Note to Self

Ryan stepped back from the front door after having said goodbye to Pete.

“Morning Ryan,” Ryan looked up at his dad who was dressed in his usually suit.

“Morning,” Ryan uttered. It was nine in the morning, Pete only having gone that early due to a trip he was going on with this parents for the duration of that Friday to the upcoming Sunday.

“Oh Ryan dear, would you do me a favour?” Rosa asked, appearing from the kitchen just before Ryan had the chance to sprint back up to his room.

“Would you take this tray up to Isabel for me? I wanted to treat her to breakfast in bed but you know how I find difficulty in getting up those damned stairs with my bad hip,” Rosa asked with a kind smile playing across her aged face.

“Sure,” Ryan smiled softly, taking the tray from Rosa and heading up to the room close to his.

He walked down to her room and knocked lightly on her door.

“Come in,” She called through the door so Ryan entered to see her laid back on her bed reading a book.

“Hey Ryan,” She said with a smile. “What’s up?”

“Rosa made you some breakfast,” He uttered, taking the tray of food over to her.

“That’s nice of her, thanks Ry,” Isabel smiled, sitting cross-legged before motioning Ryan to sit on the bed with her.

“No problem,” He uttered, sitting where she’d patted.

“You know it’s my day off today and I need to go a few places, would you want to come with me? It’s just I need to go to my ex’s house to pick up a few things and I don’t really want to go on my own,” Isabel asked, tucking into one of the runny eggs.

“Um, sure,” Ryan wondered if this was a good thing that she was asking him to come and not someone else. It obviously meant that she was beginning to like him so his plan could work in the end.

“You don’t mind that we have to get the bus do you?” Isabel asked Ryan as they stopped at the bus stop.

“Of course not,” He laughed. “I thought you could drive though,” He then said confused slightly.

“I can, I sold my car because I needed the money though,” She explained just as the bus pulled up beside them.

“I’ll pay,” Ryan offered before Isabel had the chance to even get her purse out. They sat at the back of the bus and watched silently as other people got on at the other stops.

“How old is your ex?” Ryan asked thoughtfully and watched as a toddler screamed for attention.

“Twenty-four,” That’s when his plan was going to become extremely difficult if she was into older guys.

“How old are you?” Ryan asked after a few minutes of working his plan out furthermore and bending it to fit this newfound information.

“Nineteen. You’re fifteen right?”

“Yep.” Ryan answered half-heartedly.

“This is our stop,” She uttered and jumped up from her seat and made her way to the front of the bus unsteadily.

Stepping out of the elevator, Isabel lead Ryan down a hall and then finally stopped in front of a door and knocked on it loudly. A guy with shaggy black hair immediately opened it and smiled slightly.

“Hey,” He said quietly and then noticed Ryan.

“I’ve come to get my stuff,” Isabel muttered and stepped inside and pulled Ryan with her. Ryan stood nervously at the side of the room whilst Alex stared him down, maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to come along

“Who are you?” Alex asked him harshly.

“Ryan,” He squeaked out in reply.

“Leave him alone Alex,” Isabel hissed and went around the room and grabbed items that belonged to her.

“Wow Iz, gone for a younger one now have you? A toy boy ay?”

“Do us all a favour and go jump off a cliff,” Isabel shot at him.

“But if I did that, I’d never see Mel again,” He said with a sly smile.

“Whatever, where’s my jewellery?”

“Kitchen shelf,” Isabel disappeared into the small kitchen and Alex turned to Ryan.

“If you hurt her, I’ll fucking kill you,” Alex growled and stepped forward, backing Ryan against the wall.

“I would never hurt her,” Ryan voiced shakily as Alex grabbed the front of his top. Maybe his plan wouldn’t be such a great a idea if he had to face this guy.

“Alex! What the hell are you doing?” Isabel exclaimed as she came back into the room.

“Nothing,” He answered nonchalantly and let go of Ryan who was just a little freaked at what had happened.

“Come on, we’re going,” Isabel said and shot death glares at Alex before leaving the flat with Ryan in tow.

“Remember what I said,” Alex hissed at Ryan before he shut the door.

“Just ignore him,” Isabel said when she saw the nervous look etching itself across Ryan’s face. “He’ll never hurt you; I’ve seen him fight and he’s pretty crap to say the least,” Isabel said as they stepped into the elevator.

“If you’re sure,” Ryan said softly and looked down at his hands.

“Right, I’ve got two more places to go now so if you want to go home, I don’t mind,” She explained slightly as they got out of the elevator and stepped onto the busy street.

“No, I’ll come with you. I need to get out more anyway,” He said with a smile, which Isabel mirrored. She walked down the street with Ryan close behind and stopped in front of a jewellery shop. They entered the shop and Ryan looked around at all the antique looking jewellery and was startled by a man’s voice.

“Isabella!” Ryan whipped his head around and watched as a middle-aged man enveloped Isabel in a hug.

“It’s so good to see you,” Isabel managed to wheeze out from his death tight grip. Ryan stood and watched them awkwardly.

“So who’s this?” The man asked with a strong Italian accent and pointed to Ryan with a sly smile.

“Charlie this is Ryan. Ryan this is Charlie, my old foster carer,” She introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” Ryan said quietly and shook Charlie’s awaiting hand.

“And you too. So are you two dating?” He asked with his sly smile still in place.

“Oh, no, he lives in the house I’m working in. We’re friends kind of,” She said with a smile and Ryan couldn’t help but be disappointed, she still didn’t know if they were ‘friends’ or not.

“Oh, what happened to your job in the restaurant?” Charlie asked sceptically.

“I got fired for setting fire to the kitchen – by accident.”

“Oh dear, well if there’s anything you need Isabella, just ask.”

“Well actually I’d like to get some jewellery valued,” She spoke and pulled the jewellery that she had collected at Alex’s flat out of her pocket and placed it on the counter. Ryan watched as Isabel slipped a delicate sapphire ring onto her index finger. Charlie examined the jewellery for a while and wrote down some numbers before looking up at them both and smiling.

“£550 I would say. Is there anything else you want me to check out?” Isabel looked at the jewellery and sighed.

“Can I exchange the jewellery for the money?”

“Are you sure Isabella?” He asked doubtfully but she nodded her head. Ryan watched as he went into a back room and returned with a brown envelope and a bundle of notes. He counted the money out in front of her and then slid it into the envelope and handed it to her.

“Thanks Charlie. We’re on a pretty tight schedule so I’ll see you next week probably.”

“Alright, I’ll see you soon. Bye Ryan. Oh and send my wishes to dear Teresa when you next see her,” They left the shop and Ryan walked obediently beside Isabel down the high street.

“You could have gotten a lot more for the ring.” Ryan said and Isabel looked at him.

“I know. It was my mother’s though and it’s the only thing I have to remind me of her and my father,” She uttered quietly.

“Oh… what’s your story Izzy?” Ryan asked genuinely interested this time.

“You really want to know?” She asked him and he nodded.

“Right, well when I was ten years old my parents were killed in a car crash so I went into care. When I was eleven, Charlie and his wife Nina fostered me but when I was thirteen, the agency found out that I had an aunty and I moved in with her and I lived with her until I moved into your house,” She explained quietly as they neared the hospital. “What about you, what’s your story?” She asked him and looked down at him.

“Um, my mum left my dad and I when I was two. That’s it really,” He muttered quietly.

“Do you remember your mum?”

“Kind of, but I think it’s just from pictures and home videos that I’ve watched. Do you remember your parents?” He asked her, both of their voices low even though the street was nearly empty.

“Yeah. I can remember the way my mum had sung me our special song to get me to sleep at night even when I was too old for it. I remember how my dad used to push me on the swing that hung from the willow tree in our garden and then he would chase me back into the house pretending to be a monster or something. The last trip we went on together was a camping trip in the mountains and I hated it so much but now that I look back, it was probably the most fun I have ever had,” She said and smiled as she said some parts.

“I’ve never had that,” Ryan whispered more to himself than Isabel.

“What do you mean?” She asked him.

“My dad never used to play with me when I was a little, he hired a nanny because his work was so time consuming,” He mumbled quietly.

“So you’ve grown up around strangers?” Isabel said as more of statement than a question.

“Just like you I guess,” Ryan uttered and looked up from the path to meet Isabel’s eyes.

“Just like me,” She confirmed.

“What are we doing here?” Ryan asked as they entered the hospital.

“I need to see my aunty,” Isabel spoke calmly, heading over to reception.

“She’s in hospital?” He asked surprised.

“Yeah, she’s got breast cancer,” Isabel said with her voice more solemn than usual. Ryan’s heart immediately dropped. That’s why she needed the money.