This story was written for the OC Sentence Fic Challenge at Live Journal. Many thanks to Loracj2 for betaing. This is one of AvoidingNemo's sentence requests. It is a one shot.
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
(in which Julie makes Marissa listen to Poison….well, almost!)
Ryan stood on the threshold and took a deep breath. First day of school was never easy, but after the summer he had gone through, he was ready to get back to normality, to the comforting routine of classes, homework, soccer practice. Hell, he was even beginning to think fondly of pep rallies and comic book clubs.
Seth slapped him heavily on the back, jerking him back to the here and now.
"Come on dude, we'll be late! I think this year is totally going to be our year."
Ryan looked quizzical. "You think?"
"Yeah man. I mean, nothing could be worse than last year right? And now I'm back with Summer and….and well," Seth stumbled, remembering too late not to make it all about him, "well, hopefully you'll be back with Marissa…"
Ryan was unconvinced.
"I don't know about that, Seth. I haven't seen her all summer. Maybe she'll just want to go back to being friends…"
"Dude, think positive. Trey's recovered. He's safely installed in that Offender's rehab center, far, far away and my dad got all the charges against Marissa dropped. The two of you can just go back to the way things were!"
Ryan looked doubtful but maybe Seth was right. Maybe they could put everything that had happened over the past few months behind them. Certainly things could have turned out a lot worse. Trey could have died and Marissa could still have been languishing in chick juvie awaiting a murder charge. Thank God Marissa's aim had been slightly askew.
"Ryan? You coming?" Seth blinked at him in the sunshine. Shoulders sagging in resignation, he swung his bag over his shoulder and trotted up the steps after his friend into school.
After collecting his new locker location and combination from Reception, he loped down the hallway, head lowered, weaving in and out of clumps of teenagers excitedly discussing their summer vacations and catching up on news. He was aware of several surreptitious glances over shoulders and whispered comments as he passed by various huddled groups of students, but he had expected that. What with burning down the model home, dating on and off the girl who OD'd in Mexico and causing the powerful head of The Newport Group's first heart attack, Ryan was used to being talked about, and he knew that this latest drama had only served to cement the views of the Newport Elite and their offspring that he was trouble with a capital T.
Locating his locker at the far end of the hallway, conveniently close to the physics labs, he retrieved a scrap of paper that held the locker combination from deep in the pocket of his jeans, and tapped the number into the tiny keyboard. The door clicked and swung open. Ryan scowled at the adornments on the inside of the door. Clearly the previous owner had been a girl, and one who had evidently had a crush on last year's Water Polo team. Hurriedly, he tore down pictures of Zach and his cronies before Seth could see them and draw his own twisted conclusions, embarrassing conclusions which would inevitably surface at the dinner table in front of Sandy and if he was really unlucky, Hailey.
"Boo!" Ryan nearly jumped out of his skin as a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders firmly from behind. He swung round, still clutching Zach's picture in his hand, to see Marissa smiling broadly at him, her face tanned and relaxed.
"Marissa!" He hugged her awkwardly. "How are you?" he began.
"What's this?" Marissa demanded, grabbing his hand and snatching the photograph out of it teasingly. "Ryan, I had no idea you felt like this about the Water Polo team! Does Seth know? This could be the end of a beautiful friendship…" she laughed.
"Funny!" He smiled tightly, snatching the photo back and crumpling it in the palm of his hand before shoving it into his pocket. Marissa leaned against the wall eying him speculatively.
"So, how are you? I'm sorry I didn't call last night. We didn't get in till midnight."
Ryan shook his head dismissively. "That's OK. I wasn't sure if you'd be at school today. Thought you might wait till Monday."
"I'm trying to fight the jetlag. I don't know about you, but I just want to get back to normal as soon as possible…"
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Ryan paused and regarded his maybe-girlfriend briefly.
"So…..how was it?" he began, chewing his lip anxiously.
"Our trip? Or juvie?" she asked brightly, her eyes teasing slightly. Ryan winced. Even now, he couldn't get used to the idea that Marissa Cooper, homecoming queen, had spent nearly two days in a female juvenile detention center. He shoved his hands into his pockets nervously and swallowed, trying to get rid of the burning sensation at the back of his throat. "Uh, I meant juvie," he whispered, almost apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't come see you…" he trailed.
Marissa relented and smiled softly at him.
"Ryan, your brother was in a coma caused by me. I get it OK? I'm just relieved he's all right."
"Me too," Ryan nodded. "So, you didn't answer my question…"
Marissa shrugged. "It was OK. I mean, I'm glad I didn't have to stay there too long but you know, the jumpsuit? Actually quite stylish! And orange is so my color!"
Ryan blinked rapidly at the vision that flitted through his mind. He had to admit it; he was impressed with how well Marissa was handling the whole juvie thing. If it had been him in there, it was bound to have ended badly and he'd have been brooding for months.
"So, um," he started, suddenly engulfed in shyness, "are you doing anything this weekend? I wondered if you'd like to, um, if you want to, that is.."
"Are you asking me out on a date, Ryan Atwood?" Marissa smirked.
Ryan flushed and shifted his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. " I guess," he laughed at himself. What was it about Newport girls that reduced him to a bumbling idiot? Clearly he'd left his cool behind in Chino, along with his sexual prowess.
"I'm not doing anything," she answered, adding softly, "I'd love to do something, go out…with you. What about Friday night?" she suggested.
Ryan frowned and shook his head. "I can do Saturday but not Friday. Seth, Sandy and I are due to visit Kirsten at the clinic straight after school. We won't get back till late…"
Marissa's face lost its light heartedness.
"Hey," she said gently, "how's she doing?"
Ryan thought for a moment. How was Kirsten doing? It was a hard question to answer. Ensconced as she was at Suriak, far away and protected from the pressures and temptations of Newpsie functions, it seemed like she was doing well. But he knew Sandy was beginning to get nervous as the time for her to re enter normal life drew near. All Seth wanted, unsurprisingly, was to have his mom back home and for everything to go back to normal. Sadly, Ryan thought, normal was something things were unlikely to be ever again.
"Ryan?" Marissa broke into his thoughts. "I asked you about Kirsten?"
"Oh yeah, um, she's doing pretty well, I guess. I think her doctors are preparing her for a weekend visit soon, which'll be cool. Seth's desperate to have her back."
"You too, right?" she probed. He gave her his trademark sideways glance.
"It just doesn't seem right at home without her, you know? I miss her…" he admitted sheepishly.
Marissa decided it was time to divert Ryan's attention from the mess of his family life to the mess of hers.
"Well if it's any comfort my own mom is really starting to scare me." Ryan raised his eyebrows questioningly, although 'Julie Cooper' and 'scary' in the same sentence was hardly surprising.
"Yeah? What's up with her? I thought she'd be all happy now that she's back with your dad?"
Marissa tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and folded her arms as Ryan finished putting his books away in his locker.
"Hmm. I'm not sure. Do you think it's her age or something? She's acting really weird. Last night, I caught her Googling that kid from the Valley…"
"The one with the tree trunk arms?"
"Yeah, that's the one. I mean, he must be young enough to be her son. I tell you, Ryan, it's like she's trying to recapture her lost youth or something…"
"Yeah well, your mom's always had a thing for the young ones…" he mocked.
"Thanks for reminding me Ryan." Marissa glanced at her watch. "I guess I'd better get to class. So, Saturday, huh? It's a date."
"Cool…"
"What are you doing?" Marissa stood in the doorway to her room regarding her mother indignantly. Julie sat in front of the computer, a perturbed look on her face. She looked up distractedly.
"Oh honey, I'm sorry. I was just hoping there'd be something on your desktop which would help me figure out how I put music on this thing.."
Julie waved a small pink iPod in the air. Marissa's eyes grew wide with disbelief. Honestly, this was becoming ridiculous. What the hell did her mother need an iPod for? When she was boarding down at the pier?
"You have an iPod?"
Julie bristled at the incredulity in her daughter's voice.
"Your father bought it for me," she explained.
Marissa rolled her eyes. Her mother wasn't the only one behaving oddly. Her father seemed to have reverted to a lovesick teenager, albeit a rich one, who kept showering his beloved with gifts as well as endearments. Really, the whole situation was becoming intolerable. Why couldn't her parents behave like normal middle-aged couples?
Marissa breathed out a defeated sigh as she saw her mother's pleading look and drew up a chair next to her mother.
"Here," she said, as she took over control of the mouse, "you need to download the music you want from iTunes like this. Tell me a track you want…"
"Oh, um, something by Poison," Julie answered vaguely. Marissa's face registered her distaste.
"Poison? Is that the dodgy Eighties band with the big hair?"
Julie sat up indignantly.
"They are NOT dodgy. They are one of the finest examples of the whole Heavy Metal genre…"
Marissa gave her mother a withering look. "I'm not sure this is going to do my pc any good," she remarked as she clicked and typed rapidly.
A little while later, Julie's iPod had Poison's entire back catalogue safely installed and Marissa and Kaitlin, hidden from view, looked on with amusement as Julie waltzed around the kitchen in eerie silence, oblivious to the mocking laughter of both her daughters.
Jimmy arrived home from the boatyard to see Marissa and Kaitlin giggling, peering around the doorway. "What?" he asked, his face puzzled, leaning round the doorway to see what was so amusing. He broke out into a small smile. "Don't let your mother see you," he warned, giving them each a friendly slap, as he stepped past them into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his ex wife. Julie had not noticed his arrival, so caught up was she with Poison and stir-frying.
She turned around in surprise and took the earpieces out of her ear.
"Oh honey, you're home! Dinner will only be a few minutes. Isn't this lovely? Just like old times," she beamed broadly as Marissa and Kaitlin followed their father into the room.
Marissa and Kaitlin exchanged pitying looks. While Marissa and Kaitlin's relationship was generally still at the antagonistic stage of teenage siblings, they agreed wholeheartedly on one thing. Great though it was that their parents were reunited, they were both behaving in an extremely embarrassing way.
Once they were finished eating, Kaitlin excused herself from the table, pleading a pile of homework, and Marissa cleared the plates. Julie and Jimmy lingered at the table reading separate sections of the L.A.Times.
"Hey, that band you used to like so much are playing in LA this weekend," Jimmy commented from behind his newspaper. Marissa picked up the empty water glasses.
"Oh God, not Poison I hope," she quipped. Jimmy looked at her over the top of the paper.
"Yes actually. Says here they're doing a one night only show this Saturday."
Julie squeaked in excitement, grabbing the page from her ex-husband.
"Do you think we could get tickets?"
Jimmy looked amused.
"You don't really want to go, surely?"
"Of course I want to go. Marissa was just helping me put some tracks on my iPod this afternoon, weren't you, honey…"
Jimmy shrugged.
"Well I guess I could try. I'll call the number in a minute." He went back to his paper. Moments later a phone was waved under his nose.
"Call them now, sweetie." Julie gave him her most dazzling smile and moved behind him, massaging his shoulders persuasively.
Jimmy laughed and tapped in the phone number.
A few minutes later, he pressed the disconnect button and looked over at Julie magnanimously.
"There. You have two tickets waiting to be picked up for six-thirty Saturday night."
Julie threw her arms around him and kissed his head.
"Jimmy, you're wonderful. We'll have such a great time," she gushed. "We can go early, have lunch in Beverly Hills and then.."
"Whoa, hang on!" Jimmy threw up his hands defensively. "There's no way I'm going with you. I hated Heavy Metal the first time round."
Julie's face fell. "Well who am I supposed to go with?" she asked plaintively.
"I don't know. A Newpsie? What about Taryn?"
"Taryn's on a spa-ing week" she answered sharply. "Unless…" Julie turned to Marissa expectantly. Marissa gave her best "deer caught in the headlights" impression.
"Oh God no, please, besides" she spoke frantically, "I have a date with Ryan Saturday night."
Sensing a weakness in her prey, Julie moved in for the kill.
"Oh Ryan won't mind, honey. You can go on a date another night with him. Maybe on a school night?" she tempted. "I'll even pay! Please sweetheart, I can't go on my own…Ryan will understand."
"I'm not sure he will, mother," she replied dryly. Julie's eyes pleaded with her.
Marissa's shoulders sank as the will to argue trickled away. Jimmy winked at his daughter meaningfully as Julie scurried out of the room excitedly.
"You and your mom might actually enjoy doing something like this together."
Marissa eyed him wearily. "You think?"
"Come in, Seth!" Ryan put his book aside with a hint of resignation and pulled himself up off the bed lazily.
"I'm not Seth," Marissa laughed.
"Hey!" Ryan smiled,puzzled to see Marissa on a school night. "This is a nice surprise…" He stood up and drew her to him, wrapping his arms around her middle and planting a soft kiss on her lips.
"So, what are you doing here? I thought you had homework?"
"I do, and I need to get right back to it, but I had to see you about something."
"Sounds serious!" Ryan fell backwards onto the bed, dragging her with him.
Marissa shook her head. "No it's not, just irritating…"
Ryan raised one eyebrow questioningly.
"Something's come up and I can't make Saturday night…" she began. Ryan's heart sank. He'd had a feeling she might bail. It had seemed like they were getting along OK, but Ryan was always prepared for the worst where Marissa was concerned. Things rarely went smoothly for longer than a few days in their relationship.
Marissa read the expression on his face and rushed to reassure him.
"Oh it's not that I don't want to," she explained hastily, "it's just that I have to do something with my mom…"
"What, shopping?" he remarked, caustically.
"No!" she laughed "I have to go see some lame-o Eighties band with her. They're only in L.A. one night and it's Saturday. Dad bought her the tickets but he's refusing point blank to go and really, Kaitlin's too young. That leaves me and, you know, in our new spirit of détente, I feel I need to make the effort. Mother-daughter bonding and all that."
Ryan did his best to continue looking disgruntled but the fight had gone out of him.
"Another night? Mom says she'll pay!" Marissa asked hopefully.
He relented and nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I need to stay on the good side of your mom anyway."
Marissa smiled delightedly and kissed him on the nose. "Thanks for understanding," she whispered in his ear. "You know I'd rather be with you," she added.
Ryan hadn't known this and pulled her closer to him, reassured.
"So, which Eighties band is she inflicting upon you?" he asked curiously.
Marissa scowled. "They're called Poison. Apparently they were right up there with Whitesnake and …"
Marissa stopped short as she saw Ryan's face crumple. She sat up quickly.
"What's the matter?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
Ryan blinked rapidly and swallowed.
"You're going to see Poison…without me?"
Marissa frowned, confused. "You like Poison?"
Ryan hung his head in shame.
"Does Seth know?" she prodded.
Ryan nodded sheepishly. "He's downloaded their music onto his iPod for me," he admitted.
Marissa giggled. "That boy is too good to you, Ryan. I swear, I wonder about him sometimes…"
Ryan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too." He grinned.
Marissa thought for a moment, a sly grin creeping across her face.
"Why don't you go, instead of me?"
Ryan paled. "Go to a rock concert without you, with your Mom?"
Marissa shrugged nonchalantly. "You can bond over your love of cruddy Eighties music."
"Marissa, don't say cruddy."
"Well?"
Ryan hesitated, clearly torn. "Well," he said reluctantly, "it is Poison…"
The End