Chapter Six

"You wouldn't!" Marissa shrieked painfully, as she stared at her mother's blank face.

"Go to school." Julie said in an almost pleading command. Her voice was quiet, and gentle- it completely and utterly confused Marissa. Marissa rolled her eyes intensely, and looked through her drawers to find a decent outfit. What better impression to make then a pink mini-skirt and a hangover? So Marissa pulled the pink mini-skirt on to her long legs, and she then took off her shirt, exposing her silky bra. She searched endlessly in her drawers to make the perfect outfit. As she walked by the mirror, she glanced at her flawless body and smiled. Little did she know, she would have a visitor.

Ryan walked in unintentionally, on the shirtless Marissa, and he stopped completely, "Sorry…" He mumbled and walked away. Marissa smiled, and grabbed the first shirt she could see.

"Come in." Marissa urged. Ryan nervously walked in.

"I came by to apologize, for yesterday. Guess I'm going to have to come by tomorrow to apologize for today." Ryan didn't look Marissa in the eyes, but she grinned all the same in his presence. Ryan stood clumsily in front of Marissa Cooper, who was searching his face for any signs of satisfaction.

"Hopefully I'll have a shirt on then." Marissa joked, and Ryan smiled hesitantly. He couldn't get the thought of Marissa without one of her skanky shirts on that already revealed a lot. Ryan never imagined her so immaculate- her body thin, her flesh covered with a coppery tan.

"Well, I'm sorry again for yesterday." Ryan exhaled- he was more at ease now that Marissa found the situation slightly funny. "And I'm sorry for today." Ryan then added.

"Ryan, why are you sorry for yesterday?" Marissa asked, as she turned to her mirror and started to apply her face worth of make-up. She tried to seem casual, but her face gave it all away- she was curious, and worried that she had come on too fast. She was afraid that she scared a great guy away.

"Because we should have talked about our intentions. I shouldn't have assumed so much. We should have gotten to know each other, I guess." Ryan said meekly.

"You're right, we should have," Marissa paused and thought of something that Ryan would like to hear, "I'm sorry for not taking the time to get to know you, and hoping for something more then friendship. What else can you expect from Marissa Cooper?" Marissa laughed as she gargled down the joke. Ryan merely smiled. "Don't worry, you'll hear a handful at school. I'm the centre of gossip- and it's not always good. I just have to be half deaf for like 6 hours, and I'm fine." Marissa smiled, as she told most of her account to Ryan. He gazed at her sympathetically.

"Do you not care or something?" Ryan asked questionably, then he quickly added so he wouldn't erupt any confusion, "Don't you care about what people spread about you?"

"Of course I care. I learn not to though. I'm Marissa Cooper. I'm going to be popular either way." Marissa answered, "It's your first day at school, right?" Marissa didn't wait for a response, "I'll show you around. You and Seth, considering you're friends?" Marissa asked, almost stunned by the facts.

"Yeah, we're friends." Ryan replied coarsely.

"Well then it's a date." Marissa stopped at her choice of words, and she made a sour face as if wishing to take it back, "You know what I mean. Not a 'date' date, just a friendly kind of showing around date." Marissa looked at Ryan's face, "I'll shut up now." She herself nodded as she touched her lips together.

"Marissa, I also came here to make my intentions clear to you," Ryan paused when he saw the horror in Marissa's face- he assumed it wasn't something she wanted to hear, "I want to be friends." Ryan nodded to himself, not quite pleased with Marissa's silence.

"You read my mind." Marissa said very quickly, after a long silence. It sounded as if she hesitated, but she smiled and covered up her sadness. "Sorry, Ryan, I really, you know, I really gotta get ready. So I'll see you at school?" Marissa then replied nervously, stuttering every once in a while.

"Yup. Got it." Ryan said as he lifted his hand to wave. He then left Marissa in the dim silence so she could ponder her thoughts and understand what exactly she wanted from Ryan. Ryan left the house, saying a casual good bye to Julie, who was at the kitchen fidgeting with something she would call breakfast. Ryan crossed the green land, and entered the Cohen house.

"Where were you, Ryan?" Kirsten asked in a welcoming voice, with a kind smile on her face.

"Went to meet the neighbours." Ryan said as honestly as he could.

"Ah, I see," Kirsten grinned harder, as her eyes laughed, "Did you meet anyone special?" Kirsten asked referring to Marissa Cooper.

"Nah, not really. I made a friend, though." Ryan said.

"Come eat some breakfast. I'll bet it was a pretty rough day you had yesterday." Kirsten then changed the subject thoughtfully. Ryan's eyes widened as he saw the delectable meal in front of him.

"Is it some sort of celebration?" Ryan asked, but then he remembered- The Cohen's were slightly rich…

"No, why?" Kirsten asked as if she herself were forgetting something important.

"No it's nothing. Just at my house, we'd usually have Corn Flakes- frosted if we were lucky." Ryan laughed- Kirsten laughed sympathetically.

"No, honey, this is just a regular breakfast." Kirsten smiled then she turned around to hide her shock. She pretended that she were busy drying the dishes, but Ryan knew quite well what she thought. She thought that Ryan was a poor kid, and Kirsten had to pity him.

"You know, I'm not that hungry." Ryan finally announced to shatter the pitiful silence.

"No? A few seconds ago you looked starving!" Kirsten smiled, but Ryan quietly left the breakfast table. On the way out he bumped into Seth.

"Done already?" Seth asked confused, "Usually when people sit down and eat our kind of breakfasts, they stay a while!" Ryan smiled.

"Not hungry, Seth." Ryan nodded more to himself, and then he sped toward the door leading to his place of salvation, his sole sanctuary- the pool house. He opened the door, and as shocked as he was when he walked in, he kept strolling inside. Marissa sat on his bed, as if trifled with confusion and profound thought.

"Marissa." Ryan said, and he clearly managed to express his own confusion.

"Ryan," Marissa said nervously, "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"No, not really, why?" Ryan asked, still not believing Marissa knew about the pool house, and knew that Ryan was staying there.

"Thought so. Never mind. See you later." Marissa brushed passed him, and Ryan could have sworn he saw a tear cripple in her eyes. Marissa opened the door, and she thought for a minute. She turned around, only to have her eyes' meet Ryan's.

"'Cause I do." Marissa quickly shuffled out of the pool house, and Ryan just stood- like a dumbstruck idiot.