Author's note: I know I'm awful! I went out of town again and forgot to post before I left. But to make it up to all of you lovely people, I'm posting this (last week's chapter) now and mere minutes from now, I will have THIS week's chapter up too. Hopefully I can finally be consistent and have another new one up next Wednesday.


Ryan was wrapped up in the movie before he knew it. He hadn't watched cartoons since he was little and they were never like this. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye and immediately looked up. It was the son and a teenage girl.

"This is Summer, my girlfriend. Summer, this is Ryan. Dad's bastard."

"Seth!" It was unison between the girl and the father.

"What? I thought we were still being discreet around the munchkin." Ryan didn't look up to see anyone's reactions. He just wanted to watch the movie. Apparently Rosie did too. She pushed her finger on the 'volume up' button and didn't let go until her father scolded her. He didn't backhand her across the face, he didn't roughly grab her by the arm, he didn't even yell. He sternly said her name. And she turned down the volume. Ryan was amazed at his father's calmness and the little girl's obedience despite violence. Maybe just the threat was enough for her?

Maybe she was smarter than Ryan ever was. When the volume was back to a normal level, the other teenagers sat on the loveseat together. Ryan cringed internally. He didn't want a conversation whether he be involved or not. He wanted it quiet so he could finish the movie. They didn't talk though, they settled in, his arm around her, and started watching the movie. Did they really have nothing better to do? Or was Ryan's interest in the movie not as unfounded as he thought.

When the credits began to roll, Ryan snapped out of his trance. He noticed quiet noise on the loveseat and wondered how long they had been talking for. The older man had his head leaning against the back of the couch with his eyes closed, his daughter now laid across the couch with her head on his knee.

She picked up the remote, hit menu and then play. They movie began again.


"No, no more. It's naptime." Sandy hoped she wouldn't put up a fight. He didn't even want to open his eyes; he definitely didn't want to have to deal with his daughter's scream.

He heard her moan loudly and decided that he was, in fact, going to have to get up and take her upstairs. He grabbed the remote, turned the TV off and picked her up. She didn't give much more of a fight.

"Will you read me a story?"

"Fine, but just one."

"Two?"

"One."

"Threeeee?"

Sandy could barely make it through one. The images of Ryan he saw and the ones he imagined were wearing his brain out. He couldn't rest until he was sure that he would be safe. He found Ryan in the kitchen, carrying their plates. He sighed. That wasn't Ryan's job.

"Hey, kid. How about we postpone you cleaning up after yourself until after you're doing better, all right? I don't want you hurting your knee anymore." He simply nodded and leaned against the counter. "I have a meeting to go to, so I'll be gone for a couple of hours. I don't know if you wanna hang out with Seth and Summer? I mean, you're going to be here for a while so you may as well get to know each other."

Ryan nodded his head only slightly.

"Or you could go hang out in your room? Your mother dropped off some of your stuff with social services. It's in my car. I'll throw it upstairs before I go, okay?"


Ryan watched Sandy run out to his car. What had his mother left him? Had she planned on abandoning him for a long time? Was she just waiting until she had an opportunity to do it?

He wanted to be by himself. Really, he wanted to go home and be by himself. Too much had changed in a month. He needed to time to think. But think about what? How his father and brother were in jail? How his mother abandoned him? How his mother cheated on his father? How his father wasn't really his father? Did he know it?

He saw someone walking in to the kitchen and turned towards them. Her. It was Summer.

"It was nice meeting you! I'm sure I'll see you around!" He tried to give a little smile and held his hand up in a wave, without really responding. Girls were easy. Much easier than scrawny teenage boys who were suddenly his brother. Or men who never shut up, yet still say nothing, who were suddenly his father.

Now that his girlfriend was gone, would it be easier or harder to hang out with Seth? He walked into the living room to find out. By the time he actually looked over to him, he had his video game paused and was staring at Ryan. Ryan was never comfortable being stared at. He looked away first.

"Do you wanna play?" He looked back. This time Seth was looking away.

"Sure."


Sandy walked back to the house holding an overstuffed dufflebag. Ryan wasn't already holed up in his room. That was a good sign. They were going to need to decorate or something if he was going to be living with them from now on. What did he like? Seth's walls were covered with band posters. Was Ryan into music? Or sports? He sighed. Decorating could wait.

He heard talking coming from the living room. He hoped Seth wasn't transferring the hard time he was having onto Ryan. It didn't sound angry. It was quiet. He snuck up to the doorway and peaked in.

They were both sprawled out on separate couches with controllers in their hands, staring at the TV. Ryan said something. Seth smiled at whatever it was he had said, Ryan was still so quiet, and started talking. Sandy smiled as he watched his son's mouth move a mile a minute. Having a normal Seth around was sure to help Ryan adjust faster instead of the quiet, confused Seth that had been walking around for the past 48 hours.

"Seth." He immediately regretted his interruption. Ryan stopped looking at the TV, stopped maneuvering the buttons on the controller, and was staring at Sandy's feet. Waiting? Sandy didn't want to know what for. "I'm going out. Keep an eye on your sister."

"Yeah sure." Seth didn't even glance up at his father. "Dude. I just killed you like four times."

"You boys have fun." Sandy hoped that watching how unafraid Seth was around him would help Ryan relax.