torrance slings his suitcase type book bag over his shoulder and runs from the group without another word.


Crystal stares from across the court yard as the new guy runs from her supposed friends.
Looks like someone has the right idea.
"Crystal!" Jet Ravon, the only other person remotely on Crystal's wavelength comes running to sit beside her.
"Hey Jet." Crystal can not help, but look into Jet's brilliant blue eyes that contrast perfectly with his jet black hair. Although, her feelings for him dissolved almost right after he rejected her, her heart can not help, but skip a beat every time his eyes gaze into hers.
Crystal takes her sushi lunch from her book bag. "Are you coming to track practice after school?" Crystal shakes her head as she shoves a seaweed ball into her mouth and gulps down some green tea. Jet looks at her puffed cheeks and laughs. "It's great to know that money doesn't change everyone."
"I can't go to track practice. I'm working on this new sketch that is going to make a great painting." Crystal says once she finishes swallowing.
"You'll be hungry after you're finished, right?"
"I suppose." Crystal packs the remainder of her half-eaten lunch away.
"You wouldn't want to get something to eat with me."
Crystal raises her eyebrow in confusion. "Is that a question because it sounded like a statement?"
Jet leans in towards her so their faces are inches from each other. Crystal's face turns a pale pink, flushed with white. "I'm making it a question. Do you want to go out with me to get something to eat later on?"
"Yeah. Sure. I guess."
"Stellar." Jet stands up from their intimate position. "I'll talk to you later."
"Okay."
That was weird. I know we're great friends now, but I still remember the day he broke my heart...
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So Crystal, are you finally going to tell Jet how you feel this year? You guys have been friends since like junior high and it's freshman year of high school." Brittany, being her usually nosy self, bobs around Crystal.
"We've been best friends forever."
"But at one point that became more, right?"
"Um, I wrote him a letter and put it in his gym locker." Crystal blushes crimson red.
"Oooh! A love letter."
"Damn! I left my bag in my gym locker. I have to go back for it. I'll meet up with you later." Crystal turns around and runs to the school, only one block in the opposite direction. She finally gets to the school and runs to the gym locker room where she can hear muffled voices.
"Dear Jet, ever since junior high I've really liked you. Love, Crystal. I can't believe Crystal has a crush on you, Jet." Crystal peaks into the gym. She can see Rob and Greg talking to Jet. "I didn't think anyone had a chance with Ms. High and Mighty."
"So do you like her, too?" Greg chimes.
Jet pours a bottle of water over his head. Clumps of his usually volumed hair cling to the side of his eyes and forehead. "Of course not. We're just friends. I can't believe she bothered to even write me this-" Jet cuts himself off as he sees Crystal's quivering from out of the corner of his eye. He immediately jumps to his feet. "Crystal, I didn't mean-"
Jet does not get the opportunity to finish because Crystal has already bolted out of the gym. She runs until everything is resorted to colorful blurs and she finally gets to the front of her house. "Jet you're such a jerk..." By now tears are streaming from her eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crystal stands up from the tree and runs to her next class, not noticing the sheet of white paper fall from her bag.
So many memories...


Torrance leans up against the giant tree on the side of the school. School seemed to take ages to end. He spent more time sitting in a school desk than looking for Crystal, who actually needed him. He finally sees Brittany running up to him across the track field as a sheet of white paper catches his eye. On the paper is a drawing of a blue and silver Chinese dragon surrounding a black heart with its body.
"Hey Torrance!"
Beautiful. The person who drew this-
"What ya lookin' at Torrance?" He hands her the drawing and quickly takes it back after she glances at it. "It's not so great."
"Can you do it?" Torrance snaps. "So you ready to go?"
"Yeah. I thought we'd get something to eat first."
"Cool."


Crystal looks through her bag frantically for her drawing.
I can't believe I lost it! Where can it be?
She stands up from her desk. It overturns in her passion.
The tree.
Crystal dashes out of the classroom to the double doors leading to the side of the school. She can see the grassy knoll surrounding the giant tree in the middle of the courtyard. She bursts through the doors and sprints over to the tree, her and Jet had lunch over early that afternoon.
Nothing.
The sunbeams drench her, illuminating an unusually tall shadow on the ground. "It's really gone." Her tears begin to stain the blades of green grass. She wipes them away with the back of her hand as her knees give way and she falls to the ground. "Stop being a baby, Crystal."


Torrance stares at Bethany's lips. They are moving rather quickly, but he had stopped listening at, "My name is Brittany, not Bethany." He unfolds the drawing once more underneath the booth.
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Torrance puts the blue and silver dragon pendant necklace around Crystal's neck. "As long as you wear this, then you'll know I'm there protecting and watching you where ever you go."
Crystal sniggers. "You're watching me everywhere."
Torrance face grows evermore solemn. "Just don't forget me. Okay?"
She nods her head as her smile into a slight pout. "My parents hate us being together," They continue swinging on the swing set located in a park cut straight from Leave It To Beaver.
"So do mine, but I'm moving today. My day says to get away from you and your family. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye." Torrance replies back, dragging his feet as he swings back and forth. "I don't want to say goodbye."
"My dad came into my room again last night."
Torrance halts the swing completely and moves to stand in front of Crystal. "What did he do this time?" His voice squeaks in sadness and concern for her.
She only sounds a silent sob. She rolls up her shirt sleeve to reveal a black and blue bruise on her forearm, and another on the side of her back. "He made me take off all my clothes, and watch him touch himself and touch me. Then he let his milk out all over me and into my mouth." She flicks her tongue as if she can still taste the fluid in her mouth. "Then she came in; my mother. She came in and beat me to keep me from saying anything, because he doesn't do it to her anymore; what he does to me. She threw me against the wall and banged my head on the floor until I went into this cold sleep, where you weren't there. "
"I'll always be there." He hugs her not wanting to let her go back to her house where she would go on to be hurt. "When I'm older I can stop them from hurting you, but now-."
"Get your ass over here now! I told you never to talk to that little bitch again!" Torrance's father, Jay, walks from one side of the playground facing the his back. "Get over here boy!"
She hugs him tighter. "Don't leave me, yet!"
"I'll never leave you. You're my best friend. I love you!"
"You get over here now young lady!" Both of Crystal's parents, Grace and Jake, walk over to the swing set. "What did we say about seeing him? We are above low-life’s like him and him family."
"Don't talk about my son like that! It's you and that stuck up bitch of a daughter that are the problem!"
They squeeze each other more as their parents begin to pry them apart. "No!" Crystal screeches. "Don't let them do it to, me again!" She peers into his eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong! I swear I was good! Please don't do it to me, again!"
By this time, the children's grasp is only being held together by the tips of their fingers, but Torrance refuses to let his friend in need go. "I promise I won't. I promise I'll get you away from there. Just don't forget what we talked about. No matter what happens don't ever forget. No matter how far we are apart. It's true. Don't let those assholes tell you any different!"
"I won't!" She says with one last scream as their parents rip them in different ways. "I promise." She whispers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I need to stop remembering. She's probably already forgotten.
Torrance rubs where his blue, silver, and black dragon tattoo is on the upper right shoulder of his back. "Torrance!" Brittany calls out shrilly. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Was I supposed to be?"
"Well, we are on a date-."
"Date? Wait you think this is a date?" Torrance cannot help, but laugh at her stupidity. "All I asked you to do is show me around. I never said anything about this being a date." He laughs to himself again. "A date with you? Yeah."
"But I broke up with my boyfriend for you!" Brittany is standing, screaming in Torrance's face. However, he remains calm and collected.
"Who told you to do that? I know I sure as hell didn't." Torrance stands up from the booth and looks over to two people walking through the door of the restaurant.
It can't be.


Crystal looks at the small denizen of people inside the restaurant. She turns to look up at Jet. "The only people who eat here are old people and politicians." Jet and her sit down at the table closest to the door as she catches a blur of blue-black hair from the corner of her left eye. "Jet, why did you ask me here?"
"I can't go out to eat with my best friend anymore?"
"Anymore? We've never gone out to eat before tonight...Not like this at least."
"A technicality. So, did you finish your painting?"
"Not quite." She looks down to begin the steady task of counting the threads in the carpet.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"He's gone. I can't believe he's gone." Jet's hair falls over the front of his face to hide the tear streaks.
Crystal looks up at him into the eyes she loves. The eyes that are hurting at the death of their father. The eyes who's emptiness will never be filled. "Jet, I know you're hurt. I understand-."
"No you don't! You have no idea how it feels, so don't pretend like you do, Crystal, because you don't." He looks up and stares down at her face that has now begun to cry for him and his pain. The eyes he would so love to gouge, so they can then know how he feels. He takes her hand from her side and places it at his heart. "There's only blackness now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crystal looks into the emptiness in Jet's eyes that always grows a little more each passing year. She would never be able to tell that the Jet smiling at her now is the same one that was crying in arms that day so long ago. She pulls her hair behind her ear and the flash of black and blue she once knew so well comes again. "I'll be right back."
"Cool."
She walks into the direction of the bathroom and she can feel the blue-black following close behind her. Before she gets to the door of the bathroom she spins around to face the perfect stranger. "Who the hell are you?" She looks at the figure standing in front of her. She only came up to the six foot five forms shoulder. He is muscularly lean and has chiseled good features that will never leave, even well into old age. She takes a step forward and raises a hand to his face. "Torrance." She caresses his cheek as he takes her hand in his.
"I told you I would come back for you, didn't I?"