So, I hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July, though I sense a lot of readers don't celebrate this particular holiday. I know this chapter is a bit short, but it was a good place to end it. Please read and review. Oh and yeah, I don't own the O.C. Yadah yadah yadah.
Ryan closed his AP History book and stacked his notes neatly in a pile on his desk when Kirsten announced dinner would be ready in ten minutes. He peaked in on Seth, who was still listening to music on his ipod and flipping through a graphic novel. There were no textbooks or homework in sight, and Ryan wondered if Seth's grades had started to take a nosedive. Harbor wasn't like his high school in Chino. You couldn't coast and expect to pass. He waited a moment, hoping Seth would acknowledge him, but his brother didn't turn away from his music and books.
The doorbell rang. Ryan waited, but he didn't hear anyone go to answer the door. He trotted down the steps as it rang a second time and yanked the front door open. Caleb Nichol stood at the entranceway and the sight of Kirsten's father made Ryan wish he had stayed upstairs with a sullen Seth.
"Come on in, Mr. Nichol." Ryan stepped aside.
"It's Mr. Nichol now? Not Caleb? Not Grandpa?"
Ryan didn't answer. He had barely called the older man Caleb and had never called him Grandpa. But it was obvious that Caleb was in good spirits.
"Hey Dad." Kirsten walked into the foyer, wiping her hands on a towel. Ryan hoped she wasn't cooking. She stood on her tiptoes and pecked her father on the cheek. "How was your day?"
"Excellent. Andrew Weider and I closed the deal."
"You did? He didn't back out?" Kirsten glanced at Ryan, but quickly looked away when she saw the sick look on his face. Her adopted son looked like he was going to throw up. She was sorry she said anything in front of him.
"I had to make a few compromises," Caleb explained just as Seth bounded down the steps. "But not as many as I thought I would."
"You closed the Riverside deal?" Seth asked.
"That I did." He clapped Seth on the back. "Why are your eyes so red?"
Ryan held his breath.
"Lack of sleep? Hitting the books too hard? Take your pick," Seth answered easily.
"Too many video games," Caleb offered.
"Seth hasn't played any videogames for at least a month," Kirsten started to explain.
"Mom, please," he whined. "Let the man think what he wants. He's not getting any younger."
"Watch it, boy," Caleb warned good-naturedly.
"I'm glad the Riverside deal went through," Ryan said softly, not sure if this was the time to say anything, but not sure when else he would have the courage to apologize. "I'm sorry for any trouble I may have caused."
The easy banter stopped and a silence fell over the room. Ryan swallowed, hating the attention that was being focused on him. He knew the apology to Caleb was long overdue, but Caleb Nichol frightened him. Even Dr. Kim and Julie Cooper didn't scare him as much as Kirsten's father. Caleb caused a dread in Ryan that he had only felt with Dawn's worst boyfriends.
"I know that it was my fault that it didn't go the way it should have. I'm sorry for that," he repeated.
"Nonsense." Caleb waved his hand, as if he were waving away a pesky fly. "Business is business. Perhaps your little fight slowed things down for a couple of days, cost me an extra dinner or two, but in the long run, it was nothing." Caleb swung a hand over Ryan's shoulder. "Stop looking so afraid. What do you think I'm going to do? Cut you out of my will? You'll have to do a lot worse than that."
Ryan's eyes darted from side to side, but as he saw Kirsten and Seth's faces he had to break out in a wide grin that showed all his teeth. Caleb's will? He was still surprised when Caleb remembered his name. Why would Caleb Nichol include Ryan in his will? Did that mean he really thought of him as one of the family? Ryan still wasn't sure of his place in the Cohen household. Why was it so easy for everyone else to be sure?
"Boys, go wash up for dinner," instructed Kirsten. "Dad will you join us? Sandy will be home any minute."
"I'll stay a little while and catch up with the boys. But I better not eat. I promised Julie a family dinner with the girls."
Seth and Ryan turned to each other, trying to picture the domestic scene their grandfather was painting. As soon as they were out of earshot, they burst into giggles, picturing Marissa sitting with her stepfather. She was still livid at him for blackmailing her into living with Julie, though she was getting used to life in the Cooper/Nichol home. And she admitted it wasn't too terrible seeing her little sister on a regular basis. She was able to look out for Caitlyn and shield her from Julie's overbearing motherly instincts.
"You know why the Riverside deal went without a hitch?" Seth asked.
"Beats me. I never thought Andrew Weider would forgive me for hitting his precious son. I thought he would definitely take it out on Caleb."
"It's because he was afraid Grandpa would find out that Mitch got me into drugs."
"Huh?" Ryan creased his brows, trying to ignore Seth's matter of fact tone.
Seth pumped soap into his hands and ran them under the tap. "The other day, Mitch and I were in his room. I was smoking and Mitch was rolling a joint. Mr. Weider walked in on us. I thought I was a gonner for sure and that he'd call Mom and Dad right away. Instead, he yells at Mitch for hooking me on the stuff and jeopardizing his chance at this Riverside deal. I bet that's why he was willing to play nice with Grandpa and that's why he closed the deal so fast."
"That's twisted, man."
"That it is. But I got you off the hook, didn't I?"
"If you hadn't started smoking the stuff in the first place, I would never have been in the mess in the first place."
"Don't blame your anger issues on me, Ryan. I never asked you to punch Mitch. That was your doing entirely."
"Whatever. Don't expect me to thank you."
Seth rolled his eyes. "I would never expect that."
"Why don't we hang out tonight?" Ryan asked, hoping the few minutes of civil conversation would get Seth to stay in and away from Mitch. "Maybe we can get Sandy and Kirsten to cave and let us watch a video. Your choice."
"I have plans already. Sorry."
Ryan dried his hands on a towel as Seth retreated from the washroom. Plans. Plans that included a whole lot of trouble he imagined.
Seth shook the can of spray paint up and down. "It's all in the wrist, man. It's all in the wrist."
"Shaking spray paint takes lots of talent. I know," Mitch agreed.
"You want it to go on with the right consistency. This way it blends in with the sign." He was sitting on Mitch's shoulders so that he could reach the yellow and black sign that said, "Drive Slow."
"You'd think the government would bother with being grammatically correct." He shook the can one more time and added an 'ly' to slow so that the sign read 'Drive Slowly.'
"You done yet?" Mitch said. "You're damn heavy."
"Me?" Seth asked innocently, climbing down from Mitch's shoulders. "Heavy? Couldn't be."
"Try lifting yourself."
Seth twisted his leg around, trying to land it on his shoulder. After a minute or so, both he and Mitch were on the pavement doubled over and laughing. They had each smoked a joint before setting out on their excursion.
"You know," Mitch started. They were both sitting on the edge of the curb, catching their breath from laughter. "I keep picturing that stop sign," he pointed to the red sign at the corner, "over there at that corner." He pointed one block over.
"There's a traffic light at that corner."
"Exactly."
Seth hooted as soon as he saw the picture Mitch was trying to draw. He imagined Kirsten sitting in the Range Rover at a red light, her foot hovering over the accelerator anticipating a green light. He saw her start to press down, but then glance at the tree above with a stop sign nailed to it. The foot stopped in confusion. Her eyes dart back and forth between the traffic light and the stop sign, not sure what to do.
"That would be priceless," Seth agreed.
"So let's do it."
"Let's do it."
They grabbed a couple of tools out of Mitch's trunk and set to work.
"You're useless with the back of a hammer," Mitch declared, in a loud whisper.
"I know," agreed Seth. "That's why we adopted Ryan. It's his Chino blood. He can use a hammer, nails, and screwdrivers. You name a tool he can use it."
"Cohen, did your parents teach you how to whisper?"
"Stealth is not my forte."
"It's a pity," came a low gravely voice that neither recognized.
Seth and Mitch looked up at the beefy figure clad in a cop's uniform.
"Neat costume," Seth said. "Where'd you pick it up?"
"Got it when I graduated the police academy," offered the stranger.
"So that badge is real."
"Very real."
"So we're in trouble."
"Big trouble," agreed the officer. He took out his radio and muttered something into it.
Seth gave Mitch a pleading look, but his friend just shrugged his shoulders in return. He didn't know how Mitch could be so calm. Seth thought he would crap in his pant. Was this how Ryan had felt when the cops had cornered him and Trey with the stolen car? But Ryan didn't have to think about facing Sandy Cohen.
"Where's Seth?" Sandy asked. He stuck his head into Ryan's room without knocking.
"I don't know," answered Ryan. "He's not in his room?"
Sandy shook his head. "Do you think he snuck out to the pool house again to play a video game?"
Ryan suppressed a grin. That's what Sandy thought Seth had been doing the other night when Seth had snuck out to be with Summer. Sometimes he wondered how his brilliant lawyer could be so clueless.
"Oh come on," Sandy said, stepping into Ryan's bedroom. He was glad to see that the room looked lived in. Ryan had put up a few posters and there was a small pile of dirty clothes in the corner. It was a long way from the teenager who had kept everything meticulously neat so he would be as little trouble as possible. "Just because I let you guys get away with things, doesn't mean I'm clueless."
"Hey, can't get anything over you," Ryan agreed.
"So he's not in the pool house?" Ryan's sarcasm flew right over Sandy's head.
"I've been in my room since dinner. I have a killer history exam tomorrow."
"Does Seth have the same test?"
"Seth and I don't have the same classes."
"Well at least he's not blowing off another exam. Mr. Ahearn called. He said you're doing very well."
"Thanks."
"But he was concerned about Seth. Have you noticed Seth acting strangely? Besides the time he blew off babysitting and didn't come home until three in the morning."
Ryan looked down at his books as if he were intently studying the words on the page. This was his chance to tell Sandy everything.
"He's been on edge lately," Sandy continued. "Very snarky. I thought it was because he was grounded. I was always a pain in the neck when my mom grounded me."
"Yeah, I noticed that too," Ryan said. "But I thought the same thing."
"You don't get snarky when you're grounded."
"Probably because I'm just glad that I can mess up and no one is beating the crap out of me."
Sandy was quiet. "I'd never do that."
"I know."
Sandy tousled Ryan's hair and stood up from the edge of his son's bed. "I better go see if I can find Seth and talk this out. Sometimes, I regret having such a big house."
Sandy was still looking ten minutes later when the phone rang. The realization that Seth may have snuck out was slowly sinking in.
"Sandy," called Kirsten frantically, not bothering to be quiet near the nursery. "Sandy, it's Seth on the phone. He's calling from the police station."