Alright, hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated recently. I have been so stressed. PLEASE review and give me motivation to keep on going. Ah! Anyway, I am going to FL soon, and I wanted to get one or two chapters up of each of my stories before I do so... yeah... here it goes. Please review!
xoxo Jules
Chapter 8: "Tryin' to find a way to love"
Kirsten walked into the house, exhausted from talking to her father. She had found out all that she needed to know. She entered the living room to see Sandy sitting on the couch waiting for her.
"Hi." She said kissing his cheek. "Where are the kids?" She asked taking off her jacket.
"Well our son and your daughter are still at the beach." Sandy said standing up facing his wife.
"Sandy I-"
"How could you not tell me Kirsten! 18 years you have had a child with one of our best friends and you didn't tell me?" Sandy yelled.
"You don't understand, I didn't think that she was alive!" Kirsten said
Right then Summer, Ryan, Marissa, and Seth walked in.
"Hey mom, dad." Seth said. "I took Ryan surfing, he's totally a natural."
Seth received a harsh look from his parents.
"Right, being quiet." He said
"Kids, pool house." Sandy said pointing to the back door.
They all looked awkwardly at one another as they entered the small pool house that had been serving as a home to Ryan and Marissa, Raul and Rodrigo as well when they were there.
"He knows…" Marissa said running her hands through her hair
"You don't know that he knows." Ryan said hugging Marissa.
"Yes I do. And I know he knows that I know he knows!" Marissa said completely freaking out.
"May I stop you before this turns into that episode of friends?" Seth asked
Ryan and Marissa gave him blank stares.
"Seth." Summer said shoving his arm. "That is a happy show and there is no happiness in Chino." She whispered loudly, Marissa rolled her eyes.
"This is all my fault, I came back here and am screwing everything up for them. I've got to go." Marissa said tossing a pack of cigarettes in her pocket. That was all that she had come with.
"Marissa!" Seth said grabbing her arm, "you can't do that, my mom would be torn apart." Seth pleaded to her
"I've got to go." Marissa said jogging out of the pool house leaving Ryan, Seth, and Summer standing shocked behind her.
Nobody said anything for a couple of minutes until Summer broke the silence.
"What are you going to do?" She asked Seth.
"I'm going to go get her." He said.
"Not tonight." Ryan said
"But-" Seth persisted but Ryan cut him off
"Not tonight." Ryan repeated. "It will be safer until the morning. I can take you to where she lives. Until then just don't let your mom know that anything is up."
Marissa stared out of the bus window… Newport passed slowly before her eyes, but she didn't belong there. All that she did was cause trouble, Chino was her home. Chino, was where she belonged.
Marissa walked down the steep hill and over the train tracks where she had first met Ryan to her house. She heard the children screaming and playing before she even saw the trailer that she had called home for the past 15 years.
"Hey Jace." Marissa said rubbing a little boys curly brown hair as she entered her house. "Javi?" She called out looking around for the boy that they had left in charge.
"He's not here." Jace said pulling on her leg.
"What do you mean he's not here?" Marissa asked looking down at the little boy. Jace and she were always the closest. She regretted leaving him the most although she didn't think that she was going to be gone more that two days tops. Jace was a mixed, black and Hispanic. He had a head of curly ringlets, and the most striking green eyes. He came to the foster home two years before after being abandoned by his father after his mother had left him. He was now six years old. He was barefoot as usual, and had grass stains on the knees of his pants, and wore a little white tank top, just like Ryan did…
"After you an' Raul left so did he." He said wiping sweat from his face.
Marissa noticed a bruise on his arm, and a cut above his eye.
"What happened?" Marissa asked him
"Luis." Was all that the little boy needed to say
Marissa knew it. Luis always directed all of his behaviors, good or bad towards her. But when she left…
"We're leavin' soon." Jace said looking Marissa in the eye.
"Who's leaving?" She asked
"All us kids." He said. "Abuela's in the hospital. Luis called social sometin'. We're gonna go with new families. They already took Jay-Jay, Vikki, Martina, and Veronica. And some other ones…"
"When did Abuela go to the hospital?" Marissa asked very concerned
"Two days ago." Jace said
"So where's Luis?"
"He jus' left with Rigo, and Raul talkin' 'bout knocking out some guy somewhere. Some blonde guy." Jace said.
"What?" Marissa asked. Could it be Ryan? Who was the other blonde person in Chino? Well… other than she and Ryan anyway.
"What other kids are left here?"
"Me, Lana, Lanie, Tessa, and Paulo."
"Alright, I want to go visit Abuela." Marissa said.
"You coming back 'Rissa?" He asked looking up at her, his eyes sad and sullen.
"I am, I promise. I want you to find all the other kids and tell them to stay inside." Marissa said kissing the top of his curly head.
"Kay." He said waving to her as she ran back up the hill towards the bus stop. She had to see Abuela.
Marissa walked through the sterile halls of the hospital. God, how were they going to pay for this? Insurance wouldn't cover it because they had none, Marissa thought as she was directed to Abeulas room.
"Abuela…" Marissa said rushing to her bedside.
"I have been waiting for you hija (my child)." Abuela said reaching out and taking Marissa's hands.
"I'm sorry. I am so sorry." Marissa said as she kissed Abuela's hands.
"No, no." Abuela smiled down at her. "I wanted to see you one last time hija."
"Please don't talk like that." Marissa begged.
"Nina (child), we know I don't have much time left. I don't want you or the kids to see me die hija. I want you to remember how I used to rock you to sleep every night, you in one arm, Raul in the other signing your favorite tune." She said stroking the side of Marissa's cheek.
"Social services is taking the kids." Marissa said, a tear running down her cheek.
"For the best. Better than them ending up with Luis." Abuela said looking away. "I tried so hard with that boy, god know's how I tried." She said squeezing Marissa hands. "That's why I got all of you. I needed to do it right." She turns and looks Marissa in the eye with a smile. "And I did."
"Abuela…" Was all that Marissa could say.
"Go nina." Abuela said, her eye shedding a single tear. "Get as far away from Chino as you can. Find your parents. There's more than this Hija, you are more than this."
"But-" Marissa began to insist but she was cut off.
"Marissa, you need to go now. Never forget your name Marissa Matea De los Santos." Abuela kissed her cheek.
"Te amo." Marissa said giving Abuela one last hug.
"Te amo hija." She said kissing Marissa's cheek.
Marissa fled the room before Abuela had to see her cry anymore. How could this happen? Abuela was supposed to be there for her forever. The kids were not supposed to get taken away. Marissa wiped her tears as she left the hospital.
She as she walked back to the trailer the sun set. Abuelas words ran over and over in her head.
"Get as far away from Chino as you can. Find your parents. There's more than this Hija, you are more than this."
She had to go back to Newport… she had to face Jimmy and Kirsten, her mother and father… She had to find Ryan and warn him about Luis and the rest. But before she did that, she had to see her childhood home one last time. When she approached the door she felt a hand from under the deck grab her ankles, she didn't scream but looked down to find Jace, his finger over his lips as a sign for her to be quiet.
She knelt down next to him. She could hear drunken voices from inside the trailer.
"So we go to Newport and knock out that Ryan kid?" Raul asked
"Yeah, and that's it!" Luis said. "You's 'll both be free."
"What about 'Rissa?" Rigo asked. "She knows something's up, she never liked this whole business no way."
"I'll take care of Marissa." Luis said to Rigo and Raul. "One way or another."
Marissa heard the whole thing but wasn't inside to see Luis spinning a gun around on the kitchen table.
Marissa grabbed Jace's hand and together they took off up the hill, stopping at the top to catch their breath.
"Where are the rest of the kids?" She asked. They were always her first priority.
"They came and took 'em." Jace said.
"What'd they, miss you?" Marissa asked
"Nah, I hid. Under the porch." Jace said honestly
"Why?" Marissa asked curiously
"Cause, I want'd 'da say bye to you." Jace said his eyes watering.
"It's alright baby." She said hugging the child.
"What are we gonna do now?" Jace asked
"We're going to Newport." Marissa said grabbing the boys hand leading his to the bus stop and leaving Chino behind without another thought.
It was the middle of the night when they returned back to Newport. Marissa walked back to the Cohen's house, Jace walking a ways behind her, if he wasn't riding on her back. Nobody could blame him, it was a long walk, and he was barefoot.
Marissa opened the pool house door to find Ryan sitting awake in a chair and Summer and Seth asleep on the bed. Ryan rushed over to her when she came in.
"Are you alright? Kirsten is so worried it's calmed down a little-" He rambled, Seth had rubbed off on him. "And Sand-"
His eyes then met Marissas and then he stopped speaking, she leaned in and kissed him, her body sinking into his own. Suddenly the need for breath broke the two apart.
"Gross." Jace said from behind Marissa.
"Wha- what was that for?" Ryan stuttered.
"For being you." Marissa said with a small smile… "and because I think that you have three guys trying to kill you." Marissa said as an after thought.
"WHAT?"
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