Author's Notes: Special thanks to TheOCFanactic2005, Emily, and of course, Stealth, for reviewing! Your feedback means a lot to me. I was actually thinking about discontinuing the story because I didn't even know if anyone was reading and then you guys came through. So, thanks! I went with the flashback method again, but this time it's in the beginning and takes place farther in the past. Don't forget to review, it's the only way I know people are reading! Enjoy!
When I'm Gone
Chapter 4
So hold when I'm here
Right me when I'm wrong
Hold me when I'm scared
And love me when I'm gone
Twelve year old Ryan Atwood was sitting in the passenger seat of his brother's car when Trey came back madder than Ryan could ever remember seeing him. Trey's blue eyes were burning with rage when he jerked open the driver's side door and slammed into the driver's seat
"What happened?" Ryan asked his brother, wishing he knew first hand. Trey never let Ryan come into the houses with him. Said Ryan was too little. Ryan wasn't too little. Rod, his mom's current boyfriend, had said he could help on the construction site once school let out for the summer. He smoked cigarettes. He'd even had sex. Of course, he didn't see what the big deal was, but he'd had sex and that made him a man.
"You know that bastard Julio Vargas?" Trey asked hatred spilling out with his words. Ryan had never meant Julio, but he had heard Trey and other members of his crew talk about him, so Ryan nodded, "He-" Trey started and then seemed to remember that he was talking to his kid brother. Ryan hated it when he did that, "He hurt Jessica real bad. She's just a damn kid, fuckin' bastard!" Trey swore, Trey always swore around Ryan, but always yelled at Ryan when he did the same.
"Is he in jail?" Ryan asked his big brother innocently. He knew Jessica. She was Trey's friend, Raymond's, little sister. She was an eighth grader, but was always nice to Ryan.
"Hell no!" Trey exclaimed, as if Ryan had asked him if the sun was blue, "The police don't care about people like us. We have to take justice into our own hands. If someone hurts someone you care about, you have to punish them yourself. Remember that, little brother, if anyone ever lays their hand on someone you care about it's up to you to take care of it,"
-
Ten years later his brother's words still rang true in his head. It had been over a week since Theresa was shot to death in front of her own house. The police had yet to arrest anyone. Ryan doubted if they ever would, so it was up to him to take care of the person who had killed the girl who had been his lifeline for so many years.
Inside his car Ryan loaded the Saturday Night Special he had purchased the day before, with the money he had received after pawning Lindsey's ring. It wasn't something he had wanted, but he doubted after he did what he was going to do, that Lindsey would even want to marry him anymore.
That task accomplished. He exited the car and entered the darkened Riverside Park. No kids were playing now. No kids ever entered the park after the sun went down. After dark Riverside Park was where the big boys played.
Ryan cut through one of the park's many grassy areas, heading toward where Trey had told him his targets would be.
Luckily, Ryan spotted Juan Dominguez and his posse before they could see him in the streaks of light cast by an overhead street lamp. He quickly retreated behind a brick restroom building that was just in firing rang of the gathering gang.
Ryan didn't hear the nearing footsteps as he prepared himself for his first shot. This wasn't his first time using a handgun. His dad, a gun nut, had thought Ryan and Trey how to shoot years ago, but that had always been old beer cans and there was that one time they went to an actual firing rang. Ryan had never tried to or actually shot a real live person. He'd never had the need. Until now.
He leaned from out behind the wall and put the head of the nearest thug in his line of fire, just as his dad had told him. For a second he couldn't pull the trigger and then the sight of Theresa laying dead on the sidewalk flashed in his eyes and he let the bullet go. The bastard fell to the ground.
Now he was in the moment.
"Ryan!" Ryan turned towards the sound of his name that come through the darkness outside of the glow of the lamps. It took him a second to pinpoint the voice. It took the same amount of time for his happy finger to pull the trigger and send bullet at the voice.
Lindsey!