The rhythm of waves crashing somewhere in the distance should have put Ryan to sleep; in fact, it might have if Ryan hadn't kept declining Sandy's offers to give him seconds at dinner. Every time he got close to drifting off, his stomach would grumble or cramp painfully. The pool house cabinets were bare, and the only thing in the fridge was a case of bottled water. Digging through the Cohens' kitchen was not an option. Had Sandy or Kirsten told him what time to come up to the main house for breakfast? Ryan couldn't remember, and he hadn't thought to ask.
More than once, Ryan came close to rolling himself off the sofa bed as he tried to find a comfortable position. He wasn't sure how long it took for him to pass out from total exhaustion, but the sun was up by the time he opened his eyes. He groaned and got up. Ryan winced as he got a good look at himself in the mirror. The cut over his eye was healing, but his bruises had turned an ugly purple. He had deep shadows under both eyes. Ryan sighed, hoping the Cohens were early risers. He wasn't sure he could wait any longer for breakfast.
When Ryan walked into the main house, the only person he saw was a dark-haired boy sitting on the living room floor, playing video games. This had to be Seth, the Cohens' undoubtedly spoiled son. Ryan almost couldn't see the coffee table for all the boxes of cereal and Pop-Tarts.
"Hey, dude, what's up?" Seth waved casually, as if Ryan was an old friend instead of delinquent his dad had brought home. "Ryan, right?"
Seth paused his game and went into the kitchen, returning with an extra bowl and spoon that he handed to Ryan.
"My folks won't be up for a while, so I got out some breakfast stuff." He gestured at the coffee table. "Go ahead. You ever had Cocoa Krispies and Peanut Butter Crunch mixed together?"
"No," he replied. Ryan usually considered himself lucky if there were stale Cheerios in the house.
"Oh, I forgot the milk," Seth added, jumping up and bringing back the carton.
All Ryan could think to say was: "Cool, thanks." He decided to try Seth's recommendation, pouring some milk over it. Ryan tried a big spoonful, then a few more. It was sweet, nutty, and delicious. Seth was too engrossed in the game to pay attention to how fast Ryan was eating. He sighed as his headache eased off.
"Do you wanna play?" Seth offered a spare controller.
Ryan shrugged and sat down on the floor next to Seth. He wasn't the best at video games, but he didn't have anything else to do anyway. Seth talked him through how to play, they started laughing and joking together. Ryan had eaten his second bowl of cereal when they heard footsteps on the stairs.
"Good morning, boys. I see you two have met," Sandy greeted. "And you've already found some of the breakfast goodies. That's great. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Do you guys want bagels, eggs, anything else?"
Ryan said "No" at the same moment Seth said, "Yes."
"Scrambled eggs on a bagel it is," said Sandy. "Let me know if you change your mind, Ryan."
Ryan, working on a blueberry Pop-Tart, nodded. He listened to Sandy moving around in the kitchen and wondered if this was what having a normal family was like. It was too bad it wouldn't last.