AN: I want to thank everyone for their reviews. I really appreciate them and love reading them. Please keep up the R/R...Hope you enjoy...

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"This house is so big" Marissa couldn't help but think to herself as she came in from the backyard. "And quiet" she added as an after thought when she realized that still no one was home. She had been laying out actually. A new experience to her, but so far she learned that she loved to do it. As the sun rays beat down on her tanning skin she felt so relaxed and calm when all she could hear was the slight breeze rattle some bushes and trees here and there.

It had been three days since she had last hung out with the breath taking blonde boy next door. The morning after that night however she had found out that Ryan along with his family, consisting of Sandy and Kirsten, had to go out of town. Some honorary banquet down in Palm Springs or something she briefly remembered. She missed him though, bright side was he returned today. And she was still looking forward to his promised call and outing.

Now though putting those thoughts out of her head, she was thirsty. Coming into the kitchen clad in her bikini and thin, short towel she moved towards the refrigerator to get herself a drink. Opening the refrigerator she reached for the ice cold pitcher of lemonade. As she closed the door however she caught sight of something. She froze seemingly in place. Her deep blue irises glued to the sight in front of her.

There it was, plain as day, and as time ticked by the bottle of vodka seemed to get more and more tempting. She knew she shouldn't, but temptation was hard to resist she reasoned with herself. She knew it wasn't the answer, but life couldn't have ever got any harder, and at the moment she needed an escape. She finally moved and she poured lemonade from the pitcher to a glass, she made the decision that this would be the last time she would drink, and no one would ever have to find out, right? And it would be the last time, right?

I mean Seth was out with Summer, so they were bound to be out for a well amount of time. And Dan, her dad, was still at work, bound to come home until a much later hour. She knew she could pull it off.

Pouring the vodka to fill the last half of the cup of lemonade she quickly made quick work and filled the vodka bottle back up with water as if to make it look like it had never been touched. She moved back to the counter and eagerly took the cup in her wanting hands drawing it towards her mouth, the liquid immediately satisfying her senses yet burning her mouth and throat. It was however, instant relief. She hadn't drank in what felt like years but was in reality only an couple of days.

She knew it was wrong to be doing this. She had came into this town not only for the sole purpose that her mother had past away and she did have other family. She could have moved in with her grandmother or her aunt or uncle but she knew even if they wouldn't admit it, she would be putting them out. Not only in room but in finances as well. But she wanted a new life, a new town, a new start. She had promised herself that coming to Newport would mean the end of her old life, along with the end of her drinking...problem? I guess you could call it that.

She moved the cup down from her lips and onto the counter top. She lets out a heavy sigh and looks down at the already half empty large glass. She quickly brings it back up to her lips once again and in a couple of gulps chugs it down. She immediately rinses her cup and puts it into the expensive stainless steal dishwasher. But she soon realizes that her craving is not satisfied. She already can feel her head beginning to spin but can't help but want more

She makes her way into the bar section of the house and is flabbergasted at the collection of wines and alcohol that seem to be collected and many out on display. She moved towards a cabinet only to find a couple more bottles. And maybe if she could process a coherent thought a little better she'd be able to stop herself but now that she was half way to drunk she couldn't. Pulling a bottle out of the back, she knew no one would miss it. No one would even notice it was gone. No one would suspect a thing.

Wordlessly she took a swig of the bottle after opening it and without a second thought made her way up to her room.

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An hour later, the close to empty bottle of alcohol now hidden within the confines of her closet, the distraught, intoxicated girl lay passed out on her bed. Was everything really going to be as good as she had hoped? Or had she already begun to ruin it all?

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