Oh my gosh guys, thank you so much for your support! It means so much to me. Now, I believe we only have three chapters left, the countdown has begun! I have in fact started the sequel, and right now, I am thinking of a title for it. So, once I finish this, I can maybe put part of the sequel on the OC boards, and you can maybe help with a title. Please review, I love them.

Ryan's hand was shaking. It was Monday, Valentine's Day. Ryan didn't want to go to school, but he didn't want to worry Kirsten and Sandy. So he got up and ready, shaking and shivering.

Walking towards the house, he saw Kirsten decked out in Valentine's apparel. He didn't want to ruin her day. He went back in the pool house, and had a bit to keep him okay for maybe until third period.

Ryan checked himself over in the bathroom mirror. He looked like shit. Kirsten would not let him go to school. Crap.

He walked back into the kitchen. Kirsten had her bow and arrow and was about to shoot at Ryan, but she saw what he looked like.

"Oh God Ryan. Are you okay?" Kirsten was seriously worried about her son.

"I am absolutely, positively fine," Ryan smiled a little too broadly. No one bought it.

"You're sick, Ryan," Kirsten told him.

"What? I'm not sick, I don't have a problem," Ryan prayed to God they didn't suspect he was doing drugs.

"I think you do," Neither Kirsten nor Sandy suspected drugs. It was in the back of both their minds, screaming it, but they refused to believe it. They could trust Ryan. He was a good kid.

"I don't. I'm fine. I really am," Ryan tried to persuade them.

"It could be contagious," Kirsten fussed.

"I assure you it's not contagious, because there's nothing to be contagious," Seth watched as Ryan tried to get out of not going to school. Seth didn't understand it. Who wouldn't want to get out of school?

"You're staying home," Kirsten decided.

"No," Ryan immediately objected forcefully.

"Ryan..." Kirsten got upset from his objection.

"Sorry."

"Is there something you're not telling us?" Ryan stared at Kirsten, ready to spill all his problems. But he couldn't. They'd kick him out for sure. He couldn't tell them. Not yet.

"I'll be in the pool house," Slowly, Ryan was realizing that this was the end. He'd have to tell them. He couldn't keep going. It was over. He might as well start packing.

He fell on the bed. He knew all of this would be gone soon. Maybe he could stay with Pete or something. He could earn enough money to fly to Atlanta to be with Theresa. Of course, she wouldn't want to be with him all drugged up. At least Ryan knew Pete would let him crash in Chino for a bit.

While Kirsten and Sandy discussed Ryan, Seth headed to the pool house.

"Hey man," Seth opened the door to the pool house and saw Ryan lying there.

"Hey," Ryan said back. What would Seth think of him when he found out?

"So...what's up?" Seth sat down, ready to talk to his brother.

"Nothing," Ryan didn't sit up or look over at Seth. He just stared up at the ceiling that soon would be gone.

"Are you sick?" Seth wanted to get to the bottom of what was up with Ryan.

"Sorta," Ryan just kept staring.

"What do you mean, 'sorta'?" Seth continued.

"It's complicated," Ryan was afraid that if Seth kept asking, Ryan would spill.

"How so?" Seth was getting annoyed with this, but then he realized he was talking to Ryan. Ryan barely ever talked.

"You wouldn't want to know," Ryan told Seth for both their safety.

"I think I do because I asked," Seth had forgotten his medication yesterday and hadn't taken it today.

"You don't," Ryan told him.

"Yeah, I do," Seth was getting mad.

"Seth? Can we talk to Ryan alone for a bit?" Kirsten and Sandy were standing at the door with all the shades drawn. Ryan knew this was the end. He was getting kicked out. Might as well tell them.

"Sure, maybe you can get more out of him than I did. Which is nothing," Seth got up and left, but kept the door open a tad bit to hear.

"All right, we need to talk," Sandy announced and the two adults sat down, surrounding Ryan.

"What is wrong Ryan?" Kirsten looked down at her second son.

"Nothing," Ryan didn't understand why he said it, it was over.

"There is something wrong. What is it?" Sandy pushed and Ryan caved.

"You wanna know?" Ryan sat up and reached over to the night stand table and grabbed the bag out of the drawer. He handed it over.

Kirsten's heart sunk as she saw the bag fall into Sandy's hand. It was almost all gone.

"You're doing it again," Sandy commented.

"Yep."

"Well..." They started.

"I can go start packing my bags. Because I don't know if I'll go to Willow Creek, cause that costs money. Maybe they have a discount for a second time," Ryan no longer cared. Seth couldn't believe he was hearing what his brother was saying.

"Ryan..."

"Either way I'm packing my bags," Ryan felt horrible and wanted out.

"Why?"

"We had a deal. I do drugs, I'm out. I broke the promise. I'll sign myself into Willow Creek if you think I need it. I don't know if you guys wanna sign me in. It shouldn't be that bad the second time around, at least Nicole and Summer will know me, but I won't see them. But I did drugs. I'm out of the house."

"No," Seth really had a knack for hearing the worst possible conversations. He opened the door and saw the drugs in his dad's hand. And Ryan. "I can't believe you."

"Seth..." Sandy warned.

"No. He's a fucking druggie! He's been in Willow Creek! And Summer knew? Wonderful, Ryan. You're really great at running people's lives. You kept this a complete secret. That's great. Go back to Chino. Where druggies belong," Seth yelled.

"Seth," Ryan got up, trying to resolve this.

"Get away from me, you fucking druggie," Seth had lost it. Ryan walked closer. "I said get away," Ryan shut his eyes for a second, then opened them and took a step.

Seth punched him.

Ryan fell down right away, he was extremely weak. Kirsten screamed and she and Sandy got up. Ryan had started bleeding and Seth ran off.

Seth didn't take a car, he just ran. Sandy wanted to let him cool off first.

Seth made it to a gas station close by, where he had to get some ice. His knuckles hurt. He had hit Ryan with all his might.

And who should be gassing their car up at that gas station? Why, yes, Marissa. And Seth was ready to vent.

"Hey Seth. I was gonna pick you guys up," Marissa had no clue why Seth was there.

"Doesn't matter. Oh yeah, I found out what's wrong with Ryan," Seth was so pissed.

"What is it?" Marissa wanted to know.

"Yeah, he's a druggie."

"What?" She thought she heard wrong.

"Ryan does drugs. He did drugs. Do you know about Willow Creek?" Seth asked.

"Willow Creek?" Marissa was getting way too confused.

"Obviously not. Um, Ryan was in Willow Creek, Summer knows, he's been lying for a year and a half, and Summer's been lying for who knows how long," Seth explained. It pissed him off the most that Summer knew, and he didn't. Why did she have to know? What, were they secretly dating? The thought of that made Seth hate Ryan more.

"He did drugs. Well, do you need a ride back?" Marissa wanted to see if all this was in fact true.

"No, but it's present tense. He's doing drugs," Seth corrected.

"I'll see you later," Marissa was headed to Ryan. She hated him from what she heard from Seth.

Sandy had just headed to get Seth. Ryan was bleeding pretty bad. Seth had started it, but the fall pulled the slice worse. How come Ryan got punched every time there was a drug find-out?

"I'll go get some ice," Kirsten was mad at both her sons, but she still loved them. She wasn't going to kick Ryan out. They'd been through too much.

Ryan waited in the pool house with a paper towel above his eye. His head was ringing.

Marissa was driving to see Ryan. She knew Seth usually didn't lie, but she had to be sure. Why would Ryan do drugs? Marissa didn't want to believe it.

Kirsten was breaking down. Tears were pouring down her face. She was so confused. Everything was happening way too fast. She couldn't handle it.

She took a deep breath. Pull yourself together Kirsten informed herself as she tried to calm down. It wasn't working.

"Fuck," Kirsten sat down in a chair. What the hell was happening to this family? Everything was falling apart just when it was okay. This had to be the umpteenth time this was happening.

Kirsten continued taking deep breaths. She was losing it again. There used to be a time when Kirsten didn't have to worry about either of her sons.

Where was that time?

Marissa parked in the Cohens' driveway. Her head was swarming with new information.

Seth was walking down the pier. His knuckles still hurt like hell even with the ice he was applying to them. He had to get away from his parents and most definitely Ryan.

He could believe his brother. Could he still call Ryan his brother? Seth's brother wasn't a druggie.

How had Ryan and Seth's parents hide this huge secret from Seth? Did Kirsten and Sandy know about Willow Creek when they became Ryan's legal guardians? They had to know. But when had they discussed it? Seth heard them when they talked to Ryan that day.

Unless they had a secret meeting. Great. Seth felt so out of it.

He looked up at where he was. If he squinted his eyes enough, he could see where he jumped. Seth didn't go any farther. He needed a place to go, but where? There was no safety for him. Crap.

Seth headed off the pier and began to walk away from the beach. He came upon a park about five blocks from the pier. How the hell had he walked this far?

The park had a playground in the center, Seth remembered it. Before his grandmother went in the hospital, she would walk him here every so often. He would sit by her and play with Captain Oats, never heading to the actual playground. Luke and his goons were there.

Seth had seen Summer at school, Seth didn't think anything about her. Yes, there used to be a time when Seth wasn't obsessed with Summer Roberts.

Neil had been pushing Summer on a swing, Seth was mesmerized. Summer was laughing, giggling, having the time of her life. Her hair kept falling on her face, and she was telling her dad to go higher.

To Seth, she was just a normal, pretty girl in Newport with no heart.

Seth remembered always sticking by his sick grandmother. He'd only been in Newport for maybe two weeks.

A cell phone rang that day, and Neil went to answer it. Summer didn't notice as she laughing, until she didn't go higher, didn't feel that support behind her. Summer's smile faded as her father's voice got louder. She never got any higher that day.

Neil was screaming at the person on the phone that day and Summer ran off that swing and hid behind a tree to cry.

Seth saw Summer Roberts did have a heart at that point. She felt things. And he fell in love with her.

No one was in the park this morning, it was way too early. The playground felt so strange without any laughter. He was sitting on the same bench his grandmother would sit on, and he could pinpoint where he sat in the ground. He saw the swing Summer sat on that day, and the tree she ran to.

Seth knew no one would find him here. He hadn't been to this playground in ten years. He forgot it existed.

Life was simple back then, when all he had to worry about was...his grandmother. He knew she had been sick, but he didn't understand the extent until the funeral.

Life was supposed to be a swing. You go down, but you come back up. Mostly their lives in Newport was a slide, forever going down. You knew where you were headed.

Sandy was driving down every street. Where the hell was Seth? He wouldn't head to the bus station, would he?

Ten minutes later, Sandy drove by the park and spotted him. Thank God. He pulled over and got out.

"Next time, tell me at least the vicinity of where you're running to so I save some gas. Those prices are through the roof," Sandy looked down at his son, and Seth glanced up before Sandy sat down. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing," Seth looked at the playground he never got on.

"You just punched your brother," Sandy was getting sick of Seth running. Maybe it would be easier to just let him sort everything out himself, but Sandy was afraid he wouldn't come back then.

"He's not my brother. He's a drug addict," Seth had no emotion in his voice. He was upbeat twenty minutes ago and now, drained.

"Seth..." Sandy began to explain everything.

"You lied," Seth pointed out. The only people he could trust not to lie, had.

"We never lied. We just didn't tell you. There's a difference," Sandy always hoped Ryan would be explaining this, not him.

"How long were you gonna keep this from me?" Seth was more hurt by the fact that his whole family knew this for a year and a half.

"It all depended on when Ryan wanted to tell you," Sandy answered and Seth didn't believe him. He knew they never would've told him.

"Sure," Seth rolled his eyes.

"Seth, I know everything is kinda hard to take in, but Ryan really needs us now," Sandy hoped Seth would come to his senses quick.

"He got himself into the problem. Let him get himself out," Seth didn't care about Ryan again.

"Now I see why Ryan didn't want to tell you," Sandy commented.

"Why?" Seth asked.

"Because of your reaction. You've been brothers with him for a year and a half, and you learn he made a mistake, and he's making another one, and you're jumping ship, throwing it all away. There's been plenty of times when he could've just left you on your own, like the pier, but he didn't. He helped you through a lot. He saved your life," Sandy didn't want to fight. He was leaving Seth on his own, so Sandy got up. "You're throwing away a lot, just know that," He told his son before leaving.

Seth sat there for a few seconds, thinking about what his dad said. Maybe he was being too hard on Ryan. Or not. He was confused.

Back at the Cohens, Marissa had just headed out to the pool house. Kirsten saw her go in.

"Hey, what happened?" Marissa acted as calm as she could to Ryan. She guessed there was a fight. Most likely by Seth, but of course, she wasn't sure.

"I fell," Ryan told her. Marissa knew then he was doing drugs. She could tell by the look of him.

"Another lie," Marissa still couldn't believe Ryan did drugs.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan was confused by Marissa.

"Ryan, Seth told me. He told me everything. Willow Creek, the drugs. How could you? All this time and you never told us? And you yelled at me for having problems? You're the one who has problems. God, you're more like Oliver than I thought. You're a fucking hypocritical drug addict. I can't believe you kept this all from us," Marissa accused.

"Marissa, I can explain..." Ryan got up and walked over to her. He had a bad feeling on how this would end.

"Don't. Just get away from me," Marissa would have loved to resolve everything, but it was too far, and she was done. She pushed him away.

"Marissa..." Ryan wanted to tell her what happened.

"Do us all a favor, Ryan. Go back to Chino and leave us all alone," Marissa hated Ryan. She ran out of the pool house in tears.

Ryan felt his world falling apart. Everyone hated him, and he was gonna get kicked out.

He was a drug addict and that was all.

Ryan looked around the pool house. He didn't belong. He would pull a "Seth." He was bolting.

Pulling his old duffel bag out, he put some of his clothes in. He grabbed the stuff he had and put on a jacket. Ryan found a tablet and wrote two words on the paper. "I'm sorry." He placed the paper on the bed that wasn't his. And he walked out the door.

Ryan wasn't a part of this house anymore.

Kirsten finally pulled herself together and got some ice. She didn't see Marissa or Ryan leave. So Kirsten walked into the empty pool house confused. Where were Ryan and Marissa? She knew she saw Marissa come in here.

Then she saw the paper.

Her heart broke once again when she picked up the paper. Tears fell down her face as she read, "I'm sorry." Ryan was gone.

Before Sandy had driven away, Seth got up and ran to his dad.

"Come to your senses yet?" Sandy looked at Seth.

"I guess," Seth said and went to the passenger side of the car. He got in. "Sorry."

"Don't tell me. Tell you brother," Sandy began to drive home. They passed Harbor, and Sandy guessed, neither boy would get to school.

This Valentine's Day was turning into one for the books. And Kirsten and Sandy hoped it would be a quiet normal one. Nothing was ever normal in the Cohens' house.

The ride back to the house was definitely quiet. Neither one of them knew Ryan was headed to the bus station. No one knew where Ryan was. Kirsten tried to call Ryan's cell phone, but Ryan left it there. It wasn't his anymore. It was someone else's.

Ryan hadn't left like Seth did, where he never went far and it was relatively easy to find him. Ryan wanted out of Newport.

Sandy and Seth drove by Marissa, who was headed to her dad's. If she cried there, Jimmy would help. Not like her mother.

Everything was happening way too fast this morning, Marissa thought as she parked her car and went into her father's apartment. Jimmy and Hailey were having breakfast as Marissa came in and slammed the door.

"I'll go talk to her," Jimmy put his fork down and got up.

"Don't. Let me try. I'll give you a break today," Hailey smiled.

"Are you sure? She's a lot to handle, especially in tears," Jimmy warned.

"I'm sure," Hailey walked out of the kitchen and to Marissa's room up the stairs. The door was open and Hailey walked in to see Marissa staring up at the ceiling. "Hey."

"Oh hi, Hailey," Marissa said to her step-sister. She had been expecting her dad.

"So, what are you crying about?" Hailey sat down on Marissa's bed as Marissa sat up.

"I shouldn't talk about it," She didn't feel right telling Hailey.

"I promise I won't tell anyone," Hailey wanted to get closer with Marissa.

"Not even my dad?" Telling Hailey was tempting.

"Not even your dad," Hailey was good at keeping secrets.

"Ryan...he did drugs. And is doing them now," Hailey had definitely not expected that.

"Okay then. So what happened between you two?" Hailey could understand where Ryan was coming from. She used to do drugs.

"I screamed at him and told him to go back to Chino," It felt good letting everything out.

"Not the best thing. Marissa, drugs are really hard to get over. Temptation is always there, and it's an escape. Have you ever felt that?" Hailey didn't know about Marissa's drinking problems.

"All the time," Marissa was beginning to feel bad.

"So you know where he's coming from," Hailey was confused by Marissa's answer.

"Yeah. I called him a hypocrite and I was being the biggest hypocrite of all," Marissa realized. Now she hated herself. She looked up at her step-sister. "Thanks Hailey."

"No problem. Is there anything else you wanna talk about?" Hailey felt like she hadn't really helped at all.

"If I think of anything, I'll come," Marissa now wanted to be left alone.

"Okay," Hailey got up and left Marissa to think about how to fix the situation with Ryan.

It had just turned to ten o'clock when Sandy and Seth walked into the kitchen. Kirsten was sitting there, staring at the note. She wished Ryan had written more.

"Found him," Sandy announced and smiled at his wife.

"Great," Kirsten choked out and stood up.

"Where's Ryan?" Seth looked out the window.

"What's wrong, Kirsten?" Sandy noticed the troubled look on his wife's face.

"He's gone."

So? What did everyone think? I want your honest opinions. And please review if you don't usually! I love seeing how many people do read this! What do you guys like? What don't you like? See, I finished writing this, and I'm about two chapters into the sequel, and I wanted to know what you want to see. More Seth drama, more Summer drama. Because I have a slew of ideas. Only two more chapters to go! Since this one is done. Please review, you know you want to.