Disclaimer: The OC does not belong to me. Dang. It belongs to Josh Schwartz, and for the record, I don't own him either. Dang.
Summary: Marissa Cooper is having family problems; her parents just got a divorce and Jimmy has moved away. Depression is trying to overtake the blonde, but maybe the arrival of Chino's not-to-bad-boy Ryan Atwood could stop her from spinning out of control. AU. RM.
Marissa Cooper sat apathetically on her bed, staring at the wall. Yes, the wall. She was that bored.
The news of her parents divorce had just been spread and Marissa didn't know what the hell to do now that Jimmy - her dad and by a long shot her favorite parent – was moving to Phoenix to stay with his brother.
Crap.
She would have to live with her mother, Julie Cooper in some shit hole. But Marissa was sure her mom would find some old dude to seduce and mooch off.
A wave of something that seemed like depression hit Marissa and knocked her down. Not literally, but mentally. She was going to lose her dad and she'd probably never see him again if her mother had anything to do with it. Julie was a downright selfish conniving bitch and really did enjoy making Marissa's life a living hell. But having Jimmy around made that easier, he was cool, he was generous and gave his daddy's little girl anything that was asked with a please, eyelash bat and a sweet smile. That tradition of some sorts still continued into Marissa's teens, although the eyelash bat kind of flew away. They were tight and had a relationship most teenage girls miss or wish they had with their dad. Marissa never resented Jimmy. Julie, sure, but never Jimmy.
But here she was, in her bedroom. While her father was in the neighbouring room packing. Marissa could swear she could hear Jimmy crying and that bought tears to the blonde seventeen year olds' eyes.
Knocking on the wooden door startled the girl slightly, but she quickly wiped her eyes and got herself together before answering, "Come in."
"Hey kiddo," Jimmy greeted with a sad smile. Marissa could tell he was trying to keep it together, but it really wasn't working out for him.
"Hey," Marissa replied simply and quietly. Her voice would break if she spoke more.
She watched as the male tentatively sat down next to her and embraced her tightly. "I'm so sorry Marissa," he apologized sincerely. A gush of rain fell from Marissa's eyes and stained her cheeks. "Oh kiddo, don't cry, it's okay." Jimmy kissed the side of Marissa's head and buried his own in her smooth hair in a calming notion.
"Don't go. Please dad, don't go!" Marissa wailed, her tears making puddles on Jimmy's shoulder.
"Marissa, honey, I have to go."
"Why can't I come with you?" Marissa questioned.
"Because honey, you have school, you have friends, you have-"
"I don't have you," Marissa interrupted softly. Jimmy brushed his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I know kiddo, it's going to be hard for you…and me, but we can still keep in touch. You can come and visit me anytime, you can call me whenever you want, because I promise sweetie, I'm never too busy to spend time with you."
Before Marissa had an opportunity to respond, Julie walked in and said, "I'm popping down the road for a few minutes. You better be the hell out of here when I get back," venom dripped the redheads' voice as she left the room and descended the stairs.
Jimmy swallowed thickly and stood up. "I'd better finish packing, but I promise kiddo, it will be okay." Marissa kept her eye on him as he went back to his room. The room he used to share with Julie.
Within 10 minutes, he was gone and Marissa was home alone. Kaitlin was at boarding school and probably knew complete shit. Julie hadn't even told her, and that was just cruel.
And also in those 10 minutes, Julie returned home with a bottle of tequila, which struck confusion in the blonde. How Riverside of her mother to do something like that.
"Why'd you get that?" she asked.
Julie sighed and stopped unscrewing the bottle top so she could reply with, "Because, Marissa, I wanted something to drink. Do I ask you about that bottle of vodka you have oh-so-secretly hidden in your bedside drawer? No. So please, just stop with the questions." Marissa was thrown when Julie began to cry.
"Mom are you okay?" Marissa asked with concern. Yes, actual concern. Julie Cooper didn't cry, not unless some seriously awesome Jimmy Choos' went missing. And even then, she just went out and bought a new pair, so something was definitely up with the woman.
"Everything is fine Marissa. I'll be back later." Julie collected her car keys off of the kitchen counter and stalked to the front door. Marissa jumped slightly in fright when she heard her mother's cars' tires make a shrilling squeal as Julie drove away.
"Calm down," Marissa muttered. She sighed longingly and looked at her surroundings. Biting her lip in contemplation, the tall teen made her way up the stairs and located her bottle of vodka. Grabbing her own car keys, she bee lined for the garage and sped off in the direction of the lifeguard stand.
By now, it was only starting to get dark…and not to mention freezing cold. Marissa locked her car and wandered along the sandy beach until she came to the stand. Making sure there were no lifeguards around, the blonde made herself comfortable on the wooden floor and surfaced the vodka out of her handbag.
Unravelling the screw top of the bottle, Marissa's hands trembled as she held the vodka. She'd never actually touched the stuff, but always kept it in case of emotional emergencies and this definitely counted as an emotional emergency.
Bringing the liquid to her lips, Marissa took a long swig at the substance. Screwing up her features in disgust in regards to the awful taste. The shivering young woman gained her bearings and blocked her nose while sipping it again, but this time a longer gulp ensured.
After continuing this for a while longer, Marissa soon passed out. Her cold and lifeless body laid on the lifeguard stand in an awkward position as the remaining contents of the vodka bottle flowed out slowly and drenched her shirt.
Ryan Atwood had been in Newport Beach for a grand total of 3 hours. He was staying with his public defender, Sandy Cohen, for a week or so while they tracked down his train wreck of a mother.
The teenage boy, whose home sat in Chino, asked if he could take a walk and clear his head. After some serious thinking, lack of trust and unsureness, he was finally let of his leash. So here he was at 10 o'clock at night, on the beach and smoking a cigarette he found jut a few meters back. Sure that sounds gross, but my god he was dying for one.
Darting his sight around the long stretch of sand and water, Ryan spotted out of the corner of his eye a seemingly deserted lifeguard stand.
He approached it carefully and took a seat. All of a sudden, the sound of glass smashing startled the boy. It sounded really close, so he got to his feet and searched the stand in search of some drunk loser, but found a blonde haired teenage girl laying in what seemed like a very uncomfortable position, with vodka covering her shirt and smashed glass denting her skin. She'd obviously dropped it by accident in her unconsciousness.
"Oh god," Ryan muttered. He rushed to the girl and shook her lightly in an attempt to rattle her consciousness. It didn't work.
"Crap." Ryan manoeuvred himself around her so he was in a place in which he could pick her up…to take her where? He had no clue. Ryan just had to get this very vulnerable girl out of the cold and most certainly out of the sight of dirty old men who don't get laid enough.
Carrying the blonde, who Ryan would soon find out was named Marissa, he came to the parking lot and found the only car in the lot - obviously the girls'.
It was a silver car that looked pretty damn flash. She was clearly rich. But if she were rich, why would she do this? Why would she need to use alcohol to escape her problems like his own mother did? If you're rich, aren't you supposed to be happy?
Confusion nailed Ryan, as his mind raced with all the things that must be so great in her life and the things that might be bad. Well, bad enough for this.
Newport obviously wasn't as clean-cut as they made it out to be. It was a lot more like Chino than people would first think for – although no one would probably ever admit that.
An odd feeling of concern for this girl rushed over Ryan as he carefully placed her in her car and pulled a loose stray hair out of her gorgeous eyes.
He studied her, but not in a creepy way, just a curious notion. So much bewildered him about this girl. She was rich. Drop dead gorgeous and drunk. Where did it all go wrong for her?
Numerous questions filled Ryan as he drove her to The Cohens' house. Maybe they'd be able to help her out. I mean, it is a small community; they could know her parents…
TBC
Gah! I can't stop making new fics. LOL. This will be a fic about the awesome couple that is Ryan and Marissa. I'd love and appreciate a review from you. Even if it is just to tell me I should never write again because I suck more than Johnny. LOL. Thanks for reading :D