Sitting at work Monday morning, Marissa was surprised when she saw a flower delivery man open the office door. Of course no one would be sending Sandy flowers, so unless the man was in the wrong place, she was getting flowers. For just one moment she let herself wish that for some strange reason Ryan had sent her flowers, but she knew that wasn't true. After signing for the bouquet of gardenias, she arranged them on her desk before she pulled the card out of its envelope and closed her eyes in preparation for what she was about read. After another silent wish that she would see his cramped, messy handwriting but knowing it was futile, she slowly opened her eyes and scanned the small message of greeting and devotion before taking in the words themselves.
"Signed by the florist," she said dejectedly. "Well at least I know now that they're unfortunately not from Ryan." After looking around her to make sure that Sandy had not heard her outburst, she collapsed into her chair and read the note quietly out loud to herself.
"Marissa, Missing you and sorry about my impatient behavior. I'll call you while I'm gone the next few weeks. Yours, Kevin."
Sighing, suddenly feeling exhausted and eager to see Ryan when he picked her up for their classes in a little over and hour, she tossed the card in the garbage can and went back to her work.
Relationships and communication were not going smoothly in Newport Memorial either as Julie gathered her strength for another cataclysmic battle with her husband. They had agreed to meet for breakfast to catch up with each other and discuss the only thing that seemed to occupy their minds recently: their daughter. Jimmy's condition kept deteriorating, day by day, hour by hour, but he refused to budge an inch in his opinion of Ryan and his relationship with his little girl. As Julie saw him wheel into the visiting room where they were going to share their morning meal, he had taken to using the wheelchair permanently because it took so much out of him to walk, she knew that the time was rapidly approaching where she would be a widow. Wheeling up to her, he kissed her cheek dismissively sending a wave of pain through her heart, but she waved it off knowing that she could not focus on her own emotions right now; there were more important things she had to deal with.
"Morning," Jimmy said as he pushed himself up to the table and began to eat immediately without another word in greeting or an inquiry into her mood or health.
"Hey there, how are you feeling," Julie asked sweetly in an attempt to make him feel relaxed and loved, perhaps that way he would be more receptive to the conversation she was about to start. All she got in return was a grunt.
"I've been doing well," she continued. "The new medicine we've been able to afford since the benefit dinner seems to be slowing down the progression of the cancer and I feel stronger. The doctor said the medicine might add a few more months to my life." She smiled over at him but he just kept eating, refusing to meet her eyes for even a second. Sighing helplessly, she continued. "Dawn and I have been getting to know one another a lot lately. I could see how you could have loved her. She's wonderful, so full of life, warm, caring, generous. She's helping me with Marissa. We're recording all my fondest memories of her so that she can share them with Marissa's children some day, our grandchildren." Before Julie could say another word, Jimmy suddenly spoke up and interrupted her.
"And why would Dawn be in Marissa's life still when she has children?" His tone was harsh, accusing, and cold. "Do not tell me that you're going against me and supporting this ridiculous idea that Marissa should be with him!"
"He has a name, Jimmy," Julie spat back just as fiercely, her temper now baited. "His name is Ryan and yes, I…we, Dawn and I, want them together. She loves him, Jimmy; why can't that be enough for you?"
"Because she has no idea what love is," he practically screamed.
Taking a deep breath before continuing, Julie tried to speak calmly and rationally to her unreasonable husband. "Why, because she's only 19? Jimmy, a lot of people fall in love when they're 19, and this is not some innocent crush; this is a once in a lifetime, cataclysmic, fairytale love we're talking about here, and she's not the only one who feels it."
"Well, if it's so powerful," he retorted smugly, thinking that he was playing the top card, "why did he hurt her?"
"Nobody's perfect," she directed the snide remark at him, trying to make him think of all the mistakes he had made in their relationship, "and if you would stop being such an ass and listen to me, you'd know that it was not all his fault. Ask Marissa, she would tell you that what happened between them was just as much her fault as his. She wouldn't commit; she was afraid and dancing around her feelings, and she pushed him too far, but they're working through it."
"So they're dating," he asked, the disdain and frustration evident in his voice.
"No, not officially; basically I think they're just trying to become really good friends first, building up their trust in each other, spending all the time together they can, learning how to live with one another. It's really quite sweet, actually."
"Wait, what did you say?" Jimmy's voice was eerily quiet, scaring Julie slightly. "Did you say they were living together?"
"Yeah…platonically, in separate rooms. Neither of them can afford rent on their own, so they're pulling their salaries together and living together in a small apartment Kirsten, Marissa's boss's wife, found them in the numbered streets. They're sharing her car, even books. They split all the bills, 50/50, and they're really happy with the way their lives are going right now." She paused for a second before continuing, taking his silence as a sign that maybe, just maybe, she was finally breaking through to him. "So, what we don't understand is why you can't be happy for them, too?"
Waiting for his response was agonizing. His eyes were closed so she could not read his mood through the emotions he would normally display on his countenance. His body was stiff and unyielding, not giving her a sign as to what he was thinking or feeling. His breathing was steady, perhaps a good sign, she thought, but how much could be really control his own breathing these days with the disease wracking insurmountable damage upon his body. Finally, as he whipped his eyes open, focusing two fiery orbs of hatred on her, she had her answer, but it still did not prepare her for the pain and remorse she would feel after he lashed out at her. Voice elevated to a level she did not think he was still capable of reaching, he screamed at her like he never had before.
"Never, never will I let him near my daughter; and if you approve of this relationship, you don't deserve to be her mother! I have never been this ashamed of either of you before, but this, this, is unforgivable! For her own sake, I will try to help Marissa, but you, don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't come near me again! We're done! And if you for one second think that I will let this relationship continue, think again! If it's the last thing I do before I die, I will ruin them forever!"
He tried to sneak away before she could say anything in her, Marissa, or Ryan's defense, but Jimmy, do to his exhausted condition, he was quick enough.
"This hatred Jimmy," Julie sobbed out hurt but not broken, "this hatred is killing you, and it is so unfounded that it's sad. Do you know what you're really angry at? Life. You're so mad that you have to die now and that you won't see your daughter grow up and become a mother, a grandmother herself, that you're pushing everyone away who cares about you, and you've picked Ryan to focus all of your anger and frustration on, but that's not fair. The only thing he's ever done since he met Marissa was love and try to protect her. Sure, they've had their issues, but their young and in love. We should be celebrating that not trying to ruin it. If you do this Jimmy, if you continue down this hate filled path, you're going to die alone and unloved."
Standing up easily, she left the visiting room, without touching her breakfast, and walked past him without a second glance, leaving him there sulking in his own misery and incapable of doing anything about it.
It was two weeks later. Despite the fact that she and her father were no longer talking, something that distressed Marissa immensely, everything else was going well in her life. She and Ryan were never closer, and she knew that the day was coming when she would be able to let go of the past completely and move on with him in the future. Kevin was still away on business, something that made her life much less complicated and provided her with time to sort out just how she was going to break away from him once and for all, her Mom was doing excellent on her new medication and had a new support system in Ryan's Mom, and school was great. Perhaps the thing that made her the happiest of all was the little secret Sandy and Kirsten had confided in her over dinner the night before. So far, she was the only person they had told, and it felt amazing that people she admired so much wanted her advice, her support. She was going to help them prepare for the surprise and then they would share the news with everyone at Thanksgiving when they hosted a large, extended family gathering.
That morning while she was getting ready for work, it was a Monday so she was going in for a few hours before Ryan picked her up to go to classes, she was startled out of her daydreaming by the ringing of her cell phone. Looking at the caller ID, she instantly smiled.
"Hey Sum, what's up" she asked in a slightly rushed but excited tone. "I'm leaving for work soon, but I have a few minutes. I can't believe you're already awake."
"Yeah, well, I figured if I wanted to catch you today, I'd have to try and reach you before you left for work, because it seems as if you're never not doing something."
Marissa laughed but then, after reconsidering her day, realized her friend might be right.
"Well, I'm going in to work for a couple of hours. Then Ryan is picking me up for class. Once classes let out, it's back to work until his soccer game this afternoon, but tonight, after the game, we're busy, too, because we're having dinner and hanging out with our Moms." Without letting Summer get a word in, Marissa continued to talk. "Oh Sum, did I tell you how well my Mom is doing? It's amazing. It's like she's healthier now than she was when she first got diagnosed all those months ago, and her doctors are letting her leave the hospital tonight. She's going to actually get to eat at Dawn's apartment with us. I'm so excited for her. But wait, you called me. Is everything okay?"
By this time, Summer is attempting to reign in her fits of giggles at Marissa's newfound exuberance for life, but she can't help it and she starts to laugh uncontrollably anyway. After a moment where Summer had a hard time breathing and Marissa sat down on her bed because she was so bewildered by Summer's response, the brunette had her mirth under control enough to speak once again.
"I'm sorry about that. It's just….you were rambling so much you reminded me of Cohen!"
At once defensive of Summer's comment, Marissa jumped up off of her bed and started pacing the room while she tried to deny what her friend said. "That's not true, take it back. No one, and I repeat, no one is as bad as Seth!"
"Yeah, well that's debatable now," Summer shot back in a teasing tone, but kept talking so that Marissa could not intervene and defend herself again. "Anyway, so I was calling to invite you and Atwood up for the weekend. You two promised you'd be coming up here, and although Cohen's already whining about it, I got us tickets to the big game on Saturday. What do you think?"
"You know that I hate USC football," Marissa said emphatically, all notes of playfulness out of her voice instantly. "and that I will be rooting for the visiting team."
"Yeah, I don't care about that," Summer shot down her worries quickly. "I don't care who wins as long as I get to see hot guys in tight pants. I usually just go for the team who has the best uniforms."
Marissa laughed at her blunt and stereotypical female answer, not surprised at all that Summer took no interest in sports. Perhaps that was why she and Seth were perfect for each other.
"So, is that a yes then," Summer pressed her for an answer.
"Of course we'll be there," Marissa smiled as she responded, "playfully fighting the entire time about the game." Before Summer could complain, Marissa cut her off and said goodbye, hanging up the phone rapidly, grabbing her school bag and work bag and rushing out of her room and down the stairs to confront Ryan on the phone as well. He wasn't talking, at all, which meant that it was probably Seth. As soon as he saw her, his face broke out in a large smile and he moved towards her to take her bags from her. She smiled back at him before moving into the kitchen.
"Listen Seth, man, I've got to go. Marissa is ready for work, and I have to take her. We'll talk later."
"But wait," Seth tried to stop him. "I didn't even get to the point of the phone call."
"There was a point," Ryan asked confused. He had just listened to Seth ramble on for ten minutes about the latest comic book issues. Ryan would swear that as soon as Seth got out of Newport Beach and into an atmosphere that was slightly more accepting of his personality quirks, he became the antithesis of what Harbor cool was.
"Of course there was a point," Seth shot back defensively but stopped after he saw Summer waving him off of the conversation. "Never mind, Summer said Marissa will tell you, but I'll give you a clue. Remember how you said it was quite a turn on to see a girl who got into sports?"
"Yeah," Ryan replied confused.
"Well, it just so happens you're going to have to learn how to control yourself this weekend. See you later man." With that, he hung up the phone leaving a perplexed yet not surprised Ryan standing there holding Marissa bags.
"What'd Seth want," Marissa asked cheerfully as she wandered out of the kitchen holding two bottles of water and two bagels and heading for the door, holding it open for him.
"I'm not quite sure. He said there was a point to the call, but he never got around to telling me what it was, and then he was speaking in some riddle about how I really get turned on when you get into…." His voice trailed off embarrassedly as he realized just how much he had revealed and not wanting to say anything more.
"When I get into what," Marissa asked, her curiosity peaked.
"Nothing, you're going to be late. We should get going." Walking out of the door she was holding open, he tried to stop the conversation there, but Marissa had other ideas on her mind. First, she thought, let's get him distracted.
"So, while you were talking to Seth, I was talking to Summer, and she called to invite us up this weekend to stay with them and to go the game on Saturday." Smirking at him while she climbed in the car, still holding their breakfast in her hand, as he held her door open for her, she kept talking. "I told them we'd love to come."
After quickly putting their bags in the backseat, he climbed in as well, started the engine and pulled out of their parking lot before replying. "So you answer for me now, too, do you?"
Without batting an eye, she played right along with him. "Of course I do. Why, don't you want to go? I'm sure I'd be able to find some other guy who would love to spend the weekend with me, going to a football game, sharing a room together." She looked over at him and saw that he was squirming, so to twist the knife in just a little deeper, she went in for the kill. "Maybe Kevin will be back by Friday and he could go with me."
"What," Ryan exploded. "I thought you told me that the next time you saw him you were going to tell his that enough is enough; that there was no way you can continue to be friends with him because he wants more and you can't give him that!"
"At least he tells me things when I ask him a question instead of pushing the topic aside and refusing to answer!"
"What are you talking about, Marissa," Ryan asked confused.
"I wanted to know what you were talking about before, what I do that turns you on, but you refused to tell me! If we can't even talk about little, simple things like that, then what's the point, Ryan?"
Frustrated and completely blind to the fact that she was playing him this whole time to learn his secret, he kept fighting. "Do you want to know what I said to Seth?"
"Yes," she yelled back emphatically.
"Fine, if you really want to know, I'll tell you! When you get into sports, pay attention, yell and scream along, yell out plays, show that you know more about sports than most men, you drive me crazy! I can't even watch the game or pay attention because all I can think about is you! You're like a drug that I can't get enough of, and knowing now that I'm going to have to sit by through an entire football game and watch you like that, I don't know if I'll be able to make it without taking you right then and there! And I don't care what I have to do, but no other guy will be going there with you!"
By the time Ryan was done with his explanation, he was out of breath and turned on just thinking about it, while Marissa was stunned beyond words that she caused that amount of reaction in him. Handing him his bagel, she sat back in her seat and turned her head towards her window so that he could not see her silently laughing out of pleasure.
"Don't worry," she spoke softly, "I was never even considering taking anyone else with me, and if it will help, I'll wear the ugliest, baggiest clothes I have."
Mumbling under his breath, Ryan responded, "yeah, that really won't help at all."
They were silent for a few minutes while Marissa ran over and thought about all the new possibilities this revelation provided her with, while Ryan went back over their conversation word for word until he realized that he had been trapped.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you," he asked in an attempt to sound harsh and angry but unable to hide the amusement from his voice.
"Oh look, we're here," she teased back flippantly while grabbing her bag and leaning over to brush a kiss against his cheek, their morning ritual when she left for work. "Guess you'll never know," she said as she climbed out of the car and skipped into the office building leaving a sexually frustrated and impressed Ryan staring after her long after she was gone from his sight.
Dinner with the Moms had gone well that night. In fact, the whole week had been amazing for Ryan and Marissa as they just enjoyed each others company and prepared for their first weekend away together up in Los Angeles with Seth and Summer. It was now Thursday afternoon, and a very bored Ryan was going to visit his Mom with the excuse that he was there to return the Tupperware container she had sent leftovers home with him and Marissa on Monday night. Marissa was at work, putting in a late night since they were leaving early Friday afternoon to beat rush hour traffic, and soccer practice was already over. There was nothing he had to do at the Newport Group; everything Kirsten had asked him to accomplish that week, he'd already done. The apartment was spotless. He didn't know how, but Marissa always managed to clean it in its entirety before he even realized it was dirty. His homework was already done, and there was no one he could think of that he wanted to spend time with. So here he was, knocking on his Mom's apartment door, holding a Tupperware container and laughing silently at himself. As soon as Dawn opened the door, a smile instantly covered her face. It was not everyday her son dropped in, unannounced, and obviously looking for company.
"Ryan, what a pleasant surprise," Dawn said as she opened the door widely for him to enter. "Please, come in, and sit down. Are you hungry; do you want something to eat? Are you thirsty?"
Taking the container from him, she deposited it in the kitchen before returning to sit down with him.
"I'm fine, thanks, you don't have to get me anything. Marissa and I will eat later once she gets off of work."
"Aw," Dawn said, smirking slightly and nodding to herself. "Now this visit makes sense. Marissa's at work and you're bored stiff." Although he never said anything to agree with her statement, his slight blush was all the acknowledgement she needed. "How have you been this week; how were classes?"
"Good and good, you," he responded briefly.
"Good, too," his mother replied before expanding her explanation. "Last night Mike drove down from the city and we had dinner. He's officially off your father and brother's case as of next Friday, so, if you and Marissa are interested, we thought we'd all go out, celebrate. Mike suggested dancing."
"Dancing," Ryan asked, quirking his eyebrow. "You honestly thought you'd get me to agree to that willingly?"
With a straight face, Dawn pressed the idea further. "Julie told me that Marissa loves to dance, and that any guy who would go dancing for her would instantly score some brownie points."
Ryan laughed at his Mother's oh so obvious game, but he had to admit that it wasn't that bad of an idea. "I highly doubt Julie told you that, but even if she didn't, Marissa probably would enjoy it, so I'll ask her."
"Great," Dawn said eagerly, clapping her hands together out of anticipation. "Mike will be thrilled. He really wants to get to know you two better."
"So, do you have any other news for me," Ryan continued to pry.
"Well, nothing much, just a phone call I got, but it can wait. Tell me more about your week."
All thoughts of himself went out the window at her forced causal tone. "Wait, what phone call? Are you alright?"
"I'm great," she smiled back at him, looking to Ryan the happiest he had ever seen her. "I didn't want to completely dominate the conversation, but if you insist I tell you…"
"I insist," he interrupted, growing impatient with her run around responses.
"You remember how bummed I was after I didn't get that job I interviewed a couple of weeks ago for, right?" He nodded his head yes to show that he did indeed remember what she was referring to. "Well, I didn't tell you about the second interview I got for a different job, because, just in case I didn't get that job either, I didn't want to worry anyone, but it was a waste of time, because they called me today and I start Monday!"
"That's awesome, Mom! Congratulations," he said as he reached across the couch and gave her a strong, intense hug. Pulling away, he looked her in the eyes before he continued speaking. "You have no idea how proud I am of you. You're sober, you're standing on your own two feet, you have a job, and you're happy. That's all I ever wanted for you, do you know that."
Hastily wiping the tears his heartfelt words brought to her eyes, Dawn couldn't help but laugh at the situation.
"You do realize that what you just said is something a parent is supposed to say to their child and not the other way around?"
"Well," Ryan conceded with a shrug of his shoulders, "we're not like other families."
"You could say that again," Dawn agreed as they laughed together. "Okay, enough of this foolishness, I have to bring down the energy level here and talk about something serious." When she noticed the slight sign of fear in his eyes, she put a hand out on his arm to steady him. "It's nothing that bad; basically, I have a favor to ask of you...but it's not really for me. It's for Marissa, but she has no idea that we're asking you to do this." Confused Ryan just nodded his head for her to continue. "Jimmy is going to die soon, there's no getting around that fact, but he's stubborn and making his health worse by fighting with Marissa constantly and completely shutting down on Julie."
"Marissa hasn't said anything about this to me," he said almost as if he was thinking out loud to himself.
"Well, that makes sense," Dawn said softly. "She probably doesn't want to hurt your feelings or make you feel guilty."
"Why would I feel guilty…unless it's about me?" His tone, as realization set in, became dejected and pained. "Her father doesn't approve of me in her life, does he, and now they're fighting during what could be his last few weeks alive because of me."
"It's not that simple, Ryan," she replied automatically. "Do not overreact to this either. Marissa wants you in her life. She does not need you to sacrifice yourself and bow out gracefully just so that her father gets his way. If anything, that would just cause more animosity between them, because she would blame Jimmy for you leaving her."
Spreading his arms in defeat, Ryan looked eagerly to his Mother for advice. "So what exactly do you want me to do?"
Taking a deep breath and looking Ryan in the eyes before she spoke, she gathered her courage before she presented the only option they had left. "You need to talk to Jimmy."
Waiting for Marissa that night, Ryan was unable to sit still. Thoughts about what he would say to Jimmy the next day when he went to see him kept running through his mind, but nothing seemed to be the right thing. Dawn had warned him that he was being unreasonable, that all of his hatred towards fate and life was now directed at Ryan, so he was fighting an uphill battle to say the least. Not only was Ryan unsure about what he was going to say to Jimmy, he had no clue if he should talk to Marissa about this or not. He got the impression from his Mom that he shouldn't, but they did not have secrets from one another, and the thought of keeping something this big from her was eating him away. To at least keep his hands as busy as his mind, he had made dinner for them, and just as he heard Marissa calling his name as she walked through the front door, he was putting the last dish on the table to eat. When she noticed what he had done for her, the weary, exhausted expression left her face immediately to be replaced by one of pure contentment and joy.
"Look at this spread," she teasingly said as she motioned towards the table. "Whatever did I do to get so lucky?"
Putting her bag down and giving him a quick hug before sitting in her seat, she immediately started to fill her plate until she noticed that he was still watching her and not moving to join her at the table. Before he could say anything, he saw panic enter her eyes.
"This is for us to share, right? I mean, I'm not interrupting something….like a date, am I," she asked, her abject fear and humility at the idea evident on her beautiful face. Laughing, he sat down beside her and started to put some food on his plate as well.
"No, I'm sorry about just standing there. I was lost in thought," he covered quickly. "And how many times do I have to tell you that there is no one other than you that I want to date?"
Although she did not reply with words, the grin she shot him at that statement told him all he needed to know, that she was glad he didn't want to date anyone else and that she wasn't going to date anyone else either. At that moment he decided that, at least for that night, they were going to forget about the cares of the world, her father, school, their questions about their relationship, and just enjoy each others company. He could tell her about seeing and speaking with Jimmy on the way up to LA….or on their return trip.
After dinner they playfully bickered back and forth about what they were going to do for the rest of the evening, Ryan wanting to go out on the town, Marissa wanting to stay in. Marissa won. Eventually, and exactly how it happened Ryan would never remember, they decided to play video games, or, to be more precise, they decided that Ryan would teach her how to play video games. Before he knew what he had gotten himself into, she was sitting between his legs, leaning back into him as his arms were wrapped around her and so that he could help her with the controller. Never before did he ever play a worse game on the PS2, but Marissa was either having too much fun to notice or she was distracted by the close proximity of their bodies as well.
Half way through their tutorial, Marissa's cell phone rang, but after reading the caller ID, which said Kevin Ryan noticed when he shamelessly snuck a peak, she shut her phone off and went back to the game, muttering to herself, although it was loud enough so that he could hear, that she would deal with him in person. They had played for a while, but after a couple of hours and still no victory in sight, they decided that the task would require multiple lessons and they turned off the game system and settled down to watch Sportscenter together, falling asleep entwined on the same couch. Neither of them had slept so well since they'd moved into the apartment.
Because they had a trip planned to USC for the weekend, the next afternoon worked out well for Ryan to talk to Jimmy. After he dropped Marissa off at work once their classes were over, he went back to their apartment to pack their bag. Anyone else but Ryan and Marissa would have found it strange that he was packing their bag for them, that they were sharing a suitcase despite the fact that they weren't a couple, and that neither thought it was strange that he was going through her drawers to find things for her to wear. However, to Ryan and Marissa, it just fit; it made sense to be like that with each other. Tossing the bag in the car, he locked up their place for the weekend and set off for the hospital and his talk with Jimmy before he would pick up Marissa. Little did he know that Julie had warned her about the conversation Ryan had planned.
At first Ryan thought everything was going smoothly. Jimmy had agreed to listen to what he had to say, and while Ryan talked he never interrupted him once. True, Ryan would have preferred some eye contact or a sign that he was in fact listening, but he would take what he could get, and after his Mom's warnings, he was just glad that Jimmy hadn't thrown anything at him yet. He told Jimmy an abbreviated version of their history, admitting his faults and taking blame where it was required, but he also was blunt about his feelings and confessed just how much he was in love with Marissa, that it was his goal in life right now to make her happy and keep her safe, and that he would do everything in his power to make her life the best that it could be. Finally finished with what he had come there to say, he stopped talking and just waited for Jimmy to respond, but he never expected the reaction he got.
"That was beautiful, Ryan, just beautiful, and if I didn't already know better, I might think that you and your feelings for my daughter were genuine, but they're not and no matter how much you swear you'll never hurt her again, you will, and that is something that I cannot have." Ryan's mouth fell open in shock, and he was too overwhelmed by the pure, undisguised hatred in the older man's voice to say anything in his own self-defense. "You might have Dawn fooled, you might have my wife fooled, hell, you might even have my daughter fooled, but you haven't tricked me. I will not let this relationship continue. I don't care what I have to do to break it up. Perhaps I could tell my daughter I saw you fooling around with a nurse here at the hospital one afternoon, that you are secretly seeing someone behind her back. Would that ruin your relationship once and for all? If it wouldn't, I'd tell her that I overheard you telling that very same nurse that you were just using Marissa, that she was good in bed, and that you wanted another go at her."
With this the shock Ryan was feeling turned to anger. How could this man be this bitter, this angry at life, he thought, that he would purposely hurt his daughter this much just to make sure that she would never date him?
"I could tell her that you're diseased, that you were in on the criminal activity of with your father and brother, that you came here and attacked me," Jimmy continued with the threats. "Don't you get it! I will do anything and everything in my power to keep you away from my daughter even if it kills me!"
Too wrapped up in their own anger, neither man heard or saw the woman standing at the door silently crying as she listened to her father pressure the man she had completely given her heart to months ago. Wiping away the tears, she stepped into the room, taking Ryan by the hand and pulling him with her towards the door leaving just as she came, silently. Knowing that he was caught red handed, Jimmy was too stunned to say anything, and then, when he saw the intense pain and agony, the raging ire and animosity flickering across her eyes, he was silenced by guilt. Just as they had left the room and entered the hallway outside of it, she turned around to face him one last time and in nothing more than a whisper said the words he had been afraid to hear.
"I wouldn't have believed you, just to let you know," she said as she squeezed Ryan's hand even tighter. "You're already dead to me."
With that, Marissa Cooper walked away from her sobbing father.