Ryan wears long sleeved shirts to school for the next week. He doesn't talk to his mother and he refuses to talk about his mother to the Cohens. Seth doesn't even push the subject. When Ryan sees his mother's car outside at lunch, only Summer spots his reaction. Acceptance. He steps away from Seth, Summer and Marissa.
"I'll be right back," Ryan says, vanishing from the line for lunch in an instant.
"Who's that?" Summer asks, nodding out the window. Even she knew that Ryan's flash of emotion was out of the ordinary.
Ryan walks up the car and stops a few steps away. His mother is alone. The glaze in her eyes alerts him that she's wasted.
"Get in the car. I need to talk to you."
"I'm at school, Ma…"
"I'm not taking you anywhere. I'm your mother. I need to talk to you."
Ryan glances around but gets into the car.
"Give."
Ryan holds out his arm and meets her gaze. She rolls up his sleeve. She wraps her fingers around his arm and digs her nails into his flesh. She squeezes tightly and he knows that she's going for bruises as the blood starts to drip from his arm. She digs her nails in deeper and his blood flows stronger.
"They don't want you to see me…" Dawn mutters.
"I can't go back into school like this," Ryan realizes as she releases his arm for a moment.
"I'm just doing what's best for you, baby, you know that…" She says, honestly. She wipes her hand on the seat and offers him her bottle.
"No, Ma…"
She slaps him suddenly, startling him.
"Ungrateful little prick, you always were good for nothing. Now you're too good to talk to your own mother. Get out."
Ryan glances at her, confused. She slaps him again. He rolls his shirtsleeve down and steps out of the car. She pulls away. His shirt is sticky with blood.
"Ryan. Come on," Seth is beside him suddenly. He ignores Ryan's stricken expression and pulls him into the building. He leads Ryan to the bathroom.
"I've got an extra shirt in my locker. Get yourself cleaned up," Seth says, leaving him alone in the bathroom. Ryan rinses the blood from his arm and wraps it in a paper towel. Seth returns with a t-shirt and a jacket.
"I'm listening," Ryan mutters to Seth.
Seth just shakes his head. "I don't understand why you keep going back to her."
"She's my mom," Ryan replies quietly. "She's all the family I have…"
"You have a real family now. One where shit like that doesn't happen. Mom and Dad don't need to burn you or make you bleed to prove that they love you," Seth states.
Ryan sighs, leaning on the sink. "I can't just walk away from her…"
"Why not, Ry? She walked away from you…"
Ryan nods slowly. He quickly changes shirts and turns to his friend.
"Are you going to tell your parents?"
"No. You are. Because I'm asking you to tell them. Please." Seth's face is tight with concern.
"Okay, Seth. I'll tell them."
Sandy and Kirsten don't get home until late and Ryan has already went to bed. He left them a message on their cell phones that he needs to talk to them, at Seth's request. He doesn't see them the next morning but promises Seth on the way to school that he will tell them as soon as he sees them.
Seth stops him outside of the school. "Ryan, wait."
"Yeah?"
"Don't go with your mother. I'm asking you and you know I wouldn't do that if it wasn't important."
"Seth, she won't show her face today…" Ryan replies.
"I don't care. I'm asking you to stay away from her. Come get me if you see her. Don't go with her."
"Where's this coming from?"
"I've got a bad feeling."
Ryan realizes how serious his friend is. "Okay. Okay, Seth. I trust you. Whatever you want."
Seth is satisfied. "Thanks," He replies relieved.
Marissa and Summer meet them in the hallway and they split up for classes.
Ryan has History with Summer. He sees the car pull up through the window. AJ this time. He feels nauseous just seeing the man.
"I think you're allergic to that car," Summer whispers, attempting to get Ryan's eyes to revive. His eyes are dead as he looks at the car.
"Shit…" Ryan mutters.
"What's up?" Summer urges, not used to this side of Ryan. She sees how attentive and gentle he is with Marissa and how protective and familial he is with Seth but she has never seen him tensed up with emotion. He almost looks scared to her.
"I don't know what to do…" Ryan whispers to himself.
"Chill, Chino, what's the deal?"
Ryan hesitates. He starts putting his notebook away. "Tell Seth that I'm sorry…"
"Wait…" Summer calls.
Ryan rushes from class, ignoring Summer and the teacher's voice.
AJ barks at him as he walks up. "Get in the car. Your Ma needs you."
Ryan gets in and instantly accepts the offered bottle of whiskey.
"Fancy school," AJ mutters.
"Yeah."
They ride in silence for a long while.
"Ma needs you to take some money up to Old Joey," AJ states.
Ryan is chilled. "Oh, fuck you, AJ, this is bullshit…" He is silenced instantly. AJ always could hit harder than his mother. Old Joey is his mother's drug dealer. The last time Ryan had to take him money, the payoff was a couple of hundred short and Ryan paid for it with a broken collarbone, six broken fingers, and concussion that kept him unconscious for three days.
"You'll watch that mouth when you're with me, punk. You'll do what your Ma needs you to do. You owe it to her."
"How much? How much does she owe?"
"She's not under, why, you scared of Old Joey?" AJ snaps.
"Why can't she take it herself?"
"'Cause she's fucked up, that's why. I can't go 'cause I still owe him so she needs you to go. Don't ask so many fucking questions. The money's in the glove box. I'll wait for you out here." AJ parks on the street.
Ryan reaches past the gun and grabs the roll of cash from the glove compartment. He takes another swallow of whiskey and gets out of the car. He goes into the warehouse. AJ lights a cigarette. He waits twenty minutes. Ryan exits the building, staggering.
"Don't bleed on the seat," AJ snaps as Ryan opens the door. His face is undamaged but he his cradling one arm against his chest. He is wheezing as he breathes. He sits down and his eyelids droop.
"Looks like you did okay," AJ grins.
"Fuck you. I asked them to leave my face alone," Ryan mutters.
"Take a drink. You can walk it off," AJ says. Ryan takes several generous swallows of the whiskey. He struggles to keep his eyes open on the ride back. He accepts a cigarette from AJ as he pulls back up to the school.
"You okay here?" AJ asks.
Ryan glances out of the window and sees that it's lunchtime. He sees Summer standing a few yards away, looking down the street.
"Fuck you." Ryan steps out of the car and slams the door behind him. AJ pulls off quickly. Ryan staggers suddenly and feels small hands supporting him.
"Seth's freaking out," Summer says quietly. "He won't tell us anything so I wouldn't tell him anything. What happened to you?" She pulls her hand away from his back and holds onto his arm, keeping him upright as she looks at the blood that's soaked through his shirt that's on her hand.
"Do you think you can take me home?" Ryan asks quietly. "Because if you can't, I'm going to sit down here and die…"
"Come on," She replies immediately. She leads him to her car, dialing her cell phone as they walk.
"Seth? I've got the wily bastard. Yeah, I'm taking him home…" Summer is quiet as she listens to Seth freak out on the phone.
"Meet us there, spaz, he's kind of fucked up and I think he needs to go home, like, now." Summer leans Ryan against her car as she continues to talk. Ryan slides down, sitting on the concrete. He reaches into his pocket and lights one of the cigarettes from the pack he stole from AJ a few minutes earlier.
"Hey. No smoking in my car," Summer says, watching him.
Ryan regards her with dull eyes. "I'm not in the car."
Seth appears with a phone to his ear and Marissa right behind him.
"Dude, you promised me…" Seth sighs, falling to his knees beside Ryan.
"I know…it wasn't her…it was AJ…" Ryan says, not wanting his friend to be angry with him right now. "I didn't know what else to do…he would've got me in the car somehow if I hadn't agreed…you don't know him, Seth…"
Marissa pushes past Seth, pulling on Ryan's shirt. His right side is swollen and there is a dark purple boot print on his chest. Ryan waves her away as he takes a long drag off his cigarette.
"What did he do to you?" Marissa gasps.
"AJ didn't do it…look, I can't explain it…just drop it…" Ryan mutters, his eyelids drooping.
"Call your mom. Now, Seth. We're taking him home," Marissa whispers.
"Seth, please. I'm asking you to let this go. Don't call your parents…I can't deal with them right now…"
Summer and Marissa help Ryan to his feet as Seth dials his mother. Voicemail again.
"Mom. It's Seth. It's important. Can you please call me. It's about Ryan and it's serious…okay…" He needs his mother.
"Seth, meet us there!" Marissa calls, helping Ryan into Summer's car.
Seth gets into the Range Rover and dials his father's office. Voicemail again. "Yeah. Dad. Hard to find you guys these days. Got a little emergency at home. I need to talk to you. It's about Ryan if that matters to you." He hangs up. He follows Summer's car, his worry growing by the second.
No one is home when he parks the Rover behind Summer's car.
Summer and Marissa help Ryan out of the car.
"I can't get anyone…" Seth says unlocking the door.
"Okay, guys…thanks for getting me home," Ryan says, starting for the bathroom.
"You're not going anywhere, kid, until you give us an explanation…" Summer says. "You walk out of class, you get in that car that makes you break out in hives…"
"What did AJ want, Ryan?"
"It was…it was family stuff…I'll be right back…" Ryan disappears into the bathroom.
"Fuck…" Seth walks away from the girls, affected.
"Seth, what's going on?"
"Ryan's being a prick…he's such a punk…god…" Seth walks into the kitchen. He picks up the phone and dials Kirsten again. He doesn't leave her a voicemail this time, too frustrated to talk.
Ryan comes out of the bathroom, recovered. His eyes are clear and he is steady. He hugs Marissa briefly. "Thanks for bringing me home, girls."
"What's going on?" Marissa demands.
"Can I explain everything later? I need to talk to Seth. It's family business and I need to explain stuff to him first. I owe him that," Ryan says seriously.
Summer and Marissa glance at each other.
"Please."
"I'll call you tonight." Marissa hugs him again. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Thanks."
"I told the professor that you had a stomach virus so you're cool for class tomorrow," Summer says, giving Ryan a quick hug.
"Thanks. That was really nice of you."
"But you owe me one."
Summer and Marissa leave, returning to school. Ryan finds Seth in the kitchen.
"Seth."
"I don't want to hear it…"
"Please. I'll try to explain it if you'll listen," Ryan says quietly. "Please. I can't handle it if you're mad at me…please…"
Seth turns around to face his friend. "Okay. Tell me why you let them do this to you. I really need you to explain."
"It's not like I let them hurt me…" Ryan takes a deep breath. "Listen, my family's…it's not like yours…it works differently…I don't love my mom because she's nice to me, I love her because she's my mom. I'm her son. I take care of her and she…"
"What does she do for you? Why does she burn you, Ryan?"
"My dad used to do it…it makes me strong…keeps me on my toes…you know, Seth, I walked around on a broken ankle for three weeks once before I went to the doctor. Pain…I'm stronger than pain," Ryan replies, seriously.
Seth shudders, horrified.
"Don't pity me, Seth, god…I'm not a victim, it's just how we…it's how my family works. I'm stronger because of it…"
"You're not weak!" Seth exclaims.
"I'm not weak anymore. So when I saw AJ today…I had to make sure she was okay…she gets really messed up sometimes…"
"Is she okay?"
"She owed this guy some money. AJ needed me to take it to the guy," Ryan admits. "Old Joey…means my mom's using junk again…"
"Heroin? You…Ryan, please, man, tell me that you see how fucked up this is. You're on probation. Your mom abandoned you…they beat the shit out of you…"
"I wouldn't have gone if I had known, Seth, you have to believe me…you think I like getting the shit beat out of me? You think I wanted to get in that car? But…I can't just walk away…she raised me…I owe her my life…I can't just walk away…"
Seth sees how upset Ryan is and loses his anger. "Okay, Ryan…okay…"
"And I know your parents…they're great…I appreciate everything that they've done for me…I don't want to go back to her, Seth…I don't want to live with her…but I can't walk away…"
"Okay, Ryan. Go change. I'll let this go…if you keep your word. Tell me if you see your mother. Just tell me." Seth walks over to Ryan and shakes him. "I can't take losing you, man. Not like that. You promise me that you'll tell me if you hear from her."
"Yeah. I promise. I'm sorry." Ryan disappears into the pool house.
Seth dials his mother and gets her voicemail. "Sorry about the desperate voicemail, everything's cool. Ryan and I worked it out. Didn't mean to upset you. Just forget it."
He leaves a similar message on his father's voicemail. He goes into the den and is surprised when Ryan joins him.
"You want to go sailing or something? It won't go over too well if we're just chilling here when the Cohens get home."
"Right you are. Let's go sailing. You okay enough to do that?"
"Yeah. I'll make it. Thanks, Seth. I appreciate it."
When they come back from sailing, it's after six. Sandy and Kirsten are both home.
"Seth, what was going on today? I was in court all day and didn't get your messages until…"
"Everything's cool, I just had a little freak out with Ryan. But we worked it out," Seth says, glancing at Ryan. Ryan hides his surprise. He hadn't known that Seth had called his parents.
"I tried to call you back, but your phone was off," Kirsten adds from the kitchen.
"Can't have phones on in class. Little rule they made," Seth replies.
"What was the problem? I mean, why'd you call us?" Sandy asks curiously.
"I told him to. I flipped out a little too. Don't worry about it," Ryan answers.