Chapter 9: The Confrontation
"Cohen, where the hell are you?" Summer was pacing the plush carpeted floors of her hotel room and paused for a moment in the mirror to look at herself. Her petite foot tapped lightly on the pale green floor as she used one hand to hold her cell phone to her ear, and the other to smooth out her dark russet brown hair. His phone just rang, and rang, or rather sang the latest Death Cab song to her before going to voice mail yet again. She had been alone for hours, and her patience was waning more than she'd like to admit. It had been practically all night and she hadn't spoken with anyone. Marcello was out with Marissa, and she hadn't heard from him in over three hours. This was driving her completely bonkers. The last time she had gotten a hold of him for only a brief moment, he and Marissa had talked about a number of things, but he couldn't really get into specifics. Most importantly, Marissa still wasn't ready to see Summer. For some reason she was opening up to Marcello like he was her long best friend. And although she was a little jealous, Summer couldn't blame her. He was a good guy, and easy to talk to. But the problem was, she wanted to be there with her, telling her the truth, getting her best friend back. She was impatient. And yet she knew that if Marissa needed time, then she had to give it to her. She couldn't imagine how lost and confused she must feel, and so Summer had to try her best to just wait. But what better way was there to pass the time than to call Seth and take her frustrations out on him? Problem was Seth wasn't answering his phone.
"Grrr Seth, if I find out your scrawny ass is watching Anime with Captain Oats instead of answering your phone, I'm going to smother you." She flipped her phone shut and thought a moment. After a few seconds of silence she flipped her phone back open and dialed a new number. Plopping down on the edge of the bed, she waited again to a familiar ring.
"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Marcello stood next to the tall and slender blonde outside of his boss' house. He turned his gaze towards her with a look of compassion. "I mean this is a lot to take in for just one day. We've been up all night, and I know you must be tired both physically and mentally. If you'd rather wait til tomorrow, I'm sure that Summer with unde…"
"No, I need to do this." She interrupted before he could finish his thought. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" Marissa was a bit disheveled, but forced half a smile before turning serious again. Her normally gorgeous blue-green eyes were a bit blood shot from all the crying she had done the night before. Her cheeks were streaked with mascara and her clothes were rumpled. They had spent all night talking about what Marissa had gone through during her time in Italy: the confusion, the heart ache, the frustration. She explained to him she didn't remember three years of her life, and in return he gave her all the information he could about how Summer had been trying to find her and her theories on Julie keeping her from those who loved her in Newport. He stayed away from any stories of Ryan, because frankly there was so much more for him to know, and he definitely didn't want to mix anything up. She was confused enough as it was. So of course he told her that he didn't know all the details, which only left Marissa wanting to know more. But there was something about talking to someone not directly involved that just helped a lot. It had been a long night, and she was tired, but not too exhausted to face her mother. She was so furious at her, and the thought of confronting her only gave her the strength she needed.
Marcello couldn't help but beam. The last fifteen hours had proven to be quite interesting. It had been a long time since he had stayed up all night and chatted with a beautiful woman. They had covered a lot of ground; and yet there was still so much more to deal with. But in that time, he had seen a change in Marissa, even if it was just in the span of one night. Spending that time with her, he realized why Summer loved her so much. It was an exhausting night, but one he wouldn't change for anything. It was amazing to see her gain the confidence she needed to confront her mother. And so he just nodded softly to her, and let her proceed without further discussion.
Marissa took a deep breath, she pondered for a moment, ringing the doorbell, but the fiery ferocity inside of her told her that she didn't have enough patience. Instead, she reached up to turn the door knob and shoved the entrance open. "Mom!" She called out instantly in a demanding tone and looked around for her.
Marcello fell in behind her as Marissa made her way through the house with determination. He wasn't sure what was going to come out of this little altercation, but he was proud of Marissa nonetheless. He knew from what Summer had told him, that Julie wasn't going to admit to anything. But if doing this gave Marissa the vigor she needed to go and see Summer, he was all for it.
"Julie!" Marissa screamed again. She wasn't in the mood to wait for her, she had waited around for three years for answers, and knowing all along that her mother had some of them, she surely wasn't going to hold off any longer.
"Maybe she and Joseppi are out by the…"
"Pool." Marissa finished his sentence, and stormed off towards the back entrance of the house.
Once again, Marcello followed in tow behind Marissa and on through Joseppi's ostentatious residence, down the hall and out the back through the gorgeous French double doors. The large villa was absolutely gorgeous and unique, unlike the McMansion's the Cooper girls were used to in Newport. The ancient looking stone walk way led around the house and to the marble in-ground pool. Flowing into the pool were triple marble fountains shaped as Roman gods, keeping in the traditional Italian style, causing the water to always be rippling and giving it the effect of something in nature rather than man made. Marcello had never seen it before, and if he wasn't there on a mission, he would definitely take a moment to be quite impressed.
As soon as they rounded the corner the couple came into view. Julie, wearing without flaw, an off white string bikini with a matching wrap, was lounging in a lawn chair, martini in hand while Joseppi did laps in the crystal blue pool. Marissa started walking towards them when Julie finally noticed that they were there.
"Marissa honey, oh my god, you are ok." She quickly got out of the chair and stood to greet her daughter. Although, Julie was dressed to kill and appeared to be calm and collected, as she came closer to Marissa you could see the look of anxiety in her eyes. "I have been worried sick about you, I called your cell at least a dozen times but you didn't answer, I thought you had run away… I…"
"You look real concerned mother." Marissa hissed, noting silently that her mom was lounging by the pool and not out looking for her as she suggested.
Julie immediately fell hushed, guilt written upon her pale face. She began speaking again, but this time a bit more meekly, "I went looking for you, and I called Bray and your doctor, and Joseppi called some of his friends. After a few hours Joseppi suggested that we ju…"
"I don't want to hear it." Marissa stated flatly and placed one hand on her hip. She didn't want to hear her mother's excuses. She knew they would be fabricated and completely lame. And she just didn't care. "I'm not here to listen to your excuses, I'm here to…"
"Marissa, thank god." Another familiar voice came out of the villa, shutting his cell phone at the same time. "Your mother and I have been worried sick about you." Bray reached out to embrace his girlfriend, but Marissa stood still. He hesitated for a moment, but then engulfed her into his long arms and held her tight. Marissa accepted the hug, but remained motionless underneath it.
"Bray, this has nothing to do with you. " She said into his chest. Inside she was confused and scared, but her tone stayed determined and strong. She had no reason to be angry with Bray, but the fact that he was there with her mother made him guilty by association. She was so full of fury, and planned on taking it out on anyone she could.
Once she spoke these words Bray surrendered and pulled away from her. He looked down into her tired eyes and shook his head. "You look exhausted, I know that you've been through a great deal. As soon as your mother told me who you ran into I…"
Marissa blinked for a moment. Really what did he know about Summer? What had her mother told him, and why did he seem so concerned? She stared into his eyes a bit more, trying to search his soul for answers. But just like always she came up unfulfilled.
"Finding Bella is the best thing that could have happened to her!" Marcello spoke up for his new friends. He had a strong need to defend his new Summer especially, and found himself become more overprotective than he thought possible. They were kindred souls after all, and after only a short time he felt extremely close to Summer and the situation. "You need to let her talk." Now that Bray was involved, he knew it wouldn't be as easy for Marissa to just speak up for herself. And he needed to let her know, that she wasn't alone; he was in her corner.
By this time Joseppi had gotten out of the water and was drying his hair off as he approached the group. "What are you doing here Marcello?" He wondered why one of his servers was at his home. Back in the day when he was a bachelor, he would have parties all the time, and invite most of the staff. But Julie had put an end to them being a part of the festivities a long time ago. Most of the staff hadn't seen his new house, and most considered him not as good to work for either.
Marcello looked to his boss and was unsure of what exactly to say. If he got involved in all this, he risked losing his job. But right now, this was more important. Besides lets face it, he already was involved. He took a step closer to Marissa and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm with Marissa."
Joseppi opened his mouth to speak but Julie waved him off with her hand. He obeyed her silent wishes to be hushed and let Julie intervene.
"Marissa, honey, Bray and I understand that…"
"That for the last three years you have done nothing but lie to me!?" Marissa practically screamed. She knew that if she let her mom speak, she wouldn't be able to get out exactly how she felt. "Why did you keep me away from her mother? She was my best friend!"
Suddenly the crowd fell silent. Marissa's outrage left them speechless. Julie didn't know her daughter had it in her, and visions of what their relationship was like back in Newport came back to her. She tried to search for the right words, but all that came out were a few stammers. The men stood around the two females and waited for someone's next move.
"She could have helped me remember mother, she could have been the key to helping me get better!" Marissa could feel the tears start to swell up once more. She had no idea just how much her mother had lied to her. She knew now that there was probably no Koby, but what else had her mother made up about her last three years of high school? Marissa wanted to know, and she demanded to know now.
"Marissa, it was for your own good." Julie started, sounding as if she were trying to convince herself as well as Marissa. "Summer hasn't talked to your doctors, she could have done more damage if I let her see you." She paused and looked, but Marissa remained quiet, waiting for more of an explanation. Julie hesitated more, but fortunately for her, came up with something more to say. "Honey, I love you, you know that I would do anything for you… I was just doing what the professionals told me to do. I wanted you to get better… I…" She prayed for another interruption. Julie was searching for what to say now. She glared at Marcello, knowing he had a lot to do with this. Suddenly her anger shifted. "You!" She pointed a finger at him and glared at him with eyes of fire. "Don't believe a word he says Marissa, he doesn't know your past, he doesn't know what's best for you."
Marissa looked to Marcello and shook her head. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but there was no need, Marissa did it for him. "He has done more for me in one night then you have in three years." She screamed at her. "At least he listens to me."
Julie's pale face started to redden; she couldn't possibly mean that. She had given up her entire life just to make a better one for Marissa. If she only knew what she had sacrificed to bring here there: Neil, Jimmy and Kaitlin, having the Cohen's as friends, her place as a Newport Socialite... the list went on and on. "Marissa, if you'll just sit down and talk with me about this, I am sure I can help you to understand." She reached out for her daughter but Marissa snapped back.
"I'm done trying to understand you Mother." She began, the more she talked to her, the more courage she got. "You've kept me from my friends for three years, and it's been long enough."
This time Bray tried to interject, he stepped closer to the Cooper duo and took a deep breath. "Marissa she hasn't kept you from anything important, your doctor's said that keeping you from Newport and your old life would help you to concentrate on your future instead of dwelling on your past."
Marissa turned her attention to Bray. She didn't understand why she felt like he wasn't on her side. Didn't he understand how much it meant to her to know her past? She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Not important? She shook her head again. "Neither of you understand." She looked from him to her mother. She didn't think that it was possible to cry again, but she could feel the tears start to swell once more. She couldn't do it though, she couldn't cry in front of them.
Marcello saw her starting to get emotional, and took a step forward to wrap his arm around her shoulder. "If you want to go, we can just leave." He whispered to her, but not so quiet that Julie didn't hear. "Summer is waiting for us at the hotel…"
"No she can't just leave, she is MY daughter, and I know what is best for her." Julie looked to the two of them, and could feel her life start to crumble… she couldn't let that happen. "Marissa, this is a huge issue, and Dr. Matassa said he would schedule an additional session this week to help you work through it."
Marissa shook her head and backed away. "No. No more doctors." She moved away from Marcello's grasp and put her hands up to avoid anyone coming closer to her. Marissa had had enough doctors poke at her and her brain the last three years. They tried to psychoanalyze her, council her, and even tried to medicate her. But obviously they hadn't helped her much at all. So the last thing that she wanted was to see another doctor. It made her ill to think about spilling her guts again only to have them say, 'the best thing to do is focus on your future.'
Marcello let her go and watched as she continued to back away. He wasn't sure what to do, so he just stood there. Bray tried to push past Julie to grab a hold of Marissa, and this was Marcello's chance to stand in the way. "Look, just let her go." He instructed him, and put his hand on his chest to try to push him back.
Bray looked down to him and raised a brow. They weren't far off in height, but Bray was definitely broader than Marcello and could easily take him physically. He stood his ground and looked up to see Marissa turn around and start walking away.
"Marissa, wait." Julie walked by the two boys and towards her daughter. She grabbed a hold of Marissa's arm and spun her around.
"No mother, I'm leaving… I'm going to talk with her, and find out the truth." Her voice was now a bit shaky, but she knew what she had to do.
As soon as Marissa turned her gaze away from them, Bray had shoved Marcello out of the way, causing him to fall backwards. It seemed to have all happened in extremely slow motion. He was on the edge of the pool and tried desperately to stay balanced so to not to fall backwards into the cool liquid. "Marssia!" He shouted, but the more he tried, the more his arms flew all over. The look on his face was priceless, it was just too bad no one had seen it. Just as he thought he had saved himself, he found himself losing completely control and fell back into the blue liquid. But not even the big splash into the pool had caused much of a stir with the others. Only Marissa hesitated in her movements.
"Let me go with you." Bray insisted and came around to face Marissa as well.
Marissa tried to pull away from her mother's grasp, but her grip was too strong. "Let me go Mom, you can't stop this." She looked back to Marcello and saw him overwhelmed with trying to get out of the pool At the same time, she struggled for a bit to get away from her mother It wasn't until Bray pulled Julie away and Marcello found his way out of the pool that Marissa finally got free. Marissa looked up and met his eyes, a single tear falling down her already reddened face. With her eyes she told him 'thank you' but then shook her head and continued on.
At this time Marcello had regained his composure and ran past Julie and Bray. "See you later," he said in triumph. He was so proud of Marissa, and couldn't wait for her to finally come with him to see Summer. He just hoped that after all this emotion, frustration and pain, what was to come would be something positive for her.
"Marissa!" Julie called out, but Bray held her back. "Julie stop." Joseppi came up behind them, and the three watched as Marcello and Marissa disappeared from their view.
"She can't go speak with her… if she does it'll be ruined! Everything will just be ruined" Julie told them with a panic stricken voice. If they looked close enough, they might just see a tear forming in her eye. Julie tried once more to go after her, but this time Joseppi held on to her as well.
"Let her go Jules, let her go."
Bray looked to Julie, terror filled his own eyes. If Marissa found out too much of her past, would she leave him? He reached up and scratched the back of his head. "Don't worry. " He spoke, trying to assure himself as much as he was Julie. He gave Julie a reassuring nod anyway and finished, "She'll be back, and she'll listen to me."
"Seth, are you sure that this is the right place?" Ryan looked around his scenery and tried to take it all in. It was so much different from Newport that was for sure. As a matter of fact, it was unlike any other place he had ever been. This of course, said little, considering Ryan had not traveled all that much. It was just so breathtaking, just like all the pictures he had seen in his history of architecture text books. A smile fell across his well defined face. As much as he despised the fact that Julie had hidden Marissa from him all these years, he definitely didn't blame her for her choice in geography.
Ryan and Seth had phoned Summer as soon as they landed. After some 'stealth investigation,' Seth found out where Marissa was living. But Ryan had yet to be convinced that this was the right place or not. It had been a scary journey from Rome to this small town. Streets were narrow, and it seemed they were going in circles. All wineries and churches were beginning to look the same and watching Seth drive the incredibly too small car, with his Jew Fro rubbing against the ceiling was at least amusing.
"Have faith in me buddy, just a little bit of faith." Seth patted Ryan on the shoulder and smiled. "You'll see your lady love soon enough."
Ryan glared at Seth and shook his head. He decided to just let this one slide. If there was something he had learned in the last six years of being a pseudo-Cohen, it was that sometimes you just had to let Seth talk and ignore his ridiculous comments. It was no use really, because no matter what Ryan said in his own defense, once Seth had something in his mind it was impossible to change it. Marissa was not and hadn't been in a long time his 'lady of anything'. He was there because he wanted to help her, not because he wanted to swipe her off her feet and try to bring her home. At least that is what he kept trying to tell himself. His brain was definitely clouded. Things seemed blurred and he had no idea what was going to happen once he set eyes on the one girl that had changed his life. He just hoped that all the emotions he was battling with would stay in check. The last thing he wanted was to become the old Ryan Atwood he had tried so hard to keep buried.
"Let's just go around back and find Summer." Ryan suggested to Seth and took a step on the stone sidewalk that seemed to lead around the house. He wasn't sure why, he just had a gut feeling that this was the way he needed to go.
Seth smiled and nodded. "Good plan Atwood, good plan." He watched as his brother took off, and fell in line with him.
As soon as the brotherly duo stepped off towards the back, it seemed as if the scenery had suddenly changed. The sun was setting, leaving a soft red glow around the trees and other contiguous structures, and the surroundings around Ryan were becoming slightly a blur. His focus was on just one thought: seeing her for the first time in three years. What would she look like? Would she smell the same? Most importantly, would she be receptive to him? Even Seth's ramblings were drowned out by the sound of Ryan's heart practically beating out of his chest. He was beyond nervous, that was for sure. And he really had no idea what to expect.
Rounding the corner, Ryan took a deep breath. Visions of the Marissa he once knew assaulted his brain. Her long, slender legs that went on for days, led up to the most amazing body he had every seen. It was thin and yet still contained the most beautiful curves. He had dated girls with nice bodies before, ones that weren't normally that lean, but for some reason her body suited Marissa perfectly. Her gorgeous wavy blonde locks, curled around her angelic face perfectly, framing the most gorgeous eyes and beautiful smile. He loved getting lost in those eyes. It had been years, but he still remembered the sparkle in them. And his favorite part was those freckles. He knew every single one of them. He was on overload, and before he knew it, he found himself walking at a much faster pace. Yes he was anxious, but his excitement took over his soul as he thought of what it would be like to connect gazes with those gorgeous green-blue eyes of hers once more.
He stepped into the back yard, practically in a full on run now. Seth was long forgotten. He wasn't sure what to expect, but right now he didn't care. He just needed to see her. As soon as he reached the middle of the back yard he looked around. He turned to his left and stopped dead in his tracks. It was her… it was his Marissa. He only saw her back, but he recognized that frame and the way it stood there, the gorgeous golden hair and the way that it flowed down her back, and just her presence from anywhere. He hadn't realized just how much he longed for this moment until now.
Everything else seemed to fade from his view. Marissa was his focus, and he couldn't wait to see the rest of her, hear her voice, and hold her in his arms. She was too far away for him to speak and be audible, so he took a few more steps forward. The smile on his face was similar to that of a little boy on his birthday. But the closer he grew to her, he realized that she wasn't alone. Suddenly a pair or strong hands snaked around the small of her back, and Ryan stopped immediately in his step, his smile immediately vanishing from his face.
He wasn't expecting this, that was for sure. He felt like he was being a bit intruding and meddlesome as he watched Marissa lean forward and meet her luscious lips with the stranger's own. He shouldn't be watching this, he told himself, it was none of his business. But just like an onlooker during a horrific car accident, it was impossible not to scrutinize. He stood there just staring as Marissa pulled back slightly and giggled. The same giggle she used to get when Ryan would kiss her or tease her. Immediately he could feel his heart begin to break. The couple was obviously very into each other, and Ryan began to feel sick to his stomach. He had pondered this happening before. He couldn't expect Marissa to still be single and waiting for him to come and save her after all this time. He wasn't even sure what she remembered of him. But seeing it for real was completely different. And of course there was Isabella, but right now he honestly wasn't thinking of that. His selfish emotions were taking over, and he was fighting desperately to not go and tear her away from whoever this guy was.
He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, still completely unaware of anything else going on around him. He suddenly felt like he really shouldn't be there. Like coming to Italy was a huge mistake. He considered just turning around and getting back on a plane and pretending as if none of this ever happened. He wished for his feet to just pick up and go, but they seemed to be cemented there. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't walk away. Instead, he shut his eyes, he couldn't watch this anymore. But even with his eyes closed he could still see the way the guy ran his hands all down her back. He shook his head, trying to get the images out of his head. But the more he hoped, the more vivid they became.
Ryan looked again, the setting around him was suddenly dark, with only small lights illuminating his vision. But there seemed to be a spot light on the couple in front of him. They turned just right and Ryan could now see the silhouette of the guy man-handling Marissa. He had a buzzed head, and strong arms, and Ryan could feel his stomach churn again. He looked around for an escape, but although he was in an open yard, there seemed to be no where to hide. As he brought his attention back to them, they finally pulled away. As Marissa leaned to the right she revealed the face of the man behind her.
Ryan blinked and shook his head. It couldn't be him. He shook his head and looked again. Now his breathing had come to a halt as well, hoping that what he saw was just an oversight. But as he looked this time there was no mistaking who it was. He felt his hand ball up into a fist and he spoke just one word, and one word only. "Volchok." But the couple didn't hear him at all, his voice must have been too soft. Instead of turning to see Ryan finally coming towards them, Kevin Volchok grabbed a hold of Marissa by her hips and pulled her body into his with a thrust of his own pelvis. Their lips crashed together again and Ryan was forced to watch as he ran his hands all down her body, and their tongues danced playfully with each other. It was a kiss full of passion and desire, and Ryan knew that he could no longer hold back.
"Get away from her!" He demanded and pulled a shocked and bewildered Marissa away from someone Ryan felt nothing but pure hated for. It felt good to finally act on something he should have acted on years ago. Before he knew what was going on, they were struggling together on the ground, wrestling and tumbling until finally Ryan was on top of him, and all his pent of frustration for the past three years was coming out. He could feel his fist punch against the face of his nemesis harder than he had ever punched before, but sensed no pain of his own. Ryan grunted as he used all of his body weight and strength to hurt him… no to kill him, because that is what he truly wanted to do. Ryan had never felt so much anger in his entire life. The closest thing to it was Trey, but this surpassed those feelings by far.
Punch. He hit him again and again, but it seemed no matter how many times he struck him, the smile on Volchok's face didn't fade away. This only made Ryan more fueled. Blood was literally flying from his face, or maybe it was Ryan's fists, it was hard to tell at this point. But the more he hit him, the louder his laugh grew.
"Ryan… Ryan." A voice was telling him to stop, but he didn't listen. At first he wasn't sure who's voice it was, but the more he pleaded, he knew it was coming from Seth. "Ryan, you are embarrassing me!" Seth pleaded, but Ryan continued to pummel him.
He blinked his eyes, and the voice got louder… He didn't know what happened, perhaps he was becoming delusional and just hit anything in sight, because now it was no longer Volchok underneath Ryan, but a very scared and frantic looking Seth. He was struggling and wailing his arms all around, and just as Ryan was about to take another swing he stopped and blinked. "Seth?"
"Yeah, Ryan wake up buddy! You are having a nightmare, and freaking everyone out." Ryan's eyes fluttered open, to see Seth trying to hold Ryan down in his seat. He looked around silently and instead of seeing the yard, Marissa or Volchok, he saw a dozen or so eyes staring at him. Soon he realized that he was still on the plane, and had fallen asleep. He was dreaming…. No he was having a horrible nightmare. He reached up to wipe his forehead and could feel the sweat falling from it freely.
"Seth, where are we?" Ryan asked, completely confused. The dream had been so vivid, he could have sworn it was real. He tried to avoid all the stares coming from the seats surrounding him. He looked to Seth, and Seth actually looked kind of scared.
"Dude, you were tossing and turning, and swinging, I thought you were having a seizure or something." Seth started to mimic what he looked like and Ryan's face grew even redder than it already was.
"Stop it Seth, I get the point." He used his hand to stop one of Seth's own from hitting him. "I… I must have been dreaming." He admitted in a whisper, completely embarrassed by what had just happened. He had lost complete control, and was scared of if that had really happened. But the more the thought about it, there was no way Volchok could be in Italy, he had turned himself in and was locked away in jail. Still it was so completely lucid, that it was hard not to believe that it was reality. He shook his head.
"I'd say. I thought you were going to kill me." Seth tried to straighteb his clothes, he too was a bit disheveled by trying to calm Ryan down. "What were you dreaming about anyway?"
"Nothing." Ryan answered too quickly and shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."
Seth looked to him and raised a brow. Ryan had to know that he wasn't going to just settle for that. Since when did Seth not probe and probe until he got what he wanted to find out. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could Ryan spoke, "Drop it Seth."
Seth made a face and shook his head. "You have no idea what I was just going to say." He protested. And although it was obvious to both parties where the conversation was about to go, Seth had to act like Ryan was wrong. "I was just going to say, look we are descending, we are almost in Rome!"
Ryan turned his attention to the window and looked as the plane moved in and out of afternoon clouds. Every once in awhile he would be able to catch glimpses of the land beneath them. Suddenly his stomach muscles tightened. This was it, he was going to see her.
"Are you ready?" Seth asked Ryan as he continued to look out the window.
Ryan wasn't sure what to say. "I don't know," he admitted.
Before they knew it, the plane had landed and they were anxiously waiting their turn to get their carry on luggage and exit the plane. By the time it took them to actually land the plane and get out, Ryan had time to regain his composure, and was already starting to feel excited again. He really didn't know what to expect when he finally saw her, but he was eager nonetheless. He knew in his head that what he saw in his dream couldn't possibly be real, but he was having a hard time truly convincing himself of this. The precision of his visions and the way he felt when he say them had truly shook him up.
He was silent as he and Seth made their way down the ramp and through the airport. He looked around, taking in all the surroundings. It wasn't that different than any other airport he had been in, except for the fact that the signs were in a foreign language. Seth was busily checking his voice mail messages and walking and talking as if he were actually talking to someone live on the other end of the phone.
"Summer, I would never ignore you sweetykins." He smiled and just before they turned to find the baggage claim, he stopped dead in his tracks once more. "Oh no."
Ryan was annoyed, and Seth's delay in movement only agitated him more. He wanted to just get there already. "What is it Seth?" He asked and turned to watch his lanky friend with his mouth open and cell glued to his ear.
"That was Summer," he informed him. "All seven times." He made a face and flipped his cell phone shut. "She called my mom."
This had finally caught Ryan's attention, and his blue eyes grew wide. "Does she know we are here?"
"You're damn straight I know!" Summer seemed to have appeared out of no where like the invisible woman. She stood up behind Seth and swatted him hard with the front side of her hand. "Cohen, you idiot, what are you doing here?"
Ryan had a hard time holding in his laughter as he watched a very angry Summer start to rage black out on her boyfriend. Ryan was so enthralled by the scene before him that he hadn't even noticed that Summer wasn't alone.
"Summer, the love of my life, the woman who will one day bare my children, if you'd just let me explain…" Seth tried to talk his way out of it between hits, kicks and yells. But there was no use, Summer was beyond mad at Seth for even attempting to meddle with her 'perfect plan', and she was bound to let him know just how mad with the her fists.
"What if you came and you ruined things for us?!" She screamed and swatted him again. They were causing quite a scene in the middle of the airport, and Italians, Americans and all other foreigners alike were laughing and pointing.
Ryan shook his head, and was about to step in to say something when suddenly Summer turned on him with eyes of fury. Her normally brown eyes were glazed over in fire red, and Ryan for a moment had to admit that he was pretty scared. "Summer, Seth and I just wanted to…"
"Wanted to ruin everything!" Summer screamed, her aggression not even close to dying down. Ryan blinked, completely unsure of how to react to her anger. He suddenly grew irritated himself. He knew that Summer was Marissa's best friend, but didn't she understand what this meant to him, what SHE meant to him?
"That's not it at all." Ryan tried to remain calm. He had never hit a girl before, but for a moment he almost felt like he could if Summer kept this up. Seth was in the background practically whimpering, and Ryan opened his mouth to speak again…
"She is here Ryan…" Summer spoke softly, the rage from her eyes dying down slightly.
Ryan blinked. What did she mean that she was there? Surely she didn't mean… He turned around to where Summer's gaze had directed him, and he froze. There she was. Her head was down, unwilling to meet his stare, but he would recognize that body anywhere. It was gorgeous, just the way he had remembered it. Every curve was so perfect, she hadn't changed a bit. Ryan smiled and took a step forward. He hesitated for a moment, and then spoke one word and one word only: "Marissa."
Just as he took another step forward, Marissa looked up and met Ryan's eyes. But when Ryan could finally see her face, he was shocked by what was before him. It wasn't the same angelic face he had once remembered. Her eyes were still the same green-blue they always were, but they seemed unfocused and lost. His eyes moved past her orbs and immediately fell upon the large scar that ran from the upper right side of her forehead and down, diagonally across her face, leaving her disfigured for life. Ryan stopped, and continued to stare. Was this really her? He spoke again, but this time in question, "Marissa?"
Marissa stood her ground, her face completely void of any emotion. It seemed she was a mirage in front of him instead of a live being. Summer's rants and Seth's whimpers could vaguely be heard in the background, but Ryan's pure focus was on her. He took another stop forward, and could feel the tears welling up behind his eyes. She was scarred, she was truly scarred. Ryan couldn't believe his eyes, she looked so hurt, and it ripped him apart inside. He continued to look over the rest of her face, and now noticed other white marks from where her face once bled. Where did they come from? He didn't remember them from the accident, but maybe he hadn't noticed, maybe he was too distracted. The lesions upon her face, he knew were merely a small visible fraction of the physical side of her pain. He knew that inside it had to be much worse. Why had he let her alone for so long? What had he done?
There were no other words to he could think of to say. Ryan didn't know what to do, and so he went with his initial gut reaction. His hand slowly reached up to touch the side of her milky face. He had wanted to touch her and comfort her for so long. But before the skin to skin contact could be made, Marissa jumped back with a gasp. "Who are you?" She demanded to know.
Ryan looked at her, completely flabbergasted. But she had remembered Summer, why didn't she know who he was? He blinked and shook his head. "Marissa, I'm Ryan."
Marissa shook her head and opened her mouth. But the only thing that came out of it was a laugh so unlike her own, Ryan couldn't believe that it had actually come from her. "Marissa, it's me, didn't Summer tell you?"
There was more laughter, and Ryan looked around quickly. It didn't sound like her voice at all. But when he looked around the airport was now completely empty. He started to panic, if he could only get Summer to explain, and yet Summer was no where to be found. Ryan looked to Marissa, and tears started to run down her face. But unlike clear tears that normally came from a human's eyes, Marissa seemed to be crying … blood. Ryan could feel his heart start to race. He reached out for her again, but she seemed to be too far from him to reach.
Marissa continued to laugh, and mock him with a roll of the eyes. She went from crying to laughing, and Ryan didn't understand what was going on. Suddenly she spoke again, "We've landed buddy, it's time to get up."
Ryan shook his head. "What?!" It didn't make sense at all, and he was confused beyond belief. "Marissa, you are bleeding, I need to go get help." Instead of responding this time, Marissa simply shook her head. "Marissa." He spoke again, but he still couldn't reach her, no matter how hard he tried she was still too far away.
Ryan fell to the ground on his hands and knees. He was exhausted and shaking, he just needed to get to her, but he couldn't. "Marissa!"
"Ryan get up, the hot flight attendant is going to think you have gone mad." The words came from Marissa's mouth, but he definitely recognized the voice now. It was Seth's. Suddenly his eyes fluttered open and Seth was hovering over him trying to wake him up again.
"Finally! You've been sleeping the entire trip. Do you know how many of those second rate movie's I had to sit through by myself? I mean they are ones that have already been in the theatre. If I would have wanted to see them already I would have. Moses only knows how bored I've been lately. I have definitely had time for lots of Seth/Movie time…"
"Seth!" Ryan interrupted and looked around. The plane had in fact landed, and almost everyone had gathered up their luggage and were exiting into the airport. Was this real this time? Or was his mind still playing tricks on him? He had a dream about having a dream. He was so confused. He squinted his eyes, causing a few creases to crinkle in his forehead. "Is this real? Are we in Rome?"
This finally shut Seth up and he laughed a bit uncomfortably. "How many sleeping pills did you take man? I know you are scared of heights and all, but didn't you read the back of the bottle? You have to be careful with how many you take. One time when Summer was going through finals and I had a deadline for Atomic Comic I couldn't meet the doctor prescribed these… OUCH!" Seth screamed when Ryan pushed him out of the seat and into the aisle. "My legs are still asleep, you have to give them a few minutes to wake up after such a long journey. " He complained after he almost fell on his face, and stumbled to regain his composure.
This was real, Ryan was sure of it. Seth's rambles were too real to be just a dream. He reached up to pull his and Seth's carry on luggage out of the over head compartment and spoke to Seth. "Let's go Seth." He began walking down the aisle, carrying both bags and paused before he reached the doorway. "Check your voicemail."
Seth ran to catch up to Ryan. He really had no idea what was going on, but without thinking he nodded and did as he instructed. "Right, I'm sure Mom left us instructions on which hotel she booked for us…" he continued to ramble as he turned on his phone and started listening to all the angry voice mails he got from Summer.
The boys continued to walk down the long passageway and into the busy Roman airport. Seth laughed a bit, trying to hold back his fear and trying not to let Ryan know. "Whoa, she is really mad."
"Who's mad?" Ryan asked, but some how he already knew the answer to his own question. His dream was coming real… almost.
"Summer." He said and flipped his phone shut. "I guess she got a hold of…"
"Kirsten?" Ryan answered for him and got on the escalator down towards the baggage claim.
"No, Isabella." Seth made a slight face, thinking that Ryan would definitely freak out once he heard that Isabella had told Summer they were coming. They both were quiet for a few seconds, letting it sink in what was going on. But to his surprise, Ryan remained calm and just nodded. Seth paused a bit, not positive on if he should continue or not.
"It's ok." Ryan half lied. He was still getting used to the idea that Isabella knew about just about everything. He took a deep breath and asked his question. "Is Summer going to meet us here?" They stepped off the escalator and began looking at the different belts figuring out where their luggage would disperse from.
"I should have just left your sorry asses to find your own way around like I had to." Just like his dream, Summer had appeared out of no where.
"How does she do that?" Ryan turned to Seth with a puzzled look.
"My woman is full of tricks." Seth smiled and turned to embrace his girlfriend. "I've missed you sooo much Summer-poo." The two brunettes embraced one another and pulled back and began making kissy faces.
Ryan made a face and shook his head. That truly was disgusting. He used this as a cue to start looking around to make sure that Summer was alone. He was nervous, what if his dream, either of his dreams were real?
"I missed you too, ass." Summer kissed him, but then pulled away and swatted him hard upside the head. "I told you to stay home!" She hit him again. It was amazing how she could go from full on affection to complete anger. Then again, maybe with Summer it was one in the same. Ryan laughed and Seth barked out another 'ow!' The two began to bicker just like they hadn't been apart for weeks and Ryan continued to look around.
"You could have ruined the plan," Summer continued. "What if you would have come, and I didn't know it, and we were having a break through with Marissa?"
Seth remained silent, unsure of what to say, he hadn't thought that far in advance. His main concern was getting Ryan on the plane. Then he spent the last twelve hours watching mind numbing movies and playing his PSP.
"So she isn't with you?" Ryan asked, continuing to look around, and then seeing their luggage almost go by them. He quickly snagged both bags up and looked back to Summer to see her reaction.
She took a deep breath and sighed. "No, I haven't seen her in hours, she's with Marcello." Seth opened his mouth to speak but Summer continued before he could get a word in edgewise. "It's been a long night for everyone." She looked to Seth and rolled her eyes when she saw him nodding his head. "Unlike some of us, I haven't been playing video games on the plane for the last twelve hours." She called Seth on his excuses before he could even speak them. I've been up all night waiting to hear from her. I'm sure it will happen soon, but when Isabella told me you were coming, I had to come get you to make sure you didn't ruin anything." She took a moment just to catch her breath and finished. "We haven't gotten the chance to talk yet, but she knows I'm here… I'll catch you up on the drive to the hotel." Summer reached out to help Ryan with the luggage, shoving her purse to Seth to hold as they began walking.
"How much does she remember?" Ryan inquired, dying to know more about the situation.
"I don't know exactly, but we'll find out soon enough."
Marcello and Marissa were walking up the entrance way to Summer's hotel and he could not stop raving about the way Marissa stood up to her mother. "If only Bella could have seen you Marissa, she would have been so proud."
Marcello was still damp from his fall in the pool, and Marissa hadn't straightened herself out at all, so as they walked into the ritzy hotel heads definitely turned to look at them. But Marissa was oblivious to the world and all the attention they were receiving. The easy part was over. Standing up to her mother seemed almost natural to her, and not quite as hard as she thought it would be. But now she knew she had to talk to Summer, and she just wasn't sure she was prepared to hear all of the truth yet. It was one thing to know she had been fed lies all this time, it was another to actually find out which ones were.
"I just hope I didn't get you in trouble with Joseppi." Marissa began as they entered the lift to go to Summer's room. Marissa's heart was beating fast, she was excited and extremely nervous with what was next to come.
"Eh whatev." Marcello smiled at the American lingo he had picked up from the show the Valley. "I'm too good of a server for him to fire me." He pressed the '7' button and the doors closed. "There would surely be an outrage if he tried." He smiled, suddenly incredibly confident in his role in things.
Marissa just smiled. Marcello's enthusiasm was pretty contagious, but she was still very apprehensive about talking with Summer. She knew she wanted to do it; she had to do it. She was just scared and overwhelmed. She had a grand mixture of emotions. She felt liberated and free after standing up to her mother. But things were still so uncertain that she just felt anxious.
"Do you think that Summer will be here?" Marissa asked as the doors opened and they stepped out onto the floor.
"Are you kidding? She has been calling me non-stop! She has been dying to see you and actually talk with you." Marcello quickly moved down the hall and got out the key from his soaked wallet that Summer had gotten for him a few days ago. He made a face and shook his head. "I hope this still works." He slid the key down the slot provided to unlock the door and held his breath.
Marissa waited and looked up and down the hall, feeling as if they were doing something wrong. Was she really ready for this? 'Yes' she told herself; she couldn't wait. Finally after a few tries the little light on the door went from red to green and Marcello smiled.
"Dopo voi!" He held the door open for Marissa and practically jumped up and down with excitement. Once she was inside he followed and shut the door behind them. "Bella, we've arrived!" He called out quickly.
But as Marissa timidly entered the room, she was almost thankful to see that no one was in it. "I don't think she is here." Marissa spoke, still unsure of if this was a good thing or a bad.
"Nonsense, I know Bella wouldn't step out, she wouldn't want to have missed us. Bella!?" He called out again and walked around the suite heading into the bathroom.
"Maybe she is bathing." Marissa suggested.
But Marcello was already halfway into the room. "It's ok, she changes in front of me all of the time." He disappeared into the luxurious bathroom and Marissa couldn't help but giggle.
Moments later he returned with a solemn look upon his face. "Well, where the hell is she?"