Shooting (open)

[claire olivia garrison]

Once again, Claire found herself caught off guard by Zan's words. It was the first time that she had ever heard anyone not honestly care about winning. Sure, her father preached to her practically since she was born that wining wasn't everything. But, that didn't change the fact that it was still just as easy to get caught up in the moment and want to win. Everyone her age was competitive. At her old school, back in San Francisco, everyone her age was beyond competitive. She didn't get how Zan could be so neutral.

And, this brought her to wonder if everyone in Lipton was this neutral, uncaring, not competitive about things. Though she was quite confident already that she hated Lipton, that would just put the icing on the cake. Claire couldn't cope if everyone just tried to be fair about things. She was already having issues with the personalities of people in this little town. Was everyone nice here?

Claire dropped the basketball now, caught up in her thoughts as she studied Zan. If she wasn't already amazed by him, she would have sworn he was playing mind games with her. But, that didn't seem like something the boy would do. He just seemed entirely to nice for that. So, Claire just took a moment to scrutinize the boy. "Winning isn't bad," she finally conceded. It was more fun to win than it was to lose. Sometimes you won some, sometimes you lost. But, in Claire's eyes, you always aimed to win. "You know something, though, Zan? You're the weirdest fifteen year old boy I've ever met."

The girl shrugged, bending down to grab the basketball again. She just held onto it, idly for a moment, before realizing that Zan would probably take her words a bit too personally. He seemed to take things more personally than most. So, she quickly correct herself off. "I mean... mature, not weird. I don't get it. How can you not like to win?"

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[zan allan kirks]

Zan wasn't bothered by being called weird. Lots of people had called him weird before, and strange and freakish. He knew that he was different from most other people and that they could tell that he was. He also knew that he should try not to let that bother him because there was no changing it. There was no changing a lot of things.

Mature was a far step from weird and Zan was confused at first. Then he realized that she probably worried that he was upset by being called weird. Zan realized that no one had ever called him mature before. He liked being called that, even if it probably wasn't serious.

"I don't like winning because I don't like making the other person feel bad" he answered, although he thought he had already answered this, "and it's ok to call me weird. I'm used to that."

[claire olivia garrison]

Claire frowned as he repeated himself, realizing that her question probably hadn't come off as rhetorical had she had thought. So, shrugging it off, she turned her attention to his next statement. He seemed calm that she had called him weird. Most people got all defensive and tense. Claire was honestly, truly intrigued by the boy now. How could anyone get used to people calling them weird? Was Zan bullied a lot?

She tossed the ball back toward the hoop, plopping down in Zan's yard shortly after. Looking up at Zan, she decided that maybe she cared a little more than she'd admit. Sure, she hated Lipton and wasn't out to make friends. And, sure, she'd tell everyone that Zan was just an acquaintance. But, there was no harm in getting to know him and getting to know just what made him tick, was there? It wasn't every day you met someone so non-mainstream as Zan.

"I don't get you, Zan. You're so... different." Claire decided that it's best she was just blunt now. Squinting her eyes up at him, she wrapped her arms around her legs. After resting her chin on her knees, she studied him for just a moment. "I don't say this about any people. Really, I don't think I've said it about anyone. But, you've got me. I'm curious. I want to get to know you." She almost wondered if she was too forward. Or, if Zan would freak out. But, she had always thought honesty was the best policy. And, she had always had issues with making friends. So, she was just hoping, that her forwardness wouldn't scare Zan away too much. But, if it did, she supposed that it did. She wouldn't be in Lipton long anyhow, if she could help it, so it wouldn't matter much.

[zan allan kirks]

After Claire sat down, Zan sat down next her. As he listened, he was a little surprised by what she said. Most people didn't like him being around him because they thought he was odd. Although he had had a few people who had been his friends with him, but their friendship never lasted long and he assumed that the only reason that they ever wanted to be his friend in the first place, was because they were curious and found him interesting. That seemed to be what Claire was saying, so he assumed that their friendship would last long but he knew that he could never be sure. Besides, that was probably the only reason that Mr. Kirks ever got interested in him and, not only did their friendship last, but he was Zan’s dad now.

Zan wasn't sure how to respond so he thought for a little bit and gave her the best response that he could come up with. "Ok, so what do you want to know?" It occurred to him after he said it that this was kind of a boring response, and that it was too open. He hoped that she wouldn't ask anything too personal.

Keiko trotted up to Zan and sat down next to him, dropping his rope toy in Zan's lap. Zan scratched his head and then picked up the toy and held it for Keiko and he resumed chewing on it. Keiko usually held toys with his front paws while he chewed on them, but not when he had a person around to hold it for him.

[claire olivia garrison]

"What do you want to know?" It was probably the simplest, most generic, and most open question known to mankind. And, it was also the hardest to answer, especially for a girl like Claire. Claire wasn't a very open person herself, but when it came to others, there was little that she didn't hesitate to ask. She would tell others vague details, should they ask, about herself. But, aside from that, she much preferred to hear other's pasts.

But, she also knew that with this question, no matter how many questions she could answer it with, she had to be careful in order to not scare Zan off. "Well..." She started, considering what she wanted to say for just a second. Claire could listen about a dozen questions she wanted to know the answers to, but she would refrain. "Tell me anything that you want to. I don't care." Finally deciding this was the safest bet, Claire confirmed it with a small nod.

She shifted to look at Zan now, anticipating what he would say. His dog now returned to them, and Claire tensed slightly, but didn't move. The dog seemed preoccupied with playing with the rope Zan was holding for him, so he wasn't a real threat. She relaxed slightly at this, but still watched the dog out of the corner of her eyes as she waited on Zan's response.

[zan allan kirks]

Zan wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to say something that would make him sound like a freak and scare her off, but Claire seemed to like that he was weird and he didn't want to make her board and lose interest in him. What should he say? He had eaten raw meat before and he could bark and growl like a dog, but that might be too freakish and turn her off. He didn't learn how to read until he was almost ten and her had a phobia of stoves and of people who were angry, but that might be too pathetic.

He thought for a few minutes and eventually decided. "I was adopted when I was nine-years-old" he told her. That seemed safe. Interesting enough but not too freakish, at least he thought so anyway.

Was she going to tell him about herself now, or just ask about him? He thought of asking but he didn't. He was a little scared too.

[claire olivia garrison]

Claire knew that she had pretty much put Zan on the spot. She could tell that he was really considering what he should say as they sat there in silence for a few minutes. She didn't really mind, though. She honestly didn't care what he told her, since he already had her interest. She would just be impressed if he actually told her anything. Normally by this point in Claire's curiosity, the other person had bailed on the conversation. Very few people were willing to tell a fifteen year old girl that they had just met their history or quirks or really anything. She supposed that was half the reason Zan was of such interest to her. He was willing to participate in her game of questions.

She was surprised by his revelation, though. It wasn't quite what she expected. Though, she really didn't know what she expected. Claire pursed her lips, the idea going through her mind for a few moments as she considered her response. He was adopted. She wanted to know more. Would it be weird to ask about that? More importantly, did he expected her to share something now, too? It was hard to tell. But, instead of just opening up, Claire decided she would continue with questions. If he didn't ask her about herself, she was content going unknown to him. But, if he asked, she would probably tell.

"You were adopted?" Claire finally repeated, almost as a question. She still wasn't sure where to go with this. Was it okay to ask about his parents without scaring him off? What had happened to make him be up for adoption? Questions kept pouring into Claire's mind, but she once again opted for the basic route. She knew she couldn't expect nor force Zan to just spill everything to her. "Have you lived in Lipton since then? With your... adoptive parents?"

[zan allan kirks]

Parents? Why did people always have to say parents instead of parent? True Zan had heard that most people have two parents, but he never had so it just seemed weird to him. “With my dad” he corrected, “but only for the last couple of years. Before then we lived in Royal Oak, Michigan."

Claire reacted like it was really strange to have been adopted. Zan wished that he had picked something else, although anything less freakish that he could think of to say seemed kind of boring.

Zan wanted to change the topic now, and he determined that it was only fair that she tell him something about herself now. He was a little nervous to ask but she had just asked the same thing of him. "So, um..., can you tell me an interesting fact about you now?" he asked.

[claire olivia garrison]

Claire shifted a bit as he corrected her assumption to state that he just lived with his dad. She was surprised by this, mostly because it almost reminded her of herself. She had a step-mother now, of course, but before that he had always just been her father and she with no mother in the picture. She didn't really know of many people who just had a dad. Usually, even if their parents were split, they had a mother figure of some sort in the picture. "Michigan sounds cold."

Granted, compared to Claire's beloved California, everywhere out east seemed cold. She had never been to Michigan, though, to say if that were true. The only place on the east coast she had been was New York City, and she imagined that was quite different than Michigan.

Zan shifted the attention to herself now, and Claire's gaze wavered from him. She wasn't sure what she wanted to share. She didn't want to get too personal, but she didn't want to be too impersonal, either. What was a fair trade off in order to not scare Zan off? She didn't exactly want him to be interested in her story, but she was interested in his story, so she had to share something.

"I always just lived with my dad, too." Claire finally stated, vaguely. Though she wasn't adopted, she had always just lived with her dad. It wasn't too personal, but it seemed personal enough to work. "Until we moved here, of course."

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[zan allan kirks]

"It was at first" he replied, when she commented that Michigan sounded cold, "but I got used to it." When his dad had taken him to Michigan it was colder than Zan had ever experience and the snow had made him nervous, because he had never seen any before. After a while it wasn't so bad, and Zan and Keiko discovered that they liked playing in the snow, until spring came and it melted.

Zan was surprised to hear that she also just had a dad, and the always part made him a little jealous, because Zan had heard that that was uncommon, but Zan had a lot of things about him that were uncommon so he knew that at least some other people would have uncommon things about them too. "So is there someone else around now?" he asked, wondering what she meant when she said before she moved here.

[claire olivia garrison]

Get used to the cold? Claire considered this for a few moments. She had always lived in California until they moved here a few days ago. It was pretty much always warm where she lived, and they always liked to make fun of all the snowy, cold states out east. She had only seen snow once in her life, and that had been in Times Square New Years Eve when she was younger. So, really, she hadn't seen much snow at all. She didn't understand how people could live in a place that was cold half the year.

Zan seemed somewhat surprised by her revelation. Claire shrugged this off, only feeling slightly awkward. Most of her friends back home knew that it was just her father and she. It had been that way since she was two when her mother walked out on them. When she was five, her mother had returned for just a few short months, but then she left again to never return. She didn't tell most people the back story, she just let them make assumptions. It was more amusing to hear speculations than it was to tell the real story, in Claire's mind.

"Unfortunately," The girl replied now, debating how much she wanted to tell. She didn't really hesitate sharing her resentment for her new step-mother, though. "She's the reason we're in Lipton. My dad got married a month ago to a woman from New York City. This just happened to be the mid-point between New York City and San Francisco." She explained, somewhat bitterly. She still didn't see what sense it made to uproot both her family and her new step-family. Really, none of it made sense to her at all. But, she was here now and she was stuck for the next two years and seven months unless something happened before then. But Claire sincerely doubted that it would.

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[zan allan kirks]

"Oh" he replied, "so I guess you have a step mother now?" He thought of asking if Claire if she liked her step mother, but he could tell by her tone that she probably didn't. Zan always got a little nervous when it came to the thought of mother's, because of the way his mother had treated him when he was a kid, but he knew that some women were nice. His dad's younger sister was super nice to Zan and even let him call her aunt, and his other sister was kind of nice too, except that she gave Zan's dad updates on their parents and two older siblings who wouldn't talk to him, for reasons that Zan wasn't allowed to know but suspected had something to do with him.

It occurred to Zan that it might actually be the move that she was upset about, or both. "So" he asked, "do you like it here in Lipton?" Zan did. Of the three communities that Zan had lived in, this was probably the best.

[claire olivia garrison]

"Yeah," Claire agreed, in response to his first question. She had a step-mother, and a new step-sister. But, she didn't really consider them family, more so live-in acquaintances. She barely knew either of them, nor did she want to. She was upset at the fact that she had to uproot her life to move to -what had to be- the smallest town in Colorado. And, she was equally upset that her dad and his new wife expected her to be okay with this. Amanda, her step-mother, had been trying to treat her like a daughter since they had met a few months ago. Claire didn't get why they couldn't understand that she didn't want a mother or a new life. She was content with the way things were.

"Amanda. She's just my dad's new wife." Claire stated, somewhat bitterly. She didn't know if Zan had ever had a mother figure in his life, but since he had corrected her to just explain that it was his dad and he, she assumed not. It gave her a new appreciation for him. It was something that they had in common that most people wouldn't understand.

At his next question, however, she pulled her mind away from her horrible step-family, and focused on the tiny town. The immediate answer that came to mind was a simple no. She hated it. But, she knew that so far she hadn't made it off her street, so she didn't think that Zan would understand that. "I prefer the city." Claire replied, avoiding the question to some extent. "San Francisco will be my only real home." She added in, with a shrug. She didn't see the desire in a small town. It was just so simple, so boring. "Do you like it here?"

[zan allan kirks]

Zan could tell by her tone now that she probably didn't like her stepmother. He hoped that this Amanda at least treated her nicely, although it occurred to Zan that that thought was unfairly judgmental.

Claire asked him if he liked it here. "Yeah" Zan answered. This was a nice town and people usually at least treated each other decently. Zan couldn't understand why someone would dislike this town, and he really couldn't understand why somebody would prefer a city, but he knew that everyone was different.

Zan would sometimes go on business trips with his father, which were often in city's. Him and Keiko would stay at a hotel while his dad was in meetings and, when he returned, they would go touring and Zan discovered that he was not a big fan of cities. They were too busy and crowded.

[claire olivia garrison]

Zan's answer seemed so simple. Claire didn't really see how anyone could like a place like Lipton. It was so simple, just like Zan's answers. Faces of people already seemed familiar and she had just been here a few short days. And, after googling Lipton a few weeks back, she could safely say that there were no major stores, no major landmarks, and nothing to real distinguish this town from any other small town. It was pretty much the most boring town to ever exist in Claire's eyes. Had she not to move here, she was certain that she would have went her entire life without ever having heard of it. And, she would have been okay with that.

"What do you like about it?" Before she really knew what she was asking, the question slipped through her lips. She was curious. Having found nothing good about the town so far, and doubting that she ever would, she had to know what Zan could possibly like about it. Was it the school system? She had yet to see that, so that was a possibility, she guessed. Or, maybe there was just some desire behind all the vintage looking buildings they'd passed in the down town area? Maybe Lipton had the best kept secret of amazing foods? There had to be something to make anyone even the slightest bit fond of the town, and Claire had yet to find it.

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