Confiding in someone you trust
Marissa walked down the block. She reached the gate and went in walking to the front door. She waited for a second before raising her arm and knocking.
Kirsten answered. "Marissa Hi" She said. "Hi Mrs. Cohen is Ryan home?" She said. "Yeah he's in the pool house I think why don't you go and check" She said inviting her in.
"Thanks" She said walking towards the kitchen and out the back door. She walked across the pool and saw from the window that Ryan was there. She walked in.
"Hi" She said. "Hey" He said. "Kirsten let me in" She said. "Right" He said.
He got up and grabbed his jacket. "So where's Seth?" She said. "Oh he's at some comic event" He said. "Oh" She said. He smiled.
"You sound disappointed" He said. "No I just I guess I assumed when you asked me to hang out that he'd be here too that's all" She said.
"Is that a problem?" He said. "No not at all" She said with a smile. "You're sure?" He said. "Yeah it's totally fine" She said. "Alright let's go then" He said.
"So where exactly are we going?" She said following him outside. "I don't know I thought we'd hang out by the pier or something maybe take a walk on the beach." He said.
"Oh okay" She said. They got in the car.
An hour later they were walking on the beach. "So is New Port growing on you yet?" He said with his hands in his pocket. "I guess you can say that. You know it's definitely beautiful here." She said.
"Do you miss Austin?" He said. "Honestly? Not really, life there was pretty much chaotic and here it's more simple" She said.
"I don't think they do simple in New Port" He said joking. She playfully hit him. "You know what I mean" She said.
"Of course you can't imagine yourself going back there and fitting in" He said walking. "Do you think you would in Chino?" She said.
"I've actually been back to Chino and they all pretty much looked at me like a rich boy who drives a range rover. I guess I've changed" He said. She nodded.
"Is that a good thing?" She said. "Well you know my life's better here. And I can pretty much kick anybody's ass. I couldn't do that in Chino" He said. She laughed.
"That's nice to know" She said. He smiled. "But other than that I've learned that I belong in New Port" He said. She looked at him with a smile.
"I'm sure Seth thinks so too" She said. "Yeah because now he doesn't have to just listen to himself talk now I get to" He said. She laughed.
They made it towards the lifeguard stand. They walked up it and sat down. Ryan stayed quiet. Marissa however felt it was time to tell him why she was really here.
"It's actually not so much the fitting in part that concerns me" She said. He looked at her. She laughed nervously. "I watched him hit her plenty of times" She said opening up.
He looked at her confused. "My mother I mean he used to do it all of the time but that night it just got worse and I thought he was going to kill her" She said looking out at the water.
He looked at her hoping she would say more. Marissa took a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "So I had to stop it. I ran downstairs and I started yelling at him. Begging him to stop, pleading with him but he wouldn't" She said with tears in her eyes.
"You don't" He said she interrupted him.
"So he turned on me and started fighting with me and then he started swinging at me" she said.
"and I tried to fight him off but I couldn't he was just too strong. He pushed me to the floor and went back to my mother and he had his hands around her neck and I just couldn't stop him so I called the police" she continued.
"So they showed asked a bunch of questions. I told them what I knew but when they asked my mother to basically agree with my story well she didn't see my way" she continued.
"That's when she turned on me and told them that I was lying.
That I was always causing trouble for them and then she sent me here" She continued.
"She just turned her back on me just like that" She said turning to look at him.
He looked at her and he grabbed her hand. The tears were streaming down her face.
"I never told anyone about it" She said. "You can trust me" He said looking at her squarely in the eye
. "I know I can." She said. He wrapped his arm around her to comfort her and they stayed like that for a while just being quiet.
He walked her home. She didn't know what to say. Tonight she had just felt that she could talk to him so she had and it had actually helped to talk to him about it.
"So I hope your not going to be in trouble for being late" He said. "Oh I'm not late Uncle Pacey's pretty flexible when dispensing the rules" She said. "Oh" He said.
She looked down. "Anyway He doesn't know exactly what happened so" She said he interrupted. "I won't say a word." He said. She nodded.
"But you know you guys seem pretty close maybe its time that he did?" Ryan suggested. She nodded. "I can't right now. I didn't even expect to tell anyone" She said.
"So why me?" He said curious. "I don't know. I guess I felt like you would understand if not better than anyone" She said looking at him. He nodded understanding.
"If you ever want to talk I'm here" He said. She smiled. "Thanks" She said. He smiled. She looked up noticing that she was home.
"So thanks for everything tonight was….." She trailed off not knowing how to describe it. "Tonight was tonight" He said. She smiled. "Well put" She said being serious.
She kissed him on his cheek. "I'll see ya Ryan" She said. "Yeah" He said.
She walked up her front porch and went in and shut the door and leaned up against it smiling thinking about Ryan.
He was outside thinking about her with a smile and then he headed home.
At the same time Pacey had just driven Joey home. He pulled up in front of her apartment. "So it was nice talking and everything" She said. He smiled.
"Yeah it was" He said. "Thanks for the ride" She said going to get out. He grabbed her hand to stop her. "Wait a second Joey" He said. She turned and looked at him.
"Your not gonna run again are ya?" He said. She smiled. "No" She said.
"Good so now that I know you're here maybe we could do something again?" He said. She smiled. "Sure. I'd like that" She said.
"Alright" He said and he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'll call you" She said getting out of the car. He watched her walk in. "Hey you know its nice having you back again Potter" He said leaning out the window.
She turned and smiled. "Well it's nice to be back" she said. He raised his hand and waved at her. "Bye" She said walking in.
He hit the steering wheel and drove off thinking about her.
In the next chapter: More Ryan/ Marissa interaction.