A little thing I wrote about Julie's thoughts after the events of The Dawn Patrol.
Julie closed her daughter's bedroom door quietly after she had finally gotten Marissa calmed down enough to go to bed.
She couldn't express how relieved she was when Marissa finally came home tonight from that surfer punk's place, even if she was upset and crying. Marissa wasn't making much sense through all that, but from what Julie could gather, something bad had happened over there. And if she was reading her daughter right, she was done with "Tommy Lee" for good.
Julie smiled to herself with satisfaction as she headed down the hallway and then down the stairs.
Maybe her visit over to his grimy loft yesterday had done some good after all. She knew that Marissa was there and was probably hiding just out of sight, listening to everything they said. Julie wasn't stupid, or blind. She had figured that her daughter would be there, and it was confirmed when she saw Marissa's clothes scattered around the loft. All those words that she said were for Marissa's benefit, not that punk's. She wanted Marissa to know that this guy she was seeing was trash, that she was better than that, and that Julie would be there waiting for her whenever she realized it and came home.
Julie couldn't express how relieved she was that things had worked out the right way, if that was indeed the case. She knew that she had miscalculated yesterday morning when she told Marissa that she wouldn't allow her to see that low-life any more. She should really know by now that a statement like that would only push her daughter further into his clutches, just to spite her if nothing else. Julie was a big enough person to admit – to herself at least – that she'd made a miscalculation there.
Julie entered the family room and headed over to the bar.
And while Julie was being honest with herself, she could even admit that Marissa had been right when she said that she had been wrong about Ryan. To her surprise – shock even – he turned out to be acceptable boyfriend, or even husband, material. Ryan had managed to stick it out with the Cohens, albeit with a blip or two along the way, and now he was about to graduate from Harbor. He had even been accepted to Berkeley with Marissa, believe it or not.
Julie sat down at the bar and poured herself a drink. She had heard Kirsten talk about Ryan's interest in architecture. If he actually went through with that and became an architect, well let's just say that their earning potential rivaled that of a plastic surgeon's. Julie couldn't help breaking out a grin at that.
Julie took a big gulp of her drink. And if she was being completely honest with herself, Ryan did seem to be good for Marissa. When she was with him, she seemed better: cutting school less, drinking less, getting into trouble less. Julie shook her head in disbelief at the thought. Who would have guessed that the delinquent from Chino would turn out to be the right one for her daughter? Well, at least he was better than the latino yard guy, the lesbian bartender, or the punk with three brain cells.
Now if she could only figure out a way to get Marissa and Ryan back together...