Disclaimer: Don't own the OC

So Much More

Prologue

The phone rang once on the other end. Ryan held his breath. Another ring buzzed in his ear. He gripped the phone tighter. She was his last link. Another ring. Where the hell was she? By the fourth ring Ryan didn't know if he wanted to scream or cry.

"Hello?" He had never been so happy to hear her voice.

"Trace," He didn't know why he was worried, she always came through. The one person in his family he knew he could always count on, "I need a place to crash tonight,"

"Ryan," She started, he could hear the exhaustion in her voice, "Tonight's not a good night. Why don't you stay with Theresa?"

"She's in Pasadena," Ryan replied, he needed her. He needed his big sister. Why wasn't she coming through?

"I didn't know," He didn't want to impose, but he was standing at a phone booth, on probation, and their mother had just kicked him out (something that he knew Traci could relate to and sympathize with), "Maria's sick. Trey was over here-"

She didn't know, "Trey's in jail," Ryan announced and he could hear her sigh over the phone. They were twins after all. She should know that Trey couldn't stay away from trouble for long.

"What happened?" She asked.

"He tried to steal a car, cops chased him, and he crashed it. He had a gun and pot. He'll probably be in for three to five years," Ryan explained, getting worried. Where was he supposed to go?

"Not a surprise," Traci continued, stating the obvious, "If he doesn't watch out he's going to get himself shot before he's 21,"

What else was new? Trey was the bad twin, Traci was the good one. Of course, in Chino being the good one meant having a baby at fifteen and having the daddy stick around.

"So can I stay with you tonight, Trace?" Ryan begged and he hated doing it. But weren't you supposed to be able to depend on your family, even if they were as messed up as his? Was it really too much to ask?

"No, Ryan," Her voice was firm.

"Why?" He never cried.

"I can't watch you turn into Dad, I can't watch you turn into Trey," There were tears in her voice and he got some odd satisfaction out of the fact that this hard for her.

"Bye, Ryan," Then there was the dial tone.