Ryan woke up. It'd gotten dark and he was surrounded by smashed up cars. He must be in some sort of scrap yard. His leg felt like it was broken and he felt like he was going to throw up. He reached his hand up to his head and felt something warm and sticky. Blood. He started retching before passing out again.

*

Marissa didn't remember going back downstairs or getting back in the truck, but she found herself driving again. She was sobbing and all she wanted was a drink. Maybe she really was an alcoholic, but she wasn't going to deal with that now.

*

"Seth, honey, I'm glad that you're home," Kirsten said as she walked into the house. "I've been driving all over town trying to find Ryan, and now that it's dark, it's near impossible to keep looking for him. Do you have any idea where he could've gone?"

Both Sandy and Seth were sitting at the dining room table. The phone was nearby, but Ryan hadn't called.

As if thinking about it would make it ring, the phone suddenly started jingling. Seth grabbed it first. It was Julie. He handed the phone over to his dad who listened patiently for a few minutes.

After he hung up, he explained that Marissa must have overheard a conversation and had run out of the house. By the tense look he gave Kirsten, Seth could tell that his mom somehow already knew what the topic was about.

"Oh, my, not now of all times," she said as she sat down at the table, turning pale.

"Does anyone want to share the top secret conversation was about?" Seth asked.

"No," his parents said simultaneously.

Seth realized that he wasn't going to find out what was going on, and, at this point, he just didn't really care. It sounded obvious that Marissa and Ryan weren't together, and all Seth cared about at the moment was finding Ryan.

*

Ryan woke up again. It'd gotten cold and all he had on was a long sleeved shirt and a pair of black jeans. His shirt was ripped and he felt the dried blood on his head and down his face. He knew that his right leg was broken, and at least a few ribs. His bike was nowhere to be found and he was completely disoriented. All he knew was that he needed to get out of there and find a pay phone.

He started to do somewhat of a crawl, dragging his right leg. He knew that the guys who did this to him would probably come back at some point to make sure he was dead, and he had to get out of there before they did, and he was.

After was seemed like an eternity, he got out to the street in front of the scrap yard. He'd somehow pulled himself over a wooden fence and was amazed that he hadn't slammed face first onto the sidewalk. He was covered in sweat and felt like he was going to pass out again any moment. He had to find a phone before that happened. He needed to call Seth. Seth would come get him. He trusted Seth.

Thankfully, there was also a short chain link fence running the length of the scrap yard. He pulled himself up to a standing position, and used it as a crutch as he made his way down the sidewalk. He saw a pay phone about a block up ahead. He quickened his pace; he had to get to that phone.

*

Seth's cell phone started ringing just as he got up the stairs. Yes, he'd accept the charges. It was Ryan. He was in Chino and had gotten beaten up pretty badly. Ryan didn't want Seth to tell his parents. He didn't think they'd ever want to see him again. He'd given Seth the address of the liquor store he was standing in front of. Thankfully, he knew the guy working there and said that he'd be waiting inside.

After Seth hung up the phone, he debated whether or not to go ahead and tell his parents. He knew that Ryan was mixed up. His parents trusted Ryan, it was just a misunderstanding. As he started to go downstairs, he heard his parents whispering. It was about Marissa Cooper. It must be the same thing they wouldn't talk to him about.

He slipped his mom's Range Rover keys off the table in the entryway and scribbled a quick note telling them he was going to go pick Ryan up and that everything was going to be okay.

As he started driving to Chino, Seth thought about Marissa. Should he call her cell phone and try to tell her that he'd found Ryan, and that he was in trouble? He debated against it; it was her fault for all of this anyway. He wished that Ryan had never met her.

*

Kirsten and Sandy heard a car backing out of their driveway, but were too late to stop their Range Rover from driving away. When they got back inside, they saw the note on the entryway table. Kirsten let out a sigh and fell against Sandy. Ryan had been found. Now they just needed to find Marissa.

*

Marissa had gone to a bar by the pier. One that was known for serving minors with fake ID's. She'd done quite a few shots of Goldschläger. It seemed appropriate for a Newpsie brat to be getting drunk on a liquor with gold flakes in it. It seemed to numb the pain she was feeling. Her whole world was in a downward spiral, and all she wanted was an escape. She could hardly process what she'd heard her father say. "…even though the baby wasn't mine…"

*

Seth drove to Chino as fast as he could. He got there in about a half an hour, and finally found the liquor store on a dark and run down street. He pulled up in front and dashed into the store. He saw Ryan propped up behind the counter, holding an ice pack to his head and talking to the clerk. There was dried blood on his face, and his clothes were ripped.

Trying to control his emotions, Seth stopped running and tried to look casual.

"Hey, Ryan, how's it hanging, man? I heard the hot dogs were really good here, worth the drive," he said.

Ryan gave him a lopsided smile, he could see right through Seth. He knew that Seth was scared.

"Hey, Seth, thanks for coming to get me. I guess this time, I fucked up."