Marissa and her mother were squaring off in the kitchen the next morning.
"Marissa, I do not want you seeing that Ryan boy at school tomorrow. I've already called the principal and talked to her at length. You will be watched, do you understand?"
Marissa glared at her mother. "I can't believe you, mom. And I can't believe you would try and jeopardize Ryan's education. He's been proving to all of his teachers that he belongs at Harbor, and you have to go and do this. You're such a bitch."
On that last comment, Marissa grabbed her purse from the counter and stalked out of the house.
*
The principal at Harbor had called the Cohens early that morning, and had asked to see Ryan before class started. Sandy had offered to go with Ryan, but Ryan had told him that he could handle it on his own. Now, as he sat in the principal's office, he started to wonder if he'd made a mistake.
"Ryan, I called you here today because I got a disturbing call from Mrs. Cooper. She believes that Marissa's problems are your fault and doesn't want the two of you to be allowed to be together here at school."
Ryan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He waited to hear what else she was going to say. Half of him wondered how all of this could be happening, but the other half of him knew that this new life in Newport Beach was too good to be true. The bubble had burst.
"Ryan, I've talked to each of your teachers. They've all said that you've been a great student and that your grades are top notch, however, we cannot have this sort of problem here at Harbor."
She sighed. This wasn't easy for her. She liked Ryan and thought he had great potential.
"Ryan, I've put in for a transfer for you to go to Newport High. With your grades, I've recommended that you be placed in honors classes. I realize that this is hard, but you can get a good education in public school if you apply yourself."
As the words washed over him, Ryan was overcome with emotion. He'd tried so hard to stay out of trouble, and now, because of something he didn't even do, he was being kicked out of Harbor.
The principal stood up to signal that the conversation was over. She smiled on the outside to show Ryan that everything was okay, but on the inside, she felt like such a liar. She knew this was wrong, but her hands were tied. If she didn't do this, Julie Cooper would be at the next school board hearing, causing all kinds of problems for her.
Ryan stood up as well. He knew the drill. When the principal stood up, it meant that negotiations were over. Shoulders hunched, Ryan walked out of the principal's office, and out of Harbor.
*
After the principal called Sandy to explain to him what was going on, she called Seth and Marissa into her office individually to explain it to them. The last thing she wanted was a scandal in her school.
Seth had been the loudest, yelling and cursing Marissa and blaming her for everything, before storming out of the office. Marissa had cried and repeatedly said it was all her fault, that Ryan had been innocent.
*
Seth had called his dad, who'd said he was looking into things, and perhaps they should let things die down before fighting to get Ryan back into Harbor. Ryan had not gone home yet, but he wasn't at Harbor either. Kirsten had started looking for him.
Marissa had also left campus after talking with the principal. Her teacher had called the principal to let her know that Marissa had not shown up for class, and she, in turn, had called her mother. Hopefully, Marissa was going home. Hopefully, she'd not made a tremendous mistake.
*
Ryan wasn't sure where to go, or what to do. He was tired of running away, but he didn't want to face the Cohens either. They'd worked so hard to get him into Harbor, and he'd gotten himself kicked out already. He'd known it was a mistake to go to a Newport private school. He'd let his guard down, had started to enjoy it. Had started to think about college and a future. About not being an Atwood anymore. Making something of himself.
He thought about Marissa. He loved her, but they were from two different worlds. He was pretty sure she loved him too, but no matter what, it seemed like they weren't meant to be together.
He looked down at his bike. It was a different one than the one he had when he first met the Cohens. That bike had gotten trashed and Sandy had bought him a new one. Even the clothes on his back were bought by Kirsten. He really didn't have anything that was his anymore. He rode his bike over to the bus stop. He'd send them money for the stuff once he got to Chino.
*
Marissa was driving, but she didn't know where to. After she left the principal's office, she'd tried all over to find Ryan, but no luck. As a last resort, she'd called the Cohen's house on her cell phone. Seth must've left school too, because he'd answered the phone and started yelling at her that Ryan had taken off.
This was all her fault. She'd caused so much pain over the last few months, and she just didn't know how to fix it all.
*
Ryan got off at the transportation center and collected his bike from the front of the bus. He wasn't really sure where he was going, but supposed he could find a friend he could count on to let him crash overnight while he figured out what to do.
He started to ride his bike when he saw a familiar car pass by. It was a black 1968 Pontiac Firebird with glass pack mufflers. Just after it passed him, the car slammed on its brakes. Ryan felt himself starting to breathe faster as he saw the driver and passenger get out of the car and start towards him with baseball bats.
He turned around to ride away from them, but he knew that he couldn't outrun them. In getting caught steeling that car, he and Trey still had a debt to be collected.
*
Marissa pulled up to her mom's house. She opened the door to hear her parents screaming at each other again. She'd caused this. Because of her, her dad was living here temporarily, and they were fighting about her again.
They didn't hear her sneak in. She crept upstairs to her room. She didn't want to deal with them right now. As she was on the landing on the stairs, she caught a snippet of their fight.
"When you got pregnant with Marissa, I stuck by you, even though the baby wasn't mine. I got you out of Riverside, out of your crappy life and treated you like a queen. I treated Marissa like she was my own. Now look at this family!"
Marissa stopped cold and felt the blood drain from her face. Her dad was not her dad?