Title: Black Diamonds

Summary: Ryan makes friends with an African-American student at Harbor.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to The O.C..

Author's Notes:

(1) Thanks for all the reviews.

(2) My black family here (the Reese family) was inspired by the Walker family on American Dreams, and I have used their first names. This isn't really a crossover and they aren't really supposed to be the same characters. Sorry, no Meg.

Chapter 3

When Ryan arrived at pre-calc on Wednesday morning, he wasn't sure if Sam would still want to sit with him, be friends with him, after the revelations -- and the tension -- at lunch yesterday. So he didn't automatically sit down next to Sam when he got to class. He approached Sam's table and waited to catch his eye. When he did, Ryan gestured at the free chair next to him and only sat down after Sam nodded.

"Sorry about yesterday."

"That's what I was going to say."

"Why? You didn't do anything to be sorry for. I asked you to tell me what you heard, and that's all you did. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you." Ryan paused. "Well... I wasn't really mad at you, I was just... mad."

Sam nodded. "I get it."

"So we're cool? You still want to be seen with me? Now that you know who I am?"

Sam smiled. "No, you're right, I can't hang out with you. I mean, I'd alienate all of my other friends."

Ryan smiled back, glad that they were still cool.

After classes were over for the day, Ryan headed out to soccer practice. As he was leaving the main campus, some shouting caught his attention. It didn't sound good. He quickened his pace to see what was going on. It was some water polo jackasses harassing a girl that Ryan recognized as Sam's sister. There were three of them, and they were blocking her path to the parking lot. She was hugging her books tightly in front of her and looked terrified.

Ryan knew, he just knew, when he made friends with Sam that he'd end up in a fight sooner or later. He just didn't think it would be this soon. Ryan paused briefly. They were still on school grounds, and he really couldn't afford to get into a fight at school, especially since he was already in some trouble over his illegal tackle of Luke at soccer practice last week. And Sandy would be so disappointed in him after he'd lectured him and reminded him what was at stake if he got into too much trouble: he could lose his place at the Cohens'.

Ryan sighed. Why did this always have to have to happen to him? Having to come to the rescue of some damsel in distress? But -- he couldn't let Sam's sister (whose name he couldn't think of off the top of his head), he couldn't just stand by and let her get hurt. He had to go over there. Maybe, just maybe, he could avoid a fight. Or he could just refuse to throw any punches. OK, he'd probably get his ass kicked that way, but better him than a gangly 14-year-old Newport girl. So Ryan rushed over.

As Ryan got close, he shouted, "Hey! Leave her alone!"

Ryan pulled up next to Sam's sister, facing the water polo guys. They definitely recognized him and started to laugh evilly. OK, maybe not exactly evilly, but it wasn't a very nice laugh, either.

The one who seemed to be the leader spoke first. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the little bastard from Chino." He gestured at the girl. "Who's this? Your little bitch from the 'hood'?"

His friends both thought that was very funny. Ryan didn't. He felt himself getting angry and wanting to kick this guy's ass. But he forced himself to remain calm and tried to ignore the words, saying to himself, Words. They're just words.

Ryan turned towards Sam's sister -- Angela, that's right, that was her name. She was just standing there, staring at him. He reached out towards her, putting his arm between her and the jerks. He didn't actually touch her, though. He was trying to usher her in the opposite direction from them.

He told her, quietly but urgently, "Come on. Let's go."

She didn't move. She seemed to be frozen to the spot.

The water polo players laughed again. "What's the matter? Trouble in paradise?"

Ryan was prepared to ignore those words, too, but they were accompanied by a shove in the shoulder. Ryan wasn't expecting it, not right then, not right in that way. He hadn't braced himself and so got knocked to the side and almost fell right into Angela. That did it. Now he was pissed. Ryan turned on the guy and got ready to fight.

Sam was a little late meeting his sister in the student parking lot to drive home from school. He was hurrying down the steps when he saw Ryan side-by-side with Angela, facing three big guys wearing maroon t-shirts that said "Harbor water polo" with an outline of a water polo ball. He knew these guys were bad news, and could see that something bad was going down. Angela looked scared and Ryan looked pissed. Sam hurried even faster to get there and help before something worse happened.

Sam came running up and joined Ryan in facing off the water polo players, standing partially in front of his sister.

The water polo guys didn't look fazed by the appearance of an additional adversary. Sam knew that he and Ryan weren't exactly intimidating figures. They were roughly the same height and build. But he knew from the rumors, which Ryan and Seth didn't dispute yesterday, that Ryan was a fighter. And he himself was pretty athletic. So Sam figured, if necessary, the two of them could hold these guys off long enough for him and Ryan and Angela to get out of there.

As Sam expected, the water polo guys didn't stay quiet. The taunting began right away. "Oooh, you've got a little competition, Chino."

Sam didn't really understand that comment, so he ignored it. But he did need to protect Angela. "Stay away from my sister!"

"Or what, shrimp?"

Sam could see Ryan tense up even further beside him. He figured that Ryan knew a fight was coming, so Sam got ready for a fight himself. They all stood there tense for several long moments. Nobody said anything. Nobody did anything. Finally, one of the water polo players, one who hadn't said anything since Sam got there, spoke up.

"Brad, let's just go. We're going to be late for practice."

The leader, who was apparently Brad, looked back at him and Ryan and Angela, and sneared, "We'll finish this later, geeks."

Then the three water polo players sauntered off.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to fight. His parents were adamantly against it, if it could be in any way avoided. He'd be in trouble if he came home with scraped and bruised knuckles, unless he could convince them that he had no other choice. Although they didn't like it, they understood and accepted that sometimes you just had to defend yourself, or the people you loved, with your fists. But they always emphasized that violence should be the absolute last resort.

Sam turned around to check on Angela. She didn't look hurt. "Angela, are you OK?"

She didn't answer. She was staring at Ryan with a look of adoration on her face. Oh, no. He knew that look. She's got a crush on Ryan. "Angie! Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

Angela glared at her brother. "I told you, never call me 'Angie'!"

Sam smiled. It worked, didn't it? Now that he had her attention, he repeated, "Are you all right?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah, I'm OK. They just scared me. They didn't hurt me. Thanks to... um..." She turned to Ryan.

Sam turned towards Ryan, too. "Ryan, thanks, man, for helping my sister. I appreciate it." Sam clasped Ryan's hand in the approved teenage guy way.

"No problem."

Angela said, dreamily, "Ryan --"

Sam figured that they hadn't been properly introduced. "Oh, um, yeah. Ryan, this is Angela. Ang, this is my friend Ryan... um...?"

"Atwood. Ryan Atwood."

Angela told Sam, excitedly, "Did you see what he did? It was so cool! He came running over and told those three big guys to leave me alone!" She looked at Ryan adoringly again.

Ryan cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. "Um... yeah... I gotta get to practice myself..."

Ryan nodded to Sam and started to walk away, but Angela called after him. "What sport do you play?"

Ryan stopped and turned around. "Soccer."

"That's so cool! I play soccer, too!" Sam gave her a look. "Well, I used to play. And I'm going to try out for the team here." Sam gave her another look. "I am too. I just haven't gotten around to it yet..."

Ryan said, hesitantly, "That's... uh... that's great... I gotta go."

Ryan turned and walked away. Sam watched Angela watch him go. She sighed, dreamily. "He's so cool."

To Be Continued