The ReBoot

by SteveMorrison15

A Re-Boot of the pilot episode. Intentions of taking the story in another direction from there. Ryan Atwood, a troubled teen from Chino, finds himself in Newport Beach facing off against a new town and new troubles.

Chapter 1: "Adversity"

Trey and his brother Ryan exit the rundown apartment and walk to the end of the walkway and stop. Ryan slides his cash into his pocket and straightens his jacket collar. Trey looks up and down the dark street in frustration.

"Let me hold the drugs." Trey demanded. Ryan looks over at his brother. He took a long and dramatic pause. He sensed his brother's attitude. It was the same look Trey has given him his entire life. Both growing up Chino together Ryan knew a lot about his brother. More than Trey would admit though. Trey was the oldest but Ryan still felt like he was taking care of his brother most of the time. Trey had an attitude like his alcoholic Mother did. Trey would turn into the same angry drunk if he downed enough booze. Ryan was more calm, cool, and collective. They complimented each other.

Both not having much of a choice but to blow off school and make money in dark ways. It seemed that society wouldn't accept them. Instead spitting them out like a bad taste in their mouth. They didn't have much of a choice. They turned to drugs and crime like their father. They never knew their father. No guiding voice to help them through life. No one to teach them the word No. Trey and Ryan only had themselves. No one else.

"I said let me hold the drugs Ryan." Trey demanded again. Ryan shook off his stare and looked in the opposite direction.

"I got the drugs." He says finally.

"Hey." Trey pushes Ryan's shoulder making him spin towards him. "I may not be good at negotiating with dealers like you but that doesn't make you better." Ryan looks up at his brother with relaxed eyes.

"We agreed that I handle the drugs and you handle the other stuff." Ryan turns his shoulder away. He knew Trey was blowing off steam so he decided to just let him be.

"You don't even do the drugs. Let me hold them." Ryan doesn't look over at him. Instead he considers their next move. Trey grabs Ryan's arm.

"Hey!" he squeezes tight. "Give me the drugs." Ryan turns and notices Trey has his gun out. He looks up to make eye contact.

"You gonna shoot me?" he asks. Trey raises an eyebrow slightly.

"If the drugs don't end up in my hand." Ryan decides to give in. He knows it was hard for him to admit that his younger brother was smarter than him. One of them had to have the brain in the family. Their mom sure as heck didn't have it. Ryan had the chance to watch Trey do things for years and learn how to do them himself. Trey wasn't much of a thinker. He just did things. Sometimes Trey scared Ryan with a lot of his acts. He did things without warning or much thought. Ryan had to be quick on his feet to react. Similar to what he was doing now with the gun pointed in Ryan's direction. Trey wanted the drugs by any means necessary.

"Whatever." Ryan says underneath his breathe. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the zip lock bag of drugs. Trey holds out his hand and Ryan slaps the bag into his hands. Trey lets go of his grip on Ryan's arm and pockets both the drugs and gun.

"I got an idea." Trey says walking away. Ryan checks the other end of the street to take a second. No one was down the street. They were the only two on the street. Suddenly Ryan got a bad feeling. Trey was already more than ten feet away from him. Ryan quickly picked up his walk to catch up.

"Why do you want to hold the drugs?" Ryan decides to ask.

"I'm the oldest. I now hold the drugs."

"What am I supposed to do?" Ryan asks finally catch up enough to walk side by side with his brother.

"Be the look out." he says without looking at him.

"I'm not thirteen anymore. Don't give me that look out crap."

"Shut the hell up."

"What's your problem all of a sudden?" Ryan asks almost in a yelling tone. Trey stops and turns to look at Ryan.

"You!"

"What did I do?"

"Do you know what Eddie said to me last night?" he asks. Ryan remembers Trey's friend Eddie. Eddie was what Ryan is now. Trey's wingman. But once Eddie got hooked on cocaine, Trey turned to Ryan to help him with his late night antics. Eddie was coked up all the time and was usually hanging out the local bar. Trey and Ryan hung out at the bar with their friends drinking and smoking.

Eddie was usually in the corner betting on pool games and talking to the local talent. Trey and Ryan were there the night prior hanging out. Ryan remembers Trey having a long talk with Eddie over by the broken pay phone. He was finally going to find out what they were talking about.

"What did that crack head say?" Ryan's asks. He never liked Eddie.

"He said that I was losing my touch." Ryan eyes squinted.

"He said that you were starting to get better than me." Ryan looks down the street again.

"And you listen to this ass-hole?"

"He's right."

"I'm just handling the drugs."

"Yeah. You don't even do the drugs. I'll handle them from now on."

"I can't believe you give a shit what the jerk off thinks." Ryan wipes his chin.

"He's right." Ryan shakes his head in frustration. He was smarter than Trey when it came to purchasing and selling drugs. Ryan gets the drugs cheaper and sales them more than their worth. The people buying the drugs from him are usually high or messed up when they buy from them so they don't know the difference. Ryan was lucky that the customers never realized what he was doing.

"So you just want me to be the look out?" Ryan's asks.

"Yep. So start looking out." Trey says turning the corner. The summer time air cooled the night streets of Chino California. Trey leads them on a side road just off a main road.

"What are you going to do?" Ryan's asks. He knew Trey wasn't clear on what he was doing. He hoped to find out before they got too deep to escape the cops.

"Don't worry little bro." Trey says. Ryan starts to hold back in speed. Trey gets a further away. Trey stops once he realizes that Ryan stopped walking. "What are you doing?"

"Tell me what you're doing." Ryan demands.

"Don't be a baby." Trey turns back around and takes a few steps further. Ryan doesn't move. "Come on."

"No. Tell me." Trey storms up to Ryan. Ryan gets scared that his brother was going to hurt him. He doesn't move.

"Do I have to pull the gun out again?" he asks. Still Ryan doesn't move. Trey gives up. This wasn't the first time Ryan pulled this stunt. He knew he wasn't going to get Ryan to come along without telling him something. "Fine. Keep a look out right here." Trey says walking away. Ryan takes the bait and follows.

"Where you going?" Ryan asks. Trey pulls out a bent crow bar and looks back at his little brother.

"I'm gonna steal that car." he says. Ryan sticks close checking the entire block. Nothing. Trey looks around himself just to be sure. "People spend too much time picking locks. They can save time just breaking windows." Trey holds the crow bar up and smashes it into the car window.

"Oh shit!" Ryan calls out.

"Baby." Trey mumbles under his breath. Trey flips both sun blockers down hoping to find some keys. A pair of keys fall from the driver side. Trey laughs and flashes the keys to Ryan who stands just by the back of the car. "Aren't you glad you have me as a brother?" he asks putting both feet into the car. He starts it up and looks back at Ryan. "Get in." Trey says calmly.

Ryan doesn't move. His bad feeling returns. The whole situation was a bad idea. Trey once again did something without thinking. Ryan glances behind him and watches a patrol car pass the street. "Get in!" Trey yells. Ryan slams the door trapping Trey inside. He runs to the other side and pulls the passenger side door open. Ryan looks back to the street. The patrol car returns with its lights flicking lighting up the entire block up in red and blue. "Get in! I'll leave you." Ryan believes him and jumps into the car.

The chase begins.

Trey floors the pedal and speeds down the street. Neither Ryan nor Trey had time to buckle their seat belts. Ryan checks the back window every two seconds hoping the cop would disappear. Trey wasn't known for superior driving as the car raced away from the lights from the cop car. Trey would switch from lane to lane hoping to lose the cop like an alligator. Ryan finally looked over at Trey who glances back. He gives a loud obnoxious laugh.

"You should see your face." he says not focusing on the road." Ryan watches the road for him. Another cop car joins the chase but is heading right for them.

"Watch out!" Trey looks back towards the road. The other cop car slams on its breaks and blocks both lanes. This doesn't stop Trey. He swings the car onto the sidewalk and barely misses the front bumper of the cop car. Trey gives a holler and smacks the steering wheel a few times. "That was close." he yells. Ryan could barely hear him over the siren from the tailing patrol car.

"We got to go faster." Ryan yells.

"My foots almost hitting the road man."

"We have to lose them."

"Let me drive. Just shut up and watch me loose these pigs." Ryan looks back out the window again. Still the cop car follows keeping a safe distance. Trey's actions got them deep in this one. They would really have to lose the cops if they were going to get out of this one. Suddenly another patrol car pulls up alongside the cars blind spot.

"Look at this ass-hole." Trey says looking in the rear side mirror. The cop car wastes no time and clips the back end of the car. The back tires begin to force the rest of the car to lose control. Trey tries to keep the car straight but starts to give groans of panic. All Ryan can do is watch as the car begins to turn towards the curb. The car runs off the road and slams sideways into a power line post. The momentum of the impact forces Ryan to hit his head on the passenger side window. It didn't shatter.

Ryan becomes light headed. Similar to the feeling he got during his first beer. All he could see is the red and blue lights flashing at him. He can hear the cops yelling at them but can't make out what is being said. Trey looks at his dazed brother. He says something to him but Ryan was no longer thinking straight. Everything starts to fade to black until nothing but darkness.

Chapter 2: "Hearing reason"

"Ryan take a seat." A suited man stands up from the table and welcomes Ryan to sit. He doesn't say anything to the man. Instead he takes a seat. The patrol officer leaves them and walks over to the same door he walked in from. Ryan can feel his presence. "Sandy Cohen, I'm your public defender."

"Whatever." he mumbles. Ryan doesn't make eye contact. He just looks down at the ground and as Sandy rests his elbows on the table.

"You alright? Are they treating you okay?" Ryan looks up at him for a split second. "Made any friends?" Ryan ignores his joke.

"Where's my brother." Without looking, Sandy begins.

"Trey is over eighteen. According to this." Sandy looks over a piece of paper. "Stole a car, possession of a fire arm and crow bar, and pot in his jacket. So he's looking at three to five years." Ryan looks around the room in disgust. If he never gave Trey the drugs he would have never stole the car and then got caught with those drugs. Ryan didn't have anything in his pocket except for a few bucks. He should be in lock up with him. "I'm more concerned about you." Sandy says looking back up at Ryan.

"Do you really care?" he asks.

"Yes. I do."

"It's your job. You have to care."

"Well a job is optional so I want to be here. So I do care because I care about my job which requires me care for you." Ryan just looks at him. Sandy shakes off his last statement and continues. "This is your first time in lock up. I can see that because of your school grades." Ryan continues to look up. He knew he was decent in school but never stuck around long enough to know his grades. "When you do attend class you do okay but you overall grade aren't great. You've been suspended 2 times for fighting but your SAT 1's. Ninety eight?" He looks over at Ryan. It was the first time he heard his score on the test he took. He was surprised.

"What?"

"Ryan, if you started attending class you could." He stumbles off. "Ever think about going to College?" he asks. Ryan breathes through his nose. "I'm serious."

"No way." Ryan shakes off the feeling. He never considered College because he never wanted to think about it. The things he spent most of his time doing, he was far from going to school.

"Why not?"

"Where I come from, you don't go to College." Ryan wipes his chin.

"Why not?"

"Because kids around my house would kick the shit out of you for being so smart."

"Remind me never to go to Chino." Ryan again ignores his joke. "Never considered your future?" Ryan stops talking. Sandy has dealt with the silent treatment from his clients before. But with Ryan it was different. He was closer to saving than his previous clients. Ryan had the best test scores of any of his clients because he was the only one who took the test. Sandy could get through to this one. He persuaded on.

"Dude. I'm on your side." Ryan looks intensely at the ground. "Help me out." Ryan cuts him off.

"Where I'm from. No matter what you do, you'll always end up doing nothing. My friends and family are all the same. Surrounded by hate. Nothing but a scumbag job making little money battling bills and payments. If I tried to better my life I would still end up some criminal wondering the streets of Chino. Like my mom. I'd rather not wear myself out for nothing."

"I can plea this down to nothing but a misdemeanor. But take this advice. Stealing a car because your brother wanted to have some fun is stupid, and weak. You can't afford to be those two things anymore."

"Two more things." Ryan snaps back.

"Get over the fact that life dealt you a crap hand. Trey's in jail, no longer around to convince you to do crime." Ryan didn't want to think his brother wouldn't come back for a while. It wasn't something that sounded good. "We're cut from the same deck Ryan. I grew up nothing in the Bronx, father never around, mother working a scumbag job and I was pissed off and stupid."

"Look at you now." Ryan says. Sandy ignores him. He still has fair

"Smart kid like you, you got to have a plan."

"Back home, having a dream doesn't make you smart, knowing it won't come true, that does." Sandy smirks but isn't convinced. He seemed to be hiding behind something. The news of his brother's situation must have put him in the mood he was in so Sandy decided to back off.

Outside was sunny. Ryan was used to being inside since he was outside last. It was dark and scary. Finally back outside he felt the heat of the summer. He was used to it but it still took him a second to adjust. Ryan quickly walked to the curb leaving Sandy to catch up.

"I'll have my office call you to remind you about your hearing." Sandy says holding his tie down. A gust of wind blew it up.

"Don't bother. I'll remember." A loud car approaches the front of the building. The sound of a worn out engine belt can be heard as well as a clogged exhaust pipe. The car decreases in speed once close enough to Ryan near the curb. Sandy joins his side as the car turns to park in front of Ryan. The car drives one wheel over the curb scaring Sandy. He quickly takes a step back in fear of getting hit. Ryan doesn't move. He looks back and smirks over at Sandy.

A women poorly dressed gets out of the car and stands on the other side of the front end of the car across from Ryan. He looks back but squints from the sun.

"Some family I got. What did I do to deserve this family." she barks. Other people hanging around the curb are now staring. Ryan ignores the looks.

"Just lucky I guess." Ryan mumbles quietly. No one hear him. "Hi mom." he finally says.

"Don't you hi mom me."

"Mrs. Atwood, I'm Sandy Cohen. Ryan's attorney." he says introducing himself.

"That's just music to a mothers ears. Should have let him rot in there." For a second she didn't sound too angry. She toned her voice down in Sandy's presence but still spoke the same. Sandy didn't expect that answer. But Ryan didn't seem too surprised by it. He lived with it. "Let him rot like his dad's doing. Just like his brothers gonna." Ryan looks over at her now surprised. She attacked his brother. He felt responsible for Trey since no one else was looking out for him. Even though he was a bad kid, he was still his brother. At that moment he knew his mom had given up on Trey completely. He felt tears build up but held them back firmly.

Sandy looked at his mom and back at Ryan a few times and decided to better the situation. Ryan seemed hurt by the words of his angered mom and wanted to help. His faith was still with Ryan. He reached and opened the door. Sandy quickly approached him.

"I'm going to give you my card. Office number on there. I'll put my home number on there as well." Ryan looked at Sandy confused. Even after the way Ryan treated him and after hearing the horrid words from his mother. "If you need anything. If things begin to be too much. Just call." Ryan knew he was being nice. This time he wanted to thank him.

"Thanks." Sandy nodded his head.

"I can't do this anymore Ryan." His mom says gripping the steering wheel. Ryan stared out the front window. He was close to home and his mom just started talking. The entire ride was silence before then.

"I'm sorry. Things got out of hand."

"No shit!" she barked. "Things got out of hand and you steal a car?"

"It happened so quickly. I couldn't stop him."

"You don't have to stop Trey. Not anymore." The car pulls up to a familiar street. The street Ryan had lived on his entire life. The car pulls up to the curb. This time his mom stays clear of the curb. Before she gets out she looks over at Ryan. "I want you out of my house." She opens the door and gets out. Ryan quickly gets out and follows her into the run down house. He calls to her but gets nothing.

Once inside she goes straight for the fridge and pulls out a bottle. Already sitting on the counter is an empty glass. Ryan's step dad stays seated on the recliner watching a football game. He pays no attention to the two that just walked in.

"You heard me Ryan." she says pouring the drink. "Get out of my house."

"Where am I gonna go?" he asks frantically. Again he holds back the tears. His step father finally chimes in.

"You heard your mother. Get your stuff and get out." Ryan quickly snaps back.

"Hey this ain't your house man." This encourages him to stand up.

"Tough guy now?" he asks hoping to sound intimidating.

"Why don't you worry about your own kids and quit free-loading off my mom." His step father swings and connects. Ryan turns his head back in his direction and grabs his shirt. His step father quickly takes another swing and hits again. This time Ryan barley falls back because of his grip on his step dad's shirt. Ryan finally swings and punches some of the dip from his mouth. It felt good to hit him but he felt his knuckles singing a different tune. His step dad then throws him into the coffee table. Ryan tumbles over it onto the floor. He feels someone grab his collar and pull him up. His step dad then tosses Ryan into his room all the while his mom yells with the drink in her hand.

Ryan stands up and grabs his backpack from his bed. His step dad stands at the door way and watches him pack. Ryan only takes one outfit and storms for the living room. He bumps into his step dad on the way out and goes for the front door. He swings it open but doesn't close it. By now he doesn't care what happens to that place. At the end of his porch was his old bike. He barely uses the bike but finally decides to use it as a way of travel. He wasn't clear on where he was heading, but he knew he wanted to get away.

Chapter 3: "That's the Cohen stand."

Ryan sits just outside a Quick mart watching the cars go by. He spent over a dollar in change calling every friend he knew. He was even reduced to calling the crack head Eddie for a place to crash but he didn't pick up. But even during all the phone calls, he felt his life beginning to change. One moment after the next. Considering Trey being in jail and his mom kicking him out, he still felt better than he did the day before. Something felt good but he didn't know what. His face was still sore from being punched by his step dad.

A black car pulls up and stops in front of Ryan. It was a nice slick BMW. Some people in the parking lot stop to admire the machine. The tinted window rolls down to reveal Sandy Cohen.

"Told ya. You could do worse." Ryan just stares. Sandy decides not to infuriate him. He knew it probably had a long day so he didn't egg on. Sandy flicks his head back to notion him into the car. Ryan forces his bike into the back trunk and gets into the passenger side of the car. It was the third time he got into a car in less than twenty four hours. But this time it felt different. It felt right.

"Thanks." he says under his breath. Ryan then looks out the window. He wasn't aware of the forty five minute drive ahead of him but he didn't care. Ryan was just glad to be going somewhere to stay. He never thought his own mom would kick him out onto the streets. She was a mess but never showed signs of kicking him out. He was ready to get out of his situation. He felt so much pressure. So much pressure to look out for Trey, put up with his alcoholic mom, and her dirt bag husband. Everything that happened forced him to speed up his planning.

Now Trey was in jail and his mom was back at home most likely drinking. Things really started to change overnight. Now he was heading to the home of his defense attorney. It was weird to think about but he accepted it. With all that had happened, anything weird that would present itself would be considered normal. The BMW makes its way onto Route 57 south towards Orange County.

"Where do you live?" Ryan asks.

"Newport beach." Sandy says quickly glancing at him. He was glad he broke the silence. He wasn't sure that the wife would be too thrilled that he was bringing home a kid who had just got out of lock up. Hopefully his wife shared the same sympathy he did for Ryan. If anyone could see the good in someone, it was his wife, Kirsten. "Have you ever been to Newport?" he asks. Ryan shakes his head.

"Barely ever left Chino."

"You'll like Newport." Sandy says watching the road. Ryan looks over at him and stares.

"What makes you think that?" he asks.

"Because it's not Chino." he says. Ryan looks back out his window and stays quiet. Hopefully he was right. Ryan wanted to believe him.

They finally reach Newport. Ryan couldn't take his eyes off the surroundings of the new city. Beaches, convertibles, bathing suits and tanning lotion. It was almost paradise. Sandy watched Ryan look out the window in amazement. They drove away from the beach scene and Ryan turns toward the front windshield. He begins to admire the car. A BMW logo imbedded into the glove box with the thick smell of leather. It looked and smelled like he just pulled it out of a lot.

"Nice car." Ryan doesn't look up him. "I didn't know your kind of lawyer made money."

"No we don't." Sandy admits. Ryan didn't think he would be honest about it. Sandy turns to Ryan. He looks back as Sandy gives him a glance. "But my wife does." he smirks.

The car pulls up to a small guard house with a figure standing at the doorway. The man waves at the car as Sandy rolls down the window to greet him.

"Hey Chaz."

"Hello Mr. Cohen." The gate in front of them begins to open by itself. The car pulls in leaving the guard house behind. Ryan looks around at all the houses. All huge mansions with multiple cars parked around them. Each house has their own wall surrounded their lawns. The BMW continues to make its way through the neighborhood at a slow pace. It was residential but no one was playing in the streets. No one outside except landscape services finishing up their yards. The sun was making it was down signaling that it was close to night time.

"Does anyone famous live around here?" Ryan asks. Even with the question, his tone sounds disinterested.

"Screen writer Josh Schwartz." Sandy replies.

"Who?" he asks.

"Forget it." Sandy waves to someone. "Believe it or not, these houses are small compared to Hollywood Stars homes." Ryan just looks out the window and admires each house they pass. The car finally pulls into a drive way that goes up a hill. It parks next to an even nicer car. Ryan gathers his backpack from the floor of the car.

"Wait." Sandy says turning off the car. "Wait here for a minute." Ryan takes his hand off the car handle. "I'll be back." He pulls the keys from and holds them there. He hesitates. Contemplating whether to leave them with Ryan or not.

"It's no fun if the keys in the car." Ryan jokes but sounded serious. Sandy smiled at him. Sandy puts the keys into the ignition as the radio turns back on. The entire day he tried to make jokes to finally hear Ryan make one. He felt that he was coming around on him.

"You brought him home?" Sandy quickly realizes his wife doesn't share his compassion. "This is not a stray puppy Sandy." Kirsten stands with her hands on the counter in her anger pose. She still wore the same outfit she wore to work that day. Sandy thought she maintained her attractive look she had when she left the house that morning.

"I know that." Sandy stands with his hands in his pocket.

"It was only a matter of time before you started bringing home felons." Sandy frowns.

"He's not a felon." Kirsten wasn't convinced.

"Did you meet him in jail?"

"Yes. Technically. It was barely a felony, it won't be when I'm done."

"You're endangering our home Sandy. What about Seth?"

"It's only for the weekend." he says hoping to cool her jets. "Child services doesn't open until Monday."

"What if he's using you to case the house? What if this is all a scam."

"He didn't know where I lived or how wealthy this family is." Kirsten stands still. "He's not a criminal mastermind. He's a kid with nowhere to go." Kirsten rolls her eyes. "When did you become so cynical?" Sandy asks.

"When did you become self righteous?" she snaps back. Sandy shook his head hoping to hear her correctly.

"I've always be self-righteous." he says. Kirsten nods her head in agreement. "You used to find it charming."

"He sleeps in the pool house." She says walking out of the kitchen.

"Where you going?" he asks.

"To put my jewelry in the vault." she says. Sandy wasn't expecting that answer. He felt it was unnecessary. "Where do you think I'm going?" she snaps. "Getting fresh sheets, towels, and a tooth brush." she says turning away again.

Ryan walks to the end of the drive-way packing in his cigarettes. After calling his defense attorney he managed to buy a pack of cigarettes before waiting for his ride. He never got a chance to pack them so he packed them all the way to the end of the sidewalk. With Sandy inside probably convincing his wife to let a criminal from Chino into her home, he had time for a smoke.

He finally gets to the end of the drive-way and pulls out the first cigarette and places it back into the box upside down. A trick his brother taught him and the cigarette he called "The lucky." Whenever Trey bought a new pack, he turned the first cigarette upside down. That was the lucky of the pack and wasn't to be smoked until last. Ryan then pulls out another one and places this one in his mouth. He finds his lighter in the same pocket as the one holding the Sandy Cohen Defense Attorney business card and lights up his cigarette.

"Who are you?" someone asks from a few steps away. Ryan doesn't get a good look at the girl but knows right away that he likes what he saw.

"Who ever you want me to be."

Chapter 4: "The New Moon"

Marissa Cooper was the Cohen's neighbor. It wasn't unusual for her to stand at the end of her drive-way. It was a custom occurrence of her to wait for her rides from friends outside instead of inside. She didn't want to hear any grief from her parents who weren't very fond of a lot of her friends. Mrs. Cooper believed her daughter was special and was too good to have troublesome friends. But even as her mom thought she kept a watchful eye on her daughter, there was so much she didn't know.

Ryan stood with a smirk on his face. He was proud of what he said and hoped she was impressed. Marissa was thrown off by his words and all she could say was "Okay." He was different. She liked that. She knew he wasn't from around here. Ryan took a hit from his cigarette and blew smoke from his face. He didn't want to smell like smoke when he entered the Cohen house but he knew no matter how he held the cigarette or blew the smoke away, they would smell it. Marissa checked her house to make sure she wasn't being watched.

"Hey, can I bum a cigarette?" she asks. Ryan stood with the cigarette in his mouth. He never saw a girl like her smoke. Mostly it was the sleazy girls at the bar who smoked but never a rich girl from Newport. He thought pretty girls should never have such a nasty habit. But he couldn't resist her. She did ask nicely. He makes his way over and pulls the pack back out of his jacket coat. He pushed up from the bottom of the pack to let a couple cigarettes pop up. He made sure not to present the lucky to her. That one was supposed to be last no matter how hot she was.

Marissa took one and placed it to her mouth. Ryan decided to be sly about it and not light it with his lighter. He recalls his lighter breaking a few years ago and having to light it to someone else's lit cigarette. His current lighter had plenty of fluid in it but he wanted to light it with his. Marissa couldn't help but smile at his jester. She inhaled from Ryan's cigarette as he held it close to her face. She stared at him as she inhaled a deep puff. He looked like a lost puppy. He didn't look like a bad person even though he dressed like one.

Ryan started taking a few steps back away from her. He never took his eyes off her and she stared right back.

"Who are you anyways? Seriously." she asked.

"Seriously?" he snaps back. She turned her body towards him. It was another cool breezy night. The wind from the cool air blew her hair back revealing her ears. She wore tiny shiny earrings. Her face was more visible with her hair no longer covering half of it. He thought she was pretty but he didn't say it out loud. Her angles were more visible with her hair back. She asked about the truth but he hesitated to tell her. Rich girls might not take kindly to felons. But he decided to tell her anyways. The whole day was weird, why stop playing along.

"I stole a car." He let the smoke from his lungs just flow out of his mouth as he talked. "Crashed it." Marissa didn't see any visible scars but he had some. "Actually my brother did. Since he had a gun and drugs on him he's in jail." Marissa raises an eyebrow but lets him continue. "I got out. Then my mom threw me out. Pissed off and drunk." Ryan looked over at Marissa would was listening inventively. She didn't seem bothered by his story. "Mr. Cohen took me in."

"You're their cousin from Boston right?" she asks. He smiles at her.

"Right." Footsteps approach from behind Ryan. He doesn't look back. He just stares at Marissa.

"Hey Marissa." Sandy Cohen says standing next to Ryan. She quickly drops the cigarette to the ground and covers it with her foot.

"Hey Mr. Cohen. I was just meeting your nephew." She puts on a fake smile and glares back at Ryan.

"Oh. My favorite nephew Ryan." He puts his arm around Ryan's shoulder. He looks over at him feeling a little uncomfortable. "All the way from Seattle."

"Seattle?" She asks giving Ryan a look. He was quick to cover.

"Dad lives there. Mom lives in Boston." She plays along.

"So we're all excited for your fundraiser fashion show tomorrow night." Sandy says interrupting their stare down.

"Really?" she asks sounding surprised."You are?" Sandy runs his hand through his through is surfer hair.

"No." he admits. Marissa laughs. A big GMC pickup truck pulls up to and stops with the passenger side door in front of Marissa. Rap music can be heard coming from the car. Ryan was shocked to see that it was a white kid driving. A rich white kid driving.

"Come on let's go." he calls from inside the car. Marissa turns back to Ryan and Mr. Cohen but locks eyes with Ryan.

"Hey you should come by. Check it out. If you don't have any plans." She reaches for the truck door without waiting for Ryan's reply. "See ya." she says stepping up into the cabin.

"Goodnight." Sandy says removing his arm from Ryan's shoulder. Ryan watches Marissa lean over and kiss the kid in the truck. He hoped she was single but couldn't disagree. Someone as beautiful as her should never be single.

"Who's that kid?" he can hear the kid ask as the car accelerates down the street.

"Let's go inside." Sandy says nudging Ryan's shoulder. He slowly follows Mr. Cohen to the drive-way and takes another hit. Sandy looks back at him.

"Um. There's no smoking in this house." Sandy says. Ryan takes another quick hit and flicks the cigarette to the end of the drive way. Sandy walks over and steps on it.

Ryan walks into the house and stares up at the tall walls. The house was two stories, surrounded by cream walls, and well kept. The furniture matched and looked brandy new. Ryan had never seen a house in such perfect shape. His house was never this nice. Sandy leads Ryan through the house to the kitchen and out the back door. For a second Ryan looks around the yard for a tent. Maybe the Cohen's want him to sleep outside. Ryan wouldn't mind it though. He was just kicked out of his own house with nowhere to go. Anything would. Instead Sandy continues along the pool to another part of the house. It was cut separate from the house and had its own walls. It looked like a shed version of the house but was a lot bigger than a standard shed.

Sandy opens the doors for Ryan as he walks in. Standing making a bed was a blonde haired women and a Hispanic lady. Ryan wasn't quite sure who was Sandy's wife. Both were well dressed. Then he realized that the blonde lady acknowledged his arrival before the other women even looked up. "This is where you'll be staying." Sandy says presenting the room to him. "And this is the queen of the house Kirsten." The blonde lady smiles at Ryan.

"Hello Ryan." Kirsten says with a sincere tone. "Welcome to our home. If you need anything, Rosy here can help you." The Hispanic women smiles and bows her head at Ryan. Right away he knew she was the maid. She wasn't dressed like the maids on TV. She didn't wear a black and white outfit like the girls wore in the Playboy Magazines his brother had. She was dressed for church. Ryan never saw a maid before.

"Thank you. Thanks very much." he says. But he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to say. It was an entirely different world to him. Kirsten smiles at him and moves to make room for him to walk around.

"We'll see you in the morning. Make yourself comfortable." Sandy says opening the door for Rosy and his wife to walk through leaving Ryan alone. It took him a good minute before moving. The small house in their backyard was just as impressive as the big house.

"He doesn't seem like a felon." Kirsten says to Sandy. He looks back at her and smirks to a smile.

"Told ya." he says walking into the house behind her.

Ryan wakes up and rolls out of bed. The light from the sun filled the room with extra light. The tiny house was as impressive as it was when he first saw it. He stands up and stretches. The place was quiet and calm. The covers sprawled out on the bed stood out to the clean room. He made his way for the door and stepped outside. With the sun out he could see out down the valley. The Cohen's lived on a hill that looked down to the beach. The lawn was greener than green and perfectly sculpted. Not like Chino where all you have was dirt and concrete surrounding you.

He made his way for the house. The back door was unlocked so he opened it and walked through. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the change in light. His eyes stopped on a skinny black haired kid sitting on the carpet. He looks back at him with a confused look on his face.

"Hey." he says.

"Hey." Ryan notices the resemblance in his face. Sandy never mentioned that he had a kid but Ryan knew who he was. The kid held up a game controller towards Ryan.

"Do you wanna play?" he asks. Ryan looks around the room and can't think of anything else to do. He smirks and sits on the ground next to him.

The next thirty minutes Ryan joins Seth in playing the fighting game. Ryan doesn't say much because Seth had been commentating the entire time.

"Oh! Look at you! Think you're the last Star Fighter?" Ryan glares over for a second. "Can't save yourself from the alien race." Seth hollers every few seconds. He was the competitive type. Both boys tapped buttons rapidly. "OH!" Ryan closes his eyes in defeat. "Why aren't you playing anymore? Oh cause your dead?" Seth backs off. "Want to play another game?" he asks.

"Sure."

"Wanna play Grand Theft Auto?" Ryan looks over at him. "You can steal a car and…" he stumbles off. "Not that that's cool. Or is it?" Ryan just stares at him. "I don't know." He just stops talking. Sandy walks into the room carrying groceries in both arms.

"I see you two have met." Both Ryan and Seth look over at Sandy standing in the doorway. "Seth, what are you doing inside on this beautiful day?" Seth looks to the ground. "What don't you show Ryan around?"

"Okay. Dad. Because there's so much to do around here and I can't think of just one thing." Ryan smirks. Not only was there a visual comparison but he sensed the same dry humor in both of them. Seth looks over at Ryan who has cereal in his mouth.

"What do you wanna do?" Ryan waits to swallow his food before speaking.

"What do you guys do around here?" he asks.

Ryan had never been on a boat before. One of his friend's dad's had a boat that was parked in the drive-way of his friends house. When Ryan was younger he would sit in the boat with his friend and stare at the stars. Soon it went from star gazing to drinking a beer in the boat. His friend soon moved away before he ever got a chance to join him and his dad on a fishing trip. It was the only time he was in a boat. Now with Seth he actually got to go on water.

Seth's boat was more like just a sail attached to a piece of plywood. Seth was jumping from one part of the boat to the other clinging tight to a rope. He would hold it in his hands or in his mouth and begin tying it to a metal thing on the boat. Seth seemed to know what he was doing but looked like he was having a hard time.

"Is your jacket too tight?" he asks. Ryan looks down at the blue life preserver he wore. It was a little tight.

"Yeah."

"Sorry. I train younger kids out here on how to sail. I make a few extra bucks from it."

"Are you that bad to have to wear these things?" Ryan asks. Seth finishes tying the rope down and takes a second to rest. He looks over at Ryan wearing the kid sized vest and smiles.

"No. I just wanted to make you wear a kids vest." he says smiling. The boat begins to cruise as far as the wind blows it. The winds dye down and the boat comes to a rest. Seth sits more comfortably and stares off into the distance. To Ryan, the water could never looks so blue. He knew it was only the reflection from the sky but admired it anyways. Seth turns to Ryan and speaks softly.

"I have this plan." he says quietly. "I don't know what you think but next July I want to sail to Tahiti. I can do it in forty four days. I want to make it only forty two." Seth can't wipe the smile from his face. Ryan can tell that he's never told anyone before. He wants to say something.

"That sounds pretty cool man."

"Yeah." "Hit the high seas, go fishing off the side of the boat."

"You won't get lonely?" he asks.

"I'll have Summer with me." Ryan checks the name of the boat. "Summer Breeze" was writtin on the side of the boat. He points to the boat.

"You're going to take this to Tahiti?" he asks.

"No." Seth snaps. "It's the girl the boats named after."

"Girlfriend?"

"No."

"She must be really stoked."

"She has no idea."

"When do you plan to tell her?"

"I've never talked to her before."

"She must be a real looker"

"She is." Seth feels embarrassed. "You probably think that's pretty lame." Ryan didn't want to rain down on him. He remembers what Sandy told him the day before. About having a plan. Compared to Seth's plan, he really had nothing. He wasn't one to say what plan wasn't good or not. Seth lacked confidence.

"Not at all." Ryan wipes his chin. "I remember liking this one girl. I was too scared to ask her out for the longest time." he explains.

"What'd you do?" Seth asks sitting up straight.

"Nothing." Seth lowers his head. "She was my teacher." Ryan says smiling. Seth laughs. His voice echoes on the water. The two enjoy a laugh on the boat.

"Good story. I like the punch-line."

"I can help you talk to her." Seth looks up. "If you want."

"Really?"

Seth and Ryan made their way back to the shore. Seth quickly begins to take down the sale and fold it up. Ryan wants to help but has no experience with boats. He just stands off to the side and waits for Seth to ask for help. Sandy walks up from the sand path through the grass.

"Hey fella's." he says joining Ryan. "I figured we head for the fashion show around seven." Seth stops what he's doing and gives a death stare at his dad.

"Have fun he says turning back to the boat."

"Come on. It's a whole new school year Seth."

"It's also the same kid's dad." Sandy crosses his arms. "Why do they need a fashion show? Every day is a fashion show for them."

"Ryan has to go. Marissa invited him." Seth turns back around and beams a look at Ryan.

"Marissa invited you?" Seth asks. Ryan looks away not wanting to admit it. "I've lived next to Marissa for like forever. Her dad almost got married to my mom even. And she's never invited me to a birthday." Ryan looks over at Sandy who down plays what he said.

"They did not almost get married."

"Hey maybe Summer will be there." Ryan says changing the subject. Seth looks to the ground. "Is tonight the night?" he asks. Seth looks at him with the sun in his face.

"Interesting. She's Marissa's best friend." Seth turns to his dad again. "Seven?"

"Seven." Sandy replies.

"Seven?" Ryan asks.

"Seven." Sandy replies.

Chapter 5: "Dark side of the Moon."

Marissa closes the door on the two suited guys who stood in her doorway. It wasn't the first time she talked to the same guys. They were looking for her father. He was in the other room but she didn't let them know that. She stood in the main hallway of the house. The card read "US Securities and Exchange Commission." she wasn't clear on what they handled. She made it to her dad's office. Mr. Cooper was sitting at his desk looking through papers.

"Thanks for dealing with those guys again. I've been really busy here." Marissa hands the card over to him. He doesn't even glance at it. He tosses into his desk drawer.

"Is everything okay?" she asks. "Are you in trouble or something?"

"Of course not. Nothing for you to worry about honey." She puts on a fake smile and walks back out to the hallway. She heads up stairs and out onto her balcony. The breeze hits her face as she walks out. She leans over the railing and watches three familiar figures taking the path back towards their house. Seth, Mr. Cohen, and Ryan walked back from the beach together. She smiles and heads back inside to get ready.

Ryan struggles with his tie. Besides wearing one as a kid, it's been a while since he needed to wear a tie. Mr. Cohen suggested wearing one because of the circumstances. The girls in the fashion show would be wearing their best so he had to make sure to look good himself. It was Mr. Cohen's way of telling Ryan to look good for the girls. By now Ryan was used to Mr. Cohen's humor and wisdom. He never had someone guide him through things like Sandy did. He only knew him for one day and already was more of a father to him than his own father was.

Ryan tosses the tie down on the couch. No matter what way he wrapped the tie, it didn't look right. He was going to have to make the best of his outfit without a tie. Someone knocks on the door. It was Sandy.

"Wow. It fits you beautifully." he says stepping behind him for a better look. "Where's your tie?" he asks. Ryan looks down at the tie from the corner of his eye. He felt ashamed to admit that he could tie it.

"I'm not going to wear one. Open collar. It's a good look." Ryan says hoping to convince Sandy.

"I didn't know how to tie a tie until I was twenty five." He caught him. "Come on, gimme your tie." Ryan reluctantly hands his tie to Mr. Cohen. "Button your top button." he instructs as he evens the tie up from end to end. He placed the tie over Ryan's head and hangs it evenly. "The skinny side has got to be shorter than the fat side. It changes from tie to tie so don't worry about different looks." Sandy talked like a dad. Ryan knew that because no one else talked to him like that and he had never seen his dad before. Sandy had an instant comfort zone around him. He was open for anything and quick to help out. "So you got to hang out with Seth. How was that? Was that alright?" he asks. Ryan nods his head. "He's an interesting kid if you get to know him."

"He's cool." Ryan says keeping his chin up. He wanted Mr. Cohen to have room to work.

"Cool eh?" Sandy mumbles. "There we go." he finally says giving Ryan a quick sizing up. He grabs his shoulders and turns Ryan around. "Turn around. Look at you." Sandy jokingly picks at Ryan's jacket. He can't help but crack a smile. "Beats a jumpsuit." he says with a smile before leaving him alone in the room again.

Marissa gives herself one last look in the mirror. She felt good with the way she looked. She amazed herself with how the dress was working for her. It looked good in the store but better once she wore it with full make-up and styled hair, she was really impressed. Her mom calls her from down stairs. She turns off her lights and heads down stairs. Her mom and little sister stood in front of the hallway mirror fixing make-up and out of place hair. Her mom notices her walk down the steps through the reflection.

"Marissa you look absolutely…" she stumbles off as she turns to face her. "Oh honey I thought you were going to wear your hair down."

"Why would that matter?" she asks.

"Pulling her hair back is a little harsh on your angles." she says. Her mom was unaware that her words hurt. Marissa looked at herself through the mirror but didn't agree. Her angles were fine. The dress complimented her angles more than her hair had any effect on them. But she began to doubt. She started to feel bad about the way she looked. Mr. Cooper stormed out of his office and flew by with his jacket held up to avoid any wrinkles. Mrs. Cooper and Marissa's younger sister were first out the door. Marissa followed slowly as her dad held the front door open for her.

"You look great kid-o." he says as she approaches. She began to feel good about the way she looked.

Ryan followed the Cohen's into the large house. He didn't think such a big house existed. Even after seeing the Cohen's place. Everyone was dressed nice and engaging in conversation. Everyone seemed to look important with the way that they carried themselves. Ryan occasionally saw one guy in a suit back home but never an entire house full of suits. The combination of everyone's cologne and perfumes filled the air creating a unique funk.

Ryan mostly stood behind Seth as he talked to people he knew. Never once did he introduce him to any of the people. He was thankful for it. Music could be heard playing outside while inside was full of conversations. There might have been music playing but he couldn't tell over everyone's talking. Slowly Seth made his way towards the back door still talking to people he knew. Ryan quickly escaped to get some space between him and the next person.

Outside was even more epic than inside. It seemed that the houses in Newport had better lawns than furniture. The pool was big and the concrete around the water was bigger. To the right was the stage he assumed was for the fashion show. Maybe it was for something else. The more time he spent with the Cohen's the more different things got. A man in a vest carrying a tray headed in his direction. Ryan was too distracted by the backyard that he didn't realize the man was talking to him.

As far as Ryan was concerned, it was a food salesmen. The man used the words mushroom and crab together. None of which sounded good. He just stared at the guy waiting for him to walk away. The man in the vest put on a frown and walked away. Seth joined Ryan's side and spoke closely to his ear.

"Welcome to the dark side." he said walking down the steps in front of them. Ryan smirked and took it as a sign of things to come. Gold bracelets and glasses of wine as everyone seemed to enjoy the evening talking. There were no pool tables or dart boards for Ryan to enjoy like the ones at his local bar. He just walked from end to end enjoying the scenery by himself. Seth was off on his own talking to everyone about his sail boat but never about Tahiti. Ryan had already heard the story so he decided to leave him behind.

Word got out about his fake relation to Cohen's. The more the night went on the more outrageous the story got twisted. Seattle and Boston were mentioned like before. But one lady even stopped Ryan and asked him how Minnesota's weather was. He laughed it off and continued to find an exit. He had it by now and wanted to create distance from the party. He didn't belong and he knew it. Hopefully there was somewhere to sit and kill the time.

Instead Ryan found the bar. He was curious if the bartender would make him a drink even though he was underage. Still, he asked for a Seven on Seven and got one. The bar was surprisingly empty as everyone seemed to have a drink. Most of them got them from the waiters and waitresses who walked by. Ryan didn't know how to take servants so he'd rather get a drink by himself. The bartender handed him the drink and wanted no charge. He turned around and took a sip. It hit him a little harder than he remembered. Maybe the guy made it that way. Either way he liked it. The drink felt more like home than anything else he saw since arriving in Newport.

Ryan turned around to enjoy everyone around him. All he found was Mrs. Cohen standing in front of him. She looked down at the drink and back at him. Ryan looked away and handed the glass to her. She thanked him but stuck around.

"I want my husband to be right about you." she says. Ryan knew what she meant. She probably wasn't too thrilled that he was staying with them. He didn't expect the whole house hold to be the welcome committee. So he didn't say anything.

Seth stood by himself as Ryan approached. Seth glanced behind him and noticed a fellow classmate. Luke Ward stood greeting people as they walked by. He wasn't around his friends like in the school hallways so he decided to say hi. Seth was hoping for the Breakfast Club situation where they could be friendly to each other with none of their friends around. He knew his friends wouldn't mind because he didn't have any. Still, he waved over at him. Luke gave it a second before walking over.

"Oh hey." he says in a friendly tone. "Suck it queer." he says brushing past him. Ryan makes it over to Seth in time to hear Luke's words. Luke was starring down Seth as he passed so Ryan bumped him taking Luke by surprise. He stared down Ryan unafraid. Ryan stood his ground. He looked weaker than his step father and he knew he could take him.

"My vacation was good thanks for asking." Seth says looking down. Luke walks away and can no longer hear him. Seth decides to continue the conversation anyways. "How was yours? Still driving around town in your lame truck listening to last year's rap hits?" Seth jokes. Ryan was still heated from the stare down so he couldn't find a way to laugh. Seth was about to thank Ryan but caught a glimpse of someone across the fountain. It was Summer.

"Summer's right over there." Seth says motioning to Ryan. He cools off and turns to look but Seth stops him. "Don't look. Don't look." Ryan looks at him confused. "You can look but don't make it look like your looking." Ryan secretly looks over. Standing next to Marissa was a dark haired beauty. There were other girls around them but he knew which one Summer was. She wore a light scowl on her face with her lips dipped in gloss. She looked back at him and checked him out.

"Who is that?" she asks. Marissa follows her eyes to the other side of the fountain. It was the boy she met the night before. She had to admit that he looked better in a suit than street clothes.

"The cousin? The pool boy. I don't know." she joked laughing. Summer barely smiled at her and quickly looked back at Ryan. But he was looking at Marissa. Seth switched glances at the ground and Summer.

"Well I'm gonna find out." she says. Marissa stops looking at Ryan. Her boyfriend was around and she didn't want him to catch her looking at the new guy. Sandy stood a few feet behind Seth and Ryan trying to figure who they were both staring at.

"What's your approach?" Ryan asks.

"Huh?"

"Are you going to talk to her tonight?"

"I don't know." Seth pulls down on the back of his neck. "It's a little soon." Ryan knew he wasn't ready so he backed off.

"Okay. Take it slow then." Ryan says hoping to calm him. Sandy walked up behind them and joined the boys.

"Is that Summer over there?" he asks pointing. Seth couldn't move. His feet were stuck to the ground. He wanted to exit to avoid being embarrassed by his dad. Finally he gained control of his feet and stepped away.

"I'm gonna go. Sit." he says stuttering off. Sandy didn't understand.

"Way to salt his game Mr. Cohen." Ryan says walking to join Seth.

"What? I thought he was going to talk to her." Sandy says as they leave him behind. Seth makes it to a table and pulls out one of the chairs.

"Hey guys. Is these seats taken?" he asks. Ryan catches up and notices the table is full of kids. Ryan nudges Seth's shoulder.

"The kid table?"

"The only kid from my school here is Luke and you saw what he thinks of me."

"His name is Luke?" Ryan asks. He finally knew the name of the jerk from earlier. He started to get heated again. As nice and beautiful as Marissa was, why would she be dating a jerk like Luke. Seth sits down in one of the empty chairs. Ryan just stands looking for another table to sit at. The lights around the pool dim down signaling the start of the fashion show. Ryan decides to join Seth at the kid table.

"So Chester. I'm looking forward to our next sailing lesson. You're making good progress." Ryan notices the size of the kid Chester. The vest Ryan wore on the boat trip was adjusted to his size. The crowd takes their seats and begin to applaud. Ryan and Seth turn their chairs around to see the stage. Standing next to a microphone was Marissa. She welcomes the crowd and intros the first model. Summer begins walking down the stage in a different outfit than before. Seth leans over to Chester.

"She's got Tahiti written all over her." Chester just stares at him. Seth then leans over to Ryan. "She's got Tahiti written all over her." he whispers.

"I heard you the first time." Ryan says watching Summer. Seth turns and notices the other kids at the table all giggle at him. He puts on a fake smile and watches the show.

Marissa stands in front of a mirror quickly changing into a different dress. Summer busts through the door with two wine glasses.

"Look at what I stole." she says presenting her a glass. Before Marissa takes one she pulls a bottle of Vodka.

"Look at what I stole." she says swinging the bottle back and forth. The two laugh and cheer their classes together before gulping down the wine.

Marissa's turn finally comes. She hit's the stage and hears a loud applause from her parents table.

"She's so beautiful you guys." Mrs. Cohen says leaning over Sandy to compliment Marissa's parents.

"Coop, I think you spent more on her dress than I make a year." Sandy says. Mr. Cooper laughs but his wife doesn't. She locks her eyes on Marissa the entire time.

"That's why he holds most of our money." Mr. Ward says from the table. "Thanks to you I'll die a rich man." he jokes. Sandy laughs louder. He'd rather pay more attention to anything other than the fashion show. But Mr. Cooper wears a worried look on his face. Mrs. Cohen notices it but doesn't say anything. Mr. Cooper stands from the table and leaves. Kirsten watches as he walks off.

Marissa walks the stage with a giant smile. Luke can be heard cheering the loudest from the stage side table. Marissa shoots him a wink and makes it to the end of the stage. She locks eyes with Ryan. He stares back and gives her the same puppy dog look he gave her the night before. He looked depressed so he motioned her head in his direction and gave him a different smile. He quickly took notice that she acknowledged him. Seth leans over to Ryan.

"Teach me that before Summer walks back out." he says. Luke notices her motion to Ryan and stops cheering. He leans over to the guy sitting next to him to find out who Ryan was.

Ryan stands in the bathroom drying off his hands. Luckily he had to use the bathroom so he could get away from the fashion show. Seth felt differently. He wanted to watch the show for Summer. Suddenly a man storms into the bathroom, looks at Ryan, and darts for one of the stalls. Noises can he heard from the stall. Ryan looks over and notices the man standing in the stall. A few cries came from the stall. Ryan decides to ignore it and leave the bathroom.

Chapter 6: "Sex, Drugs…let's roll."

The show finally ends and everyone gets up and heads for the exits. Ryan looses Seth in the crowd and finds his way back to the front of the house by himself. Most of the crowd filing out is blocked by the crowd still engaged in conversation. Ryan makes his way to the front entrance. He stands on top of the stairs. Standing at the bottom of the stairs was the Cohen's. He got half way down as someone grabbed his arm. He turned and followed the arm until he made eye contact. It was Summer.

"Where you going?" she asks. Ryan stays silent. "My friend Holly's parents are letting us their beach house as a gift for the show." Ryan looks down at Seth. He wasn't aware he was talking to the girl he liked. "If you need a ride, or anything, I'm Summer." without waiting for a response she runs off and joins her friends. They all giggle on their way to a yellow jeep. Ryan quickly darts for Seth.

"We should go to that party." Ryan says.

"Who's party?" Seth asks.

"Holly's."

"Eh. I don't know it's not my scene." He turns away from Ryan.

"Summer invited me." he says turning Seth back around. He noticed Seth's shoulders lower.

"Really? She did?" He knew it looked bad. Ryan had a feeling that Summer was into him but he didn't want Seth to know it. It was bad enough that he lacked the confidence to ask her out, Seth would probably lose it if he found out the Summer liked Ryan and not him.

"Us." he corrected himself. "She invited us. She asked for you actually." he lied. Ryan recalls a similar time when his brother Trey told him the same lie about a girl at the bar. Ryan was shy just like Seth was but at a younger age. Trey lied and said that the girl at the bar asked about Ryan. It sparked a little bit of confidence in Ryan to talk to her. He did and ended up with her digits. Later he discovered that she never asked about him and that Trey tricked him hoping to embarrass him. Instead it gave him what he needed to not be scared. Hopefully it would have the same affect on Seth.

"That makes absolutely no sense." he says looking down at the ground. Ryan feared that he wouldn't take the bait. Seth then looked over towards the yellow jeep. Summer and her friends stood in the back waving them over. Seth smiled uneasily at them and turned back to Ryan. "It makes no sense but yes let's go to that party." Seth and Ryan made their way to the jeep as Holly started it up. Seth and Ryan squeezed in the very back of the jeep but didn't complain. They got the chance to rub elbows with the popular and hottest girls in school.

Ryan looked back and noticed Marissa climb into Luke's truck. They didn't make eye contact but Ryan assumed she'd be at the party. First Ryan got Seth to go to the fashion show knowing Summer would be there. Now Ryan took the invite from Summer to attend the beach house party knowing and hoping Marissa might be there.

"If it sucks we can always bail" Seth says. Ryan makes eyes with the blonde sitting next to him.

"I doubt that." he says.

The yellow jeep finally arrives at the party. With Summer and Holly with the other popular girls pulling up, most of the kids in the front lawn took notice. Before Ryan and Seth could climb out the girls in the back jump out first. Seth took in the moment when Summer used his knee has leverage to hop out of the jeep. He smiled and looked over at Ryan. He too had something to brag about.

The two boys follow the group into the front door. Right away there were kids with drugs on the table. Lines of cocaine and a collection of bongs. He felt at home right away. It didn't once shock him to see drugs in the rich part of town. Drug customers with money were able to get their hands on the good stuff. Ryan smiled and watched everyone enjoy themselves. The house party immediately outshined the fashion show. There wasn't much of a dress code as most of the girls either danced in bathing suits or nothing at all.

Seth saw the drugs being done and immediately didn't feel comfortable. It shocked him to see the drugs in the hands of the kids from his school. He knew the drugs existed but wasn't prepared to see it. Most of the parent's money went to the drugs for the kids. Seth frowned and watched everyone enjoy themselves. He'd rather be back at the fashion show. Back at the show there was a dress code.

"Welcome to the dark side." Ryan says making his way across the living room. He makes his way to the kitchen all smiles. Summer and Holly joined Marissa at the drink table pouring themselves drinks.

"Marissa where did you get that purse?" Summer asks. Marissa just smiles and pours herself a drink. "Does your dad ever say no?" She jokes. This time she laughs. "Look who I brought?" she says. Marissa looks over at Ryan. Next to him was Seth.

"Seth Cohen?" Holly asks.

"No. The blonde one." Summer snaps.

"He's cute." Holly adds.

"I'm going to play him hot and cold." Summer says seductively. Marissa quickly downs her drink. Seth and Ryan break apart. Seth walks up to Luke but hides his face before he notices him. Luke makes his way to the back porch with his arm around a short blonde. He walks past Ryan who pumps one of the kegs and pours himself a glass. He makes sure to tilt the glass sideways so the beer just slides into the glass. He found out the hard way not to just pour beer like water. Just pouring beer into a cup would foam the beer and flatten it. Trey didn't let him forget that. He wondered if he still had the scar from when Trey hit him for flattening his beer.

Ryan watches as Luke walks past him with his arm around another girl. He didn't yet see Marissa. He knew she rode with Luke but possibly broke up with her. He decided to go looking for her.

Mrs. Cohen takes the trash to the end of the rode and drops it into the trash can. She notices Jimmy Cooper walking their dog.

"Hey Jimmy." she says. He walks over to meet her half way.

"Hey Kirsten." They exchange looks.

"Are you alright?" She asks. "You seemed troubled at the fashion show."

"Oh I'm fine. I've been really stressed at work."

"If you ever need anything." Kirsten stutters off.

"I'm fine." he assures her. "Who was that kid you brought? You have a cousin from Florida?" Kirsten smiles but tells the truth.

"He's actually a client of Sandy's. He brought him home for the weekend." she explains. It makes sense to Jimmy. "Is Marissa back yet?"

"She usually stays out pretty late."

"Well Seth never goes out."

"Don't worry. I'm sure they're not doing anything we wouldn't do." This scares Kirsten.

"That's comforting."

Seth opens the door to the bathroom and flings his head back. The bath was full of bubbles and two naked girls wrapped their arms around one guy.

"Whoa. Sorry Mister Heffner." he says closing the door. Ryan finds his way to the drink counter in the kitchen. He pours himself another drink as Marissa arrives. He didn't have to go looking for her anymore.

"Hey." she says. He nearly gets lost in her beauty.

"Hey."

"What do you think of Newport?" she asks taking the cup from his hands. Ryan smirks and scopes the room out. The party was still going on.

"Thinking I can get in as much trouble where I'm from." She watches him as she takes a sip from his cup. Her face is covered except for her eyes.

"You have no idea." she says walking away. He grabs another cup and pours himself a drink again. Summer stumbles into him pushing him forward.

"Look at what I found." she says rocking back and forth. Ryan looks back at her and turns back to the counter. Summer attempts to grab his arm but spills her drink on his jacket. "Whoa. I'm sorry." she says frantically wiping at his jacket.

"It's okay." he says wiping the beer from his jacket. Mrs. Cohen wouldn't be too happy to find beer on the jacket.

"I'm drunk." Summer confesses. She wraps her arms around his waist and locks her grip. "So what's your name."

"Ryan." Seth calls from behind him. "There's an orgy…" he stops talking. Ryan breaks the grip and walks up to him. "What are you doing?" Seth asks. His face gets red. "What are you doing? I named my boat after her." he says. Summer starts to laugh. People around them start to take notice.

"It's not what you think. She's drunk." Summer wraps her arms around Ryan's neck. Seth storms out the back door. Marissa watches from behind the crowd. Ryan catches up to Seth on the porch. He grabs his arms and stops him. "Hey it's not what you think." he says. Seth pushes him away.

"Why don't you go back to Chino and steal another car." he yells and storms off. Ryan doesn't chase after him this time. He lets him have this one. Ryan turns around and nearly runs into Marissa. She tries not to make eye contact with him. He hopes she didn't hear any of what Seth said but by the look on her face, she heard the whole thing.

"Chino?" she asks. Too late.

"Yeah. Chino." Ryan says putting his hands on his hips.

Seth tries to walk through the sand in a straight line. But he wasn't used to drinking so it was hard to walk straight. Near the beach a group of jocks started a fire. Most of them just standing around while most of them lay passed out in the sand. Seth approached them but didn't notice them right away. He stuck his hands into his pocket and wondered toward them. Two of the guys walked up to him as one of them pushed him.

"Go home geek." he said. The force of the push wasn't enough to knock him down but Seth stumbled backward. The other kid grabbed him and pulled him toward him. They now stood on either side of him pushing him back and forth. "Who invited you?" one of them said.

Ryan stood looking at Marissa without neither of them saying anything. He turned to walk away and looked off into the distance. He thought of chasing after Seth but noticed that he didn't get very far. He noticed that the two guys pushing him were bullying him. He was quick to storm off the porch in their direction. It took a few seconds for him to reach the beach. He called for them to stop and they did.

"Put him down." he repeated. The two boys had picked Seth up and were planning to throw him. Luke emerged from the beach with his shirt unbuttoned and lipstick smeared on his face. Ryan noticed a girl standing behind him. He assumed they were just making out.

"Hey what's up dude." he said.

"This doesn't concern you. Get back to your freshmen." Ryan snaps. He was ready to fight. The blonde Luke was with shoots Ryan a scowl look.

"You got a problem?" he asks. Ryan stands firm.

"You tell me." Ryan takes a step in Luke's direction. Luke faces off against him then pushes him away. Ryan steps back but steps forward with a punch. The force knocks Luke down. One of the bullies wearing a rash guard heads for Ryan. Ryan quickly turns toward him and swings at him. The kid was knocked to the ground just like Luke. Luke was still down so Ryan mounted the bully and took another shot. Blood shot from his mouth with each punch. Seth stood watching Ryan pound the kid right in front of him. Luke finally got up and pulled Ryan off. Luke wrestled him but Ryan fought on top of him. It was hard for Ryan to move while wearing a tuxedo. Luke wore shorts and seemed more athletic. Before Ryan could take another shot at Luke, two more kids held him back.

Seth gathered up some courage and jumped on the back of the two kids. He was in over his head but Ryan needed help. Ryan helped him by showing up so he wanted to return the favor. Ryan shook off the other kid but Luke took him by surprise. The hit connected with his cheek bone. Not completely but enough to take him off his guard. The kid Ryan shook off threw him to the ground and stood above him. Seth falls off the bullies back. The bully mounts Seth and takes a free shot. Seth had never been in a fight before so didn't know how to block. The punch connected. Luckily the soft sand absorbed the impact as he his shot back towards the ground. Luke kicked Ryan as hard as he could in the stomach as he groaned in pain. Ryan coughed a few times as he lay in the sand. Seth checked his face and saw a tiny smudge of blood on his hand.

"Welcome to the OC bitch." Luke says fixing his collar. "This is how it's done in Orange County." Ryan gathers himself but knows his ribs are going to be bruised in the morning. Luke and the others help their friend to his feet and help him walk toward the house. Blood spilled from his mouth and onto his rash guard. Nothing but blood around his mouth where Ryan had hit him.

Seth decided to join Ryan in the pool house. He knew his mom would be upset with them walking into the house tipsy and beaten up at three in the morning, so he planned to hide out with Ryan until the morning. Both guys had sand in their shoes and bruises on their faces. None of them said anything on the way from the beach. Both still remembered the fight they got into and were unsure how to act around one another. Ryan took a seat on his bed as Seth collapsed on the futon which was next to the bed.

"I don't know what to say." Seth says finally breaking the silence. Ryan takes the tie and jacket off and lays them on the bed. "Nothing to say except that you totally had my back out there." Ryan looked over at him. Eyes were barely open. Exhaustion from the fight and it being three in the morning. He assumed that no one had ever had Seth's back before. He saw the way the kids treated him at the party. They treated him like the kids from his old neighborhood would treat him. He didn't regret helping Seth and getting into a fight. There were consequences for fighting but he was ready to face them. "And you pounded Scott like it was nothing." Ryan assumed that Scott was the kid he blooded. "You must run a fight club or something."

"I think if you were to teach me some moves like in the Karate Kid. We could take them next time." Seth kicks the air. "Little bit of that." he says. Ryan manages to crack a smile. Seth holds out his hand waiting for a hand shake. Without hesitating, Ryan extends his hand and they shake. "Also, that wasn't exactly the way I planned to talk to Summer, but I'm on her radar now. Do you think I should tell her about Tahiti?" Ryan smiles again.

"Not yet." he says.

"That's what I thought." Seth says hoping up and down on the futon. "That's what I was thinking. I wanted to make sure we were on the same page." Ryan grins. "Quite a night we had. I won't forget that one." Seth says lying down on the futon. He was too drunk to take his shoes and jacket off. Ryan was taken off by what he said. He had made more of an impact on Seth in one day then he had in sixteen years with his brother Trey. Never in his life had he done that before. Seth was completely different from anyone he'd ever met before proving what Sandy had said to him was true. He was an interesting person and he got to know him. Ryan needed a cigarette.

He stood back up and headed outside. He didn't want Sandy or Kirsten to catch him smoking so he walked behind the pool house. He was about to pull a cigarette from his pack when he heard giggling from the house next door. He walked over and peered down at Marissa's house. It was Summer and Holly laughing as they carried Marissa to her front door. They both fell over dropping Marissa on the concrete. The two girls were still drunk from the party and could barely help themselves. They laughed as Summer searched through Marissa's purse looking for her house keys.

"I can't find her keys." Summer laughed.

"Let's just leave her. I have to get back home." Holly suggested standing to her feet. Summer laughed and wished Marissa luck. The giggled all the way back to the car and drove off. Ryan looked down at Marissa who lay motionless on the floor. A few seconds went by and she hadn't moved. He didn't want to get involved but didn't want to leave her there either. He pocketed his cigarettes and made his way next door. His smoke would have to wait.

He slowly approached Marissa's body. He kneeled down and poked her arm hoping to wake her. No luck. He took her purse and looked through it for her keys but found nothing. There was nothing he could do. Marissa would get into trouble if he knocked on the door and he couldn't leave her out there. Ryan looked up the wall to the Cohen's property and looked at the pool house. The way the houses were built around the hills, the Cohen's back patio was up ten feet from the Cooper yard. He decided to pick her up and take her to the pool house. It was better than leaving outside.

He carried her to into the pool house and laid her on his bed. He struggled to carry her because of his bruised ribs. He still felt the impact of Luke's kick from earlier. It hurt to move them much less carry someone. He covered her with the blanket. He admired her laying there. She looked peaceful like most people did as they slept. But she had a glow about her. Even though her friends left her outside he couldn't protest. His friends would probably do the same to him. But she didn't seem to be anything like him. She lived in a nice house, dressed well, and had money. Both parents were around and not in jail. She hosted Fashion Shows and was very popular amongst a lot of people. She basically had everything while he had nothing. They were treated the same way but lived different lives.

Ryan looked over at Seth who was still fast asleep. His face had bruises around his eye and dirt spots on his tux. Marissa was left outside by her best friends too passed out to make it back home. Ryan blooded a kid he didn't even know and possibly ruined Seth's chances with Summer. He added the hours in his head and it was less than six hours and he had made quite the impact since his arrival. He feared for Seth's sake. Sandy brought him to Newport hoping to change his surroundings but he failed. He should have been in trouble for fighting and underage drinking but no one seemed to notice. Even though he wasn't busted, it still felt like Chino to him. It was best for him to bail. Ryan packed his things and left the pool house.

As he walked to the end of the drive-way, he gave the Cohen place one last look. Of all the houses he'd seen in the past two days, the Cohen place was his favorite. He would have liked to stick around longer but knew it was for the best. Sandy was probably in the dog house by bringing a felon home from work. Kirsten looked like the type. Seth could possibly forget the whole thing and move on. If Ryan didn't bail now, he'd maybe ruin Seth's chances of sailing to Tahiti. This way made sense. Perfect sense. At least he wanted to believe that.

Ryan stopped at the end of the drive-way and lit up a cigarette. He looked to his right but saw no Marissa. It took him another second before walking down the street heading for a main road.

He walked to the end of the gated community and walked along the empty road. He turned and walked backwards with his thumb out in hopes to bum a ride back home. Back to Chino. It was past three in the morning so no more than four cars would pass. A good half hours passes until a patrol car pulls up to Ryan. He panics. The car parks next to the sidewalk and comes to a stop. The window is rolled down just as Ryan gets beside the car.

"You're not from around here are you?" The cop asks. Ryan shakes his head. He was hoping to wait longer than two days before being this close to a cop car again.

"Trying to get back to Chino." The cop looks off into the distance.

"I can take you as far as the highway." The officer says pointing forward. "Once you get there you're on your own."

"Cool with me." Ryan says. Newport police were friendlier than most people Ryan knew. He was sure the cop would drive him back to the Cohen's place or question him about the party at the beach house. But instead he offered to drive him to the highway. Cops in Chino weren't so generous. Crime was more constant in Chino than in Newport. This cop probably had nothing better to do than to pick up a hitchhiker. The job seemed boring. Rich people were less likely to commit crime than poor people. Helping Ryan must have been the most exciting thing the officer saw all night.

"Hope in the back." The cop says. Ryan jumps in the back as the car drives off. He'd rather not sat in the back but he really needed to get out of Newport. "What brings you to Newport?" the cop asks. Ryan looks at the back of the officer's head.

"Not sure. Just looking for a better place I guess." The cop keeps quiet for a minute.

"Well you're in the right place. Can't imagine leaving this place for Chino." Ryan looks out the window. There wasn't much leg room in the back of a patrol car. That's how they made the cop cars. Uncomfortable and enclosed. It was no treat to get arrested. Successes in the building structures for police transports get overlooked. Their criminals, who cares if the car rides aren't enjoyable.

"What's in Chino?" he asks.

"My home."

"You got a name?" he asks. Ryan hesitates to tell him. A laptop sits in the middle console. Trey taught him that the lap tops are how cops check license plates and criminal records. Giving up his name could allow the cop to check his record. He knew his would say he was recently in lockup. But he took the gamble.

"Ryan." He doesn't mention his last name.

"Well Ryan, I hope you find what you're looking for." The cop says looking at him in the rearview mirror.

"Excuse me?" he asks.

"I know that face when I see it." Ryan looked down at his lap. "That's the face of someone searching for answers. Searching for the right path." Ryan glances back up at the cop. "I've made that face before in my life. Believe me." Ryan stays quiet and waits for the cop's next question but it doesn't come. The cop stays quiet.

Chapter 7: "If you weren't real, I would make you up."

"Thank God!" Mrs. Cohen stormed into the Pool House with her robe waving behind her. Seth rolled over and waved at her. She stared at his face. "What happened to your face? She asked. Seth touched the sore part of his face and cringed.

"I got in a fight" he says resting his head on his pillow.

"With who?" she snaps. "Why?"

"I don't really know. I was really drunk." Mrs. Cohen's eyes flare up and scope around the pool house.

"Where's Ryan?" she demands. Seth raises his head and scopes out the room.

"I don't know. I remember we came back here together." Seth says squinting.

"I thought you said you were too drunk to remember last night." Kirsten snaps.

"Yeah and I think I still am a little bit." Kirsten bends down and grabs Seth's arm.

"Let's go!" she barked. "House! Now!" Seth stumbled to his feet. He was now missing one of his shoes. The bed that was made for Ryan looked as though someone had been laying in it. But Ryan was nowhere to be found. Seth bumps into the pool house door on his way out.

Sandy walks into the house just as Seth and Kirsten do. His hair was wet and he wore a rash guard and board shorts.

"Oh honey you should have seen the waves coming in. Six foot and they were going wild." Kirsten interrupts him.

"Seth got into a fight." Sandy stops walking and glances over at Seth.

"You did?" he asks looking at Seth. "Did you win?" he asks him. Seth holds in his laugh.

"This is what happens when you let someone like this into our house. And we let our son hang out with a criminal." Sandy lowers his shoulders.

"Mom." Seth says. "Ryan had my back out there."

"Who did you fight?" Sandy asks now interested in the story.

"It's a blur." Suddenly the doorbell rings. Neither Seth or Kirsten move to answer it. Sandy decides to walk over and opens the door. It was Marissa.

"Hey Mr. Cohen." she says with a smile on her face.

"Hey Marissa. Great show last night."

"Thanks." Sandy doesn't open the door wide enough to reveal Seth and Kirsten standing behind him.

"What brings you by this morning?" Sandy asks.

"I was hoping you could talk to Ryan." Sandy peers inside at Kirsten. She raises her shoulders and shakes her head.

"He seems to be busy at the moment." Sandy says covering up. "Can I take a message?"

"Tell him I said thanks for making sure I got home safe last night." Sandy smirks. He noticed the chemistry they had the night Ryan arrived.

"Alright. No problem." Marissa smiles and turns to walk down the front steps.

"Thanks Mr. Cohen."

"Your welcome Marissa. Take care." he closes the door and turns back to Kirsten and Seth.

"What happened last night?" Seth asks.

"Where's Ryan?" Sandy asks.

Ryan managed to find a ride with a trucker who was making his way to San Bernadino for a shipment drop off. Ryan took the city bus back to his old street. He still had his old city bus pass which was his main port of transportation for years. He was running on no sleep. Even with consuming alcohol and getting beat up in a fight, he still had energy. He had worse nights before and still had the ability to function. Ryan walked to the front porch and stopped right at the front door. He wasn't sure if his Mom would allow him to stay for too long. She was sure to snap at him as soon as he walked in. It wouldn't worry her that he spent the last two days away from home. Ryan prayed that his step dad wasn't home. After their last meeting, he was sure to finish Ryan off. He wasn't strong enough to fight a grown man. But he pushed all that aside. It was time for a change.

Maybe Mr. Cohen was right about one thing, he needed a plan. He would end up in the same boat if he continued on this path to nowhere. He never had a plan and he suffered for it. Ryan needed a plan. He pulled his house keys from his jacket and unlocked the door. Once he opened the door he stepped in and found nothing. The house was empty. Nothing was left but a few pieces of trash and water jugs.

Ryan searched every room but found nothing. The last place he checked was the kitchen. On the counter was a piece of paper. A note. He took it from the counter but didn't read it. It could only say things he didn't want to know. Being abandoned was bad enough. Reading the note would add insult to injury. He already felt defeated. There was nowhere else to go. The Cohen's wouldn't take him back. He ruined things there. None of his friends were good enough people take him in. All he could do was stand there. Before he could take the right steps towards a life plan things blew up in his face.

He couldn't stay there. Someone would find him. He had to get out. A good minute went by before he considered his next move. Nothing came to mind. He didn't know anyone else that was family. His dad and brother were in jail but they couldn't help him. He was alone. Again.

Ryan noticed a shadow blocking the sun from the front door. When storming into the house he forgot to close the door and someone had walked in. He slowly turned to look at the figure in his empty living room. Sandy Cohen stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. It surprised Ryan that Sandy knew where to find him. He hoped he wouldn't try to tell one of his jokes or comments because he didn't want to be cheered up. The only thing he wanted was to have his family back but he knew that wouldn't happen. So much for his plan. Ryan was ashamed of himself more than ever. He had nothing. No family, no plan. Mr. Cohen said nothing for a second before putting his hands into his pocket.

"Come on, let's go." he says.

"Where?" Ryan asks.

"Back to my place."

"I can't go back." Ryan snaps. "I got Seth in a fight. Possibly ruined his chances with Summer. I'm a walking curse."

"That's no reason to run away." Sandy says.

"No but it's a reason to keep away."

"You can't keep running Ryan." Sandy says. "Eventually things will catch up with you."

"What am I supposed to do?" Ryan asks.

"Let me help." Sandy says calmly.

"We've tried that remember?"

"I never got the chance to help." Sandy says. "Let me just try to help you before you run off again." Ryan couldn't protest. He had trouble thinking clearly. He needed a bed and some sleep. Both of which Mr. Cohen had. It was best to go with him. Ryan gave the place one more look before walking towards the door. Mr. Cohen really cared. Ryan didn't expect him to take him back but he was. He didn't want to stand and argue, he knew the Cohen's had a nice bed for him to sleep in. Ryan's new plan was sleep. Plenty of sleep. The next plan could wait till after that. He walked outside followed by Mr. Cohen as he closed the door behind him.