Chapter 5.

(Introduction to the OC with AI support, what I have written in the following <--- >)

Time passed quickly since that Christmas party at the Cooper house. Despite my attempts to include Seth in more activities and help him integrate into the group, young Cohen still felt like a fish out of water. Superficial friendships and indifferent looks from his classmates did nothing to build his confidence, and Seth retreated further into his world of comic books and movies.

The beginning of 2005 brought significant changes for everyone. Summer was approaching and, with it, the anticipation of a new season. At the time, no one could have foreseen how a strange twist of fate would begin to alter the social dynamics of Newport Beach.

I had spent the last two years torn between my life on the East Coast and the California routine, maintaining a strong friendship with Seth but failing to fully integrate him into Marissa and Summer's social circle. However, the arrival of a new boy in the neighborhood promised to change everything.

The sun was setting over Newport Beach, bathing the community in a warm golden light. In a modest home in Chino, a fifteen-year-old teenager named Ryan Atwood was in the midst of chaos. He had just been arrested for auto theft, following his brother Trey into a bad decision. In jail, he expected the worst, until a public defender named Sandy Cohen approached him.

"What do you got, fifteen? You shouldn't be in this kind of trouble, Ryan," Sandy said, watching the young man with a mixture of concern and determination.

"It's complicated," Ryan replied, looking down at the ground. "I was just trying to help my brother."

"Well, if you keep this up, you'll end up in a place you won't be able to get out of easily," Sandy warned. "I have an idea, how about you come stay with me and my family in Newport Beach for a while? We'll see if we can straighten your life out."

Ryan, without much choice, accepted the offer. Soon, he found himself in a car, headed for a completely unfamiliar world.

The Cohen mansion in Newport Beach was impressive, a stark contrast to Ryan's life in Chino. Sandy's wife Kirsten wasn't entirely sold on the idea of having a stranger in their home, but decided to give it a try.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, Sandy," Kirsten said as Ryan walked in with a bag of clothes and a wary look on his face.

"Trust me, Kirsten. This kid deserves a second chance," Sandy replied.

Ryan walked up the stairs to the guest room, trying to process everything. Soon, he met Seth, the Cohens' son, a quirky kid with a penchant for comic books and video games.

"Hey, I'm Seth. Welcome to the Cohen house. It's not the Ritz, but I guess it's better than a jail cell," Seth joked, trying to break the ice.

"Thanks, Seth. I appreciate being here," Ryan replied, smiling slightly.

That night, Seth decided to take Ryan to a party at the house of Marissa Cooper, one of the most popular girls in high school. Reluctantly, Ryan agreed, knowing he had nothing to lose.

The party at the Coopers' house was a fancy show. The loud music, lights, and hustle and bustle of rich teenagers were overwhelming to Ryan, who felt out of place. Seth, however, was determined to introduce him to Marissa.

"Ryan, this is Marissa. Marissa, this is Ryan," Seth said enthusiastically.

"Hi," Marissa said, smiling shyly. "Welcome to Newport."

"Thank you," Ryan replied, immediately noticing her beauty and warmth.

Things were going well until Luke, Marissa's boyfriend, noticed the interaction. Jealous and territorial, he approached Ryan with a defiant attitude.

"What are you doing talking to my girl?" asked Luke, shoving Ryan.

"I'm not looking for trouble," Ryan replied, keeping his cool.

"Too late for that," Luke said before punching Ryan in the face. The fight quickly broke out, attracting the attention of everyone at the party.

Sandy, who had received a call from a concerned Seth, arrived just in time to separate the boys and take Ryan back home.

Back at the Cohen house, Kirsten was furious.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of, Sandy! We can't have fights here," Kirsten said, looking at Ryan with concern.

"I'm sorry," Ryan said, sincere. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"It wasn't Ryan's fault, Mom," Seth interjected, "Luke started it all."

Sandy sighed. "Look, Kirsten, everyone deserves a second chance. He just needs time to adjust."

Kirsten, though still worried, decided to give Ryan another chance. "Okay, but this can't happen again."

Ryan was grateful for the understanding and promised to behave himself. That night, as he sat on the deck, looking out at the ocean, Seth joined him.

"You know, Ryan, Newport isn't so bad once you get used to it. You just need to find your place," Seth said, with an encouraging smile.

"Thanks, Seth. I'll try," Ryan replied, feeling for the first time in a long time that maybe things could get better.

Sandy was grilling dinner on the grill while Seth and Ryan floated in the pool. Kirsten was on the phone with her father, discussing plans for the model home development.

"I wish we could do more," Sandy commented, looking at her with concern.

"You're his lawyer, not his guardian," Kirsten replied, reminding him of the reality of their situation.

"I know, but I don't want to take him to social services," Sandy replied earnestly.

"What kind of mother abandons her child?" wondered Kirsten. "What will happen if we don't find Ryan's mother?"

"He'll go into foster care until he turns 18, but at his age it's unlikely he'll find a good place," Sandy explained.

Later, at the pool, Seth was trying to come up with plans to spend Ryan's last night in Newport before he was sent to foster care.

"We should do something special, like get a tattoo or lose our virginity," Seth joked, eliciting a laugh from Ryan.

"I just want to take it easy," Ryan said, smiling.

Kirsten almost bumped into Ryan as she was setting the table. "How was your swim?" she asked.

"Fine," Ryan replied. He then joked about Kirsten building him a model home, leaving her speechless.

Over dinner, which Sandy jokingly called "The Last Supper," the conversation turned lively. Ryan commented on how good the food looked and Seth mentioned how rare it was to eat like this.

"That's not true, I cook all the time," Kirsten defended herself.

Seth asked Sandy to confirm that Kirsten didn't cook, and he did, prompting laughter. The conversation turned to Kirsten's culinary disasters, and Ryan laughed with the Cohens, momentarily feeling part of the family.

Sandy went over the foster care paperwork with Ryan. "Tomorrow we'll meet with your social worker and she'll get you into a group home," Sandy explained.

Ryan thanked Sandy, and Sandy tried to give him some hope, although Seth was sarcastic about the idea that anyone would want a teenager.

That night, Ryan couldn't sleep and began packing his things. As he was about to leave, Seth caught him.

"Are you running away?" asked Seth.

"Yes, go back inside," Ryan said, determined.

"I can't let you go alone. I want to go with you," Seth insisted.

Ryan refused, planning to go to a new city, find a job, and save money. Seth joked about how much thought he'd put into the plan, but Ryan wasn't convinced.

Seth ran to his room to pack, but Sandy surprised him. "We know you're upset about Ryan," Sandy said.

"That's okay, Dad. Good night," Seth replied, trying to keep the plan a secret.

Ryan was waiting at the end of the driveway when Marissa saw him. "I thought you'd already left," Marissa said, thanking him for helping her at the party.

Ryan asked her if she always drank like that, and Marissa, embarrassed, deflected the conversation.

Seth joined them, and Marissa asked what they were doing. "Nothing," Seth replied, trying not to arouse suspicion.

Marissa drove them around, asking where they were going. When they arrived at the model home, Seth explained that it was a project of his mother and grandfather's that was never completed.

Inside the model home, Seth suggested that Ryan stay there. Ryan wasn't sure, but Marissa encouraged him.

"It's better than a group home," Seth said, showing the place off. Marissa and Ryan shared a meal and talked about their families. Marissa confessed to Ryan about her father's problems, and Ryan promised to keep the secret.

Later, Kirsten discussed contractors for the model home with Sandy. Seth, Marissa, and Ryan arranged a place for Ryan in the house.

"Promise you won't tell anyone," Seth told Marissa.

"I can keep a secret," Marissa replied, looking at Ryan.

The next morning, Sandy looked for Ryan at the Cohen house while the cops waited outside. Seth tried to slip in unseen, but Sandy stopped him.

"Where do you think Ryan is?" asked Sandy.

"I don't know," Seth lied.

Marissa was heading to her car when her mother stopped her. Luke was in the kitchen and Marissa lied about going to get a wax. Seth emerged from the bushes and asked if she had said anything.

Ryan, Seth, and Marissa spent the day at the dock. Sandy was preoccupied, looking for Ryan at the hospitals. Meanwhile, Marissa and Seth were helping Ryan get settled into the model home.

During lunch, Ryan talked about his plans for the future. Marissa and Seth tried to persuade him to stay close by. Suddenly, Luke and his friends showed up and a fight broke out. Ryan punched Luke to defend Seth, and everyone fled.

Back at the model home, Sandy and Kirsten arrived with the contractors. Jimmy confessed to Kirsten his financial problems and she promised to help him.

That night, Sandy and Seth searched for Ryan without success. Marissa came home in tears. Ryan was lighting candles in the model home when Luke and his friends showed up. A fight started a fire, and Luke, feeling guilty, went back to save Ryan.

Sandy got a call and drove to the burned model home. The police arrested Ryan and Luke while the Cohens watched. Seth explained to Sandy that Ryan did not want to go to a foster home and that he did not want him to leave.

< --- > 

While at Summer's birthday party, she somewhat drunkenly stood with me, fooling around seductively.

"Wow, Alex, I never noticed your blue eyes before. They are so piercing," she said as she touched his hair.

"Thanks, Summer. I can't say the same, you've always had nice eyes," I replied.

"Is that so? Let me show you where there's more light," she said as she grabbed his hand.

In a room with no one else and a slight noise penetrating the walls, she pounced on him and they started making out. Just at the moment when things were about to escalate, I got a call from Seth.

"Don't take it, let's keep going," Summer said.

"Even if I didn't get the call, I think it's best we don't pursue things further, Summer. You're too drunk to think straight."

"If you say so..." Summer replied, knowing she wasn't really that drunk.

"What's wrong, Seth? Is something wrong for you to call me at this hour?" I asked as Summer sensually touched his body, while he tried, but at the same time, didn't help himself.

"Okay, I'm on my way over there. I know the captain of the precinct and his boss's boss."

"Has something bad happened?" Summer asked.

"Seth's new 'brother' has set fire to a house. Shall I go help him? Come with me and see if you sober up?" I asked after giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Okay, Alex," she said, smiling at him and giving him another kiss.

Climbing into my black Mercedes-AMG, one of his favorite cars, we got in, and on the way, Summer was doing her thing, but not getting very far.

Arriving at the police station parking lot, Summer quickly grabbed my arm as if it were second nature. When they arrived, they found the Cohens and Luke's family already leaving.

Before talking to the Cohens, I saw the captain. "Captain Rogers, I'd like a small favor. I'm sure we can work something out."

"Oh, Alex, what is it about?" he asked.

"Well, the Ryan that just came in with that idiot Luke Ward, I'd like nothing to happen, just this once. If something happens again, I wouldn't mind if you guys dealt with it more harshly. After all, don't we all deserve a second chance? ... we can refurbish some of the commissary's armament..." I asked quietly.

"Perfect, see you at the annual police party, as always," the captain replied.

"I'll see you there," I said.

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Author's Note:

IMPORTANT: I've realized that mostly the OC is all romance, there's no twisted or meaningful stuff like gossip girl, so

*spoiler*

I'm going to make Alex and Summer's relationship end when Summer getting to know Seth better, so she'll break up with Alex in before summer. It will be an friendly breakup, but kind of hard for both of them. And we would already have the gossip girl era, that there is more content.

Tell me what you want to see in the next chapters, give some ideas.

Comment if there is anything you would like to add now or in the future. Don't be shy ;D