Title: Ryan and Joan

Summary: Ryan meets Joan from Joan of Arcadia.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to The O.C. or Joan of Arcadia.

Author's Notes: I want to thank my beta, Eileen, for the brainstorming session about this story.
Chapter 6 - "Facing the Music"

As Ryan pulled away from the Girardi house, he realized that he was going to have to figure out how to get back to the highway. It was times like these that he really appreciated the talking GPS that the Cohens had in their cars. Unfortunately, he was going to have to figure this one out on his own. He hoped that he wouldn't lose too much time trying to find his way around Arcadia. It was already a 1 hour drive to Newport, and after he got there he was still going to have to ride his bike from his friend's house back to the Cohens'. So Ryan headed out and hoped for the best.

An hour and five minutes later, Ryan pulled into his friend's driveway in the numbered-street section of Newport Beach. Luckily, he didn't lose too much time in Arcadia, and he still had enough time to get back home before his midnight curfew. He quickly parked and went over and left the keys under the doormat, as usual.

Ryan got on his bike and headed home. He was wearing his leather jacket home this time because he knew he wasn't going to need it to go to any more Saturday parties. He thought about leaving his friend a note that he wouldn't be needing to borrow the car any more, but he didn't have anything to write with. At this point he wished he hadn't given Joan back her pen.

Back at the Cohen house, Sandy was waiting up for Ryan. He was quite angry earlier, after Will Girardi called and he found out that Ryan was in Arcadia tonight. Sandy called over to the moviehouse that Ryan told them he had been working at every Saturday night for the past month or so. They never heard of Ryan. He couldn't believe that Ryan lied to them. They trusted him and never called over there to doublecheck.

In the time that Sandy waited for Ryan to drive home, he had managed to calm himself down for the most part. He knew that it was a really bad idea to try to discipline Ryan while he himself was angry. Sandy had learned in the couple of months that he had been Ryan's guardian what worked with Ryan, and it wasn't anger. And it went without saying that getting physical with Ryan was totally out of the question.

Ryan arrived home with about 5 minutes to spare. Since he knew that Sandy would be waiting for him, he went in the front door instead of walking around the house and going directly to the pool house like he usually did. As he expected, he found Sandy in the kitchen. He was sitting at the kitchen island eating popcorn out of a bowl.

Sandy watched Ryan walk into the kitchen, carrying his leather jacket. Sandy was surprised to see it. He didn't know that Ryan even still had it. Sandy hadn't seen it since Ryan was arrested after the model home fire. He had always thought of that jacket as a symbol of Ryan's life in Chino. He hoped that it wasn't a really bad sign that Ryan had been wearing it.

Sandy put on a smile and gestured in a way that included both the bowl of popcorn and the empty chair beside him. He told Ryan, "Grab a drink. Help yourself to some popcorn."

Ryan got an iced tea out of the refrigerator, went over and sat down next to Sandy, and started munching on the popcorn. He was hungry. He hadn't eaten since dinner which was like six hours ago. Ryan was a little surprised when Sandy reached over and put his hand on his back. Ryan looked over at him.

Sandy said, "Are you all right? Will Girardi told me that he asked you about --"

Ryan didn't want to hear any more and interrupted him. "Yeah. I'm OK."

Sandy removed his hand from Ryan's back and reached for more popcorn before continuing. "You know, if there's ever anything you want to talk about..."

"Yeah. I know. Thanks."

Ryan looked away and continued to eat popcorn and drink his iced tea. He hoped that Sandy would take that as an answer and not push him to talk. He had been upset earlier, but he was calm now, and didn't want to get upset all over again by rehashing it yet again. Sandy watched Ryan for a moment and could tell that he didn't want to talk, although when did he ever.

After giving Ryan a minute, Sandy went ahead with the main subject of this "meeting". Sandy tried hard to speak matter-of-factly, and to keep any hint of anger out of his voice.

"I called over to the moviehouse. I know that you've been lying to us. You never worked there. Now I want the truth. What have you been doing every Saturday night for the last five weeks? Truth."

Ryan had expected this. He blinked a few times and lowered his head. After collecting his thoughts for a moment, Ryan looked up, but not directly at Sandy.

"Going to parties."

Ryan hoped that Sandy wouldn't press him for too many more details. Even though Sandy had told him to tell the truth, Ryan knew that if he told him everything about his Saturday night escapades, he'd be in so much trouble with Sandy that he might even wish that Sandy would throw him out because it would be easier than facing him.

He especially hoped that Sandy wouldn't ask him why he wanted to go to these parties. He couldn't tell Sandy that he went looking for meaningless sex. He didn't really want Sandy to know that he'd been having sex since he was 12. Practically every week, in recent years. And after going without for a couple months while he and Marissa were doing their little "mating dance", he really needed it bad.

Ryan sat still and waited for Sandy's next question, with a little dread.

Sandy couldn't believe it. Going to parties? That was so unlike Ryan. As far as Sandy knew, he rarely went to parties. Then again, Sandy didn't know what Ryan was up to as well as he thought he did, now did he? Sandy couldn't help letting a little anger in, and he raised his voice to Ryan.

"I can't believe this. Parties? You lied to us to go out partying? I thought you were better than that."

Sandy stopped to calm himself down. Yelling wasn't going to get him anywhere. Ryan hadn't responded, or even moved. He just kept looking down at his hands.

Sandy tried again, without raising his voice. "Who were you out partying with?"

Ryan looked up. "Friends."

"What friends?" As far as Sandy knew, Seth was his only close friend, and he knew that Seth hadn't been going out every Saturday night with Ryan.

"Guys I worked with at the Crab Shack." That was partially true. The guy who loaned him his car had come along with him to a couple of the parties.

Sandy rubbed his forehead. "Ryan. It isn't just the parties, with the drinking and drugs and who knows what else. It's that you lied to us. We trusted you, and you've broken that trust. It makes me wonder what else you've been lying to us about."

Ryan finally looked over at Sandy. "Nothing. I swear."

At least nothing that Ryan could think of at the moment. No currently active lies at least. Other than almost everything having to do with his Saturday nights.

"There better not be. And there better not be any more in the future. Because I really hate it when people I trust lie to me."

Sandy saw Ryan have a clear reaction to that statement. He quickly looked away from Sandy. He took a quick breath. He blinked his eyes rapidly like he did when someone said something that hit him emotionally. Sandy was glad to see that at least something he'd said had gotten through to Ryan.

That statement hit Ryan because he also hated it when people lied to him, and he didn't want to think of himself as one of those people. He had been lied to by too many people his entire life. He got really pissed off when he was lied to by someone whom he was trying to trust. Like when Marissa didn't tell him about her conversation with Luke during the first week of school, he got so angry that he lashed out at Luke physically at soccer practice, then at Marissa verbally later on. That's how he ruined his chances to be with Marissa.

Sandy waited a bit to see if Ryan would say something, anything. When he didn't, Sandy wasn't really surprised, but he was a little disappointed. Sandy sighed. He was tired. He decided to wrap things up.

"Ryan, you know you're grounded, right? For a week. That means you go to school and come home. No going out after school or on the weekends. No TV. No video games. No computer except for schoolwork. No visitors. No phone calls. And you're going to have to earn back our trust since you lied to us."

Ryan looked back over at Sandy. Not great, but one week wasn't that bad, either. "OK. What about soccer?"

"That's part of school. So you go to classes, then soccer practice, then come home."

"And what about --"

"Yes, you can still play in your soccer game next Saturday. And Kirsten and I will be there to watch you."

Ryan gave Sandy an amused glance. "Meaning watch me play, or keep an eye on me?"

Sandy looked amused back. "Both."

After a moment, Sandy continued, "Well, it's late. You should be getting to bed."

Ryan got up and headed for the pool house. "Night."

"Good night."

When Ryan got to the kitchen door, he realized that he hadn't yet told Sandy that he was sorry. He stopped and turned back to face him. "Sandy, I'm sorry. You know... about... everything."

Sandy sighed. Ryan was always sorry afterwards, but that didn't keep him from doing something else that he had to apologize for. "I know, Ryan. But I'd rather that you didn't do it in the first place, than apologize afterwards."

Ryan didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't promise that he'd never do anything else that he'd have to say he was sorry for. So Ryan just nodded, and then turned and went out to the pool house.

To Be Continued