On Sleepless Roads
Chapter Two
Ryan’s POV
I was sitting on the couch in my parents’ house.
Really, there was nothing else to do, I was pretty bored.
I was visiting them for the day, well, not the full day, in a little while I was going over to Brendon’s to hang out with the guys.
My parents were in the kitchen, talking about I’m not sure exactly what, things that seemed really boring to me, I’m sure it was interesting to them, but not to me.
And then the doorbell started ringing.
Not just once, no, it started ringing repeatedly.
I hate when people do that, we heard it the first time, relax a bit.
“Hey Ryan, will you get that please?” My mom asked. I didn’t want to but I didn’t really have a choice. You can’t just say no to your mother, it just doesn’t work that way.
So I got up from the couch and walked over to the door and opened it. Standing there was a tall, pale woman with shoulder-length black hair and dark brown eyes. .
She looked like she was older than she really was. Her face was full of wrinkles and she was frowning.
“Is this the Ross household?” She asked in a snappy voice. I nodded, wondering what she wanted. (A/N I really don’t know what the name of his parents are, so if anyone knows, that would be helpful, I’m assuming he’s named after his father so I’m just calling his father George for now…)
“Does George Ross live here?” She asked, leaning forward to look past me.
“Yes, why?” I asked impatiently. I did not like the looks of this woman.
“Mom please don’t do this, let’s just go!” For the first time I noticed the girl the woman was holding onto. She had pretty short brown hair and big green eyes. She looked a lot like someone I knew, I just couldn’t place my finger on who.
“Shut-up Marti!” The woman snapped. The girl cringed and looked at the ground.
“Tell him I have a package for him!” The woman said coolly. I stared at her, she was holding anything. She didn’t even have a purse, it was just her and the girl, Marti
“And where would that package be?” I asked just as coolly, I really did not like this woman.
“Right here!” The woman said, pulling the girl forward. I stared at her for a second. The girl’s eyes were filling with tears.
“But, that’s a girl.” I said slowly. The woman rolled her eyes and the girl looked horrified.
“Really smart-ass?” The woman said sarcastically. I glared at her.
“Of course she’s a girl, and I don’t want her anymore, so here, she’s yours, have fun!” The woman said, pushing the girl into me. I just barely caught her before she fell.
“Hey, wait!” I cried as the woman started to walk away. Luckily my Dad came to the door right then.
“What’s going-oh God, Jill?” He said, his face going white. The woman stopped and turned to look at him. I kept looking from her back to my Dad, he knew her? Oh God that couldn’t be good!
“Yes, it’s me George!” Jill said coldly. “And someone you should’ve met a long time ago!”
Dad looked down at the girl and then back up at Jill, his face going even whiter.
“Ryan take her inside, I have to talk to Jill, alone!” He said. I didn’t argue, now was not the time. With my hands on the girl’s shoulders I steered her inside.
“Who was at the door Ryan?” My mother asked from the kitchen.
“Some woman named Jill and a girl.” I said. There was a loud clanging noise, as if Mom had dropped something.
“Oh God!” She said. She sprinted past me and the girl towards the front door.
Neither I nor the girl said anything. I didn’t know what to say to her and she was crying
Finally my parents came back into the house, carrying a suitcase.
They both looked tired and nervous. Before I could say anything Dad started talking
“Um, Ryan this is Marti, Marti, this is our son, Ryan.” Dad said nervously.
Marti and I just stared at each other.
“Hey Ryan, you were going over to Brendon’s, weren’t you?” Mom asked. She looked as if she were about to start crying.
“Yeah.” I said slowly, not looking forward to what I knew was coming next.
“Why don’t you take Marti with you, you know, introduce her to the guys and everything?” Mom said in a voice that sounded desperate.
“Uh sure.” I said, even though I didn’t want to, I just wanted to know what was going on
Who was this girl and why did I have to bring her with me?
Why did her mother, if that’s who that was, leave her here?
“Okay, you guys have fun!” Mom said, turning to stare at Dad.
I knew a dismal when I saw one.
“Well then, let’s go.” I said to Marti.
The kid was still crying but she followed me out to my car.
“You can sit in the front.” I said when Marti looked confused about which door to go to.
She nodded and got in, looking as if it were the last thing she wanted to do.
I started the car and there was an awkward silence.
Ten minutes ago all I’d been thinking about was going to Brendon’s,
Now I was trying to figure out who the hell this girl was.
Fun.
“So, your name is Marti?” I asked. Wow, that was lame, it was pretty obvious that her name was Marti.
“Yes.” She said, staring out the window. Great, she’s a talkative one.
“Is it short for anything?” I asked.
“Yup.” Was all she said.
Lovely, one-word answers.
“What’s it short for?” I asked.
“Martini.” She replied.
Martini, did she seriously say Martini?
“Oh.”
“My mom likes to drink.” Marti said.
“Oh.” Honestly, what else could I say to that?
“How old are you?” I asked after a few seconds of silence.
“Thirteen.” She said, still not looking away from the window.
I ran out of questions that fell under the “not awkward” category so I was silent.
Marti didn’t contribute any so it was a very long, silent car ride.
Finally we got to Brendon’s.
Everyone was hanging out in his garage.
The garage door was open so I pulled to a stop right outside of it.
Marti looked very nervous and scared.
I couldn’t blame her,
She was about to meet three other 19+ year old guys.
And from the looks of it she’d just been abandoned by her mother,
If that’s who this Jill lady is.
“Hey Ryan, uh, who’s your friend?” Brendon asked as Marti and I walked over to them.
“Hey, this is Marti, Marti this is Brendon, Spencer and Jon.” I said awkwardly.
Marti looked extremely uncomfortable.
I couldn’t blame her,
It’d been a very confusing hour and a half so far.
And it was probably only going to get even more confusing.
Today really just sucked.
I was sitting on the couch in my parents’ house.
Really, there was nothing else to do, I was pretty bored.
I was visiting them for the day, well, not the full day, in a little while I was going over to Brendon’s to hang out with the guys.
My parents were in the kitchen, talking about I’m not sure exactly what, things that seemed really boring to me, I’m sure it was interesting to them, but not to me.
And then the doorbell started ringing.
Not just once, no, it started ringing repeatedly.
I hate when people do that, we heard it the first time, relax a bit.
“Hey Ryan, will you get that please?” My mom asked. I didn’t want to but I didn’t really have a choice. You can’t just say no to your mother, it just doesn’t work that way.
So I got up from the couch and walked over to the door and opened it. Standing there was a tall, pale woman with shoulder-length black hair and dark brown eyes. .
She looked like she was older than she really was. Her face was full of wrinkles and she was frowning.
“Is this the Ross household?” She asked in a snappy voice. I nodded, wondering what she wanted. (A/N I really don’t know what the name of his parents are, so if anyone knows, that would be helpful, I’m assuming he’s named after his father so I’m just calling his father George for now…)
“Does George Ross live here?” She asked, leaning forward to look past me.
“Yes, why?” I asked impatiently. I did not like the looks of this woman.
“Mom please don’t do this, let’s just go!” For the first time I noticed the girl the woman was holding onto. She had pretty short brown hair and big green eyes. She looked a lot like someone I knew, I just couldn’t place my finger on who.
“Shut-up Marti!” The woman snapped. The girl cringed and looked at the ground.
“Tell him I have a package for him!” The woman said coolly. I stared at her, she was holding anything. She didn’t even have a purse, it was just her and the girl, Marti
“And where would that package be?” I asked just as coolly, I really did not like this woman.
“Right here!” The woman said, pulling the girl forward. I stared at her for a second. The girl’s eyes were filling with tears.
“But, that’s a girl.” I said slowly. The woman rolled her eyes and the girl looked horrified.
“Really smart-ass?” The woman said sarcastically. I glared at her.
“Of course she’s a girl, and I don’t want her anymore, so here, she’s yours, have fun!” The woman said, pushing the girl into me. I just barely caught her before she fell.
“Hey, wait!” I cried as the woman started to walk away. Luckily my Dad came to the door right then.
“What’s going-oh God, Jill?” He said, his face going white. The woman stopped and turned to look at him. I kept looking from her back to my Dad, he knew her? Oh God that couldn’t be good!
“Yes, it’s me George!” Jill said coldly. “And someone you should’ve met a long time ago!”
Dad looked down at the girl and then back up at Jill, his face going even whiter.
“Ryan take her inside, I have to talk to Jill, alone!” He said. I didn’t argue, now was not the time. With my hands on the girl’s shoulders I steered her inside.
“Who was at the door Ryan?” My mother asked from the kitchen.
“Some woman named Jill and a girl.” I said. There was a loud clanging noise, as if Mom had dropped something.
“Oh God!” She said. She sprinted past me and the girl towards the front door.
Neither I nor the girl said anything. I didn’t know what to say to her and she was crying
Finally my parents came back into the house, carrying a suitcase.
They both looked tired and nervous. Before I could say anything Dad started talking
“Um, Ryan this is Marti, Marti, this is our son, Ryan.” Dad said nervously.
Marti and I just stared at each other.
“Hey Ryan, you were going over to Brendon’s, weren’t you?” Mom asked. She looked as if she were about to start crying.
“Yeah.” I said slowly, not looking forward to what I knew was coming next.
“Why don’t you take Marti with you, you know, introduce her to the guys and everything?” Mom said in a voice that sounded desperate.
“Uh sure.” I said, even though I didn’t want to, I just wanted to know what was going on
Who was this girl and why did I have to bring her with me?
Why did her mother, if that’s who that was, leave her here?
“Okay, you guys have fun!” Mom said, turning to stare at Dad.
I knew a dismal when I saw one.
“Well then, let’s go.” I said to Marti.
The kid was still crying but she followed me out to my car.
“You can sit in the front.” I said when Marti looked confused about which door to go to.
She nodded and got in, looking as if it were the last thing she wanted to do.
I started the car and there was an awkward silence.
Ten minutes ago all I’d been thinking about was going to Brendon’s,
Now I was trying to figure out who the hell this girl was.
Fun.
“So, your name is Marti?” I asked. Wow, that was lame, it was pretty obvious that her name was Marti.
“Yes.” She said, staring out the window. Great, she’s a talkative one.
“Is it short for anything?” I asked.
“Yup.” Was all she said.
Lovely, one-word answers.
“What’s it short for?” I asked.
“Martini.” She replied.
Martini, did she seriously say Martini?
“Oh.”
“My mom likes to drink.” Marti said.
“Oh.” Honestly, what else could I say to that?
“How old are you?” I asked after a few seconds of silence.
“Thirteen.” She said, still not looking away from the window.
I ran out of questions that fell under the “not awkward” category so I was silent.
Marti didn’t contribute any so it was a very long, silent car ride.
Finally we got to Brendon’s.
Everyone was hanging out in his garage.
The garage door was open so I pulled to a stop right outside of it.
Marti looked very nervous and scared.
I couldn’t blame her,
She was about to meet three other 19+ year old guys.
And from the looks of it she’d just been abandoned by her mother,
If that’s who this Jill lady is.
“Hey Ryan, uh, who’s your friend?” Brendon asked as Marti and I walked over to them.
“Hey, this is Marti, Marti this is Brendon, Spencer and Jon.” I said awkwardly.
Marti looked extremely uncomfortable.
I couldn’t blame her,
It’d been a very confusing hour and a half so far.
And it was probably only going to get even more confusing.
Today really just sucked.