The Perfect Couple – part two

Marissa ran her finger along my chest, playing with the curves of my breasts almost as we laid in bed one evening.

"You noticed we have a lot of sex?" she asked me quietly, rolling her finger around my exposed nipple.

"We'll be having some more if you don't stop that." I laughed at her, batting her hand away as my nipple started to harden.

She leant over it and gently kissed it before taking it between her teeth and biting it. "Couldn't resist." She said, looking up at me sheepishly.

"And you wonder why we have a lot of sex?" I smiled back at her, kissing her teasingly.

"Don't Sandy and Kirsten mind?"

"They're too busy figuring out who's better equipped at talking to me about lesbian sex to worry about me actually having it."

She sat up and leant her head on her hand, "You serious?" she smiled at me.

"Yeah I walked in on them the other morning discussing it. I left when Kirsten brought up Sandy's porn collection though."

"I think we should go out on a date." She said after she'd slid back down and laid down in the nook of my armpit. "I mean like a proper date rather than the pool house film night date we had."

"You know I wanted to take it slow." I told her, playing with her hair.

"What happened?" she asked, moving so she could stay in my nook but still see my face.

"We had sex."

She picked herself up once more and kissed me, moving so she was laying on top of me. Her tongue found its way into my mouth and my hands found themselves feeling her body astride mine.

"Jesus Christ!" We both turned quickly to see Kirsten shutting my door and walking back in towards the house.

"I think that would be my cue to put some clothes on." Marissa laughed, sliding off me and out of my bed. She pulled on her top and picked up the denim skirt she'd worn over to see me. "You seen my underwear?"

"Hmm," I sat up and looked around my room, "ah," I pointed towards the chair by my door, "there. Can you chuck me that hoody whilst you there?"

She threw it across at me and I put it on before going over to the wicker baskets and finding a pair of pyjama bottoms to wear into the house.

"Good luck." She smiled at me before kissing me on the cheek, "See you tomorrow."

"Ditto." I sighed, following her out of my room and into the house.

"Night Mrs Cohen." Marissa smiled at Kirsten before continuing out of the front door.

"Hey." I smiled nervously at her.

"Never happened with Seth." She looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"No I imagine it didn't." I laughed, remaining nervous as I went to the fridge and pulled out the cartoon of milk. "So," I sighed before taking a drink, "guess you're going to have the talk with me?"

"You realise I have no idea how to do it right?" she confessed passing me a glass.

"Want to just skip it?" I asked pouring some milk before returning the cartoon to the fridge. "And, you know, tell Sandy we've done it?"

"Deal. And I'll, uh, lean to knock." She smiled.


I walked into the kitchen the next morning to find Sandy and Kirsten by the coffee pot talking quietly together.

"Hey kid." Sandy smiled at me as I walked past them to get a cup for my own coffee.

"Hey." I said, looking confused between them. "What you talking about?"

"Whether you two have told Julie yet?" Kirsten asked, sipping from her coffee.

"I'm still alive." I told her simply, going over to the island and picking at the grapes in a bowl on the counter.

"You two ever going to tell her?" Sandy asked me.

"I want to remain alive." I told him peeling a banana.

"You told Jimmy?" Kirsten asked me. "Finish your mouthful first." She smiled watching me try and talk and eat my mouthful of banana at the same time.

"Don't think Marissa knows how to. He knows she's seeing someone."

"Given the amount of time she's in your pool house he would be stupid not to." Sandy pointed out.

"Thanks, by the way," I smiled turning round to face them, "for being so cool about everything."

"What are they being cool about?" Seth asked, taking my coffee and draining it. "What?" he asked after I hit him on the arm, "You always steal my stuff."

"Yeah but I can hit harder." I told him simply taking my cup back to refill it.

"This is why we only had Seth." Kirsten pointed at Sandy with her coffee cup, before turning back to Seth and I. "You two going to school or what?"

"We get to drive ourselves?" Seth asked her.

"I need my car," Sandy replied, "get your things I'll take you."

"You know you could just get us our own car." Seth suggested in what he assumed to be a nonchalant manor.

"You two fight over food," Kirsten told us, handing me my school bag over the island, "I'm not giving you a car to fight about."

"Besides," Sandy laughed, trying to steer Seth out of the kitchen towards the door, "whenever you use the car it either gets totalled or ends up in Mexico."


"So," Seth asked the second he'd shut the car door and Sandy had started to leave Harbour car park, "what are my parents being so cool about?"

"Marissa and me." I said simply, rearranging my bag on my shoulder and starting up the steps to the main building.

"You mean you two doing nothing but each other each night?"

"So eloquently put." I sighed at him. "And I don't know why people keep saying that, 'cause its not true." Seth raised his eyebrows at me. "Well you made us watch Battle Royal with you the other night."

"'Made' being the operative word."

"It was Battle Royal, Seth, it was always going to be 'made'. Anyway, I now have the problem of taking Marissa on a date again."

"Why can't you do that whole pool house movie thing again?" he asked.

"Because the whole point of this date thing is that we don't have sex."

"What kind of date is that?" Seth asked as we drew closer to Marissa and Summer sitting on benches in the Quad.

"The kind you go on." I told him, before sitting down next to Marissa and putting my arm around her.

"What does Cohen go on?" Summer frowned at us.

"Sexless dates." I told her whilst smiling at him.

"Well that's a lie." She said as she stood up. "Cohen hasn't found a girl dumb enough to date him yet."

"Wow." I smiled at her, "I should have thought of that one."

"Anyway," Seth said slowly, sharing glares between Summer and I, "Alex was just telling me about your big date, she's got a whole thing happening, it sounds amazing."

"Wow, there's a whole thing happening." Marissa asked me.

"There is?" I frowned at him before he stood on my foot. "There is!" I corrected quickly, trying to not show him how much he'd hurt my foot.

"Yeah, but shhh," Seth put his finger over his lips, "it's a surprise. Its gonna be the best date ever, okay I have to go. Summer walk you to bio?"

"I can walk myself."

"Great then you can walk me!" he smiled pulling her away from Marissa and I.

"Best date ever huh?" Marissa smiled at me and kissed me on the cheek before leaving me on my own to figure out what the hell had just happened.


"I don't understand why you just don't take her to dinner an a movie," Anna suggested at lunch, "it's a classic combination."

"Because somebody promised her the best date ever!" I snarled at Seth.

"Alex, I went ahead and I did a little re-con on your behalf. I was extremely stealth and I spoke to Summer, okay, and I asked her what would Marissa want to do on a date, what would she really enjoy and she told me… she didn't know."

"How helpful!" Anna said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"But Summers three favourite activities are shopping tanning and waxing, maybe there's something there man, they're best friends, use that-"

"So it would seem that my big date involves taking her shopping, having my hairs pulled out with wax from my newly tanned body." I continued snarling at Seth.

"And here I thought Summer was superficial!" Anna sighed.

"I have no car, no money-"

"Yeah when did you stop going to work?" Seth frowned at me from across the table. "And for that matter when did you stop smoking?"

"I quit when school started up and Kirsten told me she wasn't going to fund my smoking habit." I shrugged at him before banging my head on the table trying to figure out where to take Marissa.

"That's a shame you know," Anna said after a while, "you looked so cool smoking!"

I looked up at her, "That's that sarcasm thing you do isn't it?" she simply nodded and I went back to banging my head on the table.

"Well what do you normally do on dates?" Seth asked me, putting his hand between my head and the table to stop me banging it.

"I've never actually been on one."

"But with your scarlet past?" he frowned at me.

"Yeah, yeah I've hung out with people, we just never really… went-out." I told him awkwardly.

"Oh, got it!" Seth said after moments pause.

"Yeah I'm going to, ah, go to class." I said, standing up, feeling uncomfortable under both Seth's and Anna's gazes.

"I'll keep working on it." He smiled at me.

"Yeah, 'cos you've not done enough!" I sighed hitting him round the back of his head as I passed him on the way into the building.


I didn't pay attention to anything my history teacher was banging on about so when the bell went for final period I scooped up my stuff and headed out of school, praying that no one would miss me in math. I walked home slowly, hands in my pockets, kicking stray cans, the whole time wondering where the hell I could take Marissa.

We couldn't go to a restaurant because Marissa wasn't out to any adults besides Sandy and Kirsten, I didn't want to take her to the movies 'cause that was just incredibly cheesy. I tried to think back to my life in Chino, the closest thing I got to a date was fooling around on the sofa with a lame made for TV movie playing in the background.

When I got in I went up to Seth's room and stole his laptop, taking it back to my room with the plan of googling 'Newport Dates', however, I ended up just downloading music to put on to my cell and playing solitaire. Before I knew it, it was gone five and the afternoon had gone.

I was brought out of a deck of cyber cards with a knock on my door.

"Wow, there's something new." I sighed, before calling out: "Its open."

"Bad news," Marissa sighed, walking over and joining me on my bed, "I know you had Saturday night all planned but something's come up."

"Oh, that sucks." I tried to sound disappointed as I moved Seth's laptop onto the floor. "There was this whole big thing."

"I know but we're gonna be spending a romantic night on a yacht for this charity even hosted by… my mom." She smiled at me, clearly trying to convince me of this new plan.

"Your mom hates me. Your mom and me in the same room is bad enough but at least there are exits, there are no exits on a yacht."

"Yeah but there's me on a yacht." She smiled hopefully at me.

"Which brings me nicely to my second point; you're ready to come out to her?"

"Why not?" she shrugged, moving my arm so that it was wrapped around her, "I told Dad and he's cool with it."

"You did?" I turned her round to face me. "Serious?" I asked, trying to read her expression.

"He wanted to know where I was all the time, your name came up."

"How'd he take it?"

"Same way the Cohen's did. But he did say no more sleepovers," she smiled, "when he assumed I was at Summer's my curfew wasn't a major issue, now he knows I'm here…"

"Curfewness?"

"Yes that's exactly how I was going to phrase it." She deadpanned.

"Sorry, I got season one of Buffy the other day."

"Anyway," she said slowly, trying to bring the subject back around, "there's no reason Mom won't react the same way."

"I would like to take you back to point one." I told her, sliding down my bed, trying to get comfortable.

"That's only because she doesn't know you."

"You're determined about this aren't you?" I asked her, trying to look at her lying in my nook again.

"Yes," she smiled up at me, "Mom came by today and apologised to me and my dad and it seems like she's changed… And hey, if my parents got back together and my dad finds a new job, then my life could go back to normal again."

"Well maybe I should stay away for a little while give you guys-" She looked up at me once more. "I'll be there."

"Good," she smiled, picking herself up so she could kiss me, "because its times like these when a girl needs her girlfriend the most."

"Girlfriend?" I sat up a little too quickly.

"Well, I mean, aren't we?" She frowned at me, still lying down.

"I've never really been a girlfriend before." I told her sheepishly, "Well, there was Jodie but that ended badly."

"You've only had one girlfriend?" She said with a look of disbelief.

"Well you haven't had any, so technically I win." I smiled down at her, leaning over her to give her a kiss.

"What happened with Jodie?" She asked me breaking away from the kiss.

"Must we do this?" I asked, rolling off her. "Can't we just do the short version?"

"Shoot."

"She cheated, trust issues on top of trust issues."

"But you've…" she tried to motion with her hand, "with girls… other than Jodie right?"

"Your mom, Saturday night. Can't wait!" I smiled kissing her on the cheek before getting off of my bed, "Lets see what Seth is doing."


"So I was talking to Anna on MSN last night," Seth walked into my room holding a cup of coffee for the each of us.

"Where's the Arts and Leisure?" I asked him, pulling on a jumper.

"Oh I get it, comedy." He deadpanned, passing me one of the cups. "Anyway, Anna reckons all I do is talk about Summer."

"Anna's smart. I like her." I smiled from him, putting my mug down so I could tie the laces of my Chucks.

"I'm that guy?" I looked at the horrified expression on his face. "Dude how can I be that guy? I hate that guy. Well then no wonder Summer doesn't have any interest in me cause apparently all I do is I talk about Summer, although you'd think she'd like that."

"You're doing it again." I told him, taking me and my cup of coffee into the house.

"Right." He said following me.

"Hey you can stop trying to figure out the 'Best Date Ever' by the way."

"Oh yeah? How come?"

"Big boat thing of Julie Cooper's. There's going to be this charity thing, with an open bar, rich people and photographers."

"You and Julie Cooper trapped on a boat huh?"

"Its going to wild!"

"Can't wait to see how that one goes!"

"Think we can have another fight just so I don't have to go?" he raised his eyebrows, "You're right bad plan. Damn I hate having a girlfriend."

"What? Girlfriend? I thought that you didn't do girlfriends? I mean you did 'em…." He motioned with his hands again, "but you, you know what I'm saying."

"I don't, and this is not a good way to start, at least you'll be there."

"No I won't, who would I bring I can't take Summer or… I could do you think she would go, I don't know." I simply looked at him "I'm doing it again."

"Or you know who you could ask?"

"Who?"

"Uh, how bout a beautiful blond that you spend every waking minute with who's not me." he just stared at me. "ANNA!" I hit him round the back of the head.

"I could take a friend, interesting… Oh and OW! Why must you insist on doing that?"

"Because I can." I said simply, draining my coffee cup and heading over to Marissa's old house.


I was lying on Marissa's old bed, looking through her collection of stuffed animals arranged on it, whilst she went through her wardrobe.

"I forgot I had this dress."

"Its nice." I said looking over at her admiring it in front of the mirror before going back to throwing and catching a monkey.

"My mom bought it for me seems appropriate." She glanced over at me playing on her bed. "Hey! Leave Iain alone!"

"Your monkey's name is Iain?"

"Yeah!" she said as if Iain was the most obvious name for a monkey.

"Okay then!" I rolled my eyes at her, setting the monkey down. "There you go Iain!" she laughed at me and returned to into her wardrobe. "You know… I think your mom would understand if you told her you didn't want to do this." I suggested quietly watching her pull off the little black dress.

"Except I do." She responded throwing the dress back onto an empty chair and climbing on top of me in just her underwear.

"Right… that's what I meant, uh, Ris-"

"Ris?" she frowned at me.

"Marissa is a long name."

"Fair point." She smiled and kissed me gently, along my jaw line.

"Don't change the subject." She sat up and looked at me quizzically. "This event is important and on a yacht and whenever I go to one of these things somebody," she was smiling, "gets into a fight."

"You're gonna be fine." She said leaning forward and kissing me again, only this time taking the kiss deeper. I switched our positions, so that she was on her back, and ran my hand slowly along her bare stomach.

"Marissa? Sweetie? Oh my god Alex!" Julie backed out of the room and shut the door quickly. Marissa jumped up and ran to the chair where her outfit was, leaving me on the bed alone.

"Uh… Hey Mum." She said pulling open the door again once she'd put some clothes on.

"Marissa." She nodded. "Alex." She smiled over sweetly. "So you two are gay? Together? You two are gay… together?"

"That's about the long and the short of it." I nodded as I sat up, Marissa shot me a 'let me handle this look' and I promptly shut up.

"I was, uh, going to tell you." Marissa told her mother.

"No its fine dear." She said slowly sitting down at her daughter's desk. "Its fine."

"It is?"

"It is?" I repeated Marissa's sentiment, just as confused, as I got off the bed and walked over to stand besides Marissa.

"Yeah you're a lovely girl Alex." Julie said, still speaking incredibly slowly.

"I am?" my hands were dug deep into my pockets as I stood there uncomfortably, watching Julie avoid catching my gaze.

"Sure." She said shaking her head, trying to process all the information. "Just, just... thought I'd ask," she looked around the room as if trying to find the words, her eyes fell upon the dress that Marissa had picked out earlier on the chair in the corner. "Oh I love this dress! You remember when we bought it," she laughed trying to cover her nervousness. I glanced at Marissa who merely shrugged her shoulders, clearly as confused as me, "We had that amazing lunch in Beverly Hills we saw Catherine Zeta-Jones." She told me.

"Yeah, I remember." Marissa said slowly sounding like just like her mother before.

"So much fun…" she continued smiling from the memory "..well we should get to the ship and help out. Uh honey will you check and see if Caitlin's ready?"

Marissa glanced at me for help, receiving none, "Uh, okay, sure." She looked back at me one more time, checking if I was okay being left alone in a room with her mother and left in search of her sister.

"So uh I know that you and I haven't always seen eye to eye.."

"I don't think we've ever seen eye to eye. Especially that part when you accused me of trying to kill you daughter."

"But," she continued ignoring my interruption, "I wanna say that I'm sorry. You've been there for Marissa. You really care about her, I see that now, and I'm hoping that this party will be a chance for us to start fresh, celebration of a new beginning hmm?"

I didn't know what to say. This was a different Julie Cooper, it certainly wasn't the Julie Cooper I'd grown to hate.

"I don't really like boats."

"Please?" she said almost sincerely.

"Okay?" I responded.

"Thank you." She pulled me into a hug.

"You're welcome?" she still didn't let go. Marissa came back into the room saw me and her mom hugging and smiled.

"Hey."

"Well let's get to the boat huh? Come on." Julie rubbed her hands together and left the room, Marissa followed, leaving me standing there, not really sure of what exactly had just happened.


I was trying to pull the trash out of the can without ripping the bag, cursing Seth's name for leaving me to do his chores when Sandy walked past me and tried to kiss Kirsten on the cheek.

"Hey, there's pot roast in the, um-" Kirsten motioned to the oven behind me, swerving her husband's hello, simply cupping her glass of wine.

"I ate."

"With Rachel?" she asked coldly.

"What was that today?" Sandy asked Kirsten suddenly very angry.

I tried to struggle with the trash faster, no longer caring about ripping the bag. The only time I'd seen them fight was over me. I didn't really know what to do, I continued my battle with the rubbish praying that I would win and be able to get out of the kitchen quickly.

"I'm sorry… he just-"

"If you have a problem with Rachel and me you should come to me." Sandy cut into her explanation.

"Sandy you're never here... who am I gonna talk to if I don't talk to my dad... Seth? Alex?" she gestured over to me, only increasing the levels of my uncomfort.

"We're adults with demanding jobs you don't go running off to your daddy!" he sounded upset. "If that's to hard then go give Jimmy a call."

"Its so nice talking to you!" she practically spat at him before slamming her glass down on the counter and storming out of the room.

"Don't ever get married." He sighed, walking over to me. "So how's everything going with your um...relationship? Which I need to talk to you about you know at some point."

"Kirsten did it." I told him quickly, hoping to avoid another awkward 'Bees and bees' talk. "And its just, just hard." I shrugged, staggering backwards after having finally pulled the bag free from the trash can.

"Really? 17 years later... it doesn't get any easier." He shrugged.

"It's her mom really."

"Marissa told Julie?"

"Well she may have seen Marissa kissing me in her underwear."

"God I would like to have seen her face." Sandy smiled for the first time since he walked in.

"She took it… well."

"Julie Cooper? Julie Cooper as in the Julie Cooper. The Julie Cooper who lives next door, who hates you and wants you in jail."

"Marissa just calls her 'Mom' though."

"Was she high?"

"Drunk." I laughed.

"In laws? Well if you figure it out," he shook his head, "let me know." He patted me on the shoulder and walked out to try and rescue things with Kirsten.

"Good luck." I called out to him.

"Ugh, thank you." He laughed back at me.

I tied the garbage bag and walked it through the yard, I'd just dumped it in the wheely bin when I saw a town car pull up at Julie's house. Curiously begged me to wait and see who'd stepped out, though as soon as I watched Mr Nichol kiss Julie on the cheek I instantly regretted it, even more so when Julie looked up and saw me staring at them open mouthed.

I ran back into the house and up the stairs, I was just a knock away from telling Seth before I realised that he wasn't really the one I should have been telling. I walked back down and pulled out a soda from the fridge wondering how the hell I could tell Marissa that her hopes of her family getting back together were once again shattered by her mother.


"Hey." Marissa smiled walking into my room the next day.

"Hi!" I climbed, somewhat haphazardly, across my bed to meet her by the door. I kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Just got to uh...put on my good pair of shoes."

"Am I ever going to see you in a dress again?" she asked me, looking my outfit up and down.

I was wearing a collarless, white shirt and a grey waistcoat with a pair of black skinny jeans; a giant contrast to her simple blue dress.

"Not a fan of the waistcoat?" I responded as I pulled out a pair of black pumps from my wicker wardrobey thing.

"You look like Will Smith in Men In Black." She smiled leaning on the doorframe waiting for me.

"Oh I make this shit look good." I smiled back at her, walking over and wrapping my arm around her trying to steer her into the main house.

"I know this isn't exactly the date you had planned, but I really appreciate it. You couldn't have done better with my mom yesterday." I went into the fridge and pulled out a can of Diet Coke for us each so I wouldn't have to look at her, "She's like... a different person. Who knows I mean maybe if everything goes well tonight then..."

I passed her the cans. "Hold theses." I told her simply, before putting a hand on each of her cheeks and pulling her face forward so I could kiss her properly.

"I'm really happy!" she told me once I'd pulled away and taken one of the cans back, "Which never use to be an accomplishment... and not just about my parents."

"Come on." I nodded towards the formal lounge where I knew Seth and Anna were waiting for us. "Hey." I smiled at them.

"You're not wearing a dress." Anna pointed at me.

"That's what I like about you," I laughed, pulling open the can, "your keen observation skills."

"So I'm just gonna run to the girl's room, it's down the hall right?" Marissa asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded, leaning on the back of the sofa with Seth.

"I got to go too." Anna told Seth handing him her purse.

"Right cause girls can't pee alone." He sighed, before I hit him on the arm. "What its Anna I could've said pop a squat in front of her if I wanted to."

"Sometimes I think you talk just to make sounds."

"Well sometimes I do." I hit him again. "Hey! What was that one for?"

I shrugged and sighed. "So Anna looks good."

"Mm, tonight should be fun, there's gonna be a raffle, the only thing more fun then a raffle is, is anything really."

Kirsten walked in and fixed her earrings in front of a mirror. "You guys ready?"

"The girls are, uh, peeing." I simply hit Seth again. "Okay, what was that one for?"

"Felt like it." I shrugged.

"Seth don't say 'pee', Alex please stop hitting him." Kirsten told us, watching us via the mirror. "Seriously I knew this was a bad idea."

"The yacht?" I frowned at her.

"You living here." She smiled at me to let me know she was joking.

"But on the plus side she doesn't steal or burn things down anymore."

"Come on then, lets get going." Kirsten sighed, upon seeing the girl's return.

"Where's Sandy?" I asked wrapping my arm around Marissa as we walked out to the car.

"That's what I would like to know." She mumbled as we all piled into the Range Rover.

The car ride to the marina involved Seth and Anna discussing the virtues of Evil Dead over those of 30 Days of Night, whilst Marissa kept stroking my arm trying to convince me that everything was going to be alright on the yacht.

When Kirsten parked the car, Marissa dragged me to see her family; all happy and smiling, not to mention well dressed.

"Hi, you're here." Julie smiled at us, pulling Marissa close to kiss her on the cheek.

"That we are." I sighed, as I watched Kirsten pass us and head straight to the bar wishing I could go with her.

"Hey." Jimmy smiled at me.

"Hey." I nodded glumly, digging my hands deep into my pocket. "Nice day." I tried to smile at him.

"Come on, its not that bad." He smiled.

"Hey Caitlin." I nodded at Marissa's kid sister, who just folded her arms and glared at me.

"Uh, Caitlin doesn't trust new people," Julie told me wrapping her arms around her youngest daughter, "but Alex is very trustworthy." She said looking across at me poignantly.

"Marissa, sweetheart reverend Donahue wants to say hello." Jimmy told Marissa, distracting Julie from her recaptured hatred of me.

"Okay Daddy."

I looked up and saw Caleb on the upper deck talking to some woman, I looked back at the Cooper 'family' and was met by Julie's continuing icy stare.

"Can I get a photo of the Cooper family?" the photographer asked us as we all stood on the lower deck, the Cooper's greeting guests.

"I'm going to find Seth and Anna," I whispered in Marissa's ear.

"Alex, why don't you join us?" Julie asked me, clearly having over heard what I'd said to Marissa.

"No its cool, I mean the photo's of your family." I told her, with a tone with just as much hidden meaning as the one she'd used on me.

I made my way through the people on the boat and found Seth and Anna sat on the railing mocking the outfits and plastic surgery of the other guests.

"I hate this." I told them, holding onto the side staring out to the sea.

"Oh yeah, how's your sea-sickness doing?" Seth asked me, jumping down and joining me looking out at the ocean.

"Its not that's bothering me." I sighed, turning round when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Excuse me, Alex." Julie smiled overtly sweetly at me, retracting her hand from me as if I had AIDS.

"Good party." I said, trying not to catch her gaze by looking round at all the other guests.

"You want a drink Anna?" Seth asked her, nodding towards the bar.

"I could go for a drink, sure." She replied quickly before they scurried into the main bit of the boat.

"Thanks for not telling Marissa." Julie told me quietly, her arms folded tight around her chest.

"Well she's pretty psyched about you getting back together with Jimmy," I clapped at her excitedly, sarcasm dripping from everything I did, "I'm not going to keep lying to her." I told her eventually having stopped clapping.

"This is my life, my daughter." She half smiled at me.

"My girlfriend."

"No you're not," she told me quickly and sharply, "You're Marissa's latest drama, weapon of torture to inflict against me."

"Fuck you." I told her quietly, making sure to over pronounce the two little words.

I walked past her, making sure to knock into her shoulder as I went. I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and downed it, giving back to him as quickly as I had taken it. I took another one before walking round the small boat, scanning the people for Marissa.

"Hey," I felt her head on my shoulder. "My parents are totally getting along. And if my dad could find a job soon then maybe I could be your neighbour again, I could sneak over whenever I wanted."

"Yeah that would be cool," I downed the second glass and put it down on the table, "I mean if your mum wasn't sleeping with Caleb." I whispered in her ear.

"What, what're you talking about?" she looked at me confused.

"Your mom. Caleb. Fucking." I told her slowly.

"Why are you saying this?" she frowned at me.

"Because you're mom is a bitch." I told her simply, before taking her to the edge of the top deck and pointing at Julie and Caleb's hushed conversation below.

"Just give me a second." Marissa told me before running down the stairs to the main level.

I sat down on one of the seats and dropped my head into my hands. I knew Julie was lying, or rather I prayed to a god I didn't believe in that she was; but there was a little bit of me that thought she was just being honest with me.

It was that little bit of me that had tried to pick a fight with her, it was that little bit that had shattered Marissa's hopes and barely even cared about it. However, it was all of me that hated that I was sitting alone on a boat I hadn't even wanted to get on in the first place.

I lifted my head when I heard Marissa's voice ring out on the loud speakers.

"-how bout another round of applause for my mom and for Caleb Nickel," I heard her say, pausing to allow the guests to clap again. "after all there work on behalf of the children's hospital… if anybody deserves a romantic get away for two," I was running down the stairs, knowing exactly what she was going to do "its my mum and Caleb Nickel I mean aren't they just the perfect couple, they've been keeping their romance a secret, but tonight; the secrets out." I pushed my way through the crowd and got to the front just to see Marissa handing the mic back to her mother. "Come on." She smiled at me, taking my hand and leading me back through the people I'd just forced my way past.

Once we were outside, she sat me down and passed me another glass of champagne.

"Nice, by the way." I told her quietly, looking up at her ashamed.

"You know you could have told me a slightly more caring way that my parents weren't going to get back together." She sighed, sitting down besides me and watching me sip from the glass.

"Your mom, she just, she kinda rattled my cage."

"I can tell." She told me, lifting my head so that I would look at her. "What she say?"

I opened my mouth to let her in on the fears that Julie had forced back to the surface of my brain, but when I saw Marissa smiling at me, her eyes filled with nothing but care and concern, I realised that my fears were completely unfounded.

"Nothing." I told her, shaking my head. "It doesn't matter." Marissa took the glass and placed it on the side before holding my hand in hers, picking it up and kissing it gently.

"What the hell was that?" Julie asked angrily casting a shadow over us.

"You lied to me!" Marissa said, dropping my hand and rising quickly, "You said you wanted us to be a family again."

"I do... and I was going to tell you but this is all so new and I know you've been through so much. Marissa honey this whole party, this whole night was to show you that our life could be like it was, you could move back home we could be a family again."

"And what about Dad?"

"Honey... I will always love your father... but because of what's he's done we have no future together."

"Neither, do we!" she walked off leaving me with a her fuming mother.

"Nice boat!" I smiled at her, before standing up to follow Marissa. Julie, however, grabbed my arm and pulled me back so I was forced to face her again.

"You ever speak to me like that again," she said, trying to stare me down, "and they will be the last words you say."

"Lesson learnt." I nodded back at her. "I shall never compliment anything of yours again."


Marissa and I made our way into my room, sneaking out of Seth and Anna's conversation about who was better Iron Man or Captain America. I shook off my waistcoat and flung myself on my bed, just for Marissa to join me a moment later.

"Hey," I said after a while, rolling over so that I was looking up at the ceiling. "Sorry I wasn't more sensitive earlier."

"What did Mom say?" she asked me, moving so that she was laying next to me.

"Just that I was another sign of your rebellion." I told her, not taking my eyes off the ceiling.

"Well that's bull." She quickly responded, climbing on top of me. "I mean I would have told her first if that was the case. What you say to her when she said that?"

"'Fuck you.'"

"That's my girl."

I looked up at her and smiled, picking my head up so I could kiss her.

"What time you have to be home tonight?" I asked her, before flipping us over so I was on top.

"I think I can afford one more sleep over." She smiled up at me, leaning across to get the lights.


R&R, thank you. Circus.