A/N: thanks for all the reviews keep 'em coming!!! I keep forgetting to put
disclaimers on the chapters. I own anyone unfamiliar you see ... read.
Chapter 4
Reighn stood outside the house waiting. She began to grow bored of waiting in the driveway and she didn't feel like smoking on someone's driveway, so she wandered down the drive, past the pillars to the street.
She pulled her pack of cigarettes out of her jeans pocket. She put one in her mouth and lit it. She inhaled. God that felt good, she thought, even though she knew she was poisoning herself. With the cigarette in her hand she lowered herself to the curb. Reighn looked up and down the street. All the streets looked the same to her.
Perfect.
All perfectly manicured lawns.
Perfectly painted houses.
Perfectly clean street, no rubbish or anything strewn on it.
Hell even the driveways here were perfect. No oil or weeds or even leaves on them. She shook her head slightly and took another drag from the cigarette dangling from her fingers.
* * *
Inside the house
Sandy and Kirsten were arguing in the kitchen. Seth and Ryan could hear that from their position by the Playstation. However they were speaking too low for them to catch the words they were saying.
"Sandy are you really asking me to take a stranger into our home?" Kirsten asked.
"You did it before" he pointed out. "You didn't want to then but look at how Ryan has turned out."
She knew he was right. "Ryan is a special boy. He's one of a kind. How do we know she'll be the same?"
"We don't. But we can take that shot."
She sighed. "What's her story?"
"Her brother hi-jacked some trucks and was under investigation by the Feds and he ran to Mexico with her sister and the rest of the family. So the FBI came after her and she took the blame even though there was no evidence on her. But the judge threw out the case."
"So Super Sandy saved the day?" she teased.
He laughed.
"What about her parents? Are they in Mexico too?"
"Her parents are dead."
"And her guardians are in Mexico. Poor kid" she murmured. She was silent for a few minutes. Sandy knew she was thinking it over.
"Will it be permanent? Her staying with us?"
"If you don't want it be. I'll have to call child services anyway."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yes she can stay we'll see how it works out. She's sleeping in the pool house."
"Okay." Sandy kissed Kirsten gently. "You are so amazing you know that?"
"Yeah, yeah" she said waving him out of the kitchen.
Out on the kerb Reighn was smoking her fourth cigarette. Sandy walked down the driveway and sat beside her. She looked up at him. He gestured to the cigarette.
"Those things are going to kill you," he said.
She shrugged and put the cigarette to her mouth again.
"You can stay with us. It's a trial run. You gotta stay out of trouble. Keep seeing your parole officer."
She looked up at him. She was smiling. "Thanks a million Sandy."
"Don't worry about. Okay you aren't allowed to smoke in the house and you are staying in the pool house. Is that okay?"
She nodded. "It's perfect dude. Are you sure your wife's cool with this." "I talked her around. I am a lawyer after all."
Reighn laughed at that. Sandy stood up.
"C'mon."
Reighn got up off the curb. She flicked her cigarette butt into the street to join the other three and followed Sandy up the pristine driveway. He stood by the front door waiting for her to catch up.
"You sure about this?" she asked, her voice laced with nervousness.
"Yes" he stressed the word. "You ready?"
She nodded slowly. Sandy pushed open the glass-panelled wooden door. She tagged along behind him into the house. She looked around. If outside had been clean then there was no words to describe inside.
The place was immaculate. Absolutely spotless. The furniture of the living room was cream and tasteful. There didn't appear to be a speck of dust or dirt anywhere. Jesus Reighn's house was never dirty, Mia used to make the team clean, but this was just plain ridiculous.
A pretty blond woman stepped forward holding her hand out. "I'm Kirsten. Welcome to our home."
"Thanks Mrs Cohen. I really appreciate what you're doing for me."
"Reighn it is my pleasure. Sandy explained your situation and I want to help you. And please call me Kirsten."
"Okay" Reighn replied uncertainty. She felt weird calling her by her first name.
"Boys" Kirsten called.
Reighn's attention was drawn to the TV. Sitting in front of it playing a Playstation were two boys who looked to be about her age. They turned to Kirsten.
"Boys this is Reighn she will be staying with us."
The two guys stood up and walked toward the three. The tall, gangly looking boy stuck out his hand. He had curly brown hair and dark eyes. He reminded Reighn of Jesse. She shook his offered hand.
"I'm Seth." "Reighn."
"Ah like the weather."
"Seth" Sandy scolded him.
The other guy stepped forward. He was smaller but looked stronger than Seth. He had sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He had that bad boy thing going on. Reighn could tell she'd spent her life around bad boys. He, too, offered his hand.
"I'm Ryan."
"Reighn" she said as she shook his hand.
The phone rang in the kitchen and Kirsten went to answer it, excusing herself. Ryan and Seth sat back down in front of the Playstation. Sandy sat down and gestured for Reighn to do the same.
"Sandy" Kirsten called from the kitchen.
Sandy stood up and with a reassuring glance at Reighn he left the room. Seth and Ryan were glancing warily at Reighn and Reighn was doing the same to them.
"So Reighn are you a troubled teen too?" Seth asked breaking the ice, albeit in his usual blunt manner.
She laughed lightly. "Sure. So Grand Theft Auto huh?"
"Yup" Seth replied, eyes still on the game.
"You want to play?" Ryan asked offering his controller to her.
"You sure?"
"Yeah." Ryan moved to the couch as Reighn sat beside Seth who was loading up a new game.
"Now I hope you don't get too upset when I beat you sugar," he was saying as he completed his task.
"I'm sure I'll be okay," she said dryly. "Wait which button is the accelerator?"
Seth smirked. "The x button."
"Okay. Thanks."
The two started playing. For the first 30 seconds of the game Seth was leading but then Reighn started gaining on him. She won the race by 2 laps.
Ryan burst into laughter at the shocked expression on Seth's face. "Dude she beat you!"
"Yes thank you Ryan. We all saw the race but it's nice to have someone around to state the obvious" Seth shot back sarcastically.
"Ouch." Reighn said joining Ryan in his laughter. "Icy."
"Whatever weather girl" he retorted. He couldn't think of a better comeback than that. He was too annoyed by his defeat and Ryan's taking pleasure in it.
"Dude if you've got a problem with me name call me Ray like everyone else does."
"Ray?" Seth mused quietly.
* * *
A few hours later
The three had played Grand Theft Auto for another hour or so after that with Reighn winning every race. She had eaten some food while watching Seth and Ryan battle it out. Eventually Seth wandered off to get ready. He was going to the movies with Anna. So Ryan and Reighn continued playing by themselves.
"Ryan" someone called from the kitchen.
"I'll be back okay" Ryan said getting up.
Reighn started a single player game while Ryan left the room.
In the kitchen Sandy was dressed in a tuxedo waiting to talk to Ryan.
"Ryan can you do us a favour and show Reighn the pool house later. Kirsten and I have to go to this charity thing tonight." He looked less than happy at the thought of it. Ryan knew Sandy hated these events.
"Just keep an eye on her. Get her settled in."
"Sure."
"I wouldn't ask but we can't get out of this fundraiser."
Kirsten swept into the kitchen wearing a long red dress. Sandy turned his attention to her.
"You look absolutely ravishing tonight."
"You don't look to bad yourself."
They kissed and Ryan turned away awkwardly.
Kirsten turned to Ryan. "The bed is made in the pool house and there are towels in the bathroom."
Sandy glanced at his watch. "We'd better go honey."
"Okay. Bye Ryan. Thanks for doing this."
"Not a problem. Have a nice night."
The two said goodbye to Reighn as they passed through the living room. Seth had already left when Ryan went back into the living room. Reighn was playing by herself. He watched her for a minute. She was concentrating hard on the game.
"Ray?" he called.
"Mmm?" Her race finished and she won. She looked at Ryan after entering 'Ray' on the top score table.
"You want me to show you the poolhouse?"
"Okay."
A/N: Okay I know that is really sudden ending but I wanted to give ye all a chapter. Chapter 5 is coming Ryan and Ray get talking about their past and families and maybe a trip back to Echo Park. Please review!!!
Chapter 4
Reighn stood outside the house waiting. She began to grow bored of waiting in the driveway and she didn't feel like smoking on someone's driveway, so she wandered down the drive, past the pillars to the street.
She pulled her pack of cigarettes out of her jeans pocket. She put one in her mouth and lit it. She inhaled. God that felt good, she thought, even though she knew she was poisoning herself. With the cigarette in her hand she lowered herself to the curb. Reighn looked up and down the street. All the streets looked the same to her.
Perfect.
All perfectly manicured lawns.
Perfectly painted houses.
Perfectly clean street, no rubbish or anything strewn on it.
Hell even the driveways here were perfect. No oil or weeds or even leaves on them. She shook her head slightly and took another drag from the cigarette dangling from her fingers.
* * *
Inside the house
Sandy and Kirsten were arguing in the kitchen. Seth and Ryan could hear that from their position by the Playstation. However they were speaking too low for them to catch the words they were saying.
"Sandy are you really asking me to take a stranger into our home?" Kirsten asked.
"You did it before" he pointed out. "You didn't want to then but look at how Ryan has turned out."
She knew he was right. "Ryan is a special boy. He's one of a kind. How do we know she'll be the same?"
"We don't. But we can take that shot."
She sighed. "What's her story?"
"Her brother hi-jacked some trucks and was under investigation by the Feds and he ran to Mexico with her sister and the rest of the family. So the FBI came after her and she took the blame even though there was no evidence on her. But the judge threw out the case."
"So Super Sandy saved the day?" she teased.
He laughed.
"What about her parents? Are they in Mexico too?"
"Her parents are dead."
"And her guardians are in Mexico. Poor kid" she murmured. She was silent for a few minutes. Sandy knew she was thinking it over.
"Will it be permanent? Her staying with us?"
"If you don't want it be. I'll have to call child services anyway."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yes she can stay we'll see how it works out. She's sleeping in the pool house."
"Okay." Sandy kissed Kirsten gently. "You are so amazing you know that?"
"Yeah, yeah" she said waving him out of the kitchen.
Out on the kerb Reighn was smoking her fourth cigarette. Sandy walked down the driveway and sat beside her. She looked up at him. He gestured to the cigarette.
"Those things are going to kill you," he said.
She shrugged and put the cigarette to her mouth again.
"You can stay with us. It's a trial run. You gotta stay out of trouble. Keep seeing your parole officer."
She looked up at him. She was smiling. "Thanks a million Sandy."
"Don't worry about. Okay you aren't allowed to smoke in the house and you are staying in the pool house. Is that okay?"
She nodded. "It's perfect dude. Are you sure your wife's cool with this." "I talked her around. I am a lawyer after all."
Reighn laughed at that. Sandy stood up.
"C'mon."
Reighn got up off the curb. She flicked her cigarette butt into the street to join the other three and followed Sandy up the pristine driveway. He stood by the front door waiting for her to catch up.
"You sure about this?" she asked, her voice laced with nervousness.
"Yes" he stressed the word. "You ready?"
She nodded slowly. Sandy pushed open the glass-panelled wooden door. She tagged along behind him into the house. She looked around. If outside had been clean then there was no words to describe inside.
The place was immaculate. Absolutely spotless. The furniture of the living room was cream and tasteful. There didn't appear to be a speck of dust or dirt anywhere. Jesus Reighn's house was never dirty, Mia used to make the team clean, but this was just plain ridiculous.
A pretty blond woman stepped forward holding her hand out. "I'm Kirsten. Welcome to our home."
"Thanks Mrs Cohen. I really appreciate what you're doing for me."
"Reighn it is my pleasure. Sandy explained your situation and I want to help you. And please call me Kirsten."
"Okay" Reighn replied uncertainty. She felt weird calling her by her first name.
"Boys" Kirsten called.
Reighn's attention was drawn to the TV. Sitting in front of it playing a Playstation were two boys who looked to be about her age. They turned to Kirsten.
"Boys this is Reighn she will be staying with us."
The two guys stood up and walked toward the three. The tall, gangly looking boy stuck out his hand. He had curly brown hair and dark eyes. He reminded Reighn of Jesse. She shook his offered hand.
"I'm Seth." "Reighn."
"Ah like the weather."
"Seth" Sandy scolded him.
The other guy stepped forward. He was smaller but looked stronger than Seth. He had sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He had that bad boy thing going on. Reighn could tell she'd spent her life around bad boys. He, too, offered his hand.
"I'm Ryan."
"Reighn" she said as she shook his hand.
The phone rang in the kitchen and Kirsten went to answer it, excusing herself. Ryan and Seth sat back down in front of the Playstation. Sandy sat down and gestured for Reighn to do the same.
"Sandy" Kirsten called from the kitchen.
Sandy stood up and with a reassuring glance at Reighn he left the room. Seth and Ryan were glancing warily at Reighn and Reighn was doing the same to them.
"So Reighn are you a troubled teen too?" Seth asked breaking the ice, albeit in his usual blunt manner.
She laughed lightly. "Sure. So Grand Theft Auto huh?"
"Yup" Seth replied, eyes still on the game.
"You want to play?" Ryan asked offering his controller to her.
"You sure?"
"Yeah." Ryan moved to the couch as Reighn sat beside Seth who was loading up a new game.
"Now I hope you don't get too upset when I beat you sugar," he was saying as he completed his task.
"I'm sure I'll be okay," she said dryly. "Wait which button is the accelerator?"
Seth smirked. "The x button."
"Okay. Thanks."
The two started playing. For the first 30 seconds of the game Seth was leading but then Reighn started gaining on him. She won the race by 2 laps.
Ryan burst into laughter at the shocked expression on Seth's face. "Dude she beat you!"
"Yes thank you Ryan. We all saw the race but it's nice to have someone around to state the obvious" Seth shot back sarcastically.
"Ouch." Reighn said joining Ryan in his laughter. "Icy."
"Whatever weather girl" he retorted. He couldn't think of a better comeback than that. He was too annoyed by his defeat and Ryan's taking pleasure in it.
"Dude if you've got a problem with me name call me Ray like everyone else does."
"Ray?" Seth mused quietly.
* * *
A few hours later
The three had played Grand Theft Auto for another hour or so after that with Reighn winning every race. She had eaten some food while watching Seth and Ryan battle it out. Eventually Seth wandered off to get ready. He was going to the movies with Anna. So Ryan and Reighn continued playing by themselves.
"Ryan" someone called from the kitchen.
"I'll be back okay" Ryan said getting up.
Reighn started a single player game while Ryan left the room.
In the kitchen Sandy was dressed in a tuxedo waiting to talk to Ryan.
"Ryan can you do us a favour and show Reighn the pool house later. Kirsten and I have to go to this charity thing tonight." He looked less than happy at the thought of it. Ryan knew Sandy hated these events.
"Just keep an eye on her. Get her settled in."
"Sure."
"I wouldn't ask but we can't get out of this fundraiser."
Kirsten swept into the kitchen wearing a long red dress. Sandy turned his attention to her.
"You look absolutely ravishing tonight."
"You don't look to bad yourself."
They kissed and Ryan turned away awkwardly.
Kirsten turned to Ryan. "The bed is made in the pool house and there are towels in the bathroom."
Sandy glanced at his watch. "We'd better go honey."
"Okay. Bye Ryan. Thanks for doing this."
"Not a problem. Have a nice night."
The two said goodbye to Reighn as they passed through the living room. Seth had already left when Ryan went back into the living room. Reighn was playing by herself. He watched her for a minute. She was concentrating hard on the game.
"Ray?" he called.
"Mmm?" Her race finished and she won. She looked at Ryan after entering 'Ray' on the top score table.
"You want me to show you the poolhouse?"
"Okay."
A/N: Okay I know that is really sudden ending but I wanted to give ye all a chapter. Chapter 5 is coming Ryan and Ray get talking about their past and families and maybe a trip back to Echo Park. Please review!!!