Cracks and Pieces
The sun punctuated the Friday afternoon, throwing rays across the brilliant school grounds. Ryder sat with West and Duke, gazing mournfully at the front of the school, arches and all.
There was something strangely beautiful about this moment in time, when everything seemed to come to life out of a fairytale. When the world just falls to your feet and nothing matters anymore.
Ryder frowned, pulling his brows together. Poetic and Romantic Ryder had a nasty tendency of rearing its ugly head in this farce of a biology class, and he didn't like it one bit. It had only been one week, and already, Ryder was on the countdown of days until summer started.
Well, to be truthful, he'd been on the countdown ever since the first day of school started. It was just more accentuated now, by the familiar Californian sun feeling that always marked the proximity of three school-less months.
Sighing longingly, he looked at West, who was flipping his red pen in his left hand, looking like he couldn't wait to get out of Hellebore's class too.
Ryder snickered. Their science teacher's name had been subjected to constant ridicule. People often commented about how accurately her last name described her class.
"Guess what?" West caught Ryder's eye and leaned towards Ryder, lowering his voice. The three of them occupied the back row, so the chances of someone hearing them were fairly low.
"You finally shagged someone yesterday night?" Ryder said, reverting to his native slang, rolling his eyes from knowing full well that West would never admit to any sexual activities. Ever the gentleman, he'd picked up on a habit of keeping certain things behind closed doors.
Hell, maybe West Tyson was still a virgin. Ryder snickered again. It would certainly explain a lot. Like the fact that he was so silent and shy around girls.
"No. I wouldn't tell you even if I did," West gave a canine smile. "But I think Blake van Buren and our lovely head bitch were about to get it on by the way they were sucking face with each other yesterday."
Ryder's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Blake and Jade? Since when? Was that some kind of indication of truce on Jade's part? "You don't say," Ryder mused, a great ball of warmth blazing in him. A happy feeling was leaping around in his stomach. In his mind, his gears were fast at work, processing this new information. If he could blackmail Jade the way she was blackmailing him, then she would have to tell him about Kate, and he wouldn't have to hurt Chase. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," West nodded affirmatively, looking very pleased with himself. "I followed her out of the cafeteria to ask her why Arielle was crying, and I found something much more interesting happening."
Music to Ryder's ears.
"Genius," he breathed happily. In his mind, he could see endless roads paved with gold splayed in front of him. His future was bright again. No more threats from Jade Lewallen. For once in his life, he would be the one in control.
His days of servitude were over.
Then, a picture of Jade's cold, burning eyes suddenly threw itself into Ryder's mind, and Ryder felt his former cheer fade away slowly.
Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. This was Jade Lewallen he was talking about. The girl who never bloody gave up. He was sure she'd find some new way to torture him tenfold.
And just like that, he began to despair again. There was no getting around the fact that he would have to take a different approach. Now that his old memories of Kate had been ignited, it began like an obsession again, snowballing itself, until it was all-consuming. At this point, Ryder would've done anything to see Kate again. If only a certain red-head would be more cooperative, then he could've bloody well been on his way already.
It's not like I didn't try, his brain wheedled pathetically. It sounded like he was deliberately lying to himself.
Ryder scowled. So maybe he hadn't really tried to progress their relationship beyond anything but getting through the introductory get-to-know-each-other phase. And even that was hard enough as it was.
This may have been the first time in Ryder's history that he'd had trouble even talking to a girl. Ryder crinkled his eyebrows horrifically as a sudden thought came to mind. Maybe he was losing his appeal. Maybe he really wasn't as good-looking as his mirror assured him every day.
Shit, he was only sixteen, and his shagging days could almost be over.
Just to make sure he was still okay, he quickly caught the eye of Shear Wassel and flashed her his patented, trademark up-turned smile. She quickly dropped her eyes and blushed.
Blowing out a relieved sigh, Ryder took this as an affirmative that his masculinity wasn't the problem here. Chase van Buren just simply had other tastes. Different ones.
Well, then, he was just going to have to try harder. Competition was built in him, after years of soccer tournaments. He would just consider the conquest of Chase as a first place trophy, never mind that he'd be taking one of the most important things from her.
Trust Jade to saddle him with something that would make him regret it for the rest of his life.
Unless, Ryder's train of thought slowly picked up, musing this way and that, as Ryder considered something. Unless, Arielle could be of some help to him. After all, a girl who slept, pissed, and nursed hangovers next to Jade Lewallen had to know her pretty intimately. And if what West said was true, Arielle would want to help avenge herself against her sister.
Pleased at his pragmatic approach towards his Problem and feeling buoyed by his own smart thinking, Ryder quickly fired Arielle a text, asking whether or not she could meet him after school in the front courtyard. Alone.
Fortunately for him, she responded with an affirmative, and Ryder found her after school in the courtyard, as promised.
Trudging down the school steps, he saw her tell-tale blond curls before she saw him. Surrounded by poplar trees and strings of ivy crawling gracefully up the stone walls, Arielle looked like a tiny woodland fairy.
Albeit a very good-looking fairy, who also happened to be Ryder's best friend, making her off limits to him.
Well, you can't have everything in life, Ryder decided, walking towards Arielle, lazy grin etched on his aristocratic features.
"You don't look like someone who has something urgent to say to me," Arielle commented nonchalantly, taking in the way Ryder's sandy brown head had been teased to look perfectly content and at ease.
"Oh, it's very important." Ryder said confidently, tossing his binder to the ground and sitting down next to Arielle on a marble bench. "And it's supposed to be a secret, so no blabbing to Jade." Ryder raised his eyebrows and flashed her a warning look in his eye.
Arielle's expression immediately turned sour. "Of course," she tossed haughtily, probably still remembering whatever incident that had made her tear up yesterday.
"I mean, I know you guys are close sisters and all, but Jade has something that I need. And she's blackmailing it against me," Ryder confided in Arielle, knowing that the situation was probably already all too familiar to the blonde. "So, you see, not only do you have to keep this quiet, but also, as her sister, you're the only one that can help me."
Arielle shook her hair behind her thoughtfully. If it had been any other day, Ryder wouldn't have bothered to ask, knowing that Arielle would stick by her twin no matter what. But knowing that Arielle herself was angered by Jade's mistreatment towards her, Ryder decided that the chances were good enough that he would bet on it.
"What kind of thing are we talking about?' Arielle finally asked, chewing her bottom lip slightly.
"A we-work-together-to-get-information kind of thing," Ryder informed her. "It's very simple. Since you know Jade so well, all you would have to do would be to just sneak into her room and get what we need. You get your revenge, I get what I want. Everything works out beautifully."
Arielle chewed on her lower lip, worrying it this way and that before deigning to look up again. "Fine. On one condition: you tell me what's going on with you that's making you so desperate."
Ryder rubbed the bridge of his nose with his right palm and looked at Arielle questioningly. "Why would you want to know that? It's a little personal to me."
"Well, I'm tired of always being left out on everybody's dirty little secrets," Arielle huffed angrily, tugging at her hair scornfully and accidentally ensnaring some of her blond locks in the branches overhead. "What makes Jade so much more trustworthy than me, anyway? After all, I can keep a secret much better than her. Now, are you going to tell me or not?"
Ryder took a pause to look at his friend carefully. "You're sure you can help me," he stated with a sense of finality in his words.
"It's a hell lot of a better shot than you would have without me," Arielle retorted back at him, carefully wording the words so that she wasn't promising anything too drastic.
Ryder considered the fact that it really couldn't "Fine. There was a girl named Kate a few years back. Remember her?" Ryder said in an conceding tone, knowing that there was no way he could get himself out of this fix. Not unless he wanted to let this opportunity slip by and go back to being Jade's advocate.
"Kate," Arielle said slowly, as if she were savoring the word on the tip of her tongue. "Kate Solemnity? Willowy girl. Blonde hair. Green Eyes?"
"Yeah, that's her alright," Ryder said shortly, feeling a constriction in the middle of his chest every single time he thought about the way her feather soft hair would feel in his hands and the way her green eyes would glow with happiness.
"We dated for a while, and I accidentally knocked her up one day. Her parents kind of freaked out—her dad's some kind of high society business man--, said something about her ruining the family name, and basically ended up shipping her off to boarding school all the way on the East coast."
Arielle sat silently for a minute, making the silence in the air even more prominent. That was one thing that was good about her. She didn't try to press for the more sordid details or turn it against him, as Jade had done. Arielle just sat there, soaking it all in without a harsh word of judgment. Finally, after a long pause, she spoke up, "So, Jade has an appointment today afternoon and she won't be home for a good couple of hours. If you want to find something, it'll have to be today."
Ryder nodded in relief, knowing that Arielle's silence meant that she was at least able to look past the fact that Ryder had gotten his girlfriend impregnated. "We can take my car," he offered, feeling a rush of gratitude that he'd already completed his week's worth of detentions this morning. Conveniently, Duke and West would be held at school for an extra hour, leaving Ryder exhilaratingly free from having to make excuses to them.
I am a genius, he thought fondly to himself, even though the situation was actually pure coincidence rather than smart planning on his part.
And now, standing in Jade's room and snooping through her stuff only increased his feeling of satisfaction. Given his way, he'd be rifling through her things and dumping them out like crazy, but Arielle warned him that Jade would chop off both their heads if she knew what they were doing.
So, Jade's stuff remained intact for the time being.
Arielle looked at Ryder tear around her sister's room. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"An address. Now, where would she keep something like an address?" Ryder answered absentmindedly, gently opening a dresser drawer and then closing it once he realized the only thing inside was lingerie. "Some kind of address book?"
"Nah." Arielle shook her head, so that her curls bounced against her shoulder. "She just remembers it. It's her special ability or something. She has a photographic memory. That's why she does so well in school. She doesn't need to study at all."
It took a moment to sink in to Ryder's floating mind. Then, "Oh, bloody hell." Ryder cursed and slammed closed another dresser drawer so hard that a picture frame toppled down. It was one thing to be going through Jade's stuff, trying to find that unknown address. It was another thing if it was inside her head. They couldn't exactly crack Jade's head open and take a look inside.
Why am I always returning back to square one, Ryder thought, frustrated.
"What address are you looking for?" Arielle came over to where Ryder had sunken down onto the carpet in defeat. The momentary high he'd gotten from the plan was now gone.
"The one to her mental institution. It's supposed to be hidden or something and non Google-able." Ryder said, his shoulders slightly hunched over, looking for all the world that he was another depressed teenager.
"Do you know her family address?" Arielle suggested, furrowing her eyebrows in pure concentration at her friend's predicament.
"The Solemnities aren't traceable by the public," Ryder said, feeling more and more dejected. He felt as if he'd been driving at a hundred miles per hour and had just reached an impasse at the end of the road.
At least it wasn't straight off the cliff. Not that knowing that made the world seem brighter in any way.
Arielle's face, which had previously been contorted, suddenly brightened up considerably. "You know, Jade may have a photographic memory, but my father doesn't. And I'm sure, he knows everything about everyone. I'm sure there's something we could dig up in his office," she murmured, looking at Ryder thoughtfully.
"And you could get us in?" Ryder asked skeptically, knowing that Arielle may not have as easy an access to Mark Lewallen's private files as she did to her sister's room.
Arielle nodded affirmatively. "I know where he keeps the key." A wry smile crossed her face, "Do me a favor and don't tell Jade, though. She wouldn't be able to stand the thought of me having something she didn't."
"If you can help me find this, I'll help you with a hundred favors," Ryder promised earnestly, hope rekindling itself in his heart. It was almost too good to be true. And yet, if it all worked out, he would be one free jailbird. The thought nearly had him skipping again, as Arielle led him downstairs and slid the key into the keyhole to her father's study.
A sudden thought struck him. Even if he could obtain the Solemnity resident address, he would have a hell of a hard time convincing the Solemnities to let him visit Kate. After all, the last time they met had not gone over as well as he would've liked.
They had, after all, promptly called school security to take him off of campus. Not only that, they had also threatened him with a restraining order in case he got too close. Needless to say, Ryder had gotten the warning quite clearly.
He shook his head. First he would see if he could even salvage that chance. And then, he would figure out what to do and how to take care of the next hurdle.
"Here we are," Arielle said, pushing back the heavy door. "My father's pretty organized, so he probably has them all catalogued somewhere in his many drawers." She nodded her chin towards the general working space of the room.
Having never been inside the infamous Mark Lewallen's study, Ryder took this time to memorize it carefully and explore.
It was easily big enough for more than just a study. It had its own leather couch, which had been pushed against the east side of the wall. Not only that, but the office was stocked with its own mini-refrigerator and contained three computers instead of one.
The desk was in the shape of an "L", and was intricately designed from the finest darkened oak to fit many drawers, which would in turn fit many files.
In short, he was going to be spending more time in this place than he'd originally thought.
Walking over to the desk, he slid open the top drawer with ease, and peered inside. It was, as Arielle had said, organized neatly into little divisions of daily office supplies.
Closing the first one, he pulled open the second one. Current Legal Documents.
Then, contracts.
Press conference details and Publicity gigs.
More papers.
Ryder was ready to slam the last one shut in frustration, when he noticed something odd sticking out of the neat stacks. Reaching towards the back, Ryder grasped on it and pulled it free.
It was a picture. And on it, was a younger version of Mark Lewallen himself. He was wearing a tuxedo and standing next to a woman who was clearly Jade and Arielle's mother.
While his date was smiling radiantly at the camera, his eyes were glazed over and he looked too stiff for someone to match the on-cloud-nine girl next to him. At first glance, Mark looked bored. Looking more carefully, though, Ryder saw something else.
His eyes were staring into the distance, with something that could only be described as want and longing. Ryder would know. He'd done the same thing again and again.
For the first time ever, Ryder felt a sense of connection with Arielle's father, someone who had also clearly felt the overwhelming longing for something he couldn't have.
"I think I found something," Arielle called from the other side of the room, oblivious to what Ryder had just discovered. He quickly shoved the picture back where it belonged, and then walked over to Arielle.
"These are his files," Arielle murmured, thumbing through meticulously labeled manila folders. "Burnett, Lisle, McLaughlin, Prewitt…Found it. Solemnity." Arielle pulled the file out triumphantly and waved it in the air, manila folder and all. Ryder could even see the neat, square blocking of Mark Lewallen's characters.
"Nice," he commented offhandedly, taking the manila folder from her. "Wonder why they'd need a lawyer…"
Behind him, Ryder felt Arielle come stand next to him, peering curiously at the bundle of information Ryder had in his hands. "Oh yes," Ryder smirked at how ironic it was that he'd just been thinking about this five minutes prior. "I guess they were pretty serious about filing charges against me, after all. They even got a lawyer as back-up and everything…"
Arielle shrugged, moving her shoulders up and down. "My father takes on the weirdest cases. I'm not so surprised that he would be motivated by the obscene amount of money they offered him."
"How very fortunate for me," Ryder said, tracing the customer information sheet with the tip of his right index finger. It paused at the address of the Solemnities.
1151 Reginald Lane. He repeated it over and over in his head, as he used his cell phone and programmed the rest of the less-pertinent information into his contacts.
Once every last single letter and number was safely saved inside his cell phone, Ryder felt a sense of power rush through him. For now, he had the playing cards in his hands. And now, all he had to do was to come up with something to make him sound polite and sincere and he'd be on his way to see Kate this weekend.
Time for next step.
"Well, it has been a pleasure doing business with you," he told Arielle, sticking out his hand, "Feel free to text me if you need help with anything. Until then, I'm off to put this information to good use."
"Wait a minute. Take me," Arielle jutted in, looking at him over the tops of her thick, coal-black lashes. "You're obviously going to need help with this thing. And I really have nothing else to do for the rest of the afternoon…" Arielle trailed off, and studied her fingernails, as if embarrassed to admit that she had no better plans than running around with Ryder, trying to set his love life in the right place.
"That's really not a good idea," Ryder said under his breath, not sure how to best tell her no. The idea of placing someone like Arielle against Mrs. Solemnity made the whole situation seem absurd.
"Why not?" Arielle paced in her father's study, "My social standing is higher than hers. If Kate's parents are as gun-ho about reputation and whatnot, you'd have a better chance of getting in with me than without. Besides, I know something that can almost guarantee that they'll talk."
She waved around some papers from the Solemnity File. "They owe my father some debt or another. I can use it to get them to see us, but you can't, so it's really in your best interest to have me along."
Ryder carefully considered her logic, and was disgruntled to find that he could really find no fault with it. There really wasn't anything in place to stop the Solemnities from dragging his body off to a convenient spot in the woods, after he'd banged up their daughter and gotten her pregnant.
"Fine, you can come," Ryder said in an almost snappish tone, not pleased that he had to concede. Maybe just a little part of him had hoped that Kate would've been pulled from that mental institution and was sitting at 1151 Reginald Lane, waiting to be picked up and rescued by Ryder.
The ride was silent, as both of them contemplated their respective issues. Ryder looked at a buoyant Arielle, sitting next to him in his car. He sighed, as he quickly rounded the bend and pulled up to the third house—if you could even call it that-- on his left. He got out of the car, and took in the monstrosity of an edifice.
It was obviously built to show off money in the most ostentatious way possible. The arches were carved from pearly marble, all the doors had been ornately designed to reflect a common theme of angels, and even the windows had been carefully mapped with a type of glass that made the whole house glitter. Outside, a Bentley was parked conspicuously, as if the owner had decided to show it off to the whole entire suburban neighborhood.
He heard Arielle breathe in beside him and saw her smile softly at him, patting him once on the arm to reassure him. The two of them parked his car a little down the street, and then proceeded to make their way down the mile-long driveway.
Ryder wrinkled his nose at the disgusting smell of way too many flowers. Mr. and Mrs. Solemnity really had no class when it came down to these things. Obviously, more is not less. More is just more. And it was giving Ryder a headache.
He stared at the raised head of an angel at the top of the doorway, both relieved that they'd made it and terrified, and felt as if it were mocking him. Glaring at the unmoving face, he unwillingly turned to face the front door, ringing the doorbell twice.
The door opened, and a maid stood in the way, a feather duster still in hand, and a cool, neutral expression on her face.
Even the staff was pompous. Figures. Ryder scowled at the thought of this girl in front of him getting all uppity.
"We're here to see Mr. and Mrs. Solemnity," Arielle said beside him, her tone rivaling the maid's facial expression. Ryder supposed that living with Jade for sixteen years had to have been useful somehow. "There's something of utmost importance that we would like to discuss with them."
"Name?" The girl asked, stepping back, and allowing them into the foyer.
"Arielle Lewallen," Arielle said, walking in and taking a mild glance at her surroundings. She sat down on the nearest seat, primly tucking in her knees as she sat down on the couch. "My associate's name is of no real importance. I'm here to represent him in all further dealings."
Ryder would've teased Arielle about how formal she sounded, but decided against that, seeing as her assistance was the only thing keeping him in the house at the moment.
His eyes darted around, and was surprised to find a few pictures of Kate still lying around the house. He'd have thought that the Solemnities would've burned it all when Kate got sent away, but he was clearly wrong.
Ryder took in each one. There was one of Kate as a baby, one of Kate in the pool with a boy that looked her age, Kate at ten years old, Kate and that blurry boy again in school, and one of Kate's freshmen year picture.
This was the one that Ryder studied the hardest. It seemed so surreal, to see Kate shyly smiling at the camera, like she didn't know that in a few months, she was about to get sent away to the other side of the country.
The maid returned now, and broke Ryder's thoughts. "Mr. and Mrs. Solemnity will now see you."
"Thank you," Arielle rose, and Ryder did the same. The uppity maid led the two of them down the twisting hallways and right against a black door.
Without further ado, Arielle twisted the knob and gently entered the room, motioning that Ryder should only enter when she fetched him.
Glumly, Ryder propped his back against the wall to the office, and tried to listen to what was going on, but the walls were too thick. After struggling and holding his breath for a good few minutes, he just gave up altogether, knowing that he'd brief Arielle about it later anyway.
Five minutes later, Arielle reached outside the office door, and motioned for him to come inside.
Ryder entered cautiously, not completely knowing what to expect.
As soon as the Solemnities saw him, the two both jumped up simultaneously.
"This is the person you brought to see us?" Mr. Solemnity hissed, his face was quickly turning all sorts of interesting shades by now. Now, he advanced slightly towards Ryder. "How dare you invade my home," he growled at Ryder.
Arielle hurriedly cleared her throat, so that everyone directed their attention on her again. "Mr. and Mrs. Solemnity, remember that I only ask for five to ten minutes of your cooperation time, in return of that favor my father did for you two years ago," Arielle reminded them patiently, smoothing the front of her shirt down.
"This boy is the reason why my daughter is no longer here," Mrs. Solemnity shrieked, pointing a blood-red nail at Ryder accusingly, her eyes burning with untold hate.
"Mrs. Solemnity, you're the one who sent her away to boarding school when she needed her friends' support the most!" Ryder yelled, no longer able to contain himself in the heat of the fury that was rolling through his body. How dare this woman try accusing of wrongdoing. He'd spent the last two years of his life pining after the daughter that Melinda Solemnity had sent away, just because of the shame it would bring the family. If anyone should be complaining, it should be him.
Ryder glared at her defiantly, anticipating a great shouting match in the process. Strangely enough, Mrs. Solemnity burst into furious, and rushed out from the room. Ryder stared after her in shock; he didn't think his words had been mean enough to reduce anyone to tears. Was it possible that she was feeling remorse for what she'd done?
"Look, Mr. Solemnity, we're sorry about offending your wife. If you could only just give us the address to Kate's current residence so her friends could visit her, we'll be on our way." Arielle slid in, trying to smooth over the little outbreak Mrs. Solemnity had just shown.
"I'm sorry Ms. Lewallen," Mr. Solemnity sneered coldly, "I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Why?" Arielle said in an impatient, strangled tone. She'd tried being patient, and it was obviously not working, the way Jade's intimidation did. "You do remember that favor my father was doing for you when he helped keep your secret. Or have you forgotten already?"
"Ms. Lewallen, while I do respect you and your father a great deal, I will simply not tolerate this boy in my home." Mr. Solemnity sneered contemptuously, the intensity of his raw hatred flowing through his body and emanating itself all around the room.
"Mr. Solemnity, I'm afraid I don't understand. I just need one simple address, and we'll leave." Arielle said desperately. It wasn't so much about getting the address anymore. For once, she wanted to do something right.
"You want her address? Fine." Mr. Solemnity ripped a piece of paper off the pad of his notebook and wrote something on it. He handed it to her, and got up.
Arielle stared at it for the longest time. Then, she raised her head. Ryder's face had gone pale and he croaked, "Beverly Hills City Cemetery?"
"This isn't real." He murmured to himself, dropping his head into his hands. Ryder could feel the blood rushing to his head as the room spun itself around and around…
"It's been real for five months," Mr. Solemnity tried to sneer again, but a part of his voice caught in his throat. Apparently the bastard did care for Kate on some level. "Now, I'm going to ask you one more time. Leave."
Arielle stood up, her hand resting gently on Ryder's lower back, as if she were afraid that he would collapse without his support. "Come on, Ryder. Let's go."
Ryder raised his head. Arielle took in the crazed look in his eyes and nearly stumbled back. It was so unlike Ryder to be anything but happy and content. She wondered how long had it taken it for him to perfect that so he could hide his emotions from the rest of the world. "I don't believe you," Ryder snarled at Mr. Solemnity, who involuntarily flinched a little at one look of Ryder's murderous face. "Just exactly how did she die?"
If he'd been temporarily scared of Ryder before, Mr. Solemnity quickly recovered at the sound of his question. "Funny you should mention that. She died from committing suicide in the name of your great love. They found her at the bottom of the resident lake."
Mr. Solemnity's eyes were now hard and glassy as he swept by the two. "Ms. Lewallen, get Bridgett to show you to the door, please." He ushered Arielle out, without a further glance at Ryder. When she took one last look behind her, she saw him swipe a brandy from his cabinet, and lock the door behind them.
"Ryder, it'll be okay. Come on," Arielle assured him softly, knowing that there wasn't much else she could do. It had been that way for her when they told her that her mother was never going to wake up from her coma again. It had been that silent, inherent need to just scream and cry until the pain faded to a slow, constant throb.
"It's never going to be okay," Ryder said in a tiny, broken voice.
Arielle squeezed his shoulder gently, and guided him along. When they got to his car, he allowed Arielle to lead him to the car and to take control of the wheel while he stared out his side of the window and mourned for the girl who he would never see come home again.
A/N: This chapter was hard for me to get through, just because I knew what I wanted and didn't know how to get there. So, hopefully, the next chapter should be up a lot sooner. Maybe tomorrow night if I can really get my ass into gear. There are exactly four more full length chapters, a short concluding chapter, and an epilogue. Again, please read and review! I would help me so much, and thanks again to everyone who has read and/or reviewed so far!