Chapter One: Preparation

This chapter centers on the preparations of the six teenagers for the upcoming dance. Like any Newport event, the dance is dressy, at the very least semi-formal. All six are excited at the prospect of leaving their old lives behind and moving forward toward a brighter future.

Ryan

Ryan can't help but smile every time his eyes graze across the Harbor School envelope sitting on his bed. The knowledge of the opportunity for a better future almost makes the physical abuse of A.J. and the emotional abuse of his mother tolerable. He is filled with nervous energy about the evening's upcoming dance at his new school, his entry into his new future. Despite knowing the futility inherent in the very gesture, he decides to go downstairs and talk to his mother hoping to receive her support and possibly some financial means to get to the dance. As Ryan, freshly showered and dressed in one of his father's threadbare suits left behind when he was arrested, descends the stairs he can hear the door slam as A.J. enters the house.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, woman?" A.J. enters screaming at Dawn, Ryan's mother. "You were supposed to come pick me up an hour ago at the factory!" Dawn looks up from her position at the kitchen table, slouched over the dusty remains of her habitual drug use, but doesn't say anything in response. This causes A.J. to look for another outlet for his anger; unfortunately just at the time that Ryan comes off the stairs and into the living room. He sees the glowering look of anger on A.J.'s face and knows what is coming, but he can't get away fast enough.

"This is all your fault, you worthless sack of shit!" A.J. bellows as he lumbers toward Ryan. "If it wasn't for you trying to be better than your family, she wouldn't be the depressed and ungrateful bitch she is now. Don't think I will let you escape to a better life while the rest of us have to suffer in this hellhole. You don't deserve a chance any more than the rest of us do." By this point A.J. is yelling at the top of his lungs, his face red in anger and the veins on his forehead bulging from the increased blood pressure. As Ryan attempts to sidestep him, A.J. grabs the back of his suit jacket and throws him into the couch. Ryan immediately tries to get up, but is cold cocked by A.J. who hits him in his right eye. He immediately sees stars and blackness creeping around the edges of his vision, but shakes it off.

"I have to get out of here, I have to be there tonight" runs through Ryan's mind. Normally he would have given up and accepted the beating, but the knowledge of a new world tonight is too tantalizing. As A.J. rears back for another blow, Ryan dives off the couch and throws the whole weight of his body into A.J., knocking him over. A.J. falls and a sickening crunch is heard as his head impacts the coffee table. However, Ryan doesn't look back as he runs out the door to his bike and pedals away, toward Newport, impervious to the blood dripping off face and staining his only dress shirt.

Seth

Like Ryan, Seth is already dressed and nervously awaiting the evening's festivities. He is laying sprawled on his bed, arms and legs akimbo with the good captain perched upon his chest. With a heartfelt sigh, Seth opens his eyes and stares at the plastic horse as if looking for an answer to life's questions.

"Well Oats, this is it, the first day of the rest of my life. Am I ready for this, maybe I should sneak a comic book into my jacket pocket so I'll have a backup plan when none of the girls there will talk to me. They just aren't ready for the Cohen charm yet are they buddy. They will be too stunned to know what hit them… yeah, I have a feeling a comic book is gonna be a necessity tonight…" Seth's ramble trails off as he hears a soft chuckling coming from the doorway to his room. He shoots up into a sitting position and stares at his father who is standing there laughing at him.

"How long have you been standing there dad? You know I wasn't talking to myself, me and Oats here were having a good discussion of how to use my groove to pick up the ladies tonight. You know Summer, that beautiful buxom brunette will be there, maybe I'll take Oats along with me as my wingman. Yeah… that's really healthy isn't it? First impression in high school as the kid who carries around a plastic horse, albeit his best friend, but still…" Seth picks up right where he had left off before Sandy stops him short. "Enough Seth, don't worry about tonight. You still have another month to go before school starts. Whoever you meet there tonight will be just as nervous as you and probably won't remember your name come September anyhow." "Thanks dad, that is real comforting, you think I won't make an impression on anyone there so they won't remember me. Being eminently forgettable may be even worse than being the social outcast. Such a happy future you have prescribed for me, I just can't wait." Seth snappily retorts, flopping back down onto his bed.

Sandy smacks Seth's leg as he leaves the room, "Alright, time to go. Your mother wants to get a couple pictures in before we head out. I'll be in the car waiting for you once you get past your mom with the camera." He smirks and heads for the stairs. Seth stands up and looks around before stuffing Cap'n Oats into the interior pocket of jacket and the new Legion comic into the back pocket of his pants. "Lets do this" he mutters to himself as he walks out the door of his room toward his first night as a high school student.

Luke

Similar to the other boys, Luke is anxious for the evening to begin. He is standing on the balcony of his parent's mansion looking out over the pool and his hands maintain a white-knuckle grip on the railing in front of them. He is dressed more casually than both Ryan and Seth, preferring to go with khakis and a blue oxford, collar unbuttoned, and a simple navy blazer. He can hear his father calling his name as he searches the house looking for him, yet Luke shows no sign of movement.

After a couple of minutes, his father spots him through the sliding doors and comes out to the balcony to join him. "Hey son, ready to sweep those ladies off their feet this evening? You know they won't be able to resist a stud jock like you. Show them what the Ward name is made of." Luke shrugs and simply mutters "Yeah, sure dad" before his father goes on without even hearing the defeated tone of his son's voice. "I hear that Greg Fischer's daughter is gorgeous. You couldn't go wrong with a catch like that you know. Remember, you've got to do your family proud. It wouldn't look good for a Ward to be seen with any common girl."

At this, Luke turns around and his eyes are blazing with pent up anger and frustration. He knows he doesn't want to become the chauvinist, image oriented man his father is, but he isn't ready to have that discussion yet. He looks down at his feet and says "We should be going, I gotta get there before all the honeys are taken ya know" before brushing past his father and heading to the car. Carson, his father, having not noticed the look on his son's face or the latent sarcasm in his words, turns and follows him, grinning from ear to ear all the while.

Marissa and Summer

Since her father has poured his life into his career since her mother fled, Summer has spent most of her formative years at the Cooper household. The night of the welcome dance is no different. Rather than spend the night getting ready alone, Summer has packed up her makeup and a selection of dresses and walked the few blocks separating the houses of the two girls.

As Summer stumbles up to the door of the Cooper house, her arms laden with dresses and shoes, Julie Cooper comes barreling out and runs smack into her, causing her to drop everything she was holding. Julie huffs and scowls at Summer for getting in her way. "You know those shoes are cute" she says pointing at one of the pairs that Summer dropped on the pathway, "I think they would look great with Marissa's long legs." Julie then turns on her heel and walks away leaving Summer searching for a comment. "Only Julie Cooper can give and take away with the same comment" Summer mutters as she walks in the door.

Marissa turns and looks at Summer as she walks into her room. Seeing the frown gracing her face, she asks "So the dragon-lady struck again?" Summer just smiles, Marissa's hatred of her mother making her feel better. "So Coop, we gotta look hot tonight. All kinds of new boys to meet and you know first impressions mean everything." "Sum you know I'm not looking to just snag a rich boy. The last thing I want to be is a miniature version of my mother, just after the first mark I see with a trust fund. I'm just looking forward to making some friends tonight" Marissa says as she finishes her hair and makeup.

"Alright Coop. No boy drama tonight, its all about us girls and starting anew." Summer says as she picks up her purse, hoping Marissa doesn't notice that her fingers are crossed and the mischievous glint in her eyes. The girls check themselves one last time in the vanity mirror and make some minor adjustments. Before they leave they turn to compliment each other.

"Oh my god Sum, that dress is perfect for you" Marissa squeaks commenting on Summer's low cut halter dress. "I know Coop, but there is no way that I could ever look as elegant as you." Summer replies as she looks over Marissa's lithe form in a Dolce and Gabana strapless, floor length gown. The two girls smile at each other, thinking how jealous they are of the other's beauty, before they head out the door, having no idea what the night has in store for them.

Anna

Anna is preparing for the evening all by herself. Her father is out at the country club, drinking with his golfing buddies following their second eighteen hole round of the day, while her mother is away on a spa weekend with some of her newfound Newpsie friends. As Anna returns to her room, she spots the garment bag that one of the maids had placed on her bed.

"Mom must have asked them to find something for me to wear for the evening. I don't need someone to be my personal shopper for me though. Besides if its anything my mother picked out, I doubt I will want to wear it anyhow." She says out loud to herself as she unzips the bag. Much to her surprise, the dress she finds inside is gorgeous. It's a champagne colored sheath dress that went perfectly with her favorite pair of chandelier earrings. Anna couldn't help but smile as she got ready for the dance.

Once she was ready, she went downstairs to find a limo waiting for her, another surprise of her mother's. Apparently her mother felt more guilty than she thought she did about not being there for her daughter. Either that or she figured that they had so much money, extravagance could become a facet of daily life.

Anna found the inside of the limo stocked with snacks and beverages, enough to feed a couple dozen people. She thought to herself "well I guess I will have to make some friends tonight, so all of this doesn't go to waste." Anna had made sure to leave the compartment divider down so she could talk to the driver. This way she wouldn't feel totally lonely cooped up in the back by herself. She smiled as she saw the driver's eyes looking at her in the rearview mirror. "To the Harbor School, please" she said with a lilt in her voice and a sparkle in her eye that hadn't been there since the move.