Marissa's Story
Kaitlin went back to her dorm room to pack her things. It was so quiet without Sara there, and Mia's parents had already come to get her and take her home to Newport.
Kaitlin went down the other end of the hall to the boys' dorms, to say good-bye to Josh. He couldn't leave until his parents booked him a flight home to New Hampshire. Kaitlin knocked on the door. "Come in," called Josh. "Hey," he said. They kissed and Kaitlin told him she had to leave. "Marissa's coming to pick me up soon," said Kaitlin sadly. "I'll miss you," said Josh. "I'll miss you too," said Kaitlin, "But we'll still see each other, won't we? I mean, I will probably come back to see Sara soon, so…""Yeah, I'm sure I'll see you then. And I can talk to you on the phone, can't I?" asked Josh. "Of course," said Kaitlin. She gave him a kiss goodbye and went to the front of the school to wait for Marissa.
When Marissa's BMW drove up, Kaitlin just got more nervous than ever, but she hugged he sister, and started to put her stuff in the boot of the car. "Shouldn't I speak to your principal, tell her I'm taking you home?" asked Marissa. "I suppose so," said Kaitlin reluctantly. Marissa went inside and asked to speak to Mrs. James. "Hello, Mrs. James," said Marissa with a smile. "I'm Marissa, Kaitlin's sister. I've come to take her home." "Please, call me Cornelia. Thank you for coming, although I am a bit surprised to find you here instead of you parents," said Mrs. James. "Oh, um, well, they're away on a holiday so I came instead," replied Marissa. "Right," said Mrs. James. She continued, "Well, I really like Kaitlin, she's and excellent student but, I have no control whatsoever over her case. It is quite possible that she will be expelled. We will send your parents a letter in the near future, telling them the board's decision." Marissa nodded. She had no idea what Cornelia was talking about but she had a feeling Kaitlin had come to her because she didn't want Julie and Jimmy to know about this just yet. "Actually, our parents will be away for a few months, so can you send the letter to my address? Is that possible?" asked Marissa "Of course, dear. Please discuss this with my secretary on they way out. I think it would be a good idea to take Kaitlin home, it has been a very traumatic few days for her." Marissa shook Cornelia's hand, walked out of the office. Kaitlin was sitting in one of the armchairs. I just have to speak to Mrs. James' secretary," she told Kaitlin. After she told the secretary about the address, Marissa took Kaitlin out to the car. They got in and Marissa drove away.
"Kaitlin, we need to talk," said Marissa firmly. "What is going on?"
Kaitlin burst into tears. She broke down and told Marissa everything. The ecstasy pills, the guilt she felt for Sara, how she might be expelled, about facing Julie, how scared she was and about how she didn't want to be like Marissa, she just wanted to have fun, and that she didn't want her life to be monotonous. She told her sister she didn't want a life like hers. Marissa simply listened. She knew exactly how Kaitlin felt. "Kaitlin let me tell you something," Marissa said. "When I was your age, the summer when Ryan came to Newport and I was still dating Luke, I felt exactly the same. My life felt monotonous too. Mom was always criticizing me, nothing was ever good enough, and I just needed to escape. So I turned to alcohol that summer. It made me feel out of control and all fuzzy and I liked that feeling. Dad went bankrupt and I found out that Luke was cheating on me. So in Mexico, I took all these painkillers and tequila and passed out. Mom made me go to therapy after that and I realised drinking was not the answer. I could now not only talk to my therapist about what was going on, but I could talk to Ryan too. I felt happy, which was a first in a long time. As for what you said about not wanting to settle down. After college I felt the same way. I saved up a fair bit of money, so Ryan and I went out to see the world. I had just started at a new company and they wanted me to search for new fashions in other places, it was amazing. Ryan was working too so we didn't see that much of each other. We had a lot of fun on that holiday. And I was ready to come home. I saw how some of the people I met lived. And I don't mean poor or anything, I mean people who were really unhappy. There were lots of shelters for homeless women in some of the places I visited. Some of them had been beaten by their husbands, boyfriends and fathers, others had been raped, unwed mothers, some women were depressed, and some had diseases. I saw women addicted to drugs. Some I saw had even tried to commit suicide they were so unhappy. I went to visit them and I just listened. I think they were glad of someone to talk to. They made all my problems seem silly. I wondered why I had doubted my happiness in the first place. I was very happy with Ryan, and just because I was in a great relationship didn't mean I couldn't have fun. I was happy living in Newport, even though I had always wanted to leave. I still am. You could be too."
Kaitlin sat in silence. This was a lot to take in. "Marissa, I didn't know how you felt back then. When you were in hospital after Mexico, I was taken to Grandma's and Mom just told me was that you had done something silly, which made you sick. I can't really blame them. I was only eleven at the time," she said. Marissa smiled a smile showing that she understood everything. "Kaitlin, you know what I said before about seeing those women who were addicted to drugs. Well I don't want to see that happen to you." Marissa said sternly. "What drugs exactly have you tried? You haven't injected anything have you?"
"No, of course not!" Kaitlin exclaimed. "Um… well I'm not entirely sure, my boyfriend just brings in pills and stuff every few weeks. Mostly just ecstasy, obviously, I tried snorting coke once but it was hard so I didn't try it again and I tried speed a few times, and pot every now and then. Josh offered me a shot of heroin once but I said no. I'm not addicted to these drugs or anything, but I often feel like I need a cigarette or a drink." "I understand," said Marissa. "I need you to promise me that you will not take these drugs again, ever. I know all of the drugs you said are really, really bad for you but please, do not inject anything, heroin or anything else because you could get a blood disease like HIV or something, okay?' "Okay" said Kaitlin meekly. She didn't like Marissa telling her off but she knew she deserved it, and Marissa was much better than Julie.
Kaitlin went quiet for awhile. "Marissa, I heard you tell Mrs. James that Mom and Dad are on holidays for a few months, is this true?" asked Kaitlin. "Um, it's half true. They did leave yesterday for a holiday to Hawaii, but it's only for two weeks, I'm afraid. You will have to tell them, but for now you can stay with us." "Okay. And thanks Marissa, you know for picking me up and everything." said Kaitlin. "What are you going to tell him? Ryan, I mean," she asked. "The truth." said Marissa. "But I won't say how you've been feeling and stuff. That's just between sisters." Marissa smiled. "We're home. Bring in your things, and take them upstairs. I keep the bed in the guest room made up, in case of emergencies."
Kaitlin went upstairs with her things and flopped down on the bed. She hadn't realised how tired she was. "Marissa is such a great sister," Kaitlin thought. Somehow she had to repay her, but she couldn't think about that tonight. Kaitlin crawled into bed and went straight to sleep.