AN: Immediately following the "The LA" à A scene I wish we had seen. One Shot.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the OC or its characters or Fox or anything.
"Fuck, I didn't know she was here," Luke said to Ryan as they watched Marissa bolt from the poolhouse.
"This just got so much worse," Ryan muttered. He glanced at Luke and they both took off after Marissa, following her into the house.
"Guys, guys, what's going on?" Sandy asked. He was standing by the sink in the kitchen. The front door to the house slammed closed followed by a squeal of tires in the driveway.
"Marissa just came barreling through here…" Sandy started.
"Yeah, we know…" Ryan said, leading Luke to the front door but Marissa was gone. "Fuck…"
"I'm sorry, man…" Luke apologized.
"It's not your fault," Ryan sighed. "You did your part, you ended it…"
"What's going on?" Sandy approached them, concerned.
"Nothing," Luke and Ryan said in unison. Sandy narrowed his eyes, not believing them.
Seth and Summer walked to the base of the stairs. "What's all the commotion?" Seth asked.
"Where'd Coop go?" Summer echoed. Seth caught Ryan's warning glance and understood, paling.
"Oh," Seth muttered.
"What?" Summer asked, confused.
"What is going on?" Sandy demanded.
"Nothing," Seth, Luke and Ryan all replied.
"Whoa. Even I don't believe you," Summer snorted.
"I need to talk to you, Ryan," Sandy said, tiredly. "Now."
"Don't go anywhere," Ryan whispered to Luke as he followed Sandy into the kitchen.
"What's going on?"
"Sandy, it's nothing that you need to be worried about…"
"Well I am worried. I told you that Hailey wasn't your responsibility, that you should just let it be and then Hailey tells me that you went head to head with a couple of bouncers for her…"
"It wasn't like that, Sandy…" Ryan started.
"What?! You bastard!" Summer's voice startled them both. "How could you do that? Oh shit…"
"What's that all about?" Sandy demanded immediately, alert.
They both heard a scuffle but Ryan made it into the den first. Summer was pounding her fists into Luke as he shielded his face. Seth was trying vainly to pull her away.
"I'm sorry, Summer…stop…" Luke called.
"How could you do it? You're so wrong…this is going to destroy her…" Summer said, crying. Ryan helped Seth separate her from Luke.
"Everyone needs to calm down and tell me what's going on," Sandy said sternly.
"You're a bastard," Summer said to Luke. She shook Ryan and Seth's hands from her arms and slapped Seth across the face. "And you're a bastard for not telling me." She turned to Ryan but he stepped back. "And you're a bastard for not telling her." She stormed from the house.
"And now someone is going to tell me. Now." Sandy is serious.
"I'm out of here," Luke muttered.
"Luke…" Ryan called.
"I'll give you a call, Ryan…"
"Just wait, Luke," Ryan added. Luke walked past Sandy and out of the house.
Seth glanced at Ryan who gave him a slight nod. Seth waved his hand at his father and went upstairs.
"Okay, Sandy," Ryan sighed. He sat down on the couch.
"What happened with Marissa tonight? It seemed like everything was okay between you guys…"
"She overheard Luke and I talking. She got upset…"
"About what?"
"Luke. He's been sleeping with her mom," Ryan said.
Sandy didn't respond immediately.
"Julie," Ryan added. Sandy reacted then, sitting down on the couch beside him.
"Damn."
"Seth and I found out a couple of nights ago and I told Luke that he had to end it. He came over tonight to tell me that he'd done it, but Marissa was in the bathroom and she heard him," Ryan admitted.
"How'd you find out?"
"I left my watch at the Mermaid and when we went to get it, we saw Luke leaving Julie's room," Ryan replied. Sandy glanced at him.
"How'd your watch end up at the Mermaid?" Sandy asked immediately.
Ryan opened his mouth to respond, but found no words, not wanting to lie.
"Okay, Ryan," Sandy sighed.
"So am I in trouble?" Ryan asked after a short pause. He was a little confused as to what Sandy was upset with him about.
"Ryan, I'm worried about you."
"Why?" Ryan replied immediately. "What did I do?"
Sandy took a deep breath. He lowered his voice. "Why did you go after Hailey? She said you got thrown out twice. To me, that means that you got kicked out and somehow went back into the club…"
"I didn't think I should just leave her there," Ryan replied. He hesitated. "After talking to you, Marissa and I went to look for Seth, trying to get to him before he saw her so we could just go…but Marissa…she reminded me that Hailey's family. Right? Doesn't she count?"
Sandy didn't know how to respond.
"I mean, this guy was grabbing her and pushing her around and…and I don't like to see women treated like that, Sandy. So I'm sorry," Ryan continued quietly.
"How'd you get involved with the whole Luke…thing?"
"I knew that if Marissa found out…"
"It's not your responsibility."
Ryan glanced at Sandy with a blank expression.
"That's why I'm worried about you. You've got this savior thing going where you think you have to help everyone that you come into contact with…"
Ryan blinked at him again.
"Hailey, Marissa, Teresa, Oliver…"
"What do you want from me, Sandy?" Ryan interrupted, his blue eyes clouded with confusion.
"You're a good kid, Ryan. But you're starting to worry me. It's like the same pattern with you…"
Ryan wasn't meeting Sandy's gaze anymore, his eyes were staring at a spot on the carpet, unfocused.
"Ryan…" Sandy said quietly, realizing that Ryan wasn't responding.
Ryan glanced up at him for an instant before lowering his eyes again. "I'm listening."
"Well, say something."
"I don't have anything to say," Ryan whispered.
"Ryan, you're not in trouble…" Sandy started. "I'm just concerned about your reasoning sometimes…"
"Okay," Ryan nodded. "Thanks."
"Thanks?" Sandy replied, confused at Ryan's flat tone.
"Yeah. Thanks. Can I go?" Ryan asked.
"I don't think so. This conversation didn't go exactly like I planned…"
"You're worried about my choices. You think I'm out to save the world. I'm making bad choices…"
"No, Ryan…"
Ryan's blue eyes are pools of confusion and emotion but his face is blank. "I don't know what you expect from me, Sandy. I was trying to do the right thing…"
"I know you were…" Sandy glanced up and spotted Hailey standing near the doorway, listening with a concerned look on her face.
"What do you want me to say? I'm sorry. What do you want me to say, Sandy?"
Sandy sighed, frustrated.
"I'll be in the poolhouse." Ryan left without letting Sandy argue. As soon as he was gone, Hailey stepped into the room.
"What are you doing, Sandy? He didn't do anything wrong…" Hailey said.
"This doesn't concern you, Hailey," Sandy sighed.
"You're ragging on the kid for helping me…"
"No, Hailey, I didn't mean to rag on him at all, I want him to think before he does things…"
"God, Sandy, I would never have told you about it if I'd thought you'd go off on him…"
"While you were gone, Hailey, Ryan got busted breaking into a kid's file and attacking the same kid at school. He did that because he was worried about Marissa…"
"Well, I'm sure he had a good reason…"
"He risked his school, his home, everything to try and help her. He's reckless…" Sandy said quietly.
"He came back for me, Sandy, after I sent him away and you told him to leave me alone. After a bouncer kicked him out, he came back. Why are you angry at him for trying to do something good?"
"Hailey…"
"Did you see his face when he walked out of here?" Hailey asked. "That kid respects the hell out of you and you just flat out told him that you disapproved of what he did, you're punishing him for trying to do the right thing…"
"I'm not punishing him, Hailey…" Sandy protested.
"Everything okay?" Kirsten stepped into the room. No one had told her about Hailey's 'rescue' from the strip club. As far as Kirsten knew, Jimmy Cooper went to the airport and picked her up.
"Everything's fine," Hailey answered, turning and leaving.
"Where's Ryan going?" Kirsten asked as she walked over to the window.
"What?" Sandy asked, surprised.
"Oh, there's Luke. I think it's great that they're getting along so well," Kirsten said as Ryan and Luke walked across the patio toward the driveway.
"I thought Luke had left," Sandy remarked.
"He probably just walked back around the house. What's going on between you and Hailey?"
"Nothing. It's been a long night. Let's get to bed," Sandy sighed. He turned the lights off in the den.