ROADTRIP
Ryan and Marissa were now on their way to Newport. It was sunny, the windows were rolled down and Marissa was busy headbanging to the music.
"Now I'm kind of thankful Seth chose the music back then when we all went on roadtrips." Ryan joked, implying Marissa's horrifying headbanging.
"Hey, this is good music. Better than your Journey."
"Don't you dare." Ryan was getting serious.
"Whoa, slow down there. I was only kidding." Marissa laughed at Ryan's reaction.
He calmed down a little, taking the joke. "Kind of feels like old times. And I hate to say it, but I miss Seth and Summer and their constant bickering in the car." They both had a little flashback of the times with the Fab Four: going to TJ, going to LA, going to the SnO.C...
"Yeah, I miss all of that. Speaking of Seth and Summer, I bet you they're fighting right now. With Seth's comic books or Summer's rage blackouts." They laughed even more, until Marissa became serious. "I don't know if I forgot to say it before, but thank you for doing this. I mean, you didn't have to. She's my sister, I could have just found another way." Marissa said.
"Well yeah, no, she's not my sister and I didn't have to, but she's your sister, I wanted to." Ryan said, glancing at Marissa before concentrating back on driving. Marissa leaned her head on the window and smiled to herself. She loved the way he cared for her and Caitlin. That he did this for her. Moments like these, she knew why she fell in love with him then...and still in love with him now. She let out a yawn. It was getting dark and they still had 4 hours to go before they would be in Newport.
"Sleep. You need the energy when we get there. Your sister needs you. Besides, Seth gave me a new Journey CD so I won't be entirely bored. Sleep." And with that, Marissa fell deep asleep.
/
She heard screams and sirens. The car was flipped and she could smell the gasoline leak from the rear.
"Help! Someone!" she heard a pedestrian say from the side of the road. She looked over and no one was on the driver's seat. Where did Ryan go? She closed her eyes hoping the minute she opens them, Ryan would be there. She opens them again and suddenly, she was in a hospital, lying in a bed. Her mom woke her up.
"Where am I? What am I doing here? Where's Ryan? How's Caitlin?!" Marissa began to panic.
"Honey, I'm so sorry" Julie began to cry. "Your sister didn't make it. And on your way here, Ryan.. He also didn't..." Julie began to sob even more
"Mom. What happened? I don't understand. We were fine! He was fine. I..." Marissa began crying herself. What had just happened? One minute they shared a nice moment in the car, he told her to sleep, now...There's no way. He can't be gone.
Suddenly a blonde woman from the hall was standing beside Sandy, Kirsten, and Dawn; she too, was crying.
"Lily it's okay," she hears Dawn say. What was she doing here? Was this Lily? Marissa cried even harder and shut her eyes.
She woke up panting.
"Marissa, hey, hey. You okay?" Ryan put one hand on her leg. "Whatever it was, it was just a bad dream okay? I'm here, we're almost at Newport. And your sister's going to be fine, okay?" He comforted her.
Marissa looked around her. It was just a bad dream. It was 10 in the evening and they were almost at Newport. Ryan was still there, his hair all messed up, his shirt open showing his wifebeater; he was still there. She calmed herself down. She was safe. Even after the dream she just had, Marissa convinced herself she was going to be okay; because she was with Ryan. And Ryan was all she needed to feel safe.