Yay! Chapter four, filled with smutty and angsty goodness!

Enjoy, and review!

Ryan waited, tapping his fingers on the table and glancing at his phone often. She was late. Again.

"Ryan!" he glanced up, and she was waving at him from across the room. He tried to smile and wave back, but he didn't quite manage it. "You're angry," she slumped into the booth.

"Not angry. I'm just not sure why you have to spend so much time with this guy."

She sighed, "I'm sorry, I know you don't like Hunter." He snorted. "But he's the head of the technical department, and I'm running the play. We have to work together a lot."

"Ok, well, I didn't even want to come to this thing tonight," he gestured around them at the Newport Group fundraiser. "You made me come, and then showed up an hour and a half late."

Taylor glanced around the room, filled with the cream of the social crop. She knew how bored Ryan must have been, what with Seth following Summer around. Ryan had sat himself in a secluded booth in the back of the room, pretty much hiding himself with the distance coupled with the low lighting. She had barely seen him herself. "I know. I'm really sorry, " she caught his hand in her own. Ryan felt slightly guilty that he was so irritated. And he was angry, but the pleading look in her eyes made him feel bad about wanting to murder Hunter. "But I want to make it up to you. I want to thank you, for putting up with this. I want to let you know how grateful I am that you've been so amazing about this."

Ryan clenched his fist around his drink. Noises from the party drifted towards him, and he tried to think only of them. He smiled and waved stiffly at people walking past his booth, wishing it was over, and that it would never stop.

"Ryan Atwood," an older man greeted him.

"Hi," he grunted, trying to think of a name but failing miserably. He could barely process any thoughts right now.

The man sat in the seat on the other side of the booth, and Ryan began to panic. The man didn't seem to notice. "I heard from Sandy Cohen that you used to work construction?" Ryan nodded. "Well, if you ever want to take a summer job, I have some construction positions open." Ryan realized suddenly that this was Simon Maxwell, the head of a very prominent architectural group.

"That would be great, Mr. Maxwell," he replied. Maxwell was about to say something else when Ryan began choking suddenly.

"Are you alright?" Maxwell looked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ryan regained composure, but his face was pale, like all the blood was gone. He looked strained.

"You should get some sleep, son," Maxwell reached out his hand and Ryan shook it.

"I'll do that, sir."

He waited until Maxwell was out of sight before letting out a grunt, and dropping his head into his hands. Anyone passing would think he was just a little tired.

The truth was that Taylor Townsend was sucking his dick like a pro under the table. He bit into his palm to keep from groaning as she deep throated him, purring. He shuddered, and she swallowed his come compulsively.

He was slumped forward, exhausted. "You're ok," he whispered when no one was looking. She quickly popped up from the floor, and retook her seat, opening the menu.

"This party has such great food, don't you think?" she asked cheerfully.

Ryan leaned against Taylor's locker, trapping her between the cold metal and his body. She giggled, playing with his shirt.

Ew, look at them. She's such a slut."

Taylor froze as the whisper reached her ear. She turned to look at two girls laughing at her. She tried to focus back on Ryan.

"Why is he with her? He's so hot… although I heard her mom's really loaded. Maybe he's after that."

"Taylor, what's wrong?" Ryan's voice cut through the whispers.

"Nothing," she tried to smile at him. "So you were saying something about Simon Maxwell?"

"Yeah," his eyes lit up. "Apparently Sandy talked to him about me, and he offered me a job next summer doing construction." She grinned up at him.

"Maybe he's just as big of a freak as she is."

"I should get to class," she pushed past him, not looking back at the confusion on his face.

She tried to get rid of the whispers as she walked. They were the same things that her mother said to her; that she said to herself.

"All I know is she's dragging Ryan down with her."

Taylor froze, ducking behind a pillar. Marissa and Summer were sitting on the couches with Seth.

"And I'm not?" Seth asked, shooting a glare at the tall girl.

"Well, no, because you're with Summer now. But Ryan? He's a nobody here right now, and she's a social leper."

She felt fingertips brush against her side, and smiled. "Ryan-" her voice broke off when it wasn't him.

"Not quite," Hunter smiled at her. "How's it going?"

Taylor glanced up at the stage where they were hanging the scenery. "Fine, I guess. Taking forever, though," she shot another glance at her watch.

"You know, you used to be so dedicated," he mused. "You spent so much time and energy on your work. Now it's always 'they're taking forever', or 'how long will this take'. I heard talk that they're thinking of replacing you."

"Because I actually have a life now?" the day caught up with her, and she barely held her voice together.

"You're always rushing to be with that Ryan kid. Maybe if he joined the clubs with you, or something, then you could spend time together and do work. Cause right now, you're so wrapped up in him, you're ignoring everything else."

"So, are you going to join anything?" she picked at the hem of her shirt.

"Hm?" he asked, glancing away from the TV.

"At Harbor. Are you going to join any clubs, or sports, or something?"

He laughed. "Taylor, I'm not really an extra-curricular kind of guy," he put his arm around her shoulders. "Why?"

"Well, you're new to the school, you should try to make friends."

"I have friends."

"I meant beyond Seth, Summer, Marissa and I," she resisted the urge to make a face when she said 'Marissa'. "You aren't really known at Harbor. People might get the wrong idea about you."

He sighed, pressing the mute button and turning to her. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

He didn't press the issue, unmuting the TV. "Hey, we're all going to the pier on Saturday, wanna come?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well," she took a deep breath, "your friends don't really like me. Plus, I have things I should do for the play."

"Seth likes you, and I think Summer's coming around." He didn't say anything about Marissa. "You're always doing stuff for the play. Can't you take a night off?"

"No, Ryan, I can't." She pulled away from him angrily. "You can't waltz into my life and ask me to give up the things I've been doing for years."

"What?"

"You can't just ask me to stop doing the play. I like doing it, and apparently I've been ignoring my duties to spend time with you. Hunter says they're going to fire me if I don't get my act together." She stood up angrily.

"Oh, Hunter told you that," Ryan laughed. She bristled at his tone. "Yeah, I'm sure he wants you to feel real guilty about being with me."

"That's not fair, Ryan. It's true. I've been cutting out early every day, and not going sometimes. Maybe if you joined…"

"I'm not joining drama club," his voice was condescending, and she looked hurt.

"Well, I'm glad you think so highly of it."

"Taylor…"

"No. Why don't you tell me how you really feel?" she was angry now, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Fine," he growled, standing up as well. "I think you're letting that Hunter guy get to your head. I think he's trying to get back into your pants, and you're oblivious to it. He's trying to turn you against me by making you feel guilty."

"He doesn't need to try and turn me against you," she whispered. "Cause you're doing a damn good job of it right now. All I did was ask you to let me do a little more for the drama club, and you turn this back on Hunter. I get it, you're jealous. Fine, but don't take it out on me."

"I am not jealous," his voice went flat and his face tightened.

"No? Cause you're acting like it. I'm sorry Seth had to tell you about him, I am. But I can't take back anything I did with him. And I know," she turned away from him, pacing, and missing the confused look on his face, "I acted stupidly with him. But I was young, and confused. And I didn't know a lot about guys back then. And he was nice to me. I really liked him, so yes, I slept with him-"

"Wait," Ryan's tone made her freeze. "He was the first guy you…"

"Seth didn't tell you that? Ryan, besides you, he's the only guy I've ever slept with. I know my reputation, but I'm really not a whore. People just think that because we got caught at a party…"

"This is great," Ryan rubbed his eyes, trying to erase the image of her and Hunter together. "Just… fucking great."

"Ryan…"

"No, I think you should go." He couldn't get the picture of them out of his head. He was getting angry, and he needed her to leave before he said something stupid.

"I can't believe you're doing this. I never said one thing about all the girls you've probably done, how dare you hold this against me."

"Yeah, well, I'm not spending an ungodly amount of time with any of them," he blurted out, regretting it immediately.

"No, but you are spending an ungodly amount of time with Marissa Cooper," she hissed.

"What? How did we get to Marissa? Don't turn this on me," he pointed at her.

"Oh, right, I forgot, you're the only one who's allowed to be suspicious and jealous."

"I think you need to leave," he repeated.

"Fine. And from now on, you don't need to worry about me spending time with Hunter, cause we're over."

The door slammed behind her, and Ryan resisted the urge to break something

Stay tuned for chapter 5: guilt, misunderstandings, and a break!

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