Seth got ready for his morning ritual, he was just about to reach for
his coffee as the door bell rang. Thinking it was Marissa, he went to open
the door for her. But when he got to the door, he found that it was not
Marissa, but a girl he did not know. She stood waiting, she looked scared.
She had long dark hair and even darker eyes. She was also heavily pregnant
"Can I please see Ryan?" the girl asked.
"Sure, come on in I'll go get him. Just make yourself comfortable." Seth said.
He normally wouldn't let in someone he didn't really know. But there was something about her. She seemed innocent, despite the trouble she had obviously gotten herself into. She looked like she was only 16.
"Ryan?" Seth said as he got to the pool house. "You have a visitor."
"Who is it?" Ryan said as he got up from the couch.
Seth just shrugged and Ryan followed him. As soon as they got into the living room Ryan instantly recognized the new stranger.
"Lizzie!" he said. His whole face lit up when he saw her, but when she stood, his face had lost all its happiness had left from before.
"What happened?" he asked forcefully.
Lizzie stood there wondering how she could explain this, and she started to tear up.
Seth took pity on her and wanted to go hug her to make her feel better, but he was a stranger to her and would probably be more afraid and freaked out than comforted.
Ryan led her to the couch and cuddled her, just like a big brother would to his sister.
"Just tell me what happened. Trust me, I won't hate you for it." Ryan said.
Lizzie slowly collected her thoughts and then she started to speak.
"I was at Theresa's house. She was having a party and there was this guy, no one knew who he was and so I went to introduce myself. He seemed nice so I stayed and talked to him for a while. I never got his name. He asked me if I would let him drive me home, I said sure since it wasn't far. He drove me around town. Half way home he pulled over. He told me that he would kill me if I didn't sleep with him. I thought he was joking so I joked back. He didn't think it was funny. He hit me and that's when I knew he was serious. I tried to fight him off, but he wouldn't let me go. He beat me until I was to weak to fight him off. When he finished he pushed me out of the car and drove off. I had to walk home, but I couldn't make it. I went to the closest house I could find, and stayed there for the night. The next day, the people I stayed with went out to find him. They never could. He had left town and no one has seen him since. I tried to explain this to Mom, but she wouldn't believe me. She said I was a whore, and that if I thought I was old enough to have sex, I was old enough to live on my own. She kicked me out. I've been living with anyone who would take me in, but I try not to stay too long. I hate being dependent on everyone. I asked Theresa if she knew where you were and Eddy drove me here. I just wondered if I could stay for a week or so, until I can find somewhere else to stay." She finished her story with new tears.
"You can stay as long as you want." Said Kirsten, who had walked in during her story. "All you have to do is tell us who you are."
Lizzie looked a little embarrassed. She had never been that way before she was...before it happened. She had just stopped trusting people.
"I'm Elizabeth Atwood, Lizzie, for short. I'm Ryan's cousin."
***California here we come! Right back were we started from. California!!!!!! Here we come!!!*** (Sorry I love that song!)
"So Ryan's cousin is staying with you?" asked Summer, Seth had told her the news when they got to school.
"Yeah, my mom's buying her new clothes today. She is really nice, you two probably wouldn't get along." Seth said, trying to get on Summer's nerves, a new game he had found quite fun.
"Shut up, Cohen! How do I know you two won't be having sex while I'm not there! I mean you seem to think she is just the best thing to walk the Earth!" Summer had recently started wondering about Seth and fidelity.
"Trust me that won't happen." He said, Seth had left the part out about her being pregnant. He didn't want Summer to spread it around school.
"Why, is she a total cow?" Summer had no shame!
"No, well, not really. She's well." Seth didn't know what to say. She was fat, but for a reason. How could he like someone so shallow? He looked over at her and saw she was wearing a mini skirt and a tight tank top that left little to the imagination. Oh, yeah! He thought, That's why!
"I knew it! She's a total cow!" Summer skipped in triumph.
"She is not a cow, Summer. She, well she's pregnant." Seth blew it now.
Summer was really quiet. She felt bad that she had made fun of the girl, but how could she know? Seth was so damn secretive. He thought she couldn't handle anything.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Wow, I feel bad. I really need to stop hanging out with you. You're giving me feelings."
"I know, I have that power over people." Just then Ryan caught up with them. He had to help Lizzie settle in.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late I had..."
"To help your cousin." Interrupted Summer. "I know."
"Listen she drug it out of me, man. I swear, she has powers that work against me. It's like super sexy hot mind reading evil powers. Against them, I'm helpless." Seth said. "I think I need to find her weakness, so I can have a chance to fight against her. I know, chocolate! Every girls weakness is chocolate, right?"
"Shut up Cohen!" said Marissa who had just joined them. She leaned in and gave Ryan a kiss. "So what's up?" She asked.
"Ryan's cousin paid them a visit this morning, and she is going to stay a while. Turns out she's pregnant." Said Summer.
"Really? What's her name?" asked Marissa, a little annoyed with Summer.
"Lizzie, she was my closest cousin. I've always been very protective of her. I just can't believe she didn't come to me first. She shouldn't have had to move around so much." He said, more thinking out loud then talking to anyone. "I remember, when we were kids, we had our adventures. We had to find out why things were stolen in our neighborhood. We called our selves the Atwood Detectives. We actually found a few stolen things. That was so much fun." Ryan said with a smile. He really missed those days.
The bell rang and they all took off for class, but Ryan decided to skip first period. He went to his car and drove off. Marissa watched him leave and wondered why he never told her about Lizzie, but she shrugged it off and went to class. She could tell Ryan wanted to think.
"Can I please see Ryan?" the girl asked.
"Sure, come on in I'll go get him. Just make yourself comfortable." Seth said.
He normally wouldn't let in someone he didn't really know. But there was something about her. She seemed innocent, despite the trouble she had obviously gotten herself into. She looked like she was only 16.
"Ryan?" Seth said as he got to the pool house. "You have a visitor."
"Who is it?" Ryan said as he got up from the couch.
Seth just shrugged and Ryan followed him. As soon as they got into the living room Ryan instantly recognized the new stranger.
"Lizzie!" he said. His whole face lit up when he saw her, but when she stood, his face had lost all its happiness had left from before.
"What happened?" he asked forcefully.
Lizzie stood there wondering how she could explain this, and she started to tear up.
Seth took pity on her and wanted to go hug her to make her feel better, but he was a stranger to her and would probably be more afraid and freaked out than comforted.
Ryan led her to the couch and cuddled her, just like a big brother would to his sister.
"Just tell me what happened. Trust me, I won't hate you for it." Ryan said.
Lizzie slowly collected her thoughts and then she started to speak.
"I was at Theresa's house. She was having a party and there was this guy, no one knew who he was and so I went to introduce myself. He seemed nice so I stayed and talked to him for a while. I never got his name. He asked me if I would let him drive me home, I said sure since it wasn't far. He drove me around town. Half way home he pulled over. He told me that he would kill me if I didn't sleep with him. I thought he was joking so I joked back. He didn't think it was funny. He hit me and that's when I knew he was serious. I tried to fight him off, but he wouldn't let me go. He beat me until I was to weak to fight him off. When he finished he pushed me out of the car and drove off. I had to walk home, but I couldn't make it. I went to the closest house I could find, and stayed there for the night. The next day, the people I stayed with went out to find him. They never could. He had left town and no one has seen him since. I tried to explain this to Mom, but she wouldn't believe me. She said I was a whore, and that if I thought I was old enough to have sex, I was old enough to live on my own. She kicked me out. I've been living with anyone who would take me in, but I try not to stay too long. I hate being dependent on everyone. I asked Theresa if she knew where you were and Eddy drove me here. I just wondered if I could stay for a week or so, until I can find somewhere else to stay." She finished her story with new tears.
"You can stay as long as you want." Said Kirsten, who had walked in during her story. "All you have to do is tell us who you are."
Lizzie looked a little embarrassed. She had never been that way before she was...before it happened. She had just stopped trusting people.
"I'm Elizabeth Atwood, Lizzie, for short. I'm Ryan's cousin."
***California here we come! Right back were we started from. California!!!!!! Here we come!!!*** (Sorry I love that song!)
"So Ryan's cousin is staying with you?" asked Summer, Seth had told her the news when they got to school.
"Yeah, my mom's buying her new clothes today. She is really nice, you two probably wouldn't get along." Seth said, trying to get on Summer's nerves, a new game he had found quite fun.
"Shut up, Cohen! How do I know you two won't be having sex while I'm not there! I mean you seem to think she is just the best thing to walk the Earth!" Summer had recently started wondering about Seth and fidelity.
"Trust me that won't happen." He said, Seth had left the part out about her being pregnant. He didn't want Summer to spread it around school.
"Why, is she a total cow?" Summer had no shame!
"No, well, not really. She's well." Seth didn't know what to say. She was fat, but for a reason. How could he like someone so shallow? He looked over at her and saw she was wearing a mini skirt and a tight tank top that left little to the imagination. Oh, yeah! He thought, That's why!
"I knew it! She's a total cow!" Summer skipped in triumph.
"She is not a cow, Summer. She, well she's pregnant." Seth blew it now.
Summer was really quiet. She felt bad that she had made fun of the girl, but how could she know? Seth was so damn secretive. He thought she couldn't handle anything.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Wow, I feel bad. I really need to stop hanging out with you. You're giving me feelings."
"I know, I have that power over people." Just then Ryan caught up with them. He had to help Lizzie settle in.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late I had..."
"To help your cousin." Interrupted Summer. "I know."
"Listen she drug it out of me, man. I swear, she has powers that work against me. It's like super sexy hot mind reading evil powers. Against them, I'm helpless." Seth said. "I think I need to find her weakness, so I can have a chance to fight against her. I know, chocolate! Every girls weakness is chocolate, right?"
"Shut up Cohen!" said Marissa who had just joined them. She leaned in and gave Ryan a kiss. "So what's up?" She asked.
"Ryan's cousin paid them a visit this morning, and she is going to stay a while. Turns out she's pregnant." Said Summer.
"Really? What's her name?" asked Marissa, a little annoyed with Summer.
"Lizzie, she was my closest cousin. I've always been very protective of her. I just can't believe she didn't come to me first. She shouldn't have had to move around so much." He said, more thinking out loud then talking to anyone. "I remember, when we were kids, we had our adventures. We had to find out why things were stolen in our neighborhood. We called our selves the Atwood Detectives. We actually found a few stolen things. That was so much fun." Ryan said with a smile. He really missed those days.
The bell rang and they all took off for class, but Ryan decided to skip first period. He went to his car and drove off. Marissa watched him leave and wondered why he never told her about Lizzie, but she shrugged it off and went to class. She could tell Ryan wanted to think.