raise your glass .

[jared mitchell trent]

Jared's life had taken on something of a change in the last few weeks. There had been the Christmas holiday, which had brought with it the surprise of his big brother, Kade returning home after a year long absence from their small home in Arietta. Jared had just been taking out the trash one night, opening the front door to see Kade's truck parked outside and his brother digging his duffel bag out from the back. There were different opinions about town as to what kind of surprise this was, but Jared was glad to see his brother home again. It meant that their family would all be together, which would most certainly make everyone happy and make things better than they had been last year with Kade's disappearance having only happened a little over a month before the holidays. Kade seemed...better, too, in a way. He actually appeared to have good moods, seemed like his year away from Arietta and everything that he had left behind had given him an opportunity to figure some things out, which in Jared's opinion was a very good thing. Kade was the oldest of five children, and it seemed that because their parents had always been working and trying to make ends meet that Kade had taken on the responsibility of partially raising all of siblings though he was barely a year older that Jared himself. Kade was one of those guys that you could just tell was trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders all the time, and even though he had chosen to leave and abandon all those responsibilities at a really sucky time, Jared was glad that his brother had finally gotten the chance to breathe and do things for himself and no one else.

The other chance that had come to Jared's life had been all of his own doing, something that was about him and something that he had wanted for awhile now. He had finally realized his feelings for one Miss Miranda James, and he had put a bow on his chest and given himself to her for Christmas. It only made sense that this would take place in the amazing igloo that they had decided to build together, and luckily for him, Randi had felt the same way. It was so incredibly easy, the two of them. Loving her was just like breathing, something necessary and done without any thought or effort. It was just there, and had been from that very first day that Jared had spotted her on the school quad and deemed her his pretty girl. Back then it hadn't seemed like much more than a crush, and it had developed into a strong and compassionate friendship. How he had missed the fact that he was in love with this girl was beyond him, but Randi seemed to be just as miffed as to how they had gone on for six years like this and neither of them had said a word or even hinted as to their true feelings. Jared hated to think of all that wasted time, of how extraordinarily happy they could have been together, but he was also a believer in the saying that things happen for a reason. So maybe he and Randi weren't meant to be together like that until now, but it didn't seem to make a difference. They had still been attached at the hip since day one, Jared being that slightly obsessive and annoying boy that wouldn't leave the new girl in school alone just because he was overly persistent that way, and the two finding so much that they enjoyed in each other that they simply had to become best friends.

Now they were officially a couple, logging two weeks into a relationship that didn't really change much from the amazing friendship they had always shared. It just meant a lot more cuddling, tons more kissing, and just the joy of having that kind of bliss between them. Most people that they told gave them funny looks, and said something along the lines of, "You mean that you weren't already together?" Jared was pretty used to it by now, but he supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised by that reaction. People had been assuming that Jared and Randi were a couple for years, the rumors starting all the way back in high school when they had become so attached to one another. Even Amy, Jared's little sister, had thought that they had at least been sleeping together if they weren't actually together, which couldn't have been further from the truth. Jared wasn't the type of guy that went sleeping around, or went out looking for the next one night stand to conquer. He wasn't interested in Randi just as a potential friend with benefits, and she had never sought out that kind of thing in him, either. They two hadn't even kissed until two weeks ago and sex still wasn't a part of their relationship. Not that Jared hadn't thought about it a time or two (or a lot more), but again, that wasn't the only reason he was with this amazing girl, and he would never make it seem that way. Still, there were people that thought that, and there were people that would just roll their eyes and go, "It's about damn time!" Jared would simply smile as he slipped his arm around his girl's waist, and he really couldn't have imagined being any happier than he was when he was with Randi. But, this is Jared we're talking about, and there were always different light bulbs going off in his head for one thing or another. There was something that could make this even better, something that most people would probably see coming but he was sure it would be a surprise for Randi. This would be what led to the third change that was about to take place of Jared Trent, and all before the New Year too.

Every year there was a New Year's Eve party thrown in town down at one of the local bars. Everyone showed up, and there was no way that you couldn't have a good time. This year was no exception; the bar was already jam packed by the time that Jared walked in, his light eyes scanning around the place looking for his people. Kade had elected to stay at home (such a party pooper), but Jared spotted Hunter there with Mykayla and Amy also. Britt and Jem Hale were bound to be around somewhere, along with the rest of this ever growing group. Jared walked up to the bar, spying Kaler Scott as he stole a kiss from Vidette across the bar before returning to help serve more customers while he was on shift. Jared just grinned to himself, happy for his best friend and his newfound love. Another bartender served Jared a Coke and Crown, and then he was off to go hunt down Randi. There were still a few hours to be had before the New Year rolled around, so surely he could track her down before then.

tagged: randi//amber!

[/blockquote]

[miranda lillian trent]

Miranda James had never expected to see her life change so much in the past few weeks. The day that everything had finally seemed to fall into place was the day that she and her best friend, now boyfriend, had built an igloo. It had only taken six years for the two of them to get their shit together and start confessing their feelings for each other. But now that they had, well everything seemed perfect. Randi had been so damn excited that she had to tell her best girl friend Charlie what had been going on. It was something that Randi had been complaining about for ages, and sure the twenty year old had a lot to learn but this was easy. Of everything that had been going on in her life, she knew that Jared was the easiest. He was like the air that she needed to survive, and she firmly believed in everything happening for a reason. So it had taken six years for them to get to this point, but she would never change a second of the past two weeks.

For two weeks they had been going around stealing kissing, cuddling nest to each other, and just being a typical couple. It was something she had always wanted, but it just had never happened. So when her boyfriend offered himself with a bow in an igloo how in the world was she supposed to turn him down? No female would have if they had any sense in their mind. Jared Trent was a sweetheart who had always treated her special, especially since she had found out why no man had really bothered with the scared new girl in school. He had deemed dibs on the young brunette and it was adorable. She was his pretty girl and he was her boyfriend. It was how they rolled, and she loved introducing the new relationship. The really funny part was that nine out of ten people they told already thought they were together. Apparently it had been the two of them that had not seen it, especially when she found out that Amy had apparently thought they were sleeping together. It was humorous to her because she was still a good little virgin. No one expected it from the girl who had been attached to the senior's hip, but it was the truth. It was who Randi was and she had thiught about sleeping with Jared, and she knew that he thought about it too. It was something she had been waiting on for it to be him. She had always wanted him to be her first, but their relationship was so perfect and innocent. Sex was just something that could wait. They never seemed to pressure anything, and for that she was thankful.

New Years had started to spring its lovely head in the town of Arietta, and the town was buzzing around in excitment. Hell Randi adored this time of year, and it was how she liked it. It was something that she looked forward to, seeing all of her friends and drinking in the New Year with people she loved. Though here was the funny part, this was the first time that Randi would be receiving a kiss to ring in the New Year. She had arrived at the bar early to try and help get everything decorated, but then she managed to make it back to her apartment in time to hopefully get back befor Jared arrived. She quickly jumped in the shower, and she was too excited to really want to get ready. She let her long hair hang straight, not really caring what it looked like. More than likely it would end up in some kind of updo before she left. She did however grab a very cute dress to ring in the new year. This was also the first time that this pretty girl was getting dressed up for her boyfriend. The thought always managed to bring a smile to her lips and she was finally out the door headed back to the bar.

When she walked in, she saw the typical crew roaming around. Of course she noticed the bartender that happened to be her boyfriend's best friend. Poor Kaler had to work on New Years but there was Izzy right by his side, and then her eyes were working around the bar. She was hoping to spot Jared, but there was Hunter, Amy, and Mykayla all hanging around. Jem and Britt were around here somewhere and there was Shayne being her happy self dancing around until she found Jem. Randi spotted Charlie and she waved at her best friend. That was until the blond haired boy caught her attention. She saw Jared making his way all around the bar. Randi knew that he was hunting for her, but she could sneak up on him easily. She decided to stop by the bar before going to scare the shit out of Jared, and ordered from Kaler. She got her usual of the creamscicle, because it just tasted so darn yummy. She always kept her eyes on Jared even ducking behind Vidette once while he hunted. She smiled brightly as she realized he had no idea she was there.

She let her feet lead her to the blond man that held her heart and smirked as she looped her arm around his tomach. She nuzzled her head between his shoulders and just felt at home. This is where she wanted to spend forever, and she could care less about ringing in 2011. All she cared about was Jared, and she spoke softly at him. "I missed you boyfriend. Where have you been all day?"

[/color] she spun herself around so she was staring into his light eyes amd let her lips gently touch his. She had missed him more than anything, and really had just wanted to see him. Randi was just glad to see the man who she loved more than words was just standing there smiling at her. [/blockquote][/size][/justify]

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jared // mercy <333[/center]

[jared mitchell trent]

Or, you know, he thought that he was going to be able to track down his pretty girl before the new year rolled around. The bar was really crowded, though, and there were so many brunettes in the place that looked like they could be his Randi. From the back and at a distance, which was how he was seeing most of these women as he walked around the place, taking drinks from the glass in his hand and cringing a bit. That bartender had certainly made this one strong, but Jared just shrugged and went with it, light eyes still looking this way and that for his girlfriend that he was supposed to meet here. He thought to check his cell phone real quick, thinking maybe Randi had sent a text or called or something to either let him know she was already there or was running behind. No such luck, though, and Jared sighed, pushing his phone back into his pocket and taking another quick drink before turning to go back to where he had seen his family when he had first entered the bar. Hunter was still there with Mykayla, the only true female Trent that was such a dazzling beauty and an absolute sweetheart that she could almost break your heart just by looking at her. She was laughing easily, holding a strawberry daiquiri in her hand as she chatted something over with their adopted baby sister, Amy, who was grinning as well. Hunter was shaking his head, but a smile came to his lips when Peyton Roth gingerly stepped up to the group.

"Hey look, Peyton's here. Now it's a party!" Jared said as he stepped up to the group, sending a friendly wink Peyton's way and almost sure he saw her blush because of it. Jared loved that kid, though he was sure that she thought he was too loud and way too clingy for someone she barely knew, but that was just Jared for you. "Where's Kade? He did come, didn't he?" Mykayla asked, her light green eyes looking up at Jared with so much hope that it was nearly pathetic. "Sorry, sis. Big brother is not going to be making an appearance tonight. Something about not wanting to cause a scene." "Oh," was Kay's quiet reply, and no one really knew what to say after that. They all knew what had happened between Britt and Kade whenever they had bumped into each other the other day, and Jared knew that Kade was trying to avoid that kind of a scene and just let everyone else had a good night without his added drama. It was kind of depressing, and Jared almost felt bad for Kade, but his brother had brought it mostly onto himself. Those of them that had drinks in that group all took a swig then at the same time, finding something to occupy themselves with and surely trying to numb their minds to it a little. Jared was then looking around the bar again as conversation picked back up among his siblings and Peyton, Kaler also popping in for a moment to greet his sister and to refill drinks. He really wasn't paying attention to what they were saying, but they thought that he was, as someone asked him a question. When Jared didn't answer, Amy reached out and gave him a little shove. "Hello, Jared?" "You guys haven't seen Randi, have you?" was his answer, and when no one had seen her Jared simply turned around and walked away from them, as was Jared's way.

They were all used to him by now, so they would go back to their conversation and accept that he lived in his own little world ninety percent of the time. Right now, though, all Jared wanted to was to find Randi so he started a one man search party. His eyes darted this way and that, and sometimes he would bump into someone he knew or an old friend that he would have to have some words with before he was allowed to keep going, always trying to be aware of everyone incase one of these women actually turned out to be the one he was looking for. He felt like he was just making laps at one point, having to get a refill on his Coke and Crown much like a pit stop before he set off on his quest again. Maybe the better idea was to stay in one place. What if she were looking for him too and they were missing each other or something? This made a frown crease Jared's forehead as he stopped for a moment and took a drink. This one tasted stronger than th first but Jared was all for that pleasantly buzzed feeling. Just so long as he kept his wits about him so he could find this damned girlfriend, he was going to be okay. Well, he would like to last until midnight, but that wasn't really the point. Point was that he was failure and this search party thing because Randi had to be here by now. His shoulders sagged in defeat, thinking that he ought to just go back to where everyone else was and hope that Randi was either already there or would be there eventually. Just as Jared was about to take that first step in that direction, he felt an arm wrap around his middle and a head against his back. He looked down, recognizing said arm as none other Miranda's herself, a smile lighting up his face as he looked over his shoulder at her. "I missed you boyfriend. Where have you been all day?" Jared savored that sweet kiss that she placed on his lips after spinning around his body to face him, loving how cute she looked and knowing that she was his.

"I've been every place, but nothing too exciting. I'm just glad that you found me, because this place is crazy." He leaned down and placed another sweet kiss on her lips, grinning when he pulled back. "This is a very nice dress..." he then commented, eyes roaming over her petite figure in an appraising kind of way. Jared really didn't understand how Randi didn't know just how beautiful she was, how amazing she was, but he guessed that was just what he was going to have to be there for, to remind her all the time. "It looks good on you." He winked at her before taking another drink from his glass, although this wink was very different from the one he had shot Peyton's way earlier. And yes, Jared could distinguish between winks, because whereas the earlier one had been nothing but pure and friendly, this one had all kinds of underlying meaning. Randi would get it. "So what does my pretty girl want to do to ring in the new year? Drink ourselves stupid and leave 2010 drunk and enter 2011 very drunk, or are we too good for that?" Jared didn't think that he would ever be too good for a good drunken time, but even if Randi went along with that idea, he wasn't going to allow them to get that shitfaced. Jared had bigger plans in mind, and they both had to be sober for them to work. He was making idle chit chat, though, trying to keep his cool and not let on to any other intentions he had for that night other than partying and celebrating this holiday with this woman he loved more than anything in the world. And a couple of good drinks.

[miranda lillian trent]

Randi was the kind of girl that liked to have fun. Most of her escapades had begun with spending time with Jared and drinking her face off. She enjoyed having a good time, and it was something she did on a regular basis. Often times she was found running around in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt drunkenly climbing trees. Randi was hat girl that had never grown up, but having moved to Arietta had been the best thing that had happened in her life. Her grandmother had been the best thing in her life, especially since her family was just plain abusive. Her mother had sent her to live Grams when she was fourteen in an attempt to help her. Randi’s father was the kind of man who did whatever he wanted and it often times ended with Randi sharing bruises all over her face for the next day of school. When she had walked into school the first day, and whenever Jared had walked up to her an called her pretty girl it had changed everything.

From the get go, she had adored him, and the fact that he had not cared about the old bruises on her body made her even more grateful. He had seen her as a girl that was there, and apparently she was pretty to him. She hardly noticed that she was one of those girls, but that was because she had never once thought about it. She never wanted anything more than to stay wrapped up in his arms for the rest of her life. Something she had thought about so much for the past six years, but something that had never occurred to would ever happen. She had never dreamed that two weeks ago, she would have gotten the one thing that she had wanted forever. Jared Trent had been that man for her for years, and then he finally tells her that is in love with her! It was the absolute best Christmas present that she could have possibly hoped for, that she could feel her heart beating out of her chest as she noticed the bow that had been on his chest that afternoon. But not only had that afternoon been amazing, so had the weeks following. Now here she was on New Year’s Eve, hiding from him behind Vidette Garland. Randi had known that Jared would be here long before she was, but it was a game that she was playing.

The brunette kept a close eye on her boyfriend as he flitted around the bar drinking his Crown and Coke. He was predictable to say the least, but she had not expected him to come back up to the bar. That was why Kaler had initially gone over to refill the drinks. Randi had said that Peyton had showed up and that he should go refill drinks so that she could hide. She still had quite a few hours until it was time to ring in the New Year, but she wanted to see what Jared was going to do. She watched as he started to find his way around the bar, but the worst part was that she had to duck behind Viddy again whenever Jared found his way over to the bar for the refill on his drink. Apparently he did not get it filled the first time around. The brunette was standing there just waiting to make a move towards him. Realizing that it was almost ten thirty, she figured that she should probably go find her adoring boyfriend. He was standing in the middle of the bar when she slipped her hand around him. Within seconds she was facing him, and she was glad to have kisses from him. She adored him, and was glad that they had finally aired out everything that was going on in their pretty little heads. She had wanted to be his for as long as she could remember, and was glad that he had felt the same way.

The whole point of getting dressed up that evening was for Jared. She wanted him to see her in a way that he had yet too. She had never gone to a dance with him, never even went on a classy adventure. Nine times out of ten on the New Year’s party she was still wearing jeans. Randi hated to dress up most of the time, but here she was standing there trying to look adorable for him. She smirked up at him after he was done talking, and she let out a soft laugh. She had known where he was the entire time since she got there. Apparently she was better at the man hunt than her boyfriend had been. “Oh Jared, I have known where you’ve been since I got here. I’ve been hiding from you. I wanted to see if you could find me. I was hiding behind Kaler and Viddy the whole time. Silly boyfriend.”

[/color] she laughed at it again, and waved over at the two she had just mentioned. It was good to see Kaler happy, but it was just strange to see him in a relationship. She guessed the same could have been said for herself as well. His lips had caught hers again, and she was not going to lie but she adored this. She smiled as his lips left hers, but was glad that he had noticed her dress. “Awe, thanks boyfriend. And I saw that wink. You better not be suggesting anything, mister. We talked about this, and I can see you undressing me with those eyes of yours. You had better stop that, before your family notices these things.”[/color] She could not help but laugh at that thought, because it was truly funny. The entire Trent family had known that this was going to happen eventually, but everyone was waiting for the two of them to catch on.

She smiled as she looked back and waved at the ever growing group that was associated with the Trent’s. She figured that the two of them would manage to make their way over eventually, but for now she had to think about how to ring in the New Year. Their typical escapade was to get shitfaced and end up dancing on the bar. Most of the time they would end up singing and getting everyone going along with it. Much like James Marsden and Katherine Heigl in 27 dresses. It really just depended on the song that was playing on the radio. Randi liked to have a good time and was just happy to be spending it with Jared. “You know, we have a tradition of dancing on the bar and getting everyone to sing to uphold. But other than that this pretty girl does not care what we do. As long as I get my kiss and I am spending it with you, it seems pretty senseless to really care.”[/color] She let her lips grab his quickly after she finished speaking. She really did adore him, but then a song started to play and she downed what little was left of her creamscicle and wrapped her arms around Jared’s neck. she just let her body sway with the beat of the song, happy to have him there in her arms. “Oh and by the way, we are never good enough to get really drunk and ring in the New Year. It is how we roll.”[/color]. [/blockquote][/size][/justify]

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[/center]

[jared mitchell trent]

Somehow, he was not at all surprised to hear that Randi had known exactly where he had been the entire time while Jared had been left in the dark. It seemed like the kind of thing that she would do, but Jared knew that had the situation been reversed, he would have done the exact same thing to her in a heartbeat. Had he spotted her first, he would have played a little game of hide-and-seek, ducking out of her range of sight until he couldn’t take it anymore and went to her. It was, after all, Jared and Randi. That was the kind of cute thing that they did to one another, and it was just a good thing that both of them had the good sense of humor and patience that they did. Otherwise, one of those cute little jokes probably would have blown up in their faces a long time ago. But Jared and Randi were such free, kindred spirits that it was nearly impossible for Jared to imagine ever being mad or upset with Randi. Not once in all their six years of friendship had she ever done anything to hurt him, piss him off (which was a difficult thing to do with Jared, anyway) or make him question his attachment to her at any point. There were times when he hadn’t understood her and her methods, but she was a woman and he was a man and Jared had accepted a long time ago that there were just things about women that he was never going to fully grasp no matter how hard he tried to understand it. This, however, was pretty basic and Jared got it. He was just glad to have his pretty girl there with him now, his world simply complete with her there in his arms.

And, you know, that sweet little dress that she was wearing didn’t hurt anything at all. Dear God she was beautiful; Jared had realized that from the very first day that he had met her, knowing that she was pretty then and watching her grow into this amazingly gorgeous young woman. She never really dressed up, though, and Jared was very used to seeing her rocking out a comfy t-shirt and jeans, and even in sweats and pajamas. None of that had mattered, though. He hadn’t needed to see her all decked out from head to toe to know that she was downright sexy. And she was all his, but he had never added “for the taking” to that line just because that wasn’t how he and Randi were, and sex wasn’t what their relationship had ever been about. However, she had caught his roaming eyes this time, and didn’t waste time on calling him on it. Undressing her with his eyes? Why yes, maybe that was what Jared had been doing in the back of his mind, and he narrowed his eyes playfully at her. Did she really blame him, though? She was gorgeous, and he was only human. He knew that they had talked about it, and he knew what had been said, but that wasn’t going to stop him from pondering the idea. “You had better stop that, before your family notices these things.” That caused Jared to glance over in the direction of which his family was gathered, but it didn’t seem that any of them were paying him and Randi their undivided attention right now. He looked back to his lovely girlfriend with a grin on his face. “Let them notice. They already think we’ve been sleeping together anyway, remember?” As did the rest of the town, probably, but Jared didn’t even care what any of them thought. They were going to think it regardless of what he and Randi said or did; that was just the small town mentality for you.

Jared let his eyes wonder over to the group of his family and friends for just another second while he took a good swig of his drink. He and Randi would probably go to join them very soon, but right now he had charged her with the question of what they were going to do to ring in this new year. He knew that they had this insane tradition, but he wasn’t sure if she was still up for that considering that she was dressed a little differently that she usually was, and their situation was just a smidge different as well. Jared would admit that he would miss what they usually did if they chose not to do it this year, but it was all up to Randi and whatever she wanted to do. Jared should have known that she would want to stick to their radical tradition, which was drinking and making fools of themselves, but getting everyone in the bar to join in with them. Yes, they would uphold their tradition of getting maybe just a little too drunk and then finding themselves up on the bar, dancing around and singing like idiots. After hearing Randi say it, it would almost seem wrong not to do it. He couldn’t help but to smile as she said how other than that, she didn’t care how they did this New Years business, just so long as she had him. Oh, he had so much more in store for her than just plain old him, but Randi didn’t know that. Hell, there was only one other person in this entire bar that knew of Jared’s extra special plans, and that would be Mykayla. The only reason that Jared’s sister knew was because she had been asked to help, and Mykayla had been super excited to do it. Kade also knew, but he wasn’t here so he didn’t particularly count in this moment.

Someone started a song up on the good old jukebox, and Jared watched as Randi down the rest of her drink before wrapping her arms around his neck and began swaying to the beat. An eyebrow arched as she said that they were never too good to get totally wasted on New Years. “Then let’s get to it,” he said, laughing as he downed the rest of his glass too and let his arms wrap around her, whirling her across the dance floor in typical Jared fashion. They were both laughing and having a good time, but that really was the whole point. They would refill their glasses quite a few times, Kaler and Izzy happy to oblige but Jared was watching their intake, gauging what they could really drink and his plan still work. That didn’t stop them from getting that pleasantly buzzed feeling, and they were feeling just good enough to break out their tradition once again when it was getting close to midnight. Jared pulled himself up onto the bar, though not all that gracefully, and then managed to help his loving girlfriend up as well before their musical number started. Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock And Roll” would be their piece tonight, and it was a total and complete crowd pleaser for sure. It was amazing how into it people could get, and it was so much fun. Randi got to do most of the singing, but Jared did his part in the “yeah me!” and the great “ow!” part of the song, and he belted the chorus out along with Randi and the rest of bar as they danced and clapped their hands along with the two little performers. This was really one of their better songs, and the energy in the place was completely insane. When their song was over, everyone in the place was cheering and clapping, and Jared knew that it was time to do this. “I love rock and roll!” he shouted to the crowd, earning more cheers as he drew in the attention again. “And I love this girl up here beside of me.”

More cheering and clapping ensued, but Jared turned to Randi now, smiling at her and reaching out to take one of her hands (the left one, cleverly enough) in his own. “And I know that, because I was once told that loving someone was finding yourself in another, and I can’t imagine finding more of myself in another person that I have in you, Randi. It took me long enough to get it, but I figured it out eventually.” This brought laughter from the crowd, but Jared’s focus was on Randi now, some of that buzz fading away as this got down to a very serious matter. “I can’t even begin to imagine the rest of my life without you as my other half. You’re all that I ever wanted, even when I didn’t know it, and you were patient enough to wait on my dumb ass, so I know you love me too. But I’m going to get to my point and just ask… Miranda James, will you marry me?” He had pulled the ring from his pants pocket and knelt down on one knee, right there in front of the entire bar and a smile on his as he looked up at what he hoped would be his fiancée after just this one moment, after she answered and brought in their new year with an amazing start.

[miranda lillian trent]

There were few things that did not surprise her about her boyfriend. He was totally oblivious to nine out of the ten things that she did. Like her little game of hide and seek with him in the bar. She was totally aware that if Jared had noticed her first that it would have been her wearing those shoes. It was a game that they liked to play, and it was always how they worked. Randi was a girl that did stupid random things that always played in her head, and it was often an act before doing. She had taunted him longer than she had been expecting, but she was not like Jared in that aspect. He honestly could not keep a secret for the life of him considering she had talked him into giving her christmas present early. It also happened to be the best Christmas present of her life, and it had only taken six years to get there. The two of them were perfect in that aspect, because they were such free spirits. They always just did what their heart told them to do, but that was the beauty of the two of them. Jared was who she had always wanted more than anything else in the entire world. It was the best thing that she could have asked for, and right now she was nothing but his.

She stood there with his arms wrapped around her and it was the best place in the world to be. Nothing bad ever happened when they were together, and it was what she want to always happen. She had always had the idea of perfection about Jared because it was everything. He was the only person that made her feel safe, especially after everything that had happened in her life. When she had walked into the world of Arietta, well it was something she had never expected. She had never expected him to call her pretty girl or show such an interest in her. But that was ages behind them, considering she was actually in a relationship with him. She still was confused as to how it had managed to happen, or that he had actually loved her from the beginning. But now they were here in the bar on New Year’s eve, with Jared being himself. She had never noticed it before but that boy was always undressing her with those eyes of his. He could make her feel so naughty and she was not. Randi was the only one that she knew of that still managed to keep her virginity, and she wanted to keep that as something special. She was waiting until she was married, or at least that was the game plan. Randi could change her mind if she really wanted to, but that was because it was Jared. If she had been waiting on one thing it had been for it to be him. She knew that he was a boy, and that no matter what she did he was going to do what he wanted. he was going to undress her with his eyes if he wanted to. She was never going to admit it to him, but she totally was enjoying feeling his eyes all over her. It was something that she did enjoy. She smiled at him as he looked over at his family. “Oh Jared, really? You want them to see, and which one of them is thinking that I am sleeping with you? Because I will totally set them straight, was it Amy?”

[/color] a soft giggle escaped her lips, as she knew that the rest of the Trents were going to think whatever they wanted. It was how each of them worked.

Now thinking of their ridiculous tradition made Randi smile brightly, because of all the holidays in the year New Year’s was probably her favorite because of it. Every year Randi and Jared tackled the New Year with a song that got the entire town involved. It was how they worked, and she knew that this year was not going to be any different. Considering that they were the same people they always were, and it was something she loved and adored. It was always funny to see the town buzzing about their performance every year, even if Randi was not dressed for the whole getting up on the bar dancing like an idiot. It was who she was, so a dress was not about to stop her in the least. There was nothing more that she wanted than to spend every single ridiculous holiday with him, and that was what mattered to her. She let her hips sway to the beat of the song that was playing and wrapped her arms around him. Dancing with Jared finally felt right, and she was glad that they had such good friends to indulge them at their own stupidity as Kaler and Izzy were constantly keeping their drinks full, but she did notice something about Jared. He kept an eye on her drinks, and it really was concerning her. Typically she got completely wasted and ended up climbing some tree as soon as she left the bar. It was her other tradition, but she doubted that climbing a tree would be in the game plan for the evening.

As the evening began to get closer to midnight, both Jared and herself were getting to that pleasantly buzzed feeling that would result in bar dancing momentarily. It was not long before she was following Jared up onto the bar and watching the entire town get ready for the escapade that was about to ensue. So this year she got a much bigger roll in the singing, but she had Jared standing there next to her as she sang a wonderful classic of “I love Rock and Roll” it was a beautiful thing seeing the whole town bust out in song. Something that they had not done yet, but who didn’t love Joan Jett? Especially whenever Jared busted out the “ow!” and it was amazing. Randi had a hard time keeping it together after hearing him, but soon the song was wrapping up and the entire bar was cheering and laughing. It was nice to see the entire town in such a good mood after all of the dramatics that had been going on lately. She was thankful that her life was totally drama free, but then Jared started to talk. So he was willing to totally admit in front of the entire town that he loved her. It made her smile, and it was wonderful to have him in her life. This was what she loved about him, and as soon as she was ready to get down, Jared started talking again.

Everything about this was insane, she was slightly intoxicated and she was pretty sure that something was happening. She had no idea what was going on, but he was confessing everything in front of the entire crowd. Something about this was not the usual aspect of their relationship. They normally kept things between themselves, but here he was saying all of these wonderful things about her and she just stared at him trying to figure out what was going on. Randi did laugh along with the crowd as he said it had taken him long enough to get there. It sure had taken him long enough because she adored him from the get go. He just took the long way around, but it was perfect. He was her boyfriend, and it was how they worked. They were dorky and wonderful in every aspect of the words. Jared continued to talk and Miranda was having a hard time staying focused. She was staring at him as the next part of his little speech escaped his lips. “I can’t even begin to imagine the rest of my life without you as my other half. You’re all that I ever wanted, even when I didn’t know it, and you were patient enough to wait on my dumb ass, so I know you love me too. But I’m going to get to my point and just ask… Miranda James, will you marry me?”[/color] and she was dumbfounded. They had been dating for two weeks, but it was nothing new. Everything was the exact same as it had always been, but he was on one knee with a beautiful ring that was proposing to him. She stared at him, and she was moved almost to tears, but it was wonderful. She was finally in the place that she was supposed to be, as she tried to find the words to express exactly how she felt. She nodded her head “Jared, yes. Of course I will marry you. It really did take you long enough though. But I have loved you for as long as I can even remember. So yes.” [/color] She loved him more than words right now as he slipped the ring on her finger. She smiled brightly as he finally stood up, and then she kissed him. She could care less that the bar was going wild and that all of their friends were acting like it was such an accomplishment. Randi could not have been more excited to start planning her wedding, and she could not have been more happy about spending her new year with Jared. 2011 was going to be quite the year with Miss Miranda James becoming Mrs. Miranda Trent. That would be something she could not have been more excited.[/blockquote][/size][/justify]

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