Chapter 14
"I can't believe how kiddish you can be sometimes.." Ty chuckled and planted a kiss on his girlfriend's bare shoulder as they sat cuddled up on the sofa watching of all things Disney's Aladdin. Granted they had spent the first two of the last three hours watching the above and beyond special features accompanying said DVD. And for once, he had actually enjoyed the extra stuff. In fact, in this case, he liked the special features a whole lot more than the actual movie.
"What? It's a classic and the music is awesome. Plus..I melt at Aladdin's voice." Charet exaggerated a sigh and fanned herself in a mocking way. "There's just something about him.."
Ty laughed. "Are you seriously telling me that a cartoon character turns you on?"
"He is not a cartoon character. The correct term is animated. And yes, I am. And another fun fact.. The first time I ever heard his voice, I was certain I'd heard it before. So I did some research and guess what.." Just talking about the actor was enough to make her smile and regress in years to the giddish mentality of a toddler.
"You found out he..um.. Did another Disney character?" He supplied on a pure guess.
Charet shook her head. "No. He was DJ's first love on Full House!" Both her tone and her body shot up in gleeful reaction. "The guy was my first actor crush..Scott Weinger."
Ty jerked backward to avoid getting her elbow in his chest as she jumped up. "I thought you didn't believe that whole Hollywood Crush Syndrome? And second.. I hate to say it.. But I not only have a clue about the show, but I had a thing for DJ." He smiled back at her. "Though I can't say I ever got this riled up.."
"Awwww…" She patted his shoulder. "You know.. Now we have to stay up one night and watch a marathon of Full House on NickatNite..or whatever that channel is called.."
"Right.." He teased. "I'm actually going to sit through several hours of watching you moon over some random actor in his peak period who is now probably bald and fat.."
"You're half right. He is losing his hair..poor guy.." Charet sighed and snuggled back into him. "Now hush.. This is my favorite part.." She pointed a finger toward the big screen tv in front of them just as Aladdin stepped onto Jasmine's balcony to try to smooth things over.
Ty abliged her request and found himself actually able to recall and recite the dialouge in his head, a repression from his younger years.
"Jenny!" Steven called into the apparently empty house as he stood in the entranceway one hand still holding his key in the lock and the other clutching a paper bag and a Styrofoam beverage carry-out tray.
Instantaneously popping her head out of one of the back rooms by the stairs, she smiled brightly at him. "You're carting fast food!" She was by his side and taking the bag and tray from him in less than thirty seconds.
"I figured you could use a pick-me-up." He grinned and followed her to the den, sitting down on the sofa with her. "And I vividly recall that nothing makes you happier than blowing off your healthy habits and chowing down on a Big Mac and sky rocketing your calorie count into the strasphere for the day."
Jennifer giggled as she listened to him explain her so well. "You really do know me." She took a big bite of the burger and chewed daintily for a minute before continuing. "Ok.. What makes me feel better after a particularly stressful day?"
Steven chewed a couple minutes not because he didn't know the answer, but because he had a mouth full of French fries. "Easy. Betty Crocker Fuge Brownies. Usually two."
"Alright..a hard one then.." She bit her lip as she thought. "Hmm.. Name my all time favorite item of food stuffs that I often used to eat daily when we first met and can not actually cook myself." Sipping her Diet Coke, she awaited his answer.
"Would that be..a chocolate, sugar coated, fudge filled pastry.." He wasn't one hundred percent sure this time, but it seemed right.
"I totally forgot about those!" Jennifer shrieked, slapping his knee. "They were so good too. All soft and doughy, with that powdered sugar.. Oh and the yummy fudgey filling..mmm.."
Steven snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Come back from Chocolate Town, Jenny." He hadn't said that in years. It had been his way of teasing her when she would drift off in a chocolate euphoria.
Echoing his own thoughts, she smiled. "You haven't said that in years, Steven."
"I know.." He smiled and took another bite of his burger. "So you feeling better?"
"Aside from now wanting one of those pastries.. I'm great." She stuffed a handful of fries into her mouth and chewed. "Ahh..Sooo..Good.."
"You do realize that tonight's dinner will be something like Chicken Broth soup and and an apple.." Steven was only half serious, but he enjoyed her look of disdain.
"Chicken Broth? As in water and chicken juices?" Jennifer felt her imagination grip her senses as bile rose up to coat her throat. Immeadiately, she crammed the remaining half of her Big Mac into her mouth and chewed savoring the taste.
He watched her scarf the rest of her meal and chuckled to himself. Clearly if he actually made that for dinner, he'd be sleeping alone tonight.
Alegra muttered to herself as the Rork's long time maid and cook opened the front door for her before she could even put the key in the lock. "Hey, Constance." She stepped into the house and immediately kicked off her biege sandals. "Where's Dad?"
Constance, a portly woman of sixty with piercing blue eyes and a surly disposition, shut the door before she responded. "Your father is awaiting you in the Study." White hair tucked in a rough bun and that ugly purple apron she wore when cooking, she shook her head and headed back into the expansive kitchen.
"I showed!" Alegra hollered as she threw open the door to her father's study. She halted mid step when the person her dad was talking with turned their head. A cop. The uniform and the steeley expression gave him away easily. What was a cop doing here? And alone? No partner? She silently shut the door and studied the man. Tall. Maybe six foot three. Graying blond hair. Blue eyes. Strong build. Relaxed posture.
Forrester smiled at his daughter and gestured for her to come stand by his side. "I assure you, my Alegra had nothing to do with it." He caught his daughter's eye and spoke calmly. "Darling, please speak to Mr. Wallace."
Understanding immediately, Alegra put up the "good daughter" smoke screen and smiled at the cop. "I'd gladly assist you in any investigation,Sir. How can I help?"
"You can tell me if you know this boy." The answer was sharp and distant as the man held up a picture of Kirk.
"Uh.. I think he came into the gas station once. Has he done something, officer?" She allowed her tone to trigger a fear pitch and shrank back from the photo in pretend distress.
"We believe his intention to harm a one Charet Connors. And Miss Rork..we have it on good authority that you not only know him, you are spending your nights with him." Officer Wallace answered without emotion.
Suddenly, the door opened and Constance smiled at the three. "Dinner is served. Mr. Wallace, will you be staying again tonight?"
Forrester turned to the man. "How about it, Robert? You haven't been around in a while."
Robert Wallace smiled and clapped his god-niece on the shoulder. "Surely I'll stay. I miss talking to little Alegra."
"I miss you to, Uncle Robert. So did Dad tell you about Kirk?" Alegra asked the three made their way out of the Study and into the kitchen.
"I didn't have to. Your new plaything is all the talk in San Francisco. His father is anxious to have his uncontrollable protegee' home." Robert responded.
"So.. We have to step up his breakdown rate huh?" Alegra turned to her father.
"Yes." Forrester nodded as he took his seat at the fine mahogany table.
"Well.. Can I get an approximation.." Alegra stated as she sat down to her father's left.
"We will speak more after dinner. Here comes Constance." Forrester smiled to his long time servant as she walked into the room with a tray of perfectly cooked and herb seasoned Cornish Game Hens.
"Enjoy." Constance set the tray on the rack in the middle of the table and then walked back into the kitchen for the rest of the dishes.
Ryan's bemused tone invaded Ty's mind as he watched the credits roll on the big screen tv in front of him. THE LAST MOVIE I REMEMBER SEEING WAS ONE OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS. . You act like it's unmasculine to watch an animated flim. NOT UNMASCULINE. JUST..UM..CHILDISH. Very funny. I'll have you know I said that very thing to Charet as she laid the DVD in the tray. SO SHE WANTED TO WATCH IT, AND WANTED YOU TO WATCH IT WITH HER? Yes. Men do weird stuff for their woman, Ryan. You should know that. THAT WE DO. SO..IS ROBIN WILLIAMS AS HILARIOUS AS THEY SAY? He's great. Big. Loud. Exactly what you'd expect from the guy. COOL.
Ty lifted his gaze from the tv screen and smiled at his sleeping girlfriend. She had snuggled up to him, resting her head against his stomach and curling her arms in to lay on his left thigh. Her long, denim clad legs were pulled up into her chest and her white bare feet seemed to have disappeared entirely under a large black throw pillow she must have used to keep her toes warm. Her lustrious brown hair covered her face and tucked into the same space as her curled arms. The glow of the tv screen laid upon her soft, caucasion skin like a nearly translucent blanket. She was absolutely serene and he had no desire to wake her for any reason. He simply wanted to spend his night watching the remarkable specimen of goddess sleep. But that hope was shattered when he heard Linkin Park's "In the End" coming out in a muffled volume from the tiny silver and black cell phone laying on the coffee table underneath a discarded magazine, a used paper towel, and an empty paper plate. He found the phone quickly and studied the display. C. Who was C? Caitlyn Cooper? He fliped the phone open and put it to his ear. "Hello.."
Cire froze when he realized who was on the other end of the line. And it was not Charet. Without another thought, he ended the call and let out his breath. He hadn't meant for the girl to get in trouble with her boyfriend. And surely, she would be now. He dropped his cell phone back into the pocket of his pants and heel kicked the brick wall he was leaning against. His impulsive nature was getting him in trouble again. But he had to see her again. He had to.
"Marissa…" Caitlyn kneeled down, her bare knees making contact with the cold grass of the grave in front of her. She ran a hand over the cold slab and traced the birth and death dates very slowly. "I..uh..brought you .." A twig snapping just to her left caught her attention and she turned her head. A blond woman stood there with tear streaked cheeks and a tiny boquet of various flowers. "It's not polite to listen in."
"Hey..sorry. I was just..visiting..my son.." The woman motioned to the grave adjacent Marissa's and stepped closer to the young girl. "My..Ryan.."
Caitlyn studied the woman a second and then looked back to Ryan's grave. "You're his real mom? You're the lady who just up and abandoned him?" A sense of protectiveness made her body tingle with rage as she addressed the woman. "I don't think you deserve to be here at all."
"I know..ok..I know I was a bad mother..really bad..I know. But I just..I wanted to say sorry…." Dawn Atwood bit her lip to keep from breaking down. "Please..let me say sorry.." She cast her blurred vision onto the headstone. "My..Ryan.."
"Fine." Caitlyn conceded and rose to her feet, brushing off her knees. "But you still don't desrve it. And you never will. Just like my sister..your son is gone, lady. Gone. Dead and gone. He can't forgive you anymore than my sister can forgive me! Accept it!" Starting to really lose her composure, she took off running across the cemetery. She had to get out of here. Now.
Dawn watched the girl's silohuette disappear into the darkness of the night and stood there in awe of the verbal thrashing she'd just been subjected to. She sighed and crouched in front of Ryan's grave. "Hey Hon. Listen..I know you can't hear me..or answer me..but I just really needed to tell you I'm sorry." She cleared her throat and set the boquet against the headstone. "Ah..kid..I wronged you so much. Kicking you out. Abandoning you..a lot.. But you still reached out to me huh.. Inviting me to watch you Graduate. And to your birthday… but my biggest wrong was not attending your funeral. I'm sorry,Ry…I just couldn't do it. I should have..but I ran..I always do.." Later, she would chock it up to the few drinks she had had early that day but for now she was inclined to believe her son was really speaking to her as six very important words echoed in her mind I FORGIVE YOU. I LOVE YOU. "I love you,Ry.." She kissed her hand and then pressed it to the chisled portion of the cold stone that stated the name of the deceased…Ryan Atwood. Then, she started to stand and stopped. "I guess I should say something to you to." Her eyes took in the headstone beside her son's. Marissa Cooper. "We never really met out right but I wanna say..say thanks. You made my Ry such a good man. And..I think it would have worked.. So thanks..Marissa.." Standing straight again, she walked away from the two plots and let her tears fall unrestrained.
Kirk sat hunched over in the booth, his hands clasped on top of the table. His motel room was so boring when Alegra wasn't around. Nothing to do had lead him to the pier and from there his growling stomach had lead him here to this quaint little fifties-esque diner. He lifted his hands as his meal was placed in front of him by the soft spoken brunette who'd taken his order twenty or so minutes earlier. "Thanks, beautiful."
The petite waitress smiled back at him. "Trouser it. I'm not interested. And I'm probably three years older than you." She turned to walk away.
He lightly grabbed her arm as she turned. "Hey.. You got me wrong. I think every woman is beautiful."
"Uh-huh…" She caught his eye and motioned to the fork laying beside his plate. "Unless you want that jammed into your eye, Romeo, you'll take your hand off me."
Without a word, Kirk let her go and busied himself with his short stack. Clearly the waitress was not guy friendly. That was ok. But she was so pretty. And three years older..that was a first. He'd never tried to go after an older woman. It could be a lot of fun. And it certainly would fight the boredom. Considering it, he took a bite of his pancakes and chewed slowly.
Across the resturant, the waitress stood at the cash register getting change for another customer when her cell phone went off. She checked the display, smiled, and answered the call. "Hey. No. I'm ok. I'm telling him Friday I think. I'd love that. Totally. I love you." She hung up and finished getting the cash, shut the register, and walked back over to the table handing the customer, a quiet elderly man, his money.
Kirk watched her every movement with hawk eyes. What he wanted to know more than anything was who she conversed with just now. She'd said I love you in a sweet tone, as if she was talking to a boyfriend or girlfriend..but he didn't think she swung that way. So it had to a boyfriend. And from her little smile when the person had suggested something that she said she'd love…well that sounded like she hadn't seen the guy in a little while. As if she was longing for him. But then, there wasn't any lust factor in her voice so maybe it was close friend who was a guy. Whatever the case, she was irresistible now. He just wished he'd listened to her when she'd told him her name. Or had bothered to take a look at her name tag even. The pretty brunette was standing beside him again.
"You want any dessert?" She asked coldly.
Kirk smiled as he noted the name on her nametag. "Not tonight, Summer."
Clearly unnerved by his comment, Summer Roberts looked back at the boy. "Not ever. Here's your check." She slapped the piece of paper onto the table and sauntered off, silently fuming. There was no way she was going back to that table. She had enough to deal with right now without adding a hormonal pursuer to the list. For starters, Seth was still at RISD and begging her to come back to Brown. Second, she was still keeping her arrival and stay in town away from her dad and Julie Cooper…now Julie-Cooper-Nichol-Roberts. It was hard enough to let him marry the woman, but having to live with the mini Coop…having a constant reminder of her deceased best friend..that was something she refused to handle. So she'd ran away to Brown thinking submerging herself in college life would dull the pain of loss. It hadn't. And soon just being around Seth and Ryan was torture…and then Ryan ..he'd been so low for so long..and then just gave up. Seth spiraled down after that, now he'd lost his best friend too. But Seth was to much to handle along with Julie becoming her new step-monster, and Ryan commiting suicide. She couldn't help anyone anymore.. Not till she got clarity herself. So she'd ran again. This time to Florida for a few months to stay with a college friend's sister, then she'd gone to New York and then just about a month ago.. She'd gathered her nerve and returned to Newport. But not to her dad's. That would come in time. For now it was a modest apartment in the business area of the town and a blue collar job as a waitress here at the diner…the diner the fab four had shared..and would never share again..
Kevin opened the trailer door and looked it up and down for signs of his fat, lazy, Southern room mate. There were none. That was good. He shut the door and went into the back of the small space. His eyes rested on the multi-colored orange trimmed, flap over short sleeved shirt and pair of worn in jeans that laid as though a girl was wearing them, on his bed where he'd put them earlier. He sat down on the mattress and looked the empty clothes over wishing they were filled. Wishing that Marissa was laying there waiting for him. He could smell her shampoo, taste her kiss, and remember her warmth. But it wasn't enough. He needed Her. The real thing. Not just unsatisfying memories.
Caitlyn tore through the Robert's McMansion, rushing up the stairs and slamming her door shut violently. She'd held everything in for so long and now she was losing it. Fast. She ran into her bathroom, previously Summer and Marissa's joint bathroom, and rummaged through her toiletries for anything she could hurt herself with. Her hand closed around her curling iron and she lifted it off the counter and and began to beat herself around the head and shoulders with short, powerful hits. But the pain wasn't enough.. This wasn't working.. She needed something else.. Again, she rummaged through the pile and pulled up her razor and her nail file..crying and shaking, she cut into her arms and stabbed her legs till she sat, groggy, on the tile floor the products discarded and her life pouring from her body in as many as twenty separate places. Her last thought was of who would be lucky enough to find her in the morning, and she desperately wanted it to be her mother. But the reason for that was something she couldn't fathom as she blacked out.