Chapter 397.
In collaboration with Vasmasdas1.
(Outside the Royal Woods Sports Center.)
The dodge ball team, and the louds and the others with them are shocked to see who it is. The boy who ran away from town, the son of Jeff and Carly Miller. Gretchen has tears and she slowly walks towards him. "R-Ryan?"
Ryan then walks away from his scooter. "Hi Gretchen, good to see you aga…" He's slapped in the face by Gretchen. He then sees the tears of sadness and anger in her eyes.
"What the hell?! Where have you been? Why did you show up now? Why did you have to leave without telling me all that cherry destroying shit you do?!"
All of them gasp at what she just said, and Clyde faints hearing this and Chloe tries to wake him up. The older louds manage to cover the ears of the younger louds. Lucy looks to Lincoln. "Lincoln, I know what swear words are, I heard Lynn say it once."
Rita is alarmed by this and looks to her sporty daughter who is nervously backing up. They are gonna have a serious talk about this at the house later.
Ryan didn't know what to say, he's never seen Gretchen angry before and he only knew her in less than two days when he arrived into town last month, but seeing her pissed off kinda scares him.
Gretchen i….. I'm so sorry, I had to….. Well." He's cut off as Gretchen hugs him and cries.
"Ryan, I thought you'd never come back. I thought I'd never see you again! I thought something happened to you, I missed you so, so much!"
Ryan hugs her as well. "I missed you too Gretchen. I missed you so much, and I never stopped thinking about you. I didn't know what else to do, I have to be there for my parents and I had to…." He then sees Gretchen looks to him with anger and tears in her eyes. "Umm, Gretchen?"
"Why didn't you do anything at all?! Why would you just come back here now?! Do you have any idea what sort of madness has happened here while you were gone?! I had to go through all of this new and amazing change without you to share it with!"
Rusty then speaks. "She did make amends for her actions and we're all friends."
Gretchen turns her head to Rusty with a double-barrel shotgun glare. "Can it Spokes!" She then looks back to Ryan. "I didn't know what to do when you left. Do you have any idea how much I cried for you to come back?!"
Ryan didn't know what else to say. "Gretchen, I don't know…" Then he's cut off as she kisses him passionately and this makes him go wide-eyed and blush bright red.
Everyone else is shocked out of their mind, confused and trying to figure out what the heck is even happening. "Gang, what the cheese of all things on the west side of the god damn state is even going on now?" asked peter Harris.
"This is…. This is their first kiss!" said Stella. "Guys, they met and hung out in less than two days last month, and this is their first kiss!" Jenny uses her phone and takes a picture of this moment.
"How long has she been keeping this?" asked Artie.
"Since Ryan left and left her broken hearted and going through a dark and depressive state" replied Lucy.
"That was very specific and so true" replied Chad. "So, now what guys?"
They then depart from the kiss and Ryan and Gretchen look to each other with a loving gaze, like they wanna do it again. But then she slaps him, which stuns Ryan again.
"Ryan, I am so, so sorry. I didn't mean for that, I think. But I missed you so, so much and I never got the chance to start something with you."
Ryan then snaps back to reality. "No it's cool. I understand and I deserve every hit from you, and I know you've missed me and we just kissed for the first time which has never happened to the both of us."
Gretchen blushes. "Yeah." Then she snaps back to her upset mode. "We're talking about this, now let's go everyone." She grabs Ryan's hand and she drags him to the limo and everyone follows. "Oh by the way, we won."
Ryan smiles hearing that. "Oh really? That sounds…."
"And you weren't even there to see us win!" yelled Gretchen.
Everyone else looks to each other and go back into the cars. "So, was I like that once?" asked Jordan.
"Only to your dog" replied Lincoln. "Recall the time he ran away and you had no clue where he went?"
Jordan then recalls. "Oh yeah. Right. So, does anyone here know what the heck is up with Gretchen, because it kinda does look like something some of us gals would do?"
"It appears Gretchen Warwick's emotions are currently clouding her judgment and has made her aware of the moments and memories of when Ryan Miller left. She is processing everything that has begun and ended and is in constant battle with her love for Ryan and her resentment when he left and when he worked for SUSPENSE and tried to eradicate cherries" replied Lisa.
"This seems like a normal response for couples who are worried with each other and they're well-being and loyalty. Such as should one couple be accusing of the other of having an affair or in this case, cheating. The other would have emotions of sadness, mixed with anger and pain."
"I've been down that road" replied Lori with a slight chuckle. "Believe me, Bobby was scared."
"And it usually happens when you see Bobby talking to a cheerleader, but when he's hanging out with your friends, the whole thing seems okay" replied Luan.
"That's because Lori knows Dana, Becky, Carol, Whitney and the other gals in our group" replied Leni. "But when a cheerleader gets into the mix, then she becomes cautious."
They all look to Lori who chuckles nervously. "Yeah, that is something I would do."
"Well, we should go to the restaurant. Ryan would explain his actions to us there" replied Lincoln.
(Lynn's Table.)
They're all at a table, well a table combined by more than 10 and they're all eating the food Lynn Sr and his staff have made. Ryan can tell all of them are looking at her, especially the eagles.
Delilah on the other hand is a bit confused. She's never met or even heard of Ryan Miller, though she did hear about the organization and thought it was a myth. Now she knows it's real.
"So, whatcha been up to Ryan Miller?"
Ryan sighs. "Miller is not my last name, not anymore."
"Because it's a fake?" asked Lynn Jr a she eats her spicy wings.
"No, the last name Miller is the real deal. We've used tons of fake names, but Miller is my actual last name. We were planning to go someplace else and change our names again, but I did not want any of it, and so I disowned myself from the family and Miller is no longer my last name" replied Ryan.
"Okay, so let me ask you this Ryan. What the heck have you been doing and why show up back here now?" asked Lincoln. They all look to him for answers, even Gretchen who seems to want to know more than the others.
Ryan knew it was time to tell them everything. "Guys, I came back because I was done. I've been part of that stupid organization since I was eight and I've been doing some pretty mean stuff to make sure peaches were on top and then my parents told me that I am allergic to cherries and that kinda made me hate cherries more than anything."
"But you're not allergic to cherries, are you?" asked Lisa.
"Yeah, they lied to me." Ryan grabs a cherry and eats it. "They're not that bad actually. So, I left my mom and dad because I didn't wanna be part of the whole SUSPENSE thing. I wanted to live a normal life, a life where I am not hated or treated as a villain just for being against cherries. I see that now, I see my mistake and I wanna try and redeem myself of what I've done."
"Have you tried to get rid of other kinds of fruit besides cherries?" asked Lana.
"Well, we tried like several dozen fruit organizations and wanted them to be replaced by Peaches, but they all ended into failures and us nearly getting caught. So that's why I didn't wanna do it anymore, I was done and tired of doing the same thing over and over. Heck, I barely get a chance to make friends or even go to school. I was home schooled!"
"Just like me" replied Lola. "Except I am not an evil cherry hating spy."
"So, I spoke to my mom and dad on when they're gonna retire from the job, and they thought I was doing a joke and that hurt me to know they're never gonna stop. They swore an oath to continue their work and to never stop till the objective is done and I was not having it. So I left and left them a note telling them that I was done with the whole organization and that I am not going back, ever!"
"They can do what they want, but I don't want any part of their stupid evil schemes. I wanna live the life of a normal kid and it appears the only way for me to live a normal life, is with the folks who showed me how to make friends and be who I am. Even though I kept the secret and I know some of you hate me for what we tried to do, I will do what I can to earn forgiveness and also the trust I broke."
They can all see that Ryan does mean it, he wants to stray away from the old life he had and he wants to turn over a new leaf, like when he reasoned with Gretchen to be someone who isn't cruel.
Jordan is the first to speak. "I can forgive you. We've seen this before and we gave that person and a few others the chance to be redeemed as well." They all look to Michelle Lewis and Flat Tire. They were once bad, now they're good.
"She's right" replied Lincoln. "Guys, he may have been doing some bad things in making peaches the top fruit and all, but we heard him right? He's done with it. All of it, the least we could do is give him a chance to show he doesn't wanna be a bad kid."
"Linc and Jordan has a point. Ryan showed Gretchen that she can't be a mean and snobby rich girl forever, and that she doesn't have to follow in the ways of the evil Silver Empire. Ryan is not a bad kid, he just wants to be normal and live a good life, he changed like those we know and are friends with now."
Gretchen speaks next. "I'm in." She then looks to Ryan. "You showed me to change and I know you can, and I know this change from being evil came when you met Lincoln and Jordan. You saw something else beyond the veil of being someone mean and then showed it to me and I am forever grateful for that."
"But I'm more grateful to have met someone who can be as equal as me and… And show me how to love. You showed me that, and I have never stopped thinking about what you did for me." She then kisses his cheek which makes him blush.
The two kids look to each other and hug it out, and everyone else can see he is trying to change, he's done with the life he had with his parents and that evil spy organization. They all agree, to give him the chance he needs to show he can live just like them and be once again called, their friend.
They all begin to celebrate and enjoy this awesome lunch, not just because the Royal Woods Middle Eagles won, but because they have reconnected with an old friend, who was once a hidden enemy. Even though he hasn't done anything bad to them.
The Eagles are the ones who will have a hard time trusting him the most. Luna's Stellar's Sea Eagle, Bullet was the one who infiltrated the house Ryan and his parents used to stay and he has some doubts about the kid, but he's willing to see if this kid can prove he can be their friend.
Jordan then sees how cute it is to see Ryan and Gretchen talk to each other and he even shares some crazy and stupid things that have happened, he's telling them all the places he went to and the plans that failed. They don't know Peter Harris is recording this to help connect the dots for them to hunt for SUSPENSE.
Jordan then realizes something. 'Wait, if Ryan is not a Miller anymore, then what is his last name? Where has he been staying all this time before he came here?' That one they'll have to ask for next time.
But while all of this is happening, they have no idea that someone is seeing them through the window and is angry. The person smirks. 'Well, well. If Gretchen is gonna ruin our fun and life here, then it's only fair that we do the same!'
(Later.)
All of them begin to clean up and they make their way to the door to leave the place. But then Jordan asks Ryan. "Ryan, what's your last name and where have you been stayin this whole time?"
That was something none of them asked about yet.
Ryan had a sad expressions. "I've been staying at motels while I made my way here and I used the large cash my parents gave me. I know how to defend myself and also make things to keep me safe and I have been eating at diners and I also had no choice but to eat at… A biker's bar."
That was shocked them the most and it made Gretchen and the others feel bad he had to do that.
"As for a last name, I don't know anymore" replied Ryan. "I haven't thought this through, I mean disowning myself from the people I once called parents was the easy part, but having a new last name was something I forgot about. I didn't think this plan through."
They all open the door and head out the door. "Well, don't worry. We can figure something out" replied Clyde.
"Yeah, we can talk to the CPS into finding a family for you" said Chloe.
Rick and Jesse think about this and they can see the nod from their daughter, Jordan. Which means, they have the same idea. "Ryan, we were thinking…"
"Freeze!" They all see tons of cop cars have arrived and they all have their guns pointed towards Ryan Miller.
"Ryan Miller, you are under arrest for associating with SUSPENSE and the destruction of Michigan Cherries. Hands in the air now and get down on your knees and don't even think about running."
All of them are shocked to see this. Ryan knew this would happen, he thinks about running, but that would make him guilty. So he goes down to his knees and cops go to him. "Ryan, what are you doing?!" said Gretchen.
"The right thing." He gets handcuffed and they bring him to the rest of the squad.
"Hey! Let him go! What are you doing?!" said Sadie.
"He didn't do anything bad, yet" replied Lance.
"He's not guilty, he's innocent!" said Simon. Everyone tried to protest against the police to let him go.
Peter Harris is shocked about this then he realizes. "Oh, right. I guess I forgot to signal the base that Ryan Miller is back and to stand down. God damn it, what the hell was I thinking?!"
"You weren't, all of us didn't think this whole thing through" replied Lisa. "We were all too busy trying to enjoy the dodge ball tournament win of Royal Woods and also wanting to get more answers from Ryan's reason to why he is here, also I know you recorded his words from when he was talking about what SUSPENSE was doing and I assume you intend to make sure that the law is informed so they can commence the hunt for the spy organization."
"Yeah, that makes sense. But right now we got an even bigger problem" said Michelle Lewis.
As Ryan is being brought to the squad car, they see some girls who are with the police and seeing them is making Jordan, Delilah and Gretchen's blood boil.
Leslie Silver and her friends. "That's him officer, that's the wretched hoodlum who wants to destroy the Michigan cherries."
"Make sure he's locked up, for good!" said Karen.
Something inside of Gretchen clicks and her mind has snapped and everything she's done for Leslie is now coming to a major impacting lock, load and open fire. "Silver!"
To be continued…
A/N: I'd like to thank "Vasmasdas1" for the idea of the return of Ryan Miller and sorry I changed everything, I thought it would be a better idea for this instead of him showing up at school. I hope this was okay. Leave a review and tell me what you all think.
Also, the next chapter is gonna be one hell of a beat down!
Date made: 11/4/20 – 11/5/20.