"No, no.. they were supposed to come to California," Marissa spat, frustrated, into the phone as she paced back and forth in the living room. "Yes- Newport Beach, California- not Newport, Oregon-" she corrected the ignorant man on the other end of the line. She knew she had clearly marked the boxes full of her and Aiden's things, but this guy seemed to think otherwise. Like she would really mess up a whole state? Please. "Well when the hell do you think they'll get here? ... TWO WEEKS!" she screeched out as she whiped her body around to make another pace across the floor, just in time to see Aiden walk into the room followed by her mother. Trying her best to resist her urge to bitch this guy out, she bit back her anger and put on a fake polite tone for her sons sake. "Fine.. I'll be patiently awaiting their arrival.."

"What was that about?" Julie spoke up curiously as she watched her daughter click the phone off with much more force than needed before throwing it into the overly sized white couch.

"They sent our stuff to the wrong state," Marissa confirmed before running a shaky hand through her tousled blond hair. It had only been a couple days since they'd arrived and already everything was over whelming. She hadnt even started to begin to find a job or an apartment, and for some reason unknown to her, she felt like she was running out of time. Sure she was trying to get back on her feet and her mother was happy to put her up for way longer than necessary, but she didnt want that. The last thing Marissa wanted was to be dependant on her mom. She was a single mom and she had always been able to fend for her and her son on her own, she wasnt going to stop that now. "It wont be here for two more weeks."

"What?" Aiden asked incredulously as he walked over to his mother, standing so close to her he had to lean his head all the way back to see her face. He pouted out his bottom lip as he started to whine to her, "Mommy, I'm outta clothes.. and my gameboy is in there!"

There was another source of her stress lately. Sure, Marissa had always spent her time tending to Aiden, but he had been acting differently here. Back at home he had actually been semi-independent, while as independent as you could be for four, and out going. Now he was in this strange place and he wanted Marissa there with him all the time to do everything for him, from strapping his velcro shoes on to taking him to the bathroom- two things he had been perfectly capable of before they left Rhode Island. She found this behavior very cute and very endearing, but with all the worrying she'd been doing about getting it together, it was a little too much.

"Its okay baby," Marissa cooed out as she knelt down next to him and ruffled his hair, smiling weakly at his frazzled state. This move wasnt easy on him either. "We'll just have to do some laundry later. Oh- and we should probably go to the grocery store and get some food that you'll actually eat," she said with an accusing smile as she poked his stomach, making him laugh like the pillsbury dough boy.

"Yeah, I want macaroni n cheese," he said with a smile at her. Last nights dinner was a far cry from anything he had ever had- thai. Marissa hadnt really touched the stuff since moving away from here and hadnt passed on the taste for it to him. She was pretty sure he wasnt going to like it when her mother served it up, but she insisted he try it anyway- and he hated it. His reaction though, got a big laugh from his mom who shot milk straight out her nose, making him not be able to stop laughing for over an hour. "Oh and we could get hot dogs, and ramen, and.."

"Please tell me you didnt feed him ramen," Julie spoke up from her quiet spot on the side of the room, a look of disgust on her face. Marissa just rolled her eyes at her before looking back at Aiden.

"Baby, why dont you get your shoes so we can head out?" Marissa offered up to Aiden, to which he just nodded and ran off towards the guest bedroom where all his things lay. She slowly picked herself up off the floor as Julie crossed the room to stand in front of her.

"You know I could take him out for awhile," Julie said softly as she stared into her daughter's tired, worn out eyes.

"No, mom its fine, I can do it.."

"Marissa," Julie started, firmly cuttin her off mid-sentence as she brought a hand up to rest on her shoulder. "Your stressing yourself out too much, running around here like a chicken with its head cut off. Let me take Aiden out for awhile and you can hang out here or go to the beach or go grab lunch." Marissa let out a deep sigh, staring into her mother's eyes and running over her words.

"Fine.." Marissa breathed out reluctantly, making a smile appear on her mother's face. Just then, Aiden ran back in, holding his tiny shoes with spider-man on the side up to her. She took them from him and he moved to the couch and sat on the very edge with his feet dangling freely a few inches above the ground. She got down on the floor and sat pretzel style on the floor in front of him, pushing his feet into his shoes for him. "Aid, if its okay, Grandma's just going to take you out.."

"Huh? No, mommy, you gotta come too.." he pleaded helplessly as his tiny face twisted in confusion.

"Baby its okay, I'll be right here when you get back, I promise," Marissa cooed to him, seeing the fear rise up in his eyes and her heart melted for his sweetness. Aiden was definitely a momma's boy. He went to protest again, but Julie interjected before he got the chance.

"Yeah and after we go grocery shopping and get all of your favorite foods, I could take you to the park for awhile," she slyly offered to him. She knew bribery was the key to getting your way with any four year old- thats how Marisa got her carebear.

Looking between his grandma and mom, Aiden ran the idea over and over in his head, before finally giving in with a reluctant "Fine.." which oddly imitated the one his mom had given her mom not that long before. "Only if you here when we get back.."

"I promise Aid, I'll be right here when you get back."

&&&&&&

Marissa sighed as she leaned against the railing, the breeze blowing freely through her hair as she looked out across the ocean. Ever since she was little, there was always some calming force that over came her when she stared out at the crashing waves and endless blue. Like she was so small, and all her problems were so small as well. Somehow she was still able to feel like this, even with all the bustling people that ran around her on the pier.

Sighing to herself, now with relief instead of stress, she turned around and faced into the ever changing faces of people passing by- not recognizing one of them. Maybe that was a good thing. She'd been here almost 72 hours now and the only person she'd seen that she knew was her mother. If she hadnt been so stressed maybe it would have occured earlier to her as a little strange- Julie Cooper-Nichol avoiding the chance to throw a social event? Or even stranger- not having her best friend, Kirstin, come over and finally meet her grandson? Well, maybe her mother's reluctance would give Marissa a chance to get her new life together before she had to face her old one- maybe not. Either way, it would happen eventually, and there was no way to avoid it.

She gently propelled herself forward off the railing as she started to stroll down the familiar pier she hadnt been to in years. Every where she looked were memories, both good and bad, screaming out at her. Like the bait shop where she had spent much of junior and senior year- laughing and having a great time hanging out with Summer, Seth and Ryan. And the diner where her, Summer, Seth and Ryan had sat together trying to face and get over all the troubles that walked into their lives. Marissa let a sad smile trace across her lips as she absently shook her head to herself. All of the good memories that she had were tied up in three very important people- two of which she hadnt talked to in forever, while the other one was all the way on the other side of the country. Maybe it was time to make new memories in Newport- ones with her and Aiden and her mom. Her family. Her sad smile turned happier at her thoughts as she came across a burrito stand that sat near the end of the pier, the smells from it initiating a pang of hunger in her stomach.

Digging into her pocket, she pulled out a crumple five dollar bill and quickly moved into the growing line of customers. Patiently waiting for her turn to order, she twiddled with her hair absently between her thumb and forefinger, drifting off into thought. She drifted off too far though, and before she knew it, the cashier was calling out for the next person again and again. Realizing it was her that was next, Marissa flushed light pink as she moved forward to order, just as the man behind her got frustrated and moved up to order as well.

"Chicken burrito," they both ordered at the same time. The cashier rolled her eyes as she rung up one order, and both Marissa and the man dashed their hands forward to see who could pay first. When his twenty made it into her palm, Marissa bit her lip, slightly annoyed, as she turned to give him a classic glare. The glare, however, didnt even get a chance when she caught sight of who was standing next to her.

"Seth!"

He turned to look at her, his face turning from one of annoyance to one of shock and awe, almost mirror imaging her own.

"Marissa?"