Disclaimer: I do not own The O.C. or any of its characters. I only own Sam and any other OCs. Anything else that you may recognize belongs to FOX, Warner Brothers, & Josh Schwartz.
Sam's POV
After finding out that our mother has really abandoned us, we got in the car and Sandy drove us back to his house. I knew that his wife probably wouldn't be thrilled at our return. I don't think she likes us. I guess that can happen if suddenly two convicts from juvie stay at your home and then suddenly your son comes home drunk and with bruises; jumping to the conclusions that it's because of us didn't surprise me.
By the time we got back to the house his wife had left for work. I noticed one of the cars missing from the driveway; I knew it couldn't be Seth.
Seth then brought us to his room again to talk about his love for comic books. I took a short nap on his bed. It was only a few hours. It got interrupted by me having one of my night terrors so then I spent a good twenty minutes trying to explain them to Seth vaguely. I wasn't going to tell him the exact reasons to why I have them.
"But seriously is it because…" Seth then listed like maybe twenty reasons as to why I could be having night terrors. I guess he wanted to guess. But I wasn't going to play.
"I'm going to get a water." I said. I went downstairs and grabbed a water from the kitchen and then stopped at seeing Kirsten walk in.
"Oh, hi Sam." She said. Well that sounded really awkward.
"Hi." I said before walking back up the stairs. I gathered that Sandy had called and told her about the whole situation about our mother being in the wind. Either that, or she was trying to react calmly before she called him about the Atwood girl breaking into her house.
We didn't stay up in Seth's room for much longer. We went out back where Seth and Ryan decided to go in the pool. I went outside with them but I didn't get in the pool. I sat on the edge and put my feet in the water.
"Sam, if you want, I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind if you want to borrow some swimwear." Seth mentions.
"Yeah, I'm good." I replied. I was sure that the only kind of swimwear Kirsten had were bikinis or at least were some variation of that. I also seriously doubted that she would want me borrowing that. It also seemed that in less than twenty-four hours Seth has forgotten I'm terrified of water; that territory also includes swimming pools. The only thing I might consider would be getting into the hot tub portion.
"She hates the water." Ryan told him.
"That includes pools." I added.
"So that means you like never swim?" Seth asks and I nodded; pretty much. "Do you not know how to swim?"
"I do." I said. I learned how to swim, but I don't swim as I don't get in water. I stay clear of oceans, rivers, ponds, pools, and ect.
"Does this phobia of water include showers?" Seth asks. Then I pushed Seth off his floater chair, in which makes Ryan laugh.
"Maybe if you get in the pool, Seth will shut up." Ryan suggested, but I refused; it wasn't going to happen.
"Not going to happen." Seth and I said in unison; I guess it didn't matter, Seth was going to find something to talk about.
"Anyways, since this might be the last night you guys are here, we should do something special." Seth then says as he climbs back onto the floater chair.
"Like what?" I ask.
"Get a couple of tattoos?" He suggests. I wasn't really a fan of tattoos and I could tell by just looking at Seth, he wasn't either, but he wanted to say some 'rebellious' and 'cool'
"Any other ideas?" Ryan asks.
"We could go out and lose our virginity." He suggests.
"Too late." I interjected. It was too late for Ryan and me; though it wasn't my choice.
"We could go to an IMAX movie. There's a new shark movie playing, if you guys are into that." Seth suggests and I couldn't decide what I wanted to do more; laugh or push him off the floater again.
"Yeah, I'm sure the girl that's afraid of water is going to enjoy that." Ryan said, sarcastically.
"Anyways, I kind of just want to relax." I said. I felt tired and I want to savior the peace as long as I could; I knew it wouldn't last where we probably were going.
We stayed out here for a while until Sandy got back to the house. We were called into the house later when dinner had been cooked. We went inside and stopped in our tracks of getting in Kirsten's way. Ryan and I looked away awkwardly, not really sure how to talk to her. We both knew she didn't like us; especially after last night.
"How was your swim?" Kirsten asks; I guess she wanted to try and make small talk.
"Great." Ryan replies.
"I don't swim." I added.
Ryan and I head for the table, but then stop to look at this model building that was on counter. It looked nice. I knew Ryan was more intrigued by it. He was always into that sort of stuff.
"What's that?" Ryan asks, turning to Kirsten.
"It's a model home. I build them." She tells him. "Real ones. Not that one."
"Can you build us one?" I joke in response, but at seeing the look from Kirsten, I guess she wasn't taking the joke. "Sorry, bad joke."
I sat down at the table next to Ryan.
"So, the last supper, huh?" Sandy comments, breaking the silence that had filled the room since we decided to sit down. "Sorry, bad joke." He then apologizes as Kirsten gives him the same look she had given me.
"It's just a laugh riot around here." Kirsten mumbles as she puts some food onto her plate.
"This all looks really good." Ryan states; he wasn't wrong. It did. It was probably a thousand times better than anything ever made in my family. Of course, it was hard to get a decent meal, let alone something like this.
"It's too bad you guys are leaving. We never eat like this." Seth comments.
"That's not true. I cook all the time." Kirsten counters.
"Dad?" Seth looks to Sandy. Ryan and I do as well, wondering whom was actually telling the truth.
"I'm sorry, honey." Sandy says as he begins to laugh a bit. I guess that meant that Kirsten wasn't much of a cook. Sandy and Seth try to hide the laughter, but it became easier after seeing she wasn't so pleased with them.
"Let's eat." She suggests.
"We're not saying you should cook more…" Sandy trails off.
"Dad, stop. Let's not forget to the meatloaf incident of '98." Seth brings up and I gathered that it ended up being burnt or something.
"It was brisket." Kirsten corrected.
I smiled a bit, amused. Though I'm sure the dinner wasn't pleasant, it sounds they have a funny story to tell. I glanced at Ryan. It was kind of fun watching them interact. Of course, it was just nice to see a family eat together.
"Exactly the point." Seth chuckles.
We eat the rest of the meal in silence. Even then, it was still better than a 'meal' with my family.
After dinner, Sandy talked to Ryan and I about what was going to happen tomorrow. Though, it seemed pointless. We knew what would happen; foster care.
"As your attorney, I co-sign the forms for the two of you." Sandy adds and we both nodded. "They just basically say you two don't have a parent or legal guardian available."
"We are now property of the government." I commented.
"Nicknames: 0382965 and 0382966." Ryan adds.
"Better than Death-Breath-Seth." Seth comments. I guess that's what he used to be called.
"We'll meet your social worker in the morning. She'll be the one to bring you guys to the group home. My contact at social services got you two in a home with only two other kids." Sandy tells us and we nod. I guess that should be considered good; not too crowded and we were being placed together.
But that doesn't change the fact that it's foster care.
"We appreciate it." Ryan says and I nod; I wouldn't say what I actually thought.
"You know, they do find foster homes for kids your age." Sandy adds. I almost wanted to laugh; it was extremely rare. I also doubted there would be home that would take the two of us.
"Yeah, because everyone wants a new teenager." Seth interjects, sarcastically.
Both adults stared at him, giving him the look to keep his mouth shut. I don't see why he should. He is just being honest. It's not like he was even wrong.
"Sorry, am I the only one who is going to state the obvious?" Seth adds.
"Seth—" Kirsten tries to stop him.
"We have all this extra room and a pool house. Yet, you guys are shipping them off to a group home. Am I the only one who gets how much that sucks?" Seth comments and Kirsten doesn't look pleased at that.
"It's fine, really." Ryan says and then we both take the forms and sign them. It's not like we were going to stay. We weren't exactly wanted, but I don't really blame Kirsten all that much. Who'd want us? We're practically criminals.
Before heading out to the pool house for the night, we stopped to say something to Kirsten.
"Good luck with it." Ryan says, referring to the model home.
"It looks perfect." I finished.
I took a shower after we got back to the pool house. When I came out I saw Ryan was packing our backpacks. I then put on my light purple tank top and my ripped jeans. I then brushed my hair, putting it up into a messy bun.
"Almost packed?" I asked. I knew we wouldn't be spending the night. There was no way we were going into foster care. We were in care once, temporarily. It really sucked. I would rather be in jail than in foster care.
We had to get out of here before morning.
Once we were packed, we started to head out on to see Seth was coming to check on us—either that or hang out with us one last time. It didn't matter. It seems we were caught.
"Are you two running away?" Seth asks.
"Go back into the house Seth." Ryan tells him. It was quite obvious that we were running away.
"Hey, you guys can't run away. What about child services or my dad?" Seth offers, but we glare at him; as if we were going to do that. His dad was turning us over to child services; he couldn't help us. We start to walk away, but Seth stops us.
"Wait, I want to go with you guys. You know, besides sailing to Tahiti, I've always wanted to do the kerouak thing: Hit the road, stop diner to diner, pancake tour of America." Seth tells us and I turn to Ryan for a moment.
"No." We both say to Seth.
"Fair enough." Seth gives up on that idea. "But where are you guys going?"
"Don't know." I said.
"New town. Get jobs somewhere and save up some money." Ryan told him. It wasn't much of a plan, at least not yet, but it was better than staying here and going into foster care.
"That's a great plan. Sounds really thought out." Seth said, sarcastically.
"Got a better idea?" I ask.
"Actually, I do." Seth said.
He told us to wait here while he went inside to grab a couple things. We decided we could wait to see what his better idea was. We waited for about twenty minutes and were starting to get impatient.
Then we saw Marissa walk onto the driveway on her cell phone, with a big present in her hand, and accompanied by another girl that could be her sister.
"I'll see you in twenty minutes." She said before hanging up. She then noticed us.
"Hey." Ryan said.
"Hey, I didn't think I'd see you guys again." Marissa says, walking over.
"Who are they?" The girl next to her asks.
"This is my little sister, Kaitlin." Marissa tells us; she didn't look too much younger than her. Maybe a year or two.
"I'm Sam. This is Ryan." I greeted her.
"Anyways, I wanted to say thanks for the other night." Marissa tells Ryan.
"Do you always drink like that?" I ask, but then I realized I should probably shut up at seeing the look on Ryan and Marissa's faces. They both then look at Kaitlin.
"What? It's not like I'm going to nark." Kaitlin says. She definitely didn't seem like the type to do that.
"I thought you guys left." Marissa says, changing the subject.
"We are." I told her as Seth then came running down the driveway.
"We are all set." Seth tells us and then he notices Marissa and Kaitlin. "Hi Marissa. Kaitlin."
"What are you guys doing?" Marissa asks.
"Nothing, just hanging out." Seth says.
"It looks like you are running away with them." Kaitlin comments and I grinned a bit, amused.
"Oh, look it's someone's birthday. I guess my invitation got lost in the mail." Seth said, ignoring the comment from the younger Cooper.
"It's my friend, Summer's, birthday."
"No, it's not. Summer's birthday isn't 'til Wednesday." Seth says and then both Marissa and Kaitlin look at him funny. I guess that means that he was right, but I wasn't surprised; Seth is obsessed with that girl.
"How did you know that?" Marissa asks.
"Are you like stalking her or something?" Kaitlin asks and I almost snort; in a way he kind of does. I am sure Seth knows everything there is to know about Summer.
"Now, seriously what are you guys doing?" Marissa asks.
"I told you. We are leaving." I told her. "Have fun at your party."
"Hold on." Marissa said, stopping us from walking away. "Where are you guys going? I'll drive."
"You guys should probably be off." Ryan told her.
"Really?" Marissa questions. I had this feeling that Marissa was itching to spend some more time with Ryan before we left.
"I must say, I'm intrigued to see where you guys are going." Kaitlin says with a smirk.
I guess the Coopers were going to tag along.
Marissa ended up driving us to one of Kirsten's model homes. I guess this was Seth's better idea. Well, I guess it could be of use for the night at the very least.
"It looks scary." Marissa commented.
"I like it." Kaitlin comments.
"Is this…?" Ryan starts to ask, but doesn't finish as the look on Seth's face confirmed it all.
"Where are we?" Kaitlin asks.
"One of my mom's developments. Her and my grandfather own a bunch of them. It's supposed to be the model home, but it never got finished." Seth explains.
"Why? Did someone die here and now it's haunted?" Marissa asks.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened." Seth replied, sarcastically.
"But seriously, what actually happened?" I ask.
"I don't know."
We continued to look around the place with some flashlights.
"So you want them to stay here?" Marissa asks Seth.
"It'll definitely need some sprucing up." Kaitlin added.
"Ryan, Sam, what do you guys think?" Seth then turns to us.
"I don't know." Ryan shrugged.
"It beats living in a group home." Seth pointed out.
"Jail is better than a group home. Now, this is paradise." I said with a grin. I don't think I'm very far off. And I guess this could just be for a little while. I don't think we are going to live here forever. It's just temporary until Ryan and I can come up with a better plan; this will be good for now.
We went out back and Seth was skateboarding in the empty pool, using it like a half pike. I decided to look around the house some more while Ryan and Marissa talked. Kaitlin decided to come with me and she brought a bag of chips with her.
"So what's the story?" Kaitlin asks and then I told her the quick version of the story—well if that can even be considered that.
"No way in hell we're going into foster care." I said.
"Couldn't you just go look for your mom? I doubt she got far." Kaitlin points out. I was sure she was somewhere not that far, but I really don't care to look for her. She kicked us out and left. And it's not like she's exactly been a mother to us.
"It's better if Ryan and I are on our own." I replied.
"What about your dad?"
"Jail." I told her. And I wouldn't want to talk to him even if he wasn't. He's a dick and a lot worse than our mother. Basically, my family really sucks.
"You okay?" Kaitlin asks, noticing how uncomfortable I got at mentioning my dad. I guess it was that obvious. I didn't want to talk about it.
"I don't want to talk about it." I said.
"I can keep a secret." Kaitlin urged.
"Let's just say my dad has done things that are unforgiveable." I said, vaguely, hoping she just let it go. I didn't want to talk about it. It's not something I want to go digging up.
"Sorry, I don't mean to pry."
"It's fine. You're not the only one." I then looked over as Marissa then got onto the phone, I assumed it was her boyfriend, and then off within a minute. I guess her friends were wondering where she and Kaitlin were. When we were waiting for Seth, they were about to head out for Summer's birthday party.
"Does your brother know Marissa is in a relationship?" Kaitlin asks, bluntly.
"Yeah." I chuckled a bit. I guess it was that obvious that Ryan was into Marissa; I guess that is why Luke doesn't like him. He must know Ryan likes her. "How long have Marissa and Luke been together?"
"The easier question would be how long have Luke and Marissa not been together?" Kaitlin says and I smiled a bit as I almost laughed. I gathered that meant they had been together for a long time. It probably was unlikely that they'd break up.
"What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?" I ask.
"Yeah, I guess." Kaitlin shrugs; what does that mean? "Technically, I do, but I think he is just in it for the sex."
"Sounds like a real winner." I said, sarcastically. I realized that might have been a bitch-thing to say. But I really hate guys like that. "Sorry."
"It's fine. Say what's on your mind." Kaitlin urges.
"Well, I'd tell him that you want more than just a hookup. If he isn't on board with that, then screw him. There are guys that deserve you more than he would." I told her the truth.
"What's your boyfriend like…besides his love for hookups?" I ask.
"He's on the waterpolo team." Kaitlin said.
"We had a run in with a few of them yesterday." I told her.
"Let me guess…"
"Luke was pretty angry." I nodded; it was obvious at this point why he came after Ryan; he can tell he likes Marissa. "I guess it didn't help that he hit him first."
"Probably not."
"But in his defense, his buddies were beating up Seth and another one was trying to hook up with me. He got pissed when I told him 'no'." I added.
"That's the O.C. for you." Kaitlin replies. "Who was the ass wipe anyways?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm never going to see him again." I said. It was pointless to dwell on it. Ryan and I would be out of town soon enough and I would never have to see him again. Plus, I didn't even want to think about Ricky; he didn't deserve it. I wasn't going to think about it.
Ryan, Marissa, and Seth then joined Kaitlin and I as we went upstairs. Seth suggested this one room could Ryan's bedroom and I could be across the hall. Though I think for tonight, we'd stay in the one room together.
"I'm not even sure if we should stay." Ryan shook his head.
"You guys should definitely stay." Kaitlin says as she turns to me. I smile a bit. I guess it couldn't hurt to stick around Newport, at least for a few days. We could stay here until we figured out what we were going to do and where we are going.
"Yeah, you guys should." Marissa agrees.
"It seems we're all on the same page." Seth points out.
"Okay. For a little while." Ryan eventually gives in, trying not to smile as he looked at Marissa. I swear this girl was either going to get Ryan in trouble or vice versa with the way they look at each other. At this point, I don't think it's just Ryan that likes Marissa.
Marissa's cell phone then rang again, followed by Kaitlin's; they both answered. It wasn't hard to figure out that her boyfriend called Kaitlin and that Summer was calling Marissa. The calls didn't last very long.
Marissa and Kaitlin looked at each other.
"We need to go." They said, turning back to us.
"Okay, but you can't tell anyone about this." Seth warns them. "If anyone found out, I could get grounded. Then Ryan and Sam would most likely end up in the hell that is foster care."
"We'll keep it a secret." Marissa promises.
"That includes Luke and…whoever Kaitlin's boy toy is." Seth adds, only to receive a glare from Kaitlin.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't tell him." Marissa says. That would just get her into a lot of trouble, not to mention Ryan. "And I won't tell Summer either."
"Oh tell her 'happy birthday' for me." Seth shouts as the girls leave. I'm sure they would remember, but I doubted that Summer would even know who Seth Cohen is.
"We'll see you tomorrow!" Kaitlin shouts back.
Seth then turns to Ryan and me.
"I'm telling you guys, this plan is foolproof." Seth says and I nodded, but I had a really bad feeling about this whole thing.
Kaitlin's POV
I went to the party with Marissa and instead of talking to Ricky, like Sam had suggested, we went into one of the bedrooms and had sex. I wanted to talk afterwards, but Ricky just got out of the bed and left. I knew I should talk to him, but I knew that Marissa was probably getting drunk off her ass so I wouldn't have a ride home if I pissed Ricky off.
So, I decided I would wait to talk to him about our issues until tomorrow.
The next day, Seth called my cell phone number. I had no idea how he got it, but in a way I'm glad he found it. I had just looked out the window and saw cops in front of the Cohen house; I guess they realized Ryan and Sam had made a run for it.
"So the key here is not to panic." Seth says once I answered the phone.
"I'm not the one being questioned by the cops." I replied.
"Do you have the supplies?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't solve the issue about the cops being at your house." I pointed out as Seth avoided that part. "What are you going to tell them?"
"I don't know. I could tell them Ryan and Sam ran off to Mexico to gamble on cockfighting; maybe they'll buy that." Seth admitted. I laughed; yeah he should definitely do that.
"I'm sure they'd buy that just as much as they'd believe you date Summer Roberts."
"Ouch." Seth said, obviously hurt by that.
"Just tell them you don't know anything. Marissa and I will meet you in the driveway in ten minutes with the stuff." I told him before hanging up. As I went to change, I wondered if Seth was actually serious about going with that cockfighting story.
There is something wrong with that kid.
I went into the bathroom and put my hair in two braids. Then I put on a green tank top with dark blue jeans. I then went to find Marissa, whom was in her bedroom talking to Luke; I didn't even know he was here.
"So what's up?" Marissa asks, plopping down on her bed.
"I was going to take my dad's boat out. I was thinking you and me could go grab some lunch and then take out the Donzi." Luke suggested.
Marissa didn't speak, she seemed to be struggling on what to say. She couldn't think of a good excuse that didn't involve telling him about helping Ryan and Sam.
"Sorry, but we're busy." I barged in.
"Kaitlin—"
"Marissa, did you forget about our appointments with Suki? Manicure, Pedicure, and the waxing?" I asked her. I knew it had to be something that would make Luke want to leave; he surely wouldn't want to come along for that.
"Right." Marissa smiled.
"I mean, you probably could come too, Luke." I said and Luke looked—scared—maybe.
"Suki's the best and it's so hard to get an appointment with her." Marissa tells Luke as she then takes his hand, looking at his finger nails.
"It doesn't even hurt when she's waxing you. And you could get a manicure; they aren't just for girls." I tell him and Luke backs off.
"You two go and have fun. I think I'll just hang out with the guys and catch up with you later at Holly's party tonight." Luke said. He couldn't get out that door fast enough. I laughed, shaking my head after he had left.
I turned to my sister.
"You're a lifesaver." Marissa says as she then gets her bag of supplies and then we head to the car. We walk over to see that the cops were now gone. Seth then walks down the driveway and puts stuff in the car.
"Did you tell Luke anything?" Seth asks.
"No, but if he calls, you answer and tell him you're Suki." I told him as I got into the backseat.
Marissa drove the three of us back to the model house. We found that Ryan and Sam were already wake, waiting for us.
"So you didn't tell them anything?" Ryan asks.
"I told them you and Sam went down to Mexico to gamble on cockfighting." Seth says and I smacked the back of his head; I can't believe he was serious about that. "Ow! Katy Kat has claws."
"It doesn't matter. They are never going to look for you guys here." Seth said, turning back to Sam and Ryan.
"Is this a loofa?" Sam asks.
"Seriously Marissa?" I looked at her; she really thought that's what they needed? Is there even a working shower here?
"You said to bring things from around the house." Marissa pointed out. It was true, but I don't think that's what they need.
"I meant like survival supplies." Seth clarifies and then I take out two rolls of toilet paper and toss it to the Atwoods. "See, Kaitlin has the right idea."
Between the three of us, we had gathered a good mix of supplies for Sam and Ryan. A few sleeping bags, some flashlights, toilet paper, candles, lighters, and even some paint to fix the place up—though I don't know why Seth thinks they are going to actually live here long term.
"Did anyone bring any food?" Sam asks. I looked at my sister and Seth and it seems that nobody thought of bringing food. Well I did, but I figured they would think of that too, so I left it to them.
"We'll probably need that." Ryan adds.
"I guess we're going on a mission." I said, standing up. It looks like we'll be going into town.
Sam's POV
We decided to split up. Ryan, Seth, and Marissa were going together, while Kaitlin was going to come with me. We figured hitting different parts of town would be the best thing. We could maybe look for work. Kaitlin and I decided to hit a grocery store first. At least, if they didn't want to interview me for a job, we could at least do some shopping.
We went to a few stores and they said they weren't looking to hire. But I knew that at least one of them just didn't want to hire me.
"Maybe they don't hire sixteen year olds." Kaitlin tried to make me feel better about being turned down three times.
"I asked them how old I have to be to work there and they told me they hire fourteen year olds as baggers." I said, so that wasn't going to work. They hired sixteen years old, but they probably just weren't interested in hiring me.
"I'm sure you'll find a job. But anyways, do you really want to work at a grocery store anyways?" Kaitlin attempted to cheer me up again. I knew she was right. I'd probably only get minimum wage and who knows if I'd get decent hours.
"We should get some food before we meet the others." I said as I grabbed a shopping cart.
We had told each other before the split to meet at the diner on the pier for breakfast. Apparently they have the best pancakes, according to Marissa and Kaitlin.
We went down the aisles with the cart. I didn't have that much money—only about thirty dollars—so we couldn't get too much. But it wasn't like there was much we could get. Most stuff required to be cooked or be kept cold; it's not like we had a fridge or a microwave at the model home. So we'd have to live off of bottled water, chips, and cookies until Ryan and I can make some money to buy some actual food.
"So did you talk to your boyfriend?" I ask.
"A little hard to do during sex." Kaitlin replies.
"I'll take that as a 'no'." I sighed. I guess she couldn't figure out how to do it.
"My options were have sex with him and have a happy boyfriend that will drive me home or tell him and have a pissed off boyfriend and end up walking home as my sister was drunk off her ass." Kaitlin explains and I nodded.
I guess that answers the question from last night; Marissa does drink a lot.
"Well if he gets pissed off because you want more than just sex, should you really be with him?" I asked her.
"I guess you're right." Kaitlin smiles as we go through the checkout and I take the bags back to the model home.
We then headed to the diner. I got on my bike and Kaitlin hoped onto the back of it, holding onto me as we went. It was kind of fun. I saw Ryan's bike outside the diner and put mine next to him.
"Would you maybe want to come to this party tonight? It's at Holly's and it might be fun." Kaitlin asks and I smiled.
"I don't think the people of Newport would want me at one of their parties." I said with a laugh.
"I thought they didn't want your brother." Kaitlin quips and I shake my head.
"Sorry, I can't." I told her, almost feeling sorry that I couldn't go. "Besides, Ryan and I are trying to stay off the radar to avoid foster care, remember?"
"Right." Kaitlin nods.
We walk into the diner, joining Ryan, Seth, and Marissa at one of the booths. They had already ordered pancakes and coffee for the two of us.
"Now this can be the first top of our pancake tour of North America." Seth says he pours syrup on his short stack.
"Like in On the Road?" Kaitlin questions, arching her eyebrow.
"Oh my gosh, that's like my favorite book." Marissa chimes in, shocked.
"Mine too." Seth says, awkwardly as he stuffs a forkful of pancakes in his mouth. Well this just keeps getting in better. In the car I remember how Seth and Marissa said how they liked the same music. I think once again Seth may think about living in a cave with how much he has in common with Marissa Cooper.
"Anyways, what took you guys so long?" Marissa asks, turning to Kaitlin and me.
"Well I was job searching and you guys did remember why we left the model home in the first place, right?" I replied. "I got some water, snacks, and turned down by three local grocery stores."
"They are hiring here, but we'd probably be noticed by someone who recognizes us." Ryan interjected. I guess that was true.
"So do we have a backup plan?" I turned to my brother as I spread the butter on my pancakes and then dipped them into the small pile of syrup on my plate.
"Remember our mom's boyfriend from last summer?" Ryan asks me.
"Yeah, Bruce." I nodded. He actually was pretty decent compared to all of the other men our mother has dated and that even included our dad. He was nice to us and didn't get drunk all day. Last Summer, he got us jobs working construction with him. "He moved to Austin after mom broke up with him."
"Texas?" Seth questioned and we nodded.
"Anyways, before he left, he told me if you or me were ever up there, to look him up." Ryan explained. I nodded. So I guess we were going to be heading to Texas to work construction.
"What does he do?" Kaitlin asks.
"Construction."
"And you're going to do that?" She asks, arching her eyebrow at me.
"I'm strong." I said. I actually was and doing that stuff was easier to deal with that other stuff I've been forced to do.
"Are you guys really going to move to Texas?" Kaitlin looks at me and then glances at Ryan; it seemed she couldn't even believe it.
"We were thinking something like Long Beach." Seth interjected; I guess he was hoping Ryan and I would be close.
"That way we could all still hang out." Marissa adds.
"Well, Sam and I are going to need to get travel money first, so we'll probably be here a couple of days—maybe a week." Ryan tells them and I nodded. That's true, but how were going to get a job where no one would recognize us?
"We can get you two money." Marissa says.
"I guess in a way you guys are lucky." Seth adds.
"Yeah, you guys get to start over in a new place." Kaitlin continues.
"Be whoever you want to be." Marissa finishes and I almost laugh, remembering what Ryan told her when we first met her. "It doesn't sound so bad."
I looked between the three and noticed they all looked a bit depressed at the thought of Ryan and I skipping town. In a way, I kind of wish we could stick around, but I knew we didn't have a choice. We couldn't live in that model home forever.
We finished eating our breakfast without saying much of anything else. Marissa and Kaitlin then covered the bill with whatever they had in cash. I then noticed Luke, Ricky, and their friends sitting in a booth by the front door; this isn't good.
"What's wrong?" Kaitlin asks.
"It's our fan club." I said, motioning to the table by the door.
"Kaitlin and I will handle this. You guys sneak out the back." Marissa said as the two sisters then went over to distract the boys. Meanwhile, Seth, Ryan, and I tried sneaking out the back only to have one of the waitresses yell at us to use the front door; well we're screwed.
I then noticed that Kaitlin was on Ricky's lap and he had his arms around her. Oh god, don't tell me that he is her boyfriend.
Ryan and I put hoods over our heads as Luke and Ricky looked in our direction.
"Hi guys, isn't the food here great?" Seth says, trying to act casual.
"Shut up, queer." Luke replies, nastily.
"At least I don't shave my chest." Seth mumbles.
"What did you say?!" Luke gets up, but Marissa pulls him back, stopping him from engaging with him. Then Ricky gets up and approaches him.
"What did you say to him?" Ricky asks.
"I like his sweater vest." Seth lies.
"I think he has a crush on you, Luke." Ricky turns to him and laugh, but then his eyes fall on me. I looked away; just looking at him made me sick.
"I'm going to break you, Cohen." Luke threatened.
Ryan and I weren't going to let these assholes harm Seth. We stepped in front of him.
"Walk away." Ryan and I said in unison, looking at Luke and Ricky as they both seemed to be holding their grounds.
"Luke—" Marissa urged him to stop.
"Ricky—" Kaitlin did the same for Ricky.
"I don't think we finished our conversation from the other night." Ricky brought up and I rolled my eyes.
"Don't touch her." Ryan said. "Why don't both of you just walk away. We can all walk out of here."
"Who do you think you are, Chino?" Luke asks, getting in Ryan's face.
"Obviously he likes queers and sluts." Ricky replies.
"You know what I like about rich kids?" Ryan asks before he then punches Luke and Ricky in the face. "Nothing." He finished after I then kick them in the knees, to give us a little more of a head start as we then started to run.
We got on our bikes, Seth getting on the back of Ryan's and Marissa on the back of mine, and we got out of there as quickly as we could; we won't be going back there again.
We went back to the model home to hide out. Seth helped us set up on the rooms so it wasn't a total mess.
"You don't consider me a rich kid, do you?" Seth asks and I laughed.
"You're different." I said, giving him some credit, though technically he is a rich kid.
"I'm more upper-middle class." Seth said and we laughed; I guess we could give him that so he wasn't the annoying rich kid like Ryan had mentioned that he hates.
"You know you didn't have to hit them." Marissa spoke up.
"Did you hear anything from Kaitlin?" I ask. She had stayed with them while we ditched; I wonder if she is able to keep them under control.
"She can handle herself." Marissa said.
"I'm well aware of that. I'm more concerned about her handling the water polo team." I replied.
"You'll be surprised of all the things Kaitlin can handle." Seth chimes in; I guess he knows the Coopers almost as well as he knows Summer Roberts.
"You know the cashier called the cops." Marissa said, turning back to Ryan.
"Sorry." Ryan said.
"I'm not."
"You know that's Kaitlin's boyfriend too?" Marissa asks me and I nodded; that's another reason why I did it. I could see why Kaitlin was a bit scared to tell him she wanted more than sex; he probably wouldn't like that very much.
"He's an ass." I replied. "Both of them are."
"I'm sorry, I don't know why Luke does that." Marissa shakes her head. I think pretty much the rest of us could have an idea why Luke did that; he doesn't like Ryan and the answer is simple.
"He's an ass, like Sam said." Seth says, only to receive a glare from Marissa.
I then sat up, at hearing other voices coming from downstairs. I knew it wasn't us. I looked them all and motioned for them to be quiet. The four of us then went to go check it out. It turned out to be Kirsten and Marissa's dad, Jimmy.
"It's my mom." Seth said, quietly.
"And my dad." Marissa said.
I guess they actually were going to try and fix this place up to sell. I looked to Seth, glaring at him. It seemed it foolproof plan had a flaw—or maybe even a few flaws. It looks like Ryan and I are going to have to leave town sooner than we thought.
"What's going on with you, Jimmy?" We hear Kirsten asks him.
"I've had a really bad year with the market." Jimmy tells her. "It's going to be a struggle to remain solvent."
"How much do you need?"
"It's too much." He insists when Kirsten asks to know. Was she going to offer to pay off his debt? "100,000 dollars."
I looked to Marissa; her dad was really in deep.
"I'll call the bank." Kirsten says once he tells her the amount. She really was going to pay off his debt.
"I'll pay you back." Jimmy promises. "It'll take me a few months."
"I know where you live." Kirsten says and I grinned a bit; well that was nice of her.
I knew there was something I had liked about. I mean, I do like her, even if she doesn't really like Ryan or me. She's definitely a nice person. But I did have to feel bad for Marissa and Kaitlin; this is their father. I wonder how or if Marissa is going to tell Kaitlin about this.
Then we heard something about the new contractors coming here to the model home tomorrow morning. I looked to Ryan and then over to Marissa and Seth; we definitely were going to be leaving sooner than we thought.
"I guess that means we're gone." Ryan says once Jimmy and Kirsten left.
"I'll get you what you need." Seth promises.
"I'll give you a ride home." Marissa tells him as he went out the car, I pulled her aside.
"Are you going to tell Kaitlin?"
"Why? She doesn't need to know." Marissa says and I almost rolled my eyes. Just because Kirsten basically bailed Jimmy out of jail, she thinks she doesn't have to tell Kaitlin about all this. I get her way of thinking, but I don't think it is right; Kaitlin has the right to know what's going on.
"You should tell her." I told her and then she left without saying another word.
Kaitlin's POV
I stayed with Ricky and the boys and we all went to the party at Holly's together. I can't believe Marissa took off with them. I could tell Luke was pretty pissed off. When we got to the party, Holly handed me a margarita. It tasted pretty weak, so I put it down.
I started to walk around, when suddenly Ricky pulled me into one of the bedrooms. He started to make out with me. I sat on the bed and he took his shirt off. He then started kissing me again and I pushed him away.
"What the hell was that?" Ricky asked.
"I want to talk."
"That's boring." He said as he started kissing me again.
"Ricky, stop." I said.
"What gives? You never wanted to talk before. Why do we have to start now? That takes all the fun out of the sex." I stopped him before he could get close enough to kiss me again.
"I've always wanted to talk, but you never listen."
"Fine, we can talk." He sighed.
"What is this relationship to you?" I asked.
"What do you mean, Kaitlin? I love you. You're so hot and you're really good in bed." Ricky replied and I sighed; I figured as much.
"All you ever do is want to have sex."
"What else is there?"
"We could go out—on an actual date." I suggested. It's something I would actually like to do. I don't just want to have sex. "We could do a lot a more than just have sex all the time."
"But I like this." Ricky gets on top of me and he didn't respond when I tried to push him off. I pulled his hair so I could get off the bed. "What the hell?"
"I can't do this anymore." I shake my head.
"Don't be a bitch like that Chino chick." Ricky said and I stopped at hearing that. I slowly turned back to him.
"What? Are you saying you had sex with Sam?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"No."
"But you tried to?"
"So what?" He shrugged. It seemed that he didn't even care that I knew that he tried to have sex with another girl. He's with me. "The bitch kicked me when I tried."
"Goodbye Ricky." I shook my head; I couldn't even look at him right now. I left the bedroom and started to head for the door, but then I saw Marissa with Summer.
"Hey." She said; she didn't seem hammered yet.
"Can I have your car keys?" I ask.
"Kaitlin, you're fifteen." Marissa pointed out that I didn't have a license yet. I didn't really care about that. I needed to get out of here.
"I have a permit. Now give me the keys." I said.
"You better not get arrested." Marissa said and handed me the keys. I took them and got her car. I can't believe she actually gave me the keys that quickly. Usually it takes longer before I can convince her to give me the keys, but I'm glad I could get out of there before Ricky could find me.
I threw my cell phone in the backseat as Ricky started calling me. I didn't want to see or to talk to him.
Right now, I just had to go talk to Sam.
Sam's POV
I stepped outside where the empty pool was to get some fresh air. I opened a bottle of water and took a sip, when I then turned around to see Kaitlin.
"I thought you were at a party with your boyfriend." I stated.
"Ex-boyfriend and I was." Kaitlin replied. I guess that means that she decided to break up with that loser. I'm happy for her. She's better off without him.
"So why are you here?" I ask.
"I wanted to talk."
I sat down and she sat down next to me.
"Did Ricky try to have sex with you?" Kaitlin asks me and I sighed; I guess they talked about me.
"He wanted to. I wasn't interested and when he didn't want to take 'no' for an answer, I kicked him. I hoped that helped him get the message." I explained.
"You didn't even know he had a girlfriend, did you?" Kaitlin asks.
"I didn't care if he had one or not. I wasn't going to sleep with a guy I just met." I said. I don't know if I'll ever be able to have sex, but I certainly wasn't going to have sex with a stranger; I'd had enough of that.
"I probably should take your advice." Kaitlin chuckles.
"So is that why you came here? To ask about Ricky?"
"No, I was kind of hoping I could hang out." Kaitlin says and I grinned a bit. I guess I wouldn't mind the company for a bit.
"I certainly don't mind." I told her.
I pulled out a bag of potato chips. She took a handful. I thought about what had happened today and if I should tell her. I know it'd be better if she heard it from her sister, but I gathered Marissa wasn't going to.
"Kaitlin, I need to tell you something about your dad." I said.
"Is it about how he lost people's money?" Kaitlin asks and I stare at her.
"You knew?" I ask.
"It's not that hard to figure out. Plus, I kind of went through his stuff." Kaitlin says and I laughed. "He's in major debt and he can't tell my mom. I've been trying to help with the money stuff. I told my mom I'm not into riding horses anymore, so he didn't have write another check."
"He's not in debt anymore." I told her.
"What?"
"Your dad was here with Kirsten Cohen today. We heard them talking and she agreed to pay off his debt." I told her.
"Oh great. I gave up my horses." Kaitlin sighed. "Do you think I could tell my mom, hormones made me do it?"
I laughed.
"You could certainly try."
"Do you really have to go?" Kaitlin asks.
"We do." I said.
"It sucks. You're like the first real friend, I have." Kaitlin tells me.
"Likewise." I replied.
"Can I spend the night?" Kaitlin then suddenly asks.
"If you do that, I don't know if I'll be able to leave." I laughed. It would be nice to stay and maybe have a few friends, but I knew we had to leave and it wouldn't be a smart idea to make it more difficult.
"Then don't."
I sighed.
"Come on, Sam. You're sixteen, you could get a job and when you have enough money for a place, maybe you could apply for emancipation. You maybe even go to school and we could hang out more." Kaitlin says, but the idea sounded too farfetched.
"Where would I stay until then?" I asked.
"Our mom never goes into the basement. You could live there." Kaitlin says, as a joke; at least I hoped it was a joke.
"Who am I? Harry Potter?"
"No, he lived under the stairs." Kaitlin pointed out.
"Sam?" I turned around to see Ryan was behind me.
"Sorry, Kaitlin was just saying goodbye." I said and then showed her out to the car.
"Well bye." I said, not sure what else to say. I'm not the best when it comes to actually talking.
I then went inside as Ryan was lighting some candles. I laid down on the sleeping bag and shut my eyes; I was tired, but then I heard a noise.
"That's probably Seth with the bus tickets." I said as I got up to go grab them.
"Seth, do you have the bus tickets? What took you so long—" I started to say but stopped at seeing it wasn't Seth, but instead it was Ricky, Luke, and a few other guys from the diner today.
"You aren't going anywhere, bitch." Ricky said.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"The better question is what are you and your brother doing with our girlfriends." Luke interjected.
"Nothing." I said. "We were talking."
"It's your fault she doesn't want to touch me anymore." Ricky said, looking very pissed off.
"She doesn't want to touch you anymore because you're an ass." I said, trying not to sound disgusted at the thought of Kaitlin actually liking this guy enough to have sex with him.
Then I turned to Luke.
"As for your girlfriend, nothing happened." I told him.
"It didn't look like nothing." Luke replied.
"Oh right, something did happen. She brought us toilet paper." I quipped. "Oh, she must be cheating on you."
"Shut up, bitch." Ricky yelled.
"Was I talking to you?" I replied, bitterly.
"I'm going to kill you." Ricky said as he stepped towards me, followed by Luke and the others. I went up the stairs.
"Ryan!" I yelled as I got the room and he stood up. Ricky pulled me back by my hair and then held a knife to my throat; so he was serious about killing me? He is seriously blaming me for Kaitlin not wanting to have sex with him? Even if it was my fault, is that a reason to kill me?
"What the hell are you doing?" Ryan asked.
"I think this is going a little too far." Luke said.
"NO!" Ricky yelled. "She took Kaitlin from me."
"I don't think that was me." I mumbled.
"SHUT UP!" Ricky yelled.
"Let her go." Ryan said, trying to stay calm.
"Seriously, Ricky, she's not worth it. Kaitlin isn't worth it. There are tons of other girls that you could be with. Marcy has sex with everyone. She's probably your type." Luke tried to reason and it seemed to help as he started to lower the knife.
"Just lower the knife." Luke added and he started to, but he then hesitated.
"Why do you care anyways, Luke? You want to kill him for what he's doing with Marissa. Why can't I kill her?" Ricky asks.
"I don't want to actually kill anyone." Luke said.
This is so stupid. Now, I seriously can't wait to be on that bus out of here.
"Sam, are you up here?" I heard Kaitlin's voice. "I think I left my cell phone—Ricky, what are you doing?"
"Get out, Kaitlin!" He yelled.
"Kaitlin, you should go." I said. I didn't want her to get hurt. At this point, Ricky might hurt anyone.
"What—Ricky, stop." Kaitlin begged. He turned around to face her, dropping the knife a bit. I then elbowed him in the stomach. Then Ryan charged at him, but Ricky continued to fight back, eventually causing Ryan to knock over some candles onto the paint. The room went up in flames as Ryan hit his head and the others fled.
I went over to him. I somehow managed to burn the back of my hand as the room was being consumed by flames.
"Sam, we have to go!" Kaitlin yelled.
"Help me!" I said as I started to cough of the smoke inhalation. Kaitlin and I managed to drag Ryan out the room. Then when he was semi-conscious, we supported him, getting him down the stairs and out of the building.
We managed to get out in time before the entire house went up in flames. That was last thing I remembered before I blacked out.
When I woke up, Ryan and I were in a back of a car and Kaitlin was driving. I had no idea where we were going.
"Kaitlin." I breathed.
"I'm glad you're not dead." She said. "How's Ryan?"
I check his pulse and then he started to open his eyes.
"We'll be fine." I said.
"I'm taking you guys to the hospital." Kaitlin told me and I shook my head.
"No hospital." Ryan spoke up before I could.
"They will ask what happened and they could get the police involved." I added. There was no way we could go to a hospital.
"Sam, you and Ryan could have died in that fire. You have a burn on your hand." Kaitlin said and I knew it was probably what we should do, especially since my hand hurts like a bitch, but I knew we couldn't, at least not here. We had to get out of town first.
"We have to go." Ryan said, sitting up. Did he want Kaitlin to pull over?
"You can't—"
"Kaitlin, pull over." Ryan said and she finally did on the side of the road. I looked back at Ryan before he was about to get out of the car. I guess he wasn't the only one feeling guilty about the whole burning down Kirsten's model home thing.
We couldn't just leave. It's not right.
"Take us back to the model home." I told her. I was sure that the cops would be there by now. We had to tell them what happened. I know this will get Seth into trouble with his parents, so I hope he won't be too mad.
The drive wasn't too long and we watched out the window for a moment. The Cohens were there, including Seth. Along with a bunch of cops. I guess we are going back to juvie. I guess that beats foster care, like I've been saying, but still, it wasn't exactly what I—what we wanted.
"Are you sure you guys want to do this?" Kaitlin asks.
"We have to." Ryan said and I nodded; it is the right thing to do.
We got out of the car and walked up the driveway. I looked away from the Cohens, staying next to my brother.
"We're sorry." Ryan said.
"Ryan Atwood?" One cop approached him.
"Samette Atwood?" Another approached me and I nodded—I really hate my name. Like Ryan, I put my hands behind my back. They cuffed the both of us and read us our rights.
"We have a few questions for you." They told us, leading us one of the police cars.
"It was an accident." I saw Luke pull up and run up the driveway; I guess he also felt guilty about what had happened.
"Were you there?" The officer asked him and Luke nodded. "Then we have some questions for you too."
While a third cop went over to cuff Luke, Sandy went over to Ryan and me as we were being taken away.
"Officer, I'm their attorney. Don't ask either of them questions unless I'm present." Sandy told him and then turned Ryan and me. "Ryan, Sam, keep your mouths shut." He told us and then told Luke to do the same.
We were put in the back of a cop car together. I put my head up against the window and then noticed Kaitlin standing outside the car. I smiled at her and mouthed 'thank you'. Eventually we were being driven down to the station.
There's no running away now.
A/N: So at a request, I aged up Kaitlin. She is a year younger than Marissa. Also Ricky started the fire and almost attempted to kill Sam.
Please don't forget to review.
