OC Fic : Twelve Things That Never Happened to Ryan Atwood, 6b
Title : Twelve Things That Never Happened to Ryan Atwood
Author : Helen C.
Rating : G
Summary : Twelve things that never happened to Ryan. D'uh.
Disclaimer : The characters and the universe were created and are owned by Josh Schwartz. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
AN. Huge thanks to
joey51 for beta'ing this. As often happens, I tinkered. All remaining mistakes are mine.
how kid chino won over the grinch. kind of. in a way.
Part Two : In Which Kid Chino Kicks The Grinch's Ass. Sort Of.
Ryan sighs, glaring at the ceiling.
The doctor is out in the hallway, taking to, of all people, Mr. Nichol. Their voices are too low for him to understand, but he already knows what the doctor has to say.
Damn it all to hell anyway.
He told Seth that going to that rager was a bad idea.
He reminded him that these things always ended badly.
Did Seth listen?
No, of course not.
Seth just had to insist, because Summer was going with Zach and he wanted to keep an eye on her, and Marissa was going too, and Lindsay wasn't dead set against it, and fuck, but Ryan should have just let them go and stayed home by himself.
He should have known that all of them at the same party was a recipe for disaster.
He should have known that he wouldn't be able to keep his foot out of his mouth for very long.
He should have known that he'd manage to upset Lindsay.
At least, he can take comfort in the certainty that there's no way he could have predicted that Lindsay would attract some thugs as she was busy crying in the parking lot. He always thought that Marissa was the only magnet-trouble in his life.
He was wrong.
He clenches his fist, grimacing as it pulls at the stitches on his forearm.
Fucker had to have a knife.
Fucker had to know how to use it.
Ryan will never go to a rager ever again-it shouldn't be a problem, since the Cohens are probably going to ground him (and Seth) indefinitely after this.
A soft knock on the door makes him roll his eyes. "What?" he barks.
Can't these people let him feel miserable in peace?
When Mr. Nichol pokes his head in, looking as inscrutable as ever, Ryan closes his eyes.
Just what he needed to make a bad night even worse.
Couldn't the guy just pick up Lindsay and drive her home, and ignore him altogether?
"I just talked to the doctor," Mr. Nichol announces, not wasting his time with niceties.
"I know."
"He's waiting for your lab results, then he'll let you go."
Ryan tries (and fails) to keep his tone neutral when he repeats, "I know."
Mr. Nichol raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment on Ryan's cutting tone.
"Kirsten and Sandy are on their way. They asked me to make sure that you were fine."
"I'm fine," Ryan retorts shortly. "Save your concern for Lindsay."
"Her mother is with her."
Ryan nods, hoping that she'll be able to calm Lindsay down. She started crying as soon as she saw the blood on Ryan's arm, and still hadn't stopped when the ambulance finally reached the ER.
"Lindsay told me what happened," Mr. Nichol adds. When the statement isn't followed by the usual barb about Ryan's past, Ryan raises an eyebrow at Mr. Nichol, who studies him intently.
The silence stretches, and eventually, Ryan scowls at Mr. Nichol. "Go ahead," he challenges. "I'm sure you're just dying to ask if these guys were friends of mine, or if I wanted to give them a hand."
Mr. Nichol inclines his head in acknowledgement, and Ryan knows that these questions only cover a fraction of what he wants to know-like, did Ryan ever mug anyone himself? Did Ryan ever pull a knife on someone?
Ryan stares at Mr. Nichol defiantly, daring him to ask his questions.
Mr. Nichol looks away first. "You helped my daughter."
Ryan looks down at his bandaged arm.
Sixteen stitches.
The doctor said it would probably leave a faint scar. He should check with a plastic surgeon as soon as possible, try to minimize the damage.
What did Mr. Nichol think?
That Ryan's the kind of guy who'd let his girlfriend (or any girl at all, for that matter) get robbed without trying to help?
Actually, that's probably what the old man thought.
"Don't act so surprised," Ryan scoffs. "What did you expect?"
"Don't take that tone with me," Mr. Nichol snaps. "I hired a PI when my daughter allowed you to live in her house. I know some of the things you did that aren't in your file. I know there has to be even more."
"And you showed it to Kirsten, I'm sure," Ryan says, through clenched teeth.
He knows what must be in the file Mr. Nichol collected.
A PI would have talked to the people Ryan knew-people who got stoned with him, people who know how stealthily Ryan can steal a wallet from the jacket of a businessman, people who know just how dirty Ryan can fight.
People who have no idea why he was so good at this, why he stole in the first place.
People who only ever saw the worst in Trey and him.
Kirsten still allowed him to stay after that?
Mr. Nichol looks at him stonily, waiting for an answer.
Ryan forces himself to look the man in the eye. "And what did Kirsten say?"
"She still thinks you're a good kid," Mr. Nichol grinds out. "Even after… that."
Ryan nods, refusing to allow emotion to show on his face.
"She still trusts you," Mr. Nichol adds.
"Maybe because she knows I'm not here to rob her blind." Ryan catches the dismissive wave of Mr. Nichol's hand. Undeterred, he adds, "Maybe she's a better judge of character than you give her credit for."
Mr. Nichol all but yells, "I know kids like you! You never change!"
Ryan keeps his tone even to reply, "You're stupid."
Mr. Nichol's face turns bright red in a few seconds flat. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Both Kirsten and Sandy have given me their credit cards time and again to buy stuff. I've known where Kirsten keeps the expensive jewelry since the third month I've been here, and I know the code for the family safety deposit. If I wanted money, I would have helped myself long ago, instead of working my ass off at a school where everyone looks down on me, so that I can maybe, one day, be able to graduate high school." Ryan takes in a deep breath, savoring the expression on Mr. Nichol's face. It's not every day that he gets to see the guy speechless.
"You could be trying to lull them into a false sense of-"
Ryan cuts him off without remorse. "Of what?"
"You're a thief," Mr. Nichol insists.
"Frankly, Mr. Nichol, you're one to talk."
The color drops from Mr. Nichol's face and he gapes at Ryan.
Feeling reckless, but past caring (whatever the doctors gave him for the pain must have kicked in good), Ryan adds, "What's your defense? That you did it for your family?"
No response. Ryan pushes, "If your PI had talked to my mother, or even my brother, we wouldn't be having this discussion."
Mr. Nichol's voice is dead quiet when he asks, "What do you mean?"
"That maybe I did what I did partly for and because of my family." He leans back on his pillows, suddenly exhausted. "Why don't you worry about people like the kids who attacked Lindsay? I'm the least of your problems, Mr. Nichol."
The man nods once and spins on his heel, stepping out of the room without a sound.
Ryan enjoys the quiet for all of ten seconds before a stunned, "Dude," makes him open his eyes again.
Seth is standing at the door, blinking comically in surprise. He gestures at the corridor behind him, then at Ryan. "I can't believe Kid Chino actually vanquished the Grinch."
It's Ryan's turn to be speechless. The way Seth sees the world still bewilders him sometimes. After all this time, he supposes he'll never really get used to it.
"Seth, I'll be lucky if he doesn't hire people to get rid of me after all that."
Seth shakes his head in disbelief. "Nah, I don't think he'd dare. That was awesome, man."
That was desperate, Ryan thinks. And he hopes whatever the fallout for this is, it won't hurt Kirsten too much. On the other hand, he thinks, catching Seth's awe-filled gaze, he has to admit that it felt good.
Smiling, he leans down on his pillows and allows Seth to babble until the Cohens arrive.
Part Three
Author : Helen C.
Rating : G
Summary : Twelve things that never happened to Ryan. D'uh.
Disclaimer : The characters and the universe were created and are owned by Josh Schwartz. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
AN. Huge thanks to
joey51 for beta'ing this. As often happens, I tinkered. All remaining mistakes are mine.
how kid chino won over the grinch. kind of. in a way.
Part Two : In Which Kid Chino Kicks The Grinch's Ass. Sort Of.
Ryan sighs, glaring at the ceiling.
The doctor is out in the hallway, taking to, of all people, Mr. Nichol. Their voices are too low for him to understand, but he already knows what the doctor has to say.
Damn it all to hell anyway.
He told Seth that going to that rager was a bad idea.
He reminded him that these things always ended badly.
Did Seth listen?
No, of course not.
Seth just had to insist, because Summer was going with Zach and he wanted to keep an eye on her, and Marissa was going too, and Lindsay wasn't dead set against it, and fuck, but Ryan should have just let them go and stayed home by himself.
He should have known that all of them at the same party was a recipe for disaster.
He should have known that he wouldn't be able to keep his foot out of his mouth for very long.
He should have known that he'd manage to upset Lindsay.
At least, he can take comfort in the certainty that there's no way he could have predicted that Lindsay would attract some thugs as she was busy crying in the parking lot. He always thought that Marissa was the only magnet-trouble in his life.
He was wrong.
He clenches his fist, grimacing as it pulls at the stitches on his forearm.
Fucker had to have a knife.
Fucker had to know how to use it.
Ryan will never go to a rager ever again-it shouldn't be a problem, since the Cohens are probably going to ground him (and Seth) indefinitely after this.
A soft knock on the door makes him roll his eyes. "What?" he barks.
Can't these people let him feel miserable in peace?
When Mr. Nichol pokes his head in, looking as inscrutable as ever, Ryan closes his eyes.
Just what he needed to make a bad night even worse.
Couldn't the guy just pick up Lindsay and drive her home, and ignore him altogether?
"I just talked to the doctor," Mr. Nichol announces, not wasting his time with niceties.
"I know."
"He's waiting for your lab results, then he'll let you go."
Ryan tries (and fails) to keep his tone neutral when he repeats, "I know."
Mr. Nichol raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment on Ryan's cutting tone.
"Kirsten and Sandy are on their way. They asked me to make sure that you were fine."
"I'm fine," Ryan retorts shortly. "Save your concern for Lindsay."
"Her mother is with her."
Ryan nods, hoping that she'll be able to calm Lindsay down. She started crying as soon as she saw the blood on Ryan's arm, and still hadn't stopped when the ambulance finally reached the ER.
"Lindsay told me what happened," Mr. Nichol adds. When the statement isn't followed by the usual barb about Ryan's past, Ryan raises an eyebrow at Mr. Nichol, who studies him intently.
The silence stretches, and eventually, Ryan scowls at Mr. Nichol. "Go ahead," he challenges. "I'm sure you're just dying to ask if these guys were friends of mine, or if I wanted to give them a hand."
Mr. Nichol inclines his head in acknowledgement, and Ryan knows that these questions only cover a fraction of what he wants to know-like, did Ryan ever mug anyone himself? Did Ryan ever pull a knife on someone?
Ryan stares at Mr. Nichol defiantly, daring him to ask his questions.
Mr. Nichol looks away first. "You helped my daughter."
Ryan looks down at his bandaged arm.
Sixteen stitches.
The doctor said it would probably leave a faint scar. He should check with a plastic surgeon as soon as possible, try to minimize the damage.
What did Mr. Nichol think?
That Ryan's the kind of guy who'd let his girlfriend (or any girl at all, for that matter) get robbed without trying to help?
Actually, that's probably what the old man thought.
"Don't act so surprised," Ryan scoffs. "What did you expect?"
"Don't take that tone with me," Mr. Nichol snaps. "I hired a PI when my daughter allowed you to live in her house. I know some of the things you did that aren't in your file. I know there has to be even more."
"And you showed it to Kirsten, I'm sure," Ryan says, through clenched teeth.
He knows what must be in the file Mr. Nichol collected.
A PI would have talked to the people Ryan knew-people who got stoned with him, people who know how stealthily Ryan can steal a wallet from the jacket of a businessman, people who know just how dirty Ryan can fight.
People who have no idea why he was so good at this, why he stole in the first place.
People who only ever saw the worst in Trey and him.
Kirsten still allowed him to stay after that?
Mr. Nichol looks at him stonily, waiting for an answer.
Ryan forces himself to look the man in the eye. "And what did Kirsten say?"
"She still thinks you're a good kid," Mr. Nichol grinds out. "Even after… that."
Ryan nods, refusing to allow emotion to show on his face.
"She still trusts you," Mr. Nichol adds.
"Maybe because she knows I'm not here to rob her blind." Ryan catches the dismissive wave of Mr. Nichol's hand. Undeterred, he adds, "Maybe she's a better judge of character than you give her credit for."
Mr. Nichol all but yells, "I know kids like you! You never change!"
Ryan keeps his tone even to reply, "You're stupid."
Mr. Nichol's face turns bright red in a few seconds flat. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Both Kirsten and Sandy have given me their credit cards time and again to buy stuff. I've known where Kirsten keeps the expensive jewelry since the third month I've been here, and I know the code for the family safety deposit. If I wanted money, I would have helped myself long ago, instead of working my ass off at a school where everyone looks down on me, so that I can maybe, one day, be able to graduate high school." Ryan takes in a deep breath, savoring the expression on Mr. Nichol's face. It's not every day that he gets to see the guy speechless.
"You could be trying to lull them into a false sense of-"
Ryan cuts him off without remorse. "Of what?"
"You're a thief," Mr. Nichol insists.
"Frankly, Mr. Nichol, you're one to talk."
The color drops from Mr. Nichol's face and he gapes at Ryan.
Feeling reckless, but past caring (whatever the doctors gave him for the pain must have kicked in good), Ryan adds, "What's your defense? That you did it for your family?"
No response. Ryan pushes, "If your PI had talked to my mother, or even my brother, we wouldn't be having this discussion."
Mr. Nichol's voice is dead quiet when he asks, "What do you mean?"
"That maybe I did what I did partly for and because of my family." He leans back on his pillows, suddenly exhausted. "Why don't you worry about people like the kids who attacked Lindsay? I'm the least of your problems, Mr. Nichol."
The man nods once and spins on his heel, stepping out of the room without a sound.
Ryan enjoys the quiet for all of ten seconds before a stunned, "Dude," makes him open his eyes again.
Seth is standing at the door, blinking comically in surprise. He gestures at the corridor behind him, then at Ryan. "I can't believe Kid Chino actually vanquished the Grinch."
It's Ryan's turn to be speechless. The way Seth sees the world still bewilders him sometimes. After all this time, he supposes he'll never really get used to it.
"Seth, I'll be lucky if he doesn't hire people to get rid of me after all that."
Seth shakes his head in disbelief. "Nah, I don't think he'd dare. That was awesome, man."
That was desperate, Ryan thinks. And he hopes whatever the fallout for this is, it won't hurt Kirsten too much. On the other hand, he thinks, catching Seth's awe-filled gaze, he has to admit that it felt good.
Smiling, he leans down on his pillows and allows Seth to babble until the Cohens arrive.
Part Three