Before the ball left his hands and sailed through the air, Adam knew it would be a brick. Seeing as he'd been playing for the last two hours, he wasn't surprised when it hit the rim and flew into the opposite direction. Having had plenty of practice his little brother  Carlton, or Lil' C as he preferred to be called, darted to grab the rebound and put it up for the game winning point. Usually Adam would have been disappointed to lose, but today he was more than a little relieved.

As Lil' C retrieved the ball, Adam made his way to where his things were sitting and snatched up his towel. Usually spending time with his young partner from the mentoring program was an instant cheer up, and Lord knew he needed something to lift his spirits or at the very least distract him. The only thing his mind seemed able to focus on was Rayne and the damned things she'd said to him that night.

He'd been pissed at first with her leaving him standing alone on the street corner like some kind of trash she didn't want. Later he calmed himself with the knowledge that they'd never had argument that had lasted longer than it took for one of them to get home. It had been so easy to think she was just being dramatic because Rayne did have her drama filled moments. Then a week went by without word from her and he knew. Dread had filled him, but his pride kept him from doing anything drastic. He hadn't done anything to intentionally hurt her and yet she was acting like he'd committed some kind of crime. If she wanted to leave the state like some kind of exile, then fine. But he was refusing to let her make him feel as though all of this was him.

Despite not feeling responsible for the situation, he was undeniably saddened by the whole thing. Rayne was his best friend, his compass. Her being so unhappy that she felt the need to relocate was enough to down him. Add to that her refusal to speak to break down and call him and he was in a funk. Not the quality of funk where a man drinks himself into a stupor and doesn't shave, shower or change his boxers, but still it was enough of a funk. Hell he'd just lost a one on one game to a seventeen-year-old and he couldn't even blame it on physical illness. It was bad.

"Dude, today just wasn't your day." Said seventeen-year-old quipped after taking a long swipe from his water bottle.

Feigning a smile, Adam gave his friend a jab to the ribs. "Or you could be getting as good as you think you are."

That brought a smile to Lil' C's face. "Could be."

Grabbing their gear, the two exited the gym without speaking. For it to be the middle of June, it wasn't actually sweltering hot outside. The sounds of children playing in the park, mid-afternoon traffic and other sounds of the city made him feel right at home. Clarity was all big city during the day, but at night a body could still enjoy the stars without big city lights to obstruct the view. Adam had grown up in the midsized town and despite leaving for college, he'd happily returned  home because he knew where he belonged. He could imagine living anywhere else or having the ambition to move elsewhere. The one person he always thought would understand that was Rayne.

He'd broken down and called Lucy a few days ago, just to see where Rayne's head was at. Damned infuriating woman had told him that this was his mess and if he wanted it to be fixed he'd get no help from her. He should have known if there was going to be war it would be them against him. Not that Adam was truly mad at her for staying out of it, it was just other than him Lucy knew what made Rayne tick. Since he couldn't for the life of him imagine why she was acting so drastically, Lucy had been his best chance at gaining insight. Her refusal was definitely going to cost him.

"Hey man!" Adam felt himself being jerked backwards from his thoughts at the sound of C's warning. Blinking he watched as a woman driving an SUV of kids chatting on a cell phone blew past his face. Turning to thank his companion, he was surprised to see disgust clearly on the younger male's face. "Get your head in the game Lark."

"Sorry I was thinking about something."

"Hopefully someone worth you nearly getting flattened by the Suburban Express. What's her name?"

As they started across the parking lot, Adam hesitated a moment before answering. "What makes you think it's a her?"

"I know ladies, man. Three sisters? Trust me, you have the look of a man with women woes."

"One woman, one woe. She's moving."

"And you don't want her to?" Adam gave a jerk of his head in response. "So stop her. Tell her you want her to stay."

"She's not talking to me right now. I'm not sure if she'll be talking to me ever if you want me to be truthful."

"So what? She don't have to talk, she just needs to listen. I mean come on man. Aren't you the one who is always telling me the things that are right ain't always easy? If she's supposed to stay here with you, then what makes you think it's just as easy as you two talking? Maybe you gotta make her listen."

The simplicity of C's words took a minute to take hold in Adam's brain. She'd certainly gotten her chance to let him know how she was feeling. He still had the scorch marks to prove it. He deserved a rebuttal at best didn't he? A self-assured smile lit up his handsome features. "You're right."

Lil' C gave a confident snort as he came to a stop by the passenger door of Adam's Charger. "Of course I am."

Adam hit the keyless locks for the doors with a renewed attitude. Rayne Lennox was going to listen to reason if she liked it or not.