Thanks for all the great reviews for the last chapter. I didn't realize so many people were reading the story! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but I can't always find the time to sit and write. :( I hope you enjoy this chapter. There's more good stuff coming. Just be patient with my updating schedule. Please R&R. Oh yeah. Usual disclaimers apply.
Ryan's head was buried under his pillow, but he wasn't sleeping. He had heard Christina crying at six a.m., her usual feeding time and then listened as she gurgled contently once she was fed. But he hadn't been able to fall back asleep. He listened to Sandy and Kirsten murmuring in the nursery. Their voices rose and fell and Ryan could only assume they were talking about Seth and about him and how much trouble they were both in. Though Ryan was hoping his part in all of this would be glossed over.
Groaning, Ryan rolled over and looked at the clock on his night table. It was only eight o'clock. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, because like Sandy he had waited for Seth to come home. He had expected a scene as soon as his brother walked in the door, but Sandy's expression had been unnervingly calm. As if it was the calm before the storm. Ryan knew that something would go do down as soon as Seth woke up.
Ryan could hear Kirsten putting down the baby and winding the mobile. He heard the nursery door close gently, while Seth's bedroom door was roughly opened. The storm was starting sooner than Ryan had anticipated.
"Get up," Sandy demanded. He had stopped for a brief moment to study Seth's curls as they spilled over the top of his blanket. Sandy wondered where his innocent, obedient child had disappeared? But he knew now was not the time to get nostalgic. Now was the time to parent. To make sure Seth knew his behavior was not acceptable.
Sandy yanked the covers off of Seth's bed. "I said, get up."
Seth groaned. "It's too early Dad." He tried to pull the covers back on, but Sandy held on tight.
"Not my fault. You should have thought about that before you wandered in at three a.m."
"Yeah," Seth said, hugging his pillow and curling into a fetal position. "I'm sorry about that. Just give me a couple of more hours to sleep. Please," he begged.
"If you'd open you're eyes, you'd see I was not kidding. I want you up out of that bed now and I want you dressed and down in the kitchen in ten minutes. Every minute you waste, is another week you'll be grounded."
That got Seth's attention. He had underestimated how seriously he had pissed his father off. He had assumed that because his parents had been so distracted with Hope, that this wouldn't be a big deal. Obviously he had been wrong. He swung his legs over his bed but wouldn't meet his father's eyes. He had smoked a lot of pot early into the morning. He wasn't sure if they'd be able to tell by looking into his eyes.
"I'll be there in ten minutes," he said quietly.
Satisfied, Sandy left the room, leaving his son alone.
Seth didn't wait for Sandy to close the door. He grabbed a pair of jean from a pile of clothes on his computer chair and took the first clean tee shirt in his drawer. He didn't bother combing his hair, he just ran for the bathroom that was between his room and Ryan's. He bumped into Ryan as his brother was coming out.
"You okay?" Ryan asked. He peered into Seth's face looking for signs of drug use. He wasn't sure, but he thought Seth had used last night.
"Fine. But I won't be if I don't get downstairs in," Seth glanced down at his watch, "in six minutes."
Ryan sidestepped, getting of Seth's way.
"I won't be fine when they're finished with me."
"Sandy was pretty pissed."
Seth shrugged. "He'll get over it."
"Head's up," Ryan offered. "I told your parents that Mitch was in a really bad way last night. He desperately needed your help."
"Thanks," Seth said.
"They didn't buy it. Lectured me about covering for you."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to get you into trouble."
Ryan shrugged. "You've done it for me before. We'll probably do it again before the year's out." Ryan slapped Seth's shoulder with a wry smile. "Go brush your teeth. Your breath smells and you only have," Ryan glanced down at his watch and said, "three minutes."
"I wouldn't want to face the executioner with morning breath."
Seth was sitting on the kitchen stool nine minutes after his father's edict. His mother was in the kitchen too, dressed in a pantsuit that Seth had not seen since before the baby was born. Since Christina's birth, Kirsten's wardrobe had consisted of jeans and a tee shirt or pajamas. Seeing Kirsten dressed made Seth like he was in for it big.
Ryan slunk down the steps and quietly walked into the family room. He slid down in the corner out of sight of the kitchen, but near enough the door so that he could hear the entire conversation.
"I know I screwed up last night," Seth started, "and I'm willing to take all the punishment and lecture I deserve, but I'm starving. Is it okay if I eat?"
Sandy nodded.
Seth grabbed a bagel and sliced in half and put it in the toaster. Then he went to the fridge and grabbed a container of milk. He poured cereal into the bowl and started eating ravenously.
Ryan leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. If he wasn't sure before, he was sure now. Seth had smoked more pot last night. He resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall and giving himself away.
Kirsten observed Seth with a weary glance. "Did you eat last night?" she asked.
Seth shook his head. "No time. I bolted out of here before Ryan and I could think about food."
Kirsten rolled her eyes. "Seth, do not talk with your mouth full."
He swallowed. "Sorry," he said, contrite. "Like I was saying, I bolted out of here before we ate. My friend Mitch called and he was in a real bad way." Seth avoided looking into Sandy and Kirsten's eyes. Instead he looked between them, trying to give the illusion that he was looking them in the eye. He had never been a great liar in the past, but this time it was important that they buy his story. If not for himself, for Ryan. So that Ryan wouldn't look like a liar. "I – I thought he was going to kill himself. He was on the edge."
"And he called you?" Sandy asked, raising a bushy brow.
"He called me."
"Why you?"
"Because I'm his only friend here in Newport. He just moved here. His mom kicked him out of his home in New York and moved him to L.A. to live with his dad that doesn't give a rat's ass about him. He's alone all the time. He's the new kid at Harbor. The geek who's taken my place, now that Summer is my girlfriend and Ryan has my back in school. He's a nobody. And I was the one he turned to when he was ready to off himself."
"Where was he?" asked Sandy, still not buying the story.
"At home."
"Where was his father?"
"At some business meeting."
"Why did you think you were equipped to deal with this yourself?"
"Who said I did?" Seth took the bagel out of the toaster and smeared it with cream cheese. He tried to suppress his appetite, but he was starving. It wasn't true that he hadn't eaten. He had. He knew it was the after effects of the marijuana. "I tried to make a couple of calls, but he saw me and threatened to hurt himself before anyone could get to his place if I went ahead of the call."
"So what did you do?" Kirsten asked. She put down her cup of coffee and leaned forward on the counter. "How'd you talk him down? It's not like you're trained to do this." She wanted to believe her son, but the story sounded so implausible.
"Tell me about it. I felt so inadequate. I just kept talking to him, trying to make him see the good things."
"And his dad didn't come home before three a.m.?"
"His dad didn't come home while I was there."
"You left him alone?"
"He made me leave. He knew I was in enough trouble."
"Why didn't you call home?" Sandy asked. He still wasn't buying it.
"I was afraid he'd think I was trying to get some help. I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry Mom. I know I was supposed to be babysitting. But Ryan understood."
Seth finally met his parents' eyes. Would they believe him? Would they buy the story? He watched as Sandy and Kirsten exchanged looks. Somehow, his parents had this way of communicating without saying anything.
"I'm sorry Seth," Sandy finally said. "I don't believe you."
"W-w-what?" he spluttered. He had never lied to his parents like this, but they had always trusted him. It actually hurt that Sandy called him a liar, which was dumb, because he was lying. "I wouldn't lie. Come on, Mom. You believe me, right?"
Kirsten slowly shook her head. "We're here. You can still tell the truth."
Ryan suppressed a groan. Seth hadn't been very believable, but he had hoped that coupled with his lie, Sandy and Kirsten would buy it. Clearly, Christina hadn't dulled all their instincts. In fact, it had sharpened their BS radar.
"I'm telling the truth," insisted Seth, not feigning his indignant tone. "I'm sorry that you don't believe me." He pushed the stool back and stood up, ready to stomp out of the room.
"Sit back down," demanded Sandy in a voice that made Seth quake inside.
Seth sat.
"Right now, I don't give a damn why you left. I want to know where you were until three a.m."
"I told you, at Mitch's place."
"Mitch's father will verify this?"
"Go ahead," challenged Seth. "Call his father. Don't trust me to tell the truth?"
"Trust?" Sandy roared, slamming a hand down on the counter. "I trusted you to stay here and watch your sister. I trusted you to tell me the truth when I asked, but instead you look me straight in the face and lie."
Kirsten put a restraining hand on Sandy.
"You're grounded for another month. You still have to finish the week you got for skipping school."
"A month," cried Seth.
"Another word and I'll make it two."
"Fine," Seth spat. "Is that all?"
Sandy nodded.
"Can I go to my room now?"
"Yes."
Angrily, Seth pushed back his chair, nearly toppling it. He caught the chair, left it up right and with a glare, walked out of the kitchen.
Ryan quietly got up, stretching after being in the same position for so long and followed Seth up the stairs.
"So you heard everything?" Seth asked. He was sitting on his computer chair, hugging a pillow to his chest, swiveling back and forth.
"I was listening." Ryan settled himself on the edge of Seth's bed. He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Now I know you're a Cohen. You were eavesdropping."
Ryan smiled.
"They think I'm a liar."
"You are."
Seth rolled his eyes. "But they should trust me!"
"Seth is that you or the dope talking?"
"What?"
"I know you smoked again last night. Is that what's making you so stupid? You did something dumb. You were caught. You tried to worm your way out of it and it didn't work. Deal with it."
"I don't want to deal with it. I want to sulk. I had plans with Summer." Seth spun around and faced his brother. "How come you didn't get grounded? When you cut school last year and I covered for you, I was grounded for a weekend."
"I'm sure my turn will come." Ryan got up and flipped through Seth's CD collection. "Seth, about this marijuana thing," he started slowly.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I watched my mom go through that stuff all the time. She'd get giddy and crazy. At first it was nothing, but we all know how she ended up."
"And we're all watching Nana fight lung cancer, but I know you carry a pack of cigarettes in your bag."
Ryan stared at Seth. This wasn't the kid he had first met when Sandy had brought him home. There was a bitter edge to his brother's voice and he hated it. He didn't know how to deal with it.
"I'm not trying to say I'm perfect. But drugs are bad."
"Pot is harmless."
"It's not!" Ryan heard his voice rise. He fought to gain his composure. He didn't need to wake the baby or to have Sandy and Kirsten come barging in on them, demanding to know what was wrong. "And even if it is," he continued, "it won't stay with just marijuana. Next thing you know, you'll be snorting coke and that'll lead to heroin. I don't want to see you that down road. I thought I left that behind when I move here from Chino."
"I'm not Dawn. I'm just experimenting with the stuff."
For some reason that got Ryan riled up. He took three long steps towards Seth so that he was right in front of the gangly teenager and grabbed him by the shirt front.
"Sandy and Kirsten promised me that life I had in Chino was all over now that I was part of this family. Don't screw it up for me man."
"You're nuts. Get off of me." He shoved Ryan off him. "Get the hell out of my room."
Ryan just stood rooted to his spot.
"Get out now!" Seth shouted.
"Seth, please," Ryan urged.
"Now," seethed Seth.
Seeing no choice, Ryan left the room. Seth wasn't ready to listen to reason.