NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com
(Thanks for the Reviews!)
+Possible spoiler involved.+
Okay, so I'll continue with this Fic for a couple more chapters. I'll tie up some loose ends and we'll see how it goes from there. If you have any comments please post. Thank You. (It occurred to me that I have no clue how to unbutton a T-shirt. Thanks for pointing out my mistake famous99)
Chapter Twenty Four
"Whenever did it all happen
That one color after another seems to fade
Now the sky is carved with a coalpen
It's all gray despite the effort you made."
Painting - Blindside
"This is a first." Sandy commented, as he checked the fridge contents.
"Huh?" Kirsten replied, looking up from the file she was reading. Today her father signed another large development and of course, that meant she had to work double overtime to get everything done. "What's a first?" She asked.
"Well, it's the first time in a long time that both Seth and Ryan are not here for dinner." Sandy smiled at her. "Heck, we should celebrate. Why don't we go out to dinner…How about one of that one near that – "
Kirsten cut him off. "No can do. Not tonight, Sandy. My father just signed a new contract and I'm up the creek in papers." She replied, flipping through her files. "Besides, Ryan should be home at eight."
Sandy shook his head. "No, he called earlier and told me that he was going to be running late with the project." Sandy went over to her at the kitchen table and put his hands on her shoulder. He pressed his thumbs into her neck and started to give her a massage. Kirsten tingled all over.
"Encouraging me with a little back rub are we?" She laughed.
"Is it working?" Sandy asked.
"Maybe." Kirsten smiled at him. She closed her file on the table. "Why don't we skip dinner and go upstairs. I'm sure we can find something else to do." She stood up and kissed him.
Sandy wrapped his hands around her waist and held her close. "I'm sure we'll find something else…" He mumbled, and then started kissing her gently on the neck. He then let go of her and they both made their way upstairs.
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"Where are we going?" Ryan yelled over the heavy music that was blaring in Luke's truck.
"I'm friends with this guy that can get us into a club." Luke replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "Don't worry, Ryan." He could tell Ryan was going to protest. "You need to get out and release yourself. Have fun…get drunk, make out with a chick you don't know."
"Release myself?" Ryan questioned in disbelief. "If you're referring to your tactics that you went by while you went out with Marissa…I don't think I should buddy up and follow along."
Luke frowned at him. "Ryan, man…loosen up." He started to laugh. "What happened in Mexico with Marissa – "
Ryan cut him off. "It's over right? And Marissa and I…we're over." Ryan wanted to believe his own words, but he wasn't sure if he could. He had never had feelings like this over and girl and he was scared. He faked a half smile towards Luke and said, "Loosen up? I can do that."
When they got to the club there was no line up. It was just a little after eight.
"So, who's this friend?" Ryan asked, as they walked over to the bouncer.
Luke ignored him. "Shane, what's up man." Luke asked the bouncer, embracing him into a friendly hug.
"Not a whole lot, man." The bouncer replied, looking over at Ryan. "You boys out on a school night? Maybe I should call your dad." He laughed jokingly.
"Just here for a few beers and a couple of girls." Luke replied, walking into the club. Ryan followed closely behind him. Loud music was playing in the club.
"Who was that?" Ryan asked, shouting loudly over the music.
"Friend of my dad's…He's cool. He let's me in all the time. We just have to keep a low profile." Luke explained. Ryan nodded his head. Luke went up to the bartender and order four beers. "Here." He handed two beers to Ryan and walked off. Luke went up to some random girl and handed her a beer. They started talking and then disappeared.
Ryan took a seat at the bar and drank both beers. "Hey, uh, can I have a shot of tequila?" Ryan asked the bartender. The bartender placed the shot down in front of him. Ryan picked up the shot and looked at it. His mom loved tequila. He never understood why and he never questioned her because he was afraid of her.
"Hey." A girl said, sitting down next to him. "I'll have what he's having." She told the bartender.
"Hey." Ryan replied, turning to her. The bartender gave her a shot of tequila and she quickly washed it down. Ryan gulped his down and asked for two more.
"I'm Alyssa, by the way…You look a little young." She laughed at him and took another shot of tequila.
"I'm old enough to get in here." Ryan replied. "I'm Ryan." He smiled at her and then swallowed down another shot of tequila. He could feel the liquor sliding down his throat with fire, as it hit the pit of his stomach.
"You want to dance?" She asked.
"Sure." Ryan replied. The room was starting to spin on him as he stood up.
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Seth sat on Summer's bed staring at her in a trance. She was at her closet rummaging through her clothes and rambling on about them.
"My stepmother bought me this like six months ago. Ew! I can't believe it's still hanging my closet!" She exclaimed, throwing it to the ground. She pulled out a dark blue dress and held it up to her. "What do you think?"
"Uh, great." Seth smiled at her. "Perfect."
"Are you sure? Maybe I should just go with that red dress over there." Summer said.
"No, go with the blue one." Seth told her.
Summer vanished to her bathroom and reappeared in the blue dress. "How do I look?" She asked, with her hands on her hip.
"You look – Wow. You look great." Seth replied and then walked over to her. "Are you sure you want to have dinner with your dad? I mean, we could just skip it, right?"
"Cohen, my Dad invited you over here for dinner. We can't just skip it! Besides, do you really want that on your record?"
"My record?" Seth repeated.
"Yeah, like, you know…Your first impression on my father." She laughed. "I don't know! Come on! Let's go downstairs. My dad should be home."
Seth followed her downstairs and into their living room. She was right, her dad was home. He was sitting, with his wife, in the living room.
"Summer, dear." He stood up and kissed her on the cheek. "This must be…" Mr. Roberts tried to remember the kids name.
"Seth Cohen, Mr. Roberts." Seth pulled out his clammy hand and shook hands with the older man.
"Nice to meet you." Mr. Roberts said, wiping Seth's sweat onto his dress pants. There was an awkward silence between the four of them. "Supper's almost on the table, why don't we all have a seat." Mr. Roberts said, cutting through the silence.
"Just be yourself." Summer whispered to him.
"Oh, like that always works!" He whispered back to her, as they sat down side by side at the table.
"So, Seth…Summer tells me that you enjoy playing sports. Back in the day I was a football player. I also did a little wrestling. What kind of sports to you play?" Mr. Roberts questioned.
Seth glanced at Summer, who smiled back at him. "I – Uh," Seth grabbed the glass of water that was set in front of him and gulped it all down. Mr. And Mrs. Roberts watched him curiously. "I play skate. I mean I skateboard. And I also, uh – "
Summer cut him off. "He sails."
"Yeah, I sail." Seth repeated.
"You sail? Well, that's interesting." Summer stepmother commented.
"Yeah, I also read comics." Seth blurted out. "More of a hobby of mine than a sport." He laughed nervously. Summer kicked him under the table.
"Comic books?" Mr. Roberts asked.
"I hear the skepticism in your tone, sir, but I consider the comic book to be a legitimate art form." Seth explained.
Oh God, kill me now, Summer thought to herself.
"Frank Miller's Sin City? Powers by Brian Bendis - Arguably the best writer in comics today. Combines the storytelling panache of Stan Lee with the lyrical sophistication of Alan Moore." Seth rambled on. "Probably a little obscure. Okay. But I'm sure you're a fan of Superman? No? Batman? Iceman? He can freeze things. Can be very handy if your...refrigerator breaks."
The room fell silent and both Mr. And Mrs. Roberts looked at Seth as if were some kind of lunatic. Seth laughed nervously to himself.
"So, Summer…How are things at school?" Mr. Roberts asked, ignoring Seth.
"Summer's great in Biology. Did you know that?" Seth spoke up. The Robert's maid then came in with their food. "We dissected a pig yesterday. It was great." Seth smiled back and forth between Summer and Mr. Roberts.
"Cohen." Summer whispered. "The food looks great." She said, eyeing her plate of food.
"Yeah, sure does!" Seth said. "Our maid doesn't work as much as she did before…So now we rely on my Mom's cooking. Which isn't exactly that edible…If you know what I mean."
Mr. Roberts smiled at Seth. "Let's just eat our food without any conversation."
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Ryan was laughing uncontrollably as the bouncer threw him to the side of the curb. He had gotten into a little fight with another guy who was trying to take Alyssa away from him.
"Ryan, shit man…." Luke said, walking up to him. He turned to the bouncer. "Sorry Shane…won't happen again."
"It better not." Shane replied.
Luke went over to Ryan, who was still laughing, and assisted him to his feet. "Shit, what the hell have you been drinking?" He asked as they made their way over to Luke's truck.
"If you were a crayon…What color would you be?" Ryan asked, as Luke opened the door for him. Ryan climbed into the truck. "So, what color?" He asked again.
"What?" Luke asked. "Why are you talking about crayons?"
"I like crayons. Do you like crayons?" Ryan asked, as Luke got into the driver's seat and started the truck. Ryan started laughing uncontrollably. "Do you remember Oliver?" He asked.
"What about Oliver?" Luke replied. Ryan was definitely not thinking straight. Luke regretted leaving him at the bar.
"He shot me." Ryan slurred. He continued laughing as he pointed to his arm. All of a sudden Ryan stopped laughing and turned in his seat, staring at Luke. "Am I – Am I a leftover?" Ryan asked.
Luke kept his eyes on the road. "What? A leftover? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Shit, Luke…" Ryan punched the dashboard.
"Ryan! Watch it, man." Luke yelled at him. "The Cohen's are going to be so pissed…" He mumbled to himself.
"I'm nothing but fucking leftover's…" Ryan shouted out, as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He tried to open the back window of the cab.
"What the hell are you doing, Ryan?" Luke questioned.
"I need to get out. I can't be here…I – I need to go." Ryan replied, as he fidgeted with the window. He gave up and opened the truck door.
"RYAN!" Luke shouted, as he slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. The truck stopped and Ryan fell to the side of the road. Luke got out of the driver's seat and went around the truck to check on his friend. "Ryan, what the hell." He said.
Ryan got up on his feet and then went back down on his hands and knees as he threw up everywhere.
"Shit." Luke said. "What the hell were you drinking?" Ryan stopped vomiting and sat down on the ground, resting his head against the truck. Luke wasn't sure, but he thought Ryan was crying. "Ryan?"
"Leave." Ryan shouted at him. "Go home."
"What? You're not making any sense, Ryan." Luke grabbed his arm and lifted him up to his feet. Ryan was too drunk to protest from Luke's grip. "Come on, man. Let's get you home."
Ryan rested his head against the window, as Luke drove him home. Neither of them said anything and Luke kept on looking over at Ryan to make sure he was okay. When they got home Luke guided him into the poolhouse. Neither Sandy nor Kirsten was awake. It was almost midnight.
As soon as Ryan's head hit the pillow he fell fast asleep.
"Ryan?" Luke asked. No response. "Good luck." He whispered, as he left the poolhouse.
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"BZZZZZZ" Seth's alarmed clock rang. He quickly sat up in his bed and turned it of. His head was pounding as he recalled last night's dinner with the Robert's family.
"It was horrible." Seth recalled, picking up Captain Oats. "What's that Captain Oats? Yeah, I know…Rage blackouts for sure today." Seth moaned. "Maybe I should just skip school and tell the folks I'm sick."
Seth got out of bed and put on his robe. "If I'm not back in ten minutes…You know why." He told Captain Oats as he placed him down on his nightstand.
Sandy and Kirsten were in the kitchen talking over coffee at the kitchen table, when Seth came in. Seth held his stomach and moaned. "Mom, Dad…I think I caught the flu or something…Uh…" Seth sat down at the kitchen table with them.
Kirsten pulled out her hand and checked Seth's forehead. "You're not hot."
"Mom, are you accusing me of lying." He asked.
"Honey, you look perfectly fine to me." Kirsten replied, looking at Sandy.
"Oh no…" Seth scrambled to the nearest bathroom, in hopes to convince his parents he was sick. He grabbed a plastic cup from the dispenser, filled it with water and then splashed it into the toilet bowl, while making harsh vomiting noises.
"Seth?" Sandy knocked on the bathroom door. "You need a hand in there?"
"Uh…No, I'm good. Just a little sick." Seth said and then opened the door.
"Here." He handed Seth two aspirins. "Take these and go get some rest." Seth took the pills from his dad and washed them down with water. "No video games!" Sandy shouted out to Seth, as he made his way back up to his room.
Sandy walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table with Kirsten.
Kirsten glanced at the poolhouse from the kitchen window and said, "Ryan's not up." She eyed the clock on the wall. "He's usually the one waking us all up."
"I'll go check on him. Maybe he has what Seth has." Sandy said and then left the kitchen. He made his way over to the poolhouse and knocked at the glass door. "Ryan?" He shouted.
Ryan eyes flew open. He realized he was still in the same clothes he wore last night. He quickly got up and regretted it. His head pounded and his stomach turned. He ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.
Sandy opened the door and walked in. "Ryan?"
Ryan sat by the toilet throwing up all he could from last night's drinking festivities.
Sandy knocked at the bathroom door. "You sick, Ryan?" He asked.
"Uh…Yeah." Ryan replied, wiping his mouth. He stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. He was pale.
"Seth's been throwing up too. Must be a virus that is going around." Sandy said through the bathroom door. "I have some aspirin if you want. You can stay home today and catch up on some rest. I'll call the school."
Ryan was relived. "Okay, sure…Yeah." Ryan ran the taps and washed his face. He then sat on the closet toilet, waiting for Sandy to leave, but he wasn't leaving.
"Maybe I should stay home today…Get you boys to a doctor." Sandy said.
"Uh…No, I'll be fine." Ryan replied. "Go to work. It's okay, I'm fine."
"Okay, just make sure you get some rest. I'll see you later." Sandy said and then left the poolhouse.
Ryan unlocked the bathroom door and walked over to his bed, flopping down on it. Ryan laid there until nine o'clock, making sure Kirsten and Sandy were gone to work. He then got dressed and headed into the house to find Seth playing Playstation.
Seth was sitting on the floor in his robe on, playing a viscous game of Tony Hawk Pro Skater:4. He hadn't noticed Ryan walk into the house.
"So you sick or something?" Ryan asked walking into the den.
Seth jumped. "Holy shit, Ryan." He paused the game. "You scared me to death…For a second I thought you were my dad. So, why aren't you at school?" Seth asked.
"Sick, like you." Ryan replied and then took a seat on the sofa.
"Oh really?" Seth laughed. "Well, I'm not really sick."
"Neither am I…Just hung over." Ryan admitted, grabbing the second player controller. "So, you up for some competition?"
"Hung over?" Seth repeated. "Please do share."
"Luke and I went to this club last night. Things got out of hand and I ended up getting kicked out…Had a little too much beer and tequila." Ryan replied. "So, why are you home?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh, uh, I'd rather not be the object of Summer's rage blackouts." Seth said, scratching his head. "There was no way I was going to get my ass kicked by a girl at school today."
"Right, you had that dinner thing last night with her parents. How did that go?" Ryan grinned at him. Seth tried to give him the 'Ryan' glare. "It went that bad?"
Seth threw his hands in the air. "She told me to be myself. So, that's what I did…It was horrible, Ryan. I have multiple bruises on my ass to prove it." Seth muttered, as he shifted on the ground. "You see, Ryan…Not only did I humiliate myself by rambling on and on about comic books…I ended up being the dummy for Mr. Roberts' wrestling moves he wanted to show me." Ryan started laughing. "Summer was so pissed at me. I doubt she'll ever forgive me. I think her Dad hates me."
"Who gives what her Dad thinks, Seth. You like her. And I'm sure she won't hold that against you. She was the one that told you to be yourself…So it's kind of her fault." Ryan stated and starting laughing again.
"Very, funny…" Seth mumbled.
"Sorry." Ryan was near tears. "I just haven't laughed in awhile." He held his stomach and moaned. "Shit…I think I'm going to be sick." Ryan ran to the bathroom and threw up.
"Dude, look who's laughing now." Seth shouted out to him, laughing. "Hey, maybe we can put a little Seth/Ryan time on the books today?"
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