Disclaimer: Everything and everyone belong to Josh Schwartz.
"Family isn't about whose blood you have, its about who you care about." -TreyParker and Matt Stone, South Park Chapter 1Ryan sighed and looked around at his fellow classmates as they hugged their parents, jumping up and down, yelling 'its OVER its OVER!' as loud as they could, graduation robes tossed aside and hats thrown in the air. As disfunctional and unloving as his biological family was, Ryan still wished they'd come. Not Dad of course, he didn't want an ass kicking, he wanted an audience. A proud audience. One that wouldn't end up smacking him round the head, asking why he wasn't validictorian. One that would come to the ceremony sober and lucid, instead of under the influence.
He turned from his seat on the park bench to a spot not fifteen feet away where his mother was straitening his brothers graduation cap, much to his dismay, and his father watched on in amusement. Wait, not his father,his mother, his brother, and as painful as the truth was, not his family. But at least, on this very important day, they could be his audience.
"Ryan! Come on, were ready to go." Said Seth, from beside his parents. Ryan stood up from his seat on the bench and walked over to his 'family'.
"We are oh-so-excitedly talking about Seth's post-secondary plans."said Sandy, laying on the sarcasm. Ryan smirked in Seth's direction, who in turn rolled his eyes.
Ever since Seth had told his parents his plans on taking a year off, they've been having 'discussion' after 'discussion', apparently Sandy and Kirsten weren't pleased with his decision.
"Why don't we discuss this later," Said Seth, in an effort to change the subject and avoid getting chastised, "For now why don't we do the Cohen specailty?"
"Take out?" Ryan asked, knowing the answer.
"Take out." Seth confirmed, closing his eyes and nodding his head rightiously.
"We WILL discuss this later though." Kirsten stated, with a smile at her sons responding groan. She put an arm around Seth and headed toward the car.
Ryan, meanwhile, once again was scanning the croud. Was there any point? He asked himself, in hoping that they'd be there. Any of them? no, as usual his family had disappointed him, not that he had been expecting them, because he wasn't. not really. So he shouldn't be disappointed. Should he?
"Ryan?" Ryan started out of his daze and looked at Sandy, Kirsten and Seth were some feet behind him, looking on curiously. Ryan mentally cursed himself for letting down his guard, showing weakness. Sandy knew what he had been looking for, or rather, who he'd been looking for.
"Come on kid, lets get home." He said, locking his understanding gaze with Ryan's.
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"So Ryan have you thought about it?" Seth asked, hopefully.
The two of them were in the poolhouse after eating a nice family meal of take out Chinese with Sandy and Kirsten. Ryan found it quite entertaining to watch as Seth avoid any and all questions about his non-college related plans. Seth had been paceing around the poolhouse and it was starting to irritate Ryan, who was lying on his stomach on the bed, reading
"Thought about what?" Ryan asked, looking up from Seth's legion comic, confused.
"The party!" Seth exclaimed as if it were so obvious. "Remember Dad asking us to plan it?"
Ryan's memory came flooding back. The party. Sandy and Kirsten's 20th anniversery party. Right.
"Yeah..yeah.. the party" He shook his head, chastising himself for forgetting.
"Good, cuz I was thinking we'd throw a rager, beer and marijuana everywhere, you know, bring Dad back to the old days." Seth made a motion bringing his fingers to his mouth in some half baked impression of smoking pot.
"Um..i had something different in mind," Ryan stated. Of course he hadn't even begun planning but anything to keep Seth from planning this party. Judgeing from his ideas so far, Ryan would have to take charge.
"Like what?"Seth asked, curiousity written all over his face. Seth could look so young sometimes, Ryan thought, he wondered idly if there was a time when Ryan himself had ever looked that young. He dismissed it.
"Um…maybe…big party.Ask Mr. Nichol if we can use his house. Everyone in Newport is invited. Invite Sandy's family to fly over. Get Summer and Marissa to decorate." Ryan finished, a little shocked that all that had come out off the top of his head.
"Wow." Seth was speechless, for once, whether it was that he hadn't been expecting such seemingly thoughtout ideas or the fact that it was the longest sentence that he'd ever heard Ryan say. Probibly the latter. He snapped out of it soon enough.
"So whats my job?" He asked, excitedly.
"Why don't you call everyone." Ryan suggested. Seth looked disappointed at such a stupid and boring task.
"Why me? Why not you?" he pouted. Ryan gave him a 'isn't it obvious look'. Seth understood.
"Right…the 'criminal from Chino that is 'supposedly' mooching off all our money' might not be so well received." Seth then bounced off to complete his task.
Ryan sighed and set to work.
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Ryan was completely overwhelmed. The party was tomorrow night and the caterer had backed out, the Cohen's flight had been delayed until the morning and he had just gotten a desperate call from the crab shack asking him to work both today and tomorrow.
He slumped back on his bed, defeated.
"oh Come on Chino relax. We have everything covered." Right, Summer and Marissa were over, going over the decoration plans with him and Seth.
"Yeah Ryan, don't worry about it, go into work, we'll go over everything with Seth." Marissa reassred. Ryan looked at her pointedly.
"Don't worry Chino we won't take any of his advice." Summer stated.
"Hey, I'll have you know, that I am quite the decorator." Seth defended, " Just take a look at the Cohen Boudoir, come on Summer I'll show you, Marissa you stay here…unless" Seth raised his eyebrows up and down comically. He was responded to with a slap on the arm from Summer and Marissa.
"I won't be able to help with anymore planning." Ryan stated, worried but a little relieved to have the responsibility ready to be taken off his shoulders.
"Relax okay? We got it covered." Seth sighed, exasperated, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
"I'll be late for the party." Ryan thought allowed.
"That's okay we won't start up anything until you get there." Marissa said, " Now go or you'll be late for work. Ryan sighed, relenting and stood up, grabbed his stuff and headed for the door. He stopped halfway and turned around, opening his mouth to speak.
"We'll call you if we need your help." Summer reassured once again, "Go." Ryan turned and left.
"What a worrier." Seth snorted, "We can handle this, how hard can it be, its just one tiny..huge, very important party."
"Okay, we can do it. Seth any ideas of what you and Ryan wanted for flowers and table linens?" Marissa asked, getting down to business. Seth sat down on Ryan's bed.
"Well, Ryan was thinking that we'd go for the whole Frank Miller theme and get everything in black and white-" Seth stopped himself at the annoyed looks he was getting and quickly righted himself, "But I was thinking that you guys should just go with what you're compfortable with."
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"Oh my god I think I'm going to hyperventilate." Seth breathed, panicked.
"Cohen, calm down. You're overreacting." Summer said from beside him.
"Oh god this is like Hailey locking us in the poolhouse all over again." Seth now had a paper bag over his mouth and nose breathing in and out in and out.
"Seth, chill out its just one mixed up appitizer." Marissa reassured him.
The caterers had mixed up the cocktail weenies that they had ordered with calimari.
"No its not! This whole thing's a disaster! Its starting in a few minutes and if Dad doesn't see his cocktail weenies, we are all going to pay!"
The party was moments away and people were just starting to arrive at Caleb's, meanwhile Seth was panicking, and Ryan was still at work.
"He isn't going to care Cohen." Summer vented, "Just relaxed we got everything covered."
The doorbel rang and Marissa went to answer it. She was rewarded with the sight of quite a number of people with black curly hair standing on her porch.
"Hi you must be the Cohens, come right in." She stepped aside. There was an elderly woman in front, along with five adults and quite a number of kids.
"Sethela!" cried the elderly woman, who Marissa presumed to be Sandy's mom.
"Hi Nana." Seth immediately threwaway his paper bag so as to not show weakness in front of the most intimidateing person he'd ever met. He hugged his grandmother and then, in turn all of his curly haired relatives.
"um..everyone its great to see you. This is my girlfriend Summer, and my friend Marissa. Girls these are my relatives." Seth introduced so as not to need to introduce each one.
The kids ran off to look around what was in their oppinion, the biggest house they'd ever seen.
"So Sethela are Sandy and Kirsten here yet?" his Nana asked, looking around.
"Not yet Nana, they won't be here for another forty five minutes. If you want drinks the kitchen is that way." Seth directed his family.
"What about Ryan," his Aunt Terry asked, "We've all been dying to meet him." The others nodded their heads in agreement.
"He actually got pulled into work but he'll be here soon I promise."
TBC….
