Thank you once again for all the reviews. They are all appreciated. And I promise I will get to Dawn, Seth, Sandy and Kirsten soon!
The words in italics are from U2 – "Sometimes you can't make it on your own". Kind of appropriate I thought.
Tough, you think you've got the stuff
You're telling me and anyone
You're hard enough
Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone
Where are we now?
I've got to let you know
A house still doesn't make a home
Don't leave me here alone...
Chapter Eleven
The car screeched to a halt and Marissa hauled herself out, slamming the door behind her furiously. She strode through the house and out to the pool, where Caleb and Julie lay sunning themselves.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Caleb removed his shades and folded his newspaper deliberately, eying his stepdaughter with an amused look.
Julie sat up from her lounger bristling.
"Don't speak to your step father like that!"
Marissa turned on her mother, her hands positioned on her hips indignantly.
"Do you know what he's done? Do you know he's thrown Ryan out of the house?"
Julie sighed wearily and regarded her daughter.
"Caleb and I are only looking out for your best interests Marissa.."
"My best interests? What about poor Ryan? I can't believe you knew about this! I can't believe you are my mother! You are despicable."
Julie swallowed, clearly rattled.
"Of course your mother knew" Caleb interrupted, already irritated. "She came to me and explained her reservations about Ryan living here so close to you. And I have to say Marissa, I completely agreed with her. That boy is trouble. And if Sandy and Kirsten want to put up with his devious ways, well that's up to them, but I will not have anyone under my roof put at risk."
Marissa smirked in disgust.
"This has nothing to do with me…"
Caleb looked at her coldly and shuffled his newspaper.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," he responded dismissively, returning to his paper.
"You and Mom have been trying to get rid of Ryan ever since he got here."
"Don't be so silly Marissa. I have no control over what happens in that boy's life any more than you do."
Marissa wavered for a minute, her total belief that Caleb lay behind all of Ryan's current problems shaken slightly.
"Then why did you make him leave?"
Caleb put down his newspaper, resigned to the fact that his afternoon of peace was shattered.
"According to Ryan's social worker, Ryan's mother is seeking the right to have him back living with her. Your mother and I did not feel it was appropriate to have him live with us, even temporarily, bearing in mind what happened to that girl in the summer…" Marissa rolled her eyes in frustration. Caleb continued. "And with Sandy and Kirsten hurt and his mother wanting him back, his leaving was inevitable, whether we liked it or not. It's just happened a little sooner than it would have done."
Marissa fixed her eyes on Caleb.
"You could have let him stay until his mother was ready to have him back…"
"I thought I'd just been over that?" Caleb answered pointedly.
He regarded his step daughter defiantly. "I trust that you and Summer will keep quiet about this. I don't want Seth gallivanting half way across the world on some mercy mission. His parents should be his priority right now."
Marissa looked at him coldly.
"Funny, that's just what Ryan said."
Julie stood up and wrapped her toweling robe around her.
"Marissa honey," she wheedled, "Caleb and I just want to do what we think is best for you sweetheart. You know that boy attracts trouble. Besides, it's kinder him in the long run. Having him stay here may have given him false hope about staying with the Cohens…"
Julie smiled magnanimously at her daughter. Marissa pouted.
"Well I'd hate to be in your shoes when Sandy and Kirsten get back. They'll never forgive you for treating Ryan like this…"
Julie went a little pale at the reminder of what she was doing to a woman she classed as a friend, but Caleb sat smugly, unperturbed by his step daughter's comments.
Julie watched as Marissa turned on her heels and stalked back inside. She turned round to face Caleb.
"You know, she has a point. Maybe we should at least have let Ryan stay until this thing with his mother was sorted…"
"Julie, Julie, don't worry about it. When I speak to Sandy and Kirsten I'll explain what a difficult situation we were in. They won't like it but they'll get over it. Besides, it's not as if they'll ever know I had anything to do with him returning to his mother…"
"They'd better not Cal. I could lose my daughter and my best friend…"
Caleb got up and kissed his wife on the head with mild affection.
"Trust me, my employees are very discreet…"
Summer spotted Marissa towering above several other female students queuing at the coffee cart.
"Hey"
"Hey"
"Heard anything?"
Marissa shook her head regretfully.
"I'm guessing you haven't either?"
"No, do you think he's OK?"
Marissa picked up her latte and they headed for the nearest vacant couch.
"I don't know Sum. I'm really worried. I mean, Ryan's never great at talking, even at the best of times, but I just don't understand why he couldn't call one of us and tell us where he is. It's been two weeks and all we've had is a note asking us to mail something to Kirsten."
"Well at least we had that. So we know he's in Chino…"
"Yeah, like that's helpful, " Marissa mocked. Seeing her friend flush, she felt guilty. "What I meant was, Chino is huge. He could be anywhere.."
Summer took a sip of her coffee, thinking.
"You know, Dr Kim will know where he is. At least which school he's going to. They'll have sent on his student records right?"
Marissa tossed her head in dismissal.
"Come on Summer, Dr Kim can't tell us stuff like that, she'd get fired."
Summer scowled in disappointment. "I guess you're right. But it couldn't hurt to ask could it? We could tell her how worried we are!" She looked pleadingly at Marissa.
It was obvious that Marissa thought it was a waste of time but she snapped on the lid of her coffee cup and stood up.
"I guess it can't hurt, come on."
"Marissa, Summer, it's admirable that you've come here so concerned for your friend, truly it is. But you must know I can't give out information like this."
Marissa gave Summer an "I told you so " look.
Dr Kim looked at the two girls with sympathy. She wished she could help but passing on information about other students, whether past or present, was strictly forbidden. She attempted to reassure them.
"Girls, I'm sure Ryan is fine. He has his social worker, she'll be checking up on him regularly…"
Marissa and Summer glanced at each other, defeated.
"Well, thank you Dr Kim, for your time…."
She smiled at them.
"I'm sure Ryan will be calling you before long. Just give him a chance to settle in to his new home…"
As soon as they left, Dr Kim marched outside to her secretary.
"Mary, do we have the details of Ryan Atwood's new school?"
The secretary looked flustered. She surveyed her chaotic desk and began searching through a pile of papers.
"Yes Dr Kim, somewhere I have a note asking for his records to be transferred. I sent them a couple of days ago."
She moved to a filing cabinet and emerged triumphant.
"Yes, here it is. The school phone number is there too."
Dr Kim nodded her thanks, making a mental note to ask the trustees if she could employ an extra member of staff to relieve the burden of some administrative duties from Mary, the woman was clearly swamped.
She sat back in her chair and picked up the phone. Within minutes she was speaking to the Principal at North Chino High school.
"Dr Kim? Dean of The Harbor School in Newport right?"
"Yes, I'm just calling regarding one of your transfer students…"
"Don't tell me, Ryan Atwood?"
Dr Kim was impressed. Clearly this man had his finger on the pulse. She hesitated, not wishing to appear like she was interfering, but keen nonetheless to establish how Ryan was doing.
"I'm glad you called actually Dr Kim. I've just been looking through Mr. Atwood's file. Some of my teachers have been commenting that the Ryan Atwood they are teaching appears to be a completely different type of student to the one portrayed in his records from Harbor…"
Dr Kim's heart sank. She had hoped that Ryan wouldn't let his circumstances stand in the way of his education. Clearly this wasn't the case.
"Ryan's had a lot to deal with in the last few weeks Mr. Bowman, but he is a very bright boy. Don't let him convince you otherwise…"
The principal sounded doubtful at the other end of the line.
"Hmmm, well, he's not giving anything away. I'll give him a couple more weeks to settle in and if things don't improve I'll haul him in to my office. If he's as bright as you say, I don't want him to get lost in the system."
"We had hoped that once Ryan's former foster parents had recovered that he may be returning to us…" she began hesitantly.
"Not from what I've heard," the principle spoke dismissively. "His social worker told me last week that in every likelihood he'd be going back to live with his mother in the near future."
Dr Kim was surprised but she didn't question it.
"Well, I just wanted to call and see how he was settling in. When you speak to him, send him my best wishes."
The two principals ended the conversation with vague pleasantries and Dr Kim replaced the handset. Resting her head back against her chair wearily, she mulled over what she had learned. If Ryan really was returning to his mother, then that would explain why he had not contacted his friends. Dr Kim sighed and retrieved from her desk drawer her list of students waiting for a place at Harbor. If he wasn't coming back, she supposed she'd better get on and offer his place to someone else.
Ryan slouched at the back of the classroom, his chin obscured by the zipped up hoody, his hair flopping untidily in front of his eyes. He doodled idly on his notepad in front of him. He'd given up listening to the teacher about ten minutes earlier. He'd covered this stuff already at Harbor, and he'd got it the first time. He thought back to Hills. He'd been bored there most of the time too, only then he'd had Theresa to sit with, and they'd flirt and tease each other to while away the hours until the bell rang for the end of school and they could escape to their favorite make out spot. This school was much the same as Hills, large, noisy, run down, full of kids who weren't interested in learning with a smattering of kids who were, full of teachers who'd forgotten why they wanted to teach in the first place and were just happy if they got through a class without a fight breaking out. The classes were much bigger than at Harbor and Ryan had found he could sit at the back in obscurity and no one bothered him. He'd been here for nearly two weeks and he'd spoken to virtually no one. At lunch break, he'd skulk off to a quiet corner behind the gymnasium, have some smokes and brood. Seth had sent him many rambling texts from Italy, which Ryan would scan quickly, picking out the important parts about Sandy and Kirsten and ignoring the rest. He'd reply every so often, a short non-committal response, which gave nothing away. Marissa and Summer appeared to have kept their word and not told Seth what had happened, for which he was grateful. They'd called him constantly the first few days but every time either of their names flashed up, he would let his voicemail pick up. Now that he was sure he'd be returning to his mother, he saw little point in them coming to visit. He'd learnt last summer with Theresa that the least painful way for everyone was to cut the ties. The calls still came but they were getting less frequent by the day and Ryan hoped they'd got the message.
As the bell rang sharply, the teacher tried to call the class to attention, straining his voice to make himself heard over the clatter of chairs being moved and kids rushing for the door.
"Now people, I know it's Friday, but please, don't forget you have your assignments to complete for Monday. Anyone not completing them will get a detention, so don't say I didn't warn you!"
Ryan shuffled past the teacher's desk towards the door trying to be inconspicuous.
"Mr. Atwood!"
Ryan turned slowly to face the teacher. He hadn't even known he knew his name.
"I'm expecting an assignment from you too OK? I just got your reports from your last school. Seems you've been holding out on me. I'll expect some significant contributions from you in class next week," he added pointedly.
Ryan nodded in silent understanding and headed out of class. A pretty little dark haired girl hung back and smiled at him as he emerged from the classroom. Leaning against the wall, she studied him curiously.
"Don't mess with Mr. Miller, he may seem like a walk over but he gets really pissed if you don't get his homework done!" Ryan raised his eyebrows speculatively.
"Thanks for the tip," he murmured shyly.
"You're welcome. See ya new kid!"
The girl tossed her hair teasingly and set off down the hall, hips swinging, trying to catch up with a rabble of boys. She reminded him a little of Summer.
"See ya," Ryan murmured under his breath, his eyes blinking, following her as she disappeared into the distance.
Ryan dragged his heels back to the Parkers' home. Caleb had been as good as his word and his belongings had arrived parceled up in three large boxes, a day or so after he'd arrived. To be fair to the man, nearly all his stuff was there, including his iPod and his laptop, both generous gifts from the Cohens during his first few weeks living with them. His bike however, had not appeared. It was possible that Caleb didn't even know it existed so he would give him the benefit of the doubt, although it was kind of ironic that the one thing he'd brought from Chino with him was the one thing he wasn't bringing back. It was of no consequence anyhow, he could walk easily from the Parkers' house to school and he didn't go anywhere else anyway. Ryan kicked at a loose stone as he walked. Suddenly an overwhelming wave of homesickness engulfed him. His eyes prickled painfully and he brushed at them irritably.
So deep was he in thought, he failed to notice two scruffy Latino boys slouching against the entrance to the local liquor store. He looked up just in time to see one of them flick away his cigarette and move into his path, his arms folded menacingly. Ryan stopped, glancing uncertainly between the boy and his companion. The friend remained slouched but watchful, cigarette dangling idly from his mouth.
Ryan stared at the boy obstructing his path. He was about a foot taller than Ryan, gangly but broad shouldered.
"Is there a problem?" Ryan asked purposefully, pulling himself up to his full height.
"Yeah rich kid, maybe!" the kid answered, his face dangerously close to Ryan's.
Ryan's lips tightened.
"I'm not rich.." he said shortly, staring the boy down.
The taller boy snickered and flicked his hand at Ryan's chest.
"Mr. Alligator T-shirt? Come on man…"
Ryan chewed the inside of his gum nervously, his face white with tension.
"What do you want?"
"What are you doin' talkin' to my girl?"
Ryan was confused. He looked around briefly. What the hell was this jerk talking about? Suddenly he remembered where he'd seen this kid before. He hung out at the back of class with his friends, passing notes and making threatening remarks under his breath to anyone foolish enough to look his way. He'd seen the Summer look-alike hanging on his arm several times. Ryan sighed. Suddenly, things were taking a horribly familiar turn.
"I just asked her about the assignment," he lied, anxious not to land the girl in trouble with her thug boyfriend.
The other kid finished his smoke and scuffed it on the sidewalk, then slunk over to join his friend.
Without warning he landed a swift hard punch to Ryan's stomach. Winded from the blow, Ryan doubled over in pain. His fists automatically balled, he ran at the boy like a battering ram, taking him by surprise and knocking him over. A pair of hands dragged him back by the shoulders, swiveled him round and clocked him on the cheek. Ryan fell to the ground. Kicking him viciously in the stomach the thug boyfriend yelled, "Fucking leave my girl alone!" before he and his friend, who had by now dragged himself up off the sidewalk both turned and fled.
Ryan picked himself up and pulled his disheveled t-shirt down straight. He touched his nose gingerly and felt the warm stickiness of fresh blood. Quite a crowd had gathered, alerted to the ruckus from inside the store. He pushed through them, his head lowered, oblivious to their derogatory comments.
As he reached the corner and turned into the Parkers' street, he stopped and gazed at the neat, freshly painted house ahead of him. He sighed when he thought about what they would say when they saw the shiner he could feel developing below his left eye. It wasn't that the Parkers were unpleasant people, they weren't. They'd opened their home to him in much the same way the Cohens had, maybe even more so because they knew what they were getting in advance, and as a result there was none of the suspicion that had accompanied his entry into the Cohen household. But they weren't Sandy and Kirsten and much as Ryan tried to push them to the back of his mind, they just kept appearing, their faces dancing in front of his eyes, their voices messing with his head torturing him. He wished he was going back home. Kirsten would fuss and get him some ice. Sandy would look reproachfully at him and remind him of his promise about no fighting.
He let himself in with a key and lay his bag on the table. Mrs. Parker worked at the local elementary school as a teacher's aide and would be back around five. He opened the refrigerator and helped himself to a glass of milk and found a bag of ice for his cheek. Sitting down at the table, he held the ice to his cheek and flicked briefly through the newspaper that lay there from breakfast. He soon abandoned it. Like school, he couldn't seem to focus. Thoughts came crowding in on him, diverting him from his purpose and the throbbing of his eye made everything worse. It was easier to empty his mind and think about nothing at all. He got up and wandered through to his room. Maybe he'd take a nap. Yet another member of the Parker's offspring was coming to visit tonight. He was pretty sure he was the main attraction. As the Parkers had never fostered before he could see that it was only natural that their kids would be curious, but Ryan found the constant scrutiny nerve wracking and had begun to wish that Marlene had put him into a group home after all, a place where he could fade into the background and no one would notice.
Ryan was asleep, his face obscured from view, when Judy Parker arrived home. After she had popped her head round his bedroom door, she made herself a cup of herbal tea and then flopped onto the couch, exhausted after a day of dealing with the earth shatteringly important trials and tribulations of first graders. When the doorbell rang she struggled wearily to her feet.
"Ms Johnson, come in, I wasn't expecting you…" She was slightly alarmed to see Ryan's social worker on the doorstep. Had he called her? Was he unhappy with them? It was so hard to tell. The boy was so quiet, she had barely heard him utter a full sentence.
The two women walked into the kitchen and Judy made another tea.
"So, how are things going?" Marlene asked hopefully. She'd just finished dealing with a case of willful neglect of a three year old and was hoping for some brighter news at her last call of the day.
Judy looked doubtful as she handed Marlene her tea and sat down at the table.
"OK I think. As far as I know he's getting along fine at school, at least I haven't heard differently. He's very polite at home, tidy, helpful, that sort of thing…"
Marlene read between the lines.
"But?"
Judy shrugged.
"He barely says a word, keeps himself to himself most of the time. I've said he's welcome to have friends over but he hasn't so far, and no one ever calls."
Marlene sighed heavily.
"Well, he'll most likely only be here a few more days. His mother is due to receive her final visit from my colleague and myself this week. If we approve her, he'll be going back to her, maybe even by this weekend."
They stopped abruptly as Ryan padded into the kitchen, clutching a bag of ice.
"Staying sober is she?" Ryan spat.
Judy's face paled.
"My God, what happened to you?"
Ryan cast his eyes downwards.
"Someone didn't like my T shirt," he murmured mockingly.
Marlene and Judy exchanged glances.
"Would you like me to call the principal?" Judy asked hesitantly.
Ryan shook his head.
"No, I can take care of it, it's fine."
"I hope by taking care of it you don't mean more fighting Ryan…" Marlene began.
Ryan flushed guiltily.
"Look, I know you're worried, but honestly it was nothing."
Judy and Marlene remained dubious.
"Well," Judy replied, "just promise you'll let us know if there are any problems OK?"
Ryan nodded.
"Promise," he responded quietly. He opened the door to the icebox and replaced the bag of ice with a fresh one.
"Ryan, seeing as you're here, come and sit down. I need to talk with you about Dawn."
Ryan's shoulders slumped. He poured another glass of milk and joined Judy and Marlene at the table.
"So.." Ryan raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Marlene shifted uncomfortably. Nothing would make her happier than to see Ryan not have to go back to Dawn's. He didn't want it, she didn't want it, the Cohens wouldn't want it. The only person who it appeared did want it was Dawn and for the life of her, Marlene couldn't figure out why. She'd seemed so adamant about letting Ryan stay with the Cohens. Why had she changed her mind so suddenly and so definitely?
"Your mom's getting her final check this week. If everything is in order Child Services will allow you to return to her care."
Ryan sank into his chair and laughed begrudgingly. "Care?" he thought ruefully. The only thing Dawn could really care for was her vodka bottle. He kept silent and waited for Marlene to continue.
"She's got a good job and a nice place to live. She's really trying Ryan…" Marlene wasn't sure who she was trying to convince more, Ryan or herself. Ryan stared straight ahead, refusing to meet either woman's eye.
"So when will I…"
"If all goes well, Saturday, I think. That will give you the weekend to get settled before school on Monday."
tbc
