They sat and ate at the Diner as summer gushed about USC with Ryan and Seth while Marissa sat quietly. "So did you decide what school you want to go to?" Seth said looking at Marissa. "Umm not exactly but I figured I could always just flip a coin its not like I know what I want to major in anyway so" She said. "I think you should go with New York big city new people a girl like you would fit in there" Seth said trying to lighten the mood. Summer chuckled. Marissa smiled. "I'm gonna definitely think about it but thanks Seth" She said. "Come on Cohen the checks on us" Summer said dragging Seth to pay.
"Feeling overwhelmed?" Ryan said. "Well aren't you? Next year we'll be starting a whole new life for ourselves" She said. "Okay so it's scary but you know we all have each other" He said. Her side kick went off she looked at it. "Oh it's Chili I got to take this" She said stepping out of the diner.
Ryan stared at her through the smudged window. "Hey Atwood where's Coop?" Summer said. "Outside talking to Chili" Ryan said. "Wow after she left New port union I didn't think they would talk especially with Johnny dying and everything" Summer said Ryan gave her a blank stare. "Atwood wake up" She said. He looked at her. "Sorry" He said. Summer laughed. "Well Seth is done paying the check and we were gonna go to the movies you guys want to come?" She said. "No you guys go ahead but we'll see you at dinner the Cohen's are having a dinner party" He said. "Okay later Atwood" Summer said. "See ya" Ryan said turning back to look at Marissa still talking.
What would he do without her next year? She had been there in his life since his first night in New Port. He could understand her concerns because he had a few of his own. Was he ready to deal with his life without Marissa in it? He got up when he noticed she was off the phone. He went out to meet her. "Where's Seth and Sum?" She said. "They decided to see a movie" He said. She nodded. "So Chili's in Brio" She said. They walked away from the Diner and towards the pier.
"What's he doing in Brio?" He said. "Well he moved in with Gwen" Marissa said. "Right how's she doing?" Ryan said. "Still trying to deal with the loss I guess" she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "You gonna visit them?" He said. "No I wouldn't be much company for Gwen or Chili. I mean how I could take away her pain of losing Johnny?" She said sadly. "You still think about him?" he said. She looked at him. "What difference does that make he's gone and I can't change that" She said. "Why won't you just talk to me about him? I mean what's the big deal?" Ryan said.
"You never liked Johnny did you?" She said. "Come on Marissa I didn't say that" He said. "You didn't have to" She said. "Wait a minute are you fighting with me? Where's this coming from? I thought you didn't like Johnny as anything more than a friend?" he said. "I didn't which is not the point" She said. "Then why does it matter if I liked him or not?" He said. "Because you obviously didn't" She said becoming angry.
"Look why are we doing this?" He said. "Because Ryan my friendship with Johnny was important to me" She said. "That's right apparently it was more important to you than ours" He said knowing he struck a chord in her. She looked at him with anger. "You know what Ryan the next time you see me don't talk to me" She said walking off leaving him stand there alone.
Dinner was sort of quiet Kirsten had questioned him where Marissa was he told her she was spending time with Julie. Seth and Summer didn't buy it but it seemed good enough for Kirsten and Sandy. Although it was hard to hide his feelings he hated fighting with her. He snapped out of it. "You guys I promised Marissa I'd go talk to her do you mind?" He said. "No honey go ahead" Kirsten said. Summer smiled at Ryan and he left.
Marissa walked along the beach that night still haunted by her memories she had blamed herself because it was that night she confessed why she couldn't be with him because her heart was somewhere else. Johnny was only the person who she had confessed her feelings to and now he was gone leaving her to wonder if that wasn't a sign telling her it could never work.
Her thoughts where broken with the sound of foot steps behind her. She turned and looked at Ryan sadly. "I'm sorry" He said staring at her."Yeah well occasionally we fight and then we move on" She said. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry about before I didn't mean" she interrupted him. "He didn't replace you Ryan. I just couldn't deal with the thing with Trey, and getting kicked out of harbor, being exiled from my friends, my life was upside down, and not being able to talk to you aboutit was just too hard. So I talked to Johnny but that doesn't mean that he replaced you and you should know that. I'm just sorry I waited this long to tell you that" She said looking at him
He nodded. "What about now?" He said. "It's different now, now I can talk to you. You know pretty soon our life is gonna change enough why fight now when we have such little time left together" She said. He looked at her. "And I know we will see each other but it's gonna be different your gonna have your life and I'm gonna have mine and for once we won't be apart of something together" She said coming to the sad realization. "That doesn't mean you're still not my best friend." He said coming closer to her.
She looked at him. "Okay it doesn't mean I'm gonna listen to you when you say "the next time you see me don't talk to me because I know their just words" He said. She laughed. "I'm sorry I guess with the call from Chili and being freaked out about being on my own for the first time in forever it sort of triggered me off and I kind of took it out on you and I'm sorry" She said. "Well I've done it to you a few times before so it's nothing" he said. "Right" she said.
"So we're good?" he said. She smiled. "Yeah we're good" She said hugging him. She wasn't sure about the future but she suddenly didn't want the present to end because when it did she would have to leave, California, her friends, her family, New Port, Harbor and the one thing she didn't know if she could live without Ryan.
He was just glad they talked it out and they didn't waste time over this fight because before they knew it they would be graduating and eventually ending up in different places and he didn't know if he was ready for that to happen. "Come on I'm sure you bailed on your family to come here so lets put in some face time" She said. "And then play station?" He said. She laughed. "You just like that I play because I suck and you can't beat Seth" She said walking towards the car. He followed. "Hey I've beaten Seth before" He said. "Yeah maybe in your dreams Ryan Seth totally rocks at play station and well you don't" She said. He laughed. "You know one of these days Cooper you're going to get it" He said. "Oh I'm so scared" She said. He smiled and beeped the car and they got in and drove home.