Marissa lay inside her room, curled up on the floor, the tears falling like the rain. She had not slept, or eaten for over a day. But her weariness and hunger was overwhelmed by her guilt and sorrow. She had never felt so lost. She cried and cried. All night, she had been at the police station, with the officers drilling her over and over to tell them what happened. She was exhausted. However was Ryan going to forgive her this time? I mean, there was Luke, then Tijuana, then Oliver, then Theresa… so much had come between them, but this? She needed something to help her escape. Anything. Then she remembered… the Vodka bottle that she stashed in the bottom drawer. Marissa hesitated, the tears still running down her face. She got up slowly, and tenderly stroked the handles of the drawer. Anything. She opened it slowly and moved some old clothes where she exposed the bottle. She looked at it and began to unscrew the bottle. She tilted it to her mouth and…
"Kiddo?" Jimmy knocked lightly on the door, "May I come in?"
Hastily Marissa put the bottle away. "Yep." Her voice quivered.
Jimmy entered her room and looked at her with the utmost sadness in his eyes, "How are you holding up?"
Marissa didn't answer. The redness in her eyes spoke for themselves.
"I know," her dad said softly, "I know how you feel. Exactly. Lost.
Marissa didn't nod, but somehow she knew her dad heard her thoughts loud and clear, "When I lost all that money last year, I felt just like you do right now. I hurt a lot of people. Perhaps not in the same way, but still very much hurt them."
Marissa lay her head on his shoulder.
"But the way I got through it was talking to the people I hurt."
Marissa looked up, horrified. "You want me to see Ryan?"
Jimmy nodded.
"But… but after what I did! He would never want to…"
"Ryan will understand," Jimmy promised. "He loves you."
Marissa looked at herself in the mirror. She looked, and felt horrible, but inside she knew her dad was right. She wiped away her final tears, and turned back to face her dad. "Talk to him?" she repeated, this time with more determination in her voice.
"Talk to him," said Jimmy. They hugged each other tightly.