Title: Black Diamonds

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

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

Chapter 5

After soccer practice on Wednesday, Sam and Ryan headed out to the student parking lot to Sam's car to catch up with Angela and head over to the Reeses' house. Ryan had to smile when he saw the car. An SUV. A black one. It seemed like everyone in this town had an SUV. Sam and Ryan went ahead and got into the car to wait for Angela to finish her soccer practice.

"Now are you going to tell me who Maggie is?"

Sam smiled. "I told you, it's a surprise."

Angela came rushing over and climbed into the back seat of the SUV. Ryan turned around from the front seat to watch her. After closing the door and getting settled, she looked shyly at Ryan.

"Hey, Ryan."

"Hey, Angela."

Ryan turned back around when Sam started the car and pulled out of the parking space. Sam and Ryan exchanged a look. Angela was being silent in the back seat. From what Sam had told Ryan, that was unusual for her. It sounded to Ryan like she was similar to Seth: talkative. So he and Sam both knew what it was like to share a house with someone who just wouldn't shut up. It was a good thing that both of them were on the quiet side.

They had a pretty quiet ride to the Reese house. Angela told Sam a few things about school and soccer practice, but after each comment, she quickly became quiet again. Ryan guessed because she was shy in front of him. So Sam was right, she definitely had a crush. He hoped she would get over it soon. He didn't want her fawning all over him. Even though he was thinking the other day about what it would be like to hook up with her, there was no way that would happen. He wasn't really interested in her. Besides, he already had a girlfriend.

When they got to the house, it was obvious that it was the same kind as the Cohens' house. Ryan knew from his construction experience that developers used a certain set of house plans and reused them multiple times, with maybe some minor differences among them. They didn't build every house unique. So this one must be another Newport Group house. Ryan guessed that most of the houses in Newport Beach were probably built by The Newport Group.

When the three kids entered the house, Ryan heard a female voice, with a mild spanish accent, coming from the kitchen.

"Sam? Angela?"

Sam called back. "Yeah, it's us."

When they got to the kitchen, Ryan saw a latina housekeeper cooking dinner.

"Your mother called. She and your father are going to be a little late for dinner, so she says you two... er, three... can have a snack. A small one."

Sam headed for the refrigerator. "Thanks, Manuela. Is Maggie home?"

"Not yet." Manuela went back to her cooking.

So, Maggie wasn't the housekeeper and wasn't Sam's mother, and probably wasn't a dog or cat. Ryan was guessing at this point that Maggie was another sister.

Sam opened the fridge and addressed Ryan. "Something to drink? We have juice, ice tea, lemonade, milk, water..."

"Coke?"

Angela answered, "Our parents don't believe in soda or any kind of junk food. It totally sucks."

Ryan teased Sam, "But you have soda at lunch."

Angela answered again, "They say they know we'll have soda and stuff while we're out, so we don't need it at home, too."

"Ah." He turned to Sam. "I guess I'll have ice tea. Thanks."

Sam handed Ryan a bottle of ice tea and got one for himself. Angela reached around Sam and snagged herself an orange juice. Then she walked over to the housekeeper and started chatting animatedly to her about her day at school. Ryan smiled to himself. Can't keep a talkative person quiet for too long.

As Ryan opened up his ice tea and took a sip, he walked over to the french doors in the kitchen and looked out. The back yard was similar to the Cohens': the familiar infinity pool and very familiar pool house. But the Reeses' back yard didn't have steps, they weren't on the top of a hill, and they didn't have an ocean view.

Ryan turned around and saw the familiar den with fireplace. The Reeses also had a wide screen TV and Ryan saw the familiar joysticks for video games. The layout of the house was pretty much the same as the Cohens, but the decor was quite different. More traditional, with an African influence.

"Ryan, come on, man, up to my room." Ryan turned back to the kitchen to see Sam holding a plate of something.

Ryan followed Sam up to his room on the second floor. It was pretty much the equivalent of Seth's room, but with completely different decorations. Sam had a computer, but no TV in his room. Sam dropped his bookbag on the bed and sat down on the floor and put the plate of what turned out to be cheese and crackers in front of him. He started munching on them. Ryan followed suit.

After a short silence, when apparently neither of the boys knew what to say, Ryan figured that he'd follow Seth's example from lunch last week and just start asking questions. Sam didn't seem to mind it then.

"You said your family's lived in Newport for a long time?"

"Yeah, since before I was born. My grandparents -- my father's parents -- moved here when their business started to take off. I think they were like one of the first black families in Newport."

"That must have been rough."

"Yeah, from what they say it was, but it was the 1970s and everyone was all optimistic about integration and stuff."

"Mmmm." Ryan nodded. "And your father inherited your grandparents' business?"

"Yeah. He went to work for them right out of college. Actually, that's how my parents met. My mother also worked at the business. They love telling the story about how they met and fell in love, and all that crap." Sam rolled his eyes.

Sam and Ryan shared a smile about how parents, or guardians, can get all mushy when the kids wish they wouldn't.

"In fact, they just had their 20th anniversary."

"Wow, that's great."

"So, yeah, my father inherited the business. Both of my grandparents have passed away, and my father doesn't have any other brothers or sisters. Well, he had a sister but she died a long time ago when she was young."

"I'm sorry."

Sam shrugged. "That's OK. I never met her anyway."

They both took some time to munch cheese and crackers and drink their ice tea. Then it was Sam's turn.

"So what about you? Um.. I mean Seth's parents?"

Ryan smiled to himself. Sam was being discreet, like the well-brought-up boy he was, asking about the Cohens instead of the Atwoods.

"Yeah -- Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. Kirsten's from here. Her father, you remember, is Caleb Nichol. He owns the Newport Group. Kirsten works for him. Sandy's a different story. He grew up poor, in New York City, in the Bronx. He's jewish, in case you couldn't guess from the 'Cohen' part. He's a lawyer. He used to work in the public defender's office. That's how I met him."

The surprise on Sam's face reminded Ryan that he hadn't told this part of the story yet.

"Um, yeah... When I got arrested for the car, Sandy was appointed my lawyer. Then after my Mom kicked me out, Sandy and Kirsten took me in, so now I live with them. Well, there's more to the story, but that's the basics."

Sam nodded and went back to concentrating on eating. Ryan could tell that he was uncomfortable and didn't know what to say. That's one of the reasons why Ryan didn't like to talk about his past -- it made other people uncomfortable.

The boys were saved from their uncomfortable silence by Angela who came bounding into the room without knocking.

"Angela! Get out!"

"I just wanted to show Ryan Mom's necklace."

Angela continued into the room and plopped down on the floor next to Ryan and Sam. Ryan could see that she was holding a diamond necklace.

"You went into Mom's jewelry vault? She's going to kill you. Put it back, right now. She told you not to play with her expensive stuff."

Angela said, stubbornly, "Not before I show Ryan."

She turned to Ryan and handed him the necklace. He layed it out in both hands. It had a large background filled with small diamonds that was in a crescent shape along the necklace chain. In the longer central part, Ryan saw five black stones. He looked closer. They looked like diamonds that were black in color.

Angela told him, excitedly, "Isn't it way cool? My mother had it made special. Those are black diamonds. They represent the five of us. You know, our family? There used to just be four of them, but then when Maggie was born, they took out one of the regular diamonds and put in another black one."

Ah, huh. Maggie was another sister. A younger one.

Ryan looked up to see Angela looking at him expectantly. "Yeah. No. Yeah. It's cool. I didn't know there was such a thing as black diamonds."

Sam explained, "They're artificially colored. My Mom tried to explain it to me once. Something about a heat process or something. I don't remember."

Angela piped up, "I know!"

"Angela, Ryan doesn't care." Sam carefully took the diamond necklace out of Ryan's hands and gave it to Angela. "Put it back before Mom and Dad get home. Now."

Angela gave Ryan a smile, gave her big brother a scowl, and flounced out of the room. Ryan smiled to himself. If she was a little bit younger, he could imagine her sticking her tongue out at her brother instead.

"Sorry about that. Angela can get a little... overexcited."

"Nah, nah, it's OK."

Sam and Ryan went back to finishing off their ice tea and the cheese and crackers. Ryan was thinking about that necklace. It was pretty cool -- to care enough about your family to have them immortalized in black diamonds.

To Be Continued