Name: Crystal Clear Bitter Night
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Naomi/Ryan
Summary: Ryan is struggling to balance his appearance and his personality. Naomi is struggling to come to terms with a constantly disappointing surrounding. Even though the two couldn't be more different, circumstances makes them see themselves, and each other, in different lights.
Disclaimer: I do not own 90210. I do not know any secrets or any grand plans that will happen in the future. This fan fiction is merely the product of my own imagination (and the dynamic I've seen so far on the show) and this is basically how I want it to turn out.
Note: I started writing this after watching 1x01 so this might not be consistent with anything that might happen in the future or anything like that, but since I know some of my friends might appreciate this I thought I'd share it with all of you. If you feel like leaving a note or something in terms of feedback, that would be lovely.
The first time Ryan Matthews found drugs, he thought he'd found God. His new friends handed him a joint and without really thinking about it, he took it in his hand and took a blow. There was a nervous, jittery feeling resting in his stomach as he realized that he was doing something forbidden. The talk about drugs had reached the point where it was considered a taboo and hell if his parents ever mentioned it over the dinner table. They were too proper, too perfect to even be associated with the idea.
"How does it feel?" Nick asked beside him, grinning like a hyena.
A small, lazy smile came over Ryan's features as he handed the joint to someone else. "Just fine." He never said it felt like heaven.
/
Resting his cheek on his left hand, Ryan fought the boredom within him as he sat across from Kelly Taylor – major hottie and somewhat easy if rumors were right – and pretended to listen attentively as she spoke to him about her son. Sammy, Tommy or something like that. He nodded, appearing to be listening while he in reality was fighting the urge to sleep.
God this woman was boring. Ordinary. Totally not living up to the hype.
"Yeah," he said when he noticed that there was in the pause in the monologue, "I definitely know what you mean."
Now Kelly stared at him as though he'd just said something completely unexpected. Shit. What had she been talking about? He should learn to pay more attention. But he couldn't help it if the woman was a complete drag.
"You do?" she asked, tilting her head as though she was trying see him from a different light, "'Cause you don't really seem like the type."
Now he was almost becoming a bit offended. He was the type. "What do you mean?" Thankfully, his voice conveyed nothing of it.
"You just don't seem like the kind of person who has a lot of experience with... kids."
A warm, genuine laugh filled Ryan. He dealt with kids every day. "I work at a high school."
"Yeah, but they're more like... young adults, especially these days."
"Yeah, well..." Damn, he couldn't find anything to say. "I suppose you're right. I don't know." What had she been talking about? Thankfully his aloof, dorky secret persona was the perfect cover. She smiled at him but if Kelly Taylor had any notion of what he was really like... let's just say that she wouldn't be laughing at him.
/
He worked very hard to attain an image of himself that mirrored the expectations of the society around him but truth be told, he had a bit of a Peter Pan complex. He didn't want to grow up. He didn't want to be responsible and mature and all those other words that were just synonyms for boring. He was still young with his whole life ahead of him and wasting it by living by the rules just seemed like he was wasting his potential. But that didn't mean he didn't care about his occupation. Being a teacher was something he enjoyed. He liked standing in front a bunch of impressionable teenagers and giving them a different perspective of the world and maybe try to open their eyes a little. Truth be told, he hated rich kids. Although some did inspire some sympathy and concern – after all – he was human. Like Adrianna. The signs of her drug abuse were clear as daylight to him, but he couldn't raise any concern to his peers without risking the exposure of his own vices.
And then he would definitely lose all chance of teaching in front of a class ever again.
And while they were those like Adrianna who inspired some sort of compassion, there were also those who seemed to conjure up the side of him that he tried not to advertise. Students like Naomi Clark. The girl was the definition of a spoiled brat and he wanted nothing more than to take her down a notch or two from her perfect world where she was everyone's princess. Tormenting her was like his own little pet project and one of the reasons why he didn't become bored out of his mind every time he came to work.
True, it was quite pathetic that tormenting a teenager would be this much fun but Naomi she was, in contrast to her surrounding, spirited and fun. Unexpected. To be honest, the daily torment on his part had led him to respect her. She bore it better than most and did not seem visibly affected by his preferential treatment, as he liked to call it, and it seemed more like banter than anything else.
And she was attractive. Hell, God could crave his eyes out and he would still see it. A part of him thought it was like throwing pearls to swine, seeing her dance around high school boys and that Ward boy especially. They had no idea how to handle a woman of Naomi's caliber. They were more out for satisfying their own needs than anyone else's. They treated her like a blonde Barbie, which was what she was slowly turning into, and had no idea of the wit that resided in that brain of hers. She was an intelligent woman but sold herself short by hanging around such pigs.
Of course, she had no idea what went on in that brain of his but it was just as well. Although sometimes it seemed like she was beginning to catch on. Not that he minded. It would all be terribly interesting.
/
"Naomi, could I talk to you for a sec?"
The blonde bombshell turned around, a flicker of annoyance passing over her demeanor before she recomposed herself and walked up to him. Ryan sat on his desk, leaning forward slightly as he looked into her eyes, fighting the urge to smile. He quickly glanced behind her seeing the students quickly disappearing from the classroom, leaving the two of them alone.
"What?" Naomi asked, her eyebrows raising a little to display her irritation before resuming their original position. Sometimes it was as though he could read her like a book.
Leaning back a little, Ryan placed his hand on his cheek to give off the impression that he was contemplating something. He hid the smile behind his hand. "You don't seem like yourself lately," he said finally, "Is everything ok?"
Naomi, however, wasn't fooled. She sighed, sending him a glare. "Ha, as if you care."
"You're still angry about that paper?"
"Oh please," Naomi commented, "I have better things to do with my time."
"I'm sure."
"What's that suppose to mean?"
Fuck. Yet another slip up. He had to start teaching himself to not think out loud. It always seemed to land him in the trickiest situations. But it didn't matter. He always had these kinds of conversations with Naomi.
"Nothing. I'm just saying that you don't seem that academically… motivated. At least not like your sister. Where was it she went? Yale?"
"What's all this crap about my sister?"
"I'm just saying that you have potential to get really good grades if you apply yourself."
"I am applying myself, but you seem to enjoy busting my ass for no apparent reason." Ha, she was right about that.
"Harsh words, Naomi. Got anything to back that up?"
"Screw you."
Gladly.
He grinned, despite himself.
/
"Ryan, I got a kid today who says you're harassing her." Kelly walked into the classroom, her arms crossed and a sever tone in her voice.
Ryan didn't even dignify the accusation with a reaction; he continued to look through the essays the students had handed in earlier in the day. Without looking up, he asked: "Is the student Naomi Clark?"
"So it's true?" Kelly approached the desk.
Only partly. "No," he looked up, letting the thin smile that he often used when trying to appear geeky and amiable, "Of course not."
"Because she made some pretty convincing arguments." Damn, she was really pissed. He decided to put the essays aside.
"Come on Kelly; don't think I have something better to do with my time than to make life miserable for a seventeen year old?"
"She's sixteen."
"And? Honestly, Kelly…"
There was a pause. "Ryan, what is with you lately? You're acting really strangely."
Ryan sighed. "Oh really? 'Cause I don't feel any different." He was beginning to tire of her. She was constantly talking to him about responsibility, maturity and was constantly acting as though she had a stick up her ass. Although the sex was pretty great. But even that had an expiration date.
"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about. What's going on with you? You're constantly being… cold and mean and… I don't know what else. The other day you made Sammy cry for Christ's sake."
"Look, Kelly, if you have something to say to me just say it and don't drag Naomi Clark into this, would you please?"
"That's not what I'm doing, Ryan."
"Oh really? Then how come we're standing here talking about us and not about Naomi?"
Kelly fell silent. But not for long. "What's wrong with you?"
A lot of things actually. But the main thing being that you're coming in here and being holier than thou on me.
"I told you Kelly, I'm fine. I don't understand why you keep nagging that on me."
"Ryan, I care about you," You do? How nice. "I just want to help you."
"Help me? It's almost as though you want there to be something wrong with me. Am I like one of your students? Do you really have such an acute need to fix everything?"
"You know what," Kelly sighed, "Don't even bother coming over after work. We're over." With that, the blonde marched out of his office, not even bothering to look behind her. Ryan watched her go and found himself not caring considerably. He sent her a last look as her frame disappeared from his view and recommenced his task of correcting essays. He took up a new one from the pile and saw the name 'Naomi Clark' stare back at him.
TBC
