Bad Behavior Chapter 15

24 Hour Pass

Ryan hadn't slept all night, which only made the time drag even slower. Nervous energy had him pacing his cell again, willing the clock forward. When the lights finally came on and he listened the to the morning announcements for the last time, a smile crept across his face. Today was the day he got his twenty-four hour pass. All he had to do was get through breakfast and he would be released at ten a.m.

When the gates snapped open he made a point of getting to the mess hall right away so he could eat and return to his cell as quickly as possible. After all, he was still an Atwood and he hadn't been released yet. He knew that meant there was still time for something to go wrong and he wasn't going to let anything get in his way…not today.

Unfortunately, it seemed many of the inmates had the same idea, or at least everyone was hungry on this particular morning and the mess hall was crowded. Ryan stood in line quietly and got his food. Having no choice but to sit with other inmates, he parked himself at the end of a table next to the serving line.

"Hey you're Atwood right?"

"Great, here it comes," Ryan thought to himself. "Yeah," he acknowledged, eyeballing the inmate across from him.

"I hear you're getting out today."

"Sort of. They're sending me to The Ranch."

"Seriously? That's great man. I've heard guys talk about it there. Supposed to be nice. Nothing like here anyhow."

Ryan was only half listening. He was preoccupied with a disagreement that had erupted in the food line merely a few feet away from his seat. It didn't take long for the shouting to turn into shoving and for the shoving to turn into a full fledged brawl that landed on the table where Ryan and the other inmates were sitting, minding their own business.

"Break it up! Break it up!" The guards shouted. "You boys at the table, up against that wall! Now! Arms up! Move it!"

All of the inmates from the table moved to the wall as they were told and assumed the requested 'spread 'em' position.

"Son of bitch," Ryan mumbled under his breath.

"Stay cool man. We didn't do anything wrong. Keep it together, you're leaving today."

"Then why do I have such a bad feeling about this?"

"It'll be fine man. Be cool."

It took several minutes to get the brawl under control since the boys involved had no intention of leaving quietly. The entire mess hall had come to a complete stand still, marveling at the main attraction in front of them.

When Guard Anderson entered, he immediately caught a glimpse of Ryan and the other inmates lined up against the wall. "Campbell, what's with these guys against the wall?"

"They're fine. We had a couple of punks go at it and they landed on their table while they were eating. We were just trying to keep anyone from retaliating. Unfortunately, their trays are all trashed so I need them to clean up this table and get some new chow."

"Alright boys, you know what to do. Let's get to it," Anderson instructed.

Still starving, the other inmates retreated to clean up the mess at their table. Ryan slowly lowered his arms, rested his forehead against the wall and closed his eyes. That was too close for comfort.

"Come on Atwood, it's over with."

Ryan turned to face Anderson. "I think I'd like to skip breakfast if it's okay with you."

"Freaked you out a little huh?"

Ryan nodded. "Two hours left man. I don't need this. Not today."

"I know you're not gonna screw this up Atwood. Go get yourself something to eat. I'll make sure you get out of here today okay?"

Ryan turned just his eyes to the guard, not sharing his confidence.

"Come on kid, you know I gotta make you eat my food one more time, especially since you already told me you're not coming back here."

The wisecrack got a smirk out of Ryan. Nodding again Ryan walked past Anderson towards the start of the food line.

Meanwhile at the Cohen house, preparations were already well underway for Ryan's arrival. Kirsten had spent the previous evening packing his suitcase for The Ranch so it would already be done. The early morning sun found her and her cup of coffee sitting in the kitchen preparing a list for the dinner order.

"Okay so that's…garden salad, antipasta salad, ravioli, baked ziti, chicken parmesan, chicken marsala, sausage and peppers, vesuvio potatoes…oh we need garlic bread."

"Honey, Ryan is going to be home for one dinner," Sandy laughed, looking over his wife's shoulder at the food order.

"That's all the stuff he loves. We need another pasta, that's not enough pasta."

"Honey, Honey, listen to me, please," Sandy chuckled again, taking the pen and tablet away from his wife. "Even Seth can't eat that much food. It's plenty."

"He's been in Juvie for two weeks Sandy. I just want him to feel like he's home."

"Trust me, he's going to be just fine. The only problem he's facing right now is getting rid of the garlic on his breath before he meets the other guys tomorrow," Sandy continued to joke.

Groaning, "I don't even want to think about tomorrow. I wish I could just freeze time when he walks through that door."

"The Ranch will be good for him. It won't feel like he's doing time there."

"What time does he have to check in?"

"He's got to be there by three o'clock. It's a good hour and a half away so we'll have to leave right after lunch."

"Really? That means he'll be here for lunch tomorrow…Oh Pad Thai! He loves that. We'll get some of that and some of those dumplings. Oh Seth's gonna want that soup…Sandy give me the pen."

Grabbing the pen, Sandy hurried towards the living room.

"Sandy get back here! I have a whole drawer full of pens in here! Alright, that's it! I've got the marker and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Slowly walking back into the kitchen, defeated, "What has happened to my wife?"

Yanking her pen away from Sandy, "Ryan's coming home today and we're going to celebrate! Now…go get him!" Kirsten demanded, happily planting a kiss on Sandy's lips.

"Ew. Don't do that when Ryan gets here okay. He doesn't want to spend his only day at home watching you two suck face," Seth interrupted.

"Right," Sandy mumbled separating himself from his wife. "I'm off to get Ryan, we'll be back here around noon."

"Sandy, get him whatever he wants for lunch…pizza, cheeseburgers, Pad Thai…" Kirsten yelled after him.

"I can't believe it's today. I'm going to go organize a few things before he gets here. I got some new comics while he was gone and the new video games…"

"I almost feel bad for Ryan," Kirsten mentioned. "We've all missed him so much, poor guy isn't going to get a moments rest while he's here."

"Yeah but…he's coming home," Seth smiled, drumming his hands on the countertop.

"Yeah," Kirsten smiled back and wrinkled her nose. "So much to do. I've got to go pick up the cake."

"Chocolate?"

"You know it! I'll be right back."

"I'm gonna get my stuff together. See ya."

Sandy paced the lobby, checking the doorway to the Guard Center every thirty seconds. Now he understood Kirsten's excitement. There was electricity in the air. He was anxious to see Ryan's face. He wanted to know if he was feeling it too.

"Juvenile on release, Atwood!" someone in the Guard Center called out.

Sandy's heart raced. This was it. Once the guard let Ryan through those doors hopefully he'd be out of this place for good.

"Sign here, Atwood." There was a pause. "Good luck son."

"Thank you sir."

Hearing Ryan's voice made Sandy smile. Positioning himself right in front of the door, he waited for the knob to turn. It took every ounce of control to not run up and yank the door open. Finally, with the click of a latch, Ryan stepped through the door.

"There he is!" Sandy beamed, immediately hugging Ryan. "How are you doing?"

"I had no idea it could feel this good to leave this place," Ryan smiled. Looking around, "Where's…"

"Oh kid, I'm worried about those two. Since your hearing, those guys have been planning and preparing everything they can think of for your day off. This morning, I actually had to take a pen away from Kirsten in order to stop her from making another list. I swear she's confusing The Ranch with a camp that assists overweight kids because she's easily hoping to pack fifteen to forty more pounds on you by morning! She's ordered half of Newport and it's all going to arrive at various times during your pass."

Laughing, "Maybe we should pick up some heartburn tablets on the way home."

"You're probably right. Today is a special day and we're all going to eat ourselves senseless!"

Ryan smiled from ear to ear. The Cohens hadn't missed a beat. This is what it was like to get out of Juvie and go home to a family that cared about you, that missed you. Ryan couldn't wait to get back home. Truth be told, they could have served him frozen pizza and flat soda and it still would have been special because he knew they cared.

Just as the clock in Juvie took it's sweet time, the ride home seemed to last forever, even though Sandy was speeding most of the way. Once they were home and Sandy shut the car off, they exchanged a look.

"You ready for this?"

"Absolutely," Ryan smiled.

"Well then let's go!"

Opening the front door, Sandy walked through first. "Calling all Cohens! We've got company for lunch!"

"RYAN! Ryan, are you home? Oh my God, you're really here!" Kirsten exclaimed running across the living room and embracing Ryan. "Oh sweetie I missed you so much!"

"Ryan, buddy you're home!" Seth jumped in for a group hug.

"Okay, okay, Team Cohen, let's not squish him too much! He's only been here for thirty seconds!"

"Oh Sandy, I'd squish him for the next twenty three hours if he'd let me!"

Slowly pulling apart, Kirsten could see Ryan's cheeks flush with embarrassment but he was still smiling his heart out. He was loving every second of this.

"Well come on, let's get this party started!" Sandy encouraged.

Walking into the kitchen, the mouths of all three men fell open. Laid out across the breakfast island was a picnic fit for a king. Multiple trays of lunchmeats and cheeses and breads as well as various salads and jellos and chips and fruits covered every inch of the counter.

"We should have gotten those heartburn tabs Sandy," Ryan mocked.

"Ha! It's all on you kid! Enjoy!"

"Ry, don't be shy man. Get up there and make a dish so the rest of us drooling souls can eat," Seth pleaded.

"No, no let's all do this at the same time…as a family."

"I like that idea," Seth agreed.

"I'm in," Sandy added.

"Oh that's perfect because I've been wanting that smoked turkey all morning!" Kirsten agreed.

Passing out plates, everyone dug in at the same time. Ryan absorbed every second of it all. He couldn't have asked for anything more.

Later that afternoon, Ryan went back to his room for the first time. Sitting down on his bed he grabbed his pillow, held it to his face and inhaled. Fresh. He tried to hide his smile when Kirsten walked in.

"Hey, doing okay in here?"

"Yeah. I was just…I like the way these smell," he admitted sheepishly.

"Me too." Taking a seat next to Ryan, "I bet it feels good to be home doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does. I wish I didn't have to leave."

"Oh The Ranch will be easy I think, at least, compared to what you've been through. You'll be back before you know it."

"No, I meant the big picture. My Mom, the court papers…"

"Ahhh. Well, we're not going to worry about that today. Today is about us, about our family. We're not going to think on that today. There'll be plenty of time to deal all of that when you come back. Besides, you're talking like it's all said and done. Nothing's been decided yet. And your life is on an upswing remember? You might get pleasantly surprised."

"I hope you're right. I like it here."

"I'm glad to hear that. Well I'm supposed to bring you back inside for something that Seth and Sandy have planned. I have no idea what it is so we'll find out together."

Walking out of the pool house, they only made it a few steps before…SPLAT! Kirsten gasped and Ryan instinctively put his arms up to shelter his face.

"What the…" Ryan complained. Looking down at his soaked t-shirt, he heard Seth laughing from across the patio. He turned his head just in time to duck another SPLAT! Kirsten however was not so lucky and got tagged in the side of the head.

"Sandy! What are you doing?" she yelled

"They've got water balloons!" Ryan announced.

"You're basket's all over there Honey! Help yourself!" Sandy explained, as he and Seth whipped a double whammy at Ryan and Kirsten who were now cowering behind the BBQ pit.

"They are so dead! Come on! Over here!"

Ryan and Kirsten ran to the opposite side of the pool where Sandy and Seth had left a laundry basket full of water balloons. Hiding behind some lawn chairs and a giant planter, Ryan launched their plan of attack.

"Alright, we're gonna take this basket back over to the steps so we can get closer to them. Keep your back to them and just let them throw everything they've got."

"Are you nuts! We're gonna get drenched!" Kirsten objected.

"Yeah, but then they'll be out of balloons…" Ryan schemed, smiling slyly.

"I love having a bad boy on my team! Let's get 'em!"

Each taking a side of the basket, they made their way to the steps as Seth and Sandy pelted them without remorse. Ryan showed Kirsten how to hold multiple balloons at one time by the knots. In a double-pronged assault, they raced across the patio to get revenge. While Kirsten took aim on clothing, Ryan was aiming for faces…both were making contact. A lucky throw and a fit of laughter rendered Kirsten and the boys useless when one of her balloons hit low, causing it to look like Sandy wet his pants.

"Dad that's just wrong on so many levels!" Seth laughed.

"Seth…we have a serious problem! We're out of balloons!"

"NOW!" Ryan yelled.

Throwing two balloons at a time each, Ryan and Kirsten bombarded Seth and Sandy. When all was said and done, Sandy proclaimed them the official winners of the game.

"Don't move guys! Let me get my camera!" Kirsten requested, flipping wet hair out of her face. Returning quickly, the guys all lined up sporting dripping hair and soaked clothes with pieces of popped balloons hanging off of them. The smiles on their faces were priceless.

"Perfect!"

"You know I think I was five the last time I did that," Ryan reminisced.

"I admit Ry, it was a rather Kindergartenish idea but still fun," Seth explained. "I thought it was a good way for you to work out some of your frustrations without actually hurting anyone."

"Nah that was good," he smiled. "I definitely wasn't expecting that, that's for sure!"

"Okay, guys, you're on your own. I need to get changed and get the dinner order going. I'll be inside if you need anything."

Each taking a seat at the patio table to dry off a bit, Ryan and Seth sat in silence. Since being quiet isn't Seth's strongest trait, it didn't last long.

"I'm really glad the judge gave you this pass."

"Yeah me too. It's already suppertime though. Morning's gonna be here before we know it."

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"Only because I don't know what to expect you know. You guys softened me. The old me wouldn't have cared."

"My Dad says it's a pretty cool place."

"Yeah he told me that too. I guess I'll find out soon enough."

Dinner came and went and the rest of the evening was spent on board games and video games and the giant chocolate cake Kirsten brought home. It was after midnight by the time Ryan was ready to call it a night. Sandy could see he was just exhausted but that he didn't want the day to end.

Laying down on his bed, he pulled the covers over his legs and watched the the reflections from the swimming pool shimmer on his ceiling. Unlike Juvie, his room was dead quiet. His eyelids were getting heavy when Sandy and Kirsten entered his room.

"Hey kid, you need anything?" Sandy inquired.

Ryan just shook his head as Kirsten bent down and pulled his covers up to his chest. Ryan gave her a weak smile.

Sitting down on his bed, Kirsten noticed him turn his full attention to her. "I want you to promise me that you'll have breakfast with me tomorrow."

Ryan's eyes flipped to Sandy momentarily before returning to Kirsten's. He knew where this was going.

"I'll be here," he said quietly. "I don't want to run anymore. Now that I'm faced with having to go back to Chino…all that time I wasted, running away and hiding, acting out. I could have been here. I never wanted to accept it because I thought for sure it wouldn't last but, I really like it here and I don't want to waste anymore time."

"And we really like that you're here," Sandy added.

"Okay, then we'll see you at breakfast." Leaning forward Kirsten kissed Ryan's forehead before stepping aside for Sandy to say goodnight.

"Sweet dreams son. Get some rest." Sandy patted Ryan's shoulder and gave a wink.

Ryan turned his head so he could watch them go back to the house. Crossing the patio they put their arms around each other. It was nice to see them act so loving toward each other. His parents were never like that. Ever.

Tomorrow Sandy would drive him to The Ranch. Settling back against his pillow he concentrated on the shimmering ceiling again. Sandy was right. The unknown had him unnerved. He wished he knew what was coming. He tried to remind himself how happy Sandy was when that sentence came down and how he said it was good news. Problem was history spoke for itself and Ryan had never really gone anywhere where people didn't treat him badly. The only safe haven was the Cohen's home. Since he hadn't slept the night before he lost the battle to keep his eyes open and he drifted off to sleep.

(TBC)