Left Behind
By: MacKynzie
A/N: I borrowed the garage idea from Heath07 whose story was great (I know nothing about cars, so that part is glossed over). I love Ryan and Marissa but there needs to be more Ryan/Anna fics! (Hint, hint)
PS: My first upload of this chapter got screwed up. Sorry! So here's the real deal!
****
"So this is California…not exactly what I expected."
"No, this is Chino. Chino is like an island, granted it's a sick and depraved island, but still an island away from the sea that is Newport."
"Wow, that's, like, really poetic, Julianna."
"Yeah, I'm not just a stupid Latina, ya' know?"
"Yeah, right." The two laughed out loud. Anna Stern took a look around her, not exactly the surroundings she was used to.
"Here it is." Julianna pointed to a beige house that looked as if it had been infested with every critter imaginable and then spit back out.
"I'll be right back, Anna-girl ." Anna smiled at Julianna's longtime nickname for her. In fact, Julianna had practically raised her, when her folks were away for great lengths of time doing whatever it was that kept parents away from their children. Anna honestly didn't know what she would have done without Julianna. The move cross-country was traumatic enough. Who knew that Pennsylvania and California would be so different? Well, any idiot who could read an atlas could tell you that, but reading about it and experiencing it were two completely different things.
So, here she was 3,000 thousand miles away from home and in a ghetto to boot. Not that Anna minded, her family was rich but she was never shielded from some of the harsh realities of life. Besides, it was broad daylight and they were driving a beat-up station wagon covered in a plethora of colors that resembled a factory reject. Speaking of which, the car was becoming stifling. Anna got out, surveying the street once again.
A movement at the house next door caught her eye.
"Get out you fucking punk! I don't ever want to see your face here again, got it?!!" A woman's shrill voice rang throughout the block. Anna didn't think she'd ever heard a more annoying sound.
A figure rushed out, slamming the door the behind him. Anna looked on curiously. He was young, probably about her age. And hot. God, was he good looking, or what? And what muscles! Anna felt a rush of heat just looking at him. He wore a black tank-top and a scowl. Anna wondered who had just kicked him out. A girlfriend or lover? Maybe a hooker? He stalked to the curb and plopped down with a sigh. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes he wasted no time in lighting one. Ah, an ice-breaker. Anna didn't smoke, but she'd tried it before.
Trying to be as casual as possible, Anna sauntered over, almost losing her nerve. Too late, he noticed her.
"Hey, can I bum a smoke?" He raised an eyebrow, his eyes unreadable. Wordlessly, he passed one over. Anna took it, watching as he lit it with his own.
Ryan eyed the girl next to him. Talk about déjà vu. What was it about girls and him smoking? She smoked it in silence, but in such a way that told Ryan she wasn't a smoker. Without a word, she finished it, tossed the butt away and slinked back to the car she'd been standing next to. Hmm. This was different. Ryan tilted his head, thinking. She was hot. Very hot. She wore a short skirt and tank-top, her lace bra straps showing slightly. And she was obviously interested or she wouldn't have walked over in the first place. Hmm. This definitely had possibilities. He couldn't think of a better way to take his mind off the present situation.
Anna smiled, she could feel his eyes on her back or butt, rather. Even the red handprint on his face and split lip couldn't hide how incredibly fine he was. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he stood up and walked towards her. Wait a sec. Wasn't she supposed to be afraid? This was the ghetto, after all. Where crime was the rule rather than the exception. But strangely enough, she wasn't. As silly and cliché as it sounded, there was just something about him.
Ryan walked over to where she was leaning against the car. He turned and leaned against it, standing very close to her. She spoke first.
"Anna." She stuck out her hand.
"Ryan." Ryan shook it gently.
"Visiting?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Hooker?" She asked.
"No."
Their eyes met and they laughed at each other.
"Yeah, I just moved here from Pennsylvania. My, well, I guess you could call her my nanny, her sister lives here." Anna explained.
"Me and my mom are staying with her boyfriend. We were anyways. Now I'm not, apparently." Ryan shrugged. "Nanny, huh?"
"Yeah."
"You don't look like the nanny type." Ryan responded, glancing over.
"Thanks."
"So, Anna. How would you like a grand tour of the neighborhood?" Ryan asked, making a sweeping gesture with his hand.
"Why not? Hang on a sec?" Anna headed towards the house without waiting for a response. She was back a moment later.
"Okay. Lead on, McDuff."
"So, are you moving to Chino?" Ryan asked, casting her a sideways glance.
"Um, no. Newport, actually." Anna answered, biting her lip, strangely ashamed.
"Newport?" Ryan asked in disbelief. "I guess that explains the nanny."
"Yeah." Anna stared at the ground. "So what do you do in Chino for fun?"
Ryan frowned, considering. He didn't think anything he did would be fun for a rich chick. What did he do for fun? Ryan honestly didn't know. Sure, he partied and hung out with his friends, but was that really fun? They were usually drunk or high, not really that fun.
"Good question. I don't really know myself." Ryan answered as they walked around the block. The pair walked in silence for quite sometime. It wasn't uncomfortable, quite the opposite, in fact. Before she knew it, they were back to where they had started. So they walked some more.
"Hey, Ryan!" A male voice broke the relative silence. Ryan turned in the direction of the voice.
"Hey, Tommy. What's up?" Ryan answered, walking over to the teen.
"Nothing. Hello…" Tommy's gaze looked up and down Anna.
"Tommy. Anna. Anna. Tommy." Ryan provided the introduction, not liking the way his friend was ogling Anna. Although, he wasn't sure why he cared, he'd done the same thing upon seeing her.
"Ry, you wanna help me with the car?" Tommy asked, tearing his eyes away from the babe at Ryan's side.
"Uh, I don't think Anna…" Ryan looked at her for confirmation.
"Cars? Hey, I'm in." Anna said with a confidence that surprised them both.
"Okay." The pair followed Tommy into his garage. In the middle sat a rusted out Mustang. The hood was open with various parts strewn about.
"A Mustang, cool." Anna said.
Both the boys raised their eyebrows, they hadn't expected her to know even that much.
"Let's get to work." Anna spoke again, this time with a big smile.
"Yes, let's do that." Ryan replied with a nod. They worked together in relative silence, broken only occasionally by the thud of a tool or the thump of a head on the undercarriage.
They had only been at it for about 20 minutes when a voice yelled from the house.
"Thomas!" They all looked up.
"What, ma?" The teen shouted back.
"Phone!" Tommy sighed and went into the house. He was back a minute later.
"That was Callie. I gotta go. But you guys can stay…" Tommy finished.
Ryan looked at Anna. She seemed to be enjoying herself.
"Okay. Maybe for a few." Ryan answered. Tommy rushed off, throwing a 'later' behind him.
"Whose Callie?" Anna questioned.
"His girl. Tommy's always at her beck and call." Ryan answered, looking over at Anna. She had a grease smudge on her cheek. Ryan frowned, just when he thought she couldn't look any sexier. And then he had a thought. It wasn't the first time he'd had this thought. But it was the first time he was seriously considering it. It was a bad thought, Anna wasn't like that. She wasn't the kind of girl who liked to be fucked. The kind of rough sex that would leave her aching in all the right places. No, she was the type of girl that wanted to make love. But then again, here she was giving him that look. That look that said maybe she did want to be fucked against a garage wall or on top of a car.
Anna looked away from Ryan. He seemed to be evaluating her, his eyes unreadable. She glanced up at him, this time recognizing what was in his eyes, it was unmistakable. Anna deliberately walked over to the garage door and pulled it shut. She took a few steps towards him, answering with a look of her own, hoping it was unmistakable to him as well.
She needn't have worried. He met her halfway. He smelled of sweat and grease and maleness. A killer combination. Anna reached out and pulled him closer. Ryan grabbed her shoulders roughly, shoving her up against the wall. And just like that they were kissing, Ryan's mouth taking hers captive, his tongue thrust into her mouth, taking complete control. Anna wasn't far behind. And then his mouth left hers, making its way across her face and neck and farther down, kissing the swell of her breasts. His hands mimicked the path of his mouth. Anna gasped as he did something particularly creative with his tongue. Anna's hands began their own roaming adventure of Ryan's muscular body. She grasped the bottom of his tank top and pulled it over his head, kissing his chest as she went. Ryan followed her cue, yanking her top up and over. Her pink lacey bra wasn't far behind…
*
"Well, I can't say I've ever been fucked like that." Anna said with a grin.
"Thanks." Ryan replied, not surprised. Anna hadn't seemed like the type of girl who was into the sex that Chino was all about. She had definitely surprised him.
"So is the part where we smoke?" Anna asked, not able to wipe the smile off her face.
"Sure." Ryan shrugged. Lighting up, they left the garage and headed in the direction of Ryan's house.
"I thought for sure his mom was going to come running out into the garage." Anna said, slightly embarrassed. Ryan had definitely had her screaming his name.
"Nah, she's a drunk. Probably in a coma or something." Ryan assured her. Although, he'd of thought Anna's yelling would have risen the dead. Not that he minded. Nor did he mind the fingernail imprints on his back.
"You know," Ryan changed topics, "this is the only time where it's relatively peaceful. Just before the sun sets, it's like, too early for the wild parties or something." Ryan said thoughtfully, blowing out a stream of smoke.
"Yeah. It's nice." They strolled in companionable silence. Ryan didn't think he'd ever stuck around with girl after sex like this before. He was usually hopping in the front seat or out the window.
"You know, I stayed in Newport for a little while." Ryan stated, surprised at himself. He rarely broke silences.
"Really?" Anna asked, curious.
"Yeah, it was…different." Ryan finished, unwilling to say anymore. Anna sensed he was done.
They came upon A.J.'s house, only to find Anna's nanny standing next door on her sister's porch looking pissed.
"Anna! Where in God's name have you been? I've been worried sick." She rushed off the porch, meeting them. Grabbing Anna's arm, Julianna gave Ryan a death-glare.
"I was walking. I told you that." Anna protested, trying to pull her arm out of Julianna's vice-like grip.
"You told me no such thing! Come on, we're leaving!" Julianna started pulling her in the direction of the car. Anna had other ideas, however. Finally yanking her arm away, she ran back to Ryan, who was standing there passively, smoking a cigarette. Anna kissed him hard on the mouth.
"It was great." She whispered, regretful that this would the last time she would see him.
"You too." Ryan smiled and nodded in the direction of a furious Julianna who was almost upon them. "See ya.'"
Anna turned around and headed to the car without a backwards glance. Julianna waited until she was in and then got in herself. The backed up and sped down the street. Ryan watched the fading taillights with a bit of remorse. Shaking his head, he started for A.J.'s, hopefully they had had enough time to cool off and would forget the whole thing.
Ryan, however, was never that lucky. With a feeling of dread, he trudged up the steps. This was most definitely a bad idea. But what could he do? His backpack was still in there. He entered the living room and looked at the couch in disgust. His mom was passed out, drunk and/or high. Ryan surveyed the room. Where had he left his bag? There! He spotted it, hidden behind an old milk crate. The toilet flushed, causing Ryan to jump. A.J. came lumbering out. There was nothing Ryan could do, nowhere to hide. A.J. spotted him immediately.
"Didn't I tell you to get the fuck out of here?!" A.J. growled in disbelief.
"Yeah, I know. I had to get my…" Ryan never had a chance. Yes, he was muscular and knew how to throw his weight around, but A.J. was in a whole different class. He charged, knocking Ryan to the floor. As Ryan crashed to the floor, he felt something snap inside. Not physically, but something deeper.
Ryan was enraged.
Not anger or fury, this emotion was white-hot and burned inside him with a vengeance. He saw A.J. towering over him and in that moment, Ryan saw his father, screaming at him and punching him again and again. He saw one of his mom's many boyfriends shooting up in his house and then having the gall to kick him out.
And with that thought, he threw himself at A.J., surprising the man enough to upset his balance. Ryan followed it up with a rain of blows, barely conscious of what he was doing. A.J. quickly went back on the offensive, landing several well placed punches, pushing Ryan towards the wall. Somewhere, Ryan thought he heard his mother screaming. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mom holding a broken beer bottle.
And that was his last conscious thought for two days.
****
Present
"Wow. I mean…wow. I just can't believe that your mom…" Seth couldn't even finish. It had been hard enough to hear when Ryan had glossed over the facts. But now, in detail…It was even more tragic.
Ryan didn't respond. He'd relayed the tale the least amount of emotion possible. He was drained and desperate for a cigarette.
"So what about this chick you hooked up with? Fresno's not so far away." Seth said with interest.
"Yeah…no. Listen, I'm really tired." Ryan replied.
"Okay, yeah. I mean you've had a rough day and everything. I'll see you tomorrow." Seth sauntered out, still wearing a slightly dazed expression.
Ryan stood up as well. He waited until Seth had gone inside, fetched his smokes and walked to the back of the pool house, which was hidden from view. Ryan sat down and lit his cigarette, breathing in the sweet aroma. He didn't feel the least bit guilty about lying to Seth about Anna. The last thing he needed was Seth's big mouth interfering, especially when there was a good chance he might run into Anna. Oh, well. Yet another bridge he'd have to cross when he got to it. So what was next for Ryan Atwood, screw-up extraordinaire? By the looks of things it would be another round in Newport Beach. He could think of worse things. But Ryan had a feeling that in the days to come he would seriously question that statement.
THE END
Hey, it's finally over! Yes, it was quite the saga and now it's done. Will there be more? Will Ryan and Anna meet? A question for the ages. Thanks for sticking it out with me!
MacKynzie
By: MacKynzie
A/N: I borrowed the garage idea from Heath07 whose story was great (I know nothing about cars, so that part is glossed over). I love Ryan and Marissa but there needs to be more Ryan/Anna fics! (Hint, hint)
PS: My first upload of this chapter got screwed up. Sorry! So here's the real deal!
****
"So this is California…not exactly what I expected."
"No, this is Chino. Chino is like an island, granted it's a sick and depraved island, but still an island away from the sea that is Newport."
"Wow, that's, like, really poetic, Julianna."
"Yeah, I'm not just a stupid Latina, ya' know?"
"Yeah, right." The two laughed out loud. Anna Stern took a look around her, not exactly the surroundings she was used to.
"Here it is." Julianna pointed to a beige house that looked as if it had been infested with every critter imaginable and then spit back out.
"I'll be right back, Anna-girl ." Anna smiled at Julianna's longtime nickname for her. In fact, Julianna had practically raised her, when her folks were away for great lengths of time doing whatever it was that kept parents away from their children. Anna honestly didn't know what she would have done without Julianna. The move cross-country was traumatic enough. Who knew that Pennsylvania and California would be so different? Well, any idiot who could read an atlas could tell you that, but reading about it and experiencing it were two completely different things.
So, here she was 3,000 thousand miles away from home and in a ghetto to boot. Not that Anna minded, her family was rich but she was never shielded from some of the harsh realities of life. Besides, it was broad daylight and they were driving a beat-up station wagon covered in a plethora of colors that resembled a factory reject. Speaking of which, the car was becoming stifling. Anna got out, surveying the street once again.
A movement at the house next door caught her eye.
"Get out you fucking punk! I don't ever want to see your face here again, got it?!!" A woman's shrill voice rang throughout the block. Anna didn't think she'd ever heard a more annoying sound.
A figure rushed out, slamming the door the behind him. Anna looked on curiously. He was young, probably about her age. And hot. God, was he good looking, or what? And what muscles! Anna felt a rush of heat just looking at him. He wore a black tank-top and a scowl. Anna wondered who had just kicked him out. A girlfriend or lover? Maybe a hooker? He stalked to the curb and plopped down with a sigh. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes he wasted no time in lighting one. Ah, an ice-breaker. Anna didn't smoke, but she'd tried it before.
Trying to be as casual as possible, Anna sauntered over, almost losing her nerve. Too late, he noticed her.
"Hey, can I bum a smoke?" He raised an eyebrow, his eyes unreadable. Wordlessly, he passed one over. Anna took it, watching as he lit it with his own.
Ryan eyed the girl next to him. Talk about déjà vu. What was it about girls and him smoking? She smoked it in silence, but in such a way that told Ryan she wasn't a smoker. Without a word, she finished it, tossed the butt away and slinked back to the car she'd been standing next to. Hmm. This was different. Ryan tilted his head, thinking. She was hot. Very hot. She wore a short skirt and tank-top, her lace bra straps showing slightly. And she was obviously interested or she wouldn't have walked over in the first place. Hmm. This definitely had possibilities. He couldn't think of a better way to take his mind off the present situation.
Anna smiled, she could feel his eyes on her back or butt, rather. Even the red handprint on his face and split lip couldn't hide how incredibly fine he was. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he stood up and walked towards her. Wait a sec. Wasn't she supposed to be afraid? This was the ghetto, after all. Where crime was the rule rather than the exception. But strangely enough, she wasn't. As silly and cliché as it sounded, there was just something about him.
Ryan walked over to where she was leaning against the car. He turned and leaned against it, standing very close to her. She spoke first.
"Anna." She stuck out her hand.
"Ryan." Ryan shook it gently.
"Visiting?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Hooker?" She asked.
"No."
Their eyes met and they laughed at each other.
"Yeah, I just moved here from Pennsylvania. My, well, I guess you could call her my nanny, her sister lives here." Anna explained.
"Me and my mom are staying with her boyfriend. We were anyways. Now I'm not, apparently." Ryan shrugged. "Nanny, huh?"
"Yeah."
"You don't look like the nanny type." Ryan responded, glancing over.
"Thanks."
"So, Anna. How would you like a grand tour of the neighborhood?" Ryan asked, making a sweeping gesture with his hand.
"Why not? Hang on a sec?" Anna headed towards the house without waiting for a response. She was back a moment later.
"Okay. Lead on, McDuff."
"So, are you moving to Chino?" Ryan asked, casting her a sideways glance.
"Um, no. Newport, actually." Anna answered, biting her lip, strangely ashamed.
"Newport?" Ryan asked in disbelief. "I guess that explains the nanny."
"Yeah." Anna stared at the ground. "So what do you do in Chino for fun?"
Ryan frowned, considering. He didn't think anything he did would be fun for a rich chick. What did he do for fun? Ryan honestly didn't know. Sure, he partied and hung out with his friends, but was that really fun? They were usually drunk or high, not really that fun.
"Good question. I don't really know myself." Ryan answered as they walked around the block. The pair walked in silence for quite sometime. It wasn't uncomfortable, quite the opposite, in fact. Before she knew it, they were back to where they had started. So they walked some more.
"Hey, Ryan!" A male voice broke the relative silence. Ryan turned in the direction of the voice.
"Hey, Tommy. What's up?" Ryan answered, walking over to the teen.
"Nothing. Hello…" Tommy's gaze looked up and down Anna.
"Tommy. Anna. Anna. Tommy." Ryan provided the introduction, not liking the way his friend was ogling Anna. Although, he wasn't sure why he cared, he'd done the same thing upon seeing her.
"Ry, you wanna help me with the car?" Tommy asked, tearing his eyes away from the babe at Ryan's side.
"Uh, I don't think Anna…" Ryan looked at her for confirmation.
"Cars? Hey, I'm in." Anna said with a confidence that surprised them both.
"Okay." The pair followed Tommy into his garage. In the middle sat a rusted out Mustang. The hood was open with various parts strewn about.
"A Mustang, cool." Anna said.
Both the boys raised their eyebrows, they hadn't expected her to know even that much.
"Let's get to work." Anna spoke again, this time with a big smile.
"Yes, let's do that." Ryan replied with a nod. They worked together in relative silence, broken only occasionally by the thud of a tool or the thump of a head on the undercarriage.
They had only been at it for about 20 minutes when a voice yelled from the house.
"Thomas!" They all looked up.
"What, ma?" The teen shouted back.
"Phone!" Tommy sighed and went into the house. He was back a minute later.
"That was Callie. I gotta go. But you guys can stay…" Tommy finished.
Ryan looked at Anna. She seemed to be enjoying herself.
"Okay. Maybe for a few." Ryan answered. Tommy rushed off, throwing a 'later' behind him.
"Whose Callie?" Anna questioned.
"His girl. Tommy's always at her beck and call." Ryan answered, looking over at Anna. She had a grease smudge on her cheek. Ryan frowned, just when he thought she couldn't look any sexier. And then he had a thought. It wasn't the first time he'd had this thought. But it was the first time he was seriously considering it. It was a bad thought, Anna wasn't like that. She wasn't the kind of girl who liked to be fucked. The kind of rough sex that would leave her aching in all the right places. No, she was the type of girl that wanted to make love. But then again, here she was giving him that look. That look that said maybe she did want to be fucked against a garage wall or on top of a car.
Anna looked away from Ryan. He seemed to be evaluating her, his eyes unreadable. She glanced up at him, this time recognizing what was in his eyes, it was unmistakable. Anna deliberately walked over to the garage door and pulled it shut. She took a few steps towards him, answering with a look of her own, hoping it was unmistakable to him as well.
She needn't have worried. He met her halfway. He smelled of sweat and grease and maleness. A killer combination. Anna reached out and pulled him closer. Ryan grabbed her shoulders roughly, shoving her up against the wall. And just like that they were kissing, Ryan's mouth taking hers captive, his tongue thrust into her mouth, taking complete control. Anna wasn't far behind. And then his mouth left hers, making its way across her face and neck and farther down, kissing the swell of her breasts. His hands mimicked the path of his mouth. Anna gasped as he did something particularly creative with his tongue. Anna's hands began their own roaming adventure of Ryan's muscular body. She grasped the bottom of his tank top and pulled it over his head, kissing his chest as she went. Ryan followed her cue, yanking her top up and over. Her pink lacey bra wasn't far behind…
*
"Well, I can't say I've ever been fucked like that." Anna said with a grin.
"Thanks." Ryan replied, not surprised. Anna hadn't seemed like the type of girl who was into the sex that Chino was all about. She had definitely surprised him.
"So is the part where we smoke?" Anna asked, not able to wipe the smile off her face.
"Sure." Ryan shrugged. Lighting up, they left the garage and headed in the direction of Ryan's house.
"I thought for sure his mom was going to come running out into the garage." Anna said, slightly embarrassed. Ryan had definitely had her screaming his name.
"Nah, she's a drunk. Probably in a coma or something." Ryan assured her. Although, he'd of thought Anna's yelling would have risen the dead. Not that he minded. Nor did he mind the fingernail imprints on his back.
"You know," Ryan changed topics, "this is the only time where it's relatively peaceful. Just before the sun sets, it's like, too early for the wild parties or something." Ryan said thoughtfully, blowing out a stream of smoke.
"Yeah. It's nice." They strolled in companionable silence. Ryan didn't think he'd ever stuck around with girl after sex like this before. He was usually hopping in the front seat or out the window.
"You know, I stayed in Newport for a little while." Ryan stated, surprised at himself. He rarely broke silences.
"Really?" Anna asked, curious.
"Yeah, it was…different." Ryan finished, unwilling to say anymore. Anna sensed he was done.
They came upon A.J.'s house, only to find Anna's nanny standing next door on her sister's porch looking pissed.
"Anna! Where in God's name have you been? I've been worried sick." She rushed off the porch, meeting them. Grabbing Anna's arm, Julianna gave Ryan a death-glare.
"I was walking. I told you that." Anna protested, trying to pull her arm out of Julianna's vice-like grip.
"You told me no such thing! Come on, we're leaving!" Julianna started pulling her in the direction of the car. Anna had other ideas, however. Finally yanking her arm away, she ran back to Ryan, who was standing there passively, smoking a cigarette. Anna kissed him hard on the mouth.
"It was great." She whispered, regretful that this would the last time she would see him.
"You too." Ryan smiled and nodded in the direction of a furious Julianna who was almost upon them. "See ya.'"
Anna turned around and headed to the car without a backwards glance. Julianna waited until she was in and then got in herself. The backed up and sped down the street. Ryan watched the fading taillights with a bit of remorse. Shaking his head, he started for A.J.'s, hopefully they had had enough time to cool off and would forget the whole thing.
Ryan, however, was never that lucky. With a feeling of dread, he trudged up the steps. This was most definitely a bad idea. But what could he do? His backpack was still in there. He entered the living room and looked at the couch in disgust. His mom was passed out, drunk and/or high. Ryan surveyed the room. Where had he left his bag? There! He spotted it, hidden behind an old milk crate. The toilet flushed, causing Ryan to jump. A.J. came lumbering out. There was nothing Ryan could do, nowhere to hide. A.J. spotted him immediately.
"Didn't I tell you to get the fuck out of here?!" A.J. growled in disbelief.
"Yeah, I know. I had to get my…" Ryan never had a chance. Yes, he was muscular and knew how to throw his weight around, but A.J. was in a whole different class. He charged, knocking Ryan to the floor. As Ryan crashed to the floor, he felt something snap inside. Not physically, but something deeper.
Ryan was enraged.
Not anger or fury, this emotion was white-hot and burned inside him with a vengeance. He saw A.J. towering over him and in that moment, Ryan saw his father, screaming at him and punching him again and again. He saw one of his mom's many boyfriends shooting up in his house and then having the gall to kick him out.
And with that thought, he threw himself at A.J., surprising the man enough to upset his balance. Ryan followed it up with a rain of blows, barely conscious of what he was doing. A.J. quickly went back on the offensive, landing several well placed punches, pushing Ryan towards the wall. Somewhere, Ryan thought he heard his mother screaming. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mom holding a broken beer bottle.
And that was his last conscious thought for two days.
****
Present
"Wow. I mean…wow. I just can't believe that your mom…" Seth couldn't even finish. It had been hard enough to hear when Ryan had glossed over the facts. But now, in detail…It was even more tragic.
Ryan didn't respond. He'd relayed the tale the least amount of emotion possible. He was drained and desperate for a cigarette.
"So what about this chick you hooked up with? Fresno's not so far away." Seth said with interest.
"Yeah…no. Listen, I'm really tired." Ryan replied.
"Okay, yeah. I mean you've had a rough day and everything. I'll see you tomorrow." Seth sauntered out, still wearing a slightly dazed expression.
Ryan stood up as well. He waited until Seth had gone inside, fetched his smokes and walked to the back of the pool house, which was hidden from view. Ryan sat down and lit his cigarette, breathing in the sweet aroma. He didn't feel the least bit guilty about lying to Seth about Anna. The last thing he needed was Seth's big mouth interfering, especially when there was a good chance he might run into Anna. Oh, well. Yet another bridge he'd have to cross when he got to it. So what was next for Ryan Atwood, screw-up extraordinaire? By the looks of things it would be another round in Newport Beach. He could think of worse things. But Ryan had a feeling that in the days to come he would seriously question that statement.
THE END
Hey, it's finally over! Yes, it was quite the saga and now it's done. Will there be more? Will Ryan and Anna meet? A question for the ages. Thanks for sticking it out with me!
MacKynzie