Disclaimer: If I owned The OC, I definitely wouldn't be here posting about it on the Internet. Josh is the genius here, and I am but a poor, bored teenage girl with no other things to do but write.
Summary: "And to think this whole day happened at Six Flags of all places..." Seth takes an apprehensive Summer to a theme park. One-shot.
"Cohen!"
Summer couldn't believe it. She refused to believe it, felt herself denying what Seth had just proclaimed to her in the last five minutes. She narrowed her eyes at him and scowled. Never in her wildest dreams did she think her boyfriend would give the very idea a thought, nevertheless take action to it. And after all she had confessed to him about it.
"You did not get us tickets to Six Flags. You so did not."
A distressed Summer sat in her bed in shock, her boyfriend standing two feet in front of her. He had his hands in his corduroy pockets, and he was grinning so madly Summer thought his face would explode. Seth moved one stride and maneuvered to situate himself on the bed, but Summer leapt off and spun to face him, her hands on her hips and her foot tapping incredulously. Seth looked on at her and continued to grin.
"That I did," he said.
Summer began to pout and childishly stomped her bare foot. Seth rolled his eyes at her actions.
"Summer, it's only Six Flags! There are no axe murderers, no pill-popping stepmothers, no Olivers, no drama. See? Minty. I mean, what's so bad about it?" He looked at her for a good long second and smirked. "And you'll be spending a whole day with your deliciously delectable boyfriend, so hey. That's a plus."
Summer rolled her eyes and sighed audibly. "The rollercoasters, Cohen! Didn't you ever think about those, huh? Didn't you ever stop to consider my nice, big phobia of them!"
"Yeah, Summer, but--," Seth started to interject.
"Okay, sure. So people dig them, people enjoy them. But they won't think so highly of them once the protective bars snap. Or when their seatbelt loosens so much they fall straight to their death from 1000 feet in the air. Sure, they'll feel safe when the ride attendants say comforting things to them before the ride, but what about when you're actually on it? They'll totally regret ever stepping foot on the thing once they see somebody's body flailing down and finally crash so hard on the ground that their body breaks into millions of pieces."
Seth stared at his girlfriend in disbelief, with a twinge of fear latched on. He reasoned that she had developed the ability to ramble from him, but never had he succeeded in hearing her gruesome theory on rollercoasters. Seth wasn't afraid to admit that her words succeeded in scaring him a little. But he felt that it was job to help Summer overcome some of her many fears; he had already been acknowledged a champion once he helped Summer think less of her reputation and more of her own feelings.
Seth stood and gently grabbed Summer's upper arms. He looked down at her reassuringly. "It'll be fine. I promise. Nothing bad will happen to you. I mean, I'll be there to protect you."
Summer looked up at him like he was joking and before she could retort back with a smart remark about how she would be doing the main protecting in the relationship, Seth continued talking. "I won't force you to go on anything you don't want to go on. I mean, unless it's totally awesome and we just have to go on it, because c'mon; who wants to be an ass and not be part of the whole rollercoaster revolution?"
Summer's eyes softened and she felt herself sigh once again. She spoke in a softer tone than the one she had previously used and Seth was surprised to hear so much compassion in her voice. "I know, it's just I'm afraid, Cohen. I mean, 'coasters look scary. Really, really scary. And if we do go, I mean, I don't want you to go on a ride all alone, just 'cause your scaredy-cat girlfriend didn't want to."
"Then don't." Summer stared hard at Seth, but her eyes slowly glazed once she realized Seth was being serious. "I didn't buy the tickets because I knew you'll hate it there, Summer. I bought them 'cause I knew you'd enjoy yourself. I just want you to have fun. With me. And no, that wasn't a sexual reference. Unless you want it to be. Then that's fine by me."
Summer grinned and remained quiet for a few minutes. She and Seth slowly embraced in a quiet hug. Seth felt Summer's head bob up and down on his shoulder. "I'll go," she spoke in a barely audible voice. Seth lifted his head from Summer's chin and ducked it to kiss her forehead.
"That's my girl."
Summer felt her lips curve up into a small smile. A minute later, she felt the sensation of a pinch on her rear. "Cohen!"
Seth laughed and stepped away from their embrace, only to look down at Summer with amusement. "Be ready by ten in the morning. I'll pick you up and remember to wear something casual; heels will definitely deform your feet if you walk in them all day. And that wouldn't be very pretty." He leaned down to peck Summer on the lips before walking out her bedroom door.
----------
"Could we not listen to this so early in the morning, Cohen? It's already making me depressed."
Summer sighed and turned her eyes to Seth. They were already on the freeway to Valencia and Summer was growing tired of the melodramatic tune flowing from the car's speakers. Keeping his eyes on the road, Seth shook his head no.
"What did I tell you about insulting Death Cab, Summer? That's a big no-no in this car. Or ever."
Summer rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I wasn't insulting them, you know. I was just pinpointing that today's supposedly gonna be a big, fun day and that we shouldn't listen to this slow, sad song to jumpstart the activities. It's making me sorrow." She scowled. "And what is up with this thing about champagne in a paper cup? What does that have to do with anything? Aren't these kind of songs supposed to be about, like, girls and heartbreak? Not obscure things like cups." She reached over from the passenger's seat and tuned onto the radio.
"Summer!"
Ignoring Seth's complaints, Summer continued to tune into stations of her liking. With an accomplished grin, she leaned back in her seat and listened to the song blaring from the stereo.
"Justin Timberlake? What the hell? Why the hell are we listening to this?" Seth, drowning in disbelief, turned his head to stare at his girlfriend.
"Now this'll get me pumping." Summer triumphantly smirked at Seth, who grimaced as he turned back to look at the road. "Justin Timberlake is totally hot. Cohen, to start off a day right, you gotta bring in the happy music for once. Happy music equals a happy day." Seth shook his head from the driver's seat.
"Who in their right mind cares about rocking your body? Justin Timberlake is not hot. He's cold, very cold. And Cameron Diaz is so old. That's like dating my mom. Which is wrong, very wrong. They are acting upon very public cradle robbing. And plus, Justin had a fro' going on for a while. And everybody knows that it's my job to have the Jewfro. Not his, mine."
Summer stifled a laugh. "You're probably just jealous."
Seth looked at Summer once more. "Because he has millions of dollars, can dance and sing, and has a Charlie's Angel of a girlfriend?" A moment passed.
"Yeah, point taken."
----------
Walking through the entrance to the theme park, the pair took in their surroundings. Individuals were scattered everywhere; children ran around, parents juggled with money and keeping their kin in order, and scantily clad teenagers strutted with their significant others, eager to get on rides that very moment. Looking around, Summer's eyes landed on the rollercoasters in the far background, their height and steepness overwhelming her with a quiet fear.
"So, where to?" Seth's voice snapped Summer back to reality and she looked on at him in apprehension. He didn't notice how scared she looked.
"How 'bout back home?" A pleading look was sent Seth's way and he sighed.
"Summer, we talked about this already. Everything's going to be fine." Summer pouted and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I know, I know." They started to walk and Seth wrapped one arm around his girlfriend. She instantly wrapped her own around his waist.
"Look, if it's any constellation, we'll go on the small, kiddie rides first, okay? And then we'll just build on that." Summer nodded her head. Passing by concession stands and benches, they walked along in mild silence, once in a while commenting on what they saw. A large, fake oak tree blocked out the sun for a second and Summer squinted her eyes to look at it.
"Bugs Bunny World," she read aloud. A small thrill flowed through her veins and she unwrapped her arm from Seth's waist only to just shake his arm in small excitement. "I wanna see." Seth managed a small smile and nodded.
They walked through the tunnel in the tree and craned their heads to look at Bugs Bunny World. Children's rides scattered the area and Summer felt at peace. A small track was skirted to the side, a baby carousel on the other. Summer dragged Seth along the area, her eyes lighting up at the sights of the mediocre rides.
"This is so my style," she told Seth.
"These are for people under four feet. Big people go on the other rides, Summer. If you didn't take any notice, we fall under that category." Summer scowled at Seth and craned her neck to search for a Six Flags employee. Spotting a young blonde male, she briskly walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hi, may I help you?" The teenager forcefully smiled. His nametag read "Jason".
Managing a polite curve of her lips, Summer asked, "I know these rides are for, like, kids and whatever, but do you think my boyfriend and I could ride some of them?" Seth looked on at Summer and Jason, noting how when talking she precariously batted her eyelashes and shot a few flirty smiles. "I mean, I don't really like rollercoasters and everything, and these are the only rides I can really take. You know?"
Jason remained un-budged. "Sorry. Only children can ride the attractions in Bugs Bunny World. You're just gonna have to ride the other rides in the park."
Summer's confidence began to falter. "Please? Do you think we can? You wouldn't have to tell anybody. It'll be, like, our secret." More batting of the eyelashes. Seth thought her eyelids would fall off from all the winking.
"Sorry. Can't." Summer stared at Jason for a few seconds, her mouth hung open in shock. It wasn't everyday someone turned down Summer Roberts. Quickly spinning around, she stomped her way back to Seth, who seemed to be amused with the situation.
"Didn't go so well, huh?" Summer's angry glare told him enough. "That sucks. I sort of wanted to climb those monkey bars in that play place. It would've been like a throwback. It's very third grade."
Walking out of Bugs Bunny World, Seth and Summer continued through the path the park had set up. There were miniscule rides set up here and there, but none seemed to interest neither Summer nor Seth.
A large, stoned word came into his eyesight and Seth began to grow excited. Pulling Summer, he quickly began to stride over to the letters, his eyes big and his lips turned up in a childlike smile. Summer grew confused and her legs began to strain from the quick steps she was taking. "Seth, Seth!" she called, but to no avail. Seth was acting like a deranged child headed to a candy store and he couldn't be stopped.
He stopped walking and lifted his head up and stared. Summer's eyes grew confused and wondering what he was looking at, lifted her head up as well. Above them stood an outrageously high, green and orange rollercoaster, it's first drop appearing nearly 300 feet high. One string of 'coaster cars trailed at the top height of the drop and suddenly plunged down into ride abyss. Screams were heard, the sounds never-ending to Summer's ears. Seth looked on at the ride in pure delight.
Summer looked down from the ride and stared in front of her. The large, stoned word read "Goliath". A fitting name for a monster of a rollercoaster.
"Sum, let's go on." Seth brought his head down to normal level and turned to look at Summer. Her eyes grew ten times their usual size and her mouth hung open in terror.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" she yelled at him in fright. "That is not a small, kiddie ride, Cohen." Seth's eyes grew sympathetic and he momentarily forgot about his offering to Summer.
"That is true. Forgot about the deal." Summer nodded her approval of Seth's remembrance. "But, they say if you go on a scary rollercoaster for the first time, you won't be scared at all anymore. And that looks like a scary ride, Summer. So, you might as well just get over the phobia now and we could ride all the big rides the entire day. Yeah?"
Summer shifted her weight to one foot and placed her hands on her hips. Seth recognized the look. It was the "who-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-kidding" look and he got it from her many times. Too many times to count. The moment the hands touched the hips was when he knew he wasn't going to win this battle.
"Little rides it is."
----------
"Hey, look. They've got a Tilt-A-Whirl!"
Summer squealed in delight and raced over to the hidden carnival ride. Her eyes lit up and she giggled in spite of herself. "I love these things." Walking into line, she held Seth's hand and turned her head to look at him.
"Yep. Can't forget about these. However, I may remind you of the time we last went on; you know, when you barfed all over my me at the fair." Seth shook his head. "It was not a pretty sight."
Summer crossed her arms over her chest in defense. "Hey! It's not my fault. There was definitely something in that cotton candy. I swear I saw a nasty green tint to it. It probably wasn't even snack approved."
Seth pointed a finger at her in accusation. "Well, that didn't stop you from eating three of them before we actually got on the ride." Summer shrugged.
"They were still good, whatever. And besides, I have an empty stomach now, so no vomit will occur."
They were already in the front of the line. A few minutes passed by and the cars in front of them slowly started to draw to a winding close. The attendant working at the ride stood up from his stool and opened the exit for the riders and then languidly walked to the entrance and opened the gate.
Seth and Summer briskly walked to one bucket and sat down. They chained themselves up and as the attendant spoke into his microphone of safety hazards, the pair impatiently waited for the ride to start.
"Jesus and Moses, could this guy be talking anymore slower? Ryan could probably outtalk him. And the guy doesn't speak more than five words at a time." Summer nodded her agreement to Seth's disposition.
"Hey! Vamanos! Could you, like, speed up the moving of the lips and just start already! We're already falling asleep back here," Summer shouted to the attendant from the car. In response, the attendant stopped talking and narrowed his eyes at both and Seth. He quietly grumbled and flipped on the switch to start the ride. His control panel consisted of a speed regulator for each different car and with a smirk, he turned the knob on Seth and Summer's car.
Seth and Summer wildly flew in circles. Both had their backs pressed to the back of the car from the force of their speed and were holding on tightly to the bar in front of them. Summer screamed in delight as she and Seth were sent zooming in circles.
The spinning never slowed down, however, and her screaming slowly turned into groans of naseousness. Turning her head to look at Seth, she recognized sickness on his face.
Time felt as if it was going a mile a minute. Their car was still spinning in an immense speed and both Seth and Summer felt sick. Finally, the ride began to slow down and eventually ended in a complete stop.
"I don't wanna get up. I feel like sick," Seth complained. Summer barely managed a nod of her head.
"I think I'm gonna vomit." The attendant on the side stifled a laugh as the couple slid out from the seats of their car.
"Thanks for riding. Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay at Six Flags," he waved at them as they exited. Summer tried to send a glare to him, but her stomach told her otherwise and a hand covered her mouth. Seth followed closely behind her, one hand rubbing his stomach.
"I hate Tilt-A-Whirls."
----------
"Okay, Summer. So, this is gonna be nothing."
Seth, with a flick of his hand, pointed out a rollercoaster filled with loops and corkscrews. A large Batman symbol flashed before them and Summer halted her walking.
"Oh. My. God, Cohen. You're so kidding, right?" She looked at Seth and widened her eyes. "You want me? Me to go on that?"
Seth looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. You know, that's sort of the point. To get you going on 'coasters. You know, so I could get my lovely 27 dollars worth."
Summer turned towards the rollercoaster, looked on as she took in the dangling seats and ferocious backward loops.
"Are you sure? I mean, Seth!" she whined. A pout made way onto her lips and Seth rolled his eyes.
"It's totally cool. I'll be right there next to you. Seriously, Sum, it's not as bad as it looks. You don't really feel anything. Once you're done with this one, I swear, you'll be ready to take on anything. I wouldn't take you on this ride if I knew you were gonna hate it." Summer sighed, signaling her defeat and Seth's win. He widely grinned.
"Are you sure? I swear, Cohen, if you're fooling me..." She shot a look to her boyfriend. In response, he raised his eyebrows.
"You'd what?" he challenged. They continued walking and encountered stairs, which they slowly walked up.
"No sex for a month." Summer slyly smiled and Seth stared at her. She smirked, but slowly her lips faltered once Seth's staring turned into a look of cocky disbelief.
"Yeah, right. That coming from the girl who couldn't resist the Cohen charm and practically jumped on me for a little nookie when I wouldn't give it to her. Sure, go ahead and take up your own offer, sweet cheeks."
Summer smacked Seth on the shoulder and he grabbed it in shock, wincing. "What was that for?" he chuckled as he spoke.
"You were getting fresh," she replied. Raising her chin, Summer sauntered into the rollercoaster's building, leaving Seth walking behind her still holding his bruised shoulder.
The room was dark and red, blue, and purple lights illuminated it. People stood in line and it was Seth's turn to take the walk forward. He grabbed Summer's hand and chose a line for the middle cars of the 'coaster. Summer appreciated the gesture; in the middle, she told him, is where she feels it would be most safe. "In the front, you could see everything, Cohen, you know, so that's pretty creepy. You see where you drop and everything. And in the back, it's probably the most bumpiest and has less control. So middle is for me."
They waited in line for a few moments. Summer looked at the ground in quiet hesitation and fear. A minute passed and it was their turn to step into the ride. Batman's cars were not of the general rollercoaster cars. They were seats, held together by overhead supporters. Summer slowly stepped into one seat and sat in silence.
"Uh, Sum. You might want to pull down your security support. I don't want you falling out of this thing." Seth turned to his girlfriend and when no response came, he waved his hand in front of her face. Summer stood staring straight ahead of her.
"I don't think I can do this, Seth," she breathed. Her breaths came in shallower tones and her heart pumped madly.
"Sure you can, Sum. C'mon, do it for me." Seth tried to cheer up Summer, but she continued giving off a blank looked. Summer swiftly turned her head to the right and looked at Seth.
"I can't, I can't do it!"
She began to get up, but an oblivious employee came to her side and knowingly smiled. "You might want to close this." The employee pushed down Summer's safety support and latched her onto the seat. Summer stared in silence and horror at the scene playing before her. She was getting strapped down and couldn't get out.
The employee left and after a moment's hesitation, Seth heard Summer's voice.
"Oh. My. God. Oh my God! Oh my God!" Summer shrieked. People turned to look at her and Seth, but both teenagers didn't notice the others' stares. Seth tried to reassure Summer from the accompanying seat next to Summer's.
The ride began to shift forward and soon enough, the cars were climbing a high peak. Summer tightly gripped onto the bars of the overhead support now latched above her torso.
"This is gonna be awesome, Sum, don't worry." Summer swallowed a dry lump in her throat and tried to nod.
From her right side, Seth's hand reached over and searched for Summer's own. He found it and laced his fingers through her's. The small, sweet gestured reassured Summer and she sighed in relief.
It wasn't going to be so bad after all.
----------
"That was so awesome!"
The duo walked out of the ride and into the main park once again. Summer beamed, as did Seth.
"See? Listening to me gets you places, my dear. You would never hear this kind of reassurance from Ryan or Marissa. I'm your only soft spot. I'm like a wise guru; take my advice."
Summer giggled and laced her finger's through Seth's once again. "Yep. You are my Yoda. I should listen to you more often."
"Oh hey, thanks. I feel that declaration to hit me right here," Seth gestured to his heart, "seeing as you just declared you had never really listened to me before this event ever happened," he said, smiling with sarcasm.
"Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm a bit stubborn. You have to pull a few strings before you can make me open up a little."
Seth smiled and the two continued to walk around the park, passing by other rollercoasters and other people alike.
"Yes, that's why I love you so much."
Summer stopped walking and looked over to Seth. He realized what he had just said and stood flabbergasted. His mouth opened and closed like a confused fish. Did he just say what he think he said?
"You love me?" Summer stared at him in disbelief with eyes wide open. Seth looked at her with matching wide eyes and shook his head. He hadn't wanted to proclaim his feelings to his girlfriend so bluntly. The mere act could easily scare her off.
"Um, I said piewoveguluch. It's apparently Dutch. Um, it means "Mmm. Pie is good," Seth managed to squeak out. He wasn't even sure if piewoveguluch was even a word in Dutch. Much less any type of word at all.
Summer's eyes told him that she didn't believe him and she stood staring at him. Seth felt naked and exposed and felt as though Summer was studying him, analyzing him for a project.
Summer brought her head up to her forehead. "I can't think. Do you mind if we sit?" She gestured towards the tables near a candy shop. Seth nodded and followed his confused girlfriend to the tables. She sat and ended up staring at Seth all over again.
Naked and exposed, part two.
"You love me," Summer whispered, much to herself than to her dumbfounded boyfriend. "Cohen, do you really love me?" She looked on at Seth and quirked her head to the side.
Deciding to go on and tell the truth rather than lie, Seth quietly nodded his head yes and looked down. Great, he thought to himself, this is the big 'I love you' moment. I was sort of expecting myself to sweep her off her feet. Some champagne, a little Barry Manilow in the background. Not at some theme park.
Not like this.
Summer couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that someone would actually really love her. She had been told she had been loved only twice, this time included. Once when she was in the fourth grade and Kevin Gregory was her boyfriend. He did it because everybody was saying it to their "significant others" and it was cool to do so back then. But not like this.
This was different.
This was real. Actual love.
And somebody felt it for her.
Summer sat staring intently at Seth. He looked up cautiously and caught her eyes. They said everything Summer wanted to know, everything she that concluded her reasonings and doubts, everything that told her that Seth was telling the truth. But he looked back down again in embarrassment and she couldn't find her answers anymore.
"I love you, too, you know that?"
Seth barely heard Summer's whisper and brought his head back up in surprise. A small smile lit up Summer's face, reciprocating back on Seth's. He scooted over to her side of the table and looked into her eyes.
"Seriously?" She nodded. A full-blown grin broke out onto his face. A hand made way onto the back of Summer's neck and pulling her closer, Seth kissed his love with every ounce in his body. Summer did the same to him.
Both were in love with love and were loving every minute of it.
The kisses began as small, desperate pecks, but soon developed into something bigger: a passionate make-out that turned both of the teenager' insides. Breaking apart for breath, Summer tried to regulate her breathing. She winked and shrugged her head to a desolate arcade gaming booth in the far corner of the park. Seth got the idea and grinned.
"First one over there gets to choose the songs on the ride back home," Seth suggested. Summer laughed and ran towards the booth. Seth ran to catch up with her, but Summer arrived there first and jumped over the counter to land just behind it.
Seth jumped over and tripped, causing Summer to break out in hysterics. Seth laughed, but realized their positions and made a gesture to shush Summer down. The laughter died and Summer roughly pulled Seth on top of her for another kiss.
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"No, not really. There's haven't been a lot of wins today. I don't know w--Oh my god!"
A teenager employee and his boss walked into the booth and stood gaping at the individuals before them. Seth and Summer stopped their ministrations and looked up at the two. They both covered themselves up with their clothes, eyes wide, and stared at the employees.
Trying to make lighter of the situations, Seth grabbed a nearby stuffed animal and held it out.
"Toy?"
----------
"You are never allowed back in Magic Mountain again! You hear that? Never!"
An angry supervisor of the park shoved both Seth and Summer out of the park exits. They both looked distraught, with messy hair and wrongly buttoned clothes.
Walking towards the car in the parking lot, Seth chuckled. "Well, that was an adventure. I definitely will wake up with a bruise on my ass tomorrow thanks to all that kinky theme park sex. But hey, no complaints here."
Summer giggled. "True that, my b.f. Oh yeah! Hey! I just remembered, I won that race to the booth. So I get to pick the music."
Seth groaned. "Dear Lord, no more Justin Timberlake. That guy gives me the wiggins."
Summer shook her head quickly. "Oh no, no. That was so this morning." Seth sighed in relief and smiled.
"Right now, it's all about the Britney."
Seth's loud groan filled the parking lot and reaching their car, he placed his head on the window in despair. "Summmer," he whined.
Summer cockily shrugged. "I won, sour loser. I get to call the shots." She opened her side of the car and stepped inside. Situating herself and putting her seatbelt, with Seth doing the same, she added, "Don't get so whiny. I could take away your sex advantages."
Seth looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. He laughed and gestured towards their disarrayed appearances.
"Good one, Sum."
She giggled and looked back at Seth as he reversed the car from its parking space. She smiled.
"And to think this whole day happened at Six Flags of all places..."
That's all folks. Thanks for reading.
