Chapter 3

Sandy put the unopened bottle of aspirin down and answered his phone. "Hello?"

"Dad. It's Seth."

"Hey, kid. What's going on?" Sandy asked, tiredly. Seth never called him unless he wanted him to pick up dinner or something. But it was too early and Seth sounded…different. "Everything okay?"

"Um, sort of. I found Ryan."

"What?" He was fully alert now.

"I found Ryan…"

"Is he okay? Where is he? Is he…"

"Whoa. Slow down. He's okay. Well…he's not, like, perfect or anything, he's sort of, well, wrecked, but he's here. He called me. He wants me to help him get out of California…"

"Seth…"

"And since I got a lecture from someone else about how I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to him with my cash…I need your help."

Sandy was stunned. His brain just stopped. His son hadn't talked to him like this in years. Ever since Seth went through puberty, they'd barely been able to share a conversation without Sandy saying something that Seth interpreted wrong. But Seth was asking for his help. And even Kirsten had mentioned Marissa's presence around Seth after the 'fight'.

"Dad?" Seth called.

"I'm thinking."

"Oh…"

"Where are you? Can I…"

"He doesn't know I'm calling you. He knows Mom doesn't want him there and he doesn't want her to be mad at you for helping him. Does that make sense? I mean, he…he doesn't want to go to jail but he doesn't have anywhere to go. He…he found his mom and she…he couldn't stay there."

"Seth…" Sandy could hear lots more in his son's voice than his words.

"Her boyfriend beat him up. He's…he's hurt. He's in the shower."

"Are you nearby?" Sandy asked, flipping open his phone book and dialing the office phone with his free hand.

"Sort of. I'm on the Rover. Mom doesn't know where I went. So, I'll have to come home eventually…"

"No, stay right there, I'll talk to your mother. Stay with him and…I'll call you when I can tell you what I've found out that we can do for him. All right?"

"Okay. Thanks, Dad. He's…he's my friend and I want to help him."

"We will. I promise. Hang tight."

Ryan ran his fingers through his hair and looked at himself.

He definitely wasn't going to be enjoying the fruits of staying at Summer's house tonight. The blue-black bruising that ran down his entire side and hurt every time he breathed was going to keep his dick in his pants tonight.

He pulled out the cleanest wifebeater he had and pulled it on. He'd stolen some change from a fountain at the mall before he'd found his mom and managed to wash his clothes at a Laundromat.

The shower had been great, though. He felt better despite his hunger and exhaustion. He was at least clean now.

He felt human again.

He unlocked the door and stepped out into the designer guest room.

"Finally. I thought you drowned," Summer said. She was sitting on the bed and she'd changed clothes. She was wearing a pair of tight white shorts and a low cut tube top over her orange bikini top. Her breasts teased him and it took a moment for him to focus on her face. "I got you some clothes. You should throw those away or at least wash them while you're here," she said, motioning beside her. She patted the clothes. On the bed.

"Where's Seth?" he asked, walking over to her.

"He took Coop to the drive thru. She might be skinny, but the bitch can put back some burgers. And we figured you might need a meal, too, you know. You're looking a little pale, Ry," she said, swinging her sculpted legs off the bed to reach for him. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him a step closer.

"Summer…"

"I just want you to change clothes," she said, smiling at him innocently.

"Whose clothes are these?"

"I got them from my lost and found," she said, picking up the black t-shirt. "They're clean and everything. Just stuff leftover from parties and…"

"Sleepovers, right," Ryan smiled. At least she was honest. He took the clothes and started to turn to go back to the bathroom but she stopped him.

"Let me help. You look…sore," she said, standing up.

He didn't stop her from gently peeling his shirt off, leaving his damp hair in disarray.

"Damn. Are you okay?" she asked, touching the bruise on his chest with her warm fingers.

"Yeah. I'll be okay," he replied.

"Sit down, on the bed. I've got a first aid kit, you need something for those cuts," she said, going into the bathroom and shaking her hot little ass.

He needed to sit down after that.

He kicked off his jeans and started to put on the clean ones before she got back, but she was too quick for him and he heard her light giggle when she saw him standing naked with the pants in his hand.

"At least your ass isn't bruised," she said, her eyes lingering as she looked at him from top to bottom.

"Do I pass inspection?" he asked, trying to stay confident as he turned to face her.

"I'd say so, Ryan. You definitely pass," she grinned, walking over and taking the jeans from him. "But I thought I told you to sit down."

He was never one to argue with a woman, especially a woman as hot as Summer. He sat down on the bed and she leaned over and pulled the jeans over his feet and up his legs until they were over his knees.

"Lie back and raise up so I can put on your pants."

He leaned back and lifted his hips as she pulled the denim over his thighs and underneath his ass.

"Oh, this is difficult," she said suddenly, her hands on his inner thigh. "I guess I'm more used to taking guys' jeans off," she added.

And then she leaned over and kissed the head of his cock softly.

"Summer…"

"You don't have to do anything, just…lie there, okay? You've had a shitty week and I just want to do something nice for you…" She sucked his length into her mouth and he had to bite his lip from crying out.

This girl was good…

"Uh oh," Marissa said when she stepped into Summer's house with the first load of bags from the restaurant. She could smell the marijuana smoke from the hallway.

"What?" Seth asked, kicking the door closed as he carried the drinks.

"Summer's a pothead, in case you didn't know that," Marissa sighed.

"Oh. Good to know, I guess," Seth said.

"Not if your dad has to come here," Marissa told him.

"True. We'll Lysol it down, but hopefully, Dad won't show up here. He doesn't know where we are or anything. Just the basics," Seth replied.

Marissa stopped him outside the door. "Knock. You learn to knock when Summer's your friend," she said, rapping loudly on the door.

"Come in, Coop!" Summer called. Marissa pushed open the door.

Ryan and Summer were lying on the bed sharing a fat joint.

Summer looked at Ryan with a smile that told Marissa everything she needed to know. "She thought we were naked," Summer said.

"Summer, you ignorant slut," Marissa deadpanned, but she was serious.

"I didn't hurt him," Summer pouted.

Seth walked over and held out their drinks. "New clothes?"

"Summer's," Ryan said. He held out the joint.

"No thanks, I'll have to face the 'rents eventually, don't need the red eyes," Seth said.

Ryan nodded and silently put it out in the ashtray before turning to face Seth in the chair. "So. Any news on this big plan of yours?" he asked.

Marissa sat down on the arm of Seth's chair and they spread out the food on the bed.

"Not yet, but trust me, dude, it's going to be awesome."

"You can crash here a couple of days, Ry, I mean, if you need to," Summer said.

Marissa rolled her eyes and Summer frowned. She loved her best friend, but Summer was shameless sometimes.

"Thanks, but I should probably get out of here as soon as I can. Someone's sure to report me if I'm in Newport," Ryan said quietly.

"Dude, you're beat. Hell, if Summer wants to hide you in her house, just stay in bed…"

Summer smirked.

Seth hesitated.

"I know what you meant, Seth," Ryan said. "But I don't want to take advantage of this. I can't get settled here, you know?"

"I'm going to figure something out. I swear, dude. I'll get us a plan. Trust me," Seth said.

Ryan nodded slightly and took a box of fries. "Thanks."

Sandy walked inside his house and heard Kirsten pecking away at her laptop in the kitchen.

"Hi, honey. Any news?"

"Actually…" he started.

"Did you find him?" she asked, anxious. He'd been so upset that no matter what her true feelings, it had rubbed off.

He was having trouble reading her lately. He knew he'd hurt her but she'd hurt him too.

"Can we talk? About Seth, and Ryan?"

"I didn't know his mom would leave him, Sandy. You can't honestly blame me for this…"

"I want to help him, Kirsten," Sandy said.

She closed her laptop. "I'm listening."

"I can't help him if I can't talk to him. If I can't keep an eye on him," Sandy said.

Kirsten sighed. "You want him to stay with us. You want us to take care of him."

Sandy sat down beside her.

"Is he okay?" she asked quietly.

"He found his mom," Sandy said. He'd shown her the letter the first morning when she'd demanded he tell her everything after he'd spent all night driving around Chino looking for the kid.

"He's with her?"

"No. Seth said that Dawn's boyfriend beat him up. He picked him up at a park, said he looked…tired," Sandy said.

"Seth…Seth found him…" Kirsten realized.

"He's…"

"Seth will take care of him," Kirsten said suddenly.

Sandy searched her face. She'd been so adamant about Ryan not staying there after the fashion show incident but once he'd snapped on her after Ryan disappeared, he hadn't been able to read her at all. But tonight, she just looked worried.

Worried and guilty.

"What is it about him, Sandy? Explain it to me…I don't understand how this boy that you just met has had this much impact on you…"

Sandy looked at the counter. "I spend all day working with kids, bad kids, kids that just don't give a damn, there's no way I can help them because they're just too far gone…and then I meet Ryan, and he's got so much potential, he's so smart and…I see a kid that's stuck in a place where potential isn't going to get him anywhere…he was probably with his brother because he couldn't go home…and then to see him with Seth…to see Seth laugh and to see him actually having a good time away from the TV…"

"What can we do, Sandy. What do you want to do?"

"I want…"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Wait. I want to say something." She looked in his eyes. "I trust you. I trust you with everything I have."

"He's a good kid."

She nodded. "Then he'll stay with us."

"We'll have to be his guardians…take full responsibility…"

She nodded. "I won't let him down. I won't let you down. So as long as he doesn't let us down…we'll be all right."

He took her in his arms.

"I just hope you know what you're getting us into."