Hey! New chap! Read, Review, and Request!
xoxo Jules
Chapter 9: "This running"
Marissa watched Ryans eyes cloud over with fear.
"Who wants to kill me?" Ryan asked hurriedly
Marissa took a deep breath and looked at the floor.
"WHO!" Ryan said again, firmer this time.
"Luis, Rigo, and Raul…" She said now looking back up again to meet his eye.
"Do you know why?" Ryan asked
"All I can guess is that it has something to do with them killing Juan Miguel." Marissa said.
"But if they wanted to kill me why didn't they do it before?" Ryan asked
"When we were 14 Raul and Rigo got mixed up in some bad stuff. They joined a gang, Luis was the leader of the whole thing. They got into some bad trouble a couple of times. Been locked up once or twice and all. Anyway before Raul left he said that Luis had one last job for him and Rigo and then they can go… I think that last job is you." Marissa said seriously "That's what I'm guessing…"
"Damnit." Ryan said hitting the table with his fist causing Seth and Summer to wake up.
"Marissa?" Seth said. "What's going on?"
"Don't worry about it." She warned him.
There was a long awkward silence which once again Summer broke.
"What's that?" She asked pointing to Jace.
"He's my little brother." Marissa said.
Seth, Ryan, and Summer all raised their eyebrows.
"I told you about all the foster kids." Marissa said cracking a slight smile.
Jace tugged on Marissa's tank top.
"I'm hungry." He said
"Um…" Marissa said glancing at Seth.
Seth stood up and took charge.
"I'll get you something buddy." He said taking the young boys hand. "I'm Seth. Summer, come on." He called over his shoulder.
"Ew Cohen, don't give me orders."
"Come on Summer!" Jace repeated with his adorable smile.
"Look at that face!" Seth said picking him up, "how an you say no to that?"
"Fine!" Summer said throwing her hands up in the air following Seth out.
Seth and Summer entered the kitchen to find Kirsten sitting at the table looking quite distraught with a cup of coffee in front of her.
"She's back." Seth said sitting Jace on the counter.
"Is she alright? I knew that I should have told Sandy about her before. This is all my fault." Kirsten said in a hushed voice focusing on her coffee. Then she noticed the little boy sitting on the counter, his face streaked with mud, and his once white shirt a dingy yellow color, and old ripped up jeans. Despite his appearance he sat smiling at her, his green eyes twinkling. "And who is this?" Kirsten asked looking back and forth between Seth and Summer.
"That's Jace, Marissas brother." Summer explained
Kirsten only raised an eyebrow.
"Oh." She said.
"We just came to get him a sandwich or something, then we'll be out of your way." Seth said to his still unresponsive mother.
Summer and Seth quickly fixed Jace something to eat in silence glancing occasionally back and forth between one another.
"We'll take him up to my room to eat this." Seth said. "Marissa's back in the pool house with Ryan." He informed her before the three retreated up the stairs to Seth's room.
Marissa and Ryan sat in the pool house.
"I can't help but think I dragged you into all of this." Marissa said to Ryan apologetically
"No you didn't. They would'a still come after me if I knew you or not. At least you're here to warn me." Ryan said putting his hand on her knee.
"I just wish that I could do more." Marissa confessed.
"You need to focus on your family." Ryan told her
"Oh yeah, my family that is trying to kill you?" Marissa asked sarcastically
"Come on Marissa. The Cohens, that Jimmy guy sounded pretty cool too, and Jace."
"I just don't think that I am ready for this all." Marissa said looking at her feet
"What all?" Ryan asked
"Newport, all of this." She said looking around. "Abuela is dying, the kids are gone… This is all that I have left and I barely have it at all!" Marissa said tears beginning to fall
"I think that you should go talk to Kirsten." Ryan said
"I don't want to leave you in the pool house alone with Rau-" Marissa began
"I'll be fine." Ryan insisted.
"But-"
"I'll be fine." He said again. "Go."
Marissa smiled hugging Ryan quickly and kissing him on the cheek.
"Thanks." She said
Ryan just nodded as she left before she had time to see him pull his gun out of his backpack and sit it on the nightstand just in case…
Marissa opened the door from the backyard quietly. Kirsten, who was sitting at the kitchen table, barely noticed her presence.
"Um… Kirsten…" Marissa said
Her mother turned quickly and met her daughters eyes, both sets red from crying.
"I uh, I just wanted to tell you I'm back!" Marissa said playing with her hands nervously.
"Have a seat?" Kirsten offered.
Marissa nodded and slowly sat in the chair across from the one where Kirsten sat. There was a short awkward silence between the two.
"I spoke with my father today." Kirsten said, Marissa was alerted by her words. "He practically admitted to the entire thing. He said that he thought that it was best for the family. Especially after I became pregnant with Seth… I'm so sorry honey." Kirsten said reaching across the table taking Marissa's hand.
"It's not your fault." Marissa said honestly. Kirsten stood up and put her cup in the sink. "Are you hungry?" She asked her daughter.
"No, I'm alright." Marissa said looking away from Kirsten as she re-joined her at the table.
"I'm sorry about the stuff between Sandy and I earlier." Kirsten said
"No, it's my fault. I never should have come." Marissa said looking away
"Of course you should have!" Kirsten tried to reassure her. "I never in my wildest dreams thought that you were alive. I never thought that you would be so beautiful." Kirsten said causing Marissa to blush. Nobody had ever called her that word… beautiful.
"Abuela is dying." Marissa said. "They took the kids and put them in foster care." Marissa said meeting her mothers eyes.
"I'm sorry." Kirsten said sympathetically "I would love to have you here. I am sure that your father would as well." Kirsten said
"What about Sandy?" Marissa asked
Kirsten took a deep breath.
"Sandy is a stubborn man, but he'll come around, he has to." Kirsten said. "Just know that he holds nothing against you Marissa. He knows that none of this is your fault."
Marissa was unsure of how to respond, so as usual she found herself nodding. Kirsten was wondering if now was the time to bring up Marissa's eating habits, or should she say lack thereof, but Marissa spoke before she.
"Where's Jace?" She asked
"Upstairs with Seth and Summer. They are probably playing video games or something." She told her.
"Alright." Marissa said nodding.
"So Jace is your little brother?" Kirsten asked
"Yeah, pretty much. I was closest to him next to Raul anyway."
"Speaking of Raul have you heard from him?"
Marissa shook her head no.
"And Rodrigo?"
She shook her head no again.
"Well I guess it's nice to have Ryan around then huh?" Kirsten said
"Yeah." Marissa said.
"I've got a room upstairs that I can fix up for you." Kirsten offered.
"It's alright, I'm fine in the pool house. Ryan's out there so I'm not alone." Marissa said standing up.
"Alright. Don't worry about Jace. We've got him covered." Kirsten said smiling warmly
"Thank you Kirsten."
"Goodnight."
Marissa made her way back to the pool house, where Ryan was sitting awake, gun in hand. She opened the door carefully as to not alarm Ryan.
"Didn't know you were packin' that." Marissa said pointing to the gun
Ryan looked at her and shrugged.
"You never know." He said. "How'd it go with Kirsten?"
"It… went." Was all that Marissa could find to say.
"You can go in. I'll look out for… them…" Ryan said.
"No." Marissa said sitting next to him on the bed. "Tonight, we're both going to sleep. I think that they're to sloshed to do anything anyway." She said pulling back the covers.
She and Ryan laid there awhile looking into one anothers eyes. Again Marissa leaned in and kissed him.
"What does that mean?" Ryan asked
Marissa shrugged.
"We just get each other." Marissa said smiling.
"Yeah, I guess we do." Ryan said closing the gap between them once more.
And for a moment Marissa wasn't worried about Rigo, or the Cohens, and Ryan wasn't worried about the target on his back. Right then in that moment all that mattered was one another.
For anyone who is confused about where this is going in the next few chapters:
Marissa talks about her eating disorder and makes an unlikely friend
Seth and Ryan become closer
They make decisions about Jace, (let me know what you think should happen to him)
Marissa gets closer to Jimmy
Marissa and Sandy talk
Ryans life is threatened
School
More Seth and Summer!
Ryan and Marissa!