"Brother's Keeper"
by BonnieD
Synopsis: Ryan's brother is released and causes problems in Ry's new life.
All right, now I've seen the promos for next week and it looks like my Return of Trey is gonna be scooped and in a totally different way. I need to post quickly to get my version in first. Also, I thought Ryan would be less self-assured in his relationship with Marissa so The Perfect Couple took me by surprise. I honestly thought he would be amazed and overwhelmed when she acknowledged him in public. Guess he's not as down-trodden as I thought.
Side note: My nephew is a true computer geek, not a faux nerd like Seth, and sometimes attends LAN parties with friends. For those not in the know, that means a long evening or even overnight of computer gaming.
*******
"So then Anna said, 'Let's start with the heart' and gave Summer a smackdown glare. It was awesome!" Seth prattled on. "I don't know if 'the plan' to make Summer jealous is working or not, but at the very least I should get to see a catfight one of these days soon. Mmm, Summer and Anna hair-pulling and bitch-slapping in the science lab, it's my sweetest dream come true."
"Hm," Ryan made a non-committal grunt and started to reread the paragraph about polynomials for the fourth time.
"I hope I delivered all right on The Kiss," Seth became pensive. "I mean Anna sorta took me by surprise and I hope I didn't look awkward or something. I don't want Summer to think I'm not capable or ... what?" He caught Ryan's look.
"Homework." Ryan nodded toward the book in his hands. "Kind of a prerequisite for not flunking out of school."
"Right. Right. Sorry." Seth sat fidgeting, tapping his pencil against his notebook for another moment, then jumped up. "Look. I'm going for a snack. Want anything?"
"No...Yeah. I'll take a Coke. I'm gonna need the caffeine to get me through all this." He gestured at the haphazard pile of textbooks and papers piled on the table.
In a moment Seth jittered away, the poolhouse was blessedly quiet and Ryan turned his attention back to studying. At least his eyes were on the page. His mind, free of Seth-distraction, was focused on his own special night at the carnival. Smiling slightly, he relived the precious moments trapped at the top of the Ferris wheel, first nauseous and sweaty then suddenly with an armful of Marissa. Not to mention a mouthful. He wasn't sure if it was the kiss or the fear of heights that had made him feel so lightheaded and surreal.
The door opened and Ryan started from his memory as if caught with his pants down.
"That didn't take lo...." his words trailed off as his gaze rose to the figure standing in the doorway.
"Hey, little bro'. Nice setup you got here." Trey smiled, toothily as a shark, and Ryan's stomach flopped like a beached fish.
********Break to opening credits*********
Trey moved into the room and closed the door behind him. Ryan rose and stood on guard, his heart ridiculously hammering in his chest. This was his own brother. Why the hell did he feel so nervous?
"When did you get out?" he finally managed to push past his tight throat. 'And how?' his mind added.
"Last week." Trey said succinctly, as he wandered around the room eyeing the contents. "Overcrowding. They had to let some of the animals go." He laughed dryly. "I went home and found the family had kinda split."
"How'd you find me?" Ryan asked.
" 'Find you'? Were you hiding?" Trey turned and fixed him with a cool gaze. He hefted a small, carved statue in one hand as if weighing its value.
Ryan's eyes slid away from his brother's steady stare. "I just meant.... I mean, did you see mom or....How did you know where I was?"
"It's a small world, bud. Word gets around," was the only answer he received.
"You...ah...got a place to stay?"
"Well, not as nice as this, but yeah," Trey laughed again. "Gerardi's couch for now."
Ryan nodded and shuffled his feet a little. "Good."
"So..." Trey drew the word out with a sibilant hiss. "You want to tell me how you got dragged through shit and winded up smelling like roses?"
"My lawyer - the one they gave me - helped me. Uh. The Cohens are my legal guardians now."
"Nice." It was Trey's turn to nod. He grinned. "You're one lucky little son-of-a-bitch aren't you?"
"Guess so," Ryan curtly said. "Look. Is there something you want or...cause I have things to do."
"Naw, nothing in particular. Just checking in to make sure my kid brother's being treated right. These rich folks don't have you mucking out their horse stalls or cleaning their pool? Free labor?"
Ryan skewered him with an icy glare. "I'm fine. Thanks. You can go now."
"All right then." Trey clapped his hands together. "My work here is done." He turned toward the door but shot a look over his shoulder. "For now. I'll be seeing you soon."
As he watched his brother's back retreat through the door, Ryan wondered why that sounded so fucking ominous.
*********
"Hi!" Ryan felt warm arms slip around his waist and lips brush the side of his jaw. He fumbled the book he was trying to cram into his locker and turned to look over his shoulder into Marissa's wide eyes.
"Hey," he replied, reduced to monosyllables by her presence. "I...uh...."
"I know. I missed you too," she said, moving around so they were face to face and leaning in for a kiss.
Ryan was practically incapacitated by the idea of her not only kissing him but doing it in front of the whole school. Somehow he had imagined that if they ever did get together she would keep him like some dirty little secret, sneaking to meet him at her discretion. This was beyond anything he would have dreamed.
His mind may have had trouble wrapping around it, but his body knew what to do. Soon his hands were traveling up her back and before he knew it he had her pressed against the bank of lockers, tongue teasing between her lips.
Time stopped and hallway noise receded as they wrapped themselves in their own little bubble of reality. Ryan finally pulled back, eyes flickering open to see Marissa returning his look, equally breathless and amazed. He rested his forehead against hers and his eyes swept down, regarding those imminently kissable lips. He had just decided to go in for round two when a hand banged on the locker next to where they leaned.
"Break it up. Get to class," the voice of authority ordered, and the couple sprang apart suddenly aware that the halls were almost empty and the bell about to ring.
Marissa blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear as the vice-principal glowered. Ryan scrambled to pick up the book he'd dropped and pull from his locker what he needed for the next class.
"Move along, Miss Cooper," the man demanded as she still lingered.
"See you after class," Marissa said, smiling at Ryan then turning to leave with a flip of her hair and a swish of her very short skirt. For just a second both Ryan and the vice-principal were transfixed by the sight of her long legs and swaying hemline, then they snapped out of it, exchanging a lightning quick glance before returning to their respective jobs of juggling textbooks and patrolling hallways.
**********
"Come on, Ryan, you should go with," Seth pleaded repetitively. "It'll be fun. All work and no play ... you know the rest. And it's not like Marissa will be stopping by later to give you a study break. You got nothing to look forward to on a Friday night but this..." he picked up a spiral notebook, "this..." he gestured at a textbook, "and more of this..." He nudged Ryan's backpack with his foot.
Ryan briefly considered going just to shut Seth up. Somehow it always seemed easier to fall in line with Seth's plans than to struggle. And it was true that Marissa was on a girls' night out with her mom and sister trying to mend fences so it's not like he would see her tonight.
A horn honked from the driveway and Seth looked up then, raising an eyebrow, back at Ryan. "Ride's here, man. What's it gonna be?"
Ryan thought of Anna, sitting behind the steering wheel, impatiently waiting for what she probably hoped would be a 'date' with Seth, and realized his presence would put a damper on her plan. "Naw. Go on ahead," he replied. "Kick some ass for me."
"Okay." Seth shrugged. "Later." He hurried off to the LAN party with his gal buddy.
Settling back against the pillows, Ryan gazed blankly at the computer screen of his laptop, yet another expensive gift from the Cohens. He thought of all he owed them and wished there was something he could do to repay their charity. And he knew that it was charity, despite their assurance that he was part of the family now.
He listened to the silence in the pool house. No traffic noise, no shouting neighbors or loud music from the house next door. It was a planet away from Chino and he was amazed at how quickly he had adapted to this world ... and to having an annoying but amusing 'brother' around. Already the evening was way too quiet without Seth's steady patter.
He sighed, snapped the computer shut and slid it off his lap. Despite his best intentions to catch up on all he'd missed during11 years in the public school system and to make his mark at the Harbor School, he really didn't feel like studying on a Friday evening. Of course, he also didn't feel like computer gaming with Seth and assorted nerds. What he did feel like was having Marissa in bed next to him right now! Since that wasn't likely to happen, he decided to raid the Cohen's fridge and make a huge, unhealthy snack to keep him company.
He got up and padded barefoot toward the big house.
As he walked past the pool, he heard something moving in the bushes off to his right. He froze and listened, wondering if it was a neighbor's dog running loose, which didn't seem likely in this neighborhood. The scent of burning tobacco reached him.
"Hello?" he called quietly, moving toward the source. He suddenly knew with certainty who it was. "Trey?"
"Yeah." Again his brother appeared unbidden and unwanted, walking out from the shrubs as nonchalantly as he could given the fact that he'd been lurking like a stalker.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Just stopped by to see you again, but I thought I'd wait 'til your friend took off."
"Well ... he's off," Ryan stated the obvious. "Visit, huh? Twice in one week. That's...." he trailed off with no clue how to finish the thought.
"Look, I didn't come here to cause you trouble," Trey began.
"No. Cause you never get me into trouble."
"But I, uh, could ... use some help," he continued.
"How much?" Ryan asked. "I got forty bucks in my wallet. That's it."
"That'd be a start. How about some food, too? I haven't eaten yet today."
Ryan sighed and looked away. "Fine. Come on." He led the way to the house, regretting it with each step he took.
To be continued....
(This is my first fic in The OC genre. Should be short. Only two or three parts, since the show keeps changing every week and messing with my plan.)
Synopsis: Ryan's brother is released and causes problems in Ry's new life.
All right, now I've seen the promos for next week and it looks like my Return of Trey is gonna be scooped and in a totally different way. I need to post quickly to get my version in first. Also, I thought Ryan would be less self-assured in his relationship with Marissa so The Perfect Couple took me by surprise. I honestly thought he would be amazed and overwhelmed when she acknowledged him in public. Guess he's not as down-trodden as I thought.
Side note: My nephew is a true computer geek, not a faux nerd like Seth, and sometimes attends LAN parties with friends. For those not in the know, that means a long evening or even overnight of computer gaming.
*******
"So then Anna said, 'Let's start with the heart' and gave Summer a smackdown glare. It was awesome!" Seth prattled on. "I don't know if 'the plan' to make Summer jealous is working or not, but at the very least I should get to see a catfight one of these days soon. Mmm, Summer and Anna hair-pulling and bitch-slapping in the science lab, it's my sweetest dream come true."
"Hm," Ryan made a non-committal grunt and started to reread the paragraph about polynomials for the fourth time.
"I hope I delivered all right on The Kiss," Seth became pensive. "I mean Anna sorta took me by surprise and I hope I didn't look awkward or something. I don't want Summer to think I'm not capable or ... what?" He caught Ryan's look.
"Homework." Ryan nodded toward the book in his hands. "Kind of a prerequisite for not flunking out of school."
"Right. Right. Sorry." Seth sat fidgeting, tapping his pencil against his notebook for another moment, then jumped up. "Look. I'm going for a snack. Want anything?"
"No...Yeah. I'll take a Coke. I'm gonna need the caffeine to get me through all this." He gestured at the haphazard pile of textbooks and papers piled on the table.
In a moment Seth jittered away, the poolhouse was blessedly quiet and Ryan turned his attention back to studying. At least his eyes were on the page. His mind, free of Seth-distraction, was focused on his own special night at the carnival. Smiling slightly, he relived the precious moments trapped at the top of the Ferris wheel, first nauseous and sweaty then suddenly with an armful of Marissa. Not to mention a mouthful. He wasn't sure if it was the kiss or the fear of heights that had made him feel so lightheaded and surreal.
The door opened and Ryan started from his memory as if caught with his pants down.
"That didn't take lo...." his words trailed off as his gaze rose to the figure standing in the doorway.
"Hey, little bro'. Nice setup you got here." Trey smiled, toothily as a shark, and Ryan's stomach flopped like a beached fish.
********Break to opening credits*********
Trey moved into the room and closed the door behind him. Ryan rose and stood on guard, his heart ridiculously hammering in his chest. This was his own brother. Why the hell did he feel so nervous?
"When did you get out?" he finally managed to push past his tight throat. 'And how?' his mind added.
"Last week." Trey said succinctly, as he wandered around the room eyeing the contents. "Overcrowding. They had to let some of the animals go." He laughed dryly. "I went home and found the family had kinda split."
"How'd you find me?" Ryan asked.
" 'Find you'? Were you hiding?" Trey turned and fixed him with a cool gaze. He hefted a small, carved statue in one hand as if weighing its value.
Ryan's eyes slid away from his brother's steady stare. "I just meant.... I mean, did you see mom or....How did you know where I was?"
"It's a small world, bud. Word gets around," was the only answer he received.
"You...ah...got a place to stay?"
"Well, not as nice as this, but yeah," Trey laughed again. "Gerardi's couch for now."
Ryan nodded and shuffled his feet a little. "Good."
"So..." Trey drew the word out with a sibilant hiss. "You want to tell me how you got dragged through shit and winded up smelling like roses?"
"My lawyer - the one they gave me - helped me. Uh. The Cohens are my legal guardians now."
"Nice." It was Trey's turn to nod. He grinned. "You're one lucky little son-of-a-bitch aren't you?"
"Guess so," Ryan curtly said. "Look. Is there something you want or...cause I have things to do."
"Naw, nothing in particular. Just checking in to make sure my kid brother's being treated right. These rich folks don't have you mucking out their horse stalls or cleaning their pool? Free labor?"
Ryan skewered him with an icy glare. "I'm fine. Thanks. You can go now."
"All right then." Trey clapped his hands together. "My work here is done." He turned toward the door but shot a look over his shoulder. "For now. I'll be seeing you soon."
As he watched his brother's back retreat through the door, Ryan wondered why that sounded so fucking ominous.
*********
"Hi!" Ryan felt warm arms slip around his waist and lips brush the side of his jaw. He fumbled the book he was trying to cram into his locker and turned to look over his shoulder into Marissa's wide eyes.
"Hey," he replied, reduced to monosyllables by her presence. "I...uh...."
"I know. I missed you too," she said, moving around so they were face to face and leaning in for a kiss.
Ryan was practically incapacitated by the idea of her not only kissing him but doing it in front of the whole school. Somehow he had imagined that if they ever did get together she would keep him like some dirty little secret, sneaking to meet him at her discretion. This was beyond anything he would have dreamed.
His mind may have had trouble wrapping around it, but his body knew what to do. Soon his hands were traveling up her back and before he knew it he had her pressed against the bank of lockers, tongue teasing between her lips.
Time stopped and hallway noise receded as they wrapped themselves in their own little bubble of reality. Ryan finally pulled back, eyes flickering open to see Marissa returning his look, equally breathless and amazed. He rested his forehead against hers and his eyes swept down, regarding those imminently kissable lips. He had just decided to go in for round two when a hand banged on the locker next to where they leaned.
"Break it up. Get to class," the voice of authority ordered, and the couple sprang apart suddenly aware that the halls were almost empty and the bell about to ring.
Marissa blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear as the vice-principal glowered. Ryan scrambled to pick up the book he'd dropped and pull from his locker what he needed for the next class.
"Move along, Miss Cooper," the man demanded as she still lingered.
"See you after class," Marissa said, smiling at Ryan then turning to leave with a flip of her hair and a swish of her very short skirt. For just a second both Ryan and the vice-principal were transfixed by the sight of her long legs and swaying hemline, then they snapped out of it, exchanging a lightning quick glance before returning to their respective jobs of juggling textbooks and patrolling hallways.
**********
"Come on, Ryan, you should go with," Seth pleaded repetitively. "It'll be fun. All work and no play ... you know the rest. And it's not like Marissa will be stopping by later to give you a study break. You got nothing to look forward to on a Friday night but this..." he picked up a spiral notebook, "this..." he gestured at a textbook, "and more of this..." He nudged Ryan's backpack with his foot.
Ryan briefly considered going just to shut Seth up. Somehow it always seemed easier to fall in line with Seth's plans than to struggle. And it was true that Marissa was on a girls' night out with her mom and sister trying to mend fences so it's not like he would see her tonight.
A horn honked from the driveway and Seth looked up then, raising an eyebrow, back at Ryan. "Ride's here, man. What's it gonna be?"
Ryan thought of Anna, sitting behind the steering wheel, impatiently waiting for what she probably hoped would be a 'date' with Seth, and realized his presence would put a damper on her plan. "Naw. Go on ahead," he replied. "Kick some ass for me."
"Okay." Seth shrugged. "Later." He hurried off to the LAN party with his gal buddy.
Settling back against the pillows, Ryan gazed blankly at the computer screen of his laptop, yet another expensive gift from the Cohens. He thought of all he owed them and wished there was something he could do to repay their charity. And he knew that it was charity, despite their assurance that he was part of the family now.
He listened to the silence in the pool house. No traffic noise, no shouting neighbors or loud music from the house next door. It was a planet away from Chino and he was amazed at how quickly he had adapted to this world ... and to having an annoying but amusing 'brother' around. Already the evening was way too quiet without Seth's steady patter.
He sighed, snapped the computer shut and slid it off his lap. Despite his best intentions to catch up on all he'd missed during11 years in the public school system and to make his mark at the Harbor School, he really didn't feel like studying on a Friday evening. Of course, he also didn't feel like computer gaming with Seth and assorted nerds. What he did feel like was having Marissa in bed next to him right now! Since that wasn't likely to happen, he decided to raid the Cohen's fridge and make a huge, unhealthy snack to keep him company.
He got up and padded barefoot toward the big house.
As he walked past the pool, he heard something moving in the bushes off to his right. He froze and listened, wondering if it was a neighbor's dog running loose, which didn't seem likely in this neighborhood. The scent of burning tobacco reached him.
"Hello?" he called quietly, moving toward the source. He suddenly knew with certainty who it was. "Trey?"
"Yeah." Again his brother appeared unbidden and unwanted, walking out from the shrubs as nonchalantly as he could given the fact that he'd been lurking like a stalker.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Just stopped by to see you again, but I thought I'd wait 'til your friend took off."
"Well ... he's off," Ryan stated the obvious. "Visit, huh? Twice in one week. That's...." he trailed off with no clue how to finish the thought.
"Look, I didn't come here to cause you trouble," Trey began.
"No. Cause you never get me into trouble."
"But I, uh, could ... use some help," he continued.
"How much?" Ryan asked. "I got forty bucks in my wallet. That's it."
"That'd be a start. How about some food, too? I haven't eaten yet today."
Ryan sighed and looked away. "Fine. Come on." He led the way to the house, regretting it with each step he took.
To be continued....
(This is my first fic in The OC genre. Should be short. Only two or three parts, since the show keeps changing every week and messing with my plan.)
