Thanks for all the reviews. You guys are great. It's time to play again.
Josh, I grovel at your feet because I have no money to spare. Have your lawyer contact Ratticus. We'll do lunch.
Chapter Two
Marissa sat back in the paisley print overstuffed chair in her bedroom, curling her long legs under her. She had seen Ryan walk away from the pool house and had later heard the "discussion" between the Cohens. It had worked all too well. She played on Seth's insecurities. It really didn't take much. She cried on his shoulder over Ryan seeming so distant and secretive. She told Seth that she suspected he was seeing someone behind her back and she couldn't deal with that again, not after what Luke did to her. She let it slip that Ryan had been spending a lot of time with Summer and knowing he'd been with more than a few girls before... It was so easy to make Seth believe 22=5.
She had held Ryan's heart in her hands. He hadn't given it to her, she took it, just as she'd taken all the pretty things she had. Marissa knew Luke was fucking around. It didn't matter to her. Her OD in Tijuana was carefully planned so Ryan would find her and rescue her. She used him to piss off her mother and to make Luke jealous. She knew Ryan only saw her as a friend but she wanted more. He couldn't give it to her. He was concentrating on his new life with the Cohens and she didn't want to be second choice. She'd never be anyone's second choice. If she couldn't have him, no one would.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryan spent the night drinking coffee at the Waffle House. The waitress smiled at him when he made up a story of not being able to sleep and didn't want to disturb his girlfriend. She pretended not to see the bruise covering half his face and kept his coffee topped up. She brought him a plate of bacon and eggs that had been refused by another customer because the eggs were cooked incorrectly. Ryan gratefully accepted the plate. He read the paper while he ate, studying the classifieds. He was on auto pilot, no longer thinking of what had transpired, concentrating only on getting through the next day. That's how he'd done it before, living with Dawn and her flavour of the month boyfriends. When thinking of the next day got to be too much, Ryan would concentrate on getting through the next few hours or the next few minutes. Whatever it took to keep him moving forward.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kirsten drummed her fingers on the side of her coffee mug. Seth was hiding in his room and Sandy hadn't come out of the pool house yet. She was angry at him for hitting Ryan, angry at his loss of self-control. She knew he had lashed out in fear over Seth being hurt, but couldn't understand why he felt like Seth needed to be protected from Ryan. She was angry at Seth for believing that Ryan would betray him like that. She was angry at Ryan for leaving instead of explaining his side of the story and she was angry at herself, because the building fury she felt was not going to solve anything. She knew that Ryan wouldn't come home on his own. Sandy and Seth had hurt him too much. There had been days during the past year when she was sure he would run from the family. It hadn't been easy for him to adjust to their family, to Newport, to Harbour. She watched as on those days Ryan worked through his fears and doubts, learning to interact with them, but they hadn't learned to interact with him. Did they learn anything at all?
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seth tried to turn his brain off. His heart was telling him that there was no way Ryan or Summer would do anything to hurt him, but his brain couldn't wrap around the fact that Marissa would lie to him. She said she loved Ryan. Why would she make something like that up? It had to be true, but Summer had been shocked, then outraged when he accused her of sleeping with Ryan. Ryan had stood there speechless, not comprehending what he was being accused of. He didn't get a chance to defend himself when Seth had taken a swing at him.
"Seth.... Why?" was all he was able to say before Seth lunged at him. Seth watched as his dad spun Ryan around and hit him hard. He watched as Ryan wavered, fighting to keep his balance. He waited for Ryan to say something else... To say anything... Seth stood there and watched as his brother, his best friend, his partner in crime walked out and quietly closed the door behind him.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sandy searched through Ryan's things, tearing through the drawers, looking for clues as to where the boy might have gone. He had already called everyone he could think of. No one knew where he might have gone.
The sun's rays were now breaking through the horizon. Ryan had been gone for 16 hours. Sandy had dialed the cell phone Ryan carried every 10 minutes, not getting an answer. His frantic search revealed nothing. An address book held only the prison locations of Dave and Trey Atwood. Sandy opened the closet door and turned on the light. The clothes they had bought for Ryan hung neatly organized. Sandy was just about to shut the door when an old backpack caught his eye. He pulled it out and brought it to the bed. He undid the clasps and emptied the contents of the bag. A pair of jeans, a couple t-shirts, socks, boxers, toothbrush. His hooded sweatshirt. A dog-eared copy of Kavalier and Clay, a left over family Chrismukkah card, the map Seth had given him with the course plotted to Tahiti. An envelope wrapped tightly with elastics.
Sandy unwrapped the rubber bands and opened the envelope. He held his breath as he counted nearly $600. Sandy realized that Ryan's hold on having a normal family life with them was tenuous at best. This backpack was ready for a quick getaway. Sandy slowly exhaled, tears welling in his eyes again. He held the backpack of despair close to his chest, rocking back and forth.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Caleb Nichol buttoned his suit jacket and reached up to straighten his perfectly knotted tie. He glanced over at his still sleeping wife, the former Julie Cooper, the present Julie Nichol. He was surprised that she still shared the same bedroom. Julie had been quite adamant after he'd lost a good part of his fortune and had to "restructure" The Newport Group due to some not so legal business dealings that the marriage would be in name only. Julie Cooper Nichol would not walk away from a wedded union with nothing again. She was a shrewd negotiator and would do whatever it took to rebuild the firm. Then she'd take half of the company and walk away. What Caleb neglected to tell her was that he no longer owned The Newport Group. He was CEO in name only. He couldn't even sign off on a cheque. Kirsten Cohen was now the sole owner of the company he had spent his life building.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and grimaced at the taste. Hazelnut Crème. Julie's favourite. She knew he hated flavoured coffee. Dumping the putrid liquid down the drain, he turned to leave the house, nearly colliding with Marissa. They stared warily at each other.
"Good Morning Marissa." Caleb said carefully.
His step-daughter barely acknowledged him.
"What are your plans for the day?" He asked awkwardly, fiddling with the locks on his briefcase.
Marissa shrugged. She didn't give a rat's ass about her mother's new husband.
"Have a good day then." Caleb couldn't leave the house fast enough. He regretted giving into Julie about coercing her daughter to live with them. He wished she had stayed with Jimmy. Caitlyn was easier to handle. He could buy her affection. Retrieving China for her just before he married Julie ensured a place for him in the little girl's life.
Caleb slid behind the wheel of his black Lexus. The Jaguar had been sold. He could have avoided selling it, but it was one way of twisting the knife as far as his wife was concerned. Now he drove a leased bottom end Lexus and banked the profits from the Jag in a bank in the Caymans.
He briefly thought of dropping in to get a decent cup of coffee at Kirsten's house but he remembered overhearing the hushed tones of loud conversations floating through their open windows last night. He knew his daughter would confide in him. She may never trust him as a businessman ever again, but she was still daddy's little girl and for her, family was job one. Shifting the car out of reverse, he drove to the downsized office.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The line up for the checkout in the Target store moved slowly. Some lady was arguing with the cashier over what amounted to no more than half a dollar. As careful as he needed to be with his money, Ryan was tempted to throw a couple of quarters down just to get the woman out of the store. His purchases lay on the conveyor belt. A pair of jeans, a couple t- shirts, socks, boxers, toothbrush. A hooded sweatshirt. A backpack, soap, toothpaste and a small towel. A bottle of water, a protein bar, a bag of chips. $104.27. Ryan left the store and stuffed everything in his new backpack, tucking the receipt in his wallet. He slung the pack over his shoulder, turned left and started walking.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kirsten called her executive assistant and had her reschedule her meetings. Katherine passed along a couple of items that needed to be taken care of that day. Kirsten said she would fax the required documents and meet with the new contractors in a few days.
It had now been 20 hours since Ryan disappeared. 4 more hours and they could officially declare him missing. Kirsten hated the idea of getting the police involved, but since Ryan's probation ended a couple of weeks ago she wasn't worried about him being arrested for leaving them. She was worried that the police wouldn't take this seriously. The Cohens were merely his guardians and he had just turned 17. Since he'd left of his own volition, Ryan would be placed at the bottom of a long list of missing kids.
He wasn't just any kid, he was her kid. Kirsten went into Sandy's office and rifled through his rolo-dex. In a world of palm pilots and cell phones with internet access, Sandy was still a paper and pencil kind of man. She found what she was looking for, the name of the private detective Sandy had hired to find Ryan's mother. Now he'd find her son. Not Dawn's son... Her son...
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seth wandered into the kitchen. As he looked at the empty stool, the memories of the previous day barreled over him. He was drowning in a sea of guilt. He still couldn't process the events of yesterday, but he should have known Ryan would never lie to him. Ryan had his back from day one and except for the occasional use of car keys, Ryan had never asked him for anything.
Summer was the most brutally honest person he knew. If she was seeing someone else she would have told him. Even if that person was Ryan.
Marissa? Despite the fact that she had lived next door to him for over 10 years and she was Summer's best friend, he didn't really know her. He had to talk to Summer. He needed to talk to Ryan. He needed Ryan to come home. He hadn't realized how much he needed Ryan.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sandy carried the worn backpack into the house and set it down on the counter. Kirsten came out of Sandy's office. She felt her husband's presence in the house and padded to the kitchen. Seth was standing beside his father. She looked at the bag. She recognized it as the one Ryan brought his meager belongings from Chino in.
Sandy spoke in a strained voice.
"I found this in his closet. It's packed. He was always ready to run... It's like he knew this wouldn't last... that somehow we would let him down and send him away. I let him down.... I sent him away..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dusk was starting to settle in the sky. Ryan pulled on his sweatshirt and continued walking.
Josh, I grovel at your feet because I have no money to spare. Have your lawyer contact Ratticus. We'll do lunch.
Chapter Two
Marissa sat back in the paisley print overstuffed chair in her bedroom, curling her long legs under her. She had seen Ryan walk away from the pool house and had later heard the "discussion" between the Cohens. It had worked all too well. She played on Seth's insecurities. It really didn't take much. She cried on his shoulder over Ryan seeming so distant and secretive. She told Seth that she suspected he was seeing someone behind her back and she couldn't deal with that again, not after what Luke did to her. She let it slip that Ryan had been spending a lot of time with Summer and knowing he'd been with more than a few girls before... It was so easy to make Seth believe 22=5.
She had held Ryan's heart in her hands. He hadn't given it to her, she took it, just as she'd taken all the pretty things she had. Marissa knew Luke was fucking around. It didn't matter to her. Her OD in Tijuana was carefully planned so Ryan would find her and rescue her. She used him to piss off her mother and to make Luke jealous. She knew Ryan only saw her as a friend but she wanted more. He couldn't give it to her. He was concentrating on his new life with the Cohens and she didn't want to be second choice. She'd never be anyone's second choice. If she couldn't have him, no one would.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryan spent the night drinking coffee at the Waffle House. The waitress smiled at him when he made up a story of not being able to sleep and didn't want to disturb his girlfriend. She pretended not to see the bruise covering half his face and kept his coffee topped up. She brought him a plate of bacon and eggs that had been refused by another customer because the eggs were cooked incorrectly. Ryan gratefully accepted the plate. He read the paper while he ate, studying the classifieds. He was on auto pilot, no longer thinking of what had transpired, concentrating only on getting through the next day. That's how he'd done it before, living with Dawn and her flavour of the month boyfriends. When thinking of the next day got to be too much, Ryan would concentrate on getting through the next few hours or the next few minutes. Whatever it took to keep him moving forward.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kirsten drummed her fingers on the side of her coffee mug. Seth was hiding in his room and Sandy hadn't come out of the pool house yet. She was angry at him for hitting Ryan, angry at his loss of self-control. She knew he had lashed out in fear over Seth being hurt, but couldn't understand why he felt like Seth needed to be protected from Ryan. She was angry at Seth for believing that Ryan would betray him like that. She was angry at Ryan for leaving instead of explaining his side of the story and she was angry at herself, because the building fury she felt was not going to solve anything. She knew that Ryan wouldn't come home on his own. Sandy and Seth had hurt him too much. There had been days during the past year when she was sure he would run from the family. It hadn't been easy for him to adjust to their family, to Newport, to Harbour. She watched as on those days Ryan worked through his fears and doubts, learning to interact with them, but they hadn't learned to interact with him. Did they learn anything at all?
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seth tried to turn his brain off. His heart was telling him that there was no way Ryan or Summer would do anything to hurt him, but his brain couldn't wrap around the fact that Marissa would lie to him. She said she loved Ryan. Why would she make something like that up? It had to be true, but Summer had been shocked, then outraged when he accused her of sleeping with Ryan. Ryan had stood there speechless, not comprehending what he was being accused of. He didn't get a chance to defend himself when Seth had taken a swing at him.
"Seth.... Why?" was all he was able to say before Seth lunged at him. Seth watched as his dad spun Ryan around and hit him hard. He watched as Ryan wavered, fighting to keep his balance. He waited for Ryan to say something else... To say anything... Seth stood there and watched as his brother, his best friend, his partner in crime walked out and quietly closed the door behind him.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sandy searched through Ryan's things, tearing through the drawers, looking for clues as to where the boy might have gone. He had already called everyone he could think of. No one knew where he might have gone.
The sun's rays were now breaking through the horizon. Ryan had been gone for 16 hours. Sandy had dialed the cell phone Ryan carried every 10 minutes, not getting an answer. His frantic search revealed nothing. An address book held only the prison locations of Dave and Trey Atwood. Sandy opened the closet door and turned on the light. The clothes they had bought for Ryan hung neatly organized. Sandy was just about to shut the door when an old backpack caught his eye. He pulled it out and brought it to the bed. He undid the clasps and emptied the contents of the bag. A pair of jeans, a couple t-shirts, socks, boxers, toothbrush. His hooded sweatshirt. A dog-eared copy of Kavalier and Clay, a left over family Chrismukkah card, the map Seth had given him with the course plotted to Tahiti. An envelope wrapped tightly with elastics.
Sandy unwrapped the rubber bands and opened the envelope. He held his breath as he counted nearly $600. Sandy realized that Ryan's hold on having a normal family life with them was tenuous at best. This backpack was ready for a quick getaway. Sandy slowly exhaled, tears welling in his eyes again. He held the backpack of despair close to his chest, rocking back and forth.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Caleb Nichol buttoned his suit jacket and reached up to straighten his perfectly knotted tie. He glanced over at his still sleeping wife, the former Julie Cooper, the present Julie Nichol. He was surprised that she still shared the same bedroom. Julie had been quite adamant after he'd lost a good part of his fortune and had to "restructure" The Newport Group due to some not so legal business dealings that the marriage would be in name only. Julie Cooper Nichol would not walk away from a wedded union with nothing again. She was a shrewd negotiator and would do whatever it took to rebuild the firm. Then she'd take half of the company and walk away. What Caleb neglected to tell her was that he no longer owned The Newport Group. He was CEO in name only. He couldn't even sign off on a cheque. Kirsten Cohen was now the sole owner of the company he had spent his life building.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and grimaced at the taste. Hazelnut Crème. Julie's favourite. She knew he hated flavoured coffee. Dumping the putrid liquid down the drain, he turned to leave the house, nearly colliding with Marissa. They stared warily at each other.
"Good Morning Marissa." Caleb said carefully.
His step-daughter barely acknowledged him.
"What are your plans for the day?" He asked awkwardly, fiddling with the locks on his briefcase.
Marissa shrugged. She didn't give a rat's ass about her mother's new husband.
"Have a good day then." Caleb couldn't leave the house fast enough. He regretted giving into Julie about coercing her daughter to live with them. He wished she had stayed with Jimmy. Caitlyn was easier to handle. He could buy her affection. Retrieving China for her just before he married Julie ensured a place for him in the little girl's life.
Caleb slid behind the wheel of his black Lexus. The Jaguar had been sold. He could have avoided selling it, but it was one way of twisting the knife as far as his wife was concerned. Now he drove a leased bottom end Lexus and banked the profits from the Jag in a bank in the Caymans.
He briefly thought of dropping in to get a decent cup of coffee at Kirsten's house but he remembered overhearing the hushed tones of loud conversations floating through their open windows last night. He knew his daughter would confide in him. She may never trust him as a businessman ever again, but she was still daddy's little girl and for her, family was job one. Shifting the car out of reverse, he drove to the downsized office.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The line up for the checkout in the Target store moved slowly. Some lady was arguing with the cashier over what amounted to no more than half a dollar. As careful as he needed to be with his money, Ryan was tempted to throw a couple of quarters down just to get the woman out of the store. His purchases lay on the conveyor belt. A pair of jeans, a couple t- shirts, socks, boxers, toothbrush. A hooded sweatshirt. A backpack, soap, toothpaste and a small towel. A bottle of water, a protein bar, a bag of chips. $104.27. Ryan left the store and stuffed everything in his new backpack, tucking the receipt in his wallet. He slung the pack over his shoulder, turned left and started walking.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kirsten called her executive assistant and had her reschedule her meetings. Katherine passed along a couple of items that needed to be taken care of that day. Kirsten said she would fax the required documents and meet with the new contractors in a few days.
It had now been 20 hours since Ryan disappeared. 4 more hours and they could officially declare him missing. Kirsten hated the idea of getting the police involved, but since Ryan's probation ended a couple of weeks ago she wasn't worried about him being arrested for leaving them. She was worried that the police wouldn't take this seriously. The Cohens were merely his guardians and he had just turned 17. Since he'd left of his own volition, Ryan would be placed at the bottom of a long list of missing kids.
He wasn't just any kid, he was her kid. Kirsten went into Sandy's office and rifled through his rolo-dex. In a world of palm pilots and cell phones with internet access, Sandy was still a paper and pencil kind of man. She found what she was looking for, the name of the private detective Sandy had hired to find Ryan's mother. Now he'd find her son. Not Dawn's son... Her son...
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seth wandered into the kitchen. As he looked at the empty stool, the memories of the previous day barreled over him. He was drowning in a sea of guilt. He still couldn't process the events of yesterday, but he should have known Ryan would never lie to him. Ryan had his back from day one and except for the occasional use of car keys, Ryan had never asked him for anything.
Summer was the most brutally honest person he knew. If she was seeing someone else she would have told him. Even if that person was Ryan.
Marissa? Despite the fact that she had lived next door to him for over 10 years and she was Summer's best friend, he didn't really know her. He had to talk to Summer. He needed to talk to Ryan. He needed Ryan to come home. He hadn't realized how much he needed Ryan.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sandy carried the worn backpack into the house and set it down on the counter. Kirsten came out of Sandy's office. She felt her husband's presence in the house and padded to the kitchen. Seth was standing beside his father. She looked at the bag. She recognized it as the one Ryan brought his meager belongings from Chino in.
Sandy spoke in a strained voice.
"I found this in his closet. It's packed. He was always ready to run... It's like he knew this wouldn't last... that somehow we would let him down and send him away. I let him down.... I sent him away..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dusk was starting to settle in the sky. Ryan pulled on his sweatshirt and continued walking.