Ryan woke up to see that Marissa is no longer sleeping in the bed he'd set her in the night before. Then he heard the door to the pool house open and Seth's mom walk in.
"Thank God." She said and Ryan put his head back down and tried to get the sleep out of his eyes. Seth waved slightly from his place and slowly sits up. Kristen walks over to Seth and notices the bruise on her sons face.
"What happened to your face?" She yelled. Both boys winced at the loudness of her voice since they both had headaches.
"Mm. I got into a fight." Seth said laying back down.
"With who? Why?" She asked still angry.
"I don't really know. I don't really remember. Um…I was really drunk. Yeah, I think I still am a little bit." He stated
"Let's go. House. Now." She said and dragged him into the house.
"Later!" Seth yells waving to Ryan. Ryan sat up and rubbed his head. He knew he was a goner. He got up and dressed. Then he packed his stuff and headed into the main house. The kitchen was empty so he decided to cook breakfast to try and soften the blow from the night before. Ryan knew that if he never said to Seth that he wanted to go to the party then Seth wouldn't have gotten hit and Kristen wouldn't have been mad. He was looking out the window when Kristen walked back into the kitchen.
"Look, Ryan, I don't mean to play bad cop. It's nothing personal…" She trailed off and noticed Ryan had been cooking. Ryan walks over to the stove. "Is that bacon?" She asked him.
"I usually make breakfast at my house. My mom's not much of a cook, so…" Ryan stated and brought the bacon over to the table.
"I'm sorry. You seem like a really nice kid." Kristen started but Ryan stopped her.
"It's okay. I get it." He grabs his things. He looked at her. "You have a really nice family." He said before leaving the room. He walks up to Seth's bedroom and sees he is in bed sleeping. He knocked on the wall and Seth stirs.
"Hey, man." Ryan says as Seth sits up.
"Hey."
"Hi. So…I gotta jet." Ryan says avoiding eye contact.
"You're leaving? So…hmm…so, what's up?" Seth says and Ryan can tell he is still hung over.
"I got to go back. Try to figure some stuff out back home." Ryan said still avoiding eye contact for long periods of time.
"Okay Well…cool. Or…not cool, but, you know…what I think I mean." Seth said stumbling for words. Ryan held out his hand for Seth to shake but instead Seth pulls him in to a hug.
"Come here. I'll come down to Chino. You know, I'll visit you and you can show me your world. Or your hood or…" Seth stops rambling and laughs.
"All right." Ryan said and turned to leave but Seth stops him.
"Wait a second. Just wait one second. Hmm." He walks over to his desk, grabs a map, and hands it to Ryan. It's a map of the Pacific Ocean. "Maybe there's some place you want to go. It's pretty good for ideas." Ryan thinks for a second and then slaps Seth in the face with the map.
"Ah!" Was Seth's reaction and Ryan chuckles softly and leaves the room.
Ryan and Sandy get in the car. They back out of the driveway and Ryan sees Marissa waiting in her own driveway. She watches as they drive past her and Ryan turns back to watch her as he leaves. Luke pulls up to pick up Marissa and Ryan turns back around in his seat. The rest of the ride is quiet. Neither knew what to say to the other. Soon after, Sandy pulls up in front of Ryan's house.
"So, thanks. For everything." Ryan says before he gets out of the car.
"I'm going to make sure everything works out, Ryan." Sandy says Reassuringly. They get his bike out of the trunk and Ryan starts walking up the walkway.
"It's okay. I can take it from here." Ryan said wheeling his bike up to the front porch. He sets his bike down and unlocks the door. Ryan wasn't really prepared for the site he saw. The house was empty. All the furniture was gone. He ran around the house looking for anything but nothing was there. Not even his things. He walks back into the kitchen to see a note on the counter. His mother left him a note. She just abandoned him. Tears threatened to fall but he held them back. His own mother abandoned him. He figured that he would be gone for the weekend but she would have cooled down and he would come back. He never thought she would really leave him. He heard a voice from behind him. It was Sandy.
"Come on. Let's go." Sandy said to Ryan after watching for a few minutes. Ryan grabs his bag and they leave the house together.
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Rachel woke up Sunday morning feeling a lot better then the day before. She knew she would be well enough tomorrow to start the search for Ryan again.
"Hey Rachel. How ya feeling?" Nick asked coming into the kitchen. Rachel started laughing at him. "What?" He asked confused. Nick had just woken up so all his hair was sticking up on end. It was quite adorable.
"Look in a mirror lately?" She asked still laughing. He Was still confused then went into the bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later with his hair combed.
"Better?" He smiled and she nodded and took a sip of the tea Nicks mom made for her. He sat down and asked her again. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing better. I should be good to go by tomorrow. Your mom still won't let me out yet." She said and he laughed.
"That's my mom for you." He laughed.
"I'm not used to all the fuss." She stated. "Usually I take care of myself and do things I need to do." She then took a bite of some oatmeal. Nick didn't respond. He knew where she was coming from. Until his mom met Jim and he helped her get her life back and took to Nick as he was his own son, no one cared if Nick was sick or not. There was a silence. Which was ok cause Rachel knew that Nick understood.
"Oh hey! I got something for ya!" Nick said smiling. Rachel looked at him questionably.
"You didn't have..." she started but Nick cut her off.
"I know I didn't but I wanted to." He said. "I know how you like hockey so I found at a game store NHL 97 for super Nintendo!" He smiled pulling the game out of his pocket.
"That is so cool!" She exclaimed. Taking the game and looking at the box.
"Yea when we are done eating we can go play since you can't go out yet." He smiled.
"Thank you so much! This is great!" She said happily. No one ever bought her a gift before. She was so happy. It was 11 in the morning when they started playing. Nicks mom and Jim came home at about 5 that afternoon and they were still playing the game.
"How long have you guys been playing that thing?" Jane asked putting some bags down. She knew Nick got the game for her the day before.
"I don't know since about 11 I guess." Nick replied with out looking away from the game. Jane laughed. "There is nothing else to do. Rachel can't go out yet." Nick said then stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth in concentration. Jane and Jim went to put the bags of things away and began to make dinner. An hour later Jane called in from the kitchen.
"Kids! Dinner!"
"Be right there mom we are in the middle of the Stanley Cup game." Nick yelled back. "We are tied 3-3 and in over time...next goal wins!" Rachel and Nick were both banging on the key pad trying to score the winning goal. Two minutes later the winning goal was scored.
"SCORE!!!!! RANGERS WIN!" Rachel shouted.
"Aw man! How the heck did you score! I am never going to be the Kings again!" Nick yelled back laughing.
"Sure blame the Kings." She laughed.
"Ok kids come eat." Jane said smiling after watching the scene. The two walked past Jane still talking about the game and Nick wanting a rematch. She was glad to see that Rachel was feeling better and that Both of them were happy. Things were defiantly getting better for her family.
"Thank God." She said and Ryan put his head back down and tried to get the sleep out of his eyes. Seth waved slightly from his place and slowly sits up. Kristen walks over to Seth and notices the bruise on her sons face.
"What happened to your face?" She yelled. Both boys winced at the loudness of her voice since they both had headaches.
"Mm. I got into a fight." Seth said laying back down.
"With who? Why?" She asked still angry.
"I don't really know. I don't really remember. Um…I was really drunk. Yeah, I think I still am a little bit." He stated
"Let's go. House. Now." She said and dragged him into the house.
"Later!" Seth yells waving to Ryan. Ryan sat up and rubbed his head. He knew he was a goner. He got up and dressed. Then he packed his stuff and headed into the main house. The kitchen was empty so he decided to cook breakfast to try and soften the blow from the night before. Ryan knew that if he never said to Seth that he wanted to go to the party then Seth wouldn't have gotten hit and Kristen wouldn't have been mad. He was looking out the window when Kristen walked back into the kitchen.
"Look, Ryan, I don't mean to play bad cop. It's nothing personal…" She trailed off and noticed Ryan had been cooking. Ryan walks over to the stove. "Is that bacon?" She asked him.
"I usually make breakfast at my house. My mom's not much of a cook, so…" Ryan stated and brought the bacon over to the table.
"I'm sorry. You seem like a really nice kid." Kristen started but Ryan stopped her.
"It's okay. I get it." He grabs his things. He looked at her. "You have a really nice family." He said before leaving the room. He walks up to Seth's bedroom and sees he is in bed sleeping. He knocked on the wall and Seth stirs.
"Hey, man." Ryan says as Seth sits up.
"Hey."
"Hi. So…I gotta jet." Ryan says avoiding eye contact.
"You're leaving? So…hmm…so, what's up?" Seth says and Ryan can tell he is still hung over.
"I got to go back. Try to figure some stuff out back home." Ryan said still avoiding eye contact for long periods of time.
"Okay Well…cool. Or…not cool, but, you know…what I think I mean." Seth said stumbling for words. Ryan held out his hand for Seth to shake but instead Seth pulls him in to a hug.
"Come here. I'll come down to Chino. You know, I'll visit you and you can show me your world. Or your hood or…" Seth stops rambling and laughs.
"All right." Ryan said and turned to leave but Seth stops him.
"Wait a second. Just wait one second. Hmm." He walks over to his desk, grabs a map, and hands it to Ryan. It's a map of the Pacific Ocean. "Maybe there's some place you want to go. It's pretty good for ideas." Ryan thinks for a second and then slaps Seth in the face with the map.
"Ah!" Was Seth's reaction and Ryan chuckles softly and leaves the room.
Ryan and Sandy get in the car. They back out of the driveway and Ryan sees Marissa waiting in her own driveway. She watches as they drive past her and Ryan turns back to watch her as he leaves. Luke pulls up to pick up Marissa and Ryan turns back around in his seat. The rest of the ride is quiet. Neither knew what to say to the other. Soon after, Sandy pulls up in front of Ryan's house.
"So, thanks. For everything." Ryan says before he gets out of the car.
"I'm going to make sure everything works out, Ryan." Sandy says Reassuringly. They get his bike out of the trunk and Ryan starts walking up the walkway.
"It's okay. I can take it from here." Ryan said wheeling his bike up to the front porch. He sets his bike down and unlocks the door. Ryan wasn't really prepared for the site he saw. The house was empty. All the furniture was gone. He ran around the house looking for anything but nothing was there. Not even his things. He walks back into the kitchen to see a note on the counter. His mother left him a note. She just abandoned him. Tears threatened to fall but he held them back. His own mother abandoned him. He figured that he would be gone for the weekend but she would have cooled down and he would come back. He never thought she would really leave him. He heard a voice from behind him. It was Sandy.
"Come on. Let's go." Sandy said to Ryan after watching for a few minutes. Ryan grabs his bag and they leave the house together.
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Rachel woke up Sunday morning feeling a lot better then the day before. She knew she would be well enough tomorrow to start the search for Ryan again.
"Hey Rachel. How ya feeling?" Nick asked coming into the kitchen. Rachel started laughing at him. "What?" He asked confused. Nick had just woken up so all his hair was sticking up on end. It was quite adorable.
"Look in a mirror lately?" She asked still laughing. He Was still confused then went into the bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later with his hair combed.
"Better?" He smiled and she nodded and took a sip of the tea Nicks mom made for her. He sat down and asked her again. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing better. I should be good to go by tomorrow. Your mom still won't let me out yet." She said and he laughed.
"That's my mom for you." He laughed.
"I'm not used to all the fuss." She stated. "Usually I take care of myself and do things I need to do." She then took a bite of some oatmeal. Nick didn't respond. He knew where she was coming from. Until his mom met Jim and he helped her get her life back and took to Nick as he was his own son, no one cared if Nick was sick or not. There was a silence. Which was ok cause Rachel knew that Nick understood.
"Oh hey! I got something for ya!" Nick said smiling. Rachel looked at him questionably.
"You didn't have..." she started but Nick cut her off.
"I know I didn't but I wanted to." He said. "I know how you like hockey so I found at a game store NHL 97 for super Nintendo!" He smiled pulling the game out of his pocket.
"That is so cool!" She exclaimed. Taking the game and looking at the box.
"Yea when we are done eating we can go play since you can't go out yet." He smiled.
"Thank you so much! This is great!" She said happily. No one ever bought her a gift before. She was so happy. It was 11 in the morning when they started playing. Nicks mom and Jim came home at about 5 that afternoon and they were still playing the game.
"How long have you guys been playing that thing?" Jane asked putting some bags down. She knew Nick got the game for her the day before.
"I don't know since about 11 I guess." Nick replied with out looking away from the game. Jane laughed. "There is nothing else to do. Rachel can't go out yet." Nick said then stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth in concentration. Jane and Jim went to put the bags of things away and began to make dinner. An hour later Jane called in from the kitchen.
"Kids! Dinner!"
"Be right there mom we are in the middle of the Stanley Cup game." Nick yelled back. "We are tied 3-3 and in over time...next goal wins!" Rachel and Nick were both banging on the key pad trying to score the winning goal. Two minutes later the winning goal was scored.
"SCORE!!!!! RANGERS WIN!" Rachel shouted.
"Aw man! How the heck did you score! I am never going to be the Kings again!" Nick yelled back laughing.
"Sure blame the Kings." She laughed.
"Ok kids come eat." Jane said smiling after watching the scene. The two walked past Jane still talking about the game and Nick wanting a rematch. She was glad to see that Rachel was feeling better and that Both of them were happy. Things were defiantly getting better for her family.