The road Seth was now on is long and virtually empty which surprises him because of the fact that it's not even nine yet.
Licking his dry lips slowly, Seth suddenly becomes cognizant of how tired he really is when his eyelids keep falling. They flutter shut and he lets them rest but only for a moment.
Well, it felt like a moment to him anyway but in reality it was several moments and in that time he ends up on the side of the road with a flat tire and bumped forehead.
Seth really wished he would have actually paid attention to his father when he instructed him on changing a flat tire, not that it made a different now since there wasn't even a spare in the back anyway.
Reaching into the back seat, Seth grabs the cell phone from off the floor and turns the power on. He pauses and then dials a number.
"Hello?" An upbeat-sounding Ryan answers.
Seth barely recognizes his voice, he sounded so happy, "Ryan?"
"Hey! What's up?
"Um..." Seth begins nervously.
How do you tell someone you've just been in an accident?
And, the last thing Seth wanted was to feed Ryan's savoir image but in panic he really couldn't think of anyone else he could call for help and know they would come through.
"Seth?" Ryan says with a hint of concern and when he hears Seth's unsteady breathing, he asks, "Is everything okay?"
When Seth doesn't answer, Ryan senses something isn't right.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Ryan asks right away, quickly getting up from the living room couch he was occupying.
"No..." Seth begins slowly as his hand moves up to his forehead, where he lets his fingertips rub at the forming bump, "Not really."
"Tell me what happened."
Seth takes in a deep breath so he could explain his dosing off to his overly protective brother but he stops when he hears her...
"Is everything okay?" Marissa inquires.
He gulps and his teeth clench.
"Seth? Are you there?" Ryan asks panicky.
"Y-yeah..."
Clearing his throat, he unbuckles his seatbelt, opens his door and hangs his legs out over the side.
"Where are you?" Ryan issues and Seth responds honestly,
"I don't... really know..."
Now, Seth wasn't one for craving attention, not really anyway but for some reason he wants it now. More specifically, he wanted Ryan's attention. For once, he wanted to be in the limelight and Marissa to be the one left out.
"Ryan..." He whispers fearfully into the phone and conjures up some half-fake tears.
"Just tell me where you are, okay? I'll come get you." Ryan comforts with panic evident in his voice, as starts thinking the worst:
"Seth is in pain. Seth is trapped in some madman's trunk. Seth has just been severely beaten. Seth... is... dying."
"I-I think, um, I'm on Santiago Canyon Road... in Riverside." Seth tells him quickly, interrupting Ryan's horrible thoughts.
"Santiago Canyon Road?" He repeats aloud, his eyes peering to Marissa for guidance.
"That's a long road, Ryan. Ask him if he sees anything around him." Marissa orders.
"Dirt..." Seth answers wryly.
Shortly after he jokes, he whimpers into the phone, on purpose, of course.
"You alright?"
Seth nods his head then realizes Ryan can't even see him.
"Yeah, I'm okay"
Ryan lets out a big worried sigh and tries to figure out where Seth could be,
"Okay, do you have any idea where you are exactly? Are there any signs? Um, anything at all?"
Seth looks around; it's so dark he can barely see anything out there.
"Let me get out and check."
He hops out of the truck and takes a few steps out into the street.
"Um, I see-"
In mid-sentence, Seth gasps as a car whooshes past him.
"...a car almost hitting me..." He finishes with slight sarcasm.
Before Ryan can ask if Seth was alright- he hears Seth laugh. Not a nervous laugh or scared laugh just an odd sinister chuckle that Ryan doesn't find funny at all.
Sensing Ryan's concern Seth quickly changes the subject,
"I-I see a water tower!" He exclaims and excitedly throws his arm out to point up at it, "You can't see me but I'm pointing at it."
Ryan lets out a laugh as he starts making his way outside, "Okay, we're on our way."
Did he just say, "We're"?
"We're?" Seth repeats, and then clears his throat.
"Marissa's coming." Ryan clarifies and when Seth doesn't say anything, he wonders why, "What?"
"Can't you come alone?"
Ryan slows down a bit as his hand hovers over the car handle, "Why?"
"Please, Ryan..." Seth says in a low almost shameful tone.
"Um..." Ryan starts, his eyes looking to Marissa, who is already at the passenger seat, "Sure...hang on..."
Ryan lowers his arm to his stomach where he presses the phone against it so Seth can't hear. He motions for Marissa to come out and she does, thinking that something is wrong.
Before she can say anything he waves his hand signaling that everything is fine.
"Listen, Seth kind of wants me to come alone. I don't know why but..." He explains to her then trails off toward the end.
"Yeah, sure" She nods, and lightly shuts the car door, "He is okay?"
"I don't know." He answers simply, opening his door, "I'll call you, okay?"
She nods again and steps away from the vehicle.
They look at each other for a moment and then he gets into the car.
He brings the phone up to his ear, his eyes still on her, "Okay, I'm on my way." He tells Seth and pulls out of the driveway.
Once Ryan is on the road, he realizes that he didn't tell Marissa that he loved her and she didn't tell him either and for some reason it really bothers him.
Ryan was on Santiago Canyon Road in Riverside a lot quickly then Seth had initially thought.
"Alright, put your headlights on, okay?" Ryan ordered, slowing down slightly.
Seth did as he was told without saying a word. In fact, he hadn't really been talking at all which worried Ryan and Seth knew that it would.
"Wait, I think of see you, Seth. Flash your headlights."
Without saying anything, he flickers the light three times then waits for Ryan's response.
"I see you." Ryan states compellingly calm, "Sit tight, I'll be right there, okay?"
Seth doesn't reply but Ryan is uncomfortably used to that now.
He speeds down the road happy that he's found Seth but worried about his physical and emotional condition. As he nears the Range Rover, he slows down and then stops right in front of it. Not even bothering to take the keys out or shut the car door, he trots over to the SUV, where he halts in front of the drivers' seat. Ryan is immediately concerned when he finds Seth in the car, staring blankly ahead not even acknowledging that Ryan is there.
Extending out his arm, Ryan knocked on the window and Seth jumps.
"Hey, it's just me." He reassures, holding his hands up as if surrendering.
Seth nods and slowly unlocks the door, where Ryan opens it and holds out his hand for Seth to take.
Seth grabs onto Ryan's wrist and he helps him out of the car where Ryan takes a good look at Seth, immediately taking notice of the now fully-formed bruise above his eyebrow.
Grimacing, Ryan pats Seth on the back gently causing Seth to drop the keys.
"I got it" Ryan tells him and then bends over to snatch the keys off the gravely road.
He turns to the Range Rover where he mechanically rolls up all four windows before he locks the doors.
He figures he'll come back for it tomorrow because all he wants now is to get Seth home safely or safer anyway.
He figures he'll come back for it tomorrow because all he wants now is to get Seth home safely or safer anyway.
He figures he'll come back for it tomorrow because all he wants now is to get Seth home safely or safer anyway.