Fishing for a clue

Myles sighed as he stepped up towards the almost crystal clear water in front of him, tackle box, fishing pole and Yeti cup in tow.  He smiled for once in awhile, he got ahold of a full water bottle of apple Crown.  He missed pulling off the green bag to a bottle full of the brown stuff but scrounged up enough for a Yeti, so at least he had something to drink it out of.  He just hoped the guy who sold it to him didn't put something in it, but why would they?  He was just a minor looking for a good drink after a long week: and dear God was this week long.  He had just gotten off of a crippling injury to get tackled by his crush and damn near beaten.  He raised his hand, looking at the small gashes adorning the back of his hand and knuckles like a twisted zebra print.  He was pretty sure it wasn't infected and wasn't going to see any nurses.  Nothing a bit of whiskey and a bandaid couldn't heal...although he didn't remember much about that night other than he was drinking up a storm as soon as he got back to his dorm and left a hole in the wall.  A post, a wall...next the world   He thought with a chuckle as he finally scoped out a nice enough spot and dropped his tackle box to the dirt. At least he had the view, even if it wasn't the best in the world, it sure was scenic.  The sunlight reflected off of the water and he swore he could see the fish swimming throughout the water.  With a smile he started with the most important part about fishing...the drinks.  He opened his Yeti cup, counting out six shots of the Whiskey, shrugging as he tossed the last quarter into his tackle box grabbing a bottle of sprite sitting in the bottom of the tackle.  He popped the cap off and poured the whole bottle, just barely filling the large Yeti tumbler.  He mixed the drink with his finger and a couple rotations of the cup before replacing the cap and setting it aside.  He gripped the fishing pole and looked at the hook, then the water and shrugged, grabbing a cream colored worm bait made of gel and jammed it onto the hook, reeling it to just next to the top.  He smiled as he went to the edge of the shore, elevated by a good few feet off of the water, he reared his arm back, flicking it forward, but stopping halfway.  The bait attached to hook and hook to line flew then slowly dropped towards the water, skipping twice before dropping into the water and sinking slightly.  He reeled it slowly every little bit to keep the bait moving, flicking the pole around and keeping it low, sighing lightly as the morning air filled his lungs.  He took a break from reeling to hold his rod with one hand and grab his Yeti off the ground, putting it to his lips, kicking it back and smacking his lips as the crisp, tart mixture hit his lips and tongue.  He smiled as it went smoothly down his throat and he eased onto the ground, sitting on the edge his feet hanging off.  He set his cup down and rubbed the scar tissue running down the left side of his face absentmindedly.  The long scar from his forehead to the corner of his lip always followed his facial expressions and he thought about how much frowning he'd down in the last few weeks...He'd probably elongated it by a few inches.  He sighed, maybe he just needed some social interaction, he couldn't remember saying more than two sentences to anyone other than the teachers in a week...But he wouldn't find it out among the fish- or at least he hoped there was fish...

Evaline exhaled heftily as she exited her dorm, clutching her camera close to her chest. She relished the feeling of cool air on her face - A pleasant change from the stuffy atmosphere of her room. Her room-mates had forced her into a card game last night and cranked the heat up to its maximum settings, so upon finally going to bed at 1 AM, Eva had been sticky with sweat and riddled with anxiety and frustration at the thought of having to awaken early after staying up so late. Now that it was all behind her and she was standing in the crisp morning air, she felt much better.

The Spring girl had decided that the forest was the place she'd be visiting today to do photography. She hadn't actually been there yet, anyhow, so she would be getting the added bonus of exploring along with interesting things to capture on her camera. After about a ten minute walk down a gravel pathway, Evaline finally arrived at the woods. Birds were singing gleefully to each other in the treetops, little green buds were forming on the plants, and tiny animals scurried about in the undergrowth. After months of grey skies and numbing cold, spring had finally arrived to shed some warmth on North Dakota's winter-plagued landscape.

Evaline continued to follow the pathway through the woods, and managed to snap a collection of decent photographs as she went. She'd got one of two sparrows sitting side-by-side on a branch, and a few of newly-bloomed flowers, and one of he sun poking through the trees and casting its rays onto a throng of mulberry bushes. Eventually, the pathway Eva was on split in two: One way going left and one going right. She decided to take the right path, which went along the side of the lake. After another couple minutes walking and snapping quick photos of water birds lofting down onto the lake's surface, she spotted a figure in the distance. Evaline halted. He was sitting at the water's edge with a fishing pole in one hand, gazing off across the lake. She could faintly make out the distinct blue of Beata's school uniform jackets. So he was a student.

As quiet as a mouse, Evaline crept closer to the young man, hesitantly raising her camera in his direction. This would make for a pretty photo - A boy sitting alone by the misty lake. If she stayed quiet, then she could even tip-toe away without him noticing her at all.

Of course, though, Eva's attempts at being discreet weren't going to work out, just like always. The camera made a noisy clicking sound when she pressed the button down - loud enough, in fact, for the fishing boy to hear. Eva's blood ran cold. Shit!

Not even a nibble and he was pulling the line out of the water again.  He sighed, there had to something out here, Bass or something because he wasn't leaving without something.  He took another sip out of the cup, man this stuff was dangerous, if you didn't know or wasn't paying attention you wouldn't barely be aware its 80 proof alcohol.  Then a click sounded off behind him, he squinted his eyes as he recognized that sound...a camera shutter?  He quickly turned his head around and saw her to his back right behind some trees a couple feet off the beaten path.  He grabbed his cup as he flipped his legs up and over the edge, getting to his feet and setting his pole on the ground.

He stepped up to to about four feet from the girl and tilted his head slightly, saying "You know I really hope that was a good picture."  He took a sip from his cup, as he looked the girl up and down.  He didn't want to seem threatening, but his tall figure and rather down demeanor made that statement seem less like a joke and more passive-aggressive.  He'd usually be smiling right now, cracking some stupid joke about how she'd have to pay him for his likeness or to get a better picture than him trying to catch some fish.  He just stood there though, holding his drink and looking rough, his school uniform ruffled and his tie nowhere to be found.  He wasn't even wearing his hat, which sat on his bed like some type of bent heirloom.  His brown hair was almost like it was supposed to mussed up because he ran a comb through it before he left.

Eva swallowed hard as Myles got up from his seat by the water. She felt like fleeing out of sheer embarrassment, but her legs wouldn't budge an inch. She'd been caught in the act, and she couldn't just skip away as if she hadn't done anything. It was kind of hard to tell if this boy was simply making some sort of joke out of it, or was legitimately irritated that she'd taken a picture of him without his consent. There was a slight edge in his tone-of-voice, so she was inclined to guess the latter.

"U-Uh, I haven't h-had a chance to see how it turned out yet," she stammered, shrugging sheepishly and glancing up at his face. Well, this guy really didn't seem like he was in a good mood, now that she'd gotten a good look at his expression. He stood quite a few inches taller than her, looked a little bit like he hadn't slept well, and was clasping a cup in one hand that, judging by the various items he'd left by his fishing spot, was filled with some kind of alcoholic beverage. Evalne fidgeted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze, and her eyes darted promptly to the side to avoid eye-contact. "I can d-delete it, if you want me to! It's no big deal, really. I can just find something else to take pictures of, after all.. Haha.."

Way to sound like a creepy weirdo. Good job, Eva. She tapped her fingers restlessly on the plastic surface of her camera, mentally smacking herself for her social ineptitude.

Myles sighed, fucking idiot, can you not scare the random girl?  He took another sip of the mixture, shaking his head as he offered a slightly forced smile scoffing lightly, "Keep it, I'm sure it looks good enough...but if you really want a good picture the water's perfect right now, the sun just got up so you missed the rise but it still shimmers pretty nicely."  

He turned around without another word his boots displacing the dirt around them as he mad his way to the high ground's edge.  He looked back and gestured for her to come by as he took a good swig of his drink, enjoying the feeling as it made it's way through his throat and into his stomach.  He sighed lightly as a cool breeze hit his face from the water, he missed places like this, small, secluded, and quiet.  Maybe a random encounter wasn't so bad, even if she was keen on taken pictures without people's consent it probably did look nice.  What did it matter he was having a shit couple weeks, it wasn't her fault and it wasn't his right to intimidate her, this might be just what he needed...or maybe a lawn chair too.

Some of Evaline's worries lifted when Myles seemed to lighten up a little, but even as he made his way back to his spot and prompted her to come sit by the water, she could tell that he still wasn't exactly in a good mood. It didn't seem to be her fault. If it was because of Eva, then he probably wouldn't have asked her to sit down. Though still feeling somewhat awkward for creeping around the bushes, she reluctantly approached the lakeside and sat down a few feet away from Myles. She gazed across the lake, marvelling at the sheen that the morning sun cast across the tiny waves. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, and high above, birds warbled to each other.

"S-Sorry if you thought you scared me," Eva mumbled whilst fiddling around with her camera settings. "I get startled kinda easily.. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have been sneaking around and taking pictures without your permission." The Spring raised her camera to focus on the murmuring waters before her.

Myles looked out to the water, thinking about Her, he needed to say something to her, at least apologize or let her get back at him or something.  It could be worse, he may only have a sliver of a chance left, but at least his chances weren't completely destroyed.  He looked back as the girl tip tapped her way up to his spot where he sat.  He sighed lightly as the girl eased herself to the ground next to him, taking a sip of the cup, mentally telling himself to slow down.  He wasn't feeling it yet, but he was drinking it at godspeed and sure would be feeling it in a couple minutes.  

He leaned back as she fiddled with the camera, looking at her as she spoke.  He shrugged as she was taking the pictures, letting out a small breath as the camera shuttered away.  As she finished taking the pictures he said "Get some good ones?  Sure is a beautiful morning, it's nice to get away, huh?"  He took another sip, and he began to feel really relaxed, he was feeling almost light and airy and smiled.  His thoughts were coming a little clearer and his sullen look was starting to look just a bit more jovial.  A small smile appeared on his face, and he let in and out a deep breath as the thoughts of Her began to make their way from his mind.