A BEAUTIFUL MIND
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In this universe, Seth and Anna stayed together after the Oliver debacle, Ryan and Marissa broke up, and Marissa and Luke got back together. (Hey, it's my AU!) Ryan and Summer are single.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to "The O.C.", Fox Television, or much of anything else, thank you very much.
Chapter 1
On yet another gloriously beautiful Newport day, Seth and Anna were eating lunch with Marissa and Luke on the school patio. Ryan hesitantly approached their table and glanced at Luke and Marissa with a quizzical gaze.
"Hey, have a seat, Dude," Luke said cheerfully. He seemed truly happy now that he and Marissa were back together. Marissa smiled up at Ryan and he could tell that she was finally happy, too. Luke was actually perfect for her, now that he had decided to quit ho'ing around. He was sweet and uncomplicated and now doted on Marissa in an attempt to make up to her for all of his past indiscretions. At the same time, Marissa had discovered that less intensity was actually a good thing, at least for her. Luke provided the necessary amount of devotion without being nearly as complicated as Ryan. After the whole Oliver debacle, Marissa had realized that she just wasn't ready for the kind of intensity and passion that was part and parcel of being in a relationship with Ryan. She had come to realize that, while she loved Ryan as a friend, they were ill-suited to be a couple. The chemistry had just never seemed right.
Ryan smiled with relief and took an empty chair next to Seth. "So, hey, what's going on?"
"Ryan, Anna and I are debating the political and social relevance of the graphic novel in contemporary society and how it reflects the mores of popular culture."
"Yeah, I don't know what they're talking about," Luke said. "But I'm thinking we all need to do something fun this weekend. Something besides Playstation again, Cohen."
"Yeah, we could go see a movie or something," Marissa offered.
The group debate was interrupted when Summer plopped down in the seat next to Marissa with a loud groan.
"Dammit," she said. "Mr. Schmidt is such an ass!"
"What's the matter, Sum?" Marissa asked with concern.
"The Mole gave me an F on my mid-term exam. I'm barely squeaking by with a D as it is. If I don't bring my grade up, I'll end of flunking the course. I don't understand why I need algebra! I mean, what good is it, huh? Stupid math, I hate it."
"You're still trying to pass Algebra I?" Seth said with amazement. "I thought you took that last year."
"No, I took 'Dummy Math' because my advisor said my placement scores were not up to taking Algebra I yet. I don't understand it; I'm doing great in everything else. Why do I have to have a math course anyway?"
"Well, you'll have to take it in college, Summer. It's a foundation course."
"At this rate, I'll never get into college. I mean, I turned in all of my homework assignments - that should count for something. Stupid Mole-Man. My dad'll kill me if I flunk!"
"Hey, Summer, Ryan's really good in math. Maybe he could help you," Seth offered helpfully, casting a wicked grin at Ryan.
"Uh, I don't know, Seth," Ryan said cautiously, cutting his eyes in Summer's direction.
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Anna chimed in after a thoughtful pause. "Ryan could tutor you after school."
Anna looked at Ryan and Summer appraisingly. She still had some residual guilt about the whole Seth/Summer/Anna triangle. She knew that Summer was definitely over Seth but she still wanted her friend to have someone special. Hmm, she thought, Ryan's pretty special. She also thought that if anyone could handle Summer and her rage blackouts, it would be Ryan. He was quiet, thoughtful, smart, and generally even-tempered now that he wasn't having to rescue someone all of the time.
"Come on, Ryan, you know you're a math whiz. Even Mr. Schmidt thinks so, and he pretty much thinks we're all idiots. Didn't he nominate you for advanced placement Trig next year?" Seth continued.
"Well, yeah, but I don't know if I'd be any good at tutoring anyone," Ryan responded quickly, trying desperately to squirm out of this without hurting Summer's feelings.
"Listen, Chino, I need help and I need it now. It's not like I'm asking you to dance with me at cotillion, for crying out loud. It's just a little tutoring."
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" Ryan finally said resignedly while everyone at the table looked at him with amused grins.
"Oh, this should be interesting," Marissa said with knowing amusement.
That day after school, Anna and Seth were doing their homework in the den, although actually not much was being accomplished as they seemed to have scheduled regular make-out sessions to break up the monotony. Ryan answered the door to find Summer there, impatiently tapping her high-heel- clad foot.
"Come on, Chino. Let's get this over with. I just got the new Vogue and I'm totally dying to see the new summer trends. I sooo would rather be shopping," Summer said, brushing past him into the house, leaving a waft of perfume in her wake.
"Um, yeah, okay. You wanna go to the kitchen?" Ryan asked hesitantly while wondering what in the world he had gotten himself into.
As Summer plopped her backpack on the kitchen table, she noticed Anna and Seth making out in the den. She rolled her eyes at Ryan and said, "Got any other suggestions?"
"Let's go to the pool house," Ryan responded with a smile.
They sat at the bar and Summer pulled her Algebra book and notebook out of her pack. She dug around looking for a pencil but only managed to find an eyeliner pencil and a tube of lipstick. "Oooh, Crimson Crème, there it is. I've been wondering what I did with that." More junk was piled on the countertop. "Huh, I could have sworn I had a pencil in here somewhere. I thought I had some fancy calculator too. It's purple and really cute, you should see it. Where the hell is that thing?"
"Here, Summer," Ryan said with a sigh. He handed her a newly sharpened pencil. "You can borrow my calculator if you need it but I think we'll be okay without it today. Now, did you bring that test so I can see what you guys are working on?"
"Um, yeah, I've got it here somewhere." More rummaging through the backpack while Ryan looked up at the ceiling and silently asked for patience.
"Oh, never mind. Here it is, in my book."
Ryan took the test from her and looked through it. Oh, god, it's worse than I thought, he concluded. She had only answered one question correctly and that seemed to just be a lucky guess. He flipped through her book until he found the right chapter so they could reference it if necessary. He took a fresh sheet of paper and wrote out a much simpler problem than was on the test. He scooted his chair over closer to her and proceeded to break down the equation in simple steps. Summer watched attentively, her nose scrunched up as she concentrated.
Over the next hour or so, they slowly worked through the first two problems. Ryan proved to be a patient and encouraging teacher. Summer had secretly been afraid that he would just tell her she was too stupid to learn, but he never criticized her. He just steadily led her through the basic steps of solving the equations. He explained what he was doing and why, without being impatient or condescending. Summer found his soft voice soothing and almost hypnotic.
A tap on the pool house door broke their concentration. "Hey, man, it's time to eat. Summer, you wanna stay for dinner?" Seth asked. He was amused to see them both so serious and involved and also sitting very close together. Hmm, maybe Anna was onto something after all.
"Oh, migosh, what time is it?" Summer said with a start.
"It's 7:30," Ryan noted with surprise.
"I've got to get home," Summer said, stuffing her notebook and textbook hurriedly into her bag. She slid off the stool, straightened her miniskirt, started toward the door but then turned back to Ryan. She laid her hand tentatively on his arm and softly said, "Thanks, Ryan. Um, can I come by again tomorrow? You've really been a big help."
"Sure," Ryan said, with a smile, surprised to discover that he had actually been having fun.
"See you then, 'Teach'," Summer gave him a saucy grin and flounced out the door.
Ryan and Seth watched her go, their eyes automatically and appreciatively drawn to her swaying backside.
"Teach?!? Okay, I'm totally into this fantasy. 'Miss Roberts, I'm afraid I'll need to keep you after school'," Seth said in a fake stern voice. "Oohh, yeah, spankings could be necessary!"
"Shut up, Seth. Besides, they don't allow corporal punishment anymore, at least not at Harbor."
"Shh, you're ruining it for me, man. Too bad Harbor doesn't make the girls wear those cute little uniforms. You know, the ones with the short skirts. Ooh, and knee socks! Yeah, I could totally get into that."
"You're such a sicko," Ryan muttered, but he suddenly had a mental picture of Summer pouting prettily and wearing a pleated mini-skirt and white knee socks with her hair in pigtails. Damn it, Seth, he groaned inwardly, now I'll never get to sleep tonight.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In this universe, Seth and Anna stayed together after the Oliver debacle, Ryan and Marissa broke up, and Marissa and Luke got back together. (Hey, it's my AU!) Ryan and Summer are single.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to "The O.C.", Fox Television, or much of anything else, thank you very much.
Chapter 1
On yet another gloriously beautiful Newport day, Seth and Anna were eating lunch with Marissa and Luke on the school patio. Ryan hesitantly approached their table and glanced at Luke and Marissa with a quizzical gaze.
"Hey, have a seat, Dude," Luke said cheerfully. He seemed truly happy now that he and Marissa were back together. Marissa smiled up at Ryan and he could tell that she was finally happy, too. Luke was actually perfect for her, now that he had decided to quit ho'ing around. He was sweet and uncomplicated and now doted on Marissa in an attempt to make up to her for all of his past indiscretions. At the same time, Marissa had discovered that less intensity was actually a good thing, at least for her. Luke provided the necessary amount of devotion without being nearly as complicated as Ryan. After the whole Oliver debacle, Marissa had realized that she just wasn't ready for the kind of intensity and passion that was part and parcel of being in a relationship with Ryan. She had come to realize that, while she loved Ryan as a friend, they were ill-suited to be a couple. The chemistry had just never seemed right.
Ryan smiled with relief and took an empty chair next to Seth. "So, hey, what's going on?"
"Ryan, Anna and I are debating the political and social relevance of the graphic novel in contemporary society and how it reflects the mores of popular culture."
"Yeah, I don't know what they're talking about," Luke said. "But I'm thinking we all need to do something fun this weekend. Something besides Playstation again, Cohen."
"Yeah, we could go see a movie or something," Marissa offered.
The group debate was interrupted when Summer plopped down in the seat next to Marissa with a loud groan.
"Dammit," she said. "Mr. Schmidt is such an ass!"
"What's the matter, Sum?" Marissa asked with concern.
"The Mole gave me an F on my mid-term exam. I'm barely squeaking by with a D as it is. If I don't bring my grade up, I'll end of flunking the course. I don't understand why I need algebra! I mean, what good is it, huh? Stupid math, I hate it."
"You're still trying to pass Algebra I?" Seth said with amazement. "I thought you took that last year."
"No, I took 'Dummy Math' because my advisor said my placement scores were not up to taking Algebra I yet. I don't understand it; I'm doing great in everything else. Why do I have to have a math course anyway?"
"Well, you'll have to take it in college, Summer. It's a foundation course."
"At this rate, I'll never get into college. I mean, I turned in all of my homework assignments - that should count for something. Stupid Mole-Man. My dad'll kill me if I flunk!"
"Hey, Summer, Ryan's really good in math. Maybe he could help you," Seth offered helpfully, casting a wicked grin at Ryan.
"Uh, I don't know, Seth," Ryan said cautiously, cutting his eyes in Summer's direction.
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Anna chimed in after a thoughtful pause. "Ryan could tutor you after school."
Anna looked at Ryan and Summer appraisingly. She still had some residual guilt about the whole Seth/Summer/Anna triangle. She knew that Summer was definitely over Seth but she still wanted her friend to have someone special. Hmm, she thought, Ryan's pretty special. She also thought that if anyone could handle Summer and her rage blackouts, it would be Ryan. He was quiet, thoughtful, smart, and generally even-tempered now that he wasn't having to rescue someone all of the time.
"Come on, Ryan, you know you're a math whiz. Even Mr. Schmidt thinks so, and he pretty much thinks we're all idiots. Didn't he nominate you for advanced placement Trig next year?" Seth continued.
"Well, yeah, but I don't know if I'd be any good at tutoring anyone," Ryan responded quickly, trying desperately to squirm out of this without hurting Summer's feelings.
"Listen, Chino, I need help and I need it now. It's not like I'm asking you to dance with me at cotillion, for crying out loud. It's just a little tutoring."
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" Ryan finally said resignedly while everyone at the table looked at him with amused grins.
"Oh, this should be interesting," Marissa said with knowing amusement.
That day after school, Anna and Seth were doing their homework in the den, although actually not much was being accomplished as they seemed to have scheduled regular make-out sessions to break up the monotony. Ryan answered the door to find Summer there, impatiently tapping her high-heel- clad foot.
"Come on, Chino. Let's get this over with. I just got the new Vogue and I'm totally dying to see the new summer trends. I sooo would rather be shopping," Summer said, brushing past him into the house, leaving a waft of perfume in her wake.
"Um, yeah, okay. You wanna go to the kitchen?" Ryan asked hesitantly while wondering what in the world he had gotten himself into.
As Summer plopped her backpack on the kitchen table, she noticed Anna and Seth making out in the den. She rolled her eyes at Ryan and said, "Got any other suggestions?"
"Let's go to the pool house," Ryan responded with a smile.
They sat at the bar and Summer pulled her Algebra book and notebook out of her pack. She dug around looking for a pencil but only managed to find an eyeliner pencil and a tube of lipstick. "Oooh, Crimson Crème, there it is. I've been wondering what I did with that." More junk was piled on the countertop. "Huh, I could have sworn I had a pencil in here somewhere. I thought I had some fancy calculator too. It's purple and really cute, you should see it. Where the hell is that thing?"
"Here, Summer," Ryan said with a sigh. He handed her a newly sharpened pencil. "You can borrow my calculator if you need it but I think we'll be okay without it today. Now, did you bring that test so I can see what you guys are working on?"
"Um, yeah, I've got it here somewhere." More rummaging through the backpack while Ryan looked up at the ceiling and silently asked for patience.
"Oh, never mind. Here it is, in my book."
Ryan took the test from her and looked through it. Oh, god, it's worse than I thought, he concluded. She had only answered one question correctly and that seemed to just be a lucky guess. He flipped through her book until he found the right chapter so they could reference it if necessary. He took a fresh sheet of paper and wrote out a much simpler problem than was on the test. He scooted his chair over closer to her and proceeded to break down the equation in simple steps. Summer watched attentively, her nose scrunched up as she concentrated.
Over the next hour or so, they slowly worked through the first two problems. Ryan proved to be a patient and encouraging teacher. Summer had secretly been afraid that he would just tell her she was too stupid to learn, but he never criticized her. He just steadily led her through the basic steps of solving the equations. He explained what he was doing and why, without being impatient or condescending. Summer found his soft voice soothing and almost hypnotic.
A tap on the pool house door broke their concentration. "Hey, man, it's time to eat. Summer, you wanna stay for dinner?" Seth asked. He was amused to see them both so serious and involved and also sitting very close together. Hmm, maybe Anna was onto something after all.
"Oh, migosh, what time is it?" Summer said with a start.
"It's 7:30," Ryan noted with surprise.
"I've got to get home," Summer said, stuffing her notebook and textbook hurriedly into her bag. She slid off the stool, straightened her miniskirt, started toward the door but then turned back to Ryan. She laid her hand tentatively on his arm and softly said, "Thanks, Ryan. Um, can I come by again tomorrow? You've really been a big help."
"Sure," Ryan said, with a smile, surprised to discover that he had actually been having fun.
"See you then, 'Teach'," Summer gave him a saucy grin and flounced out the door.
Ryan and Seth watched her go, their eyes automatically and appreciatively drawn to her swaying backside.
"Teach?!? Okay, I'm totally into this fantasy. 'Miss Roberts, I'm afraid I'll need to keep you after school'," Seth said in a fake stern voice. "Oohh, yeah, spankings could be necessary!"
"Shut up, Seth. Besides, they don't allow corporal punishment anymore, at least not at Harbor."
"Shh, you're ruining it for me, man. Too bad Harbor doesn't make the girls wear those cute little uniforms. You know, the ones with the short skirts. Ooh, and knee socks! Yeah, I could totally get into that."
"You're such a sicko," Ryan muttered, but he suddenly had a mental picture of Summer pouting prettily and wearing a pleated mini-skirt and white knee socks with her hair in pigtails. Damn it, Seth, he groaned inwardly, now I'll never get to sleep tonight.