Marissa sat in her room hugging her Care Bear with all her might. She had tears in her eyes. Marissa was so sorry for what she had done to Trey - done to Ryan emotionally, for that matter. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears off her face. She had to pretend to be strong - to hold herself together, or otherwise, she would have to go back to therapy. Suddenly there was a knocking on the door. Marissa jumped.
"Hey, there, Kiddo," Jimmy said. "Can I come in?"
Marissa nodded her head.
"Are you ready to go?" Jimmy asked her.
"I guess," Marissa said.
"You know, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," her father told her as he put his arm around her back.
"I know, but I have to, Dad. If I don't go then... It just isn't right," Marissa explained.
"Yeah, I know, Kiddo," Jimmy said. "Just remember that your mom and I love you no matter what, okay?"
"Well, you'll love me no matter what. I don't know about Mom," Marissa stated.
"Hey, your mom loves you, and even though she doesn't always show it the best... she does, and you need to remember that, okay?" Jimmy told Marissa.
Marissa nodded, got off her bed, and followed her father downstairs to the car where her mother was waiting in the driver's seat of her Mercedes-Benz. Marissa got in the back of the car while her father rode next to her mother in the front, and the Cooper family took off for Chino.