Title: Mexico or Bust
Author: marissac777
Rating: K
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Ryan Atwood, Marissa Cooper, & Taylor Townsend
Summary: Marissa struggles to cope with the aftermath of a car accident, and Ryan makes matters worse by keeping secrets and resorting to his old violent ways.
What I Want Help With: Filling in any holes in the story, making sure to include background info as to reduce any confusion by the reader
Disclaimer:All recognizable characters are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Marissa scrunched up the sleeve of her blouse and lightly outlined the bruised blue flesh of her forearm with her fingertip, shaking her head and wincing. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time that the high school senior had to dress entirely out of season in order to conceal scrapes and gashes. But Marissa would have rather answered a million questions about her odd wardrobe choices than even just one about her mysterious battle wounds. Both the Coopers and the Cohens had tried their best to keep the car crash under wraps, however the damage that resulted from the collision warranted police and eventually media attention. Within 24 hours following the crash, the Newport Newpsies had already generated various outlandish versions of the incident and had the stories circulating the town. Now, almost three weeks after the accident, the families hoped desperately that they had endured the worst of the gossip-fueled frenzy. For a minute Marissa debated if she should pop a fifth pain killer; her doctor told her that she should only take two at a time, but her aching body told her otherwise. Marissa came to a start and quickly pushed her sleeve back down when she heard an abrupt knock on the door. It was Ryan, there to escort her to school and face the vicious reality that awaited them behind the doors of Harbor High.

I gently pulled open the door and was greeted by what appeared to be a Ryan sans backpack and even more uptight than usual. He stepped sideways into the house and gave me a light peck on the cheek. He must have detected my confusion right away.

"I'm not going to school today." Ryan proclaimed, his voice a bit shaky.

"Wha-Why?" was all that I could manage to reply.

"My mom called me last night, I gotta go to Albuquerque for a few days. Look, I know it's not the best timing by any means, but I'll be back soon and you'll be okay…just hang with Summer."

Ryan knew that Summer was driving up to L.A. tomorrow to start production on her new radio show-or whatever more glamorous term she gave it while explaining to Marissa.

"Oh...okay. Well, is everything alright?"

"Nothing too major, but I think that it has something to do with that douche bag ex-con she's been seeing. I gotta go see her though." His face was stone-cold.

"I understand, I just wish you didn't have to." I tugged at a lock of my hair and tried to keep my eyes from watering. I was definitely popping that fifth pain killer, and maybe even a sixth.

There was an awkward beat of silence.

"So, looks like Kaitlin's been keeping you company?" Ryan half-smirked as he glanced over my shoulder at the stack of Cosmopolitans, assortment of nail polishes, and magazine cut-outs of boxer brief models and six-packs. I appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood, but all I wanted to do was excuse myself to the bathroom to drown myself in the bathtub...or smoke a cigarette at the least.

"Yeah, if only scantily clad male models could distract me from these flashbacks I keep having, from…Volchuk." My voice trailed off.

At that, Ryan clenched his jaw and breathed in deeply, before replying with "Trust me, I know. But I have to hit the road, call you when I get in?" Something seemed a bit off, at least more off than usual. He didn't even wait for my response before planting a gentle kiss on my lips and turning towards the door.

"Yeah, sounds perfect..." I muttered as he dashed out the door.

I grabbed my jacket from the closet and the flask I had hid conveniently under the couch. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew that it wasn't Harbor.

I half-walked half-limped towards the Pier, then wandered down further to the life guard tower near the shoreline. My visits to the tower have always been therapeutic, they allowed me a place of solitude away from the daily bullshit of Newport. However, today the tower appeared to be occupied by another wanderer.

I cautiously approached the tower from behind, trying to better gauge the scene. I saw the silhouette of a girl sitting Indian-style against one of the tower's beams, facing the ocean. I decided to come closer, maybe she was a about to leave, maybe she-

"Taylor?" I exclaimed. Was Taylor Townsend, Harbor's own goody-two-shoes, seriously skipping school and hiding out in my lifeguard tower? Taylor whipped her head in my direction and perked up upon seeing me.

"Marissa! I-I was just, well it's actually a long story...but, anyways, how are you? I heard about the accident, you must be pretty shaken up, huh?" Taylor's incessant rambling was the last thing I needed to hear right now, but I considered Taylor to be a friend so I forced a smile and walked up the ramp to meet her on the tower.

"Yeah, it was pretty bad. That's actually why I'm here now—"

"-And not at Harbor, being interrogated and judged…" She paused a second. "Didn't want another CSI: Shooting Trey Atwood episode, I understand..." I felt my cheeks redden as she mentioned the past incident, and I nodded coyly. Taylor was never one to use much sensitivity.

I pulled my flask out of my pocket and took a large swig from it. I sat down beside Taylor and gazed off into the distance, hoping that she'd allow a few minutes of silence to go by. Of course, I was wrong.

"So, where's Ryan?" She asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

I told her about his trip to see his mom, and a look of confusion swept immediately over her face.

"What is it?" I asked. Now I was the confused one.

"Oh nothing, NOOOTHING. Just thinking about something else…" She turned her face in the opposite direction, as if physically dodging my question.

"Taylor, tell me."

"It's nothing, it's just. I was at the Cohen's this morning, getting a comic book from Seth and I thought I'd stop by the pool house to say hi to Ryan."

"...Yeah?"

"And, well, he didn't appear to be in pool house. But I did notice something odd before I turned and left…a map of Mexico lying on the coffee table…sitting next to a duffle bag." Taylor paused in order to slow down her frantic pace and lightly placed her hand on top of mine, which was now shaking feverishly. "I didn't really think anything of it at the time, but now…"

You've GOT to be kidding me. I knew it, I knew there was something suspicious about this morning. He lied to me, he lied to my face. He wasn't going to see his mom in Albuquerque, he was going to Mexico to find Volchuk. And he wasn't going there to find him either, he was going there to kill him.

Tags: marissa cooper, rough draft, ryan atwood, the o.c.