A/N So I was bored which oddly inspired me to write about someone being bored and then I imagined what someone would do when they were bored and I started thinking of the game Rock Band. Weird, I don't even know if that made sense, but I'm working on only five hours of sleep in the last forty eight hours so if something doesn't make sense, that would be why. Please review if you do read because they make me smile and I'd like to start out the new year smiling. And yes, I understand that though the game came out this year, it is being played last year in the story, but oh well, who cares right? It's fiction. Happy New Years to all!
Ryan Atwood was exceedingly bored out of his mind. There was nothing to do in Newport, not anything that he really wanted to do anyways. Marissa was probably off partying along with Summer and even though he wanted to get back together with Marissa, he just didn't want to go out on New Years Eve. It was one thing when he was trying to get to her in time for midnight, but now that they weren't together, what was the point? Seth was out and about at various stores trying to get some new game for their new Xbox 360 and Sandy and Kirsten were off at dinner and then maybe they'd swing by a Newport party. There was nothing to do but watch boring countdowns and marathons up to the New Year and he really did not want to do that. So now he was stuck home on New Years Eve, staring at the ceiling in the pool house. Happy New Year!
He sighed and wondered what he could do. Maybe he should call Marissa after all to see what she was doing. It couldn't hurt right? He was reaching for the phone when common sense came back. Him and Marissa had broken up just a little while after her friend Johnny Harper had fallen off a cliff. They had already had a rocky relationship after Johnny had announced while medicated that he was in love with Marissa. Marissa being Marissa, still remained friends with him until Ryan made her choose between him and Johnny. Though they rarely talked and things had been shaky ever since Trey had attempted to rape Marissa, she chose Ryan. Not long after that they received a call that Johnny was acting weird and went to try to save him but he died anyways. Marissa was shaken up by the whole thing, pushing Ryan away. Fed up with everything, he ended up breaking it off with her after going on a road trip with Johnny's cousin, Sadie. He ended up dating Sadie, they broke up eventually and he started realizing how stupid he was to break up with Marissa.
Sure, they'd had a rocky time, but they were Ryan and Marissa, they could've worked things out right? They could've gone to senior prom together and graduated together and could've gone to college together and shared an apartment too, but they didn't. All because of his stupid mistake, they didn't. Now he was paying for it. He missed her so much at times that he physically would hurt. She went out with Kevin Volchok and when they broke up after Volchok cheated on her, Ryan realized how much he really did care for her. When they graduated, he'd been so proud of her for making it through everything to this day. And over the summer they learned how to become friends again. It was awkward at times, but that was bound to happen. He found that whenever he was around her, his heart beat quickened to unreasonably high speeds and he felt a certain fluttering in his stomach. Whenever their hands brushed against each others, he felt an electric current make its way throughout his entire body and whenever they were in the same room, there seemed to be some kind of sexual tension in the air…at least to him. If she felt it, she didn't seem to show it at all.
If he really thought about it, she showed no signs of wanting to get back together. When they were at the beach, she didn't stare at him for long amounts of times like he did to her. She didn't seem to get breathless every single time they were together. She didn't look like her heart beat three times its normal rate when he talked. If anything, she looked completely fine around him, very friendly. But that's it; friends. That's all they were destined to be now. The thought made him depressed enough to sigh and place the phone back where it was. He looked at the digital clock beside his bed and the red glowing letter said that it was only six. He rolled over and sighed deeply. It was going to be a long night.
He lay there for a couple of minutes and then heard a weird commotion outside of the pool house door. He got up and curiously went to it, opening it up to find Seth standing there with a large box in his arms. "Hey buddy…a little help here?" He asked, struggling, handing Ryan the box. Seth breathed out heavily and then walked inside the pool house. "Thanks, I thought I was going to collapse carrying that in here."
"What exactly is this?" Ryan asked, carrying the box and setting it on his bed with no difficulty at all. It was rather light to him, but Seth always was weak. He looked at the appearance and saw the words 'Rock Band' on the cover and some people playing instruments.
"It's Rock Band," Seth said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"And what exactly is Rock Band?" Ryan asked, still not understanding the significance of the thing."
Seth sighed and shook his head. "How can you not know what Rock Band is?" He asked.
"It's very easy to not know. What is it?" He asked, getting a little annoyed.
Seth put his hands on his sides and said, "Ryan…have you ever heard of Guitar Hero?"
Ryan nodded, rolling his eyes. "Who hasn't heard of Guitar Hero?"
"Well, this is like that except it has a whole band," Seth said, looking at the box proudly. "I just bought the last one. It took me forever to find a store with some, but I did it!"
Ryan just looked at him for a minute before saying, "So that's what you've been doing all day? Looking for a stupid game?"
"Hey, it is not stupid, it's awesome," Seth said, looking at it. Then he looked up and ran out of the pool house. Ryan watched him go and sighed, Seth could be so immature sometimes. Seth returned a couple of minutes later holding another box that had a picture of a game guitar, on it. He placed it on the bed next to the larger box and said, "There, I almost forgot the extra guitar."
"Extra guitar? Why do you need an extra guitar?" He asked, not understanding Seth's way of thinking.
"Well, if you have and extra guitar, someone can play guitar and someone can play bass instead of one person playing guitar or playing bass," Seth said.
"You do realize that didn't make any sense at all right?" Ryan asked, looking at Seth.
Seth nodded, still looking at his boxes and said, "Yeah, well, that tends to happen quite frequently."
"Okay, as long as you know," Ryan said, directing his attention to the boxes. After a couple of minutes of silence, he let his eyes travel back to Seth who was still observing the box and asked, "Aren't you supposed to open it?"
"Now you're talking!" Seth said, slapping Ryan on the back happily. Seth went to the box and tried to pull off the tape. He yanked at it one way and when that didn't work, he hit the box as if that would help. "We need some tools," Seth declared, going to the kitchen in the pool house.
"What tools do you need exactly?" Ryan asked, looking at Seth like he was crazy which let's all be honest, he is.
Seth returned carrying a screwdriver, butter knife, batteries, and soda. "We need a butter knife to cut through the tape and the screw driver and batteries in case something needs batteries." Seth said, setting everything down.
"What's the soda for?" Ryan asked, watching as Seth opened the box with the butter knife.
"Hmm?" Seth asked, clearly not listening. He pulled out a piece of pink paper and threw it off to the side.
"I asked, what's the soda for," Ryan said again.
Seth shrugged and said, "I was thirsty."
Ryan rolled his eyes and watched Seth. "What's that box for?" He asked, pointing to a box that Seth had taken out.
"This has our adaptor, USB stuff…and…wait, no that's about it," Seth said, taking out the stuff from the box. He set it carefully on the bed and then pulled out another box, this one slightly larger. He opened it up and said, "And this, Ryan, is our microphone."
"Microphone?" Ryan asked, afraid.
"Yes, so you can be the lead singer of our band," Seth said, raising his eyebrows at Ryan.
"I am not going to be a lead singer of any band, I can't sing Seth," Ryan said, shaking his head.
Seth ignored him and looked at the microphone again. "Looks pretty authentic huh?" He said, tapping it.
Ryan rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever, I'm not singing."
"I think I can sway your decision with a couple of beers and a shot of tequila," Seth said with a smirk. "Mark my words, you'll be singing by the end of the night."
"I highly doubt it," Ryan said with a roll of his eyes.
"Well, look forward to it, because it will happen," Seth said, going back to taking stuff out of the box. "Look, a wired guitar Ryan. How are you guitar skills?"
"I've never played a guitar in my life," Ryan admitted. "I haven't even picked one up."
"Well, today, that will change," Seth said with a large smile.
Ryan shook his head and said, "It's a game, Seth."
"It's not just a game, it's so much more than that Ryan. This is why you can't get a date, you need to lighten up a little bit," Seth said, hitting a weak spot with his words.
"So playing video games will help me get a date?" He asked with a raise of his eyebrows. "Must be why you had so many girls in high school."
"I may not have had tons of girls but I had 'the girl' Ryan and that's what matters," Seth said with a nod of his head, taking out the guitar from the box and putting it together. "Speaking of 'the girl,' what's Marissa doing tonight?" He raised his eyebrows at Ryan.
"I don't know," Ryan mumbled dejectedly.
Seth shook his head and said, "You need to make your move sooner or later buddy before it's too late. I heard she was going out with some guy tonight."
Ryan sighed and sat down on the bed in a space not occupied by video game materials. "What's Summer doing tonight?" He asked, changing the subject.
Seth shrugged and said, "She said she'll probably stay in, maybe she'll drop by."
"I thought that New Years was the ultimate chick holiday aside from Valentines Day," Ryan said with a raise of his eyebrows.
Seth shrugged and said, "It is, but unlike you, I have nothing to worry about. My girl friend is not of with some psycho from therapy and is not even maybe going on a date with another guy so really, you're the one who should follow those words. I know Summer will be safe."
"Marissa will be safe," Ryan said defensively.
"Yeah, in the arms of another guy…kissing someone else…" Seth said, twisting the imaginary knife in Ryan's back.
Ryan gritted his teeth together and said, "Just work on your stupid game."
Seth chuckled and said, "Will do my friend, will do."
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About half an hour later, Seth was starting up the game. Ryan didn't understand why it took him so long but decided not to question it. When he looked at the clock he saw that it was nearly seven o'clock. He got a bag of chips and then went to sit on the bed and watch Seth. Seth watched him and asked, "What are you doing Ryan?"
"I'm watching you play, isn't that what you wanted?" Ryan asked.
Seth shook his head and sighed, mumbling something under his breath. "No, Ryan. Here," He handed Ryan a microphone and controller. "Make your character."
"I will not make a character," Ryan said, putting the controller down and getting a chip. "I'm not going to play your game."
Seth sighed and said, "Ryan, stop being difficult. Just play the game already." He looked back and forth from the screen to Ryan until Ryan finally sighed and said, "Whatever!"
"That's the spirit! Go punk on us Ryan, show your true rocker self!" Seth said, waiting for Ryan to create a character.
Under name, he decided to put his own. Under hometown, he chose to be from LA because it was closest to where he lived. Under the attitude, he decided to just be a rocker, not really liking the other choices. He changed the guy so that he was blonde with shaggy hair, not long hair, but not completely short either. Then he made his eyes blue and when he was completely satisfied, he put create. "There," He said.
Seth showed the character that he'd created which consisted of punk attitude, a blue Mohawk, and tons of tattoos. Ryan rolled his eyes and Seth stared at the screen proudly. "That's my alter ego Ryan, what do you think?"
"I think that you look ridiculous," Ryan said with a sigh and shake of his head.
"Well at least I'm in the spirit of the game," Seth said. He looked at all the different instruments and said, "You know, I think that I'll be the drummer." He sat on a chair by the drums and grabbed the drumsticks. "We need a band name Ryan," he said after a while.
"A band name?" Ryan asked with a sigh, running a hand through his now shaggy hair. He'd decided to give up the short hair look.
"Yeah, a band name…like…Wyld Stallions!" Seth said excitedly.
"Seth, they used that in Bill and Ted," Ryan said with a shake of his head. "We can't use that."
"Well, do you have any better ideas?" Seth asked with hypocritically.
"No, but…"
"Exactly, be quiet," Seth said. He seemed to be lost in thought before jumping up and shouting, "Eureka Ryan!"
Ryan sighed, knowing he'd been through this before. "What Seth?"
"We shall be The Atomic Bagels!" Seth said with a large grin.
"The Atomic Bagels?" Ryan asked, shaking his head and trying not to laugh. "Seth, are you serious?"
"I am atomically serious," Seth said, typing in the band name.
"You don't make any sense you know that?" Ryan said, realizing he'd said something similar earlier in the day.
"Why yes Ryan, I do," Seth said, choosing their hometown to be LA. He scrolled through the songs and said, "Hmm…I think we should do 'Creep' by Radiohead . What do you think?"
"I think that this is all pretty stupid," Ryan said.
"Well, that's because you're a party pooper," Seth said, sitting down in the chair once again after choosing the song.
"What am I playing?" Ryan asked, going for one of the guitars.
"You're singing, I handed you the microphone," Seth said, getting ready to play.
Ryan panicked. "I thought you were joking," He hissed.
"I never joke when it comes to Rock Band," Seth said. He noted that Ryan didn't even have the microphone in his hands and said, "Get ready!"
The song started and Ryan panicked. "Seth, I can't sing!"
"Yeah you can, just sing the words that are on the top of the screen and if it's high, make your voice high, if it's low, make you voice low," Seth said, paying attention to the drums. He was actually a pretty good drummer.
Ryan saw that words were coming across the screen and he grabbed the microphone and sang, "When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye. You're just like an angel,
your skin makes me cry…" He gulped.
"Good job buddy, keep it up. It's telling you you're awesome!" Seth said happily.
Ryan saw words come up again and sang, "You float like a feather. In a beautiful world. I wish I was special. You're so very special. But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doin' here? I don't belong here…"
"That's messed up, they make you say very instead of fucking. I don't get that," Seth said with a shake of his head as he played drums.
Ryan took in a deep breath and rolled his eyes. He sang some more, Seth making smart comments the whole time. He was really getting into it too and sang towards the end, "But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doin' here? I don't belong here. I don't belong here…" He didn't realize how absorbed he was in the game, but he said, "Five stars Seth!"
"I know, we're a pretty good team!" Seth said, giving Ryan a high five. Then he looked past Ryan and said, "Hello Summer…Marissa…"
Ryan was facing Seth and had his back to them. He gulped and his eyes widened. He turned around slowly and saw the two girls staring at him and Seth with smirks on their faces. "Cohen, Atwood…what are you doing? Why was Ryan busting out in a song?"
"We're playing a video game Summer, would you like to join us?" Seth asked, oblivious to Ryan's embarrassment. "Ryan's our lead singer and I am the drummer."
Ryan blushed, avoiding Marissa's gaze. He looked down and said, "Seth made me play this game…"
"Made? Ryan, we all know you wanted to play it all along," Seth said, smirking. Ryan glared and Seth put his hands up in surrender.
Marissa came over to Ryan's side and looked at him and his heart beat quickened. How could a girl have this affect on him, still after all these years? He swallowed hard and she offered him a small smile. He smiled back until she said, "I never knew you thought that you were a creep."
Ryan glared at her and she giggled. "Very funny Cooper," He said.
"Cooper? Since when am I Cooper?" She asked, grinning at him.
"Since you made fun of me," He said, no longer mad at her. He couldn't stay mad at her for long, not over a silly video game.
She smiled and said, "Aww, did I hurt your feelings?" She took the microphone from him and said, "I'm quite the singer you know."
"Oh really?" He asked, for a minute forgetting that there was anyone else in the world but the two of them.
She nodded and giggled. "Yeah, better than you anyways." Her eyes sparkled when she talked and he noted how beautiful she looked in just a black band t-shirt and skinny jeans with her hair pulled back in a pony tail.
"Well, prove it," He said.
She walked away from him to Summer, swaying her hips sexily and turned and winked at him. "I intend to do just that." He watched her, grinning the whole time. Was she walking that way on purpose or was he looking too much into it? Did she want to get back together after all this time. It had been nine months after all.
Seth, meanwhile was watching the exchange between the two quite amusedly. When Marissa went to go talk to Summer he looked between Ryan and Marissa and asked, "So what was that?"
"What was what?" Ryan asked, obliviously.
"What was that? It looked like you two were flirting," Seth said with a smirk, liking to make fun of his friend.
"We were not flirting…" Ryan said, but even as he said that, he looked back at Marissa and smiled just a little bit. Damn, the things she did to him…
"Woah, buddy, you are totally in trouble," Seth said, rolling his eyes. "I didn't know you had it for her that bad."
"How bad?" Ryan asked, afraid that he was being too obvious. "Is it that obvious?"
"Yeah, you were practically drooling over her," Seth said with a small chuckle. He shook his head and tried not to laugh at his friend's actions.
"Damn," Ryan said with a sigh. He pursed his lips and thought about what he could do so he wouldn't seem that obvious.
"Don't worry buddy, she's got feelings for you too," Seth said, reassuring his friend, picking up his drumsticks and tapping a beat.
"How can you tell?" Ryan asked, looking at Marissa who was whispering with Summer on the other side of the pool house, completely oblivious to their conversation.
"It takes two to tango Ryan and the same applies to the amount of flirting you two had going on. She was totally looking at you like you were some dreamy guy…it's kind of disgusting to me actually," Seth said disgustedly, stopping what he was doing with the drumsticks.
Ryan grinned, feeling better and said, "Whatever you say Seth."
Summer and Marissa walked towards them, both of them having amused looks on their faces. Summer was the spokesperson of the two and said, "So, Coop and I would like to join your band."
"Why Summer, I think that is a wonderful idea. What do you think of that Ryan?" Seth asked, grinning at his friend and raising his eyebrows. "Seems that this game is better than you give it credit for."
"Whatever Seth, the game is still stupid," Ryan said, rolling his eyes, but secretly liking the idea of the girls spending the night playing video games with them. Anything was better than Marissa going out to a party and kissing some random guy or going to a party with someone. Anything was better than being away from her, even if he had to sing.
Seth sighed and shook his head. "I will convert you Ryan, you will become a Rock Band lover. You'll want one of those weird t-shirts they sell on the internet." Seth smirked.
"How would you know about that?" Ryan asked Seth, raising his eyebrows just a bit.
Seth shrugged and said, "I have my ways."
"Like the whole Care Bear stare thing?" Ryan asked, remembering when Seth had revealed that side of him as well.
Seth glared at Ryan and said, "You're just jealous?"
"Of what? You and your video games and stuffed bears?" Ryan challenged.
Summer stepped in the middle and said, "Okay you two boys, stop fighting."
Seth mumbled, "He started it…"
Ryan rolled his eyes and Summer did too. "Whatever, just stop okay Cohen?"
"Okay, Summer. And what instruments will you two ladies be playing?" Seth asked.
"Marissa is going to be guitar and vocals along with Ryan and I will play bass," Summer proclaimed.
Seth shrugged and said, "Works for me." He backed up the game so that they could sign in.
"The Atomic Bagels?" Marissa asked, seeing the band name. She looked at Ryan with raised eyebrows.
Ryan looked down, embarrassed and said, "Seth came up with the name."
Marissa just smiled at him and grabbed the guitar. She made her character to resemble her, just barely though. And of course, she gave it a punk attitude. Ryan smirked at her and she shrugged and said what she said all those years ago, "I'm angry." This time, Ryan thought about it just like he did the last time. What did she mean by that? Was she just joking around or was it something more, something deeper than she let on? Regardless, he didn't say anything, just nodded and Summer created her character to be a short, punk, crazy looking girl. She, like Seth, was into the whole creating a rock alter ego.
"Okay, now that we have all the characters, let's get to rocking!" Seth said, going to choose a song.
"Oh, get that song by Nirvana," Marissa said when she saw the song selection.
"Will do Coop," Seth said, choosing the song.
"Cohen, don't call Coop, Coop," Summer said, smacking him over the head.
"Ow woman, violence is not the answer here!" Seth said a little too loudly, rubbing his head.
"Just get ready to play the game!" Summer told him, getting ready to play the bass.
Ryan and Marissa watched the two, rolling their eyes. They looked at each other and Ryan said, "So…are you the one that's going to sing this song?"
She shook her head and smirked. "Nope, I think that this is a good song for you to sing."
"Oh really, and why's that?" He asked with raised eyebrows, enjoying her company.
"It has kick ass lyrics," She said, stifling a giggle.
"What?" He asked, not understanding.
She got ready to play, looking at the screen. "Don't worry, you'll see," She said, still trying not to laugh.
He shook his head and looked at the approaching lyrics and sang, "Sell the kids for food…" He gave a questioning look to Marissa who was now giggling while playing guitar. "Weather changes moods. Spring is here again…Reproductive glands?" He sang, looking at Marissa who was now laughing.
"Told you," She managed to get out, without missing a note.
"He's the one who likes all our pretty songs and he likes to sing along and he likes to shoot his gun, but he knows not what it means. Knows not what it means and I say…" He continued to sing the song, Marissa giggling at his questioning glances every so often. He felt better than he had in a long time, being with her, having fun with her with no drama or anything to disturb them.
Finally, at the end, they got four stars. "Cohen, you sucked!" Summer said after seeing the percentages at the end. "You got only seventy five percent!"
Seth glared at her and said, "I couldn't play any better, those two over there wouldn't be quiet!" He directed his glare to Ryan and Marissa.
Marissa giggled some more and Ryan said, "Hey, I'm singer, I'm supposed to be singing…"
Summer rolled her eyes and said, "You two loved birds need to stop distracting Cohen."
Ryan and Marissa looked at each other and then looked away, both blushing. "We're not…" Marissa started.
And Ryan finished, "…loved birds."
They looked at each other though, both lost in their own little world. They were finishing each other's sentences…
"Whatever you guys call it, get your head in the game," Seth said, rolling his eyes. He looked at Summer and mumbled under his breath, "I swear they're so clueless…"
They went on to play a couple of more songs before they reached the Battle of the Vans. Summer got down to business and Seth surprisingly did too. It was oddly Ryan and Marissa that were goofing off, teasing and flirting with each other. "Wow, your vocal skills are amazing," Marissa said after Ryan sang Wanted Dead or Alive.
"Thank you. You know, you still haven't sung yet," Ryan pointed out with a smirk.
"Well, I'm waiting for the right song," Marissa said, smiling at him.
"And what song will that be?" He asked.
She shrugged and said, "I'll know when I find it."
"You two, stop talking and get focused," Seth said, getting ready to play the drums.
Marissa sighed and rolled her eyes and Ryan did the same thing. They both got ready, Marissa's fingers positioned over the guitar and the microphone a couple of inches away from Ryan's face. They were told to play the song, Should I Stay or Should I Go by the Clash and Ryan was a little worried about how he'd sing. Marissa though came to the rescue and while playing the guitar, she leaned her face close to his and sang into the microphone along with him.
Her face was so close to his that he could smell the sweet smell of her coconut shampoo and it made him breathless all of a sudden and his mouth suddenly ran dry. Marissa was too absorbed in trying to sing and play guitar that she was oblivious to his obvious discomfort. When the song was over, he sucked in quick breaths, his heart beating even faster than usual when he was in her presence and his stomach feeling all the butterflies that were fluttering in it. He swallowed hard and she looked at him. "Are you okay?" She asked, putting a hand on his own.
He gulped and looked her in the eyes. "I'm fine," he managed to get out.
She gave him a small smile and squeezed his fingers slightly, then got ready to play their second song in the competition which ended up being some weird song that no one could remember the name of afterwards. When they were finished, they unlocked new cities and got a really beat up looking van. "It's better than nothing," Seth said, shrugging slightly.
"What time is it?" Summer asked, glancing at the clock by Ryan's bed.
"It is…eleven o'clock," Marissa said, seeing the numbers before Summer.
"Wow, only one more hour in this year," Summer said, looking around at everyone.
"Yeah, it's been a good year…graduation, prom, college…" Seth said with a smile, putting an arm around Summer.
Ryan and Marissa both sort of shifted uncomfortably where they were. Their year had been horrible. Johnny had died, they had broken up, Marissa had been cheated on by Ryan's biggest enemy, they went to the same college but things weren't the way they were supposed to be. It hadn't been a good year, not anywhere close. As the new year started approaching, they both realized it. They were meant to be together, there was no fighting it. They were Ryan and Marissa, the outsider and the princess, two star crossed lovers, soul mates even. They needed the other person as much as they needed air and they were both getting tired of waiting for the other person to make a move. So they both silently decided that they would find a way to kiss the other person at midnight, to declare their true feelings.
Little did they both know that they had similar ideas.
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"What time is it?" Summer asked, looking at Seth.
Seth shrugged and Marissa looked at the clock again. "It is eleven-fifty," She declared after a minute. "We have time for one more song and then we can stop and go outside to watch the fireworks from the town over."
"Sounds good," Ryan said, his heart beating faster at the thought of kissing Marissa in just ten minutes.
She nodded, avoiding his gaze, and he wondered what he'd done wrong. They looked through the songs and she said, "Let's do this song, Time we Had."
"Okay," Seth said with a shrug, getting ready to play drums for the last time of the year.
Ryan grabbed the microphone but felt Marissa's hand on his own. He gulped, feeling the electricity to through his body and looked into her blue green eyes. "I'll sing," She said softly.
He just nodded and handed her the microphone, not liking the feeling of his hand without hers over it. "Okay."
Seth and Summer both rolled their eyes at the two and then got ready to play. Ryan was given a quick tutorial on the guitar as the game loaded and then he put the strap on and got ready to play. They all started playing and Marissa sang,
"On the way, on the way home
I saw a rainbow beneath my feet,
flowing over the filthy street.
It's a long, it's a long way
back to the place where we used to sit
when you and I were just little kids.
The time we had is not gone.
The way we chose was the long one.
The time we had is not gone.
The stone that fell is still falling.
So let that stone be the wondrous thing
that comes to pass when our voices sing.
On the way, on the way home
I heard some ghosts laughing in the trees,
moving inside the midnight breeze.
The time we had is not gone.
The way we chose was the long one.
The time we had is not gone.
Way out here the voice and the mind are clear."
All throughout the song, she would glance at Ryan. He could feel her gaze on him, but he couldn't turn and look at her because he didn't want to mess up the guitar. He noted that she seemed to watch him when she sang the part, The time we had is not gone. He wondered if he was looking too far into it, or if she was telling him that they were not over, that they still had a chance. That's what he got out of it, but he didn't want to ask her and be wrong, so when they were finished, he put down the guitar and didn't look at her. She watched him though, he could feel her stare on his back. Seth and Summer were both quiet, wondering what to think about the silence coming from the two. "So…" Seth said.
"…we should go outside," Summer said after Seth trailed off.
"Yeah, we totally should. It'll be great…all the firecrackers…" Seth said, trying to get his friends excited.
They both just nodded, lost in thought.
Ryan wondered, 'what did she mean when she sang? Am I going crazy, or did she basically just sing the song to me?'
And Marissa wondered, 'does he not feel the same way that I feel for him?'
And Summer was wondering, 'What the hell is going on between those two?'
And Seth was wondering, 'When can we play the game again?'
So all four went outside, waiting for the new year to roll in. It was kind of chilly out and Marissa didn't have on her jacket or sweat shirt so she was kind of cold. Ryan immediately took off his own and put it on her shoulders so that she was warm. He found that he kept his hands there, on her arms, for longer than necessary. She looked into his eyes and he looked into hers. "So…" He started, knowing they needed to talk.
He looked down at his watch and saw that he had only four minutes to talk to her before he could kiss her. He sighed and was about to talk when she said, "This year…it's been horrible." He looked at her curiously and she continued, "I mean…even when we were together, it was horrible. And the whole thing with Johnny…it was stupid…and I wish that I never was friends with him. Because if I wasn't, we'd still be together and I wouldn't have gone through hell for a year…." He remained quiet, soaking in every word she spoke like a sponge. "Because that's what I'm like without you, Ryan…it's hell. And I've tried to get over you, I really have. I went out with Kevin, one of the stupidest things I've ever done and I've tried to date guys from college…but none of them are you…" She looked into his eyes and said, "None of them listen to me, like really listen to me, when I talk. They all just stare at my butt or my boobs and imagine me naked…but not you. You look at me and see me for me….for all my flaws and imperfections. You don't mind if I wear my hair back in a messy pony tail or if I'm wearing amazing designer clothes. And I want you to know that I love you, and I'm sorry for ever making you want to break up with me…" A lone tear fell down her face and he smiled and wiped it away tenderly. "I'm sorry for ever making you doubt that I loved you because I really do, no matter what happened before. I still do…"
He looked down at his watch and saw that he had only ten seconds. "Just for the record…the last year has been hell for me too," he said, looking into her eyes. He leaned into her, his nose grazing hers. He rested his forehead against hers and he heard Seth shout happy new year. He smiled and leaned in, his lips lightly brushing hers in a sweet kiss. He pulled back slightly and said, "And I love you too." She smiled, he could feel it against his face and he captured her lips in another kiss, this time more passionate than before. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue into his mouth and massaging it wit her own.
As their kiss continued, Seth and Summer watched the fireworks light up the sky. They glanced over at their friends making out and Seth pecked Summer's lips. "Happy New Year," He said.
She smiled and said, "Happy New Year Cohen."
He looked at Ryan and Marissa again and said, "And that Summer, is how you rock the stadium to someone's heart."
"You realize that doesn't really make sense right?" She asked him, looking at him with a smirk.
He sighed and says, "They played a song that brought the two together, therefore rocking the stadium of each other's hearts."
"Oh," Summer said, not really getting it still.
He sighed and mumbled, "Here we go again."