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Chapter 2 – The Construction
As the early morning sun rose, Ryan Atwood was stirring in his sleep. The sunlight was seeping in through the cracks between the curtains, filling the room with warmth. After a few minutes, Ryan's alarm went off for its scheduled 6:30 wakeup, disturbing him from the peaceful state he was in. Normally he would have had taken the opportunity to jump out of bed and been straight in the shower before going to work at Chino Constructions, but today something felt different. As much as Ryan liked that time of the morning and the tranquility he felt at work, without having the hassle of Dawn shouting at him or a drunken AJ beating him up, something was telling Ryan not to go to work today.
After letting the construction company know that he was not coming in today, he stepped outside. As he did so, he zipped up his jacket; there was a cool winter wind in the air this morning.
Chino isn't normally this cold, Ryan thought to himself as he started to pace down the street slowly; he was in no hurry, there was nowhere he needed to be. Wandering around the empty streets in his neighborhood, Ryan noticed how Chino had changed over the years. The town used to be alive with young families, the streets filled with luscious green lawns where numerous house parties were held. There were no gangs that hung around town, no need for the police to stop someone from stealing a car or robbing the corner store. But as the years had grown on, Chino had taken a turn for the worst. As the new generation grew older, the town began to be filled with crime and violence. The once beautiful, busy streets had grown deserted as the drought struck California. Brown lawns, run-down buildings, graffiti; that was the Chino Ryan now knew and had grown up in.
With his head down and shoulders hunched, Ryan gradually made his way back to the deserted playground at the end of his street. As he entered the playground, he walked over to the tattered old swings and sat down. He came here sometimes just to think. The place reminded him of all the happy memories he had as a child, not that he had many, but the thought of being here just seemed to make things simpler. Today he had come here to think about yesterday's events.
Theresa, his ex-girlfriend, had told him that she was engaged to one of his oldest friends, Eddie. As much as he was happy for her, he just wasn't sure if he was completely over her. They had a long history together, having known each other since they were born. She was his first girlfriend, his first kiss, his first love.
After noticing a couple of young kids had arrived at the park, Ryan realized he had been out most of the morning. He got up off the swing and left the playground. As he was walking along the sidewalk, past the bus shelter, Ryan noticed a girl lying across the lone bench. Just another homeless person, was his first thought before he noticed her designer clothes and bag. That's odd, he thought as he walked over to the girl to see if she was okay. She appeared to be asleep but Ryan noticed a few almost empty beer bottles next to her and realized she must have passed out. While he looked over her a bit longer, he saw she was shivering from the cold. Seeing this, Ryan took off his heavy leather jacket and placed it over her. Startled from the sudden weight on her, Marissa awoke to see a teenage boy peering down at her, before she passed out again.
