"Richie." Duncan said softly shaking the sleeping youth's shoulder.
"Ugh." He moaned and opened his eyes. "Mac, you're back." He sat up on the couch.
"Sorry to wake you, but somebody wants to talk to you."
"Where's Rylan?" Richie asked once his brain cleared.
"She's downstairs."
Rylan looked up as Richie thundered down the stairs. She met him at the bottom and for a minute they just looked at each other.
"Are you okay?" He finally asked softly smoothing back her hair.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you."
"What's up?"
Her eyes darted away from his. "I guess they didn't get the best impression of me, huh?" She asked casually looking up at the door.
"Hey, they'll understand. Don't worry about it. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"Well that, and I wanted to apologize."
Richie made a face. "Apologize? For what?"
"For the way I acted, what I said. I didn't mean it. I just. . . I was embarrassed and scared and I freaked out and said some pretty rude things that I shouldn't have said. And I'm sorry." She said as if she had rehearsed the apology in the car.
"Don't worry about it, Ry. It's okay." He brushed his hand across her cheek as she began to cry.
"No, it's not, Richie." She insisted. "I saw your face when I made that crack about Duncan and Tessa. That was low. I don't know why I acted the way I did, I just know I shouldn't have."
"Hey, what'd I just tell you, huh? It's okay, don't worry about it." He whispered. He held her and rested his chin on top of her head as she cried. "Shh, Ry, come on." He soothed. "There's something more to this, isn't there?"
"Does there always have to be something more?" She asked into his shoulder.
"I'm the center of the universe here, you should know that by now." He held her at arm's length as he tried to lighten the mood. "If I say there's something more, there's something more, so spill."
"I just. . . I guess I. . ." she fumbled over her words.
"You just, you guess. . . try finishing a sentence for a change." He joked with a crocked grin.
She looked up at him and smiled briefly. "I guess, I'm jealous." She said.
"Of what?"
"You."
"Me?" Richie asked in confusion. "What do you have to be jealous of me for?"
"Look around you, man. You have what I've been working for since I was nine: a great place to live, a family, people genuinely interested in you. . . I've been in your room, you have everything you need to start that band of yours. . .and it all fell into your lap." She sighed. "Angie always said you'd be the one to make it out. I just always thought I'd be there with you when you did."
"Since when does Rylan Fisher give up?" He tilted her chin up so she was looking him in the eye. "Give yourself time. You're sixteen, you have your whole life ahead of you."
"And what a life it's turning out to be." She crossed her arms and looked away.
"Hey it's not all that bad. You got me, don't you? And I think you're stuck with Mac and Tessa, despite what you might think."
"Oh, yeah?"
"I can guarantee Tessa's crazy about you. We had a long talk while you guys were gone and there is no way she's letting you go anywhere."
Rylan's eyes narrowed. "What did you guys talk about?"
"Everything." He turned and headed back up stairs.
"Woah, exactly what everything?" She demanded following him.
"That made no sense." He laughed entering the living room.
"It made perfect sense and you know it." She stopped behind him in the doorway. Duncan and Tessa stared at them with concerned expressions from the couch.
"Anything else?" Duncan questioned.
"Anything else, what?" Richie asked knowing Tessa had just filled Duncan in on what she had been told.
"Anything else you would like to share?"
"Nah, I'm good." He smiled.
"Richie, how can joke about this?" Duncan got up and strode across the room.
"I guess I'm just an immature, joke-about-anything-no-matter-how- inappropriate type of guy."
"Richie!"
"Hey, calm down. There are some situations where all you have is your sense of humor. This happens to be one of them."
"Situations like what?" Rylan asked.
Richie cleared his throat. "You know, um, situations. . .bad ones, really bad ones. Ones that happened about five years ago." He tried to explain. Rylan looked at him blankly.
"Called it what is, Richie, rape." Duncan said angrily.
Rylan's eyes grew wide. "Oh," she said softly "that's the everything you guys talked about."
"You didn't have to put it like that, Mac." Richie mumbled.
"That's what it is, isn't it?" Duncan spat glaring into Richie's eyes.
"Well, yeah I guess, but geeze. . ." He blushed and broke the gaze. Duncan looked at Rylan who sighed heavily and looked away.
"What is with you?" Duncan continued turning back to Richie. "How could you forget to mention something like that?"
"I don't know." He replied almost inaudibly.
"Well neither do I!" Duncan raged. "What about you?" He demanded of Rylan.
Her eyes flashed with anger. "Me? What was I supposed to say. 'Hey nice to meet you. Don't worry I didn't sleep with Richie, not that I'm an actual virgin or anything. But as far as my decisions are concerned I am.' Come on! That's not something someone brings up to break the ice!" She shouted. "Besides, the ice was pretty damn shattered long before I said anything!"
"Don't you use that tone of voice with me!" Duncan yelled.
Rylan paused mouth open, confused by what this particle stranger had just yelled at her. "You started it!" She finally defended.
"I did not!"
"Yeah, you did!"
"I'm not going to argue with a teenager!"
"Then stop picking fights with them!" She spat crossing her arms. Richie couldn't help but smile inspite himself as Duncan stared at Rylan. "What's the matter? Can't think of anything to say? Oh, come on you don't want to lose a fight to a puny teenager do you?" She continued with a smirk. She leaned closer to him. "Do you want me to give you a minute to think?"
"No I do not want you to give me a minute to think." He finally said.
"Well?"
"You're a very. . .You're a very lost child who compensates for her fear of abandonment by making sure she had no reason to ask anyone for help."
"Well, Dr. MacLeod that's very profound. Is there anything else you've picked up by analyzing me?"
"You have a fear of betrayal so you lash out when anyone does something that can put them in a position of control or anywhere closer then you want them to be."
She raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. "And where does your overwhelming need to be in charge come from?"
"Okay, Ry, Mac, let's just chill for a minute shall we? I think both of you are stepping onto dangerous ground here." Richie said stepping between the two. "Why don't we talk, Mac? You and me, you ask the questions, I give the answers, huh? How's that sound? And if you still have the need to yell and lecture, hell you can do that too. What do you think?"
"No, I want to talk to her." Duncan insisted.
"Not now."
"Oh, don't worry, Rich, it's fine. I'd like to see what he has to say." Rylan said over Richie's shoulder. "There's so much more I could learn about myself from him."
"I agree with Richie." Tessa said. "Duncan, you are too worked up right now. You aren't thinking clearly. Why don't you and Richie go get us some dinner? Rylan and I will set everything up here."
"That sounds like a great idea. How does Chinese sound to everyone?" Richie added pulling on Duncan's arm. "Come on, Mac. I'm driving."
"Duncan go. She'll be here when you get back." Tessa prompted.
"Not like I have a choice." Rylan mumbled.
"What?" Richie asked. "Wait, never mind. You can explain it to me on the way, Mac." He gave another tug on Duncan's arm. "I'm starving here, let's go already."
"Ugh." He moaned and opened his eyes. "Mac, you're back." He sat up on the couch.
"Sorry to wake you, but somebody wants to talk to you."
"Where's Rylan?" Richie asked once his brain cleared.
"She's downstairs."
Rylan looked up as Richie thundered down the stairs. She met him at the bottom and for a minute they just looked at each other.
"Are you okay?" He finally asked softly smoothing back her hair.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you."
"What's up?"
Her eyes darted away from his. "I guess they didn't get the best impression of me, huh?" She asked casually looking up at the door.
"Hey, they'll understand. Don't worry about it. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"Well that, and I wanted to apologize."
Richie made a face. "Apologize? For what?"
"For the way I acted, what I said. I didn't mean it. I just. . . I was embarrassed and scared and I freaked out and said some pretty rude things that I shouldn't have said. And I'm sorry." She said as if she had rehearsed the apology in the car.
"Don't worry about it, Ry. It's okay." He brushed his hand across her cheek as she began to cry.
"No, it's not, Richie." She insisted. "I saw your face when I made that crack about Duncan and Tessa. That was low. I don't know why I acted the way I did, I just know I shouldn't have."
"Hey, what'd I just tell you, huh? It's okay, don't worry about it." He whispered. He held her and rested his chin on top of her head as she cried. "Shh, Ry, come on." He soothed. "There's something more to this, isn't there?"
"Does there always have to be something more?" She asked into his shoulder.
"I'm the center of the universe here, you should know that by now." He held her at arm's length as he tried to lighten the mood. "If I say there's something more, there's something more, so spill."
"I just. . . I guess I. . ." she fumbled over her words.
"You just, you guess. . . try finishing a sentence for a change." He joked with a crocked grin.
She looked up at him and smiled briefly. "I guess, I'm jealous." She said.
"Of what?"
"You."
"Me?" Richie asked in confusion. "What do you have to be jealous of me for?"
"Look around you, man. You have what I've been working for since I was nine: a great place to live, a family, people genuinely interested in you. . . I've been in your room, you have everything you need to start that band of yours. . .and it all fell into your lap." She sighed. "Angie always said you'd be the one to make it out. I just always thought I'd be there with you when you did."
"Since when does Rylan Fisher give up?" He tilted her chin up so she was looking him in the eye. "Give yourself time. You're sixteen, you have your whole life ahead of you."
"And what a life it's turning out to be." She crossed her arms and looked away.
"Hey it's not all that bad. You got me, don't you? And I think you're stuck with Mac and Tessa, despite what you might think."
"Oh, yeah?"
"I can guarantee Tessa's crazy about you. We had a long talk while you guys were gone and there is no way she's letting you go anywhere."
Rylan's eyes narrowed. "What did you guys talk about?"
"Everything." He turned and headed back up stairs.
"Woah, exactly what everything?" She demanded following him.
"That made no sense." He laughed entering the living room.
"It made perfect sense and you know it." She stopped behind him in the doorway. Duncan and Tessa stared at them with concerned expressions from the couch.
"Anything else?" Duncan questioned.
"Anything else, what?" Richie asked knowing Tessa had just filled Duncan in on what she had been told.
"Anything else you would like to share?"
"Nah, I'm good." He smiled.
"Richie, how can joke about this?" Duncan got up and strode across the room.
"I guess I'm just an immature, joke-about-anything-no-matter-how- inappropriate type of guy."
"Richie!"
"Hey, calm down. There are some situations where all you have is your sense of humor. This happens to be one of them."
"Situations like what?" Rylan asked.
Richie cleared his throat. "You know, um, situations. . .bad ones, really bad ones. Ones that happened about five years ago." He tried to explain. Rylan looked at him blankly.
"Called it what is, Richie, rape." Duncan said angrily.
Rylan's eyes grew wide. "Oh," she said softly "that's the everything you guys talked about."
"You didn't have to put it like that, Mac." Richie mumbled.
"That's what it is, isn't it?" Duncan spat glaring into Richie's eyes.
"Well, yeah I guess, but geeze. . ." He blushed and broke the gaze. Duncan looked at Rylan who sighed heavily and looked away.
"What is with you?" Duncan continued turning back to Richie. "How could you forget to mention something like that?"
"I don't know." He replied almost inaudibly.
"Well neither do I!" Duncan raged. "What about you?" He demanded of Rylan.
Her eyes flashed with anger. "Me? What was I supposed to say. 'Hey nice to meet you. Don't worry I didn't sleep with Richie, not that I'm an actual virgin or anything. But as far as my decisions are concerned I am.' Come on! That's not something someone brings up to break the ice!" She shouted. "Besides, the ice was pretty damn shattered long before I said anything!"
"Don't you use that tone of voice with me!" Duncan yelled.
Rylan paused mouth open, confused by what this particle stranger had just yelled at her. "You started it!" She finally defended.
"I did not!"
"Yeah, you did!"
"I'm not going to argue with a teenager!"
"Then stop picking fights with them!" She spat crossing her arms. Richie couldn't help but smile inspite himself as Duncan stared at Rylan. "What's the matter? Can't think of anything to say? Oh, come on you don't want to lose a fight to a puny teenager do you?" She continued with a smirk. She leaned closer to him. "Do you want me to give you a minute to think?"
"No I do not want you to give me a minute to think." He finally said.
"Well?"
"You're a very. . .You're a very lost child who compensates for her fear of abandonment by making sure she had no reason to ask anyone for help."
"Well, Dr. MacLeod that's very profound. Is there anything else you've picked up by analyzing me?"
"You have a fear of betrayal so you lash out when anyone does something that can put them in a position of control or anywhere closer then you want them to be."
She raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. "And where does your overwhelming need to be in charge come from?"
"Okay, Ry, Mac, let's just chill for a minute shall we? I think both of you are stepping onto dangerous ground here." Richie said stepping between the two. "Why don't we talk, Mac? You and me, you ask the questions, I give the answers, huh? How's that sound? And if you still have the need to yell and lecture, hell you can do that too. What do you think?"
"No, I want to talk to her." Duncan insisted.
"Not now."
"Oh, don't worry, Rich, it's fine. I'd like to see what he has to say." Rylan said over Richie's shoulder. "There's so much more I could learn about myself from him."
"I agree with Richie." Tessa said. "Duncan, you are too worked up right now. You aren't thinking clearly. Why don't you and Richie go get us some dinner? Rylan and I will set everything up here."
"That sounds like a great idea. How does Chinese sound to everyone?" Richie added pulling on Duncan's arm. "Come on, Mac. I'm driving."
"Duncan go. She'll be here when you get back." Tessa prompted.
"Not like I have a choice." Rylan mumbled.
"What?" Richie asked. "Wait, never mind. You can explain it to me on the way, Mac." He gave another tug on Duncan's arm. "I'm starving here, let's go already."