Prologue: "Take your eyes off me"

Ryan Atwood looked out of the window of his sixth period class. Sweat made trails down his face. It went unnoticed by him. They were all used to it now. Back in his freshman year the air conditioning had broken and gone unfixed ever since. He watched as the teacher sat in front of the class asleep, with the head on the desk. They didn't even bother to throw spit balls at his head anymore. The novelty of that had long worn off.

Days like this, that never seemed to end were worse in Chino. Days like this reminded you of the harsh reality that you were never going to get out of Chino. It reminded you that your life isn't, and will never be more than a father that left your mother for the woman two trailers down. Or whoever knocked you around as a kid... the good for nothing older brothers that ended up in jail and left their girls barefoot with babies on their hips.

Ryan walked out of the school at the end of the day. Feet dragging behind him. It was refreshing to be out of the old moldy building. It was even cooler outside than it was in the school thanks to the breeze.

"ESE!" He heard his best friend Juan Miguel greet him.

"Hey man." Ryan said giving him a masculine hug.

Juan Miguel and him had been like brothers since they both came to school one day in second grade with identical bruises on their eyes. As it turned out that their dad's were drinking buddies.

"So I was thinking man. In two weeks we're going to be out of North Chino for the summer right?" Juan Miguel said.

North Chino was the name of their high school. There was also South Chino, the rival high school.

"Yeah." Ryan said not understanding his point

"Here's what I figure. We get two more jobs each this Summer and keep one of them next year durin' school so by the time that we are out of our Senior year we'll have enough money to get our own place." Juan Miguel said. He was a little guy without much going for him, but he had more blind ambition in one person than you could find in all Chino put together.

"I've already got two Jobs man." Ryan said slinging his backpack over one shoulder. He didn't know why he carried it with him to school anyway. It's not like they had any books to carry with them.

"I am late. Imma meet up with Juanita." Juanita was one of Juan Miguels 11 siblings. Ryan could barely even keep track of them all.

Juan Miguels mother was practically Ryans mother. Ryan was always there. He was like another son to the family he had a present under the tree every year at Christmas, and a seat reserved for him at the table. He had actually dated Juan Miguels sister Teresa off and on since they were in sixth grade. Teresa was in seventh grade at the time.

"Alright man, I have to go to work anyway." Ryan said. And with that he and Juan Miguel headed in different directions.

In order for Ryan to get to work he had to cross the train tracks down into South Chino. People always talked about the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, but in Chinos case neither side was better then the other. They were both equally hopeless. North Chino had more robberies, South Chino had more arsons, North Chino had more random beatings, South Chino had more random rapes. They both were equal though where domestic abuse, and murder were concerned.

Ryan noticed a tall girl in the distance balancing on the edge of the track. Arms spread trying to steady herself like a young child.

Ryan walked closer to the girl, he really had no choice, him having to cross the train tracks and all. When the girl spun around to head in the other direction her blue-green eyes locked with Ryans.

The girl did not smile as she studied Ryans face. Something about the tall dirty blonde haired girl was hard, reserved. Her jaw was set firm and rounded as though it was locked with a certain harshness that would warn people off. But her eyes, her huge eyes betrayed the rest of her hard reserved features.

Both of them stared at each other a long while, neither daring to say anything. But then the girl broke the silence.

"Don't think it's very safe for you to be crossing over onto this side." She warned hopping off of the track, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, taking a couple puffs before she again acknowledged Ryan presence.

"'s not much different on either side." Ryan pointed out to the girl smiling. The girl still stared at him expressionless, although in her eyes you could tell that something had peeked her curiosity.

She sat on the end of the track. Something drew Ryan to the girl. His shy reserved side suddenly melted away and he took a seat next to her. Now he got a closer look at the girl. Her wrists were coated thickly with cigarette burns, there were red marks over hicky's on her neck.

"Get into a fight?" Ryan asked nodding towards the marks on her neck.

"What's it to you?" Marissa asked offering Ryan a puff of her cigarette.

Ryan took the offer and then handed it back to her.

"So what really brings you over here?" The girl asked

"Work." Ryan said simply

"You expect me to believe that you're not coming over here to see your girl who you knocked up, or your dad in the jail or something." She said raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yeah actually I do." Ryan said smiling. The Girls eyes began to soften, and a small smile began to play on he lips not daring to show itself "Ryan Atwood." He said holding his hand out to the girl.

"Marissa." She said holding out her hand.

"Got a last name?" Ryan asked

"De los Santos." She said simply looking away from Ryan.

"You don't look in the least bit Hispanic to me." Ryan said looking her up and down. She did though have a slight Spanish accent which seemed more acquired then natural.

"'Cause I'm not." Marissa said

"But you said your last name was-"

"I did." Marissa said shooting an are you done already glare.

Ryan shrugged it off.

"I guess it's good you aren't in North Chino right now anyway."

"Why is that?" Ryan asked

"Nothin'. Maybe it' s all talk. I overheard my brother Raul talking about some drive-by that's supposed to happen up there tonight is all." Marissa said evenly.

"TONIGHT!" Ryan said standing up. He began running in the other direction.

"Ryan don't! It's not safe!" Marissa yelled after him as he ran in the other direction.

She groaned. He didn't listen to her and continued heading in the other direction quickening his pace with each pace. Marissa turned and headed home.

Ryan ran and knocked on Juan Miguels door.

"Ese!" He greeted his friend. "What up man?"

"There's supposed to be a drive-by tonight." Ryan told him.

"Nah man, I took care of them South Chino bitches with Ricardo last week. Luis and his dogs are gone!" Juan said

"Man I told you you had to stop all that shit man! It's just going to get you in trouble." Ryan said pushing his best friend, trying to talk some sense into his best friend.

"It ain't gonna get me in trouble. It's gonna keep me alive ese. It's gonna get us out of here." Juan Miguel said meeting Ryans eyes as gun fire began to rage outside.

A bullet flew through the window hitting Juan in the chest. He felt back onto the ground. Blood seeped through his wound.

"JUAN!" Ryan said running to the boy now lying on the ground, blood bubbling out of his chest.

Ryan pressed hard on Juan's chest… but it was no use. His eyes fluttered shut.

"FUCK!" Ryan yelled pulling a pistol out of his pocket. He shot at the car over and over again. There were still bullets flying everywhere. Ryan blew out one of the cars tires and then it skidded to a stop.

He breathed in heavily ignoring the blood seeping down his arm. He didn't know if the blood belong to Juan Miguel or himself… he was too afraid to check as he slid through the ground.

Marissa walked into her trailer avoiding the mob of barefoot children that played outside. She had lived there ever since she was put into foster care by her father and mother when she was around two years of age. She had always been told that they were too young to take care of her. She knew nothing about them… but sometimes she could remember a blonde woman rocking her to sleep, singing her the same lullaby… But anyway she tried not to remember the good times cause they came few and far apart.

"Chica!" Her brother said coming up to her when she opened the door.

"Hola Raul." She said.

She and Raul were close. They had been in this foster home the longest together. They lived with an old woman that all of the children called Abuela. Marissa loved her dearly. But she did have her biological son, Luis, who was a bad seed. He stole money or beat the kids whenever he came around. Hence the red marks and bruises all over her body. He always took a special interest to her in more than one way.

"'Rissa, snap out of it." Raul said waving his hand over her face.

"Lo siento ese." She said smiling

A mixture of Spanish, English, and s mixture of slang of the both was spoken between everyone in the house.

"Where's Luis?" She asked

"Probably shooting up some blonde kid in North Chino like he said he was going to."

A chill ran down Marissas spine. What if it was Ryan?

"We have to get to North Chino!" She said rushing out of the small trailer, followed by Raul.

"You ain't got no business in North Chino." Raul said grabbing her frail arm.

"YEAH I DO!" Marissa said. "Vamos." She yelled

"Alright." Raul said chasing up the hill and over the trail tracks that separated North and South Chino.

After a lot of questioning they found Ryan's friend Juan Miguel's house where he was said to be, just in time to see Ryan get shot in the arm.

"RYAN!" Marissa said running to him. "Come on! You have to help me get him back to the house!" Marissa said

"What? Are you crazy?" Raul said

"Come on! If it weren't for me he would be at work right now! He will be arrested if he doesn't come with us."

"FINE!" Raul said giving into his sister, and helping her carry him back to the trailer.

Summer, Seth, and other Newporters will come into this story soon! Promise. And you will find out who Marissas parents really are!!