Ryan shuffled into the kitchen at 6.30 AM, having finally realised that he wasn't going to be getting any more sleep and deciding that he might as well get some caffeine in his system.
"Morning, kiddo" Ryan lifted his hand in greeting at Sandy, who was sitting at the counter in his surf gear.
"You're up even earlier than usual" Sandy commented.
"Couldn't sleep", Ryan replied gruffly, pulling a mug out of the cupboard and filling it with coffee from the jug.
Sandy merely raised his generous eyebrows before draining the dregs off his coffee.
"Well I'm gonna hit the waves. Don't suppose I can tempt you with an early morning swim, since you're up anyway?"
It was Ryan's turn to raise his eyebrows. As Sandy left the kitchen, Ryan slumped at the counter and reached for the paper. Staring at the words on the page, he soon realised that he wasn't paying any attention whatsoever. He couldn't even remember the headline. He just couldn't take his mind off Trey. Should he go, or should he not… Ryan knew that Trey was going to ask for something from him; whether it was money, a "favour" or a place to stay, he didn't know.
But at the same time, Trey was family. Chino accounted for 16 years of his life. He couldn't expect to just drop it. Chino made him who he was. And Trey had been there for him in the past, in his own way. And now he was out of prison, maybe, just maybe, he would try and change. Now that Dawn and he were gone, Trey had no strings attached. Not that he had ever paid them much attention in the past. But maybe it was time for Trey to get a new start too. Ryan knew it was a long shot, but he just couldn't ever seem to give up hope on his family. There was always that 0.01 chance that something had changed and somehow Ryan always seemed to let those odds dwarf all else.
It was 12 o' clock, and Ryan had made up his mind. He was resolute. He would meet with Trey, see how he was doing, see if anything had really changed. But if Trey wanted money, or another favour, he wouldn't damn well get it. This time Ryan would look after his own interests for once. He couldn't screw up what he had with the Cohens.
Grabbing his jacket, Ryan knocked on the door of the study where Kirsten was spending her Saturday preparing for the re-launch of the Newport Group.
"Come in!" called Kirsten. She looked up from the papers scattered over her desk with a smile. "I knew it would be you. You're the only person in this family who's polite enough to knock," she notes.
"I brought you a cup of coffee," Ryan smiled back, placing the mug down on her desk. "No milk and one sugar, right?" he questions.
"I knew there was someone in this house who loved me" Kirsten smiled as she reached out for the mug. Ryan smiled back with his eyes lowered. He couldn't quite get used to the easy acceptance of the Cohens. He would always feel gratitude towards them.
"Um, Kirsten, could I borrow the car? I've got to meet with someone from school for a project." Ryan wasn't entirely sure why he felt the need to lie, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Sandy and Kirsten wouldn't much approve of the reappearance of Trey in Ryan's life, even though they didn't know exactly what had happened at Thanksgiving. Seeing as Ryan wasn't even sure he would be seeing Trey again after today, he figured it would be easier to let it slide. He would talk to them about it if there were a serious chance of Trey becoming a permanent feature in his life again. Ryan privately scoffed at that idea. The only thing permanent about the Atwoods was the surname.
"Sure honey, how long will you be out?" Kirsten replied. Ryan was slightly uneasy at betraying the trust that Kirsten had in him, but he told himself that it was for her own good. It was a white lie.
"Um, maybe a few hours? I'll be back for dinner." Ryan said. One way or another, he would be. He was not going to get dragged into one of Trey's messes today.
"Okay, don't work too hard. See you this evening," Kirsten gave a mock salute with her hand and turned back to her papers as Ryan slid backwards out of the door to go grab the car keys.
Coming out of the study, Ryan almost ran directly into a dishevelled looking Seth, rubbing his eyes and looking barely awake.
"Whoa, dude, you're like, up and dressed. That is indecent. It's the crack of dawn." Seth exclaimed.
"Seth, it's gone twelve. It's the afternoon," Ryan answered dubiously.
"Seriously, what land did you come from? Are teenagers not normal in Chino? What self-respecting teenager would be up before noon on a Saturday? It's against the law. They should really put it in the constitution." Seth paused, yawning. "Where are you going anyway?" he asked, suddenly noticing Ryan's shoes and jacket and realising that he was ready to go out.
"Out." Stated Ryan.
"Eloquent as always. Are you, by any chance gonna tell me where, seeing as you are forsaking quality Seth/ Ryan time in favour of "out"?" Seth enquired.
"Lunch," Ryan informed him.
"Okaaay… So, you are going to leave me to wallow in misery over my loveless state with only my old friend playstation 2 to keep me company?" Seth asked.
"Pretty much. See you later Seth," Ryan answered, smiling and brushing past Seth to collect the car keys on his way out of the front door.
"If it wasn't the crack of dawn, I could fully have talked him out of that one." Seth muttered as he continued to shuffle towards the kitchen. "I guess I've always got captain oats. He talks more than Ryan anyway…"
Ryan tapped the steering wheel nervously as he approached the diner where he was due to meet Trey. It was a place they had frequented when they were both young living in Chino. Close enough to walk to, but comfortably far away enough from Dawn and her latest boyfriend whenever they needed an escape.
Ryan didn't know exactly what time to expect Trey, so he figured he would just have to hang around and wait for him. Always assuming he turned up- there was every chance that Trey would get cold feet about whatever he had wanted to see Ryan about, or that he was too stoned to remember that they had agreed to meet.
Ryan pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. What was he doing here if he wasn't prepared to give his brother a chance? Ryan parked the car in a side street and checked the doors and windows. Most people in Chino would avoid a fancy car- the alarms and lock systems were just too much hassle- but there was always a chance someone would give it a go regardless.
As he neared the diner, Ryan found himself itching for a cigarette. There was something about Chino that made him want to revert back to old habits. It was just a part of Chino life.
He chose a secluded booth in the corner of the diner. He had a feeling that they wouldn't much want to be overheard. He ordered a cup of coffee to justify the table. He found he didn't have much of an appetite. Between the nerves, the caffeine and the cigarette cravings, Ryan was pretty on edge. He slouched back against the seat and picked up and abandoned copy of the local paper, simply for the sake of having something to do. Now all he could do was wait.