"Several Ways To Die Trying"
Disclaimer: I don't own the OC...unless the DVD box sets count. : )
I also don't own the song "Several Ways To Die Trying" the lyrics and rights belong to Dashboard Confessional.
"Islands in the stream, that is what we are," Molly sang softly, trying to bite back a laugh, and remain serious. Normally she would have almost been able to carry a tune, but it proved to be incredibly difficult when two boys were laughing uncontrollably across the room. "What?" The blonde finally gave up, looking over her shoulder at her snickering companions. Okay, so she was a shitty singer, but it couldn't have been that hysterical.
"Dolly Parton, Mol?" Ryan was finally able to clear his throat and speak, even though it was impossible to keep a straight face. Molly singing was pretty much a riot in itself, but Molly singing a Dolly Parton tune? That was just plain strange. "Why? Is there even a tiny reason?"
"I'll have you know that Trey loves Dolly," She replied, trying to be stern as she finger combed her hair and then proceeded to pull it into a messy ponytail. It was now her fourth day in Newport, and her 7th time visiting Trey. Maybe she was being just a tad obsessive, but it didn't seem that way to her. In Molly's eyes, if she didn't spend time with her brother, who would? Ryan came now and then, but he seemed to have other things on his mind, which she could understand. But besides for them, he didn't have any close friends or family willing to come. All Molly could think about was the fact that she didn't want her big brother to wake up in an empty room, alone and confused. Every piece of her heart believed that he would wake up, he had to, there was no question. She hadn't even entertained the thought that he might not; it just seemed like illogical thinking. So if singing to him meant being humiliated by Ryan and Seth, well, it was something she would have to withstand.
"Wait, what?" Seth's eyes widened, upon Dolly Parton being mentioned. "You mean to tell me that the hardened convict over there has a soft spot for a certain blonde haired country singer?" Just the thought was mind-boggling, for the life of them; neither boy could see this as a reality. To them, Trey was more of the Metallica or ACDC type of guy, not a classic country fanatic.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Molly smirked a bit, her hand smoothing Trey's hair so it wasn't sticking up all over the place. All sorts of thoughts buzzed through her head- what would happen if and when Trey woke up? Could things ever go back to normal? Did she even want them to? And where were their parents? Did they even know what happened? And most of all…what wasn't Ryan telling her?
Getting used to the Cohen household wasn't exactly an easy or quick process. The furniture seemed too nice to sit on, the sheets to fancy to sleep in, and the food, well most of the time it was just too good to eat. Apart from the week old Moo Shoo Pork and the never-ending supply of bagels. Molly was on carb-overload by far, but the bagel was a diet staple in that house, so it was inescapable. Plus, she had once tried to suggest not eating bagels, or even trying something else maybe once a week, but her suggestion was meant with alarmed looks from both Sandy and Seth. Even Ryan had shot her a confused glance. But for Molly, living in the Cohen home was like living in a museum; she was afraid to touch anything in fear that she's be swept off by suited security guards with walkie-talkies and tinted sunglasses. Speaking of suits, Molly was nestled on the stairs, straining to hear her brother's questioning that was currently taking place in the kitchen. So far, she'd only been able to catch a word here and there, but as far as cold hard facts went, she was still clueless. It shouldn't have been this hard; sneaking around on her part shouldn't have been necessary. Yet for some reason Ryan was not only withholding information from the cops, but from his own sister as well.
Growing tired of eavesdropping, Molly stood up and somberly climbed the remaining steps, her bare feet brushing against the plush carpeting. Padding down the hall, she stopped in her doorway, taking a long moment to look at her room. It felt weird to even refer to it as hers...it was too big, too bright, too clean, and too good to be true. Sure, it kind of felt like a Beverly Hills Hilton (as if she had ever stepped foot inside of it) and smelled faintly of fabric softener, bit it was still the nicest place she'd ever seen, much less been able to call her own. It was equipped with a huge walk in closet- every teenager girl's wildest dream. The only problem, Molly had a total of two pairs of jeans, a sweatshirt, and three shirts to fill it with. Shopping had never been her strong point, mostly because you had to actually have money to buy anything. Instead she'd spent her life stuck with hand-me-downs (which usually meant wearing boy's clothes, or the 80's garb her cousins had grown out of), and even now she tended to stick to the basics. You just couldn't go wrong with solid colored camisoles and torn up jeans, or at least that was Molly's motto. Upon walking further into the lavender walled room, your eyes were instantly drawn to the French paned windows, both of which offered unparalleled views of the California coastline. As far as furniture went, there wasn't much, just a contemporary looking bed with a black wood headboard and the must amazingly comfortable sheets Molly had ever come into contact with. She still had yet to make it her own, but she figured she'd wait on that, since she didn't want to do anything permanent. For all she knew she could have been on the road the following morning, so rearranging the room didn't seem fair to her. Maybe the fact that she was used to being kicked out contributed to this mentality. Moving towards her bed, her eyes gazed over her knapsack that was lying out, still packed. The least she could do was unpack, even if it wasn't much. Pulling open the army style bag, she slowly lowered her hand inside, taking out her most prized possession- Mr. Moo. Before her father had first went into lock-up, he had given her this spotted, furry stuffed cow, meaning it was the last and only thing he had ever given to her. Sure, she couldn't remember neither the moment, nor the day she had received Mr. Moo, but then again, she couldn't even remember her father himself. Putting the cow to the side, she took out the next item, a small photograph book that was stuffed full of pictures and mementos. From ticket stubs to wedding invitations to the flyer from the play Ryan was in, the poorly bound book held everything together. It was the last link Molly had left to her life post Atwood Family breakup. There were only a couple things left in the bag: her lucky lighter, her favorite chunky black eyeliner, a charm bracelet her mother had given her when she'd turned 10, and of course, her CDs which she wouldn't leave anywhere without. Right now her heart and soul was owned by The Used, but ACDC, Hot Hot Heat, Queen, Jack Johnson, and American Hi-Fi were in the running as well. There was nothing better than drowning the world out with her headphones, and right now, that seemed like the best medicine.
The shrill sound of the doorbell shook Molly from her thoughts, but knowing that everyone else was apprehended, she figured it'd be best if she went to answer the door. Jogging down the stairs, she slowed down as she got to the door, pulling it open slowly.
"Can I help you?" Molly leaned against the doorframe, her eyes skimming over the skinny, long legged girl who stood in front of her.
"Is Ryan around?" She asked, craning her neck slightly to glance over Molly's shoulder.
"Who are you?" Brazen as always, Molly studied the girl further, as she took into account that she was probably one of Ryan's many "friends".
"Marissa Cooper," She replied dryly, a sheepish look on her face, "Who are you?"
"Molly Atwood," Molly stated, staring Marissa in the eye. "Ryan's busy by the way, you should probably just come back later. Or call first next time."
"It's important…I need-" Marissa began but then abruptly lost her train of thought. "Did you say Atwood? In relation to Ryan Atwood?"
"No we just happen to have the last name and both be living with the Cohen's," Molly said, her voice growing uncharacteristically perky. "Isn't that like, totally ironic?"
"Extremely," Marissa nodded back, adjusting the strap of her Dooney and Burke bag. But as she continued to stare at the blonde's face, she knew she was being played a fool. "So Ryan never mentioned a sister, that's funny."
"Never mentioned a 'Marissa' either," Molly shrugged, an amused smile pulling at the ends of her lips. "Which prompts me to ask, who the heck are you?"
"His girlfriend," She responded curtly, getting visibly tired of dealing with Molly. She wasn't the type to care whether her brother's girlfriend liked her or not, so it wasn't like she was going to take any strides in forming an alliance, or even being the slight bit nice. "So can I come in? Or is there more to the interrogation?"
"Nope, I really don't care to know anything about you," Molly said bluntly, her eyes blank and disposition cold. Ryan's relationships never lasted longer than two weeks - with the exception of Theresa - and since she was used to this, she never spent time trying to get to know any of them. It was useless. "He's busy, you could always come back later." And with that, Molly closed the door in her face.
It was late, the sun was already setting, and Molly found the Cohen home hopelessly empty. Ryan and Seth had left with their girlfriends for the day, and Sandy was out visiting Kirsten, or possibly working. So Molly was left to her own devices, trying to entertain herself with the many channels the satellite dish provided. But the Sherman Oaks marathon could only hold her attention for so long before she started to roam the house. It was hard to keep herself from snooping, but she found it hard not to. Passing through the kitchen, her eyes swept over the phone area, stopping when she saw a note scrawled down onto a post-it note.
Trey's Awake.
Almost dropping the coffee mug in her hand, she picked up the note, rereading it a couple of times before setting the cup on the counter and hurrying out the door.
Still trying to catch her breath, Molly stumbled down the halls of the hospital, her legs weak from the nearly 5-mile trek she had just made by bike- in less than 15 minutes. She had been surprised to find Ryan's old BMX bike collecting dust in the garage- she had figured he'd gotten rid of it in the past couple years. But hey, at least it came in handy for someone. Moving past the nurse's station, she navigated the halls, knowing them like the back of her hand. As she turned into the final corridor, her pace rapidly slowed to a near stop. With a deep breath she finally took the final steps, sticking her head into Trey's room.
"Hey," She said softly, her voice barely audible. Those of her older brother meant her own deep slate blue eyes, and suddenly, it was hard to keep her distance. Jerking forward, she threw her arms around Trey, a huge smile forming on her face. Whether she was imagining it or not, she could smell the same cheap cologne on him that she'd grown to love, and just being able to hold him was worth the wait and the worry and the turmoil. Knowing he was awake made it all worthwhile.
"Molly…what are you doing here?" Trey rasped, still not used to talking so much. There was an obvious uneasiness about him, which only grew as he hugged his baby sister back. It was surreal, not only had he just woken up from a three month long coma, but now he was being reunited with the sister he hadn't seen in almost 3 years?
"I've been here for about a week now," She explained, finally pulling away. Pushing her hair behind her ears, she situated herself towards the end of the bed, pulling her legs under her Indian style. "I saw you and Ryan on the news, actually. But don't worry about that now. Are you okay? How are you feeling?" The entire response came out in one long, rushed breath, as she tried to get everything out at once. Molly tended to do that when she was excited or nervous, and since she was both at this point in time, she was sure to be semi-incoherent.
"I don't think I'll be driving heavy machinery anytime soon, but I'll survive," Trey explained, trying to figure out where and when his sister had changed so drastically. The last time he'd seen her she'd been a scrawny, knobby kneed, freckled, tomboyish freshman, but now? Now she was something totally different…she had really grown up. And in a way, it was kind of frightening, since it'd happened without warning. "God Molly, what happened to you? You used to be this cute little thing…now you're…old."
"Wow, gee thanks Trey," Molly rolled her eyes, but her smile didn't fade. Even though she wanted to sit and just shoot the breeze for a while, and catch up, there was something else bothering her. Something she had to get out of the way. "Trey…what really happened? I mean…with you getting shot and all. Ryan won't tell me anything, and I guess I just don't understand what's going on." The look on her brother's face turned sour immediately, and he quickly lowered his gaze to the floor. Obviously he didn't have any good news for her…
"Ryan shot me, end of story," Trey shrugged, rubbing at his temple, "You know, it's really nice to see you, but I'm exhausted. You mind if we finish this some other time?"
"Wait," Molly wasn't stupid, and she knew something was up. Over the years she'd picked up on body language, and it was never difficult to tell if Trey was lying to her. "Explain, now."
"No, that's what happened, he shot me, on purpose," Trey replied, trying to sound forceful yet honest. But Molly's eyes seemed to burn holes into him, unrelenting and tougher than nails. God did he hate that sometimes. "Okay, so I may have made a mistake…"
"Oh God Trey, what did you do?"
Tonight, they're burning the roads they built to lead us to the light.
And blinding our hearts with their shining lies,
while closing our caskets cold and tight. But I'm dying to live.
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the fantastic reviews! I truly love you. So here's a long bulky chapter- the next one should be up very soon, hopefully before Thursday. Please continue to review, to keep me posted on what's rad and what sucks, and what YOU the reader wants. Because dudes, I'm here to serve.