1He quietly walked out towards the pool and found her sitting with her feet in the water. It was a warm night, even for Newport. She came out often to relax after long days at work, dealing with her father, arguments with her husband. She probably had a lot on her mind, after the scene that had just taken place. Since Sandy had gone to the police station with Caleb, he thought that he should talk to her. Make sure she was ok. He'd grown to really like Kirsten in the months he'd stayed with her. With Sandy and Seth, it was a given- he got along with them right from the start. But Kirsten hadn't always liked him, or at least she'd tried not to. He knew that she had been afraid he was going to corrupt Seth, and so in the beginning he was apprehensive around her. But that slowly changed as they got to know each other. He really realized how close they'd grown when he went to leave, and she'd stood in front of him, asking him to stay. She'd handed him a snack in a brown paper bag, and said, "Something for the road. Don't worry, I didn't make it. But if I did learn to cook... could we convince you to stay?" She'd tried to make it light hearted and joking, but he saw that she really was serious. She didn't want him to leave, she considered him a part of her family. And he'd loved her for it.
Which was why he felt the need to talk to her, now. Normally, Sandy was the comforter, but in his absence, he thought he might be able to do something. "Kirsten?" he said, standing behind her hesitantly. "Oh, hi, Ryan. I didn't see you there" she said, looking up. "Can I sit down?" he asked. "Of course. Sit." She gestured to the concrete next to her and he sat down. He slid his feet into the water with hers, and the both sat in silence for a few seconds. "In the mood for some brooding?" she joked. "Yeah, I didn't get my fill today after school." They smiled at each other, and she waited expectantly for him to say more.
"I know how hard it can be." She looked at him curiously. "What can be hard, Ryan?" she asked. "Watching your father get arrested."He felt a little uncertain sharing things like this, but once he started, he just kept going. "I was ten when it happened. He pulled off an armed robbery, made it home. He thought he did, anyway. I was sleeping when the cops came to our house, but they woke me up. They were pretty rough about it, banged him up. They cuffed him and took him to the police station. My mom flipped out and took off for three days, and came back so drunk that she barely walk." "I'm sorry, Ryan." Kirsten didn't know what else to say. She felt horrible for this kid, but grateful that he was finally opening up to her. Maybe there was something good about Caleb's arrest that had sparked a desire for Ryan to talk about his past. "So, I know how it is. Seeing something like that can really scare you. If you want to talk about anything... you know, I've done it before." Kirsten hadn't been expecting him to say that, but she wasn't exactly surprised. She should have known that he wouldn't be telling her that story for his own benefit- he told her because he thought it would help her. "Ryan, you don't have to do this" she started. "Do what?" he asked. "Make me feel better. It's ok. I'm supposed to be doing this to you." He shrugged. "I did enough of it with my mom to be able to handle it." He immediately regretted the way that had sounded, and Kirsten's wounded expression confirmed his fears. " That didn't sound right. I just meant, I know my family wasn't normal, and my mom certainly didn't know the difference between childhood and adulthood, but it did give me the uncanny ability to...listen. "I appreciate it, Ryan." Kirsten smiled at him sadly. "I'm sorry there are so many problems here. I thought it would be an escape for you, from... everything." He looked at her in surprise. "Kirsten, this is an escape. Believe me. It's a thousand times better than I ever had it in Chino. Every family has issues. I don't expect you to be perfect." "Well, it's a good thing. Because we're not." Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to get so emotional about this. It's just... you're right. It is scary." "It'll be ok." He put his hand on her shoulder. " Sandy's his lawyer, and he wouldn't let anything happen. Even with his vengeance for Caleb" Ryan joked. Kirsten smiled. " I know. You're right. I'll try to think positively." She smiled weakly at him. "Well, Seth and I need to organize our Comic Book Club meeting for tomorrow..." he rolled his eyes, "so I'd better get back inside." "Ok." As he walked back towards the house, Kirsten called out, "Ryan?" He turned. "Yeah?" "I do appreciate this. A lot. I want you to know that. Sandy and I... we couldn't be happier to have you here." He smiled at her. "I know. Thanks, Kirsten." He walked back into the house, feeling that talking to Kirsten had comforted him as much as it was meant to comfort her.