Author's Note: I'm not sure where I'm going with this story. Making the plot up as I go along. Hope it sounds good. Please review. I completely appreciate every comment that you have. More to come soon. Can you tell I've been bored this summer? Happy readings!
XXX
A shrill sound filled the pool house and though he only had a towel wrapped around his waist, he dove under the bed to retrieve the backpack. Tossing the bag on the bed in front of him, he pulled the cell phone the Cohens gave him out and pressed the green button to answer before even looking at the screen to see who the call was from. If he had bothered to do so, he would have realized that the call was not the one he had been waiting for all week. It was actually a different girl entirely.
"Hello? Theresa?" Ryan asked anxiously into the receiver.
"Uh, no! Chino, don't you have caller ID?" Summer wrinkled her brow as her pouty raspberry colored lips formed into a frown. Without knowing it, Ryan immediately imitated the expression at the realization that it was Summer on the other end of the line and not Theresa. "Summer?" He asked dully before a sudden ray of hope fell upon his head, perhaps Summer was with Theresa and... Ryan shook his head so hard that the wet locks of blonde hair fell into his face. Summer with Theresa. Maybe he was getting to desperate to see or at least hear from his girlfriend. His mind was certainly being diluted.
"Yeah, Chino. Not Theresa." She tapped her French manicured nails against the pink plastic casing of the Nokia phone she was currently holding. Ugh, Chino. Hurry up and ask me what's up because I really need to ask you-
"What's up, Summer?" The words fell off his lips without any enthusiasm.
"Do you know where the hell Cohen is? Because I just called the house and he's not there and I called his cell and he has no reception. You have to tell him to get a better carrier. But anyway, where is he? Are you with him? I need to talk to him." Summer spoke hurriedly, as if she wasn't allowed to b on the phone and she feared someone would discover her. Ryan had no idea that the person Summer feared was her very best friend and not to mention Ryan's ex-girlfriend, Marissa.
"Sorry, he's not with me. I'll tell him though." Ryan said that not because he wanted to help Summer with her seemingly huge problem, which from what Ryan had learned about Newport girls was probably something as minimal as a chipped nail. He had said that just so that the conversation would end sooner. A smirk appeared on his face as he thought of Summer panicking over a chipped nail but then immediately scolded himself. Though the two of them were never close, Ryan knew better than to insult people without having a good reason to. At least this time he didn't fear a beating because of his insolent thoughts, but then again, Summer was known for her "rage blackouts".
"Okay? Could you please, Ryan? This is really important. Please." Ryan was in slight shock at hearing the pampered princess plead but he promised her he would hunt down Seth at that very moment and make him call her. Something about the way Summer made her problem out to seem so urgent worried Ryan. He was aware that she had extended her trip to New York, but he knew nothing more than that. Perhaps something had happened...?
"Summer, what's wrong? I'll have Seth call you, don't break down before that." He added with humor to lighten the bleak conversation.
"Whatever. I'm definitely not going to!" Summer said defensively. "Marissa could-"She brought her free hand to her face and smacked herself lightly on the forehead. She knew better than to tell Marissa's ex-boyfriend of the current problems, but the words had slipped out anyway. Dammit. "Uh, gotta go Ryan. Bye."
Ryan stared at the phone, still exuding the continuous beeping of the dial tone. Finally he threw it on the bed and got dressed.
XXX
"Theresa! Chica, levantate. Get your ass up! It's Wednesday. We've got to get to church!"
"Eva! Shut up." Theresa rubbed her eyes as she kicked off the blankets that were spread across her long tan legs. Signaling for her cousin to leave her alone, she rolled unto her stomach and shut her eyes again.
"Tess. It's Wednesday. You know I always go to church on Wednesday mornings." Slightly frustrated with her younger cousin's stubbornness, Eva pulled the pillow from under Theresa's face in one swift sweep.
"Hey!" Theresa sat up and snatched the pillow back. "Go without me. C'mon Eva. I'm tired. I've been working non-stop since I got here. I need some rest before my shift later. Please Eva, please. You pray enough for the both of us." Her whining was childish, but the effort she had thrown into her work the past few weeks were anything but. Even Eva had to attest to that. Theresa, though still reeling from the loss of her child, had been completely enthusiastic about mopping floors and clearing tables at the diner down the block.
"Okay, Tess. I'm going. Take care okay?" Eva leaned in and kissed her cousin on the cheek. It was a cruel job offer that forced Eva's family to move away from Chino when she was eleven, only a year after Theresa was born. The mother's of the two girls were not only sisters but they were close friends as well, and despite distance the two girls maintained a shallow yet happy friendship.
"Okay. Bye." With the second word still fleeing her throat, Theresa had flung herself back on the bed and shut her eyes quickly. She never wanted to admit to her cousin, or anyone in that case, that the reason she treasured her sleep so much was that because in those moments when she wasn't working or cleaning or doing other thankless tasks, she wasn't in Atlanta anymore. She was somewhere else completely. Not in Chino, not in Newport, but on a beach somewhere. There with warm grains of ivory sand beneath their feet, she would be standing with Ryan. His arms encircling her waist, his hands on her hands in content unity. And the two of them would watch the sand in front of them, as their precious baby girl took her first steps into the ocean.
Waking up was the worst part of Theresa's day. Every time her eyes revealed her Atlanta room, her heart broke again. It wasn't that she disliked the place or the people, but everyday without Ryan and their baby? The pain was a steaming white fireball inching its way through her heart.
XXX
"Hey Mom," Seth greeted his mother as he entered their kitchen where she stood, still in work clothes drinking a tall glass of orange juice. It was obvious that she was trying to hide something, but her son couldn't figure out what it was. And he had previously almost ruined his relationship with his father due to his suspicions of an affair. So, despite his rising level of curiosity, he chose to flush the visions of his mother nervously staring at the phone out of his mind.
"Hey Seth, where have you been?" Kirsten asked of her son, though it was quite obvious what he had been doing. Plainly, he stood in front of her with his hair just slightly wet and radiating the sweet salt scent of the sea.
"Sailing. Duh." Seth rolled his eyes in reply. "You should know by now that summer is about sailing. You've only been my mom for, hm, seventeen years!" He added the last comment with his classic sarcastic smile which forced a tiny laugh out of Kirsten, who was still anxiously glancing at the phone every few seconds. She willed it to ring, so that she could speak to Theresa and have some peace of mind. "That's good, honey. Now-"she stopped her sentence short as Ryan entered the room, it was the first time she had seen him up at this time since he returned from Chino. "Hey Ryan."
"Hi." He said shortly to Kirsten, trying to forget that she had caught him smoking only a few nights ago. Turning to Seth, he reached over and grabbed the milk carton. "Uh, Seth. Summer called. Said to call her. Sounded kind of important." As soon as the words left his lips, he began gulping down the glass of milk he had poured for himself. Kirsten tried to remember the last time she saw him eat a meal.
The phone finally rang just as Seth began to bombard Ryan with an array of questions about Summer's phone call. He asked everything from what time she called to what color shirt he should wear when he called her back. As Ryan began to explain to his so-called brother that Summer would not be able to judge his shirt through the telephone, Kirsten picked up the cordless phone and headed to the dining room.
"Hello, Cohen residence." She answered politely.
"Mrs. Cohen?" Kirsten smiled in relief, it was Theresa. A split second later though, the smile vanished and was replaced with a troubled look of worry. "Uh, something's wrong Mrs. Cohen. And I'm waiting for the paramedics. Can you... I know this is completely ridiculous, but... You see, my cousin's busy with her own life... And..."
"I'll be there tomorrow." Kirsten replied before Theresa was able to ask the question. Theresa's lips attempted to smile before dizziness took over and everything went black.
XXX
A shrill sound filled the pool house and though he only had a towel wrapped around his waist, he dove under the bed to retrieve the backpack. Tossing the bag on the bed in front of him, he pulled the cell phone the Cohens gave him out and pressed the green button to answer before even looking at the screen to see who the call was from. If he had bothered to do so, he would have realized that the call was not the one he had been waiting for all week. It was actually a different girl entirely.
"Hello? Theresa?" Ryan asked anxiously into the receiver.
"Uh, no! Chino, don't you have caller ID?" Summer wrinkled her brow as her pouty raspberry colored lips formed into a frown. Without knowing it, Ryan immediately imitated the expression at the realization that it was Summer on the other end of the line and not Theresa. "Summer?" He asked dully before a sudden ray of hope fell upon his head, perhaps Summer was with Theresa and... Ryan shook his head so hard that the wet locks of blonde hair fell into his face. Summer with Theresa. Maybe he was getting to desperate to see or at least hear from his girlfriend. His mind was certainly being diluted.
"Yeah, Chino. Not Theresa." She tapped her French manicured nails against the pink plastic casing of the Nokia phone she was currently holding. Ugh, Chino. Hurry up and ask me what's up because I really need to ask you-
"What's up, Summer?" The words fell off his lips without any enthusiasm.
"Do you know where the hell Cohen is? Because I just called the house and he's not there and I called his cell and he has no reception. You have to tell him to get a better carrier. But anyway, where is he? Are you with him? I need to talk to him." Summer spoke hurriedly, as if she wasn't allowed to b on the phone and she feared someone would discover her. Ryan had no idea that the person Summer feared was her very best friend and not to mention Ryan's ex-girlfriend, Marissa.
"Sorry, he's not with me. I'll tell him though." Ryan said that not because he wanted to help Summer with her seemingly huge problem, which from what Ryan had learned about Newport girls was probably something as minimal as a chipped nail. He had said that just so that the conversation would end sooner. A smirk appeared on his face as he thought of Summer panicking over a chipped nail but then immediately scolded himself. Though the two of them were never close, Ryan knew better than to insult people without having a good reason to. At least this time he didn't fear a beating because of his insolent thoughts, but then again, Summer was known for her "rage blackouts".
"Okay? Could you please, Ryan? This is really important. Please." Ryan was in slight shock at hearing the pampered princess plead but he promised her he would hunt down Seth at that very moment and make him call her. Something about the way Summer made her problem out to seem so urgent worried Ryan. He was aware that she had extended her trip to New York, but he knew nothing more than that. Perhaps something had happened...?
"Summer, what's wrong? I'll have Seth call you, don't break down before that." He added with humor to lighten the bleak conversation.
"Whatever. I'm definitely not going to!" Summer said defensively. "Marissa could-"She brought her free hand to her face and smacked herself lightly on the forehead. She knew better than to tell Marissa's ex-boyfriend of the current problems, but the words had slipped out anyway. Dammit. "Uh, gotta go Ryan. Bye."
Ryan stared at the phone, still exuding the continuous beeping of the dial tone. Finally he threw it on the bed and got dressed.
XXX
"Theresa! Chica, levantate. Get your ass up! It's Wednesday. We've got to get to church!"
"Eva! Shut up." Theresa rubbed her eyes as she kicked off the blankets that were spread across her long tan legs. Signaling for her cousin to leave her alone, she rolled unto her stomach and shut her eyes again.
"Tess. It's Wednesday. You know I always go to church on Wednesday mornings." Slightly frustrated with her younger cousin's stubbornness, Eva pulled the pillow from under Theresa's face in one swift sweep.
"Hey!" Theresa sat up and snatched the pillow back. "Go without me. C'mon Eva. I'm tired. I've been working non-stop since I got here. I need some rest before my shift later. Please Eva, please. You pray enough for the both of us." Her whining was childish, but the effort she had thrown into her work the past few weeks were anything but. Even Eva had to attest to that. Theresa, though still reeling from the loss of her child, had been completely enthusiastic about mopping floors and clearing tables at the diner down the block.
"Okay, Tess. I'm going. Take care okay?" Eva leaned in and kissed her cousin on the cheek. It was a cruel job offer that forced Eva's family to move away from Chino when she was eleven, only a year after Theresa was born. The mother's of the two girls were not only sisters but they were close friends as well, and despite distance the two girls maintained a shallow yet happy friendship.
"Okay. Bye." With the second word still fleeing her throat, Theresa had flung herself back on the bed and shut her eyes quickly. She never wanted to admit to her cousin, or anyone in that case, that the reason she treasured her sleep so much was that because in those moments when she wasn't working or cleaning or doing other thankless tasks, she wasn't in Atlanta anymore. She was somewhere else completely. Not in Chino, not in Newport, but on a beach somewhere. There with warm grains of ivory sand beneath their feet, she would be standing with Ryan. His arms encircling her waist, his hands on her hands in content unity. And the two of them would watch the sand in front of them, as their precious baby girl took her first steps into the ocean.
Waking up was the worst part of Theresa's day. Every time her eyes revealed her Atlanta room, her heart broke again. It wasn't that she disliked the place or the people, but everyday without Ryan and their baby? The pain was a steaming white fireball inching its way through her heart.
XXX
"Hey Mom," Seth greeted his mother as he entered their kitchen where she stood, still in work clothes drinking a tall glass of orange juice. It was obvious that she was trying to hide something, but her son couldn't figure out what it was. And he had previously almost ruined his relationship with his father due to his suspicions of an affair. So, despite his rising level of curiosity, he chose to flush the visions of his mother nervously staring at the phone out of his mind.
"Hey Seth, where have you been?" Kirsten asked of her son, though it was quite obvious what he had been doing. Plainly, he stood in front of her with his hair just slightly wet and radiating the sweet salt scent of the sea.
"Sailing. Duh." Seth rolled his eyes in reply. "You should know by now that summer is about sailing. You've only been my mom for, hm, seventeen years!" He added the last comment with his classic sarcastic smile which forced a tiny laugh out of Kirsten, who was still anxiously glancing at the phone every few seconds. She willed it to ring, so that she could speak to Theresa and have some peace of mind. "That's good, honey. Now-"she stopped her sentence short as Ryan entered the room, it was the first time she had seen him up at this time since he returned from Chino. "Hey Ryan."
"Hi." He said shortly to Kirsten, trying to forget that she had caught him smoking only a few nights ago. Turning to Seth, he reached over and grabbed the milk carton. "Uh, Seth. Summer called. Said to call her. Sounded kind of important." As soon as the words left his lips, he began gulping down the glass of milk he had poured for himself. Kirsten tried to remember the last time she saw him eat a meal.
The phone finally rang just as Seth began to bombard Ryan with an array of questions about Summer's phone call. He asked everything from what time she called to what color shirt he should wear when he called her back. As Ryan began to explain to his so-called brother that Summer would not be able to judge his shirt through the telephone, Kirsten picked up the cordless phone and headed to the dining room.
"Hello, Cohen residence." She answered politely.
"Mrs. Cohen?" Kirsten smiled in relief, it was Theresa. A split second later though, the smile vanished and was replaced with a troubled look of worry. "Uh, something's wrong Mrs. Cohen. And I'm waiting for the paramedics. Can you... I know this is completely ridiculous, but... You see, my cousin's busy with her own life... And..."
"I'll be there tomorrow." Kirsten replied before Theresa was able to ask the question. Theresa's lips attempted to smile before dizziness took over and everything went black.