Hey, thanks for stopping by! Its time for another adventure with Ryan and Seth. This was written as a one-part story a challenge among writing friends. : ) I tossed an R rating on this due to very brief drug use. The rest of the story is basically a PG. Reviews are always welcome! ENJOY! : )
The Stowaway
"So Ryan I can go with you right?" Seth was good at this game and he never took no for an answer.
"No."
"Dude, c'mon! I want to go with you. It'll be fun!"
"Seth, there's nothing fun about Chino."
"Fair enough. So it won't be fun, but I can go with you right?"
"I said no Seth."
"Please, please, please, please! You've got to get me out of here. I'm suffocating here!"
Ryan's expression gave Seth his answer and the answer was still no. He was dreading this trip as it was and the idea of letting Seth tag along under the circumstances was just out of the question. Trey was out of jail now but Ryan knew all too well that this meeting would probably not go smoothly. They rarely did. He wasn't even sure why he was going. They weren't exactly close and everyone there would be friends of Trey's He was just hoping to be long gone and back in Newport before trouble ran into Trey again.
"I've gotta get on the road," Ryan announced.
Seth leaned against the counter pouting. "
"Ah, I gotta run back to my room and get my watch," Ryan remembered.
"Of course. Wouldn't want to keep Chino waiting." Carrying on, Seth walked out of the kitchen, heading towards his room.
Ryan had come to expect Seth's little tantrums when he didn't get his way but tonight was different. This was for his own good. Some things in life just clash like water and oil and well, Seth and Chino and were two words that shouldn't be used in the same sentence. Ever. Sure Seth had come a long was under Ryan's wing but getting through Chino in one piece was a completely different story.
Throwing his leather jacket on, Ryan stopped in the kitchen on his way out to give Sandy and Kirsten the details of his trip.
"Wow. I haven't seen that jacket in ages. Makes you look like a tough guy," Kirsten commented. Ryan looked all rough and tough again just by changing his wardrobe and quite honestly, it made Kirsten a little nervous.
"When in Rome..." Ryan replied with a smirk on his face.
"But you know, of course, that you don't have to do what all the other Romans are doing...if you know it's wrong right?" Sandy's comment served as a reminder that Ryan's new life had rules. Rules they expected him to obey. Ryan was sure they had reservations about letting him return to Chino. Everyone in the kitchen, including Ryan, knew there was pretty much nothing but trouble there. Nodding, Ryan said his goodbyes and left the kitchen.
Making a beeline for the front door, he decided to skip saying goodbye to Seth for fear he would trigger the begging and pleading routine all over again. He slipped out to the car and drove away.
The radio pounded out music while Ryan sped down the highway. His mind was consumed with the possibilities of what might lie ahead of him. He hadn't returned to Chino in almost a year and for some reason, going back there felt strange to him. As if that part of him took place in a different lifetime.
His thoughts were broken up when the radio presented a particularly obnoxious song. So obnoxious in fact, Ryan grimaced at the radio and switched it off. To his dismay, the singing continued...from the back seat. Veering the car to the shoulder, he slammed on the brakes.
"SETH!"
"Dude this is a Rover okay, it doesn't handle like Richard Petty's car. Besides, you smashed my face into the back of the front seat with that brake job."
"That's not all I'm going to smash!" Ryan was fuming. He was mad at Seth for sneaking into the car. He was mad at himself for not checking the backseat before leaving, given Seth's little tantrum back at the house about coming along. Most of all, he was just plain mad because he still didn't know exactly why he was going back to Chino in the first place. They were now three quarters of the way to Chino. If he turned around to take Seth home, he may as well abandon the trip altogether.
"I'm sorry okay. I shouldn't have put you in this position. I just...haven't you ever been curious Ryan? So curious you just wanted to see for yourself?"
Turning away from Seth, Ryan shook his head in disbelief. "You want an adventure? Fine. I'll make this a night you will never forget! But I'm telling you right now, if something goes wrong, you're covering my ass with your parents."
"Fair enough. Feed me. I am an open book!"
Still shaking his head in denial that he was actually going to go through with this, he laid out the ground rules for Seth. "Let's just get one thing straight. You do what I say, when I say and how I say. No arguments, and no exceptions. You stay with me at all times. If you have to take a leak, tell me where you're going, go and come right back to me. Do not wander around alone. If I don't bring you home in one piece your parents will have my head! You break my rules, I'll kick your ass myself!"
With hesitation, Seth nodded at Ryan with a look of fright on his face. Swallowing hard he was starting to question his own judgment in not listening to Ryan in the first place. Could Chino really be that bad?
Still stewing, Ryan got back underway and was in Chino in less than 15 minutes. Seth fed his curiosity, taking it all in. The run down buildings, the winos in the shadows, the rail yard that looked like the set of a horror flick. Ryan noticed Seth seemed to be pushing himself back against the seat as if the scenery outside would reach out and grab him if he got too close to the window.
Purposely Ryan stopped the car at one of Chino's worst intersections. The drug dealers scoffed at Seth in the car. Ryan kept his cool behind the wheel while the dealers made jokes about 'homeboy' and 'white bread'.
"Ryan, Exactly how long does it take to change a traffic light in Chino?"
"I don't know. They're controlled by the dealers." Choking on his attempt to stifle a laugh, he could see that Seth didn't see the humor in this. "Don't wet your pants Seth. Chino doesn't have a twenty-four hour dry cleaners."
Pulling up in front, Ryan shut the car off and sat for a moment watching Seth as he gawked at the so-called house outside the car window. Sure there was a "Welcome Home Trey" sign above the porch done in spray paint, but the house had junk in the front yard. The paint was peeling off the siding in giant curls. The shutters were hanging, if not entirely missing and the front porch was collapsing. And this didn't include the fistfight that was taking place in the driveway or the two drunken guys puking on the front lawn. The sound of breaking glass could be heard from the garage area and sirens could be heard in the distance.
Ryan could tell Seth was scared to death but he made this bed and Ryan was going to force him to lay in it now. Or, wet it, whichever came first. "Looks like fun right?"
Seth wrung his hands in his lap and turned to Ryan. "So...this is the party?"
"Yeah. It's not exactly a Newport event but then again, you wanted an adventure right?"
Turning back to the fiasco outside his window, "Right." His voice was quiet and secretly, he contemplated returning to the floor in the back seat to just wait for Ryan's return.
"Well alright then let's party."
Reluctantly Seth exited the car. "Remember what I told you," Ryan warned him.
"Oh I won't forget. I've seen what you can do to other people and I'm just a scrawny little comic book lover."
Following Ryan up the driveway, Seth's head was on a swivel. A cross between taking it all in and watching his back kept his head in constant motion. If he followed any closer to Ryan, they could have shared the same pair of pants. After checking the yard and the garage, Ryan still had not found Trey. Heading into the house turned out to be a challenge. For whatever reason, most of the partygoers were stuffed inside. Meandering through the horde of people took time. Making their way to the kitchen, Ryan spotted Trey. He was snorting coke off the kitchen table. Ryan pursed his lips in disgust. "He's not even out of jail 12 hours and he's already risking his probation," he though to himself.
"Seth, see the guy at the table doing lines?"
"Yeah?"
"That's Trey."
For the first time, Seth was looking at the big picture, mostly because it was taking place right in front of him, not to mention all around him. Ryan always told him he wasn't about the Chino life anymore and with every passing minute Seth was beginning to understand why.
"Hey boys!!! Your hands are empty! Have a drink!" The anonymous girl handed each of them a plastic party cup. Both boys took a sip. Ryan rolled the drink around his mouth, frowning at the fruity concoction in the cup. Meanwhile, Seth kept drinking. Stopping long enough to frown at his drink as well.
"Whoa. Slow down Seth. Don't gulp that."
"I don't know what that chick gave you, but she gave me Kool-Aid. I come all the way to Chino, for Kool-Aid." Raising his cup to take another sip, Ryan grabs his arm and forces him to lower his cup.
"My rules, remember?" Throwing Seth a look that proves he's serious.
"I should be afraid of the Kool-Aid?"
"There's more than Kool-Aid in there. That's the whole point. You can slam these down because they don't taste like you're drinking anything heavy and then twenty minutes from now you'll be laying on the floor asking me why you can't feel your legs."
"Chino Kool-Aid is wicked stuff. Got it. But it's good. So how much can I have?" Seth made his best attempt at negotiating the rules.
"Drink half of it and put it down. And don't drink the half all at once."
In the midst of babysitting Seth, Ryan didn't noticed Trey walk over to him. "Hey little brother. I really didn't think you'd come."
Trey caught Ryan completely by surprise. "I thought I'd come see you. It's been a while."
"Friend of yours?" Trey motioned to Seth.
"Yeah, um, Trey this is Seth. Seth, this is my brother, Trey."
"Hey. You've got a bit of a Kool-Aid mustache going there. You might want to slow down on those a bit. Amanda makes some pretty heavy Kool-Aid."
Trey sounded just like Ryan when it came to handing out warnings. Wiping the Kool-Aid from his face, "Thanks. I've heard these pack a wallop," Seth agreed.
"That they do. So you guys just get here?" Ryan could see Trey was hoping they would stay, but Ryan had already logged more time back in Chino than he wanted to.
"Actually we're just on our way out." Awkwardness enveloped the three of them. Ryan had a hard time looking at Trey for a long period of time even though Trey couldn't take his eyes off of his little brother. And Seth just stood there watching it all and not saying a word.
"You look good little brother. I can't remember the last time I saw you without a bruise on your face." Even though his head was aimed at the floor, Ryan's eyes shot to the side in an attempt to see Seth's reaction to that comment. "I know you really didn't want to come back here but I'm glad you did." Throwing his arms around his brother Trey gave Ryan a hearty hug. "You take care of yourself man."
Releasing Ryan, Trey turned to Seth and shook his hand. "It was nice meeting you...Seth. Always have my brother's back. Take good care of him. He deserves it."
"Absolutely. You got it." Seth acknowledged.
Walking past Ryan, Trey slapped him on the shoulder, "Later man."
"Later."
Seth was extremely relieved to be back in the safety of his own car, knowing he was on his way back to the twisted but safe environment of Newport. Once again, he ignored Ryan and one again, Ryan was right. He knew what was best for Seth. And Seth now realized that Chino was one place he didn't belong.
The Stowaway
"So Ryan I can go with you right?" Seth was good at this game and he never took no for an answer.
"No."
"Dude, c'mon! I want to go with you. It'll be fun!"
"Seth, there's nothing fun about Chino."
"Fair enough. So it won't be fun, but I can go with you right?"
"I said no Seth."
"Please, please, please, please! You've got to get me out of here. I'm suffocating here!"
Ryan's expression gave Seth his answer and the answer was still no. He was dreading this trip as it was and the idea of letting Seth tag along under the circumstances was just out of the question. Trey was out of jail now but Ryan knew all too well that this meeting would probably not go smoothly. They rarely did. He wasn't even sure why he was going. They weren't exactly close and everyone there would be friends of Trey's He was just hoping to be long gone and back in Newport before trouble ran into Trey again.
"I've gotta get on the road," Ryan announced.
Seth leaned against the counter pouting. "
"Ah, I gotta run back to my room and get my watch," Ryan remembered.
"Of course. Wouldn't want to keep Chino waiting." Carrying on, Seth walked out of the kitchen, heading towards his room.
Ryan had come to expect Seth's little tantrums when he didn't get his way but tonight was different. This was for his own good. Some things in life just clash like water and oil and well, Seth and Chino and were two words that shouldn't be used in the same sentence. Ever. Sure Seth had come a long was under Ryan's wing but getting through Chino in one piece was a completely different story.
Throwing his leather jacket on, Ryan stopped in the kitchen on his way out to give Sandy and Kirsten the details of his trip.
"Wow. I haven't seen that jacket in ages. Makes you look like a tough guy," Kirsten commented. Ryan looked all rough and tough again just by changing his wardrobe and quite honestly, it made Kirsten a little nervous.
"When in Rome..." Ryan replied with a smirk on his face.
"But you know, of course, that you don't have to do what all the other Romans are doing...if you know it's wrong right?" Sandy's comment served as a reminder that Ryan's new life had rules. Rules they expected him to obey. Ryan was sure they had reservations about letting him return to Chino. Everyone in the kitchen, including Ryan, knew there was pretty much nothing but trouble there. Nodding, Ryan said his goodbyes and left the kitchen.
Making a beeline for the front door, he decided to skip saying goodbye to Seth for fear he would trigger the begging and pleading routine all over again. He slipped out to the car and drove away.
The radio pounded out music while Ryan sped down the highway. His mind was consumed with the possibilities of what might lie ahead of him. He hadn't returned to Chino in almost a year and for some reason, going back there felt strange to him. As if that part of him took place in a different lifetime.
His thoughts were broken up when the radio presented a particularly obnoxious song. So obnoxious in fact, Ryan grimaced at the radio and switched it off. To his dismay, the singing continued...from the back seat. Veering the car to the shoulder, he slammed on the brakes.
"SETH!"
"Dude this is a Rover okay, it doesn't handle like Richard Petty's car. Besides, you smashed my face into the back of the front seat with that brake job."
"That's not all I'm going to smash!" Ryan was fuming. He was mad at Seth for sneaking into the car. He was mad at himself for not checking the backseat before leaving, given Seth's little tantrum back at the house about coming along. Most of all, he was just plain mad because he still didn't know exactly why he was going back to Chino in the first place. They were now three quarters of the way to Chino. If he turned around to take Seth home, he may as well abandon the trip altogether.
"I'm sorry okay. I shouldn't have put you in this position. I just...haven't you ever been curious Ryan? So curious you just wanted to see for yourself?"
Turning away from Seth, Ryan shook his head in disbelief. "You want an adventure? Fine. I'll make this a night you will never forget! But I'm telling you right now, if something goes wrong, you're covering my ass with your parents."
"Fair enough. Feed me. I am an open book!"
Still shaking his head in denial that he was actually going to go through with this, he laid out the ground rules for Seth. "Let's just get one thing straight. You do what I say, when I say and how I say. No arguments, and no exceptions. You stay with me at all times. If you have to take a leak, tell me where you're going, go and come right back to me. Do not wander around alone. If I don't bring you home in one piece your parents will have my head! You break my rules, I'll kick your ass myself!"
With hesitation, Seth nodded at Ryan with a look of fright on his face. Swallowing hard he was starting to question his own judgment in not listening to Ryan in the first place. Could Chino really be that bad?
Still stewing, Ryan got back underway and was in Chino in less than 15 minutes. Seth fed his curiosity, taking it all in. The run down buildings, the winos in the shadows, the rail yard that looked like the set of a horror flick. Ryan noticed Seth seemed to be pushing himself back against the seat as if the scenery outside would reach out and grab him if he got too close to the window.
Purposely Ryan stopped the car at one of Chino's worst intersections. The drug dealers scoffed at Seth in the car. Ryan kept his cool behind the wheel while the dealers made jokes about 'homeboy' and 'white bread'.
"Ryan, Exactly how long does it take to change a traffic light in Chino?"
"I don't know. They're controlled by the dealers." Choking on his attempt to stifle a laugh, he could see that Seth didn't see the humor in this. "Don't wet your pants Seth. Chino doesn't have a twenty-four hour dry cleaners."
Pulling up in front, Ryan shut the car off and sat for a moment watching Seth as he gawked at the so-called house outside the car window. Sure there was a "Welcome Home Trey" sign above the porch done in spray paint, but the house had junk in the front yard. The paint was peeling off the siding in giant curls. The shutters were hanging, if not entirely missing and the front porch was collapsing. And this didn't include the fistfight that was taking place in the driveway or the two drunken guys puking on the front lawn. The sound of breaking glass could be heard from the garage area and sirens could be heard in the distance.
Ryan could tell Seth was scared to death but he made this bed and Ryan was going to force him to lay in it now. Or, wet it, whichever came first. "Looks like fun right?"
Seth wrung his hands in his lap and turned to Ryan. "So...this is the party?"
"Yeah. It's not exactly a Newport event but then again, you wanted an adventure right?"
Turning back to the fiasco outside his window, "Right." His voice was quiet and secretly, he contemplated returning to the floor in the back seat to just wait for Ryan's return.
"Well alright then let's party."
Reluctantly Seth exited the car. "Remember what I told you," Ryan warned him.
"Oh I won't forget. I've seen what you can do to other people and I'm just a scrawny little comic book lover."
Following Ryan up the driveway, Seth's head was on a swivel. A cross between taking it all in and watching his back kept his head in constant motion. If he followed any closer to Ryan, they could have shared the same pair of pants. After checking the yard and the garage, Ryan still had not found Trey. Heading into the house turned out to be a challenge. For whatever reason, most of the partygoers were stuffed inside. Meandering through the horde of people took time. Making their way to the kitchen, Ryan spotted Trey. He was snorting coke off the kitchen table. Ryan pursed his lips in disgust. "He's not even out of jail 12 hours and he's already risking his probation," he though to himself.
"Seth, see the guy at the table doing lines?"
"Yeah?"
"That's Trey."
For the first time, Seth was looking at the big picture, mostly because it was taking place right in front of him, not to mention all around him. Ryan always told him he wasn't about the Chino life anymore and with every passing minute Seth was beginning to understand why.
"Hey boys!!! Your hands are empty! Have a drink!" The anonymous girl handed each of them a plastic party cup. Both boys took a sip. Ryan rolled the drink around his mouth, frowning at the fruity concoction in the cup. Meanwhile, Seth kept drinking. Stopping long enough to frown at his drink as well.
"Whoa. Slow down Seth. Don't gulp that."
"I don't know what that chick gave you, but she gave me Kool-Aid. I come all the way to Chino, for Kool-Aid." Raising his cup to take another sip, Ryan grabs his arm and forces him to lower his cup.
"My rules, remember?" Throwing Seth a look that proves he's serious.
"I should be afraid of the Kool-Aid?"
"There's more than Kool-Aid in there. That's the whole point. You can slam these down because they don't taste like you're drinking anything heavy and then twenty minutes from now you'll be laying on the floor asking me why you can't feel your legs."
"Chino Kool-Aid is wicked stuff. Got it. But it's good. So how much can I have?" Seth made his best attempt at negotiating the rules.
"Drink half of it and put it down. And don't drink the half all at once."
In the midst of babysitting Seth, Ryan didn't noticed Trey walk over to him. "Hey little brother. I really didn't think you'd come."
Trey caught Ryan completely by surprise. "I thought I'd come see you. It's been a while."
"Friend of yours?" Trey motioned to Seth.
"Yeah, um, Trey this is Seth. Seth, this is my brother, Trey."
"Hey. You've got a bit of a Kool-Aid mustache going there. You might want to slow down on those a bit. Amanda makes some pretty heavy Kool-Aid."
Trey sounded just like Ryan when it came to handing out warnings. Wiping the Kool-Aid from his face, "Thanks. I've heard these pack a wallop," Seth agreed.
"That they do. So you guys just get here?" Ryan could see Trey was hoping they would stay, but Ryan had already logged more time back in Chino than he wanted to.
"Actually we're just on our way out." Awkwardness enveloped the three of them. Ryan had a hard time looking at Trey for a long period of time even though Trey couldn't take his eyes off of his little brother. And Seth just stood there watching it all and not saying a word.
"You look good little brother. I can't remember the last time I saw you without a bruise on your face." Even though his head was aimed at the floor, Ryan's eyes shot to the side in an attempt to see Seth's reaction to that comment. "I know you really didn't want to come back here but I'm glad you did." Throwing his arms around his brother Trey gave Ryan a hearty hug. "You take care of yourself man."
Releasing Ryan, Trey turned to Seth and shook his hand. "It was nice meeting you...Seth. Always have my brother's back. Take good care of him. He deserves it."
"Absolutely. You got it." Seth acknowledged.
Walking past Ryan, Trey slapped him on the shoulder, "Later man."
"Later."
Seth was extremely relieved to be back in the safety of his own car, knowing he was on his way back to the twisted but safe environment of Newport. Once again, he ignored Ryan and one again, Ryan was right. He knew what was best for Seth. And Seth now realized that Chino was one place he didn't belong.