It was about eight o' clock later that night and Marissa and Ryan
were driving on a deserted country highway. About half and hour earlier
Ryan had offered to drive which Marissa was thankful for.
For the last few miles the radio had been getting fuzzier and now the songs that were playing were completely unrecognizable so he turned off the radio. Ryan glanced over at Marissa. She was leaning against the window sound asleep. The light from the night's moon made her hair shine, she looked beautiful. She looked like she didn't have a care in the world when she was sleeping, even though in real life that wasn't the story.
Ryan remembered the last time he saw her sleeping like this was in the motel in Tijuana. She had fallen asleep next to him and he remembered looking at her, thinking he had never seen anyone so beautiful before.
About 40 miles down the road they came to a small town. Ryan pulled in front of a small diner that had huge neon signs saying, "FOOD."
As he turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt Marissa started to stir and she quickly woke up. She rubbed her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. "Where are we?"
"About 70 miles away from the hotel. I thought we could get some coffee and something to eat."
Marissa flipped down the mirror in the car and looked at her reflection. "Ugg." She took out a brush and combed her hair and then applied a light shade of lip gloss.
Ryan laughed at her. "Come on. Lets go in, they don't care how you look."
"Easy for you to say, you always look good." Marissa looked away quickly after saying that. She didn't mean to say that out loud. "Uhmm...yeah, let's go in." She quickly got out of the car and into the restaurant with Ryan close behind.
After the two had ordered they sat at their booth in awkward silence before Marissa started to talk. "So, thanks for driving. Its weird, I could drive all day but as soon as it gets dark I just get really tired."
"Its no problem. I don't mind."
"You said that we're pretty close to the hotel?"
Ryan nodded his head. "Yeah, we're just a little over an hour away."
"Good, I'm pretty tired and looking forward to sleeping in a bed instead of the car."
"Yeah."
"Are you okay driving still? I mean, I think I could be fine to drive after I get some coffee."
"No, I'm fine."
A few minutes later the waitress brought Ryan and Marissa their meals. They were both pretty hungry so they ate in silence, concentrating on their food.
Ryan finished eating his food before Marissa so he watched her eat hers. "I can't believe you got that."
Marissa looked up from her huge burger that was covered in onions and peppers and gave him a questioning look. "What are you getting at, Atwood?"
Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. Just from what I have seen I thought that the girls from Newport only ate salads and veggies."
Marissa picked off a piece of lettuce from her burger and playfully threw it at Ryan. "Well that's a vegetable isn't it?"
They both started laughing. Ryan put a hand over his nose and made a face, preparing to kid with her. "Man Marissa. Those onions are strong!"
Marissa covered her mouth with her hand in hopes of not releasing her bad breath. "Are you serious?" She got up and headed toward the door of the restaurant.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm getting my toothbrush. I'll be right back."
"Marissa, I was kidding!"
Marissa gave him a look and walked out the door.
Ryan looked at the bill that the waitress had brought a few minutes ago. He then pulled out his wallet and put down some money.
The waitress walked over and picked up the money.
"Keep the change." Ryan said.
The waitress looked at the money, realizing that he had left her a huge tip.
"Why thank you darling." She winked at him and picked up the plates off the table and walked away.
Ryan laughed quietly thinking of the women who could have been his mother winking at him.
Meanwhile in front of the restaurant Marissa unlocked the car and opened the door behind the driver's seat. She was bent over, leaning in to the car, rummaging through one of her bags in search of her tooth brush.
While she was digging she felt someone pinch her butt. She gasped and then rolled her eyes realizing that it was probably Ryan trying to freak her out. "Ryan I can't believe you just did tha..." She turned around and saw that the person who pinched her wasn't Ryan.
She was face to face (well more like face to shoulder since the guy was about a foot taller than her) with a man that looked like a drunk truck driver. *I have nothing against truck drivers. But you know what I am talking about so don't take offence and send me hate letters*
"Hey sugar lips." The man said with a slight slur.
Marissa rolled her eyes. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with this. "Excuse me." She said as she tried to walk around him.
The man moved, blocking her way. "Now don't leave yet baby. Big Tony just wants to have a little fun."
"Well I don't want to have fun with 'Big Tony.' Thanks anyway though." Marissa tried to get by him again with no luck.
"I thought I told you not to leave." The big man wasn't looking happy anymore.
Marissa didn't know what to do. She looked into the diner and saw Ryan sitting at the table, she hoped that he would turn around and see her. When that didn't happen Marissa decided to do something.
"Ryan help!" She yelled.
This really angered "Big Tony." "What did you do that for?" He then shoved Marissa into the back seat of her car.
When Ryan heard Marissa yell his name he looked out the window of the diner to see some huge man shove her into the car and then jump on top of her.
Ryan jumped up from the table and rushed out of the restaurant to the car. He was behind the man and saw him straddling Marissa, trying to advance upon her. Marissa tried to push him off of her but it was impossible.
Ryan grabbed the man's shirt and tried to get the man off of Marissa. "Come on, get off of her, man!"
The man simply waved one of his arms back, hitting Ryan and sending him to the pavement.
As he got up Ryan's mind raced, trying to think of something to do. There was no way Ryan would be able to take on the man who was a foot taller and outweighed him by a hundred pounds. He had to do something, anything. He looked around and saw a rock in the restaurant's mini garden. He quickly got it and ran back to the car. He pulled at the man again.
"Get off of her!"
Tony was sick of the nascence that was Ryan. He got off Marissa and got out of the car to face Ryan.
"You best be getting out of here, boy."
Ryan looked behind him to Marissa. He moved his eyes, motioning for her to get in the driver's seat.
"You know, I think your right."
The man looked at Ryan and then took a swing at him. Ryan ducked, barely missing the man's fist. Ryan shot back up, rock in hand. He then pulled back his fist and punched the man as hard as he could with the rock in his hand.
When the man fell to the ground Ryan stood there for a moment, stunned that his plan had actually worked. He quickly snapped out of it when the man started to get up. Ryan ran around to the passenger side of the car and jumped in.
"GO!" He yelled seeing the man coming for them.
Marissa slammed her foot on the gas and the pulled out of the parking lot. When they were about a mile and a half down the road Marissa pulled the car over. She put her head on the steering wheel and shook.
Ryan got out of the car and ran to her side of the car, opening her door. "Hey," He said brushing her hair away from her face.
What he saw surprised him. She wasn't crying like he thought she was. In fact she was laughing.
"Marissa?" He said not really understanding.
"I can't believe that you just hit a drunk four times your size in the face with a rock!" She started laughing again. "When I was looking for my tooth brush I felt someone pinch my butt...and I thought it was you."
Ryan shook his head. He feared that he would never understand Marissa. "Hey, why don't you let me drive?"
"No, I'm fine. That really gave me an adrenalin rush." Ryan didn't look convinced, so she added, "Seriously, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? I mean, he didn't hurt you?"
"No. He was so drunk I think he forgot that I was even there."
Ryan gave Marissa a smile and then went back to the passenger seat.
For the last few miles the radio had been getting fuzzier and now the songs that were playing were completely unrecognizable so he turned off the radio. Ryan glanced over at Marissa. She was leaning against the window sound asleep. The light from the night's moon made her hair shine, she looked beautiful. She looked like she didn't have a care in the world when she was sleeping, even though in real life that wasn't the story.
Ryan remembered the last time he saw her sleeping like this was in the motel in Tijuana. She had fallen asleep next to him and he remembered looking at her, thinking he had never seen anyone so beautiful before.
About 40 miles down the road they came to a small town. Ryan pulled in front of a small diner that had huge neon signs saying, "FOOD."
As he turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt Marissa started to stir and she quickly woke up. She rubbed her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. "Where are we?"
"About 70 miles away from the hotel. I thought we could get some coffee and something to eat."
Marissa flipped down the mirror in the car and looked at her reflection. "Ugg." She took out a brush and combed her hair and then applied a light shade of lip gloss.
Ryan laughed at her. "Come on. Lets go in, they don't care how you look."
"Easy for you to say, you always look good." Marissa looked away quickly after saying that. She didn't mean to say that out loud. "Uhmm...yeah, let's go in." She quickly got out of the car and into the restaurant with Ryan close behind.
After the two had ordered they sat at their booth in awkward silence before Marissa started to talk. "So, thanks for driving. Its weird, I could drive all day but as soon as it gets dark I just get really tired."
"Its no problem. I don't mind."
"You said that we're pretty close to the hotel?"
Ryan nodded his head. "Yeah, we're just a little over an hour away."
"Good, I'm pretty tired and looking forward to sleeping in a bed instead of the car."
"Yeah."
"Are you okay driving still? I mean, I think I could be fine to drive after I get some coffee."
"No, I'm fine."
A few minutes later the waitress brought Ryan and Marissa their meals. They were both pretty hungry so they ate in silence, concentrating on their food.
Ryan finished eating his food before Marissa so he watched her eat hers. "I can't believe you got that."
Marissa looked up from her huge burger that was covered in onions and peppers and gave him a questioning look. "What are you getting at, Atwood?"
Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. Just from what I have seen I thought that the girls from Newport only ate salads and veggies."
Marissa picked off a piece of lettuce from her burger and playfully threw it at Ryan. "Well that's a vegetable isn't it?"
They both started laughing. Ryan put a hand over his nose and made a face, preparing to kid with her. "Man Marissa. Those onions are strong!"
Marissa covered her mouth with her hand in hopes of not releasing her bad breath. "Are you serious?" She got up and headed toward the door of the restaurant.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm getting my toothbrush. I'll be right back."
"Marissa, I was kidding!"
Marissa gave him a look and walked out the door.
Ryan looked at the bill that the waitress had brought a few minutes ago. He then pulled out his wallet and put down some money.
The waitress walked over and picked up the money.
"Keep the change." Ryan said.
The waitress looked at the money, realizing that he had left her a huge tip.
"Why thank you darling." She winked at him and picked up the plates off the table and walked away.
Ryan laughed quietly thinking of the women who could have been his mother winking at him.
Meanwhile in front of the restaurant Marissa unlocked the car and opened the door behind the driver's seat. She was bent over, leaning in to the car, rummaging through one of her bags in search of her tooth brush.
While she was digging she felt someone pinch her butt. She gasped and then rolled her eyes realizing that it was probably Ryan trying to freak her out. "Ryan I can't believe you just did tha..." She turned around and saw that the person who pinched her wasn't Ryan.
She was face to face (well more like face to shoulder since the guy was about a foot taller than her) with a man that looked like a drunk truck driver. *I have nothing against truck drivers. But you know what I am talking about so don't take offence and send me hate letters*
"Hey sugar lips." The man said with a slight slur.
Marissa rolled her eyes. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with this. "Excuse me." She said as she tried to walk around him.
The man moved, blocking her way. "Now don't leave yet baby. Big Tony just wants to have a little fun."
"Well I don't want to have fun with 'Big Tony.' Thanks anyway though." Marissa tried to get by him again with no luck.
"I thought I told you not to leave." The big man wasn't looking happy anymore.
Marissa didn't know what to do. She looked into the diner and saw Ryan sitting at the table, she hoped that he would turn around and see her. When that didn't happen Marissa decided to do something.
"Ryan help!" She yelled.
This really angered "Big Tony." "What did you do that for?" He then shoved Marissa into the back seat of her car.
When Ryan heard Marissa yell his name he looked out the window of the diner to see some huge man shove her into the car and then jump on top of her.
Ryan jumped up from the table and rushed out of the restaurant to the car. He was behind the man and saw him straddling Marissa, trying to advance upon her. Marissa tried to push him off of her but it was impossible.
Ryan grabbed the man's shirt and tried to get the man off of Marissa. "Come on, get off of her, man!"
The man simply waved one of his arms back, hitting Ryan and sending him to the pavement.
As he got up Ryan's mind raced, trying to think of something to do. There was no way Ryan would be able to take on the man who was a foot taller and outweighed him by a hundred pounds. He had to do something, anything. He looked around and saw a rock in the restaurant's mini garden. He quickly got it and ran back to the car. He pulled at the man again.
"Get off of her!"
Tony was sick of the nascence that was Ryan. He got off Marissa and got out of the car to face Ryan.
"You best be getting out of here, boy."
Ryan looked behind him to Marissa. He moved his eyes, motioning for her to get in the driver's seat.
"You know, I think your right."
The man looked at Ryan and then took a swing at him. Ryan ducked, barely missing the man's fist. Ryan shot back up, rock in hand. He then pulled back his fist and punched the man as hard as he could with the rock in his hand.
When the man fell to the ground Ryan stood there for a moment, stunned that his plan had actually worked. He quickly snapped out of it when the man started to get up. Ryan ran around to the passenger side of the car and jumped in.
"GO!" He yelled seeing the man coming for them.
Marissa slammed her foot on the gas and the pulled out of the parking lot. When they were about a mile and a half down the road Marissa pulled the car over. She put her head on the steering wheel and shook.
Ryan got out of the car and ran to her side of the car, opening her door. "Hey," He said brushing her hair away from her face.
What he saw surprised him. She wasn't crying like he thought she was. In fact she was laughing.
"Marissa?" He said not really understanding.
"I can't believe that you just hit a drunk four times your size in the face with a rock!" She started laughing again. "When I was looking for my tooth brush I felt someone pinch my butt...and I thought it was you."
Ryan shook his head. He feared that he would never understand Marissa. "Hey, why don't you let me drive?"
"No, I'm fine. That really gave me an adrenalin rush." Ryan didn't look convinced, so she added, "Seriously, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? I mean, he didn't hurt you?"
"No. He was so drunk I think he forgot that I was even there."
Ryan gave Marissa a smile and then went back to the passenger seat.