Chapter 2
Ryan needed to leave for his first shift back at the Crab Shack. He had his bag over his shoulder, ready to go, but paused at the door. The room drew him back. It might be a long while before he would be in the pool house again, if ever. The movers had started in the house a half hour ago.
He circled the dozen or so cardboard boxes that made up his life in the pool house. Stuff had certainly added up from his modest duffle bag he brought here over a year ago. Large boxes were for lightweight items like his billion thread count sheets, his designer comforter, and his rapidly expanding wardrobe. Smaller boxes held his books, sports gear, and other sundries. The boxes and a few small pieces of furniture were all labeled with his name on stickers the movers had provided.
Ryan wasn't one to be sentimental but the pool house was definitely special. It had taken him in when he had nowhere to go, a place safe from A.J. and the chaos that surrounded his mom. The pool house was the first space of his own, but it was unquestionably a part of the Cohen home. He smiled. The Cohens' unexpected appearances when he came out of the bathroom would be remembered with fondness, or at least mostly with fondness.
A chair and side tables, slated for storage, were set to one side. Ryan rested his hands on the chair Sandy sat in when he calmly lectured Ryan after illegally tackling Luke on the soccer field. Ryan remembered how nervous he was after getting into trouble for the first time; screams and fists were what he had known. Ryan had come a long way with the Cohens; he owed them so much.
Kirsten's visits came with excuses like wanting to know whether he needed clothes or was hungry, and Ryan was proud to have earned her quiet concern. His double bed that she caught him making out with Marissa in – a less proud moment - was at first deemed too big for the new house. But Ryan protested it didn't make sense to spend money on a new twin bed if the idea of moving was to save money.
It had been the good life here, but life would still be luxurious in the numbered streets. For him, anyways. It was relative. He had learned any shit hole could be fine if Dad was feeling good and Mom was off the sauce. But the Cohens weren't used to budgeting. All week the Cohens had been alternating between moping sadly and talking excitedly about the new adventure. Ryan worried they didn't know what they were getting into. They weren't materialistic in the greedy sense, but money was a hard habit to break. They always bought the latest video games, the newest styles in clothes, or expensive dinners without a thought. He had seen what not having money did to his family. Would not having an infinite supply of money do the same to the Cohens? Ryan frowned and rubbed his neck, not liking where those thoughts led. Besides, he would help his new family in ways he couldn't when he was younger.
Ryan's eye caught on his physics project in the corner with the trash. He crouched down, picked up a ball bearing and tossed it in his hand. It had only been a week ago that Sandy made the announcement that they were moving, but Ryan was already looking back at time for extra science experiments as an extravagance. Sandy had okayed his job at the Shack. But Ryan hadn't mention that he would be taking all the shifts he could get. He refused to be a complete sponge on the Cohen's finances, so even if his contributions were small he would make them.
He sighed, lobbed the ball back into the trash, and turned to head for the main house.
He entered to find it busy with movers. They had already cleared out the den, and two men were working on the kitchen. They nodded to Ryan who nodded back. Ryan skirted around the workers, boxes, and wrapped up furniture looking for a Cohen without luck. He headed upstairs so he could let them know he was headed out.
"Hey, Ryan," Kirsten said. She passed him in the hallway with a harried Sandy following close behind her. He nodded absently at Ryan.
"He just wants to see you and Seth, then he'll release the papers that might help to clear you of this whole thing. Why make this hard?"
Kirsten wheeled on him. "Why should I ever see him?" she asked angrily. "He betrayed me and put me at risk for jail. Jail, Sandy! Don't you see? My dad."
"Honey, we need to be practical. This deal is a gift; we can't take it for granted. Our cards are already maxed. Your dad just wants to see his daughter and grandson before he has to go away. Then he'll do what we want."
"What we want is for him to have not bribed city officials for the last umpteen years. What we want is for him to think of us over his greed, not blackmail us. It's the principle, Sandy," Kirsten said stubbornly.
"Fine. I have to leave for work. I guess it's okay for me to sell my principles." Sandy walked quickly down the stairs without looking back.
Kirsten turned to Ryan with apologetic eyes.
He dropped his gaze. "I'm going to work the early shift at the Crab Shack. Unless you need help here?" He couldn't really be choosey about which shifts he got since he was the new guy again, but Kirsten didn't know that.
"Okay, Ryan." Then Kirsten paused as she put some of the last towels from the closet into a box. "You got a job?"
Ryan frowned. "Yeah, I talked to you guys about it a few nights ago. Remember?"
"Oh, that's right. It's been a little hectic lately. See if you can prod Seth along, would you?"
Ryan nodded and lifted his hand goodbye, but Kirsten had already turned back to packing.
Ryan stood there a bit surprised, a sinking feeling in his stomach. She had been so adamant about him quitting the Crab Shack last year, lecturing him about the importance of school. And now she forgot he got his old job back.
"This was the most perfect closet," she said absently. "I had these shelves custom built, a place for every towel, sheet, blanket. It's stupid but I'm going to miss it." Kirsten shook her head regretfully.
Ryan nodded again, this time slowly, his hand still held up uselessly in the air, but he didn't think Kirsten noticed. Between the court case, being forced out of The Newport Group, and moving from her home of more than ten years, Kirsten was under a lot of stress and shouldn't be bothered about his details. He mentally kicked himself for thinking differently.
He went to Seth's room. The door was open, and Ryan rapped on Seth's wall before entering. There was a confusion of packing material, boxes, and Seth's things all over the floor.
"Hey, man. I'm going to work. Maybe you could pick me up at three?"
Seth bobbed his head acknowledging Ryan, but continued to stare mournfully at the piles of books, comics, and CDs spread around him.
"Ryan, how did you manage with the quota of boxes?"
"Quota?"
Seth's looked up with interest. "Mom didn't say anything to you about the number of boxes you could have?"
"She saw what I had."
Seth threw his head back and cackled like a fiendish villain from an old movie.
"Seth, I gotta jet."
"Okay. That's 'Ryan' in all caps, right?" Seth had stopped choosing between which comics to pack and began to pack them all.
Ryan held his hand up and was ignored for the second time that day. He shook himself out of these thoughts. He remembered how affect he had been moving to Chino from Fresno. The Cohens were going through a lot.
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Author's note: A 'Thanks' goes to Molly4 for giving this the once over.
