Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Just to clear something up, I have
no intention of making Riley and Ryan a couple. I didn't get to mention one
part of the plot because of the summary limit so here it is. Riley is
Ryan's good friend and the problem is Riley doesn't like Marissa and slowly
makes Ryan doubt about his feelings for Marissa. And this further
complicates Seth's attempt to woo Summer. I might not be able to write many
chapters. I'm starting high school and the first day wasn't too good. But,
I'll try really, really, really hard to write chapters for all of you.
Please R&R! All reviews are welcome.
DISCLAIMER: All the usual stuff, I don't own The O.C. but I do own Riley Brooks and her family.
Chapter 3 "Best Friend"
Riley was picking out the microwave foods in the frozen foods section. 'Chicken? Nah. Beef? Oh what the hell. Why not? Whatever's edible.' She walked along the glass doors and never noticed who was coming.
Bam! "Hey! Watch where you're going!" She growled out loud and reached for the boxes she had dropped.
"Sorry didn't mean." The boy started. He was gaping at her when she looked up. He reached to give her some of the boxes.
"Thanks." Riley said and smiled. 'Looks damn familiar. No, he couldn't be here. Could he be?' Riley snapped back to reality. "Hi, I'm Riley. You are?"
"The local badass." Ryan said with a smirk.
"That's new." Riley laughed. "No really, are you going to give me a straight answer?" Riley asked. 'Man, he really does look familiar.Who is this guy?'
Ryan thought about lying, but said the truth. "Ryan."
Riley's eyes widened. "Ryan? Really?" She had a funny look.
"Um yeah. Really." Ryan became a little tense.
"Ryan Atwood." She said a little slowly. "Ryan 'always-gets-himself-in- trouble' Atwood? As in Ryan Atwood, the food fight king of 6th grade?" Riley paused for a second.
Ryan slowly nodded his head. 'How did she know that?' Before he could think further, she did the most unexpected thing.
"Ry Ry! Where have you been?!" Riley jumped on Ryan and gave me a big bear hug. "I always mailed you, but you never mailed back. In fact, I should hit you for not replying." And with that, Riley gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.
Ryan just stood there, stunned beyond belief. Only one person called him Ry Ry and the girl that was standing in front of him definitely did not look like her. "Riley.Riley Brooks?! Hey! I can't believe this!" Ryan hugged Riley again. "It must be what, four years?" He asked amazed. 'Whoa, she looks a lot different. Long legs, toned arms, beautiful eyes. All black and chains? Never would have guessed.'
"Yeah. Wow. Time flies by huh? I see puberty has been nice to you." Riley kidded. But she knew she really wasn't kidding. Ryan got much cuter to her surprise. He was taller and a lot more muscular. She looked at his arms. 'Definitely more muscular.' She thought. He didn't spike his hair anymore and his hair kind of draped down.
'Same old sarcastic Riles.' He thought. "Yeah, I did alright. But really, what happened to you?" Ryan joked.
"Hey! That wasn't very nice!" Riley retorted. "How come you never wrote back? A friend would have written back." She frowned.
"I never knew you mailed me anything." He said confused and thought for a moment. "I bet you the son of a bitch A.J. kept me from any mail. I'll explain things later." He added after seeing Riley's puzzled look.
"Oh. How is your mom? And Trey?" Riley asked. She only knew about Ryan's dad and that the Atwoods weren't exactly a lucky family.
"I wouldn't know. I, uh, I got kicked out." Ryan said meekly, he didn't want to mention he also got ditched. He quickly looked up at Riley with sad eyes.
"Kicked out? How can your own mother kick you out?!" Riley became infuriated at how his mom treated him. She looked into his eyes and saw a remnant of pain.
"Trey and I, well actually Trey, stole a car and we got caught." Ryan replied.
Riley was speechless. "Wait that would mean Trey's in jail."
"Yeah he is, I got off easy." Ryan looked down when he said this.
"Oh, where are you staying then?" Riley asked anxiously. Reading the look on his face, she realized he wasn't staying anywhere. "Oh."
"I'm living with my, uh, lawyer for now." Ryan replied after a while. "But don't worry. It's fine. So.uh.how's the new house?" He tried to lighten the situation.
"Oh, it's really great actually. I kind of like it. Next to the beach and all." Riley said and then a thought bubble flashed through her mind.
Ryan saw something flicker in her eyes. 'Oh no, another idea.3.2.1.'
"I have a great idea! You can stay in the guest room of the house!" She said cheerfully.
Ryan brightened at this possibility. "That sounds good."
"What sounds good?" Sandy inquired. He looked at Ryan then Riley, then back at Ryan.
"Uh, hey Mr. Cohen. This is Riley, Riley Brooks and this is Mr. Cohen. Mr. Cohen, Riley." Ryan said nervously.
They exchanged hellos and how do you dos. "Now what sounded good?" Sandy asked.
"I suggested that Ryan could stay at my house so he won't have to go to a group home or anything." Riley suggested timidly and was scanning Sandy's face for any hint of approval. So was Ryan.
"I don't really know. Are your parents okay with this? Ryan, are you okay with this?" Sandy asked carefully.
"Yeah, course it is." Ryan replied swiftly.
"Well then, I guess we could work something out. Well there are your parents you need to ask first, but I think everything should be fine." Sandy said.
Ryan and Riley smiled at each other.
'Damnit. He's still here? When will this punk learn?' A blonde boy shook his head angrily. He walked to his truck after Riley, Ryan, and Sandy took off in his BMW.
DISCLAIMER: All the usual stuff, I don't own The O.C. but I do own Riley Brooks and her family.
Chapter 3 "Best Friend"
Riley was picking out the microwave foods in the frozen foods section. 'Chicken? Nah. Beef? Oh what the hell. Why not? Whatever's edible.' She walked along the glass doors and never noticed who was coming.
Bam! "Hey! Watch where you're going!" She growled out loud and reached for the boxes she had dropped.
"Sorry didn't mean." The boy started. He was gaping at her when she looked up. He reached to give her some of the boxes.
"Thanks." Riley said and smiled. 'Looks damn familiar. No, he couldn't be here. Could he be?' Riley snapped back to reality. "Hi, I'm Riley. You are?"
"The local badass." Ryan said with a smirk.
"That's new." Riley laughed. "No really, are you going to give me a straight answer?" Riley asked. 'Man, he really does look familiar.Who is this guy?'
Ryan thought about lying, but said the truth. "Ryan."
Riley's eyes widened. "Ryan? Really?" She had a funny look.
"Um yeah. Really." Ryan became a little tense.
"Ryan Atwood." She said a little slowly. "Ryan 'always-gets-himself-in- trouble' Atwood? As in Ryan Atwood, the food fight king of 6th grade?" Riley paused for a second.
Ryan slowly nodded his head. 'How did she know that?' Before he could think further, she did the most unexpected thing.
"Ry Ry! Where have you been?!" Riley jumped on Ryan and gave me a big bear hug. "I always mailed you, but you never mailed back. In fact, I should hit you for not replying." And with that, Riley gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.
Ryan just stood there, stunned beyond belief. Only one person called him Ry Ry and the girl that was standing in front of him definitely did not look like her. "Riley.Riley Brooks?! Hey! I can't believe this!" Ryan hugged Riley again. "It must be what, four years?" He asked amazed. 'Whoa, she looks a lot different. Long legs, toned arms, beautiful eyes. All black and chains? Never would have guessed.'
"Yeah. Wow. Time flies by huh? I see puberty has been nice to you." Riley kidded. But she knew she really wasn't kidding. Ryan got much cuter to her surprise. He was taller and a lot more muscular. She looked at his arms. 'Definitely more muscular.' She thought. He didn't spike his hair anymore and his hair kind of draped down.
'Same old sarcastic Riles.' He thought. "Yeah, I did alright. But really, what happened to you?" Ryan joked.
"Hey! That wasn't very nice!" Riley retorted. "How come you never wrote back? A friend would have written back." She frowned.
"I never knew you mailed me anything." He said confused and thought for a moment. "I bet you the son of a bitch A.J. kept me from any mail. I'll explain things later." He added after seeing Riley's puzzled look.
"Oh. How is your mom? And Trey?" Riley asked. She only knew about Ryan's dad and that the Atwoods weren't exactly a lucky family.
"I wouldn't know. I, uh, I got kicked out." Ryan said meekly, he didn't want to mention he also got ditched. He quickly looked up at Riley with sad eyes.
"Kicked out? How can your own mother kick you out?!" Riley became infuriated at how his mom treated him. She looked into his eyes and saw a remnant of pain.
"Trey and I, well actually Trey, stole a car and we got caught." Ryan replied.
Riley was speechless. "Wait that would mean Trey's in jail."
"Yeah he is, I got off easy." Ryan looked down when he said this.
"Oh, where are you staying then?" Riley asked anxiously. Reading the look on his face, she realized he wasn't staying anywhere. "Oh."
"I'm living with my, uh, lawyer for now." Ryan replied after a while. "But don't worry. It's fine. So.uh.how's the new house?" He tried to lighten the situation.
"Oh, it's really great actually. I kind of like it. Next to the beach and all." Riley said and then a thought bubble flashed through her mind.
Ryan saw something flicker in her eyes. 'Oh no, another idea.3.2.1.'
"I have a great idea! You can stay in the guest room of the house!" She said cheerfully.
Ryan brightened at this possibility. "That sounds good."
"What sounds good?" Sandy inquired. He looked at Ryan then Riley, then back at Ryan.
"Uh, hey Mr. Cohen. This is Riley, Riley Brooks and this is Mr. Cohen. Mr. Cohen, Riley." Ryan said nervously.
They exchanged hellos and how do you dos. "Now what sounded good?" Sandy asked.
"I suggested that Ryan could stay at my house so he won't have to go to a group home or anything." Riley suggested timidly and was scanning Sandy's face for any hint of approval. So was Ryan.
"I don't really know. Are your parents okay with this? Ryan, are you okay with this?" Sandy asked carefully.
"Yeah, course it is." Ryan replied swiftly.
"Well then, I guess we could work something out. Well there are your parents you need to ask first, but I think everything should be fine." Sandy said.
Ryan and Riley smiled at each other.
'Damnit. He's still here? When will this punk learn?' A blonde boy shook his head angrily. He walked to his truck after Riley, Ryan, and Sandy took off in his BMW.