Title: '04 (1/?: The Apology)
Author: Angelus
E-mail: angelus1317@hotmail.com (Please put "OCfic" on the subject line.)
Subject: The O.C.
Category: Romance, but I won't reveal who it will ultimately be - either SS or SA. Don't worry - you'll find out in a few chapters.
Rating: G
Summary: Everyone in Newport attends a huge New Year's party; including Seth, Summer, and Anna. Both girls are looking for someone to kiss come midnight, but Seth still hasn't made his choice.
Spoilers: "The Homecoming" and the Christmas episode.
Archive: Anywhere, just ask me first.
Disclaimer: Seth, Summer, Anna, Ryan, Marissa, Kirsten, Sandy, Julie, Caleb, Luke, etc. are all property of Fox television, College Hill Pictures, Josh Schwartz, etc. Sadly, the only thing benefitting from this is my brain in creating more Adam Brody fantasies.
Author's notes: This is just basically an alternate episode to the New Year's episode, so continuity still stands - it's completely in canon. This may be the only time ever. The only thing I did change is that Hailey never showed up. She's obnoxious and badly written, and I'm not going to waste my time writing for her. Same goes for Marissa, who I used to like, but now just gets on my nerves. So, sorry to all the RM fans out there. This is strictly a Seth-centered story.
Dedication: To Elizabeth. It's about time we hooked you into something like this.
~*~
Orange County was rocking. In all his life, Seth Cohen didn't think he'd ever seen a bigger party. And living in Newport Beach, he'd seen some doozies. It seemed like the whole state had turned out.
The party was being held at the Sheldrake, the renovated home of one of Newport Beach's founding fathers that was often rented out to various groups and organizations. To get in the Christmas spirit, the backyard had been decorated, too. Which was a good thing, because nearly all the guests had spilled out onto the lawn; even the grandiose mansion couldn't hold all the people that had shown up.
Seth was having severe pre-Ryan flashbacks, because here he was hiding in a corner trying to disappear. His absentee best friend had slipped inside a little while ago for some "quality time" with Marissa. They'd probably be in there all night. And as for his only other friends...well, he hadn't seen Summer or Anna yet, and he refused to hang out with his parents all night. Cool as they may be, he had standards. Granted, not very high ones, but standards nonetheless.
At the thought of Summer and Anna, Seth reflexively looked around. There were his parents, Marissa's dad, Summer's stepmom (at the bar, of course), a very sullen-looking Luke and his parents, a few kids he knew vaguely from school...and Julie Cooper, presiding over it all, hanging onto Caleb Nichol's arm. The thought of his beloved grandfather with that witch made him sick. Seth had always taken it for granted that he had such wonderful, loving parents, faithfully devoted to both him and each other. When he saw someone like Julie Cooper, who had absolutely no business having any children at all, let alone a wonderful girl like Marissa, he just didn't understand how she could live with herself.
As Caleb and Julie schmoozed, Seth wandered from room to room, tugging constantly at his suit. He'd never liked these things; they felt like straitjackets. And they itched. Wandering gave him something to do, but it didn't make him feel like any less of a loser.
As Seth wandered, he kept his eyes still peeled for Summer and Anna. It was funny - it had almost become habit my now. Because even though he was looking for them, he had no earthly idea what he was going to say or do if he found them. He hadn't spoken to either girl since the day after Christmas; since they had both rejected his offer of friendship.
Just as he was about to head inside, his grandfather spotted him.
"Seth!" he exclaimed. "Aren't you going to come say hello?!" Seth immediately turned on his heel, pasting a false smile on his face. He was still five feet away from him and he could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"Hey, Grandpa," he said warily. Like most people, his grandfather on alcohol was wildly unpredictable. He could be cheesily happy one minute and raging mad the next. At the moment, it appeared to be the former, but Seth was determined to get out of there ASAP before that changed.
"Where's your date?" Caleb asked. Seth grimaced. He could be the smartest kid in school - he practically was - but that would never quite be enough to live up to Nichol standards. He had to have the women, too. It was the same thing on the Cohen side - just because he was never the lady-killer that his dad was. Perhaps, Seth mused, they made it their goal in life to turn him into the black sheep of the family. It was an interesting theory, and certainly a very possible one at that.
"I don't have a date, Grandpa," he admitted.
"Really?" Caleb chuckled. "Chased 'em away already? Whatever happened to that little blonde from Thanksgiving? Or the other one - the one with the big brown eyes?"
Lovely. Way to kick a guy when he was down. He'd give Caleb the benefit of the doubt, though; he had no way of knowing what had happened with Summer and Anna. He was a just a bastard by nature.
He was in the process of forming an excuse when Caleb clamped a large, meaty hand on his shoulder. "There they are!" he exclaimed. As if he had never been happier in his life.
And, sure enough, there were Summer and Anna, sitting right next to each other but not speaking. Seth gulped as Caleb slapped him on the back.
"Go on," he insisted. "Chat up the ladies. You don't want to spend the whole evening with this old geezer, do you?"
"Uh..."
"Go." Who was he to argue with that logic? With Grandpa Nichol's gaze at his back, Seth strode over to Summer and Anna. Neither girl would even glance his way. And though they clearly had seen him approaching, they continued to pointedly ignore him.
Oh, god.
"Hey, Summer," he squeaked. "Anna."
"Hello," Summer replied coolly, still gazing out onto the ocean. Anna remained silent.
Seth had never been so petrified in his life.
"Okay, look," he said. "What I did was wrong. I know that. I apologized, remember? But, apparently, that wasn't good enough. So I'll do it again. I'm *sorry*, okay? I care about you both, and that's why I don't want to lose you. As friends, or...or as anything else. This was the only way I can think of where no one gets hurt. Except, of course, me, but that doesn't seem to matter much to either of you."
They didn't budge. Well, not quite. But Summer's eyes softened just a tad, and Anna's flicked sideways to look at him for a split second. He was making them feel guilty. Good. It wasn't much, but it was something. It meant that he still had a chance.
"I don't know where I stand with either of you," Seth continued, on a roll and not about to stop until he was finished. "I don't know if you're avoiding me because you're mad at me, or because you think I'm mad at you, or some other reason. So for now, I'm gonna go, do my wallflower thing again. If you need me...I'll be here."
And with that, he left fate in their hands.
Author: Angelus
E-mail: angelus1317@hotmail.com (Please put "OCfic" on the subject line.)
Subject: The O.C.
Category: Romance, but I won't reveal who it will ultimately be - either SS or SA. Don't worry - you'll find out in a few chapters.
Rating: G
Summary: Everyone in Newport attends a huge New Year's party; including Seth, Summer, and Anna. Both girls are looking for someone to kiss come midnight, but Seth still hasn't made his choice.
Spoilers: "The Homecoming" and the Christmas episode.
Archive: Anywhere, just ask me first.
Disclaimer: Seth, Summer, Anna, Ryan, Marissa, Kirsten, Sandy, Julie, Caleb, Luke, etc. are all property of Fox television, College Hill Pictures, Josh Schwartz, etc. Sadly, the only thing benefitting from this is my brain in creating more Adam Brody fantasies.
Author's notes: This is just basically an alternate episode to the New Year's episode, so continuity still stands - it's completely in canon. This may be the only time ever. The only thing I did change is that Hailey never showed up. She's obnoxious and badly written, and I'm not going to waste my time writing for her. Same goes for Marissa, who I used to like, but now just gets on my nerves. So, sorry to all the RM fans out there. This is strictly a Seth-centered story.
Dedication: To Elizabeth. It's about time we hooked you into something like this.
~*~
Orange County was rocking. In all his life, Seth Cohen didn't think he'd ever seen a bigger party. And living in Newport Beach, he'd seen some doozies. It seemed like the whole state had turned out.
The party was being held at the Sheldrake, the renovated home of one of Newport Beach's founding fathers that was often rented out to various groups and organizations. To get in the Christmas spirit, the backyard had been decorated, too. Which was a good thing, because nearly all the guests had spilled out onto the lawn; even the grandiose mansion couldn't hold all the people that had shown up.
Seth was having severe pre-Ryan flashbacks, because here he was hiding in a corner trying to disappear. His absentee best friend had slipped inside a little while ago for some "quality time" with Marissa. They'd probably be in there all night. And as for his only other friends...well, he hadn't seen Summer or Anna yet, and he refused to hang out with his parents all night. Cool as they may be, he had standards. Granted, not very high ones, but standards nonetheless.
At the thought of Summer and Anna, Seth reflexively looked around. There were his parents, Marissa's dad, Summer's stepmom (at the bar, of course), a very sullen-looking Luke and his parents, a few kids he knew vaguely from school...and Julie Cooper, presiding over it all, hanging onto Caleb Nichol's arm. The thought of his beloved grandfather with that witch made him sick. Seth had always taken it for granted that he had such wonderful, loving parents, faithfully devoted to both him and each other. When he saw someone like Julie Cooper, who had absolutely no business having any children at all, let alone a wonderful girl like Marissa, he just didn't understand how she could live with herself.
As Caleb and Julie schmoozed, Seth wandered from room to room, tugging constantly at his suit. He'd never liked these things; they felt like straitjackets. And they itched. Wandering gave him something to do, but it didn't make him feel like any less of a loser.
As Seth wandered, he kept his eyes still peeled for Summer and Anna. It was funny - it had almost become habit my now. Because even though he was looking for them, he had no earthly idea what he was going to say or do if he found them. He hadn't spoken to either girl since the day after Christmas; since they had both rejected his offer of friendship.
Just as he was about to head inside, his grandfather spotted him.
"Seth!" he exclaimed. "Aren't you going to come say hello?!" Seth immediately turned on his heel, pasting a false smile on his face. He was still five feet away from him and he could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"Hey, Grandpa," he said warily. Like most people, his grandfather on alcohol was wildly unpredictable. He could be cheesily happy one minute and raging mad the next. At the moment, it appeared to be the former, but Seth was determined to get out of there ASAP before that changed.
"Where's your date?" Caleb asked. Seth grimaced. He could be the smartest kid in school - he practically was - but that would never quite be enough to live up to Nichol standards. He had to have the women, too. It was the same thing on the Cohen side - just because he was never the lady-killer that his dad was. Perhaps, Seth mused, they made it their goal in life to turn him into the black sheep of the family. It was an interesting theory, and certainly a very possible one at that.
"I don't have a date, Grandpa," he admitted.
"Really?" Caleb chuckled. "Chased 'em away already? Whatever happened to that little blonde from Thanksgiving? Or the other one - the one with the big brown eyes?"
Lovely. Way to kick a guy when he was down. He'd give Caleb the benefit of the doubt, though; he had no way of knowing what had happened with Summer and Anna. He was a just a bastard by nature.
He was in the process of forming an excuse when Caleb clamped a large, meaty hand on his shoulder. "There they are!" he exclaimed. As if he had never been happier in his life.
And, sure enough, there were Summer and Anna, sitting right next to each other but not speaking. Seth gulped as Caleb slapped him on the back.
"Go on," he insisted. "Chat up the ladies. You don't want to spend the whole evening with this old geezer, do you?"
"Uh..."
"Go." Who was he to argue with that logic? With Grandpa Nichol's gaze at his back, Seth strode over to Summer and Anna. Neither girl would even glance his way. And though they clearly had seen him approaching, they continued to pointedly ignore him.
Oh, god.
"Hey, Summer," he squeaked. "Anna."
"Hello," Summer replied coolly, still gazing out onto the ocean. Anna remained silent.
Seth had never been so petrified in his life.
"Okay, look," he said. "What I did was wrong. I know that. I apologized, remember? But, apparently, that wasn't good enough. So I'll do it again. I'm *sorry*, okay? I care about you both, and that's why I don't want to lose you. As friends, or...or as anything else. This was the only way I can think of where no one gets hurt. Except, of course, me, but that doesn't seem to matter much to either of you."
They didn't budge. Well, not quite. But Summer's eyes softened just a tad, and Anna's flicked sideways to look at him for a split second. He was making them feel guilty. Good. It wasn't much, but it was something. It meant that he still had a chance.
"I don't know where I stand with either of you," Seth continued, on a roll and not about to stop until he was finished. "I don't know if you're avoiding me because you're mad at me, or because you think I'm mad at you, or some other reason. So for now, I'm gonna go, do my wallflower thing again. If you need me...I'll be here."
And with that, he left fate in their hands.