Okay.I hope I'm not confusing you guys too much, I think this chapter will
explain a lot..even though it might be a tad unbelievable. True, it's kind
of a stretch, but it's fun to write and hopefully fun to read! Please
please please review! They really help me out a lot. I love knowing what
you guys think. R&R!!!! Thanks!
*
Okay, Ryan thought to himself, still on Seth's bed, moments after his huffed exit. Let's take stock here. He had seen Marissa and Seth kiss last night. Marissa and Seth, whom he'd thought were a few "Hello"s away from being perfect strangers, who happened to be neighbors. Marissa and Seth, who's behavior together completely supported this theory. So why would they be kissing? And what was bothering Seth, anyway? Seth didn't seem like the type to kiss someone and then refer to her as a "superficial bitch". Unless there was something else. But what? Ryan needed to go clear his head.
"Hey, Seth?" Ryan called as he went into the hallway. He wasn't sure where Seth had stalked off to.
"Seth, buddy? Listen, I'm going to go for a walk.."
No reply.
"All right then. I'll see you later!" Ryan called as he jogged down the steps and out the door.
He wasn't really sure where to go, he didn't have anywhere to go. Any public place threatened to house the water-polo prep that had it out for him, so Ryan thought he'd just wander around and hope that Seth's tour had been efficient enough to ensure he didn't get lost.
Ryan walked for awhile in no particular direction, using his mind to think rather than navigate. He soon found himself on a deserted patch of beach, most likely rejected because of the jagged rocks spiking threateningly out of the sand. But Ryan didn't mind, he was used to his surroundings being a little rough around the edges. In fact, he appreciated being alone. He'd never thought he'd actually want to be by himself, after spending most of his life that way. Now that he actually had a family, he wanted to be alone. Ryan couldn't comprehend this.
Then again, at the moment, there were lots of things he couldn't comprehend. His head was spinning with questions. Since his first brilliant plan in the car had failed, and his attempt to get Seth to talk about it now served as Strike Two, there was only one logical conclusion Ryan could come to as he stared into the sunset. Spy on them some more.
Ryan sat down on a boulder near the shoreline, buffed smooth from the tide. He let the sound of the surf calm his nerves. He closed his eyes and tipped his face up to the twilight sky, and try to push away all thoughts of Chino, his mother, Seth, and Marissa.. Convinced that his mental slate was clean, Ryan started back for the Cohens'..only to have his slate contaminated all over again.
*
The Cohen's house was dark when Ryan got back, so he let himself into the poolhouse. He opened the door, flipped on the lightswitch, and was blinded. Not by the contrast of bright, flourescent light to the dark of the newborn evening, but by the sight of Seth and Marissa "getting their mack on" as Seth would say, on the poolhouse floor.
Ryan froze in shock, and his jaw dropped, creating a slight gasp.
Seth and Marissa's gasps weren't so slight. They were, in fact, more like the startled yelps of unsuspecting dogs being kicked. (Ah, the sounds that remind Ryan of home).
"Ryan! Hey buddy, what're you doing here?!" Seth asked in a rush as he and Marissa stood up in record time, straightening their clothes.
"Uh, I live here.." Ryan said vacantly, not taking his eyes off the two, who had both turned the color of the bleeding sunset outside. "What are you doing here? I mean, it's kind of obvious what you're doing, but-" Ryan rambled on awkwardly.
"I'm sorry, I've got to go," Marissa said anxiously as she pushed past Seth and Ryan, obviously exceptionally ashamed.
"What. The hell. Was that?" Ryan asked.
Seth rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Uhh..yeah." he mumbled clumsily.
"Seth?"
"Yeah!" Seth said, snapping to attention and dropping the hand away from his neck.
"I'm waiting, explain! What the hell were you and Marissa doing in here, making out?" Ryan demanded.
"Didn't you just sort of answer your own question again?" Seth tried cautiously.
"Seth!"
"Right. Sorry. Um, do you want to sit down? Cause it's kind of a long story."
Ryan sat on his bed, and Seth sat backwards on his desk chair (the same chair Ryan had stood on when he'd first seen them kiss).
"Okay. Okay," Seth said, trying to psyche himself up. "I can't believe I'm telling you this, but I guess there's no use in trying to lie about it."
"Are you having an affair with Marissa?" Ryan asked, point blank.
Seth's mouth was in a small, concerned O, his eyes wide, like a deer in headlights.
"Well, I don't know if you'd call it an affair, exactly.."
Ryan was getting a tad annoyed with Seth's bumbling idiot act.
"Then what would you call it, Seth? Are you guys, how do you say, friends with benefits?" Ryan challenged.
"Sort of. Without the whole 'friends' part," Seth said.
Ryan's eyes widened, and his stomach swam. All this time he'd thought that Seth was so naïve, when all along, he himself had been the one in the dark about what was going on around here.
"Okay. So what you're telling me is," Ryan said, holding up his hands as he spoke, "is that you and Marissa.."
"Have an entirely physical relationship," Seth finished quickly, his cheeks aflame, as he cast his gaze to the floor.
Ryan held his head with his hand, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. This was too much to deal with.
"Since when?!" he asked, in disbelief.
Seth looked up, thinking.
"About eight months now," he replied nonchalantly.
"And you see this as no big deal?"
"Well, I don't know. I mean, c'mon, Ryan, honestly. We grew up together, kids..experiment," Seth explained without grace.
"But usually the kids are friends! I mean, you grew up with her, you'd think you have more feelings for her than physical ones!" Ryan cried, exasperated.
"I do! I did! It's just, we..we did.go out. Dated, whatever. For awhile."
Ryan's ferocity softened with the tone of Seth's voice. He'd torn off a scab, bleeding out painful memories for Seth.
"What happened?" Ryan asked, tugging at a loose thread on his blanket.
"Well, you've gotten an impression of the Coopers.namely, Julie Cooper. Miss High Society Ice Queen herself. The minute she sensed that Marissa and I were becoming more than friends, she whisked her off to the country clubs with her, and she met Luke. Julie thought that Luke was 'a much better fit' for Marissa than the dork next door," Seth said dejectedly.
"I'm sorry," Ryan said, observing that this was the first time he'd actually felt something in common with Seth.
Seth nodded dismally, as if to say, "That's the way it goes."
"So," Ryan continued tentatively. "Why continue to.have.the, uh, physical relationship?"
"I don't even know, really. Because we both still had some sort of feelings for each other, I guess, and we couldn't be together like a regular couple-"
"So then I was right. It's an affair, sort of," Ryan said, mildly comprehensive.
Seth managed a rueful grin.
"Yep. I'm her bitch."
Ryan and Seth both laughed through their troubles.
"Haven't you ever worried that Luke would find out?" Ryan asked.
"Well, you've lived here for weeks and you didn't find us out until just now. We're pretty good at covering our tracks. It's totally secret, in case I forgot to mention NOT TO SAY ANYTHING," Seth said.
"No problem, man," Ryan asked.
Ryan suddenly looked around the poolhouse, and stood up.
"Just please don't use my crash pad as a love shack anymore, okay?" he said with a hint of disgust.
Seth nodded, and Ryan realized he'd slipped back into catatonia.
"Are you okay, Seth?" Ryan asked. "Because I don't care, really. I mean, I just don't want either of you to get hurt."
This seemed to strike a chord deep inside Seth, and it showed on his face. He stared at Ryan for a moment.
"Yeah," he said. "Listen, I'm going to get out of your way. Sorry about all this."
Ryan watched Seth walk away, and wished he would've minded his own damn business.
*
Okay, Ryan thought to himself, still on Seth's bed, moments after his huffed exit. Let's take stock here. He had seen Marissa and Seth kiss last night. Marissa and Seth, whom he'd thought were a few "Hello"s away from being perfect strangers, who happened to be neighbors. Marissa and Seth, who's behavior together completely supported this theory. So why would they be kissing? And what was bothering Seth, anyway? Seth didn't seem like the type to kiss someone and then refer to her as a "superficial bitch". Unless there was something else. But what? Ryan needed to go clear his head.
"Hey, Seth?" Ryan called as he went into the hallway. He wasn't sure where Seth had stalked off to.
"Seth, buddy? Listen, I'm going to go for a walk.."
No reply.
"All right then. I'll see you later!" Ryan called as he jogged down the steps and out the door.
He wasn't really sure where to go, he didn't have anywhere to go. Any public place threatened to house the water-polo prep that had it out for him, so Ryan thought he'd just wander around and hope that Seth's tour had been efficient enough to ensure he didn't get lost.
Ryan walked for awhile in no particular direction, using his mind to think rather than navigate. He soon found himself on a deserted patch of beach, most likely rejected because of the jagged rocks spiking threateningly out of the sand. But Ryan didn't mind, he was used to his surroundings being a little rough around the edges. In fact, he appreciated being alone. He'd never thought he'd actually want to be by himself, after spending most of his life that way. Now that he actually had a family, he wanted to be alone. Ryan couldn't comprehend this.
Then again, at the moment, there were lots of things he couldn't comprehend. His head was spinning with questions. Since his first brilliant plan in the car had failed, and his attempt to get Seth to talk about it now served as Strike Two, there was only one logical conclusion Ryan could come to as he stared into the sunset. Spy on them some more.
Ryan sat down on a boulder near the shoreline, buffed smooth from the tide. He let the sound of the surf calm his nerves. He closed his eyes and tipped his face up to the twilight sky, and try to push away all thoughts of Chino, his mother, Seth, and Marissa.. Convinced that his mental slate was clean, Ryan started back for the Cohens'..only to have his slate contaminated all over again.
*
The Cohen's house was dark when Ryan got back, so he let himself into the poolhouse. He opened the door, flipped on the lightswitch, and was blinded. Not by the contrast of bright, flourescent light to the dark of the newborn evening, but by the sight of Seth and Marissa "getting their mack on" as Seth would say, on the poolhouse floor.
Ryan froze in shock, and his jaw dropped, creating a slight gasp.
Seth and Marissa's gasps weren't so slight. They were, in fact, more like the startled yelps of unsuspecting dogs being kicked. (Ah, the sounds that remind Ryan of home).
"Ryan! Hey buddy, what're you doing here?!" Seth asked in a rush as he and Marissa stood up in record time, straightening their clothes.
"Uh, I live here.." Ryan said vacantly, not taking his eyes off the two, who had both turned the color of the bleeding sunset outside. "What are you doing here? I mean, it's kind of obvious what you're doing, but-" Ryan rambled on awkwardly.
"I'm sorry, I've got to go," Marissa said anxiously as she pushed past Seth and Ryan, obviously exceptionally ashamed.
"What. The hell. Was that?" Ryan asked.
Seth rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Uhh..yeah." he mumbled clumsily.
"Seth?"
"Yeah!" Seth said, snapping to attention and dropping the hand away from his neck.
"I'm waiting, explain! What the hell were you and Marissa doing in here, making out?" Ryan demanded.
"Didn't you just sort of answer your own question again?" Seth tried cautiously.
"Seth!"
"Right. Sorry. Um, do you want to sit down? Cause it's kind of a long story."
Ryan sat on his bed, and Seth sat backwards on his desk chair (the same chair Ryan had stood on when he'd first seen them kiss).
"Okay. Okay," Seth said, trying to psyche himself up. "I can't believe I'm telling you this, but I guess there's no use in trying to lie about it."
"Are you having an affair with Marissa?" Ryan asked, point blank.
Seth's mouth was in a small, concerned O, his eyes wide, like a deer in headlights.
"Well, I don't know if you'd call it an affair, exactly.."
Ryan was getting a tad annoyed with Seth's bumbling idiot act.
"Then what would you call it, Seth? Are you guys, how do you say, friends with benefits?" Ryan challenged.
"Sort of. Without the whole 'friends' part," Seth said.
Ryan's eyes widened, and his stomach swam. All this time he'd thought that Seth was so naïve, when all along, he himself had been the one in the dark about what was going on around here.
"Okay. So what you're telling me is," Ryan said, holding up his hands as he spoke, "is that you and Marissa.."
"Have an entirely physical relationship," Seth finished quickly, his cheeks aflame, as he cast his gaze to the floor.
Ryan held his head with his hand, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. This was too much to deal with.
"Since when?!" he asked, in disbelief.
Seth looked up, thinking.
"About eight months now," he replied nonchalantly.
"And you see this as no big deal?"
"Well, I don't know. I mean, c'mon, Ryan, honestly. We grew up together, kids..experiment," Seth explained without grace.
"But usually the kids are friends! I mean, you grew up with her, you'd think you have more feelings for her than physical ones!" Ryan cried, exasperated.
"I do! I did! It's just, we..we did.go out. Dated, whatever. For awhile."
Ryan's ferocity softened with the tone of Seth's voice. He'd torn off a scab, bleeding out painful memories for Seth.
"What happened?" Ryan asked, tugging at a loose thread on his blanket.
"Well, you've gotten an impression of the Coopers.namely, Julie Cooper. Miss High Society Ice Queen herself. The minute she sensed that Marissa and I were becoming more than friends, she whisked her off to the country clubs with her, and she met Luke. Julie thought that Luke was 'a much better fit' for Marissa than the dork next door," Seth said dejectedly.
"I'm sorry," Ryan said, observing that this was the first time he'd actually felt something in common with Seth.
Seth nodded dismally, as if to say, "That's the way it goes."
"So," Ryan continued tentatively. "Why continue to.have.the, uh, physical relationship?"
"I don't even know, really. Because we both still had some sort of feelings for each other, I guess, and we couldn't be together like a regular couple-"
"So then I was right. It's an affair, sort of," Ryan said, mildly comprehensive.
Seth managed a rueful grin.
"Yep. I'm her bitch."
Ryan and Seth both laughed through their troubles.
"Haven't you ever worried that Luke would find out?" Ryan asked.
"Well, you've lived here for weeks and you didn't find us out until just now. We're pretty good at covering our tracks. It's totally secret, in case I forgot to mention NOT TO SAY ANYTHING," Seth said.
"No problem, man," Ryan asked.
Ryan suddenly looked around the poolhouse, and stood up.
"Just please don't use my crash pad as a love shack anymore, okay?" he said with a hint of disgust.
Seth nodded, and Ryan realized he'd slipped back into catatonia.
"Are you okay, Seth?" Ryan asked. "Because I don't care, really. I mean, I just don't want either of you to get hurt."
This seemed to strike a chord deep inside Seth, and it showed on his face. He stared at Ryan for a moment.
"Yeah," he said. "Listen, I'm going to get out of your way. Sorry about all this."
Ryan watched Seth walk away, and wished he would've minded his own damn business.
