Here's the sequel to The Hero, haven't written a lot of it yet, waiting to see what kind of reviews it gets so let me know.
Ryan stepped out of the SUV, the early morning sun shining down on him. Today was the last first day of his high school career and for once, he was excited about it. It was a relief to get the last year started, because if it was beginning, it would be ending. The real reason for his excitement had more to do with the person getting out of the other side of his vehicle, her hair shining brightly in the sun as she smiled at him. She knew what her smile did to him, but even if she wanted to use it to seduce him, she only had to look at him and it would appear. He had the same affect on her and they were totally helpless around each other. One gaze from him and her heart began melting; one smile from her and his knees became unsteady.
It had only been three months since he had "run" into her, but those three months were filled with intense moments that only strengthened the feelings they shared. He had become her hero and she felt safe for the first time in a long time when he was around, which was why she wasn't nervous on the first day at another new school. With Ryan by her side, nothing was going to happen and as if he were reading her thoughts, he came over and slipped his hand into hers.
The spark they both felt at contact, even after all the time spent together, told them that what they had was something special. When they were together, starring into each other's eyes, they were the only two people around. The rest of the world disappeared, it was only them that mattered to one another and he pulled her closer, kissing her softly.
"You ready?" he asked, their foreheads resting together as he looked into her beautiful eyes.
"I'm ready for a lot of things," she replied, kissing him deeper than before, "but we probably don't want to be late on the first day."
Suddenly the idea of their senior year starting didn't sound like a great idea, at least not when it interfered with her lips against his. He loved the taste of her, her tongue exploring his, the way she let a soft moan escape from her throat. He could be with her all day and still not get enough of her, she was that sensational. If that wasn't' all, there was her perfect body, smooth skin that his hands explored, forgetting they were still standing in the school parking lot.
"Ew…get a room you two," Summer said as she noticed them, "Come on Coop, I'll show you around."
Ryan watched as the two girls walked off, Marissa throwing him a smile over her shoulder before catching up with Summer. Things couldn't get much better for him right now in his life, everything falling nicely into place for once. Unfortunately they were in Newport, back in school where more drama unfolded daily than a soap opera script and he wondered how long it would take for things to shake up a bit as he followed Seth across the grounds.
…
Ryan couldn't believe the amount of homework the teachers had thrown at them on their first day, ending all hopes that senior year would be a breeze. His bag crammed with books to bring home, the majority of his evening wasted now due to the workload, he escaped the confines of Harbor searching for Marissa.
They didn't share any classes together, and except for a brief lunch, he hadn't seen her all day. He found himself longing for one of those smiles that only she could produce, never imagining that a girl could have that affect on him and so fast. The last time he had walked these halls he couldn't wait to be done as most of the students were as shallow and fake as their parents but now there was someone he couldn't wait to see, who gave his body fits just by thinking about her.
The smile on his face as he saw her quickly disappeared, his feet moving faster to get to her. Luke Ward, captain of the water polo team and Ryan's favorite punching bag, was trying his charm as he backed Marissa up against his pick-up. Each step he took towards her to get closer, she took one back to get away, until there was no more room.
Ever since Ryan had arrived in Newport, Luke Ward had seized every opportunity to try and humiliate and/or kick the crap out of Ryan. Seth had been the one to torment, but as Ryan stuck up for him, he became the prime target. If it was only Luke, it wouldn't have been such a big deal as Ryan had kicked his ass plenty of times, but Luke seldom traveled without his goon squad and not even Ryan could fight his way out of all of those times.
"You ready Marissa?" Ryan asked, trying not to appear mad in case that was mistaken for jealously, but really wanting a reason to hurt Luke.
"Buzz off dweeb, I'm talking to her," Luke said, turning back around to face her, his arm against the truck blocking Ryan from Marissa.
"That makes two of us then," Ryan replied, pushing Luke's arm down so that the polo player stumbled.
"Ryan, lets go," Marissa pleaded, grabbing his hand to escape before the confrontation escalated any further.
"You'll pay for that Atwood," Luke grumbled as he regained his balance, slamming his hand against his truck in anger.
Ryan turned around instinctively, just in time to see Luke rushing at them. He yanked his hand out of Marissa's, forming a fist as he swung around, and cracked Luke squarely in the nose before the same was done to him. Blood sprayed as a sickening crunch was heard, Luke's hands flying to cover his face as he screamed in pain.
Hitting him felt good, real good and Ryan took a few steps towards Luke to continue the beating, but a hand grabbed his and stopped him. He was so focused on Luke, wanting to use pain as a lesson, that he had forgotten Marissa was standing right there. He relaxed his tensed muscles, the locked jaw, and cold eyes as he allowed her to pull him around the parking lot. By the time they arrived at his vehicle, he was calmed down and his breathing was back down to normal.
"Do you have to hit everybody?" Marissa nearly yelled at him as they got into the car and began driving away.
"He was coming at me," Ryan defended himself in disbelief, wondering how he was to blame for what happened.
"Would it be too much to just walk away once?" she countered, her arms folded tightly crossed her chest as she starred straight ahead.
"Why are you mad at me? He was going to hit me if I didn't hit him first and frankly I've had enough ass beatings to last me a lifetime without getting one from that jerk."
"If you haven't realized, I've had enough violence in my life and I was hoping I could start a new life here without it," Marissa said as he entered her drive, getting out of the vehicle, "You don't always have to be the hero Ryan."
He watched as she stormed across the drive, slamming the door shut loudly after entering the house. He couldn't believe that he had been made out the bad guy but one thing was certain, the rest of senior year was not going to be dull if it was anything like the start.
…
The rest of the week was even worse, though at the time Ryan wouldn't have believed it. More homework had been added to his pile and because he and Marissa had hardly said more than hello to each other, he couldn't concentrate enough to even make a dent into it. He was getting so far behind he had tried to get out of the charity function tonight but Sandy and Kirsten wouldn't allow him to stay home from it.
After spending nearly every free moment with Marissa since he had met her, not having her around or to be able to call was slowly driving him mad. With the exception of Seth/Ryan time, his time had always been his own. He had always done what he wanted with it but now Marissa had control of it, especially when she wasn't there. He was constantly thinking about her, nothing else able to occupy his mind and it was killing him.
He was so worried about her not speaking to him except to say hi at school and the unreturned phone calls that he gave in and enlisted Summer's help. The fact that he cared enough about making things right with Marissa that he would openly share his personal feelings with Summer told him he was completely head-over-heels for her. It didn't even bother him that he was feebly handing Summer ammunition with which to use against him forever.
"Ready to go kiddo?" Sandy asked, walking into the pool house where Ryan stood fumbling with his tie.
"No chance of getting out of it?" Ryan asked hopefully.
"If I'm getting drug to this then we're going to suffer together," Sandy responded, fixing Ryan's tie in a few quick fluid motions.
Ryan hated the social events in Newport that seemed to occur weekly. They were excuses to show how wealthy you were, for designer dresses to be worn and cocktails to drink, for gossip to spread while wearing fake smiles, and normally for some drama to happen. Ryan would rather walk to streets in Chino at night alone than attend these events but Kirsten had to show up which meant they all had to go.
When they arrived they spent the first few minutes with Sandy and Kirsten as they shook hands and smiled at the right people and then made their escape to a corner of the room. Ryan wished they could escape for good but just in case they were needed, they had to stay even if they hid for most of the night. Soon he was left to himself as Summer arrived, born for parties like these, and drug Seth back out into the sea of people with her.
She still hadn't been able to help him with Marissa, or she was enjoying watching him suffer, and he was tempted to try calling her himself again. He could understand where she was coming from but not the way she was handling it and he hated not being able to fix their problem. He decided it wouldn't hurt to try and call one more time but his phone rang before he could reach it.
"Ryan, its Eddie."
"Hey Eddie, I haven't seen you for awhile. Actually I haven't seen you since that night on the beach but I want to thank you for helping me out."
"I'm glad you remembered because now I need a favor."
Ryan listened as Eddie talked, keeping everything short and brief before promising to call back. He couldn't believe what Eddie had asked him to do and hoped that he wouldn't get that return phone call. He knew that he owed Eddie, but there was something more to the story he felt. He made a mental note to ask Sandy about it as he headed for the exit, needing some fresh air after the phone call.
"Hey," a voice said quietly behind him, breaking him from his thoughts.
"Hey yourself," he replied back, his breath taken away.
Marissa stood timidly in the moonlight, the strapless pink dress wrapped tightly around her, showing off her body perfectly. Her hair was pulled back, her face radiant as she waited patiently for him to break the ice that had come between them all week. He wanted to say something but seeing her look so beautiful made his mind numb and he couldn't think straight.
"Hopefully it's the dress rendering you speechless," she said, not being able to look him in the eyes.
"You look…amazing," he told her, his heart racing.
"Ryan, I'm sorry for this week. Its just been peaceful since the pier night and I was finally getting some sleep at night without the nightmares and then seeing you fighting again just brought all of those memories back up," she said quickly, telling him before she chickened out.
"I know but we could have saved a lot of time by just saying that right away instead of staying mad for a week," he said, closing the distance and taking her hands in his.
"So you forgive me then?"
"With that dress I think I could," he said, thinking he would have felt better about reconciling with her as she hugged him but he had more problems now.
She kissed him tenderly, hoping he knew that she was sorry for keeping her distance, but as he barely responded, she worried that she might have built a wall between them. For the first time since they met, it was awkward with just the two of them so they went back inside hoping the crowd could help that feeling disappear.
Soon most of the parents who hadn't raced away in their sports cars were beyond the tipsy point with their alcohol consumption. The kids now could do what they chose, whether it be running off to another party or begin drinking at this one, as no one would notice or if they did they wouldn't remember in the morning.
Ryan and Marissa chose to escape and soon found themselves walking hand-in-hand along the beach. It was a perfect night out, the moon was shining and the waves and sand made for a romantic setting but that was the farthest thing from Ryan's mind. They walked up to the lifeguard stand and sat down together, Marissa leaning back against Ryan's chest.
"What happened that night after I was shot?" Ryan asked after sitting in silence for awhile.
"What do you mean?"
"Eddie, what happened with him?"
"He shot my father."