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WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
Discovered
Marissa sat in her room, watching the television. There was nothing on TV today at that hour, so she simply flipped through the stations, finally settling on the Valley. Just as she expected though, a knock was heard at her door, as she was getting settled in her bed.
"Come in!" Marissa yelled from inside her room. The door opened, and Summer appeared on the other side, with three massive bags.
"Hey Sum." Marissa started, as Summer walked in, putting the bags on the dresser, and sitting next to Marissa.
"Hey Coop. How you feeling today?" Summer asked, brushing Marissa's loose strands of hair out of her face.
"Not bad. Today is a good day so far. I have not cried yet, which is good considering I normally cry when I wake up. I feel that things are going to get better soon!"
If only things could. Summer applauded Marissa's optimism, but she wasn't feeling the same way. She knew things that Marissa would never know. Her source in all this was Seth. He had told her that the doctors didn't think that Ryan would ever wake up. He also said that they had not told Marissa that news, in fear of what she might do to harm herself. If they only knew what she was doing already.
"Good for you Coop, I feel it too." Summer reassured Marissa, but Marissa wasn't that dumb. She could see right through Summer's lie.
They sat on her bed for several minutes, each not sure what to say to each other. It had been so long since Marissa or Summer had and actual conversation with each other. Marissa had spent all her time over the past three months at the hospital, while Summer spent most of it either with Seth at the Cohen house, keeping Kirsten company, or trying to be a best friend to the person she was closest to. I guess one could say two out of three ain't bad.
"So, what are in the bags?" Marissa asked pointing to the three bags that Summer had brought over to her house.
"Well Coop, I think we need to munch down on something good. Today I am treating you to a relaxing day of food, talk, and TV. And it looks like you have already concentrated on the Valley, so the television is taken care of. Now, the food. In bag number one, I have Ben and Jerry's for each of us, potato chips, Tostitos, salsa, and all those other snack goodies."
"I love Tostitos!"
"I know, that is why I bought them. In the next bag are the drinks. I bought a variety of things, including soda, juice, and mineral water. There will be no alcoholic beverages today, so this is all we have. And in the last bag, we have the mother of all comfort food."
"What is it!" Marissa excitedly asked Summer.
"Wendy's burger's and fries."
"Oh my God! I love you so much Sum! You are the best friend a girl could have!" Marissa exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her best friend, kissing her on the cheek. "But how are we going to finish all of this food?"
"I was thinking that whenever we are sad, we are sure to have leftover to cheer us up!"
"You are so smart."
"I know."
"Somebody conceded?"
"Just a little."
Marissa smiled, and with Summer going first, reached into the bag of Wendy's that lay inside the third bag. Marissa took out a cheeseburger and scarfed it down in no time. She didn't really take her time with the French fries either, sticking two to three in her mouth at a time. Summer couldn't help but laugh at her best friend's urgency with the food.
"What's the rush Coop?"
"I'm hungry, really, really hungry." Marissa told Summer in between bites of her cheeseburger.
This was heaven to Marissa. She couldn't remember she had had something so good to eat. It was like heaven for her. And it was definitely making her happy, just like endorphins to, giving sugar to the brain, or something that Summer said last year.
Once Marissa finished off her second burger and her French fries, she excused her self to the bathroom. She walked over, shutting the door behind her. Marissa looked at herself in the mirror, at what she had become. She could see her bones starting to appear at her cheeks. But Marissa didn't actually see that. She saw it, but her mind told her that she still did not look good enough, not up to Ryan's standards.
Marissa walked over to the toilet seat and squatted next to it.
Summer continued eating her food and watching the valley, when she realized she needed to ask Marissa a question about the sales this weekend at South Cast Plaza. Being the shopping nut she was, this question couldn't wait until she got out of the bathroom.
So Summer walked over to the bathroom, but stopped short when she heard a harsh sound coming from inside. She heard the sound of gagging. It sounded like Marissa was throwing up. She suddenly felt bad. While she was trying to make her feel better, the food must have caused her stomach problems, equaling the sickening feelings she was experiencing.
Summer opened the door of the bathroom to see how Marissa was feeling, and was shocked by what she saw. There before her very eyes, she could see Marissa with her finger shoved down her throat, and worst of all, she saw Marissa vomit into the toilet, shortly after removing her finger from her mouth.
"Coop! What are you doing." Summer screamed, mouth agape, looking at her friend who clearly was in the stage of purging herself of all the food she had just ate.
Marissa looked over to the Summer, tears flowing from her eyes into the toilet below.
"I'm ssssorrrrryy." Marissa said, concentrating her glances to the floor, not able to look Summer in the eye.
Summer did what any good best friend what to do. She walked over to Marissa and took her into her arms.
"It's gonna be okay Coop." she reassured Marissa. Hugging her friend tight, wiping away the tears in her eyes.
"You need help, Coop."
"I know."
After this incident. It was decided that Marissa was going to get help, and not just therapy. Everyone, including Marissa, thought that it would be better if she were to get away for awhile and go to a treatment center, dealing with people with eating disorders, as well as depression, and any other psychological problems that she may have been dealing with.
She would stay at the Greens School for the Young with Eating Disorders, or GSYED for short, for a period of one month. She would be schooled there for a month, with an actual teacher from harbor, who is hired by the School to match the curriculum of the patient, in order to maintain a steady learning pace.
Marissa knew that she needed to do this for herself, and everybody that cared for her. But the driving force for her to get better, was the idea that this is what Ryan would want her to do. Ryan would want her to get back to the weight she was, and to get healthy again. She did this for him, for Sandy, and for Summer, the people that cared for her right now.
So Marissa packed up her bags and got into Sandy's BMW. He would be the one to take her over to the treatment center. They drove silently until they reached the center. Marissa got out of the car, signed in with Sandy be her side, and then said goodbye, and she was all alone once again.
PRESENT
"I'm really proud of her." Ryan said to Sandy.
"I was too."
The word "was" rang in Ryan's ears. What else went wrong?
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