*****

"Ryan. Ryan. Wake up Ryan. Come on kid…wake up…"

He sat up with a jolt. "Fuck you, Trey," He said automatically.

Trey grinned at him from the doorway. He had a cigarette dangling from his lips and a short cropped haircut. He had a beer in each hand.

"Ain't you happy to see me, kid?"

He smiled despite himself. "When'd you get out, punk?" He walked over to his brother and gave him a relaxed hug. Trey splashed beer on his back but it was damned good to see him.

"A couple of days ago."

He knew Trey was drunk when he offered him a beer. He accepted and they toasted.

"To better days," Trey said.

"Cheers, punk," Ryan replied. They chugged their beer and he finished first.

"Hey, the kid's got skills and I've only been gone a couple of months!" Trey laughed, patting his back.

"Fuck you," Ryan laughed. It was damned good to see Trey.

*****

"Something's wrong, Sandy."

Sandy looked at him with a grim expression. He wasn't driving over the speed limit, he was maintaining a constant 55.

"She called from Oliver's penthouse, she said he wouldn't let her leave…"

"Ryan. I believe you."

He'd never wanted anyone to listen to him before this badly. He liked Sandy. He respected him and he wanted to be a kid that a man like Sandy would deserve. He was used to people not listening to him, shit, he counted on it but this hurt. Sandy didn't believe him, he thought he was nuts.

"Ryan, I just think you're overreacting and you might be…"

"He's dangerous, Sandy. You have to believe me…"

But when Sandy looked at him again, Ryan knew that he didn't. And that just meant that he felt more guilty. Because he wanted Marissa to be safe. He wanted to be wrong about all of this. But he wanted Sandy to believe him, too.

"She has to be okay," He whispered. He whispered. He wouldn't be too late. This wouldn't be his fault.

*****

"Ryan, wake up…open your eyes…"

He blinked away the brightness. "Oh shit…"

"Arturo's going to be home any minute, you have to get dressed…"

Ryan already had his boxers on when she finished speaking. He pulled the scrunchy holding her damp hair in a ponytail off and tossed it to the far end of her rumpled bed.

"Stop it, you freak," She laughed. God she was beautiful sometimes.

"What time is it?" He asked, sitting down and pulling on his shoes.

"Like, twelve."

"Fuck, I think I had a test today."

"They'll let you make it up. You're, like, our own local wonder boy."

"I'm your wonder boy?" He smiled as she looped an arm around his shoulders.

"Definitely," She purred into his ear.

"I have to go. See you later?"

"Nah, I've got a date," She replied.

He pulled on his jacket. "Devon?"

"Hell no, he was a junkie. This guy's cool."

"Well, be careful." He kissed her deeply. She always tasted good. Colgate fresh. He pulled away and stepped to the door. "Give me a call when your social calendar clears."

"I'll pencil you in next week," She laughed.

*****

"Mom? Mom, I think he took some painkillers…"

Dammit, she was fucked up, too. She'd be out for a while judging from the empties around her chair.

He couldn't call 911, 911 meant police and Mom hated the police.

But Trey wasn't waking up. He'd been nutty earlier but he knew it was because of that cheap meth his friend was cooking up. Trey had said he was going to take something to make him relax but Ryan hadn't thought he would take a whole bottle of anything. But he had been nutty and the bottle was empty.

Fuck, Ryan ignored the pain in his ribs from his brother's earlier rage and dragged him into the bathroom. He hauled Trey into the shower stall.

"Fucking bastard. Mom's going to kick your ass for taking her pills," Ryan said as he turned on the water. Cold. The only kind of water in Chino.

"Wake up, you asshole!" Ryan said, slapping Trey. If he wasn't turning blue then maybe Ryan would be a little gentler.

Trey coughed. He sputtered. Ryan let him go and he fell to his ass in the tub.

"Ow, goddammit!" Trey cursed.

Ryan grabbed the bottle off the sink and grabbed Trey's head roughly by his shaggy hair. He poured the liquid into Trey's mouth.

Trey coughed and immediately started to vomit, just from the taste in his mouth. "What the fuck, Ry? Are you trying to kill me?"

Ryan replaced the Ipecac and set it on the counter. He grabbed his jacket on his way out of the house.

*****

"How many?"

"What does it matter how many?" Dawn snapped.

"It matters," He replied. "It matters whether he held up a store with 20 people or a store with, like, 2."

"Why?" She asked. Trey just shook his head at him.

"Because if he robbed a store with 20 people then he probably just wanted to get the hell away from you," Ryan said. She slapped him. He didn't get up. He shut up. But he didn't run.

"Watch your fucking mouth," She said.

"How many? Fuck how many. How much?" Trey asked. "How much did he have when the cops got him?"

"It doesn't fucking matter. He's gone. He won't get out until, hell, Ryan graduates or something."

"Fuck that, then he'll never get out. It's not like Ryan's ever going to graduate," Trey laughed. Dawn and Ryan joined him. They had to laugh. Mr. Atwood was finally gone for good.

*****

"I don't know."

"You don't know? What does that mean?"

"It means I don't know!"

"Fuck, Teresa…"

"Fuck you, Ryan! I don't know…I can't…I can't have a baby now…I'm fifteen…and I can't have an abortion…I just can't…"

"Just relax, Teresa…" He wrapped his arms around her. He'd never seen her cry before. Never like this. Like her life was over.

"I don't know what I'm going to do…"

"It's okay, we'll figure it out…" He whispered, running his hand through her hair.

"It's not yours…"

"God, I hope not, we haven't fucked…"

"Don't say it like that," She scolded.

"In months, Teresa. I'll still help you however I can," Ryan whispered into her ear.

"I know. That's why I came to you. You're my best friend. I love you."

"Okay, Teresa."

"Ryan…"

"Everything's going to be all right."

*****

"Count them, Seth. It's important."

"One. Two. Three. Four. Okay, I'm bored." Seth was never any help at studying.

"You suck," Ryan sighed. He turned the pages in his own textbook and found the map he was looking for.

"How can you study? I'm going insane here."

"You're already insane," Ryan muttered. "You've been learning this stuff for years and I've been here, like 3 weeks. I have to study."

"Mom and Dad don't care if you flunk," Seth replied.

"I care."

"You're even a suck up when they're not here," Seth teased.

Ryan gave him the finger.

"How about a break? A break, my friend? For perhaps, a tiebreaker match at Tekken?"

"I hate you. Truly. Madly. Deeply. Hate you."

"Come on."

Ryan followed Seth from the poolhouse.

*****

"Wake up, Ryan. Open your eyes, Ryan."

"Mom? What's going on?"

"We have to go."

"Go? What the fuck are you talking about?" Ryan looked around, confused. He was on the ragged couch they had brought from Fresno. They'd been in this house for three weeks.

"The cops are coming."

"What? What the fuck, Ma?" He was shoving clothes into a backpack now. Usually when she said go, she meant go.

"I didn't have the rent and we were supposed to be out, like two days ago."

"Fuck, Dawn, what happened to the money I gave you?" He turned to face her.

"Don't be angry at me, baby…I'm sorry…you know how things have been for me lately…" Dawn said with tears in her eyes.

Fuck. He could never stand it when she cried.

"Just hurry, baby. We can stay at one of my friend's house."

"Damn, Ma…"

"You can sleep in the car, you'd like that. That way, you can still make it to school tomorrow…"

"It's summer break," Ryan muttered.

"Please don't me mad, baby. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Let's just go."

*****