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missmara13So, a couple years ago, I wrote Fifteen, a fic where a 15 year-old Sophie Rose was hospitalized due to anorexia, and Ryan came to see her, and he got through to her better than anyone else had. This is a sequel to that, taking place once Sophie Rose is back living at home and making progress. She's not back at school yet, and she's still trying to work through her weight issues, but she's making progress. I'm not an expect on anorexia, but.. the first one left it with Sophie Rose in bad shape, so I really did want to show that she's making progress.
"Oh my God, there she is! I can't believe she had the nerve to show her face in public!"
Ryan saw Sophie Rose flinch at the words that echoed across the diner and glanced towards the group of girls who'd spoken, seeing them giggling behind their hands and looking at his sister with that familiar sneer he'd seen directed his way too many times at Harbor. "They go to your school?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sophie Rose said, blinking back tears as she stared sightlessly at the menu.
"You are a better person than all of them combined, Sophie Rose Cohen, and don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise," Ryan said. "You are smarter, more sarcastic, more compassionate, more talented..."
"You're laying it in a little thick, Ry," Sophie Rose said, though it was with a small smile.
"Because I'm right," Ryan said. "Remember that, your big brother is always right."
"Does that go for Seth, too?"
"Only if he's agreeing with me," Ryan said with a grin.
"Why is she even at a restaurant? Not like she's going to actually eat anything."
"I already know the answer, but please, remind me why I can't go wring their necks?" Ryan asked.
"Because they're fifteen year-old girls and kicking their asses Chino-Style would be wrong," Sophie Rose said.
"Right," Ryan said.
"Ready to order?" the waitress said as she came over.
"I'll have the club," Ryan said.
"Bacon cheeseburger," Sophie Rose blurted out. "Extra bacon."
"Okay, we'll have it out in just a little bit," the waitress said with a smile before turning to go to her next table.
"Soph?" Ryan asked gently.
"I'm craving a bacon cheeseburger, extra bacon, and I could use the calories. I'm still a little less than Dr. Harrison wants me to be by the end of the month, so... some ounces, right?"
"Right," Ryan said. "But don't force yourself to eat the whole thing, okay? If you take a few bites and feel full, don't make yourself finish."
"Okay," Sophie Rose agreed. "But... I'm hungry, so... I think my goal will be somewhere between a quarter to half of it, more if I feel like it."
"Sounds like a good plan," Ryan said, frowning as his phone rang. "Damn it..." he muttered, looking at the screen.
"It's okay, you can take it," Sophie Rose said.
"It's Blair, I welcome an excuse not to talk to her," Ryan said.
"And she wouldn't call you unless it was important," Sophie Rose said. "Maybe Chuck knocked up a hooker," she suggested with such mock cheerfulness that Ryan burst out laughing.
"You are an evil girl, Sophie Rose," he teased her. "I'll be back in a couple minutes," he promised as he got up and answered the phone. "Hey, Blair, what's up?"
~~~
It turned out Sophie Rose was half right, Nate had gotten a waitress at the Empire pregnant and was ignoring the girl, which Blair's recent 'help the unfortunate' kick mean she couldn't ignore. So Ryan had to promise to threaten to kick Nate's ass if he didn't at least offer financial support before he could get her to let up.
"I'll call him tonight to issue first round of threats," Ryan promised. "Now, I'd really like to get back to lunch with my sister, if you don't mind."
"How is she?" Blair asked, all annoyance gone and replaced with concern.
"We went to a place with lots of salads and low calorie options, and she ordered a bacon cheeseburger, extra bacon," Ryan replied. "Seemed kinda excited about it, too."
"Good," Blair said. "And remind her, if she wants or needs to talk to someone who's been there, I'm a call away."
"Thanks, Blair," Ryan said before hanging up. When he stepped back into the diner, he saw the girls from earlier had gathered around he and Sophie Rose's table, and he frowned, starting over.
"We're just so glad to see you out and about," one of the girls said with false cheerfulness. "We've been so worried, Sophie."
"You should be, Melinda," Sophie Rose replied. "Because next year I'm taking back my spot on the team, and I will fix our screwed up win-lose ratio that you created." There was a murmur in the group at that, and Sophie smirked. "I mean, did they forget to tell you the point is to kick the ball into the net? I know you enjoy using your hands, but the game is soccer, not under the bleachers."
Ryan fought down a laugh as he slid into his seat. "Food's not here yet?" he asked.
"Not yet," Sophie Rose said. "Melinda was just wishing me her best," she added with another smirk.
"Speaking of, everyone in New York sends their love," Ryan told his sister before looking up at the girls. "If you'll excuse us, our food's here," he said, using the dismissive tone he'd heard Chuck, Blair, and the rest use towards wait staff more times than he liked to think about, as the waitress arrived. Once the girls walked away, he looked back at Sophie Rose, glad to see the twinkle in her eye. "Officially, as the adult here, I don't approve of you're comments."
"Unofficially?"
"There's that kick ass, take no prisoners, sister I adore," Ryan said with a grin.
"Trust me, I don't exactly feel proud for being a vindictive bitch, but..."
"Fight fire with fire?"
"Exactly. And she always fires all she's got."
"You're better than her, Soph. Just remember that. Head high, shoulders back, kick ass."
"Right, now pass the salt because these fries? Nowhere near salty enough."
The End
I very much see that Ryan's complete acceptance of her no matter what, that he only gets worried and sad, not angry, when she doesn't want to eat, that he doesn't push her so much as encourage her to eat something, and even then he will encourage non-'fattening' things above all others, is why she's making progress. And I imagine that once Sandy and Kirsten saw that Ryan's method worked with Sophie Rose, they started trying to do it his way, so she's been getting better. Still has a long way to go, but progress. Also? I decided this fits into the universe of Say What You Need To Say, where Ryan chose to do a summer program in New York over a vacation to France and that Sophie Rose actually chose for him even though she was only like two years old, just because it boils down to Soph and Ryan being each others' best champions, whether they realize it or not.
Yes, it kinda crosses with Gossip Girl briefly. Ryan met the GG gang during his summer program, and made friends with them. Blair annoys the hell out of him sometimes, but when it comes right down to it, they're friends. And since Blair has battled eating disorders, I figure Ryan's been calling her a lot for advice.
"Oh my God, there she is! I can't believe she had the nerve to show her face in public!"
Ryan saw Sophie Rose flinch at the words that echoed across the diner and glanced towards the group of girls who'd spoken, seeing them giggling behind their hands and looking at his sister with that familiar sneer he'd seen directed his way too many times at Harbor. "They go to your school?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sophie Rose said, blinking back tears as she stared sightlessly at the menu.
"You are a better person than all of them combined, Sophie Rose Cohen, and don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise," Ryan said. "You are smarter, more sarcastic, more compassionate, more talented..."
"You're laying it in a little thick, Ry," Sophie Rose said, though it was with a small smile.
"Because I'm right," Ryan said. "Remember that, your big brother is always right."
"Does that go for Seth, too?"
"Only if he's agreeing with me," Ryan said with a grin.
"Why is she even at a restaurant? Not like she's going to actually eat anything."
"I already know the answer, but please, remind me why I can't go wring their necks?" Ryan asked.
"Because they're fifteen year-old girls and kicking their asses Chino-Style would be wrong," Sophie Rose said.
"Right," Ryan said.
"Ready to order?" the waitress said as she came over.
"I'll have the club," Ryan said.
"Bacon cheeseburger," Sophie Rose blurted out. "Extra bacon."
"Okay, we'll have it out in just a little bit," the waitress said with a smile before turning to go to her next table.
"Soph?" Ryan asked gently.
"I'm craving a bacon cheeseburger, extra bacon, and I could use the calories. I'm still a little less than Dr. Harrison wants me to be by the end of the month, so... some ounces, right?"
"Right," Ryan said. "But don't force yourself to eat the whole thing, okay? If you take a few bites and feel full, don't make yourself finish."
"Okay," Sophie Rose agreed. "But... I'm hungry, so... I think my goal will be somewhere between a quarter to half of it, more if I feel like it."
"Sounds like a good plan," Ryan said, frowning as his phone rang. "Damn it..." he muttered, looking at the screen.
"It's okay, you can take it," Sophie Rose said.
"It's Blair, I welcome an excuse not to talk to her," Ryan said.
"And she wouldn't call you unless it was important," Sophie Rose said. "Maybe Chuck knocked up a hooker," she suggested with such mock cheerfulness that Ryan burst out laughing.
"You are an evil girl, Sophie Rose," he teased her. "I'll be back in a couple minutes," he promised as he got up and answered the phone. "Hey, Blair, what's up?"
~~~
It turned out Sophie Rose was half right, Nate had gotten a waitress at the Empire pregnant and was ignoring the girl, which Blair's recent 'help the unfortunate' kick mean she couldn't ignore. So Ryan had to promise to threaten to kick Nate's ass if he didn't at least offer financial support before he could get her to let up.
"I'll call him tonight to issue first round of threats," Ryan promised. "Now, I'd really like to get back to lunch with my sister, if you don't mind."
"How is she?" Blair asked, all annoyance gone and replaced with concern.
"We went to a place with lots of salads and low calorie options, and she ordered a bacon cheeseburger, extra bacon," Ryan replied. "Seemed kinda excited about it, too."
"Good," Blair said. "And remind her, if she wants or needs to talk to someone who's been there, I'm a call away."
"Thanks, Blair," Ryan said before hanging up. When he stepped back into the diner, he saw the girls from earlier had gathered around he and Sophie Rose's table, and he frowned, starting over.
"We're just so glad to see you out and about," one of the girls said with false cheerfulness. "We've been so worried, Sophie."
"You should be, Melinda," Sophie Rose replied. "Because next year I'm taking back my spot on the team, and I will fix our screwed up win-lose ratio that you created." There was a murmur in the group at that, and Sophie smirked. "I mean, did they forget to tell you the point is to kick the ball into the net? I know you enjoy using your hands, but the game is soccer, not under the bleachers."
Ryan fought down a laugh as he slid into his seat. "Food's not here yet?" he asked.
"Not yet," Sophie Rose said. "Melinda was just wishing me her best," she added with another smirk.
"Speaking of, everyone in New York sends their love," Ryan told his sister before looking up at the girls. "If you'll excuse us, our food's here," he said, using the dismissive tone he'd heard Chuck, Blair, and the rest use towards wait staff more times than he liked to think about, as the waitress arrived. Once the girls walked away, he looked back at Sophie Rose, glad to see the twinkle in her eye. "Officially, as the adult here, I don't approve of you're comments."
"Unofficially?"
"There's that kick ass, take no prisoners, sister I adore," Ryan said with a grin.
"Trust me, I don't exactly feel proud for being a vindictive bitch, but..."
"Fight fire with fire?"
"Exactly. And she always fires all she's got."
"You're better than her, Soph. Just remember that. Head high, shoulders back, kick ass."
"Right, now pass the salt because these fries? Nowhere near salty enough."
The End
I very much see that Ryan's complete acceptance of her no matter what, that he only gets worried and sad, not angry, when she doesn't want to eat, that he doesn't push her so much as encourage her to eat something, and even then he will encourage non-'fattening' things above all others, is why she's making progress. And I imagine that once Sandy and Kirsten saw that Ryan's method worked with Sophie Rose, they started trying to do it his way, so she's been getting better. Still has a long way to go, but progress. Also? I decided this fits into the universe of Say What You Need To Say, where Ryan chose to do a summer program in New York over a vacation to France and that Sophie Rose actually chose for him even though she was only like two years old, just because it boils down to Soph and Ryan being each others' best champions, whether they realize it or not.
Yes, it kinda crosses with Gossip Girl briefly. Ryan met the GG gang during his summer program, and made friends with them. Blair annoys the hell out of him sometimes, but when it comes right down to it, they're friends. And since Blair has battled eating disorders, I figure Ryan's been calling her a lot for advice.
