Chapter Five: Reunited?

Ryan didn't leave the pool house after Seth told him the news.

It turns out that he wasn't the liar. It turns out that he had a good reason to be worried. It turns out that Marissa was a better liar then he gave her credit for. She was able to say that he should trust her with a straight face considering that he probably shouldn't trust her.

Ryan didn't feel like leaving the pool house today. If she wanted to see me then she would take the time out of her schedule of lying, cheating, and having sex with criminal drug addicts.

Although to be fair, Ryan himself was a criminal in a way.



Marissa came to the pool house around 3 PM as Seth had advised, so Ryan would be nice and awake and brooding.

"Hey" She said as she knocked on the door after coming in

Ryan sat behind the bed/ couch on the floor leaning against the frame of the bed/ couch. If she's already coming in she doesn't have to knock. I don't want to have this talk now, he thought,

Maybe if I stay down and don't move and don't make a sound.

"Ryan?" Marissa asked.

She peered around the room looking for him. She couldn't find him so she turned to leave.

Seth met her near the main house.

"Where's Ryan? I though he was home." She asked him

"He was there like five minutes ago in all of his broodiness." Seth replied squinting his eyes at the bright California sun.

"I think he's hiding behind the bed or in the bathroom. Just go back in and look a while."

"Why is he hiding?"

"I don't know because Summer and I had to tell him you and Oliver had sex after he supposedly attempted to off himself. He kind of walked in on her telling me about it."

"How is he?" She asked, completely ignoring the fact of how dumb she felt.

"Remember when you chose Luke for like a week last Summer? Well that was nothing, so basically you can go talk to him and cheer him up or watch Brood-fest 2004 with me, Sum, and Luke. Your choice"

With that Seth walked away as Marissa took a deep breath and stepped back into the Fortress of Solitude.



Ryan continued to sit against the bed.

Take your choice, Marissa. Just get out and make me happy or come in and attempt to find me. Well you can't find me if I lock the door to the bathroom while I'm in it.

I go to the bathroom ever so softly with soft footsteps like my brother tried before he got arrested for robbery.

I seem to be home free by now



"Hey Ryan, I couldn't find you before. Where were you?" Marissa asked

"I was hiding." Ryan replied as he turned around.

Damn, no escape now, he thought as he sat down on the bed.

She sat down next to him

"I'm sorry about everything Ryan. I had no idea he was like that." Marissa said

He couldn't look at her. He was so disgusted yet so vindicated. He knew he was right but he wasn't the type to say I-told-you-so.

"You did know what he was like in other areas." Ryan said coldly and he looked down at the floor.

"I was high and I think he slipped something into my drink. I didn't realize what I was doing until I woke up in his bed naked."

Marissa stopped talking and looked at him holding back tears as he lifted his head.

"You still could have told me. I'm still not sure how long this may have been going on. I don't know how you could break up with me because I was paranoid of something with you and Oliver when I had a damn good reason to be paranoid. You had sex with him and you wouldn't even have it with your own boyfriend who by the way stuck with you through numerous DUI's, OD's, your parent's divorce, your dad's problems, your drug addiction, and your alcohol addiction!"

Ryan stood up after he was done yelling

"Ryan, listen to me, I" Marissa stammered

"No! YOU LISTEN TO ME!!! You said that I should trust you when later that night you two probably fucked again behind my back! You insist that he's perfectly fucking stable and a week later he tries to fucking kill me with a crowbar. How are you gonna smooth that one over? Huh? How are you gonna lie about that?"

Ryan paced around the pool house and finally stopped in front of the wall. He leaned against it and sank to the floor.

"Ryan, if we can just start over I'll be better. I'll go to therapy."

"Therapy is how all this shit started." He said as a tear rolled down his cheek and onto the floor.

Marissa didn't see it.

" Can we at least start over? A fresh start for us." She said trying to calm the monster inside of Ryan.

A monster that could defeat any army in the world if it would get her back. He couldn't let her know that. Not ever.

Ryan realized that Oliver had fed him the same line of bull shit. Can we start over? He had accepted his offer too. It's a very nice thing to do, to try and start over with the guy who's girlfriend you're currently screwing.

"I'm Marissa, I go to Harbor. What about you?"

"I don't want to start over. I just want to move on from this whole situation. But I can't. I can't forget how my girlfriend betrayed me for the same guy who tried to kill me!" Ryan yelled.

The tears fell from his face and Ryan covered his face. He couldn't let her see him cry. Let her see what damage she could do. So she could do it again later to have the same effect.

"Why can't you forgive me?" Marissa yelled.

"Last time I forgave someone who betrayed me; I ended up with five broken ribs. I already have a cracked collarbone. I don't like pain and somehow we always find our way together." Ryan said, the hurt evident in his tone of voice.

"Fine, I'll just leave." Marissa said softly

She turned around ready to leave.

"Wait! I'll think about it. I want to start over but I don't know if I can do it right now."

"Thanks Ryan. I'm glad we can get past it and you're trying to forgive me."

"I forgive but I don't forget" Ryan said coldly.

Marissa left and shut the door. Ryan didn't move from his spot for about an hour.