"-And this is my daughter Stefanie" Sandy introduced gesturing towards her
while giving a lopsided smile to Ryan, who was stood next to him clutching
his bag.
"Stef!" the girl tutted correcting him, hating her full first name. Sat on the floor cross legged and leaning against the sofa was a teenage girl around Ryan's age, who was currently assassinating some enemy on the play station. Nearby lay an empty pizza box with an empty crisp packet inside, and various game boxes were scattered on the carpet.
The sound effect of a short scream and death fizzled out as she glanced over her shoulder, causing her unruly dark curly hair to swish as she looked at them. She tapped pause, scrambling to stand up.
Ryan glanced at this girl in disbelief, who was wearing faded jeans that had various rips in them; she also wore a Death Cab for Cutie t-shirt. This wasn't exactly how he envisaged a lawyer's daughter in the OC to look like.
She wiped her hand down her t-shirt then held it out towards Ryan, "So you must be the guy from Chino, Ryan I mean, dad mentioned on the phone. I'm Stef, like he just mentioned now" she gave a goofy looking friendly grin.
Ryan stiffly gave a polite smile back as he took her hand which she shook quickly then she stepped away, shifting on her feet as she brushed some hair out of her face.
"So uh, do you do play station?" she asked.
Sandy took the bag off Ryan and said "I'll just put this in the pool house where you'll be staying to night" he then smiled at the teens, "how about I leave you two to get to know each other while I do so?"
Stef snorted as her dad left and it was just her and Ryan. "So how about Grand Theft auto?" She said pointing to the nearby case, "I know what guys are like about cars, and in the game you get to steal cars! Its cool" she grinned then remembered and quickly added "or not...whatever"
"Right" Ryan glanced around, briefly wondering how long Sandy would be. "So, this is what you do for fun?" he gestured to the play station.
"Between homework, hating the world, and staying in my room listening to depressing music that makes me die a little bit more inside each day? Yeah" Stef nodded and picked at her nails.
"Okay....so...what do you and your friends do for fun? What exactly do rich teens get up to?" Ryan asked, not noticing the frown that crossed Stef's face for a moment as she glanced away.
"Well, there's almost always a party at someone's house each night, full of the usual – drugs, drink, bikinis, sex and mistakes... its all quite boring really" she shrugged as Ryan stared, "Its probably no more fun than the parties in Chino"
"Are you kidding me?" Ryan asked and there was a long silence before he said, "So what else do people get up to?"
"Well there's the beach, the mall, all that sorta stuff, if you're into those kinda things" she scratched her head, and her curls seemed to get even wilder.
"I take it you're not" Ryan observed.
"There's more to life than materialism, money and what's fashionable" Stef stated, "stuff like that doesn't really matter"
"Easy for you to say" Ryan muttered, wondering how she could seem so anti to the life she had, when millions of people, he himself included, wished for a life that seemed as luxurious and care-free as hers.
"I can see why you'd say that, but you don't exactly know me or the kind of people around here" Stef said picking at the arm of the nearby sofa.
"Does that mean I shouldn't?" There was another moment of stretched out silence between them as they seemed to hold slight glares.
Thankfully Sandy came back at that moment smiling like he was expecting them to the best of friends by now.
"So anyway, I'm going to go get a drink before I dehydrate and malfunction" Stef sighed and passed her dad on her way to the kitchen.
"Malfunction AFTER dehydrating?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry if our Stef seems a bit... well she's quite shy and a little bit anti- social. We think it's a hormone thing" Sandy said putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder and began to lead him away, lowering his voice, "well, she actually has a few problems... she sees a psychiatrist once in a while, don't mention it though. She doesn't like that everyone knows as it is, and she doesn't really fit in well with the people at her school... if you could be nice that'd be great"
"Are you implying I wouldn't be nice to her?" Ryan asked. "She seems okay and nice enough. Just not what I was expecting was what I meant"
"Well that's our Stef. She likes to be different; it's sort of her thing".
Ryan nodded. Either way he thought she was weird. Now she just seemed weird, with problems. And it appeared he did not like her and she did not like him so far. He allowed Sandy to lead him to the pool house to show where he was staying and they talked a bit more, forgetting about the introduction to Stef for the mean time, instead he nodded while listening to Sandy and thought about the girl next door he'd seen earlier.
Ryan wondered down the driveway out the front, intending to smoke a cigarette and contemplate the chaotic day he had. Glancing up he paused, spotting the girl next door standing at the front of her house at the edge of the road, arms folded and looking like she was waiting for someone. She looked up and smiled back at him, and he felt something inside flicker at the small acknowledgement.
"Those things will kill you" he jumped at the sudden voice, dropping the cigarette and lighter he was holding. He scowled annoyed and blushed a little having been embarrassed in front of that girl.
Stef was stood behind him, arms folded as she watched him pick up the cigarette and lighter, "if you're gunna be a chancer, you're gunna get cancer" she spoke with a sing song tone.
"I'll do what I like, and I'll chance it" Ryan muttered lighting the cigarette.
Stef looked over and frowned seeing her neighbour, looking down she ran a hand through her hair. Ryan ignored her and watched as a car pulled up on the road, blocking his view of the gorgeous mysterious neighbour. "Who's that?" he asked.
"That's just our neighbour's eldest daughter, Marissa" Stef muttered, "and that would be her boyfriend Luke picking her up for a date, otherwise known as a praising and doing him session"
Ryan frowned and inhaled deeply from the cigarette, breathing the wispy smoke out of his nose dragon like before gazing at Stef, "let me guess, you don't like them either?"
Stef blinked at him as if offended, "And let me guess, you have a huge crush on her, and you're already thinking of a house, picket fence, dog and 2.4 children with her?" she raised an eyebrow, "Guys, you're all typically hopeless" she shook her head and turning, heading back towards the house.
"She invited me to a party" Ryan called after her.
She seemed to stop mid-step for a second, "So? She invites the pizza delivery boy to her parties" she continued.
Ryan stared after her with furrowed brows before shaking his head. Girls, they all seemed weird. And Stef, well at least she was psychiatrically recognised as weird. What was her problem anyway?
"Stef!" the girl tutted correcting him, hating her full first name. Sat on the floor cross legged and leaning against the sofa was a teenage girl around Ryan's age, who was currently assassinating some enemy on the play station. Nearby lay an empty pizza box with an empty crisp packet inside, and various game boxes were scattered on the carpet.
The sound effect of a short scream and death fizzled out as she glanced over her shoulder, causing her unruly dark curly hair to swish as she looked at them. She tapped pause, scrambling to stand up.
Ryan glanced at this girl in disbelief, who was wearing faded jeans that had various rips in them; she also wore a Death Cab for Cutie t-shirt. This wasn't exactly how he envisaged a lawyer's daughter in the OC to look like.
She wiped her hand down her t-shirt then held it out towards Ryan, "So you must be the guy from Chino, Ryan I mean, dad mentioned on the phone. I'm Stef, like he just mentioned now" she gave a goofy looking friendly grin.
Ryan stiffly gave a polite smile back as he took her hand which she shook quickly then she stepped away, shifting on her feet as she brushed some hair out of her face.
"So uh, do you do play station?" she asked.
Sandy took the bag off Ryan and said "I'll just put this in the pool house where you'll be staying to night" he then smiled at the teens, "how about I leave you two to get to know each other while I do so?"
Stef snorted as her dad left and it was just her and Ryan. "So how about Grand Theft auto?" She said pointing to the nearby case, "I know what guys are like about cars, and in the game you get to steal cars! Its cool" she grinned then remembered and quickly added "or not...whatever"
"Right" Ryan glanced around, briefly wondering how long Sandy would be. "So, this is what you do for fun?" he gestured to the play station.
"Between homework, hating the world, and staying in my room listening to depressing music that makes me die a little bit more inside each day? Yeah" Stef nodded and picked at her nails.
"Okay....so...what do you and your friends do for fun? What exactly do rich teens get up to?" Ryan asked, not noticing the frown that crossed Stef's face for a moment as she glanced away.
"Well, there's almost always a party at someone's house each night, full of the usual – drugs, drink, bikinis, sex and mistakes... its all quite boring really" she shrugged as Ryan stared, "Its probably no more fun than the parties in Chino"
"Are you kidding me?" Ryan asked and there was a long silence before he said, "So what else do people get up to?"
"Well there's the beach, the mall, all that sorta stuff, if you're into those kinda things" she scratched her head, and her curls seemed to get even wilder.
"I take it you're not" Ryan observed.
"There's more to life than materialism, money and what's fashionable" Stef stated, "stuff like that doesn't really matter"
"Easy for you to say" Ryan muttered, wondering how she could seem so anti to the life she had, when millions of people, he himself included, wished for a life that seemed as luxurious and care-free as hers.
"I can see why you'd say that, but you don't exactly know me or the kind of people around here" Stef said picking at the arm of the nearby sofa.
"Does that mean I shouldn't?" There was another moment of stretched out silence between them as they seemed to hold slight glares.
Thankfully Sandy came back at that moment smiling like he was expecting them to the best of friends by now.
"So anyway, I'm going to go get a drink before I dehydrate and malfunction" Stef sighed and passed her dad on her way to the kitchen.
"Malfunction AFTER dehydrating?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry if our Stef seems a bit... well she's quite shy and a little bit anti- social. We think it's a hormone thing" Sandy said putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder and began to lead him away, lowering his voice, "well, she actually has a few problems... she sees a psychiatrist once in a while, don't mention it though. She doesn't like that everyone knows as it is, and she doesn't really fit in well with the people at her school... if you could be nice that'd be great"
"Are you implying I wouldn't be nice to her?" Ryan asked. "She seems okay and nice enough. Just not what I was expecting was what I meant"
"Well that's our Stef. She likes to be different; it's sort of her thing".
Ryan nodded. Either way he thought she was weird. Now she just seemed weird, with problems. And it appeared he did not like her and she did not like him so far. He allowed Sandy to lead him to the pool house to show where he was staying and they talked a bit more, forgetting about the introduction to Stef for the mean time, instead he nodded while listening to Sandy and thought about the girl next door he'd seen earlier.
Ryan wondered down the driveway out the front, intending to smoke a cigarette and contemplate the chaotic day he had. Glancing up he paused, spotting the girl next door standing at the front of her house at the edge of the road, arms folded and looking like she was waiting for someone. She looked up and smiled back at him, and he felt something inside flicker at the small acknowledgement.
"Those things will kill you" he jumped at the sudden voice, dropping the cigarette and lighter he was holding. He scowled annoyed and blushed a little having been embarrassed in front of that girl.
Stef was stood behind him, arms folded as she watched him pick up the cigarette and lighter, "if you're gunna be a chancer, you're gunna get cancer" she spoke with a sing song tone.
"I'll do what I like, and I'll chance it" Ryan muttered lighting the cigarette.
Stef looked over and frowned seeing her neighbour, looking down she ran a hand through her hair. Ryan ignored her and watched as a car pulled up on the road, blocking his view of the gorgeous mysterious neighbour. "Who's that?" he asked.
"That's just our neighbour's eldest daughter, Marissa" Stef muttered, "and that would be her boyfriend Luke picking her up for a date, otherwise known as a praising and doing him session"
Ryan frowned and inhaled deeply from the cigarette, breathing the wispy smoke out of his nose dragon like before gazing at Stef, "let me guess, you don't like them either?"
Stef blinked at him as if offended, "And let me guess, you have a huge crush on her, and you're already thinking of a house, picket fence, dog and 2.4 children with her?" she raised an eyebrow, "Guys, you're all typically hopeless" she shook her head and turning, heading back towards the house.
"She invited me to a party" Ryan called after her.
She seemed to stop mid-step for a second, "So? She invites the pizza delivery boy to her parties" she continued.
Ryan stared after her with furrowed brows before shaking his head. Girls, they all seemed weird. And Stef, well at least she was psychiatrically recognised as weird. What was her problem anyway?