Ally sat alone in her room. She couldn't believe she had gone two whole
days without a word to Ryan. The last time she had been so angry at him was
when he intentionally sat on her sandcastle when she was like seven, so
this was a new thing for her.
Ryan poked his blond head into the stark white guest room. Kirsten said they would decorate when they had more time and after her arm healed but that seemed like another few weeks or so. "Still angry?" He asked. "It's been a few days. The only thing you have said to me is 'pass the salt'." He said everything in a sing-song voice.
Ally rolled her eyes and picked up the book that Seth has leant her. It was one of the few books that weren't a comic book, even though they had a long discussion that they were not comic books but graphic novels. Whatever, they are picture books and it didn't matter.
"I'll take that as a yes." Ryan said walking into her room and snatching the book from her hands and sat it on the white night stand. "You are going to have to talk to me eventually."
Ally crossed her arms over her chest. She was going to stay mute to him for as long as possible. He couldn't make her talk if he tried.
Ryan sighed. "Well, Kirsten wanted me to tell you that your mom and Jed signed the papers. You are officially adopted." Ryan bit his lip. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here ok?"
Allison looked up at him. It had been like 4 days since Jed came to 'visit' them. Her mom hadn't even called her. She didn't even say goodbye. Her mom didn't even say I love you. They didn't even say they would miss her or they were glad to be rid of her. It was just a paper, a signature. . .
"Ryan? Do I keep Atwood? Am I still an Atwood or am I a Cohen?" She whispered as Ryan turned to leave.
Ryan turned around and looked at her. Her black eye was turning a yellow colour and was almost gone but the hand print on her arm still looked really bad. He frowned.
"Like, are you a Cohen now? Ryan Cohen? So am I Allison Cohen? Could my mom ever come and take me home? I. . . I don't understand." She stumbled through her sentences. Her thoughts were jumbled together.
Ryan turned around surprised at the sudden panicked questions that spilled from her mouth. He sat on the bed beside her. "I'm still an Atwood. I don't know about you." He said running a hand through his blond hair.
Allison nodded solemnly and got off the bed.
"Where you going?" Ryan asked getting up and watching her walk quietly to the door.
She didn't turn to look at him. "I'm going to get some answers."
Kirsten stood the in kitchen swirling some red wine in a glass. Sandy should have been home by now, but his new job was constantly keeping him late. She wasn't the type, though, to take away what he wanted, and what he loved.
"Kirsten, can you tell me something?"
Kirsten jumped making some of the wine spill over the edge of the glass. She turned to see Allison, who looked almost sheet white. She looked like she was wasting away. Kirsten knew that the young girl wasn't joining them for dinner every night but she didn't know she had stopped eating all together.
"Allison, you look like a ghost!" Kirsten wrapped an arm around her and brought her to a stool gingerly making her sit on it. "Let's get something in you."
Allison shook her head. "No, its ok, I'm not hungry."
Kirsten ignored her pleas and began opening a can of soup.
"No, really, it's ok; I wanted to talk to you about something." Allison said again. "Seriously, stop!"
Kirsten turned around. "We can talk. I'm still making you eat something. Ryan would flip if he found out you died of hunger." She laughed dumping the soup into a pot.
Allison gave up. "What am I?" she finally asked.
Kirsten raised an eyebrow. "Ally, you are a girl. . . I would have thought that your mother went over this with you. . ."
"No! I mean, what am I? Am I a Cohen or an Atwood or; I don't know! I don't know who I am anymore!" Allison said rather frustrated.
Kirsten turned away from the stove. "What do you want to be? Because it's up to you; you know that right? You can be either."
"What if I don't know what I want to be?" Allison whispered to the place mat in front of her, barely audible for Kirsten to hear.
Kirsten turned the stove off and sat beside Allison. "Look, it doesn't matter. You will still be the same person whether you choose Atwood or Cohen. I believe Shakespeare put it best when he said, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Kirsten shrugged and walked back to the stove, turning it back on.
Allison bit her lip. "Did my mom say anything when she signed the papers? Did she send a letter, or anything?"
Kirsten looked down at the soup in the pot in front of her. She wished Allison didn't ask that, anything but that. "Sorry, Sandy didn't tell me if she said anything."
"That means she might have." Allison said hopefully.
Kirsten sighed and ladled the soup into a bowl and put it in front of Allison. "He would have said something if your mom said something about you." She leaned on the island staring at Allison who stared into the soup in front of her.
"I still want to be an Atwood. Ryan's all I got and our dad may not to the greatest guy in the world but it's something we both have." Allison said looking up at Kirsten. "But I want to be a Cohen because I want to belong to a real family."
Kirsten smiled at the girl. "A name doesn't make you part of a family. A family is a group of people who care about you. And I think no matter what you do now, you're stuck with us."
Allison frowned at that statement. "Why would you want me?"
"Because Ryan cares about you and somehow or another within this last week few weeks you made us care about you."
Allison smiled. It was nice to know she was loved for once. She picked up the spoon and took a few bites.
Kirsten smiled. "I always wanted a girl. I love Sandy and the guys but it's going to be nice having another female in this house." Kirsten laughed.
Allison's spoon clattered on the marble countertop. "You aren't going to make me go shopping are you?"
Kirsten sighed. "Just once; I have seen your clothes. The sweaters look like Ryan's."
"Uh. . ." Allison blushed. "What would you do if I told you they were?"
"Ryan! Summer loves me! I told she does, she just wouldn't admit it." Seth smiled as he collapsed beside Ryan on the floor of the pool house.
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Oh God, this again?"
"I had to listen about Marissa when you two weren't going out!" Seth said in defense.
Ryan shot him a look.
"Ok, I made that up and how do you do that!" Seth yelled making Ryan smirk slyly.
Allison crept in the pool house and stretched out on Ryan's bed. "It's a secret Seth. Only the Atwood's know how to do that." She laughed looking over this shoulder at the video game they were playing.
Ryan looked over at her. "I'm guessing you know what you are now."
"She's a girl, Ryan. A girl . . ." Seth replied raising a confused eyebrow at him.
Allison ignored Seth. "Yea, Kirsten and I talked and explained that I'm part of the family and the rest is history."
Seth jumped up onto the bed beside Allison. "That means I'm part of the family." He grinned.
Ryan and Allison shot him a look.
"Stop doing that!" he yelped shivering. "You two are creepy."
Ryan smirked at him and got to his feet quickly. "You guys have to go. Date, Marissa, few minutes, yeah."
"Oh, girlfriend, gotcha." Allison winked at Ryan and pulled Seth off the bed by his arm. "Even out of Chino you're a stud. I would have thought girls here would go for more of a jock than a bad boy here."
Ryan jokingly sneered at her. "Not laughing." He retorted and turned off the TV. "Now out."
Allison and Seth shrugged and walked to the door. "It's nice to know he doesn't laugh at your jokes either." Seth mumbled as Ryan tossed a pillow at them both. "So seeing we're unwanted here; what should he do?" he asked grinning one of his mischievous grins.
"Ok, so how long have you liked Summer?" Allison asked swirling the melting ice in her coke with her straw and looking at Seth innocently.
Seth shifted uncomfortably in the seat he took across from her. "Ok how did this conversation turn from your life before coming here, to my life and Summer?" he asked raising a suspicious eyebrow to her.
"Don't question my ways! Just answer the question." Allison grinned and sipped her drink in front of her.
"Let's say since I stopped believing girls have cooties." Seth said running a hand through his curly hair.
Allison rolled her eyes. "Very vague; for all I know that could have been in grade seven."
"It was not in grade seven, besides how would you know; you're like twelve." Seth said in his defense.
"I'm fifteen thank you very much and I would know, I'm more mature then you would think, Mr. Seth -I-have-liked-the-same-girl-since-I-was-in-preschool- Cohen." Allison shot back at him.
Seth rolled up his sleeves and rested his elbows on the table. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with a girl who probably hasn't has a serious boyfriend yet."
"Look whose talking. Besides I don't do the whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend' relationship thing. I would rather, play the field, you know."
Seth threw his hands up in defeat. "What is wrong with people in Chino?! Do you guys like escaping out of windows or something?"
"What? Oh my God, you just didn't . . . ew . . ." Allison said frowning into her drink.
"You mean you're a . . ."
"Even though it's none of you're business, yeah." Allison said shivering trying to rid herself of the memory of Seth even considering she wasn't. "Look at me! I'm fifteen. You didn't when you were fifteen; did you? Like ok, we are so not talking about this anymore." Allison pushed her drink away from her. "And F.Y.I. Seth; playing the field does not mean having sex."
"I didn't say you did." Seth said in his defense.
Allison shot an unsympathetic glare at him. "It was implied."
"I implied nothing." He frowned but everything he said was contradicted by his cheeks turning a slight pink.
"Uh huh." Allison said rolling her eyes and getting up from the table. "I think we ought to be getting back before I learn something about you I don't want to know."
"So, how is Allison doing?" Marissa said softly kissing Ryan's lips and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Ryan looked at her and frowned. "Why are you thinking about my sister right now?"
Marissa smiled; letting her arms fall and one of her hands rest in Ryan's. "Because, Allison looked pretty angry when you came up and told Luke off, and I wouldn't want to see you guys still not talking."
"If I tell you can we not talk about anyone but us?" Ryan pouted and smiled devilishly, but sighed when Marissa raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "She's fine. She was a little touchy at first and a little confused but she's ok."
Marissa grinned triumphantly. "Good. I'm glad because Luke is awfully sorry about that night."
Ryan's grin dropped from his face. "Luke?" he questioned. "What did he want?"
"He left a message on my machine. He said he was sorry about that and he didn't mean it. He said he was a little drunk and she had the right to hit him." Marissa smiled innocently.
Ryan scowled at the ground. "Of course she had the right to hit him. I don't like him."
"I know, and I don't like him much either, but it looks like we are going to have to go to the same school together and we are going to have to live with him and I don't think the Cohen's want anymore fights, whether it be you or Allison." Marissa explained.
Ryan looked at her emotionless. "I won't hit him; I just can't promise Allison won't."
Marissa smirked. "Well she'll have to try."
Ryan smiled. "Allison holds a bigger grudge than I do. For all I know she may beat him up when I'm not looking."
Marissa stopped smiling. "Then we'll have to watch her carefully."
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A/N: Ok I don't have any clue where I'm going with this story so I need help! I'm babbling on and on and I don't know where to stop, which worries me. So Review and give me an idea! I'm really really really really stuck!!
~TOODLES!!!
Ryan poked his blond head into the stark white guest room. Kirsten said they would decorate when they had more time and after her arm healed but that seemed like another few weeks or so. "Still angry?" He asked. "It's been a few days. The only thing you have said to me is 'pass the salt'." He said everything in a sing-song voice.
Ally rolled her eyes and picked up the book that Seth has leant her. It was one of the few books that weren't a comic book, even though they had a long discussion that they were not comic books but graphic novels. Whatever, they are picture books and it didn't matter.
"I'll take that as a yes." Ryan said walking into her room and snatching the book from her hands and sat it on the white night stand. "You are going to have to talk to me eventually."
Ally crossed her arms over her chest. She was going to stay mute to him for as long as possible. He couldn't make her talk if he tried.
Ryan sighed. "Well, Kirsten wanted me to tell you that your mom and Jed signed the papers. You are officially adopted." Ryan bit his lip. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here ok?"
Allison looked up at him. It had been like 4 days since Jed came to 'visit' them. Her mom hadn't even called her. She didn't even say goodbye. Her mom didn't even say I love you. They didn't even say they would miss her or they were glad to be rid of her. It was just a paper, a signature. . .
"Ryan? Do I keep Atwood? Am I still an Atwood or am I a Cohen?" She whispered as Ryan turned to leave.
Ryan turned around and looked at her. Her black eye was turning a yellow colour and was almost gone but the hand print on her arm still looked really bad. He frowned.
"Like, are you a Cohen now? Ryan Cohen? So am I Allison Cohen? Could my mom ever come and take me home? I. . . I don't understand." She stumbled through her sentences. Her thoughts were jumbled together.
Ryan turned around surprised at the sudden panicked questions that spilled from her mouth. He sat on the bed beside her. "I'm still an Atwood. I don't know about you." He said running a hand through his blond hair.
Allison nodded solemnly and got off the bed.
"Where you going?" Ryan asked getting up and watching her walk quietly to the door.
She didn't turn to look at him. "I'm going to get some answers."
Kirsten stood the in kitchen swirling some red wine in a glass. Sandy should have been home by now, but his new job was constantly keeping him late. She wasn't the type, though, to take away what he wanted, and what he loved.
"Kirsten, can you tell me something?"
Kirsten jumped making some of the wine spill over the edge of the glass. She turned to see Allison, who looked almost sheet white. She looked like she was wasting away. Kirsten knew that the young girl wasn't joining them for dinner every night but she didn't know she had stopped eating all together.
"Allison, you look like a ghost!" Kirsten wrapped an arm around her and brought her to a stool gingerly making her sit on it. "Let's get something in you."
Allison shook her head. "No, its ok, I'm not hungry."
Kirsten ignored her pleas and began opening a can of soup.
"No, really, it's ok; I wanted to talk to you about something." Allison said again. "Seriously, stop!"
Kirsten turned around. "We can talk. I'm still making you eat something. Ryan would flip if he found out you died of hunger." She laughed dumping the soup into a pot.
Allison gave up. "What am I?" she finally asked.
Kirsten raised an eyebrow. "Ally, you are a girl. . . I would have thought that your mother went over this with you. . ."
"No! I mean, what am I? Am I a Cohen or an Atwood or; I don't know! I don't know who I am anymore!" Allison said rather frustrated.
Kirsten turned away from the stove. "What do you want to be? Because it's up to you; you know that right? You can be either."
"What if I don't know what I want to be?" Allison whispered to the place mat in front of her, barely audible for Kirsten to hear.
Kirsten turned the stove off and sat beside Allison. "Look, it doesn't matter. You will still be the same person whether you choose Atwood or Cohen. I believe Shakespeare put it best when he said, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Kirsten shrugged and walked back to the stove, turning it back on.
Allison bit her lip. "Did my mom say anything when she signed the papers? Did she send a letter, or anything?"
Kirsten looked down at the soup in the pot in front of her. She wished Allison didn't ask that, anything but that. "Sorry, Sandy didn't tell me if she said anything."
"That means she might have." Allison said hopefully.
Kirsten sighed and ladled the soup into a bowl and put it in front of Allison. "He would have said something if your mom said something about you." She leaned on the island staring at Allison who stared into the soup in front of her.
"I still want to be an Atwood. Ryan's all I got and our dad may not to the greatest guy in the world but it's something we both have." Allison said looking up at Kirsten. "But I want to be a Cohen because I want to belong to a real family."
Kirsten smiled at the girl. "A name doesn't make you part of a family. A family is a group of people who care about you. And I think no matter what you do now, you're stuck with us."
Allison frowned at that statement. "Why would you want me?"
"Because Ryan cares about you and somehow or another within this last week few weeks you made us care about you."
Allison smiled. It was nice to know she was loved for once. She picked up the spoon and took a few bites.
Kirsten smiled. "I always wanted a girl. I love Sandy and the guys but it's going to be nice having another female in this house." Kirsten laughed.
Allison's spoon clattered on the marble countertop. "You aren't going to make me go shopping are you?"
Kirsten sighed. "Just once; I have seen your clothes. The sweaters look like Ryan's."
"Uh. . ." Allison blushed. "What would you do if I told you they were?"
"Ryan! Summer loves me! I told she does, she just wouldn't admit it." Seth smiled as he collapsed beside Ryan on the floor of the pool house.
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Oh God, this again?"
"I had to listen about Marissa when you two weren't going out!" Seth said in defense.
Ryan shot him a look.
"Ok, I made that up and how do you do that!" Seth yelled making Ryan smirk slyly.
Allison crept in the pool house and stretched out on Ryan's bed. "It's a secret Seth. Only the Atwood's know how to do that." She laughed looking over this shoulder at the video game they were playing.
Ryan looked over at her. "I'm guessing you know what you are now."
"She's a girl, Ryan. A girl . . ." Seth replied raising a confused eyebrow at him.
Allison ignored Seth. "Yea, Kirsten and I talked and explained that I'm part of the family and the rest is history."
Seth jumped up onto the bed beside Allison. "That means I'm part of the family." He grinned.
Ryan and Allison shot him a look.
"Stop doing that!" he yelped shivering. "You two are creepy."
Ryan smirked at him and got to his feet quickly. "You guys have to go. Date, Marissa, few minutes, yeah."
"Oh, girlfriend, gotcha." Allison winked at Ryan and pulled Seth off the bed by his arm. "Even out of Chino you're a stud. I would have thought girls here would go for more of a jock than a bad boy here."
Ryan jokingly sneered at her. "Not laughing." He retorted and turned off the TV. "Now out."
Allison and Seth shrugged and walked to the door. "It's nice to know he doesn't laugh at your jokes either." Seth mumbled as Ryan tossed a pillow at them both. "So seeing we're unwanted here; what should he do?" he asked grinning one of his mischievous grins.
"Ok, so how long have you liked Summer?" Allison asked swirling the melting ice in her coke with her straw and looking at Seth innocently.
Seth shifted uncomfortably in the seat he took across from her. "Ok how did this conversation turn from your life before coming here, to my life and Summer?" he asked raising a suspicious eyebrow to her.
"Don't question my ways! Just answer the question." Allison grinned and sipped her drink in front of her.
"Let's say since I stopped believing girls have cooties." Seth said running a hand through his curly hair.
Allison rolled her eyes. "Very vague; for all I know that could have been in grade seven."
"It was not in grade seven, besides how would you know; you're like twelve." Seth said in his defense.
"I'm fifteen thank you very much and I would know, I'm more mature then you would think, Mr. Seth -I-have-liked-the-same-girl-since-I-was-in-preschool- Cohen." Allison shot back at him.
Seth rolled up his sleeves and rested his elbows on the table. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with a girl who probably hasn't has a serious boyfriend yet."
"Look whose talking. Besides I don't do the whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend' relationship thing. I would rather, play the field, you know."
Seth threw his hands up in defeat. "What is wrong with people in Chino?! Do you guys like escaping out of windows or something?"
"What? Oh my God, you just didn't . . . ew . . ." Allison said frowning into her drink.
"You mean you're a . . ."
"Even though it's none of you're business, yeah." Allison said shivering trying to rid herself of the memory of Seth even considering she wasn't. "Look at me! I'm fifteen. You didn't when you were fifteen; did you? Like ok, we are so not talking about this anymore." Allison pushed her drink away from her. "And F.Y.I. Seth; playing the field does not mean having sex."
"I didn't say you did." Seth said in his defense.
Allison shot an unsympathetic glare at him. "It was implied."
"I implied nothing." He frowned but everything he said was contradicted by his cheeks turning a slight pink.
"Uh huh." Allison said rolling her eyes and getting up from the table. "I think we ought to be getting back before I learn something about you I don't want to know."
"So, how is Allison doing?" Marissa said softly kissing Ryan's lips and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Ryan looked at her and frowned. "Why are you thinking about my sister right now?"
Marissa smiled; letting her arms fall and one of her hands rest in Ryan's. "Because, Allison looked pretty angry when you came up and told Luke off, and I wouldn't want to see you guys still not talking."
"If I tell you can we not talk about anyone but us?" Ryan pouted and smiled devilishly, but sighed when Marissa raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "She's fine. She was a little touchy at first and a little confused but she's ok."
Marissa grinned triumphantly. "Good. I'm glad because Luke is awfully sorry about that night."
Ryan's grin dropped from his face. "Luke?" he questioned. "What did he want?"
"He left a message on my machine. He said he was sorry about that and he didn't mean it. He said he was a little drunk and she had the right to hit him." Marissa smiled innocently.
Ryan scowled at the ground. "Of course she had the right to hit him. I don't like him."
"I know, and I don't like him much either, but it looks like we are going to have to go to the same school together and we are going to have to live with him and I don't think the Cohen's want anymore fights, whether it be you or Allison." Marissa explained.
Ryan looked at her emotionless. "I won't hit him; I just can't promise Allison won't."
Marissa smirked. "Well she'll have to try."
Ryan smiled. "Allison holds a bigger grudge than I do. For all I know she may beat him up when I'm not looking."
Marissa stopped smiling. "Then we'll have to watch her carefully."
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A/N: Ok I don't have any clue where I'm going with this story so I need help! I'm babbling on and on and I don't know where to stop, which worries me. So Review and give me an idea! I'm really really really really stuck!!
~TOODLES!!!