AN: So i wasn't sure about this chapter, but decided to post it anyway. Please R&R!
Disclaimer: See other chapters.
Chapter 7: Jumping To Conclusions & Talking
Friday afternoon, the day before the Valentine's Day Dance, found Ryan in the library again studying with Taylor. He sighed deeply as he tried to concentrate on the subject of inorganic chemistry.
"I'm never going to catch up."
"Of course you will." Taylor assured him. "We can try to meet up outside of school if that will help. Maybe this weekend."
"I have that dance tomorrow." Ryan sighed. "I don't really want to go, but I don't think I have a choice."
"I have to go, too." She told him. "We can make an appearance, then leave and do something fun."
"Sounds good." He sighed as the bell rang; they packed up their books and walked to Chemistry class.
Kirsten was home early so she could finish setting up for the dance the next night. She glanced in the den as she saw Ryan laying on the couch as he read a book for school.
"Hey," he glanced up at her.
"How was your day?"
"Fine. I think I'm halfway caught up now."
"Feel like taking a break?"
"I already did my time this week. Seth is upstairs, though."
"I'll make him come with me then."
"Where am I going?" Seth came down with Summer.
"Do you guys feel like helping me set up for the dance?" Kirsten looked at them.
"Sure." Summer told her.
"Why doesn't Ryan have to help?" Seth watched him still lying across the couch.
"I did my time this week." Ryan mumbled.
"And he has work to catch up on." Kirsten told him as the phone rang.
"I got it!" Sandy called as he walked into the house.
"He's home early." Ryan mumbled as he went back to his book.
"Ryan! Get down here!" Sandy called a few moments later, startling all of them.
"He's in here, Sandy." Kirsten called and watched as he came into them.
"What's the matter?" Ryan slowly sat up on the couch.
"I just got off the phone with Dr. Kim."
"I didn't do anything." He defended.
"That's what she's worried about. The counselor noticed that you haven't been eating lunch this past week."
"Yes, I have." He defended as Kirsten looked at him as well. "Just because I didn't eat with the rest of the school, doesn't mean that I didn't eat."
"Then where did you eat?"
"In the library."
"They allow food in the library?"
"No, but Taylor was able to sneak some things in. Some chips or cookies. I haven't had much of an appetite lately anyway because of the pain killers that I'm on."
"Taylor Townsend?" Kirsten asked.
"She's helping me catch up on all the work I missed in Chemistry. I'm pretty much caught up in every other subject."
"Oh." Sandy sighed.
"So you just got angry at Ryan for nothing." Seth told his dad.
"I'm sorry, Ryan." Sandy told him.
"Whatever." He stood up and walked past them towards the stairs.
"Ryan-" Kirsten tried to stop him.
"I still have some studying to do." He mumbled as he started up the stairs.
"Congratulations, dad." Seth looked at him. "You just guaranteed an extra ten counseling sessions for him."
"Let's go wait out in the car, Cohen." Summer pulled him away, trying to diffuse the sudden tension in the room.
"Sandy-" Kirsten started.
"I know. I messed up." He sighed. "But Dr. Kim-"
"That woman is not always right. She was wrong about Ryan not being Harbor school material, and she was definitely wrong about Oliver."
"I know." He looked at her. "I'll try to talk to him while you guys are setting up at the club."
"Good luck." She told him as she walked outside after Seth and Summer.
Ryan sat on his bed, fuming. Sandy was seriously mad about him possibly skipping a few meals after everything else they were all dealing with? He took out his cell phone and started to dial a number as a knock came at his door.
"What?" he grumbled, knowing it would be Sandy.
"Can I come in?" the door opened a little bit.
"It's your house." He mumbled as he put his cell phone away.
"I think we need to talk, kid."
"Here to accuse me of something else I didn't do?"
"I deserve that." Sandy pulled the desk chair over by the bed and sat down.
"So what do you want?"
"I understand you're upset with me and you have every right to be, but you need to check the attitude." He looked at him and Ryan glared back. "I'm sorry about jumping to conclusions, but the truth is we have no idea what to say or do anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"When you were in that facility-"
"I'm not talking about what happened in there." Ryan interrupted him.
"We don't want you to if you're not comfortable yet. But you were different when you came back to us."
"What do you mean?"
"There was a hollowness in your eyes. Even though you were smiling and talking and saying all the right things, we could tell that you were different."
"You said it yourself, people change in places like that. And I probably did."
"But the thing that concerned us the most was your weight."
"My weight?"
"You had lost a lot of weight after only spending a few days in there. You were always skinny, but you were frighteningly thin when you returned."
"If you saw the food they wanted to force us to eat, you would've lost your appetite too."
"I'm sure you're right, but you haven't been eating that much at mealtimes."
"It's the pain killers." He sighed.
"Are you sure that's all it is? Or is it something more than that?"
"It's just the pain killers. I swear."
"Good. We have enough to worry about without having to be concerned with your health as well."
"Well I should be off the pain killers by next week. So you can see for yourself whether I'm telling you the truth or feeding you a load of bull."
"I guess we will." Sandy stood up. "So are we good?"
"For now." Sandy was pleased to see Ryan attempt to smile.
"So Kirsten and Seth will probably be gone for awhile. Want to do something?"
"Like what?"
"Playstation? I've gotten a bit rusty."
"Sure." He shrugged and followed him down into the den.
Kirsten returned home a couple hours later and saw them playing a video game in the den. She smiled at them as she placed the take-out containers on the kitchen counter.
"Hey, honey. How'd it go?" Sandy called to her.
"Well, Seth complained the entire time. He's having supper with Summer." She started to take the food out of the containers. "Ryan, I ran into Luke at the club. He said something about the batting cages and baseball tryouts."
"He wants me to try out, but I haven't played for a long time." Ryan told them. "So he suggested we go to the batting cages to practice."
"So why haven't you?" Sandy looked at him.
"Because I'm still being punished this week. And it's not like I can hit baseballs with this." Ryan held up his wrist. "When am I getting this off, by the way?"
"You have a checkup on Monday." Kirsten told him. "We'll see then. Come on, you two. Let's eat."
Ryan shut off the Playstation and followed Sandy into the kitchen as they joined Kirsten at the table. Knowing that they were most likely watching him eat even though they were pretending that they weren't, Ryan ate more than he actually wanted to just so there wouldn't be any more parental visits to his room that night. Ryan helped them clean up, and then went up to his room for the night.
"So how'd your talk with him go?" Kirsten looked at Sandy
"I think it went ok." He sighed. "It's hard to tell with him sometimes."
"But you got him to talk?"
"He didn't talk about his time inside that place, but yes we talked."
"It's a start at least."
AN: So what'd you think? Next chapter will be better. Please R&R!
