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Title: Heavily Broken (Chapter Seven)
Author: Mara
Rating: R
Warnings: Sex, mentions of rape, violence.
Summary: Ryan didn't call Sandy after Dawn kicked him out, but he still finds his way to the Cohen family.
Chapter Seven
Once they got home, Sandy and Kirsten went to their room to get changed into something more comfortable, while Ryan headed for the poolhouse to do the same.
"I don't know whether to be glad that he and Hailey get along or worried," Kirsten admitted. "She's not exactly a good influence. And giving him a cigarette..."
"It's one more person to defend him from Caleb," Sandy pointed out. "And as for the smoking... we can't expect Ryan to change overnight. It's a bad habit, one we want him to quit, but he's already under a lot of stress and if the smoking helps, I say we let it slide for a while."
"You're right," Kirsten said. "But he's going to quit sooner or later."
"No arguement here," Sandy assured her. "I think tonight went okay. The look on your dad's face when Ryan called him on the Plaza incident... that alone made the night worth it," he said with a chuckle.
Kirsten tried to smother her own laughter. "That's not nice," she told him.
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you didn't immediately want to applaud," Sandy said.
"Maybe a little."
~~~~
Ryan stood in the bathroom, washing his face, and sighed when he saw the lack of a door on the medicine cabinet. They hadn't replaced it yet, probably worried that Ryan would end up smashing it again, and while he felt guilt he also felt grateful. He didn't like looking at his reflection, especially when he didn't have every one of his injuries covered. He could deal with the bruises on his face, he'd gotten used to them over the years of being hit, but even one of the other injuries was enough to send him over the edge, and he never wanted to be that weak again.
He took a dose of his painkillers and slowly walked back out into the main room, pausing to grab a bottle of water from the fridge before settling in on the bed with one of the books Kirsten had bought after seeing him looking through it. He could get used to these people, to the things they bought for him, and to life in the poolhouse. He could even get used to the fancy school he would be starting the next day. What he didn't think he could get used to was girls like Holly groping him. He'd spaced out for a minute, been oblivious to what was going on, and that scared him.
On the other hand, Summer and Luke had been cool, worried but not ready to bolt after he spaced out. They had good senses of humor, and Summer was gorgeous. Maybe Newport would be worth it, give him a second chance to be more than another kid working on Hanlin street.
With a sigh, Ryan leaned over and grabbed his sketchbook, flipping past the handful of sketches he'd already made and starting on a new one, drawing Summer and Luke as they had looked while playing pool with him. Luke's amused frustration clear on his face, and Summer biting back laughter as she watched them. He could have friends here, as long as they never found out what he had done for money.
~~~~
"Here you go, kid," Sandy said the next morning as he pulled up in front of Harbor.
"Yeah," Ryan agreed half heartedly. "Is it too late to beg to go to public school?"
"Much too late," Sandy agreed. "You can do this."
"Yeah," Ryan repeated, though he made no move to get out of the car.
"If it gets to be too much, call us," Sandy said, holding out a cellphone. "I put both Kirsten and I's cells in there for you. You can call if you just need to talk, or if it's just way too much and you need to leave."
Ryan hesitantly took the phone and slid it into the bag that sat at his feet. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "Here goes..."
"I'll be back to pick you up after school," Sandy said.
"Thanks," Ryan said as he got out and grabbed his bag. He started up the steps, ignoring the curious looks he was getting, until he almost ran right over Summer. "Oh, hey, hi," he said.
"Hey," Summer said. "Welcome to Harbor."
"Thanks," Ryan said.
"Let me see you schedule?" Summer asked.
Ryan quickly dug it out of his bag to show her. "So? You think I can survive it?" he joked.
"Several of the classes are with either me or Luke, so yeah, I do," Summer said as she handed his schedule back. "We already decided last night to run defense between you and Holly. No one deserves her."
Ryan snorted. "I've dealt with worse."
"There's gotta be a story there," Luke said as he joined them.
"Not one I'm gonna share," Ryan countered.
"I volunteered us to help him keep form getting lost today," Summer stated. "Most of his classes are with one of us or the other, everything but math and science..."
"How come? There's only so many classes..."
"He's taking AP Math and AP Science," Summer said. "AP English, too, but I've got that."
"Summer plays the part of dumb rich girl well, but she's not," Luke said. "I, on the other hand, really am an idiot."
"No, you just aren't exceptional like us," Summer teased.
~~~~
The first half of the day went well, with Ryan managing to avoid Holly completely, but right before lunch he found himself cornered at his locker.
"Hi again," Holly said, leaning against the locker next to his and reaching out to run one hand down his arm.
"Hi, Holly," Ryan replied, closing his locker and taking a few steps away so he was out of her reach. It wasn't that he felt threatened by her prescence, it was just that the unwanted sexual attention brought up too many memories that he didn't want anywhere near the surface.
"So, are you, like, the Cohens' nephew or something?"
"Or something," Ryan replied, moving off down the hall.
"You know, I throw parties at my beach house all the time, and..."
"Sorry, but I'm suppose to meet Luke and Summer for lunch," Ryan said, shrugging and heading towards the table the two were sitting at. "Help me," he muttered, tilting his head towards Holly.
"Is she being slutty again?" Summer asked. "Wait, what do I mean again? More like still, always, for all eternity."
"You think she has issues with Holly?" Luke asked.
"Nah, never would have guessed," Ryan replied with a grin.
"What're you doing after school?" Summer asked, popping a french fry into her mouth. "Because I am so tired of hanging out with Luke everyday."
"Hey!" Luke protested.
"You're boring and old news, Luke. I've known you since kindergarten. Ryan is new and exciting. So you're getting the boot."
"Thanks, man, I owe you, I've been getting tired of her bugging me," Luke said, making Ryan snicker and Summer throw a fry at Luke's head.
"Funny."
"Sandy's suppose to pick me up and take me home," Ryan said. "So no plans."
"Maybe you could call and ask to hang out instead?" Luke said. "We'll give you a ride home afterwards."
"I'll ask," Ryan said, digging his new cellphone out.
To Be Continued...
Author: Mara
Rating: R
Warnings: Sex, mentions of rape, violence.
Summary: Ryan didn't call Sandy after Dawn kicked him out, but he still finds his way to the Cohen family.
Chapter Seven
Once they got home, Sandy and Kirsten went to their room to get changed into something more comfortable, while Ryan headed for the poolhouse to do the same.
"I don't know whether to be glad that he and Hailey get along or worried," Kirsten admitted. "She's not exactly a good influence. And giving him a cigarette..."
"It's one more person to defend him from Caleb," Sandy pointed out. "And as for the smoking... we can't expect Ryan to change overnight. It's a bad habit, one we want him to quit, but he's already under a lot of stress and if the smoking helps, I say we let it slide for a while."
"You're right," Kirsten said. "But he's going to quit sooner or later."
"No arguement here," Sandy assured her. "I think tonight went okay. The look on your dad's face when Ryan called him on the Plaza incident... that alone made the night worth it," he said with a chuckle.
Kirsten tried to smother her own laughter. "That's not nice," she told him.
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you didn't immediately want to applaud," Sandy said.
"Maybe a little."
~~~~
Ryan stood in the bathroom, washing his face, and sighed when he saw the lack of a door on the medicine cabinet. They hadn't replaced it yet, probably worried that Ryan would end up smashing it again, and while he felt guilt he also felt grateful. He didn't like looking at his reflection, especially when he didn't have every one of his injuries covered. He could deal with the bruises on his face, he'd gotten used to them over the years of being hit, but even one of the other injuries was enough to send him over the edge, and he never wanted to be that weak again.
He took a dose of his painkillers and slowly walked back out into the main room, pausing to grab a bottle of water from the fridge before settling in on the bed with one of the books Kirsten had bought after seeing him looking through it. He could get used to these people, to the things they bought for him, and to life in the poolhouse. He could even get used to the fancy school he would be starting the next day. What he didn't think he could get used to was girls like Holly groping him. He'd spaced out for a minute, been oblivious to what was going on, and that scared him.
On the other hand, Summer and Luke had been cool, worried but not ready to bolt after he spaced out. They had good senses of humor, and Summer was gorgeous. Maybe Newport would be worth it, give him a second chance to be more than another kid working on Hanlin street.
With a sigh, Ryan leaned over and grabbed his sketchbook, flipping past the handful of sketches he'd already made and starting on a new one, drawing Summer and Luke as they had looked while playing pool with him. Luke's amused frustration clear on his face, and Summer biting back laughter as she watched them. He could have friends here, as long as they never found out what he had done for money.
~~~~
"Here you go, kid," Sandy said the next morning as he pulled up in front of Harbor.
"Yeah," Ryan agreed half heartedly. "Is it too late to beg to go to public school?"
"Much too late," Sandy agreed. "You can do this."
"Yeah," Ryan repeated, though he made no move to get out of the car.
"If it gets to be too much, call us," Sandy said, holding out a cellphone. "I put both Kirsten and I's cells in there for you. You can call if you just need to talk, or if it's just way too much and you need to leave."
Ryan hesitantly took the phone and slid it into the bag that sat at his feet. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "Here goes..."
"I'll be back to pick you up after school," Sandy said.
"Thanks," Ryan said as he got out and grabbed his bag. He started up the steps, ignoring the curious looks he was getting, until he almost ran right over Summer. "Oh, hey, hi," he said.
"Hey," Summer said. "Welcome to Harbor."
"Thanks," Ryan said.
"Let me see you schedule?" Summer asked.
Ryan quickly dug it out of his bag to show her. "So? You think I can survive it?" he joked.
"Several of the classes are with either me or Luke, so yeah, I do," Summer said as she handed his schedule back. "We already decided last night to run defense between you and Holly. No one deserves her."
Ryan snorted. "I've dealt with worse."
"There's gotta be a story there," Luke said as he joined them.
"Not one I'm gonna share," Ryan countered.
"I volunteered us to help him keep form getting lost today," Summer stated. "Most of his classes are with one of us or the other, everything but math and science..."
"How come? There's only so many classes..."
"He's taking AP Math and AP Science," Summer said. "AP English, too, but I've got that."
"Summer plays the part of dumb rich girl well, but she's not," Luke said. "I, on the other hand, really am an idiot."
"No, you just aren't exceptional like us," Summer teased.
~~~~
The first half of the day went well, with Ryan managing to avoid Holly completely, but right before lunch he found himself cornered at his locker.
"Hi again," Holly said, leaning against the locker next to his and reaching out to run one hand down his arm.
"Hi, Holly," Ryan replied, closing his locker and taking a few steps away so he was out of her reach. It wasn't that he felt threatened by her prescence, it was just that the unwanted sexual attention brought up too many memories that he didn't want anywhere near the surface.
"So, are you, like, the Cohens' nephew or something?"
"Or something," Ryan replied, moving off down the hall.
"You know, I throw parties at my beach house all the time, and..."
"Sorry, but I'm suppose to meet Luke and Summer for lunch," Ryan said, shrugging and heading towards the table the two were sitting at. "Help me," he muttered, tilting his head towards Holly.
"Is she being slutty again?" Summer asked. "Wait, what do I mean again? More like still, always, for all eternity."
"You think she has issues with Holly?" Luke asked.
"Nah, never would have guessed," Ryan replied with a grin.
"What're you doing after school?" Summer asked, popping a french fry into her mouth. "Because I am so tired of hanging out with Luke everyday."
"Hey!" Luke protested.
"You're boring and old news, Luke. I've known you since kindergarten. Ryan is new and exciting. So you're getting the boot."
"Thanks, man, I owe you, I've been getting tired of her bugging me," Luke said, making Ryan snicker and Summer throw a fry at Luke's head.
"Funny."
"Sandy's suppose to pick me up and take me home," Ryan said. "So no plans."
"Maybe you could call and ask to hang out instead?" Luke said. "We'll give you a ride home afterwards."
"I'll ask," Ryan said, digging his new cellphone out.
To Be Continued...
