Title : Grief
Author : newportbeachbabe
Rating : PG
Summary : Drabbles on how everyone from Newport might grieve.
Spoilers : All seasons, all episodes. Especially 3.25, The Graduates.
Disclaimer : I do not own anything that has to do with the O.C. I do, however, own the story. Do not steal and do not copy.
A/N : This is my first attempt at drabble, so please be kind when reviewing. It is a one-shot. Reviews would be much appreciated.
A/N #2 : I was tearing up as I wrote this. This is all really hard to deal with.
1.
Julie tears down Kaitlin's posters and shreds the paint chips. She lays clean sheets on the bed, sheets she had taken off hours before. She hugs Sharebear to her chest before placing it in the middle of the pillows.
Lovingly, she takes out the dress Marissa wore for graduation and sets it on the chair. It is waiting to be worn again. She searches through drawers to find the pearls and can't find them.
She finds Marissa's flask instead. She takes a long pull and sinks down to the floor.
2.
Summer pulls out every yearbook she owns and searches for Marissa's face. There she is in second grade, hair pulled back in pigtails and a frilly shirt. And there she is again in sixth grade, hair up in a bun and a button down shirt.
Faces flash by and she is finally at the Harbor 2006 yearbook. She smoothes her hand over the cover as it blurs. Flipping to the back, she reads the message Marissa had scribbled in just days before.
She picks up the phone. With a pleading voice, she prays that it's not true.
3.
Seth makes a bagel and pours a cup of coffee. He walks out to the pool house and knocks on the door. He has done this routine for a week now.
He drives to Summer's house and walks past Marissa's room. He pretends not to hear Julie sobbing. With heavy footsteps, he opens the door to Summer's room.
He pulls her into his arms. For once, he has to be the strong one.
4.
Sandy closes the folder and rubs his eyes to erase the gruesome images. But he has looked at these pictures for a week; they are engrained in his mind. The blood, the car, the mug shots.
There will be justice, but it will never be enough. He knows that nothing will ever be enough to make the death of a seventeen year old right. He doesn't know if anything will ever be right again for his family.
He goes into the kitchen, takes out the stash of alcohol, and pours it all down the drain. This is not a precaution for Kirsten, but for Ryan.
5.
Kirsten dusts off the tea set she bought at the auction last year. She watches as the light dances off it. She places a hand to her eyes as the tears start to spill over.
She knows that it will be her job to call Jimmy. It will not be easy but it must be done. She feels like nothing will be easy again.
She drives to the local grocery store and buys a pack of cigarettes. It is the least she can do for her son.
6.
Kaitlin draws her eyeliner on thicker in an attempt to hide the features that are so similar to Marissa's. She looks into the mirror and sees her sister in the brown hair and light dusting of freckles. Keeping on hand on the mirror, she turns up the volume on her stereo.
She no longer wants to rule Harbor. All she wants to do is fight with her sister one last time. She wants to simply disappear.
She pulls out the box of dye she bought this morning. She turns on the shower and erases all traces of Marissa.
7.
Volchok buys The Sound of Music from the video store when he is released on bail. He watches it five times that night. He knows that Marissa will never be Liselle.
He feels as if an elephant is sitting on top of him. Every breath is a struggle and every minute is torturous. He is tempted to just finish it right then and there.
He wakes up the next morning and puts on a button down shirt. He knows he will plead not guilty.
8.
Ryan breaks his skin open on the punching bag. He holds his favorite picture of them in his hand. He plays his birthday CD over and over again.
There is no escape for him. Marissa is there, dead, when his eyes are open. She is there, alive, when they are closed.
He locks himself in the bathroom and turns the water on. With his back to the door, he sobs and doesn't know if he will ever stop.