Chapter 9
Ryan walked along the beach oblivious to his wet pant legs and the beautiful coastline. He needed to think. Among his worries, he might be charged with assault and sent to juvie. His stomach turned at the thought. For all his tough childhood, juvie scared the shit out of him.
He hated that his trouble was causing the Cohens trouble. He wouldn't blame Kirsten if she were to revert to her original wariness of him. Nothing could assuage Ryan's guilt for Kirsten getting hurt. He did not hit her himself, but he was the catalyst. Not only had she been hurt, Kirsten felt obliged to leverage the Newport Group into stopping Mr. Moore from pushing his case against Ryan. Ryan didn't want to think how this might be costing the firm. Kirsten's decision was causing all sorts of tension in her already troubled relationship with her dad. Fortunately Mr. McNichol would be out of town on business for a while.
Ryan imagined his appeal to Sandy was fading. Ryan had wanted so badly for Sandy's faith in him to be proven right. He had been a badge of Sandy's idealism and altruism, but how ideal was it to work questionable backroom deals and trade on personal favors for someone who had so little self-control that he hit a small kid? Even if that was a harsh assessment, it was true Ryan was no longer an abstract, low-maintenance, do-gooder project.
At Harbor Ryan had stopped assholes from harassing Seth, and had made Summer aware of Seth. Now Seth was being bullied again because Ryan couldn't retaliate. Summer seemed to make Seth happy but she also seemed so caught up with the glamour of Newport that Ryan wasn't sure what she would do. Sandy and Seth had gotten to know him for more than those things in the last six months, of course. But the Cohens, like everyone, must have limits on how much of Ryan's crap they could put up with.
Finally, had Ryan hurt or helped Chester? Both? Hopefully Ryan had only brought to a head more quickly things that would have happened anyways. Maybe Child Services could work magic for Chester that nobody had been able to for the Atwoods. It was impossible to know what Chester thought; kid logic was impenetrable and he wasn't allowed to go near him anyways.
The sun was beginning to set. Ryan looked up to see he was in front of the Crab Shack, where he had locked his bike. Since his ill-fated friendship with Donny the Cohens hadn't eaten there as much even though Sandy was mad for crab cakes. Ryan put on his shoes and walked into the restaurant. The Cohens might appreciate him picking up dinner tonight; it was the least he could do to show his appreciation for putting up with his problems. The restaurant was a strange mix of fancy and plain; they sold crème brulee and instant chocolate pudding. He ordered pudding for Seth, and crab cakes.
As he waited he looked around but didn't recognized anyone working the front. He missed the place; the work and the money had given him a sense of independence. If he survived this latest round, he'd like to get another job.
A lanky, teenage boy rang up the bill. Ryan packed the food into his backpack and headed out. As he reached for the door, Norland and Brad of the water polo team entered. They seemed as surprised as Ryan was.
"It's the Chino charity case, otherwise known as Cohen's playmate of the year. Where's your sugar daddy?" Brad asked.
Putting up with a beating everyday by the water polo team was no longer an option. They would continue harassing Seth until someone, probably Ryan, snapped. He was wrong about not being able to retaliate. It was a choice between playing it safe for his parole officer and leaving Seth hanging. Ryan wanted it both ways. He didn't trust his new anger management skills. All apologies to his anger management instructor and Ed the yogi, pre-emptive measures were in order.
Brad walked by purposely knocking into Ryan. Norland sneered and said, "You and your candy ass brother better be ready for some fun tomorrow." He said the word 'brother' with scorn.
Almost before Norland was finished speaking, Ryan pulled back a fist and punched Norland in the jaw. Norland hadn't expected it and fell, dazed, into Brad's arms.
There was no anger to manage; he didn't even want to fight with them. It was the best idea he had for a crappy situation. Maybe if he stood up to them, they would back off. Ryan's first choice would have been to 'tell on' the assholes - what did he care what other kids thought? But they wouldn't believe Ryan's word alone that he didn't instigate the fights, and Seth had begged Ryan not to ask him to "squeal". Seth thought Summer wouldn't like dating a schoolyard tattle-tail any more than a weakling.
"If you have a problem, bring it on. Leave Seth alone."
With an angry stare Norland regained his balance and went on the attack. Ryan protected his face so he wouldn't have any explaining to do, but it left his middle more open than he liked. He suffered a couple of punch to his ribs, and was pushed into the door with a loud thump before he could strike back.
A fat manager ran to them with a baseball bat in his hand. "Take it outside or I'm calling the cops."
They paused and traded scowls. Ryan exited quickly. Brad and Norland must have realized there were just as many witnesses outdoors because they didn't follow.
He got on his bike and pedaled home. If his strategy held, he could keep the fights hidden from the view of teachers, guardians and the like. The assholes would eventually get bored with it - or so Ryan hoped. The course Ryan had chosen skated between his own selfish goals and helping Seth. It already felt like thin ice.
Ryan paused to check himself out in the hallway mirror before entering the kitchen. He wanted to make sure there were no signs of a fight.
Kirsten and Sandy didn't notice him at first. They were locked in a deep kiss, somehow each managing to hold upright a glass of red wine behind each other's back. They parted as Sandy rumbled something into Kirsten's ear to make her giggle. She noticed Ryan, stopped laughing, and cocked her head so Sandy would notice too.
"Ryan! Good to see one of you guys," Sandy's voice boomed.
"Seth's having dinner with Summer," Kirsten explained straightening up.
Sandy put his glass down, and crumpled up a sheet of paper lying by him on the counter. He pretended to dribble across the kitchen and checked Ryan. His hook shot made it into the garbage can across the kitchen. "Two with a swoosh. I'd love a physical game of round ball. Mano a mano. You, me, tommorow?" Sandy asked in his version of a street voice.
"No. Sorry, get enough of that at school."
"Oh," Sandy said mildly perplexed. "Well, that was a note for you. Kirsten and I are off for a belated New Year's dinner."
Kirsten asked, "You'll be okay for the night? Leftovers in the frig." She looked happy in a slinky, blue, strapless dress; her face didn't have a trace of a tussle. Ryan didn't know if it was fast healing or makeup.
Ryan nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah. I've got lots of homework." The last thing he wanted was dinner alone with Seth's parents. Seth was a necessary buffer to awkward topics.
"Come on, honey." Sandy pointed to his wristwatch. "You got mine again."
Kirsten smiled and said, "Good night then." It was good to see them smiling and enjoying a night out after the horror of the other night. Maybe he could learn from them how to relish life before the ax fell.
After they left Ryan unpacked. The food wasn't too smashed up from the fight. He made a plate of crab cakes, coleslaw and potatoes for himself and put the rest of the food in the refrigerator.
He didn't really have homework that night, so he ate in front of The Valley, an episode where the main characters anguished over new Valentine loves. A goofy show but he missed eating in front of the tube. They did it all the time in Chino, except football was more likely to be on.
Ryan cleaned up dinner and took out the trash; he could still contribute something useful tonight.
Ryan thought he'd PlayStation until Seth came home. But after many games alone, he went to bed before Seth came home. At least Seth was getting some, he thought.
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Ryan was a heavy sleeper. He slept through drunken fights, loud TVs, screeching cars, and the eerie quiet unique to rich suburbs. He loved to sleep, sprawled on his stomach, flat on his back, or on his side ready for spooning. It didn't matter if it was a cheap hotel fold-out bed, a dingy mattress on a floor, or Egyptian thousand count cotton sheets, Ryan slept well. Waking up was another matter; he always got rumpled with bed head and couldn't function until he had a cup of coffee.
He happened to be on his side when he felt someone snuggle up against his back. A warm, delicate hand reached over his shoulder and tracked slowly from his chest down to his stomach. It slid under his shirt. "Hmmm," he murmured and relaxed, yielding to the touch.
Was Marissa sneaking over while staying at her mom's? He'd been without some action for a while - relish life, right? She couldn't expect any commitment if she jumped into his bed before dawn; he was only human or at least a normal teenage boy.
She was on top of the sheets, but he leaned back into soft and welcoming flesh. Not thin and angular flesh? He felt two plump breasts against his back ... plump?
"Hey." Ryan opened a blurry eye. "Summer!" he choked out, "What?" He was wide awake now and pawing at the bed with his heels to get away from her.
But Summer sat up onto her knees and pressed her hands against his bare chest pinning him down. She had succeeded in shoving his muscle shirt up under his chin. He knew they both could feel his heart pumping a mile a minute as they stared at each other. He counted to ten slowly; he was successfully managing fear. He was as much afraid of her as he was afraid to injure her by pushing her away like he wanted to.
"So tell me what you guys were doing," she whispered sternly.
"Are you drunk again? You're Seth's girlfriend. You can't be here."
"Get over yourself, Chino, and answer the question."
She was staring at his upper body with intense scrutiny. He involuntarily tensed and his stomach muscles rippled. She poked him to turn as if she wanted see his backside, too. That was not going to happen; he had kicked off his sweatpants sometime that night when it had gotten too hot. It was a hundred times hotter now.
"So you've got bruises, too. What were you playing when you guys got hurt?"
Satisfied with her partial inspection, she let him up. He sat as far away from her on the bed as he could, pulling much of the sheet with him. He grabbed a spare pillow to put over his middle. His mind was starting to track the conversation, somewhat.
"Seth and I were just messing around. How bad is he?" he asked covering for Seth's lie and be as vague as possible.
"Almost as bad as you." Ryan was pretty banged up between the gym class and the Crab Shack encounters. She had seen the large bruises turning shades of purple and green over his stomach and sides. His eyes widen and he looked away.
She must have caught his surprised expression. "I knew it. Don't bullshit me. The guys are harassing you two, aren't they?"
Ryan looked down. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stalling for time.
Summer's shoulders slumped. She turned away but not before Ryan saw her saddened face.
"God, he told me you guys were just fighting like brothers do. What do I know about brothers? I wanted to believe him. He doesn't want me to know, but they'll keep picking on him until everybody knows and I won't be able to pretend anymore."
Ryan sighed deeply. "I'll fix it," Ryan said with more confidence than he had.
"Your idea of fixing will land you in jail. Seth will really get his ass kicked then - didn't you learn anything from Revenge of the Nerds? Good movie but it really needs a remake." Summer rested her chin on her fist and frowned in thought. "He can't know I know about this. We need to get radical, Chino."
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"Hurry up. I feel almost naked." Ryan was standing in Holly's bedroom in his boxers and another muscle shirt.
"Because you are, dumb ass." Summer took off her blouse, hung it on a chair back, and shook out her hair. "Sorry. I'm a little nervous. Holly thinks I'm looking for my scarf she borrowed so we have about 15 minutes before anyone gets suspicious. You know what to do?"
"Yeah. Yeah. I know." Ryan stared at the ceiling.
"Wait in the closet. Come out when I say 'Princess Sparkle'."
Ryan stepped into the closet leaving the door cracked open.
Loud music from the party downstairs was deafening when Summer opened the door. Holly's parents were gone for the weekend. Norland was standing in the hallway just outside and stared at her in awe.
"Come in, Norbie. I'm glad you heard me ask to you to follow," Summer said in a sing-song voice. Ryan couldn't help but notice Summer looked great; she had on cat ears and black leather costume with zippers like the Catwoman in the Batman shows Seth loved so much. A wispy, pink scarf around her neck contrasted her tough cat theme.
Norland was grinning ear to ear. "I knew you'd get tired of slumming with the geek. Wait until I tell the g-"he trailed off realizing he was speaking aloud.
Summer pretended she didn't hear him. He burped loudly and put his can of beer down on a bureau. He came up to her, tilted his head, and leaned in for a kiss.
"Wait, I'm ahead of you," Summer panted referring to his clothes.
He took his tee shirt off in one motion and stepped out of his pants, staggering only once. He seemed to be a graceful drunk.
She pushed his willing body flat onto the bed. He tried to turn to get on top of her.
"Eww..." She jumped away. "I mean, I'm Catwoman and you can be one blind mouse. Here's my new Marc Jacobs' scarf." Summer took off her scarf and tied it around Norland's eyes. He sank back onto the bed and laughed nervously. He reached out blindly for her.
She reached under the bed for handcuffs and gently slapped one side around his wrist. Norland tensed up and reached with his free hand for the blindfold. Summer distracted him by caressing his chest. It was shaven but well built. She giggled seductively. "We can take turns. But ladies first." She raised his arms above his head and weaved the handcuff through the headboard. She locked his other wrist to the other side of the handcuff. He yanked against the handcuffs. Although he had been willing, Norland seemed startled to realize he was truly shackled.
She soothed him by saying softly, "Princess Sparkle prefers her men flying blind."
Ryan quietly stepped out of the closet with a camera phone in his hand.
Norland was smiling as Ryan snapped a picture of him tied up and blindfolded. With the snap of the camera Norland asked anxiously, "What's happening?" He rubbed his head against his upper arms to try to nudge the blindfold off.
Summer stood up and took the camera phone from Ryan.
"Where you going, babe?" Norland's voice was panicked. The edge of the blindfold was coming loose.
Ryan and Summer looked at each other for a moment before Summer nodded encouragingly. Ryan got on the bed pinning Norland's legs down by sitting on his ankles. Norland tensed immediately and fought against Ryan's hold. "Hey," he yelled.
Ryan pressed one hand on Norland's thigh, the other hand stretched to take off Norland's blindfold.
"What the fuck?" Norland glanced rapidly from Ryan to Summer and back again. He jerked angrily against the handcuffs and tried bucking off Ryan. Norland's drunken state made him slow to grasp what was happening, but he became more agitated, breathing heavily. The handcuffs and Ryan's weight made it impossible for him to move very much. Norland stared at Ryan's hand as it lingered on Norland's thigh. Ryan pulled it away with a long careful motion.
Ryan still weighed down the legs but they had grown still as Norland's panting became louder. Ryan's expression was stoic as he slowly pulled his shirt over his head. Norland didn't blink, but his briefs strained tight. They all stared at his discomfort. Norland looked at Ryan with a question and a faint, embarrassed smile.
Summer aimed the camera their way. The flash pulled Norland's attention away from Ryan and he shouted, "Help. Brad, get up here!"
"Shut up, we have your 20th century autograph," Summer wiggled her cell phone to show Norland. She moved to get a profile, close-up shot where the bulge could not be mistaken.
Ryan and Summer put on their clothes in a rush. Ryan held the key in his hand. "Summer, get going. I'll put the key in his hand and meet you by the car."
Summer nodded. "Norland, you're stupid so I'll spell it out. Don't mess with Cohen, or this photo of you getting it on with another guy will be spammed all over Harbor."
"What about him?" Norland gestured to Ryan, desperate to find a hole in their plan.
"Good idea. We'll black out his identity. Be good and make the others behave, and nobody will know our little secret."
Norland watched Ryan nervously for a moment, then tried kicking him. Ryan skirted out of his reach and placed the key where he said he would. Norland babbled, "Dude. Hey dude. I was checking Summer out... Please, you can't do this."
Without a backward glance, Ryan climbed out the window and down from the tree he had climbed up earlier. He ran to Summer's car and got in. She quickly peeled away.
Summer laughed spontaneously. "Wow. Oh my God. Wow."
Ryan was quiet but smiled tightly, relieved the plan went off so well. Their biggest worry had been how to make Norland look like a willing partner with another boy. The kinky shot of Norland tied up with Summer looking on was their backup photo.
Summer pulled over a block from the Cohen home and turned off the engine.
"I so thought he was into me with the cat thing, but you really were his cat nip. I was kinda sad for him like Luke's dad in the closet until I remember what an ass he is." Summer was bouncing in the driver's seat. "Was it Oprah or Dr. Ruth who said it was okay to get turned on by someone else as long as you brought it home? I may have to get another set of cuffs and maybe whiskers - Cohen's gonna to forget he ever had bruises."
Ryan didn't want to know if she was referring to Norland or him and kept quiet. He frowned.
Summer seemed to sense his reservations. "Hey, we had to do it because we love him," she said quietly. She took the camera phone out of her little black purse, and showed Ryan as she pressed the Delete button a few times. "It never happened. We don't need it; Norland is shitting in his litter box right now. He won't press his luck."
Summer paused and looked pensively into the night street. "One day, I'm cruising West Coast Mall caring only for the latest outfits. The next day Cohen is there encouraging me to be the me I really want to be, but was afraid to be. If Newport society is all you know, it's hard to break out of that kind of thinking."
Ryan smiled. "You still shop West Coast Mall."
"Okay, but not so much." She leaned over and hugged him. "Chino, you're not so eww."
He squeezed her back. "You're amazing, Summer. Seth deserves you."
Ryan opened the door. Summer leaned over to look out at Ryan and added, "Thanks ... Ryan."
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Authors Note: All grammar mistakes, unintended POV shifts, and plot inconsistencies are always my fault, but more so with these later chapters. I should have mentioned this before: Chapters 7 onward didn't get my wonderful beta's usual services. Real life can be such a nuisance to fan fiction.