Graham Johnson was my father. Graham Johnson was my father. Graham Johnson, the 90s rockstar was my father. I couldn't believe it. Okay, I kind of could believe considering how loose that women was. I wondered if he knew about me. I wondered if he knew about where I was now. It was possible that there was a one-night-stand and the two of them never spoke again. This must have been around the same time that she met Frank and yet they must have known that he wasn't my father. Of course, that probably wasn't the most important thing at the moment.
"Did you get the restraining order?" I asked.
"On a technical sense, yes, but someone has to find her to serve her." He told me. "In the meantime, Harold talked to me about a bodyguard."
"Do you think it's a good idea?" I questioned as I sat down at the table.
"I think if you feel threatened and it's something that you want to do, we'll support it." He stated. "But we're going to let this be your decision."
That night, I went to a movie with Kaitlin, Rose and Summer. Of course, it was a mistake because I was trying and failing not to cry. Just because I was a girl didn't mean that I liked sad movies. Who wanted to watch a movie where the main character dies?
"Are you okay?" Kaitlin asked me.
"This is so bad. Why am I crying?" I bawled. I then looked over to Rose. "At least I'm not the only one."
"I'm not crying. It's my allergies." Rose lied as she wiped her nose. "Tomorrow we're watching football."
"Football season is five months away." Summer pointed out. I wasn't sure why Rose wanted to do something like that. She didn't even like sports.
"Then we're watching hockey." Rose replied. I didn't know much about hockey other than it was a more dangerous version of soccer.
"Maybe we should watch a comedy next time." Kaitlin suggested. I wasn't sure if she was teasing me or not.
"If it saves us the waterworks, then sure." Summer replied.
"You know crying isn't so bad." I declared. "Crying is the whole reason that I'm here right now and I cried a lot as a child."
"Me too." Kaitlin added. I never knew that before. What happened to Kaitlin to make her feel so sad?
"Why?" Summer asked her, like she didn't know either.
"I don't want to talk about it." Kaitlin replied. I hoped that it was something that she just didn't want to tell Summer and Rose about. I would have to talk about it more when we were in private.
"Maybe we should go get some smoothies." Rose suggested. I couldn't help but wonder if she was trying to cheer me up.
"I love smoothies." I stated. "I don't need to be cheered up though."
As soon as I got there, I couldn't help but notice that Luke was there. The two of us hadn't really spoken since Tijuana.
"Hey, Hollywood, catch." He replied before he threw a drink at me. Thankfully, I dodged but Rose wasn't so lucky.
"What's your problem, Douchebag?" I replied as I got in his face.
"My problem is you. Isn't it over." He replied before he shoved me backwards. "I was always told to never hit girls, but thankfully you're not a girl."
"Leave her alone." Summer replied before she punched him. Strangely, the employees seemed to be completely apathetic and didn't do anything.
"You don't want to mess with her, she gets rage blackouts." Rose replied.
He walked away and I was starting to think that maybe having a bodyguard wouldn't be such a bad idea, but I didn't want to feel like a diva. Maybe I could learn martial arts instead. I wondered if there would be anyone who would be willing to teach me. I wondered if I would be able to learn it on YouTube. No, there was no way it could be that easy.
In the morning, I was getting dressed when Rose walked in. Thankfully I had a bra on. I was still glad that my breasts were big enough that I could actually wear one, even though they were small enough that I probably didn't need one. I finished getting dressed and put on a light blue sweater to go with my navy pleated skirt before I put my heels on.
"Sorry. I can't believe that's never happened before." She stated. "I mean it's not too weird since we both have boobs now…"
"Rose, please quit while you're behind." I cut her off. "I wanna learn martial arts so I can kick Luke's ass."
"Oh where shall this can of whoopass be opened?" Rose inquired. She probably didn't believe that someone as small as me could beat him up. At that point, Holly walked in. Was everyone going to just walk into the pool house now?
"I heard about your run in with Luke." She remarked. "What are you going to do about it?'
"I'm gonna learn how to fight." I stated.
"Who are you fighting?" Kaitlin replied as she also walked in. It seemed like everyone really was just going to walk in.
"Hey, can both of you leave so I can talk to Kaitlin alone?" I asked Rose and Holly. The two of them left and I locked the door behind them.
"What did you want to talk about?" She asked nervously.
"Last night you said that you did a lot of crying as a kid." I stated. I knew that this would be a bit of a difficult conversation. "What did you mean by that?"
"Okay…I guess I can tell you. The only person that I've really talked about it with is Dr. Carter." She started. I was glad that she was talking to her. "So you know how you said that you were abused?"
I nodded wondering if her mother was worse than I thought.
"Well I was too. Not physically…but sexually." She replied. I was shocked. I knew that I probably shouldn't meet whoever had done because I might try to kill them. "It wasn't my parents. It was my aunt."
I knew at that point that I needed to give her a hug. I decided to change the subject because I didn't want to see her cry anymore.
"So…are you excited about tonight?" I inquired.
It was Dad and her dad's restaurant opening.
"I'm honestly not sure if it will go well. A lot of people are still mad about my dad did." She declared.
"Well even if it doesn't, they'll at least know that they tried their best." I explained. "So what do you think about the mess of relationships here?"
"Well my mom is dating your grandpa and my dad is dating your aunt, whose sister he used to date, who is also your mom." She replied. "Is that it?"
"Don't forget whatever happened between Marissa and Theresa." I pointed out.
"What did happen with them?" She inquired.
"You know I don't actually know." I admitted.
"Well all I know is who I'm in love with." She said before she kissed me. "So maybe we can ask Marissa what happened when we go to meet her for lunch at the pier."
So, within half an hour, we were at the Pier where we had lunch with Marissa. It was good.
"So, Marissa…" I started. "What ever happened between you and Theresa?"
"It was just a fling." Marissa answered. "Not anything serious. I don't really want to talk about it."
"You know you can talk about it." I pointed out.
"There really wasn't much to say. She went back to Chino or something and it's not really any of my business." Marissa explained.
Part of me thought that I should talk to Theresa more. We had been friends for most of our lives and I didn't want her to feel like I was abandoning her, even though that was something that I actually did. Of course, I couldn't go back to Chino to see her for obvious reasons. I didn't have much work lined up right now, so I probably wouldn't be able to get her a job as a production assistant. I wanted to do something to get her out of that situation, but I did not know what to do.
It was at that time that I got a text from Rose. It turned out that Summer had drafted her and Holly into redecorating Marissa's room and we needed to keep her away from home for a little while.
"Do you want to go to a movie?" I quickly suggested. "I think we should do something fun."
"Sure." Marissa declared. I hoped that she wouldn't be mad at the surprise renovations that they made. "As long as you two don't make out in the theater."
Kaitlin looked at me in confusion probably wondering why I wanted to spend such an extended period of time with Marissa. I then showed her the message.
"I wanted to see an action movie." I declared. Those also tended to be longer.
"She doesn't want to cry any more." Kaitlin teased me. Did she tell Marissa about how I cried last night?
"Rhiannon." A voice interrupted. I turned to see Caleb. It was a little weird seeing him out in the open. "Would you mind if I talk to Kaitlin and Marissa alone?"
"Sure?" I answered. I probably needed to go to the clothing store to get a nice dress for the opening. It was my money and I figured that I should spend it on something and I was glad that I could use my own money on myself. I ended up picking a navy pleated halter dress. As soon as I left the store, Kaitlin called me. Hopefully she was still going to be able to keep Marissa busy even if I wasn't there.
"What's up?" I answered.
"Caleb wants to marry my mom." She told me. You know, I probably should have guessed that was what it was because what other reason would he needed to talk his girlfriend's daughters in private?
"How do you feel about it?" I asked.
"I'm kind of conflicted. I know my mom loves Caleb, but it's pretty soon for her to get married again." She stated. "I can tell Marissa definitely isn't a fan. I think she wants to try to break my mom and Caleb up."
"But that won't go well." I pointed out.
"I know." She stated. "I'm going to try to stop her, but I might need your help."
"Okay." I agreed. I didn't particularly like Julie, but that didn't mean that she didn't deserve to be happy. Plus that would mean that Kaitlin wouldn't live next door anymore and I definitely didn't want that. "I love you."
You know I realized that I forgot to tell Kaitlin what I learned about my biological father. It probably wasn't the best thing to tell her over the phone and I was also in public. People could be listening. I didn't know if I was a subject for paparazzi but such a bombshell would definitely be news.
"I love you too." She said before she hung up.
At that point, I got a call from Harold.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Do you want to be in a movie?" He asked me.
"What?" I answered.
"I've acquired a teen romcom and I think you would be perfect for one of the leads." He declared. "We can shoot it during the summer."
"Can I read the script before I agree to it?" I requested. I didn't want to sign on to a bad movie. I hoped he would at least grant me that.
"Absolutely." He replied. That was when I thought of something.
"Wait, won't this interfere with my ability to be on the show?" I asked.
"I mean we can work around it. Does that mean that you want to be on the show?" He responded.
"I think I do." I admitted. "But I may some time off during the summer because I might be in the hospital."
I needed to discuss the surgery option with my parents. It seemed like these new things kept coming up and I kept forgetting to ask them.
"We'll work something out." He declared. "Just let me know this stuff pretty soon."
It was then that I realized something.
"Oh do you know someone who can teach me martial arts?" I asked. I wondered if he thought it was a weird question.
"We don't really have any action scenes in either project." He pointed out.
"I know, but I was thinking that I should learn to defend myself maybe instead of getting a bodyguard." I proposed.
"I'll ask around." He stated.
That night I put on my dress. It was supposed to be a nice family outing. I was just hoping to stop whatever Marissa's scheme to break up Caleb and Julie. She wasn't doing herself any favors. It seemed like the drama never stopped in Newport. I really hoped that it would be a nice and drama-free night. Currently I was with Kaitlin, sampling some of the appetizers. She was wearing a simple black dress and heels. I then noticed Rose and I walked over to her.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Nothing. Why would anything be up?" She babbled.
"Chill out, Sis. It's just a question." I pointed out. I understood that she didn't want Marissa to find out about the surprise redecoration, but she needed to be cool about it. Actually, I wasn't sure if she was capable of being cool.
"I'm gonna go pee. If anyone asks, that's where I am…for a while." She stated. Could she not think of a better excuse than that?
"Is it just me or is your sister acting weirder than usual?" Marissa asked.
"I don't think it's possible for her to be any weirder." I commented before I saw Julie. Marissa said hello to her before we went to the table. You know it really wasn't the best time for Rose to be busy decorating because she definitely should be around to celebrate this opening of our father's restaurant…even though I still wasn't sure why he was opening a restaurant. He wasn't even someone that cooked very often, but I supposed if he wanted to, he should go for it.
It was at that moment that Caleb clanged on his glass. It looked like the moment was about to him. Part of me thought that maybe I should be calling him Grandpa, but I didn't think either of us were at that point yet. He accepted me before for who I was and I kind of liked him, but I still didn't have the connection to him that I had to the rest of my family. We would probably have to work our way to that, but we just weren't there yet.
"Excuse me. I have something that I would like to say." He stated. Everyone stood up and I held Kaitlin's hand. "I hope you're enjoying yourselves as much as I am, although my enjoyment goes back a little bit longer. It can be credited to one special lady: Julie Cooper."
Caleb started to give a speech that I wasn't really paying a lot of attention to. It seemed a little bit unnecessary if you asked me, but I supposed he was trying to build up to the moment. Did he think that she wouldn't say yes if he didn't give a speech first. Finally, he got down on one knee.
"Julie Cooper, will you marry me?" He asked as he pulled out a ring, It looked like it had an emerald in it, but I was not an expert on gemstones…or jewelry. All I could think of was this was a moment that Rose really should have been here for.
At that point, Marissa walked out. I sighed because I knew that I needed to follow her. Even worse she had a bottle of wine in her hand.
"Marissa, what are you doing?" I asked as I grabbed her hand,
"Let me go, Bitch!" She shouted. "How could you just let that happen? How could you let him do that?"
"Maybe it was because I want him to be happy. Maybe it's because I want your mom to be happy." I argued.
"She tried to get you thrown in jail. She tried to get you kicked out of school." She pointed out. "She tried to get me sent to a mental hospital."
"And those are things that she apologized to me for." I declared. "And as the last thing, you're not really helping to prove that wasn't the right idea. Now just give me the bottle and we can go back inside."
"Leave me alone!" She yelled. I sighed and grabbed the bottle, knowing I would have to take it by force. I started to pull at it, which caused it to fall out of her hands, which caused to break…on her foot which was uncovered due to her open-toed shoes. I sighed and called 911.
The ambulance came and took Marissa to the hospital. I didn't understand why that had to happen. Why couldn't she just be happy for her mother. Julie and Jimmy weren't getting back together and she needed to accept that.
I then went back into the restaurant to find that there was more bad news. The liquor license that Jimmy had applied for had been denied. They could go for a dry restaurant but those didn't seem to be very popular. It was a bit ironic because the most famous place in the country was known for having dry restaurants for the longest time.
"I can help." Caleb offered. "I can get you a liquor license, but I'm gonna need two things in return. First is I want a stake in the restaurant. The second is I want a hand in hiring a chef."
"And who would that be?" Jimmy asked.
"It's not anyone you'd be opposed to. In fact, she's sitting right next to you." Caleb stated.
"Me?" Hailey asked in surprise.
"Yes. You're an excellent cook. You take after your mother." Caleb replied before looking at Mom. "No offense, Kiki. I've always wanted to see you apply yourself to something and that's why I cut you off, but I think you should share your culinary knowledge with people."
You know he brought up some good points. Hailey's food had been excellent. Maybe she did have a future as a chef. It would be a big step from being a stripper, but if she was good at it ands she applied herself, she could be really good at it.
In the morning, I was in the hospital waiting room with Kaitlin. Marissa was going to be getting out. I had a feeling that she wouldn't want to see me, but I was going to be there for my girlfriend. There was just a laceration on her foot, but no other damage. They had give her some stitches and she would need some time in a walking boot so they wouldn't come out. I was currently reading over the script the movie that Harold had given me. It was called Crush and it wasn't just a teen romcom. It was a gay teen romcom. It looked to be pretty good and I didn't know if I could say no to it.
"I'm sorry that this happened." I told Kaitlin. It was like the 5th time that I apologized.
"You don't need to keep apologizing. You were trying to do the right thing and I get that." Kaitlin stated. "Plus you probably saved her from doing something much worse."
There was some good news at least. Marissa really did like what Rose, Summer and Holly had done to her room. She would probably be spending a little bit of time in there due to her injury.
That was when I realized that it was the perfect time to do what I had been putting off. It needed to happen now. I couldn't let anything else distract me from it. I went home while they were both in the kitchen.
"Mom, Dad, there's something that I need to talk to you about." I stated. This would be a little difficult especially since I knew that they could think it was too soon. "After school's over I…I want to get my operation."
So I wrote Luke out of the episode except for the scene at the beginning. I figured that since it was established that Hailey was a great chef that working in the restaurant would be great for her and instead of having indirect Marissa drama, we have direct Marissa drama. Please don't forget to review.