Chapter Sixteen
"So why Florida man? I just don't get it, it's like a million miles away." Seth fumbled with his words as he watched Ryan pack the last of his stuff into his bags.
"Because I've got the chance to trainer with some of the best guys in the business. I've got a real chance here, a chance to be something in this business, a chance to be a contender, maybe even a champion. Most guys never get that, they box and get hurt and beat up day after day and they'll never be more than short money fighter, or sparring partners. I get in with these guys and I do good… They've got the connections to really make me something… I can't turn that down Seth." Ryan sat on the bed and saw the puppy dog look on Seth's face. "Florida's not that far, it's like five hours by plane. You can come visit, and I'll be back sometimes, I mean California's always going to be home."
Seth twisted his lips into a goofy frown and shrugged, "Yeah I guess so. Who am I going to talk to about Summer, I mean I wouldn't even be with her if it weren't for you…"
"I didn't do anything to get you with Summer, that was all you man."
"Yeah but you gave me that extra push, that confidence. You had my back when you didn't even know me."
"And I'll still have your back. You and your family had mine when you didn't even know me."
Seth sighed and shrugged, this was his way into something he'd wanted to bring up since the week before when Ryan suddenly announce that he would be leaving to train in Florida. "So did Marissa…"
"I told you I don't want to talk about Marissa."
"Why not? I mean what happened I'm just really confused, and if it's none of my business just say so."
"It's none of your business…" He knew that wasn't going to work with Seth.
"Ok maybe so but still…"
"But still nothing. It just… it wasn't going to work, me and her. It's better that it ended rather than us trying to act like we could actually go somewhere. I mean I knew it all along, that she was out of my league and it was just a matter of time before she saw it too. I just saved us both a lot of pain."
"But you didn't…you just…"
"Seth, I really don't have time for this I have a plane to catch…"
A quick knock on the door saved both men for the increasingly awkward conversation. "Ryan," Kirsten said in a hushed voice. "Your cab is here."
"Thanks Mrs. Cohen."
"Please it's Kirsten. Are you sure we couldn't take you to the airport?"
"No, you guys have already done enough for me."
"It's never enough, if you ever need anything… our doors are always open Ryan." She reached out and handed him a small brown lunch sack. "Here for the plane."
Ryan raised an eyebrow at her; it had become common knowledge to him that Kirsten Cohen was in fact completely helpless in the kitchen. Kirsten laughed at Ryan's look, "Don't worry it's edible. It's some fruit and Sandy made the sandwich."
"Thanks," Ryan smiled and took the bag. He then looked to Seth. "Well man, I guess this is goodbye."
Seth stood from the pool house bed and walked over to where Ryan was standing. "No, it's I'll see you later."
"Yeah," Ryan gave him a half smile. Friends were something he'd never really had in Chino, he had guys he hung out with, but he realized looking at Seth right then, that he'd made his first real friend. "I'll see you later… I'll call when I get settled in. Take care." He held his hand out for Seth to shake.
"Yeah, you too." Seth grasped Ryan's hand firmly for a quick shake, then let go and watched as he made his way towards the driveway.
"I'm going to miss him," Kirsten sighed. "I kinda got used to having him around."
"Me too, me too." Seth mumbled under his breath.
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"This is it," Ryan told the cab driver as he pulled the car in park at the front of a set of town house apartments. "Just keep the meter running, I'll only be a minute." He then quickly disappeared from the cab and towards the door.
Ryan blew out a sharp breath as he approached the door and drew his hand back to knock, only to stop himself within inches of hitting the door. "No," he told himself as he turned around and started back to the cab.
"She's not here." A harsh voice called out to him. Summer stood propped up in the doorway staring at Ryan's back.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have come," Ryan turned around to face Summer. "Just don't even tell her I was here."
"Why are you doing this," she stepped out of the doorframe and closer to Ryan. "She loves you Ryan. God only knows why but she loves you and its killing her… And you. Because you love her. You've just got this idea in your head that she's going to leave you eventually and you're too fucking stubborn to let it go, so you'd rather put both of you through complete misery." Summer kept her eyes on Ryan, even as he looked away from her and too the ground. As she began to speak again she took a few steps closer to him, "I thought you were different, but you're no better than any of the other guys who've hurt her, your hurt is just as intentional as theirs was, if not more because you're totally aware that what you're doing is killing her. You suck and I think deep down inside you know that."
"Summer, I'm just…" He stopped and shook his head, "It's best for everybody okay. She'll et over me, she'll meet someone else and she'll be happy. She'll meet someone who doesn't get punched in the face for a living, someone her mother can be proud of, someone who's not damaged goods…"
"Okay because Marissa's perfect and completely unblemished… I've known her for as long as I can remember, and I never once saw her happy, not until she met you… I just pray that you wake up and realize that what you two have doesn't happen to everyone and the people it does happen to are the ones who deserve it… I pray that one day you're going to wake up and realize that you can't just take your risks in the boxing ring, that you have to take them in life too… Good luck in Florida Ryan… Maybe someday I'll be able to call you Chino again." With that she turned and slammed the door behind her, leaving Ryan standing alone and speechless.
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The night Ryan left, Marissa didn't need to be told. She knew the exact moment his plane took off and she could feel him getting farther away with each minute that passed. Not that it made too much difference; he'd been miles away since the night Joey passed away. On her way home, she made a pit stop at a local gas station. They didn't keep liquor in their apartment being that Marissa was a recovering alcoholic and Summer rarely drank.
On her way inside she clutched the small brown paper bag to her chest, her heart pounding against it as she unlocked the door and made her way straight to the kitchen, never once loosening her grip on the bag and it's contents. The ice sounded different as it crashed into the glass with loud clinks. The smell of the vodka burned her nose and she pour it into the glass, the hairs on her arms stood up as she wrapped her hands around the glass. She brought the glass up to her face, under her nose and took a deep inhale. The weight of it felt heavier than she remembered and the glass colder. She carefully placed it back down on the counter, both the glass and the bottle facing her. She left it there staring at it for what seemed like forever, resolved she left it where it stood and went to lay down on the couch.
It was sometime after midnight that Summer came home from her date with Seth, "Coop!"
Marissa jumped from her sleep on the couch at the sound of Summer's voice she rushed into the kitchen. "What," she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"What the hell is this!" Summer pointed to the glass and the bottle she'd left on the kitchen counter.
"Not what you think."
"Ok well I see a glass, a bottle of vodka and an alcoholic, what am I suppose to think."
"I did drink it Summer," Marissa stared her down her eyes stone cold serious. "I bought the vodka, I brought it home, I poured the glass. But I didn't drink it. I picked it up, felt the cold, got the chills. I smelled it and it burned just like it used too. I'm not going to tell you that with everything that's been going on that all that didn't feel good. And yeah it probably would have felt really good to have downed it and lost myself the way I used too. But I'm stronger than that now and that was my test. You can not believe me if you want, but I can tell you now that I didn't drink it… And I didn't drink it because I've still got too much to lose, he might be in Florida but I still haven't lost him yet, not completely. And even if I have, he wasn't all I have."
A/N: Ok this is kinda a short chapter I know, but its kinda a filler chapter I had this scene I wanted to do with Marissa and I had to find a way to work it in, other than that it's just a quick chapter to push things along. I think there's only going to be two more chapters to this story, three chapters max, so I expect to have it done by the end of the week, beginning of the next at the latest