Chapter Twenty Six
"You know, Marissa, if you weren't so set on yourself, I might have actually given and shown you more love over the years." Julie said coldly, as she opened the door for Marissa who just came wallowing in. Marissa knew she was going to have to endure Julie's hour-long lectures for quite some bit now, just because she hadn't called. "I mean, Marissa- why can't you think about someone other then yourself for a while? I love you, dear, and I'm sorry if I don't show it. With love comes care. With care comes responsibility. With responsibility there comes paranoia to a certain extent. I am scared to death about you. What if you got raped, or something?" Julie asked.
Marissa almost gasped at her mother's choice of words. The word 'Rape' rung in her head like a church bell. (Editor's note: this chapter is a little while after Tray attempted to rape Marissa.) Tears danced in Marissa's eyes, as she recalled the event. However she couldn't tell Julie- not now at least. Firstly, Julie wouldn't believe her. Secondly, Marissa didn't need her mother's pity.
"What's wrong, Marissa? Somewhere after the word 'rape' you got a little touched." Julie squinted her eyes, as if by doing so, she would see through Marissa's frail body. Julie gulped, "You didn't," Julie inhaled, and exhaled hard, as she closed her eyes. Her eyes trailed the floor, and she finally looked up at Marissa in a concerned look. Her forehead had creases of worry moulded into them, "You didn't get raped did you?" Julie asked, but after she spoke the words, in her mind she thought it was unreal, impossible. Marissa was completely speechless. She didn't know whether it was right to lie about this, or if she was ready to tell her mother. She hadn't even told Summer about what Tray had done to her. Julie stared long and hard at Marissa's expressionless face. Julie shook her head gently, "Who?" Julie solely asked. Julie was bewildered, and she couldn't believe it. Julie started to cry mercilessly- this bewildered Marissa more. Why was she acting like this, Marissa thought curiously in her mind.
"Nobody, mom." But Marissa knew she couldn't lie to her mother now. She was speechless for too long. There was no way she could deny it at this point. Marissa hoped it would be enough, as she walked up the stairs, but Julie instinctively grabbed her arms, and pushed her toward the wall so she could keep Marissa in place. Julie frowned angrily, as she now had room for actual feelings beside her shock.
"Marissa, darling, sweetie! You have to tell me." Julie begged her daughter with all her might, still holding her daughter down tightly. Julie cried harder now, "Who did this to you?" Marissa's bruising, on her neck, was now evident- her hair no longer covered this memory, that scarred Marissa's life. Julie touched the discoloured flesh, with her cold fingers, that made Marissa turn away. She couldn't face her mother's deadly, yet surprisingly concerned eyes- she hadn't seen them like that before.
Marissa gulped, "I can't say. I can't talk about it! My God! I just can't! Okay? You know! Isn't that enough?" Marissa started to bawl, as her face turned a funky colour of reddish, purplish. She cried and cried. Her mother's force lightened, and instead of pushing her down, Julie's arms solidified her- entangling in a hug.
"Baby, it'll be okay. You'll get through this. I'll help you, honey. It'll be okay." Marissa buried her head, in her mother's shoulder. She never realised how perfectly shaped it was- truly perfect for Marissa's head to cry on. Marissa's tears wet Julie's designer blouse, but Julie honestly didn't care. Julie looked severely at a place in nowhere. I'm going to find out who did this to my baby, Julie thought dryly in her mind. And when I do- I swear to God I'll kill them, Julie promised herself in her mind.
"It'll be okay…" Julie whispered in her crying daughter's ear. Marissa, not at all comforted continued to cry. No matter how nice her mother was being, it wouldn't change the facts- she had almost been raped. She had been attacked if anything.
"Mom," Marissa went to say just that.
"Shh…" Julie whispered.
"He attacked me. But I fought him off before he could do anything." Marissa said through her tears.
"Either way," Julie's voice trailed off. Marissa didn't question it- it was so soothing knowing that she finally, after all these years had a certain point of support from her mother. It was a shame though, that something so severe had to occur for Julie to finally claim Marissa as her daughter.
"Hey, baby." Seth said, pecking Summer on the cheek with his lips gently. He smiled, and pulled away handing Summer a hot cup of Vanilla Latté- Summer's favourite.
"Aw, you didn't have to." Summer said kindly.
"But I wanted to. Besides, you're my girlfriend." Seth replied.
"No, you don't get it," Summer raised both her eyebrows as she smiled, "You really didn't have to." Summer raised her very own Vanilla Latté, from the coffee table. "It's the thought that counts, though."
Seth raised his index finger, bit his lip and nodded, "Riighhhhttt…"
Ryan honked in front of the Cooper residence. Julie came running out, as if on cue. "Sorry Hun, Marissa's not coming to school today, sorry." Julie winked, and ran on her stiletto heals, back to her home. She hasn't been at school a lot lately, Ryan thought miserably in his head. He was hoping he could see Marissa again this morning. Ryan pulled out of the driveway carefully, and drove right back to school. On his way, he couldn't stand not hearing Marissa's soft voice- he wanted to call her. He dialled her cell phone number, and she soon picked up.
"Hello?" Marissa asked into the phone. Ryan could tell that she had been crying.
"Is everything okay?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah. Yeah it is. I'm just a little sick." Marissa lied.
"Are you sure?" Ryan asked again.
"Yeah! Now get off my back. What am I, lying to you?" Marissa snapped into the phone.
"No. Well, something's wrong and I know it. But if you don't wanna talk about it, then I hope you feel better. Love you. Bye." Ryan quickly said his last phrase, and hung up before his curiosity would lead to a fight- a major fight.
"Who was that, baby?" Julie asked Marissa, as they sat side by side on Marissa's bed. Marissa was to retell her hideous account of the story, so Julie could make heads and tails of it.
"It was Ryan." Marissa replied nervously, looking up at her mother.
"Marissa, it wasn't Ryan, who umm," Julie stopped, uncertain of how to continue, "It wasn't Ryan who, raped you, was it?"
"Hell no!" Marissa shrieked and she jumped up from the bed. She knew there was something too fishy about her mother caring about her all of a sudden. Now Marissa understood- Julie wanted to frame Ryan for the rape, just because she hated him so dearly.
"No, honey, sit down. I was only asking… you were so nervous and crude on the phone- it was a hunch. Now I'll take your word for it- it wasn't Ryan. Okay? Calm down, please. Sit down. We'll talk. You don't have to tell me who it was, just yet. The time will come okay? Please Marissa, sit down, talk to me. I don't know who to blame for hurting you so bad! I'm sorry." Julie was blabbering faster then she knew. Marissa, however, took this insane apology, gulped and sat down a little further away from her mother. "Do you want to tell me what happened that night?" Julie asked in an angelic voice- all she needed was a halo and a white gown, and the picture would be complete.
"No, but I don't have a choice." Marissa looked away, from her mother's spiralling gaze. "While Ryan was in Miami, I had to help someone to find a job," Marissa was struggling not to say 'Tray' in any part of her sentence. "So I found him a job… he wanted to celebrate. We watched a movie, I think… Then he took me to the beach. He then threw himself on me. I grabbed the nearest thing I could find- a stick. I bashed him over the head with it, and I ran. I left him bleeding, and I ran so fast…" Marissa started to cry, and she once more buried her head in her mother's shoulder. "It was horrible… I didn't know what to do. Who to tell. I was so confused. I felt so guilty. My God… why me?"
"Sh, baby, it'll be okay. As long as I know what happened. Knowing who did it wouldn't hurt. We'll arrest him. He won't hurt you again, baby. He'll never hurt you again." Julie soothed her daughter gently.
"Hey Ryan. Where's Marissa?" Seth asked, as he met Seth halfway to his classroom.
"She stayed at home." Ryan looked up at Seth, glumly confused.
"Why?" Seth quickly asked.
"I wish I knew. I called her- then she flipped out. Now I really know something happened with her and Tray while we were at Miami. But maybe I'm just paranoid? Maybe it's Caleb's death that's beating them all down… how the hell am I supposed to know?" Ryan spoke in a monotone voice, so that nobody, including Seth who was trying to scrounge for the words, could hear. Ryan hardly breathed as he spoke these words- he was so nervous for Marissa.
"What could Tray have done, Ryan?" Seth asked stupidly. Ryan shot him a grave look- Seth returned the look, realising that much could have happened. It was too bad that Seth remarked that a little while after he said it. "Okay stupid, sorry. But what would have Tray done, I mean, you and Marissa helped him so much. Don't you think he changed at all?"
"That's where I'm stuck. He hasn't been talking to me since Miami. Neither has Marissa. I really do think something went up. Maybe she's the one having second thoughts about it though- post sex guilt trips?" Ryan asked, not believing what he was saying himself.
"You know Marissa wouldn't do that to you. You know it." Seth convinced Ryan, with a strong unfaltering voice. Ryan's knew thoughts started to dwindle.
"You're right, Seth. Marissa, I could trust with my life. Tray… eh, I'm not so sure about, you know?" Ryan said, "Even after everything, I don't think he's changed at all. He's the same Tray inside and out. Then again maybe he's just a really good actor."
"Good point. But he's your brother, Ryan. Brother's are for life." Seth was apparently playing the devil's advocate.
"So what do you want me to think, Seth?" Ryan said with aggravation slurring his voice.
"Well I don't know." Seth finally said, confused.