Days rolled into weeks and before Ryan knew it, almost a month had gone by in a blur. His Mom had heeded his warning and hadn't called back. For that alone he was thankful. He'd managed to stay out of trouble, no drinking, no girls, and no fights. His only problem these days was the dreaded Shelly Sampson…and she was one hell of a problem.
Against his will, he entered his class, sat down in his seat and waited for the inevitable. Every day he did the same thing. He sat down, opened his textbook and his notebook, and pretended to be involved in a lesson, hoping, just for one day, Shelly would get the drift that he didn't want to talk to her. Today wasn't that day.
"Hey Ryan." The mere sound of her voice made him cringe. When she placed her hand on his shoulder, it was all he could do to refrain from swatting her away. "So what are you doing after school?"
Rolling his eyes, "Nothing."
"Want to do something?"
"No."
"Why not?"
He opted not to answer her and went back to flipping through his book.
"Ah, the strong silent type. Just the way I like 'em."
Ryan thought he might vomit from disgust. Lost in her own ignorance, she missed Ryan's heated glare as he shifted as far away from her as possible, at least as far as the table would allow him.
When the bell rang, Ryan was on his feet in an instant and making haste for the door. He'd made it pretty far down the hallway before he felt a tug on his school bag. Turning around, he learned his nightmare had been following him.
"You're fast! In a hurry?"
"Ya think?" Ryan barked sarcastically.
"Okay, fine. So you've gotta go." She smiled slyly as she backed away from him. "I like you Atwood. And I'm not giving up on you."
Falling against the lockers, Ryan went back to feeling sick. The end of the day just couldn't come fast enough. The end of the day. Crap. Kirsten was taking them to get new suits after school. Given his options, Ryan decided the suits were better. Hell anything was better than dealing with Shelly.
The front doors of the school burst open, signaling the end of the day by sending kids scattering in all directions. Seth found Ryan sitting on the stone wall at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey. How did you get out here so fast? I always beat you out."
Shrugging, "I told Mr. Gracin I needed to use the bathroom which got me out of class. Then I just dawdled a bit before heading right out the front door at the sound of the bell."
"You're avoiding Shelly aren't you?"
"Mmm," he nodded.
"I feel bad for you. She's like a case of herpes. Even when she's gone she's not completely gone."
"Tell me about it. There's your Mom, let's get out of here."
Crossing the sidewalk, Seth got into the car first which turned out to be bad news for Ryan.
"Ryan! Ryan wait!"
With the car door open and one foot inside, Ryan returned to cringing. "Oh my God," he groaned under his breath.
"Hey Ryan. Where are you going?"
"Out."
"Is that your Mom?" Shelly waved her fingers at Kirsten, ignoring Ryan.
Stalling for words, "Shelly, I gotta go. They're waiting."
Stepping up to Ryan, to his horror, she grabbed the belt buckle of his jeans. "I'll see ya later." With the flip of her hair, she sauntered away while Ryan threw himself into the front seat of the car and angrily slammed the door.
"Can we go? Now?" he begged.
Kristen pulled away from the curb and Seth started rambling. "You okay Ryan?"
"No." Pushing his head back into the headrest, he ran his hand through his hair.
"Since when do not like a girl grabbing at you? Not like you. You don't have to be ashamed Ryan," Kirsten observed. "I admit, I'm shocked you've held out this long."
"This isn't about holding out," Ryan stated flatly.
"Oh. So you've already…"
"NO! he yelled, horrified at the thought. "I'd rather masturbate than hook up with her!"
"That should give you an idea how much Ryan hates her Mom. Because we both know Ryan gets enough action, he doesn't need to masturbate."
"Guys, please don't use that word. I hate that word. So what's the story then? She seems nice."
"In Chino, guys would have labeled her an alley rat. It's almost like a fatal attraction. A girl gets attached to you and no matter what you do, including flat out saying 'look I'm not interested', they're still nuts over you and they're constantly talking to you and touching you. I can't get rid of her."
"I didn't realize. Well, if there is someone you like, maybe now would be a good time to ask them out. Maybe if she sees you with someone else…"
"You mean on a date?"
"Sure."
Smiling from the backseat, "Yeah Ryan, a date. It's something you do with a nice looking girl when she's not in your bed."
"You're going to have to get out of the car sooner or later Seth…and I'll be waiting for you when you do," Ryan threatened.
When they arrived at Fashion Island, Ryan got out of the car and tormented Seth from the other side of the glass by standing with his arms folded across his chest, waiting patiently.
"That's enough boys, behave," Kirsten reprimanded.
Slipping out of the car, "I'm sorry, okay? Don't kill me right now, we're going into a public place," Seth begged.
Once they were inside the store, Ryan's zest for choosing suits over Shelly started to wane a bit. This was going to suck.
"Okay guys, what color suits do you want?"
Unanimously, "Blue."
"That was easy." Standing at the racks for what seemed like an eternity, Kirsten coordinated suits, shirts, socks and ties for both boys. They wasted the time away sitting on a couch near the dressing rooms.
"Should we really let her look alone? I mean, you and I could pick out one suit, one shirt, etc.," Ryan reasoned.
"No can do buddy. She lives for this."
"But, she's going to make us try all of that on, isn't she?"
"Yep."
"Shit."
When their heaps of 'try-on' clothes were finally brought over to them, both boys sighed at the amount of clothing.
Dressed in his third suit, Ryan walked out of the dressing room and stood in front of Kirsten for inspection.
"Oh now that one looks nice. What do you think?"
"I like this one. I like the shirt."
Kirsten turned Ryan around so he was facing the mirrors. He still couldn't get used to the way he looked in a suit. The only blue suit he'd ever seen himself in was a jumpsuit and that wouldn't cut it at any Newport party. Sure he looked nice but he felt uncomfortable, like he was trying to be something he wasn't. A t-shirt and a pair of jeans was all he needed. Ever.
Seth walked out of the dressing room in his third suit and stood next to Ryan. They both chuckled at their miserable reflections.
"Hang in there guys, we're almost done," Kirsten encouraged.
"Ryan, those pants are ridoinkulously long," Seth noticed.
"Boy you aren't kidding," his Mother agreed. "Edith? Is the seamstress here today? Could she set some alterations for us?"
Nodding, the saleswoman put a call in for the seamstress. Ryan's shoulders were hunched over and he groaned inwardly at the thought of being violated by another unwanted pair of hands in the same day.
"Why doesn't Seth need alterations?" Ryan whined.
"Dude, I'm taller than you, my pants fit," he explained drawing a scowl from Ryan. "I'm a classic fit Ryan. I never need to be altered."
"Figures."
Still poking and pulling on Ryan's suit, "Ten more minutes Ryan and you'll be all done. Hang in there."
Ryan was still pouting when a knock out of a woman with a low cut, and rather revealing, blouse walked up to them. Her skirt was skin tight and way too short for someone who needed to be at floor level to do her job, and her stiletto heels were the type of shoes Ryan had only seen on dancers in Chino.
"Hi, I'm Vanessa. Who's being fitted today?"
Seth leaned into Ryan, "You suck."
"This one Vanessa. The pants are way too long and the sleeves on the jacket are a bit long too."
"That's no problem. I'll take care of it."
Seeing the 'gaa-gaa' look both boys were wearing on their faces, "Stand still and cooperate Ryan," Kirsten warned in a flat tone.
"That's no problem."
Vanessa stepped up to Ryan and pulled on his jacket a bit. "Okay Ryan, stand up straight for a moment."
Tipping his head back a bit, Ryan studied her as she moved around him. She made sure his jacket ended at his thumb tips by his sides, she checked the arm seams to make sure they weren't extending past his shoulders and she checked the length on the sleeves.
"I like them a little longer."
"Okay, but we still have to shorten them a bit. They are way too long." After she pinned the sleeves, "Now I need you to spread your feet a bit please. We need to measure your inseam."
Doing as he was told, Ryan waited patiently while the seamstress turned to write some instructions on his ticket. Looking over his shoulder he found Seth green with envy.
With his hands in his pockets, he mouthed his frustrations to Ryan. "Damn! You suck!"
Smiling, Ryan flipped him the bird. That's what Seth gets for making fun of his short stature.
"Boys…stop," Kirsten warned just in time for Vanessa to turn her attention back to Ryan. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment knowing Ryan was going to enjoy this next part. She was just praying he'd keep his mouth shut.
Vanessa knelt down in front of Ryan and took her measuring tape in her hands, it was no surprise Ryan tipped his head down to watch what she was doing…he obviously had a great view from his vantage point.
Pressing the tape measure against Ryan's leg, Vanessa raised her hand between his legs to get his measurement. Still looking down on her, Ryan's mouth opened slightly. Kirsten thought for sure her head would burst into flames from humiliation. After finishing the first hem, Vanessa measured the inseam on Ryan's other leg before working on the hem. This was more than Kirsten could bear.
"Is that necessary?"
"Ma'am, most people have one leg longer than the other. It might only be a quarter inch, but there is a difference. See here? This cuff is a bit bigger," she explained, comparing the two hems.
"Probably because he's facing that way," Seth mumbled causing Ryan to snort.
On the brink of being able to spit nails out of her eyes, "Seth, go change," his Mother demanded.
Standing up in front of Ryan, Vanessa gave him one more once over. "Actually, both boys can go change. We're finished."
"You heard her boys. Move it."
As quickly as possible, Kirsten made a point of settling her bill, collecting the items they were taking home with them and ushering the boys out of the building.
In the Rover, Kirsten turned the A/C up full blast before sending a look in Ryan's direction.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"You know damn well what!"
"Hey! I didn't do anything wrong! Seth, did I do anything wrong?" he asked, his voice squeaking as he turned around in his seat.
"Nope. As a matter of fact, you did exactly as your were told which was to stand still and cooperate."
"Yeah. See? Not my fault she came dressed to work like that."
"Nice blouse," Seth continued.
"Beautiful blouse," Ryan agreed, rubbing his chin.
"Alright, enough! There is entirely too much testosterone in this car right now!"
The boys enjoyed teasing Kirsten all the way home, discussing how they were 'up' for looking at suits today and how one of Seth's ties was limp and so on. Clearly out numbered, Kirsten could only shake her head and try not to laugh.
The razzing came to a screeching halt when the Rover pulled into the driveway and Seth recognized a bad element on their porch.
"Um, Ryan…do you see what I see?"
After figuring out what Seth was gawking at, "No fucking way!"
"Ryan, watch your mouth," Kirsten scolded.
"I don't know about you Ryan, but that…just ruined my hard on."
"SETH!"
"Right there with you buddy."
Catching sight of what the boys were looking at, "Ryan is that…"
"Shelly. That's it. I'm going to handle her case." Whipping the car door open, Kirsten grabbed his arm before he could exit.
"Ryan wait. Don't be too hard on her."
"Hard on her? Kirsten the girl is eating my brain! I can't stand her!"
"Just, try to let her down easy."
Approaching the front porch, Ryan braced himself for the dreaded encounter that was about to take place.
"Hey Ryan," Shelly greeted.
Ryan's eyebrows were bent down in frustration. "Shelly, what are you doing here?"
"I told you I wasn't giving up on you."
Holding his response until Seth and Kirsten went into the house, "Shelly, look…I'm sure you're a nice person and all but…you and me…it's just…not gonna happen."
There was a fleeting moment of hope for Ryan when he saw Shelly processing the words before a smile returned to her mouth.
"Playing hard to get. That's usually the girl's job isn't it?"
"Shelly…"
"That's okay. You're the type that needs convincing. You'll see."
Watching as she sauntered over to her car, Ryan couldn't help but take that last comment as a threat.
In the house, Kirsten was getting a surprise of her own.
"Dad? What are you doing here? Where's your car?"
'Hello Ki Ki. I came straight from the airport, thought I'd stop here on my way home. Didn't realize everyone had plans."
"I thought you were coming back until next week."
"I wasn't. Change of plans." At the sight of a brooding Ryan walking into the kitchen, "Ah, I see some things are just as I left them."
Taking offense to the comment, Ryan wrinkled his chin and puffed his lips. "Mr. Nichol."
Seeing Ryan wasn't in the mood for jest, Caleb turned his attention back to his daughter. "So I was thinking, maybe you and your…family would be interested in spending some time up at the lake?"
"Grandpa that would be awesome! Ryan, ever been on a wave runner?"
"No."
"It's awesome, you're gonna love it."
Coming to her senses, "But Dad, you just came back from a vacation. And I'm not sure the timing is good right now. There's the new phase that's getting started at work and I'm not sure if Sandy can take off right now. And the boys are just back to school from Christmas break."
"Way to ruin it Mom," Seth pouted.
"What's one day Ki Ki? Pull the boys out of school on Friday, you can take the day off and then it's just a matter of convincing that husband of yours. We can head up there Thursday night and…
"We?" Ryan questioned. "You mean you're going?"
"Of course I'm going, it was my idea." Caleb could see Ryan was openly opposed to the idea. "Ryan, Sandy and I are both alpha males and we've known each other for years without killing each other. I'm sure I can get through one weekend with you."
In the corner, Seth was jumping up and down with his hands in prayer mode, begging Ryan to agree with the plans.
"Alright, I'll go."
"Wonderful. I'll see all of you on Thursday night."
Ryan didn't realize what an odd week it had been until the last bell rang. Shelly hadn't been in school all week and he found his schedule quite enjoyable as a result of it. He wasn't avoiding certain hallways, or ducking into the boys' bathroom unnecessarily in hopes of staying off her radar. There wasn't that constantly babbling of her voice in the background, hell, the girl could give Seth a run for his money in that department. It was just a nice, refreshing week. Something Ryan hadn't experienced in a long, long time.
On top of all of that, he was about to head off on vacation. Okay, so it wasn't anything big, but it meant something to him. He was going on a family vacation where people actually acted like family and his center of focus was riding his first wave runner. He found himself filled with anticipation of the impromptu trip.
The ride up to the lake house was long. They expected to arrive around two in the morning, barring any problems. Wanting to avoid spending the long ride with Caleb, Ryan opted to ride with Kirsten in the Rover. As expected, Seth jumped ship to go with Ryan.
Sandy shook his finger at both on them before they piled into their cars. "I'll have you both know, I'm throwing you guys into the lake upon arrival for making me ride alone with Caleb."
Muttering their apologies, both boys snickered and piled into the Rover.
It was around one-thirty in the morning when Sandy phoned Kirsten on the cell phone. "We're pulling off for a minute. We think we missed the turn off."
"Okay."
Guiding their cars to the side of the road, they came to a stop.
"Why are we stopping?" Seth asked.
"They're looking at the map, it'll just be a minute."
Hearing this news, "I'll be right back," Ryan stated, opening his car door.
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"Bushes."
"What! Ryan you can't do that here! We're right out in the open!"
"So yell if you see a cop or I'll get a fine." Shutting the car door, Ryan walked over to the guardrail.
Distracted by movement in the back seat, "And where do you think you're going?" Kirsten rattled off, noticing Seth scooting across the seat in Ryan's direction.
"I was…just…going to…"
"No! No way! No you're not!"
"You're going to let Ryan go but you're going to make me hold it until we get to the lake house? That's not fair Mom. You're supposed to treat your children the same. What you do for one…" he explained, balancing his hands to make them even.
Sighing with disgust, she knew he was right. It wasn't fair. She just knew Seth would in fact take 'no' for answer. Ryan on the other hand was going to do what he wanted no matter what she said. "Hurry up Seth. Be quick about it."
"Thank you," he breathed, jumping out of the car.
"Boys are such animals," she complained to herself in the quiet car. "In my next life I'm going to have girls."
Meanwhile, her cell phone rang again. "Okay honey, we're ready. We're about another twenty minutes away."
"Sandy, I need a minute before we pull out."
"Something wrong?"
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong…necessarily, but the boys…the boys are taking a little break and they haven't gotten back in the car yet."
"Here?"
"Right here, right now."
Sighing, "I hate to say it, but that's not a bad idea."
"Sandy Cohen, if you get out of that car and go anywhere near that guardrail I'm coming after you with my tire iron!"
Laughing, "Then I guess I'm waiting!"
Pulling up to the lake house in the dark, the cars were shut off and the occupants slowly sputtered out onto the grass.
"This is a lake house?" Ryan asked gawking at the huge house before him.
"I guess so. Then again, my Grandfather doesn't do anything small. Come on, let's get out stuff and get to bed. Tomorrow…wave runners."
"Cool."
(TBC)
A/N – Tons and tons of set up in this one! Hope it didn't seem 'slow' compared to previous chapters because of that. More to follow asap. : D