Longing in the Sun

by pezberryberet

Alex misses Marissa. Marissa misses Alex. Alex is hurting. Literally. Femmeslash. Rated M for adult themes and situations. Also, possible sexual content later on. AU because Johnny isn't in love with Marissa and he doesn't die, as well as other stuff.

-1 Prologue

Tampa Bay, Florida

Alex Kelly leaned forward, swinging her bronzed legs over the edge of the tattoo parlor recliner. She glances down at her inner right forearm, a brand new ink broken heart imprinted into her skin. This symbol, a scarring reminder of her break-up with her last boyfriend, makes her want to cut.; all of them make her want to cut. This latest one is blood orange: she and Sam used to always watch the sunset together; the one above it is blue, for the way she and Micah would go surfing every Saturday morning. Before that is a red one to represent Evan and then a pink one for Chad. Finally, the first one: it's black with a red letter 'X' through it. It stands for Marissa Cooper; it stands for love. It stands for a scarred gash in her skin. A cut. Now, her mind echoes. She quickly forks over a stack of bills to the artist and heads into the adjoining, grungy, sorry excuse of a restroom.

It smells horrible. Staring herself down in the tiny mirror with her sad blue eyes, she pulls out her best friend: her pocket knife. Holding out her left arm, she drags the blade against her soft skin. Blood drips down into the sink as she repeats the process nine more times. Rinsing off the knife, she closes it up before putting it back in her pocket. Proceeding, she draws out ten identical bandages, which she slowly covers her rinsed cuts with. Turning off the faucet, she nervously wipes her hands on her jeans. This is the biggest secret I've ever kept, she thinks as she leaves the room. Shyly thanking Tom, her tattoo artist, she slides out the back exit and into the parking lot. She climbs into her jeep and then drives on home, all the while thinking about Marissa Cooper.

Newport Beach, California

Sitting down next to her friend Johnny Harper in Government and Economics class, Marissa Cooper rolls her eyes at her male classmates' lusting whistles and stares. "Hey Marissa", Johnny smiles.

"Hey Johnny", she grins back, setting her book bag on their shared desk.

"Are you busy after school?" He asks. "Chili and I are going surfing", he murmurs hopefully.

"Oh." She glances anxiously at him. "I'm sorry Johnny, but I promised Summer that we'd go shopping today. How about tomorrow?", she suggests.

"Yeah." He nods. "Sure."