Chapter Nine

Marissa looked around this prison, as she searched for one face she knew inside, that she wouldn't find; Summer. She missed her; she missed her knowing that she was in the hospital, alone, except for her 'Fiancé's' presence. It all seemed so awkward to Marissa, still. Even though she had expressed full approval, she just couldn't imagine Summer Roberts as Summer Cohen. It would take some getting used to, but it just complicated their carefree life- chilling at a club, checking out guys, flirting and going out on sometimes, three dates a night- the wild life.

Now, if Summer chilled at a club, she would have to be ultra-responsible. She would be a wife sooner or later, and God forbid she acted childishly. She needed to work for a white-picket fence and a perfect life. She would no longer be the same, teenage Summer; she would be the housewife, cooking, childbearing Summer. It honestly, creeped Marissa out a little more than a little.

Summer was choosing to live a harder, more responsible life. With one person. Sure, Marissa was with Ryan, and just Ryan at the time, but she didn't feel at all obligated. She could loose the deal, if she felt completely compelled to. It wasn't like going out with someone was completely, well, official. Of course it was 'official' to a certain extent, but marriage! Marriage meant being stuck with ONE single person to the very end. That's quite a while.

Ryan seemed to feel the same way, as he looked around for Seth, his best friend. Marissa and Ryan were holding hands, as they walked down this vicious atmosphere. They stuck together, no matter what. Marissa found this sort of calm in her heart. She now understood that Summer was not obligated to do anything. She chose willingly to marry Seth; because she loved him so much. She would enjoy her life more than anything, because, she found her soul mate.

She shuddered, in the cold thought; would she herself, ever, find a soul mate? As easily as Summer had done? Marissa wondered. Wondered insanely- a war erupting in her soul. She was afraid of the threatening thought, that she would grow old, alone, with no one to sip tea with on the creaking rocking chairs in front of the fire.

"Marissa," Ryan interrupted her baffling train of thought, "You alright?" Ryan smiled, a smile so warm and contagious. It filled Marissa up with joy, as she squinted, hoping to decipher Ryan, what she didn't know already. Marissa inhaled a deep breath, that soothed her discomfort, and wonder.

"I'm fine." Marissa nodded, as she smiled. Ryan grinned at the sight of her golden smile. He recalled the moment he first saw this girl- that very smile. To this day, it intrigued him. "Actually, I'm really good. I'm great. I'm happy, for once in my life, I'm so happy." Marissa said earnestly. She sighed as the two sat down on a school bench, and just talked, like they hadn't done in a while. They talked to the point where Marissa thought not possible. Earlier in her life, boyfriends were created for the sole purpose to kiss, to cuddle with, to sleep with. Now. Everything was different. She realised what she thought before, was so completely superficial to what she thought now. It scared her deeply how one person could change her life, and bring out the entire best in her – the sensibility, the intelligence, the kindness. Marissa was living a dream, praying that at no point in time, would anyone come to burst her bubble, which she was so peacefully residing in- unharmed from life's deadly pains.

"I was thinking," Ryan said. "Maybe," Ryan started to say, "Well, maybe." He couldn't spit it out. Marissa looked at him thoughtfully, as she touched his hand.

"Ryan, you know you can tell me anything; ask me anything, right?" Marissa asked with genuine worry corrupting on her face. What was bothering Ryan so much that he couldn't tell her? Why was it just so hard? "Ryan," Marissa said sternly, "You're going to have to tell me sooner or later." She nodded, "Sooner, I hope." She hinted.

"Fine. Well. Um. Well," Marissa could tell Ryan was getting uneasy. Beads of sweat started to emerge from his forehead, "I'd like you to," Marissa gazed at him hard, "Well. I'd like you to meet my mom." Ryan finally said, looking up at Marissa, to see if she was afraid at all. She smiled; relieved. She was glad it wasn't anything more, well, huge.

"Ryan!" Ryan looked afraid, "I'd be happy to. You've met my," Marissa said no more, she didn't need to; Ryan had met the Queen of Disaster; Julie Cooper. "I would love to meet your mom."

"M'rissa." Ryan said slowly, "Keep in mind," He said in a slight whisper, "She's the one who kicked me out, 'member?" Ryan asked. Marissa's heart sunk- she just remembered. She thought it would be perfect. Instead, they would be totally unwelcome. "Maybe we should do this another time, then." Ryan said slowly, hoping Marissa would agree.

"You know what?" Marissa said in a determined voice, which frankly, scared Ryan to the gut, "We're going to have to do it sometime, and it's better to have it over with. It can't possibly be THAT bad."

After a quick dinner in Chino, Marissa and Ryan left his mother's house, heartbroken and shocked. How could one night go so terribly wrong? It was out of the question whether Mrs. Atwood liked Marissa- she obviously did not. Marissa had tears stinging in her eyes, as she and Ryan stood in the cool evening, under the moon, contemplating the unpleasantness of the evening.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Ryan mumbled. He looked at his feet, totally unaware of the stinging gaze Marissa was giving him. Marissa's mouth was dry, and her face heated. She had never been so totally, utterly, completely embarrassed in front of anyone.

"It's fine." Marissa exhaled restlessly. "That was difficult." Marissa crossed her arms, "You know? Let's walk. Maybe a walk will do the trick. You know. Walk it off." Marissa spoke in hurt, choppy, sentences. She couldn't control it. She was shaken up. "Or. Let's go to the hospital. Visit Seth and Summer? I think telling them how horribly the night went would do us some good. It would take the heat off." Both Marissa and Ryan nodded vaguely at the idea. Ryan closed his eyes for a second.

"I can't believe my mother could be so . . ." Ryan couldn't put his finger on it, "So."

"You don't need to say more." Marissa gulped, but still, her throat was dry and weary.

"I mean, your mother is actually quite cool compared to the way my mother acted tonight. I feel so dumb. I really shouldn't have dragged you over there. Chino isn't my kind of town anymore." Ryan scratched the back of his head, as he scrunched his face in humiliation, "I'm really sorry, M'rissa." Ryan was speaking quickly, almost illiterately. Marissa understood him quite well- him, and the position he was in.

Finally, after much silence, and an occasional awkward smile, the two arrived at the hospital. Ryan and Marissa stopped at the front desk, declaring themselves, not seeing how it was necessary. The desk-clerk mentioned as-a-matter-of-factly, that Summer and Seth have conjoined rooms, and that they reside together. Perfect. One less time that they had to retell the atrocious account of the evening.

Marissa and Ryan walked patiently toward their friends' room. They both, had dreary looks on their faces. The minute their walked in, the lonesome pair realised that.

"What the hell happened to the two happiest people on Earth?" Seth asked, staring from Ryan to Marissa, from Marissa to Ryan. Seth shook his head dumbly, as Ryan pulled up a chair for Marissa, and once she sat down, one for himself.

"Coop. Ryan? What's going on?" Summer asked, in shock. Her mouth was wide open, hoping they wouldn't announce something ridiculous like a break-up, or such.

"Well, we had the idea," Marissa started. Seth quickly interrupted.

"Ryan had the idea." He nodded knowingly. Marissa looked at him sternly, saying nothing other than the fact that she didn't want to point fingers.

"We had the idea," Marissa repeated, as she continued, "To well, see Ryan's mother, so I could meet her. We called in the afternoon, asking if it was okay. Of course, she said okay. This is how it happened."

Like a horrible flashback, the whole evening appeared before their eyes.

"Hi Mom." Ryan said, upon entry. His mother looked at him coldly.

"Hi Mrs. Atwood. I'm Marissa Cooper, very pleased to meet you." Marissa stuck out her hand, hoping she would soon hold Ryan's mother's hand. She found nothing like that.

"She's not too social." Ryan whispered, embarrassed for his mother's actions. Marissa widened her eyes, as if to shush him, but before she could say anything else, the piercing voice of Ryan's mother spun in the air.

"I heard that." She said in a weak, angered voice. She paraded to the dining room, and plopped right down at the dinner table. Ryan looked around at what used to be home.

"Wow, mom. This place looks great; everything's changed." Ryan complimented, as he admired the freshly painted walls, and tiled floors, "Nothing what it used to be." Ryan mumbled to himself; thinking, that if he lived in a place like this, he would never have acted so juvenile.

"Probably nothing compared to your new home in Newport." His mother said coldly. Marissa looked at Ryan painfully, as if the comment had been directed at her. His mother continued to eat.

"Can we sit down?" Ryan tried to ask politely, so that his mother would show SOME respect to her guests.

"I don't have a choice, now, do I?" His mother laughed to herself crudely. Ryan and Marissa sat down, barely eating a pea-sized amount, hoping Ryan's mother wouldn't expect them to pay up or something like that. Ryan's mother looked at their plates in disgust, "I went through all this damn trouble to make you food, and you eat nothing?" She grunted, "Now that is respect. Is that what they teach you down in Newport? Is that how I raised you? What; my food's not good enough for you, or something?" Ryan realised his mother just raised three different points; all contradicting themselves in their particular order.

"No, Mrs., this food is delicious." Marissa complimented. The woman only glared at her.

"Who's this girl of yours? Another rich little btch in the area? Was she the only one? Or the only one out of the plenty that you think is good enough to show your mother?" She looked at Ryan fiercely. Marissa stared at Ryan, seeing that he was avoiding his mother's stare. She saw his vein push out in his temple; Marissa knew that if his mother kept this up, he would explode.

"This is Marissa Cooper." Ryan introduced her, "She is smart, beautiful, kind, trustworthy, loyal, funny, outgoing, polite, and anything else you would see in a perfect girl. I'm so freaking sorry that she's not Theresa, mother. If that's what you want, you will never have it. Theresa and I, are totally, and completely over. I know that look in your eyes. The look where you plan a life for me, and think that I'll follow through with it. Marissa is perfectly well raised- raised well enough not to throw her kids out of the house, to live alone." Ryan pointed out.

"You have kids? What else, are you married too?" She growled.

"No, we do not have any kids. And no, we are not married. But what's it to you? Would you throw me out of the house if I were married, and I did have kids? Oh, wait. You've already done that." Ryan put his cutlery down, as he started a real heated battle against his mother.

"Ryan," Marissa looked at him gravely, hoping he would stop. This wasn't what she had in mind.

"Shut up." Ryan's mother snapped at her intolerantly, "Me and my son are talking." Marissa looked up, she continued to eat.

"Don't tell the love of my life to shut up, mother. You lost me a long time ago. I'm sorry if I wanted to change things; better things," His mother interrupted him vilely.

"Change what? This matter is unchangeable son. I will never accept you into this house again; neither you, or Tray, or your father. Now don't you bring your little sluts into my house, because I do not wish it. I threw you out for a reason; that reason, never to come back." Ryan and Marissa stared at her, as they enjoyed the first silence. The woman's wretched voice bothered Marissa.

"C'mon." Ryan said gently to Marissa, as he started to get up. Marissa nodded, as she too, got up. They left the house as quickly as they could.

"Ouch." Summer said after the story. "That's horrible." Summer was speechless. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, Summer." Ryan said, "I knew we had to get it over with someday. I didn't expect anything to change. I just didn't want Marissa to ask me one day about my mother. She wouldn't believe me if I said she was exactly like this." Ryan shook his head, as he kept his eyes on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Ryan. I'm sorry I kind of pressured you into going. You had your doubts, I should have trusted you." Marissa said slowly.

"Guys. That's pretty messed up in my opinion. How could you mother not even be happy to see you after so long?" Seth asked, apparently, confused.

"Dunno." Ryan said slowly, but honestly.