Left Behind: Part 3
A/N: Continuation of the flashback began in chapter 2.
2 Weeks Earlier
The hollow echoes of his footsteps seemed criminal in the eerie silence of the parking garage. The first level was nearly empty, his mother's car stood out like a sore thumb. His bike was strapped to the roof and did little to improve the image of the car.
Ryan approached the car. He opened the door and hopped in.
"Mom?" Dawn was slumped over, her head resting on the steering wheel. Ryan reached over and shook her.
Dawn woke up, her head snapping back.
"Ryan." Her voice was hoarse, her eyes glassy and dull.
"You're high." Ryan snorted in disgust. "I left you alone for less than an hour! I thought you were clean?!"
"Ryan, don't be upset. I was, but this has been a very stressful time." Dawn's excuse came out in a rush.
Ryan shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Get out."
"What?" Dawn asked, not comprehending.
"Get out, there's no way you're driving like this." Ryan said, getting out of the car. He walked to the other side, pulling open her door. She looked blearily at him, her bloodshot eyes half closed. "Come on." Ryan muttered, pulling her out. Supporting her, they walked/stumbled to the passenger side. Ryan lowered her in, shutting the door. He walked to the driver's side. He didn't have his license, but Ryan had been carting her around for years. Picking her up from the bar or the local crack house was a nearly every day occurrence.
Ryan got in and put his head against the wheel, thinking. Where to go, where to go? He supposed a motel was their best bet. Ryan started the car and leaving the garage, they headed out of the business district and back towards Chino.
"Where we goin'?" Dawn questioned.
"Motel." Ryan muttered. He had collected over three hundred, they would be okay for a night or two. Dawn, however, had other ideas.
"Go to A.J.'s" Dawn stated.
"Mom, come on, you need to think about this for a day or two. I've got enough for a motel for a couple of nights." Ryan protested, he had a feeling it would do no good.
"No. We're goin' to A.J.'s." Dawn insisted. Ryan knew there was little point in arguing.
"Fine. Where?"
****
The loud, sharp raps stirred A.J. out of his self-induced alcohol coma. He shook the cobwebs out of his head. Sitting up, he cursed. Who the hell would be knocking on his door? A.J. pushed himself off the couch, lumbering to the door. He pulled the door open, not surprised who was standing there.
"Dawn." A.J. said gruffly, her brat kid was standing off to the side, a grim expression on his face.
"A.J." Dawn started, wringing her hands. "Can we come in? We really need to talk."
A.J. shook his head, he knew the bitch would come crawling back to him. "Yeah, sure." He stepped aside to let them in.
****
Ryan rolled over, unable to sleep. The couch was rough and scratchy, and the springs were poking him. Dawn had kissed A.J.'s feet, practically begging him to take her back. He'd agreed, especially when she gave him the money. Ryan had held some back, just in case. They would burn through it in a flash.
Ryan sighed and got up. He headed for the bathroom. Standing over the sink, he drank some water. Ryan looked at his reflection. His lip was split, A.J. had been kind enough to wait about five minutes before he decided to try and rearrange Ryan's face. Ryan knew he couldn't stay with them. A.J. would eventually kill him, God knew he'd tried before.
It had been nice, with the Cohen's. Ryan didn't have worry that a smart remark would earn him an uppercut from Mr. Cohen, or from Mrs. Cohen for that matter. Seth had complained, asking Ryan why he didn't talk very much. Ryan had shrugged, settling for a look. He used to, talk that is. But his father and eventually his mother's many boyfriends had taught him to keep his trap shut. Little did people know that Ryan had a very sarcastic streak that he kept completely in check. At the Cohen's, he'd actually voiced one or two of the many comments that came to his mind.
A knock at the door startled him. He cracked it warily. Dawn was standing there.
"Ryan." She sounded sober enough, if a little irritable. Dawn looked him up and down.
"What?" Ryan demanded, not in the mood for her shit.
"Punk kid. What did I tell you about that mouth of yours?"
"Yeah, fuck you." Ryan said sharply. Dawn's hand lashed out, striking him. Ryan's head snapped to one side. Slowly, he turned back to her. "Fuck you." He whispered, slipping past her. Dawn struck out again, grabbing Ryan's wrist. Squeezing tightly her eyes bored into her son.
"Don't fuck this up for me, Ryan." Her voice twisted at his name. Dawn squeezed tighter and tighter, the mother and son staring each other down. After what seemed an eternity, Dawn looked away and let go of Ryan.
Ryan walked back into the living room, pacing the length. He was furious, but his stoic face revealed nothing, as always. How dare she? How dare she defend that jackass she fucked and not her own son? Why was he even mad? One would think that he had stopped caring years ago. After all, this was nothing new for him. But he did care. She was still his mother. No matter if it was only in the biological sense. That was the problem, he did care, even if he couldn't afford too anymore.
That was it, he was done. Ryan had been spoiled, he'd had a taste of a normal life at the Cohen's and he selfishly wanted more. Ryan honestly didn't know how much longer he could last with his mom. But at the same time, how could he leave her? What kind of son abandons his incredibly irresponsible mother? But was that really his job? He was the kid after all, wasn't it her job to take care of him? Although that hadn't been true for years.
Ryan sighed. He knew the truth.
He could never leave.
****
Seth had to leave.
His house was crushing him. Swallowing him whole. It was high time he got over it and left the house, even if he was alone. God, how pathetic was that? One person shows up and turn his life upside down. Ryan hadn't called. Seth knew he wouldn't, but had still held out hope anyways. He dearly hoped that Ryan was okay. He didn't trust Ryan's mom, he wanted some proof that Ryan was alright.
Seth looked out the window and decided that life wasn't so great on the outside. He'd rather sit by the phone like some love-sick school girl.
****
Marissa wanted to leave.
Her life was falling apart. Her family was self-destructing before her very eyes. Maybe if she left, she could pretend that everything was normal. Yeah, right. Talk about heavy duty denial. Nothing was the same.
Marissa turned over onto her stomach, staring out the window. Her room was a mess, she hadn't the energy or the desire to mess around with the layer of clothes that carpeted her floor. A white tank top thrown carelessly on the sill suddenly caught her attention. Ryan.
Ryan. She missed him. When Seth had told her that he and his mom had just split, she was crushed. And the worst part is, she didn't even know why. Marissa didn't even know the mysterious boy, and besides, she had a boyfriend.
And yet, here she was thinking about Ryan, not her boyfriend.
Could life get anymore complicated?
****
Ryan was awakened by the sound of yelling. Nothing new by any stretch of the imagination. He simply rolled over and crushed the pillow over his ear. Suddenly, something caught his ear. His name. Ryan moved the pillow and sat up, listening intently.
"Dawn, I don't want that kid here! Him and his brother are nothing but a royal pain in my ass!"
"A.J., come on, he's my son. Besides, he's the one that made all that money. He's no trouble."
"Gimme a break. He's what, 16? Too old to be livin' with his mommy. It's time he hit the road. I want him gone!"
Dawn stormed out, stopping short in the living room. She offered him a half-hearted smile.
"I don't…Ryan…I…" Dawn stuttered, unable to voice her thoughts.
"What?" Ryan asked shortly, wishing she would spit it out.
"I think he's right, you need to leave." Dawn blurted out.
"What?! Mom, you can't be serious." Ryan jumped up, incredulous. He was feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Ryan, you're 16. I was gone way before then. You're old enough. I can't support you and A.J. anyways. You need to get a job, be a man." Dawn stated, matter of fact.
"Mom, where am I goin' go?"
"I dunno. You got friends. Find one of those whores you're so fond of." Dawn spat, tired of arguing with him.
"Fine. Can I take a shower?" Ryan questioned, anger seeping into his voice.
"Whatever." Dawn spun on her heel, stalking back to the bedroom.
Ryan shook his head. This was not a turn he had expected. Why had she taken him away from the Cohen's in the first place? So she could get a couple hundred bucks to put at A.J.'s feet? Probably. When he'd told Marissa that his mom was a train wreck, he hadn't been kidding.
Ryan made his way to the bathroom, pondering his options. The Cohen's were the most obvious one. But he'd already left. They were probably glad to be rid of him. One son was hard enough to manage, let alone a wild unknown second one. He'd done enough damage to the all-American family to last the rest of their lives.
He jumped in the shower, washing away the filth of the day before. Ryan scrubbed and scrubbed, dreading the end. He really had no where to go. He supposed he could call on one of the girls he knew. There were quite a few Ryan knew of that would be more than happy to let him occupy their bed.
Nothing seemed to work out for him. He had a good thing going with the Cohen's and then his tornado mother whirled in. Now she was throwing him out on the street again.
Why couldn't anything in life be easy?
****
There's more to follow soon enough. I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this, the plot bunnies are going in all different directions, so if anyone has any ideas, feel free to spout them off. Thanks!
MacKynzie
A/N: Continuation of the flashback began in chapter 2.
2 Weeks Earlier
The hollow echoes of his footsteps seemed criminal in the eerie silence of the parking garage. The first level was nearly empty, his mother's car stood out like a sore thumb. His bike was strapped to the roof and did little to improve the image of the car.
Ryan approached the car. He opened the door and hopped in.
"Mom?" Dawn was slumped over, her head resting on the steering wheel. Ryan reached over and shook her.
Dawn woke up, her head snapping back.
"Ryan." Her voice was hoarse, her eyes glassy and dull.
"You're high." Ryan snorted in disgust. "I left you alone for less than an hour! I thought you were clean?!"
"Ryan, don't be upset. I was, but this has been a very stressful time." Dawn's excuse came out in a rush.
Ryan shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Get out."
"What?" Dawn asked, not comprehending.
"Get out, there's no way you're driving like this." Ryan said, getting out of the car. He walked to the other side, pulling open her door. She looked blearily at him, her bloodshot eyes half closed. "Come on." Ryan muttered, pulling her out. Supporting her, they walked/stumbled to the passenger side. Ryan lowered her in, shutting the door. He walked to the driver's side. He didn't have his license, but Ryan had been carting her around for years. Picking her up from the bar or the local crack house was a nearly every day occurrence.
Ryan got in and put his head against the wheel, thinking. Where to go, where to go? He supposed a motel was their best bet. Ryan started the car and leaving the garage, they headed out of the business district and back towards Chino.
"Where we goin'?" Dawn questioned.
"Motel." Ryan muttered. He had collected over three hundred, they would be okay for a night or two. Dawn, however, had other ideas.
"Go to A.J.'s" Dawn stated.
"Mom, come on, you need to think about this for a day or two. I've got enough for a motel for a couple of nights." Ryan protested, he had a feeling it would do no good.
"No. We're goin' to A.J.'s." Dawn insisted. Ryan knew there was little point in arguing.
"Fine. Where?"
****
The loud, sharp raps stirred A.J. out of his self-induced alcohol coma. He shook the cobwebs out of his head. Sitting up, he cursed. Who the hell would be knocking on his door? A.J. pushed himself off the couch, lumbering to the door. He pulled the door open, not surprised who was standing there.
"Dawn." A.J. said gruffly, her brat kid was standing off to the side, a grim expression on his face.
"A.J." Dawn started, wringing her hands. "Can we come in? We really need to talk."
A.J. shook his head, he knew the bitch would come crawling back to him. "Yeah, sure." He stepped aside to let them in.
****
Ryan rolled over, unable to sleep. The couch was rough and scratchy, and the springs were poking him. Dawn had kissed A.J.'s feet, practically begging him to take her back. He'd agreed, especially when she gave him the money. Ryan had held some back, just in case. They would burn through it in a flash.
Ryan sighed and got up. He headed for the bathroom. Standing over the sink, he drank some water. Ryan looked at his reflection. His lip was split, A.J. had been kind enough to wait about five minutes before he decided to try and rearrange Ryan's face. Ryan knew he couldn't stay with them. A.J. would eventually kill him, God knew he'd tried before.
It had been nice, with the Cohen's. Ryan didn't have worry that a smart remark would earn him an uppercut from Mr. Cohen, or from Mrs. Cohen for that matter. Seth had complained, asking Ryan why he didn't talk very much. Ryan had shrugged, settling for a look. He used to, talk that is. But his father and eventually his mother's many boyfriends had taught him to keep his trap shut. Little did people know that Ryan had a very sarcastic streak that he kept completely in check. At the Cohen's, he'd actually voiced one or two of the many comments that came to his mind.
A knock at the door startled him. He cracked it warily. Dawn was standing there.
"Ryan." She sounded sober enough, if a little irritable. Dawn looked him up and down.
"What?" Ryan demanded, not in the mood for her shit.
"Punk kid. What did I tell you about that mouth of yours?"
"Yeah, fuck you." Ryan said sharply. Dawn's hand lashed out, striking him. Ryan's head snapped to one side. Slowly, he turned back to her. "Fuck you." He whispered, slipping past her. Dawn struck out again, grabbing Ryan's wrist. Squeezing tightly her eyes bored into her son.
"Don't fuck this up for me, Ryan." Her voice twisted at his name. Dawn squeezed tighter and tighter, the mother and son staring each other down. After what seemed an eternity, Dawn looked away and let go of Ryan.
Ryan walked back into the living room, pacing the length. He was furious, but his stoic face revealed nothing, as always. How dare she? How dare she defend that jackass she fucked and not her own son? Why was he even mad? One would think that he had stopped caring years ago. After all, this was nothing new for him. But he did care. She was still his mother. No matter if it was only in the biological sense. That was the problem, he did care, even if he couldn't afford too anymore.
That was it, he was done. Ryan had been spoiled, he'd had a taste of a normal life at the Cohen's and he selfishly wanted more. Ryan honestly didn't know how much longer he could last with his mom. But at the same time, how could he leave her? What kind of son abandons his incredibly irresponsible mother? But was that really his job? He was the kid after all, wasn't it her job to take care of him? Although that hadn't been true for years.
Ryan sighed. He knew the truth.
He could never leave.
****
Seth had to leave.
His house was crushing him. Swallowing him whole. It was high time he got over it and left the house, even if he was alone. God, how pathetic was that? One person shows up and turn his life upside down. Ryan hadn't called. Seth knew he wouldn't, but had still held out hope anyways. He dearly hoped that Ryan was okay. He didn't trust Ryan's mom, he wanted some proof that Ryan was alright.
Seth looked out the window and decided that life wasn't so great on the outside. He'd rather sit by the phone like some love-sick school girl.
****
Marissa wanted to leave.
Her life was falling apart. Her family was self-destructing before her very eyes. Maybe if she left, she could pretend that everything was normal. Yeah, right. Talk about heavy duty denial. Nothing was the same.
Marissa turned over onto her stomach, staring out the window. Her room was a mess, she hadn't the energy or the desire to mess around with the layer of clothes that carpeted her floor. A white tank top thrown carelessly on the sill suddenly caught her attention. Ryan.
Ryan. She missed him. When Seth had told her that he and his mom had just split, she was crushed. And the worst part is, she didn't even know why. Marissa didn't even know the mysterious boy, and besides, she had a boyfriend.
And yet, here she was thinking about Ryan, not her boyfriend.
Could life get anymore complicated?
****
Ryan was awakened by the sound of yelling. Nothing new by any stretch of the imagination. He simply rolled over and crushed the pillow over his ear. Suddenly, something caught his ear. His name. Ryan moved the pillow and sat up, listening intently.
"Dawn, I don't want that kid here! Him and his brother are nothing but a royal pain in my ass!"
"A.J., come on, he's my son. Besides, he's the one that made all that money. He's no trouble."
"Gimme a break. He's what, 16? Too old to be livin' with his mommy. It's time he hit the road. I want him gone!"
Dawn stormed out, stopping short in the living room. She offered him a half-hearted smile.
"I don't…Ryan…I…" Dawn stuttered, unable to voice her thoughts.
"What?" Ryan asked shortly, wishing she would spit it out.
"I think he's right, you need to leave." Dawn blurted out.
"What?! Mom, you can't be serious." Ryan jumped up, incredulous. He was feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Ryan, you're 16. I was gone way before then. You're old enough. I can't support you and A.J. anyways. You need to get a job, be a man." Dawn stated, matter of fact.
"Mom, where am I goin' go?"
"I dunno. You got friends. Find one of those whores you're so fond of." Dawn spat, tired of arguing with him.
"Fine. Can I take a shower?" Ryan questioned, anger seeping into his voice.
"Whatever." Dawn spun on her heel, stalking back to the bedroom.
Ryan shook his head. This was not a turn he had expected. Why had she taken him away from the Cohen's in the first place? So she could get a couple hundred bucks to put at A.J.'s feet? Probably. When he'd told Marissa that his mom was a train wreck, he hadn't been kidding.
Ryan made his way to the bathroom, pondering his options. The Cohen's were the most obvious one. But he'd already left. They were probably glad to be rid of him. One son was hard enough to manage, let alone a wild unknown second one. He'd done enough damage to the all-American family to last the rest of their lives.
He jumped in the shower, washing away the filth of the day before. Ryan scrubbed and scrubbed, dreading the end. He really had no where to go. He supposed he could call on one of the girls he knew. There were quite a few Ryan knew of that would be more than happy to let him occupy their bed.
Nothing seemed to work out for him. He had a good thing going with the Cohen's and then his tornado mother whirled in. Now she was throwing him out on the street again.
Why couldn't anything in life be easy?
****
There's more to follow soon enough. I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this, the plot bunnies are going in all different directions, so if anyone has any ideas, feel free to spout them off. Thanks!
MacKynzie