Author's Note: As mentioned in the summary, this is the first of my "Cliched Plots" series. Let me explain what I mean by this. I feel there are three very common plots in Seth/Summer fanfic (my particular area of interest): Summer takes Seth's role in some kind of AU, Seth's return after he leaves in S1, and a future story where Summer breaks Seth's heart for some reason and they eventually meet and come together (every once in a while, Seth will be the heartbreaker, but this is not as common). There are, of course, many other plots, but these seem to be the most common and I'm not that creative. Ultimately, I just thought it would be interesting to take the most used plot threads present in O.C. fanfic (in particular Seth/Summer fic) and seeing how I would write them. Also, half the job is done for me. It's all in good fun, and while the stories are written "seriously" and I have a vested interest in them, I don't take my slightly mocking or overdone stance too seriously. I hope you don't either as you are reading my story, and enjoy what I've written. It's neither all that original or amazing, but it was...interesting to write. Enjoy!
Oh and please look for the next story in my series of "Cliched Plots" called Beyond the Sea, a story about Seth's journey on the Summer Breeze after the end of Season 1.
"Yo Roberts, what's up?"
Summer stopped pulling books out of her locker and forced herself to take a steadying, deep breath. It was just Seth Cohen, she told herself. No reason to freak out. No reason to lose her cool or turn into a blubbering mess. She could handle talking to Seth Cohen. She did it nearly every day.
She made herself wipe the smile that had formed when she heard his voice. It was an involuntary reaction; she always smiled, or day dreamed, or drifted off into a fantasy world whenever she thought about the boy she had seriously been crushing on for years. She didn't want him to know about her feelings because it would be way too embarrassing. The last thing she wanted was to scare him away. He was pretty much the only one in school, except for Marissa, who treated her with respect or compassion. That he even acknowledged her existence at all when everyone else in his crowd seemed to hold such disdain for her, made her feelings for him grow even deeper and harder to escape.
She turned herself around, to face him. Her lips were tightlipped but she made herself seem approachable. He was standing in front of her, a lopsided grin on his face, dimples at full power, his hair still a little wet, bag hanging off one shoulder, and looking utterly relaxed. He always seemed so comfortable in his own skin that she couldn't help but hate him a little. Nobody ever made fun of him for his appearance, or the way he dressed, or the way he talked. They just accepted him for who he was: the heir apparent to the Cohen-Nichol family. And if there was one thing money bought in Newport, it was acceptance. Plus, she figured that it helped that he was also kind of hot.
"Yo Cohen, not much." She openly mocked him, a small grin fighting, and winning, to break loose on her face.
Seth smirked confidently and he placed his hand on the locker next to her, leaning toward her. She was forced to lean back, neck touching cool metal, and look up at him. She hated how he could so effortlessly make her swoon like a school girl. He smelled good, a soft mixture of cologne and the ocean. Seth was infamous for ditching school for a little extracurricular surfing and he always seemed to have a permanent aroma following him around. To Summer he always smelled fresh and clean, and she couldn't help but take a deep breath as he seemed to shift even closer to her.
She wasn't stupid, she knew what he was doing. It was his nature to be a flirt, to constantly be charming even when he wasn't trying to get into some girl's pants. There was no off switch with him, which made it extremely hard for her to be around him sometimes, as he would unconsciously flirt with her with absolutely no intention of following through. He was the school player, he didn't know how to be a one woman man. He could date Jenna on Monday, be spotted with Celeste on Wednesday, out to dinner with Kara on Saturday, and wind back up where he started with Jenna the next week. Summer could never understand why he did it, why he felt like playing musical chairs with the girls of Harbor, and why he never seemed to give her an opportunity to play the game.
She did know why, deep down, was because she wasn't pretty enough, or rich enough, or even popular enough to be worth his time. Not that, from what she could tell, he cared all that much about that stuff, but she had still never been on his radar.
"So Roberts, have I told you lately what a ravishing beauty you are?"
He grinned cheekily and she rolled her eyes in response. He could be so corny sometimes, but she always loved the absurd things he said to her. She let out a little giggle. She was completely powerless to prevent her body from reacting sometimes. She reached into her bag, which she had been holding limply to her side, and grabbed a group of papers. She held them up and pushed them gently against his chest. She couldn't stop herself from lightly brushing her fingers against his t-shirt and chest. "You're a dork, Cohen. Why can't you just ask for my notes like a normal person?"
Seth placed his much larger hand atop her own and carefully pried the papers from her grasp. It was obvious he had no idea what his touch was doing to her, and she carefully took a deep breath to steady her suddenly shaking hand as he gave a cursory look at her history notes. He looked up at her, staring into her eyes and he moved closer. His voice lowered, deeper, and he softly said, "Who said I was kidding?"
Oh God. Her mind just went blank. She moved her mouth to form some kind of response, anything, to break the tension that had suddenly formed around them, but nothing came out. She only held her breath and stared at his mouth. Why did he do this to her? Didn't he know how it was absolute hell for her when he played with her like this?
As if he could hear her thoughts, he winked and pulled back, a big grin on his face. "You're the best, Roberts. I don't know what I would do without you sometimes."
She came out of her stupor with a shiver and she felt her face flush hotly when he smirked. She wanted to smack the self-satisfied smirk right off his face. Okay, so that was a lie. She did want to do something to his mouth, but smacking him was the last thing on her mind. "Probably fail." She muttered it under her breath as she forced herself to pull her eyes away from him and to the bag in her hand.
"You're so totally my hero, Roberts." He laughed and stuffed her notes into his bag.
She stood up to her full height and smacked him hard on his shoulder. "You know, I'm not going to be around forever and one of these days, you might actually have to come to class and pay attention."
"Very true, Roberts. But fortunately for me, that day is not today."
"God, you are such a – such a – "
"Devastatingly handsome man? I know, Roberts, I know. But you need to learn to control yourself better around me. I know it's hard, but we all have to deal with things we can't have."
"Oh my God, you are such a conceited ass." She laughed and smacked him again. It hurt that he was more or less right, that she did need to control herself better around him. But she had gotten quite good at masking her true feelings around him over the last few months. She had the occasional slip-up, but that usually only happened when he went out of his way to screw with her, like he was doing right now.
And of course, like he was actually reading her mind again, he said something which essentially made her mind shut down. It just literally stopped working. "So I was thinking, this whole notes thing isn't really working for me." He paused and slowly licked his lips, leaning closer again, making her take another deep breath. "It's making me feel guilty, taking something from you without really giving anything back. I mean beside my company of course." He leaned even closer, his face just out of reach, and everything just kind of faded away. He had never been this close to her before, and for the briefest of seconds she considered just kissing him, damning the consequences. He whispered the last part, his warm breath brushing against her cheek. "I was thinking I could pay you back with sexual favors. History? Make out with you for 10 minutes. Biology? I do have some pretty fantastic fingers. French? Well, I've been told I do this really great thing with my tongue." And his voice just kind of faded into a halting breath, his lips just inches from her ear.
He just stood there, waiting. He had moved back so that he could look her in her eyes. She could see the amusement and the challenge in his own eyes. He was daring her, she couldn't believe it. She almost let herself lose control and accept his challenge, but she just couldn't do it. She was still recovering from the idea of doing anything sexual with Seth Cohen to really understand what kind of opportunity he was presenting to her.
He straightened up, crossed his arms across his chest, and smirked. It was the most infuriating thing she had ever seen. He had crossed a line this time. He couldn't say those things to her and not expect some repercussions. Before she could act however, someone called his name from behind and he turned to see who it was. His face brightened and he smiled and Summer no longer felt pissed off, just unimaginably hurt.
It was all just a game with him, that was all. He loved seeing how far he could push her, seeing if she would break. He didn't actually care about her, not like that. He wasn't interested in her. He didn't like her in that way. No, he liked girls like Holly Fischer.
Summer saw Holly frown at her, narrowing her eyes. Summer just straightened her back and looked defiant and determined in response. She wasn't going to let anybody push her around for talking to Seth. Just because Holly thought she had some kind of claim over him didn't mean anything. Holly motioned with her head for Seth to come over and Seth nodded in response.
Seth turned back to face her, a simple good-natured smile on his face. "Gotta run, Roberts. Thanks again for the notes."
"Um, yeah, no problem." That was all he wanted from her. A smart girl who had no one and was desperate for any attention the school Don Juan paid to her. Someone who was so blinded by her crush that she wouldn't see how he was using her to screw around and have fun. And she fell for it every time. No more. She was finished.
He walked away, the smile never leaving his face. He couldn't possibly be that oblivious to her feelings. She turned back around to close her locker. She was just turning around, zipping up her bag, when he appeared back in front of her. She jumped slightly in surprise and he once again had a smirk on his face. "Roberts, I almost forgot. There is a party tonight at Holly's. I expect you to be there." And then he left, walking back to Holly and throwing an arm over her shoulders, their heads close together.
What the hell? Summer watched the two leave the hallway, utterly confused. Seth Cohen just invited her to a party. Her! It didn't make any sense. He had never done that before. She had thought he wanted her nowhere near those kind of social events. She might taint the in crowd with her outsiderness. He had always been cool with her, not ignoring her when everybody else did, but she always thought it was just because she was his pipeline for all things school related. Now he actually wanted her to come to one of his parties? The world was turning on its head.
"Oh my God Summer, you need to relax!"
"Relax? Relax!? Are you insane!?"
"It's just a party."
Summer made sure that the t-shirt she just tossed over her shoulder was aimed in Marissa's direction. She continued to rifle through her closet for something, anything really, that was suitable to wear. She clutched a top to her chest and spun around to face her best friend. "It's not just a party. He invited me!"
"He probably invited a lot of people."
Summer rolled her eyes, shook her head, and looked at the top she was holding in her hands. Disgusted, she threw it onto the growing clothes pile next to her closet. Marissa was just being difficult. "He's never invited me before. He told me that he expects me to be there." Summer looked down at her feet, suddenly overcome with self-doubt. "That means he wants me there, doesn't it?"
"Oh honey, I don't think Seth Cohen ever knows what he wants."
Summer nodded her head vigorously. "I know that, believe me I know. But – but he's never said the kind of things he said to me today."
"I just don't think you should get your hopes up. He's probably going to be hanging all over Holly tonight and I don't want you to get hurt."
Summer was getting frustrated. Damnit, she knew all this. She didn't need Marissa to tell her not to get her hopes up. She knew that the chances of anything happening between her and Seth were about as slim as Holly Fischer solving a quadratic equation. But that didn't matter, because Summer didn't know how not to get her hopes up regarding Seth. He could humiliate her, embarrass her, rub her crush on him in her face like he did today, and she would always come crawling back for more because she believed that maybe, someday, he would wake up and see the light. And because, well, she thought he was worth it.
She had requested Marissa's help to prepare her for tonight's ordeal, not play mother hen. So she snapped, "I asked you to help me, not tell me what I shouldn't do."
Marissa frowned and scrunched her face up. "Fine."
Summer sighed and unclenched her fists. She was totally stressing and taking it out on her only friend was not the best course of action. "Look, I'm sorry. I know you only want what's best for me and I love you for it." She smiled and relaxed just slightly.
Marissa relaxed as well and smiled back. "I know." Marissa took a deep breath, stood up, and looked at Summer appraisingly. "Okay, since you won't listen to my advice, I say wear something really slutty."
Summer blushed a deep red and gasped out loud in shock. She averted her eyes from Marissa's grinning face. "Coop! God!"
Marissa was very good at looking innocent when she wanted to. "What? You want to get his attention don't you?"
"Yes!" Summer moved her eyes back to Marissa's face, still completely flushed. She didn't even think she owned anything "slutty". "That doesn't mean I want him to think I'm easy."
Marissa walked up to her, placed an arm around her and squeezed. She turned both of them to face Summer's closet, and she peered inside. "Oh honey, I love you, but when it comes to Seth Cohen, you're about as easy as Sunday morning." And then Marissa laughed.
Summer flushed again. She elbowed Marissa in her side and stepped completely into the closet. "God, I have some self control you know." Obviously Marissa didn't see her and Seth at her locker. She would have been so proud.
"Right. So what are we talking here? 5 minutes?"
Summer giggled and discarded another useless outfit. She shook her head as Marissa followed her, continuing to list embarrassingly accurate time estimates.
So Summer had been wrong. She did own something slutty, or at least it was more revealing than her normal attire. She was wearing a slightly faded denim mini-skirt and a light blue halter top. Marissa had practically forced her to put on her most revealing bikini on underneath, on the off chance she had reason to strip down. Marissa had said it was in her own best interest, as clothes frequently seemed to disappear at these parties. Compared to many of the girls she saw stumbling around Holly Fischer's beach house, she was dressed rather conservatively, but it was about as far as she was willing to go.
She already kind of hated herself for even dressing like she was in the first place. Making herself vaguely uncomfortable, wearing clothes that really only served to draw attention to her body, and she was doing it all for some boy. It was worth it if meant finally getting Seth interested in her, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
Not that she had accomplished even a hello. She had only seen Seth once since she had arrived at the party over an hour ago, and he had been sitting on a couch, sandwiched between two blondes, both of whom were giggling like idiots over everything he said. It made her sick, although she wasn't sure if that was more a result of the sickening warm beer she was sipping. She was not much of a drinker and this was the last place she wanted to lose control of her faculties.
Why had she even showed up? Marissa was right, it was pointless. Seth didn't want her here. He had probably just invited her so he wouldn't feel so guilty over using her. It was just pity on his part. Why would he spend time with her when there were much hotter girls willing to just give themselves up to him whenever he so much as smiled in their direction? It was ridiculous.
She had begged Marissa to come with her, but Marissa already had a date with Ryan planned. She couldn't believe that Marissa was dating Seth's adopted brother. When she had first found out about them getting together, it had seemed fantastic. Marissa was her best friend, she knew Seth, being neighbors and all, and now she was dating his brother? It couldn't have been more perfect. Now she actually had a legitimate reason to hang out with Seth. Marissa was too good a friend to not let her tag along with her whenever she went to the Cohens or anywhere else, really. Not that she didn't hate the fact that she had to tag along, like she was so pathetic she had to ride her best friend's coattails, but it was worth the vague humiliation if it meant she got to know Seth.
And she had, kind of. It was how they had started talking at least. Being left alone while Ryan and Marissa went off to do stuff she didn't like thinking about, had forced them to spend time together. It had been great in the beginning, but then Seth had finally started to pick up on all the obvious signals she was sending, and had made their time together hell with all his incessant flirting.
She just about had enough. She'd only come to this stupid party for one reason, and it wasn't happening. A couple of times, guys would come up to her, try to flirt or get her to dance, but she knew they were only interested because they were drunk and were blinded by what she was wearing. No guy ever paid her any attention while she was in school or out around town or anywhere. She wasn't that desperate. Well, she just didn't care about anyone but Seth, which was stupid, as it was never going to happen.
She finished off her beer and decided she wanted to get some fresh air. It was too stuffy, loud, and pointless inside. Maybe a walk on the beach would give her her second wind. She made her way toward the door in the back, but not without seeing Seth come downstairs, shirtless, hair tousled in a thoroughly distracting manner, and Holly draped all over him. They were talking, and Holly was giggling stupidly.
She rushed the last few feet, bursting outside into the night, fighting to keep herself from breaking down. He was such an asshole. It was like he was throwing it in her face. Why had he invited her? Just so he could show her how much of a stud he was? That he could have any girl he wanted, at any time? Asshole.
She walked until she was relatively alone and sat down on the beach. She looked up and saw the moon was nothing more than a sliver, hidden by drifting clouds. She could see a smattering of stars and there was a cool, slightly biting wind coming from the ocean. She shivered and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry. Not over him.
And then he was sitting down next to her and she couldn't breathe. He was still shirtless but the cool breeze didn't seem to affect him. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" His words were slurred and she turned her head to look at him. His eyes were completely glazed over. He was obviously very drunk and she sighed. She didn't want to talk to him now. How had he known she was even out here?
"Because somebody is an asshole."
Seth nodded his head in agreement, although she doubted if he even knew who she was talking about. Or if he was even coherent enough to figure it out. "Yeah, there are a lot of assholes around here."
Summer snorted and rolled her eyes. How was he so oblivious? "I saw you with Holly."
He laughed like she had said the funniest thing in the world. "Oh yeah." Then he giggled.
He was really drunk. "I bet that was fun." She didn't mean to sound so bitter, but he probably couldn't tell anyway.
"It was all right, but I've had better." Then he made a face to show his disappointment.
Okay, she was officially disgusted. That was the last thing she had ever wanted to hear. She really didn't want to know about his sex life, and she didn't like how he was so flippantly discussing it. And it was kind of a crass and jackass thing to say. "That's gross, Cohen."
Seth shrugged. "I know. I'm sorry." And she actually believed him. God help her, but she did.
She watched the waves roll up on the beach. The crashing water was rhythmic and soothing; it blended well with the distant music and chatter thumping across the beach from the house. She could feel him looking at her and it made her squirm. She glared at him, she didn't have any patience for his crap tonight. "What do you want?"
"There is something I've always wanted to ask you."
"Well?"
Seth blinked and shook his head. It took him a few seconds to focus on her. "How come you don't have a boyfriend?"
She was speechless. That question was completely unexpected. He had always wanted to ask her that? "Maybe because nobody has ever expressed any interest before?" She didn't bother hiding her bitterness, disappointment, and longing. There was only one person she wanted.
Seth became excited, almost jumping up and down. "See, I just don't understand that!" He reached out and placed a warm hand on her cool shoulder. It made her shiver. "You are an amazing girl, Roberts." She blushed. "Totally cool and really, really, really smart."
She wanted to believe what he was saying, but there was a mountain of evidence to the contrary. "Thank you, I guess." She swallowed when she saw his eyes. They were just staring at her. "But being smart doesn't really make the guys go weak in the knees."
Seth placed both hands on her shoulders now and if he wasn't so obviously drunk, she'd think he was messing with her again. Now he probably just didn't know what he was doing. "No, no, no. Summer, no." He had never called her by her first name before and she thought it was maybe the hottest thing she'd ever heard. The way he said it, warmly, a little huskily, with clear affection in his voice, made her stomach flutter and her whole body warm. She was no longer cold. "Smart is sexy, Summer. It's very sexy and don't ever let anybody tell you differently."
"So are you saying you think I'm sexy?" The question sounded stupid to her ears, but she desperately wanted to know the answer.
"Yes." It was all he said, and he shifted his eyes to the ocean.
What do you say to something like that? She had been waiting for years to hear those words come out of his mouth and now she had no idea what to do with them.
"I just don't understand you, is what I'm saying, I guess." He was still staring at the ocean and she had to strain to hear him. "You are beautiful and funny and so smart, and I've always wanted to know why you are so alone. It doesn't make sense to me."
"You think I'm beautiful?" She didn't think she'd ever sounded so hopeful.
He spun around to face her, sand flying up into the air. "That is the dumbest question ever." Summer recoiled back as if she had been slapped and couldn't look at him anymore. He continued on oblivious to her reaction. "You are perfect, Summer." Wait, what? "You have like the best hair, and gorgeous eyes, this cute little nose that always makes me smile, and the kind of lips that make me want to kiss you every time I see them."
She stared at him in open shock. What the hell? Was she dreaming? Maybe she had fallen asleep on the beach. "You can't seriously be talking about me."
He ignored her and leaned close to her, his voice a whisper, but light. "Can I tell you a secret?"
She couldn't speak, so she just nodded her head.
He smiled wide, his dimples prominent even in the dark. "I've always wanted to kiss you. Just once." He cocked his head to the side, as if considering his words. "Okay, that was a lie. I want to kiss you a lot more than once." Then he smirked and fell back onto his ass, laughing.
She was totally in love with him now. She hadn't been one hundred percent sure before, but now, after everything he had just said to her, she was positive. She was completely hopeless, and she was pretty ashamed of herself as well. "Why don't you then?" She didn't care that she sounded like a desperate little girl. She just wanted him to kiss her.
Seth shrugged his shoulders and he was no longer smiling. He actually looked a little sad. "Because I'm an asshole."
Well, he'd get no argument from her about that. But what did that have to do with anything? "So? What does that matter?"
He sounded even sadder than before. "You're special, Summer. Like the most amazing girl ever. And well, I'm not."
"You're not an amazing girl? Huh?" She wanted to smack herself for asking such a stupid question.
Seth giggled, another sudden mood change. "No, dummy, I'm not special. Duh."
"But I am?"
"The last thing you need is to get involved with me."
"So because I'm special you won't kiss me?"
Seth sighed very loud and he looked completely exasperated. "Geeze, Roberts, stay with me here." He shook his head and almost glared at her.
"That is the most stupid thing I've ever heard."
"It is?" He sounded very skeptical.
"Yes! I want you to kiss me!"
"You do?"
Oh God, he could not possibly be that dumb. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and forced herself to remember that he was drunk. He just wasn't very aware of what was happening.
She didn't know why she just didn't kiss him herself. But the fear of rejection was nearly overpowering inside of her, despite all the things he had just said to her. She needed him to make the first move. "I like you, Seth. I mean, I like you a lot."
He nodded his head solemnly. "I know, that's why I can't do anything."
This was retarded. So apparently she was the most amazing girl ever, but that meant he wouldn't touch her? Screw being amazing, she would have settled for just being cool or even just interesting. Or anything really, as long as he no longer thought it meant he couldn't do anything with her.
"I don't understand."
"Look Roberts, you are special. I am just an asshole, a jerk, a loser, a player. If we tried anything, it wouldn't work out, because I suck and chew girls up and spit them back out. It's what I do and you don't deserve to get involved with my shit."
"Don't you think that's my choice to make?" She was indignant and getting pissed off. He was protecting her? Screw that, she was a big girl, she could handle herself. So what if she got hurt, didn't he think she realized that that was always a possibility with him? She was willing to take the chance.
He looked into her eyes again and looked completely miserable. "No." He suddenly stood up, swaying a little, and Summer reached for his hip, steadying him. He smiled down at her and she blushed. "I'm gonna go now." He abruptly spun around and took two awkward steps. He looked over his shoulder and said, "I'm glad you came. And I'm s-sorry about Holly." And then he stumbled away into the night, back toward the house.
Summer watched him walk away. She was torn up by about a million different emotions. She could only debate with herself if this was the greatest night of her life or the worst.
She honestly didn't know what she was doing. She was fairly convinced some kind of alien had taken over her body. She was a pod person. It was the only thing that would explain why she was standing in front of the Cohen's front door the next morning. And why she was actually knocking. And why she felt like vomiting in the flower pot to her right. No, that one was entirely her. She doubted pod-Summer would be so nervous as to vomit on the plants of the boy she was in love with. But normal-Summer wasn't so in control. She couldn't even use the excuse of a hangover if she did lose it.
The door opened and she sighed in relief. If she had waited another 30 seconds, she would have broken down and ran away. She had to do this, if she didn't, she'd go insane.
Standing in front of her was the most intimidating sight Summer had ever seen. Kirsten Cohen, looking flawless and perfectly poised, even at ten on a Saturday morning. Summer was always uncomfortable around Kirsten Cohen. It wasn't that she was mean or horrible, the total opposite in fact. She was just about the nicest, caring, most perfect mother Summer had ever had the pleasure of meeting. She terrified her. She was Seth's mom, and she was absolutely scared shitless that Kirsten wouldn't like her. Kirsten loved her son with the kind of devotion that made Summer insanely jealous when she thought too long about her own family situation. And she was always afraid that she would say something stupid, or Kirsten would realize she wasn't good enough for her precious boy. And then game over because she knew Seth was a total momma's boy. Plus, Summer just loved the way Kirsten looked at her, or talked to her, or seemed to always completely understand what she was going through, and she didn't want to lose that. That she was also the most perfect Newport wife and mother was just icing on the cake. When Summer had met Kirsten for the first time, she had finally understood where Seth got his good qualities from.
"Summer! It's good to see you." And Kirsten smiled warmly at her and she felt some of her nausea disappear.
Shyly, she said, "Hi, Mrs. – Mrs. Cohen."
"Are you looking for Marissa? Because I don't think she's here."
Summer swallowed carefully and forced herself to say the words. "N-no I'm here to see Seth."
"Oh?" Kirsten was clearly surprised and motioned with her arm to follow her into the house. "Well, I don't think he's quite awake yet." Kirsten smiled ruefully and shook her head. "Why don't you wait here and I'll go wake the lazy boy up?"
Just say the words, Summer. Come on, you can do it. "Actually, Mrs. Cohen, I was hoping I could surprise him."
"He's not expecting you?"
Shit. Crap. Damnit! What was she supposed to say? It wasn't like Kirsten was going to let her go up to her son's room by herself for no reason. They didn't know each other that well. "Um, not really, but he, um, asked me to stop by sometime this weekend so that I could, um, help him with some Biology homework."
Kirsten laughed and placed a hand on her hip. "Wait, my son – Seth Cohen – volunteered to do homework on a Saturday?"
Summer realized how stupid what she had just said sounded and her face slowly drained of color. God, she was such an idiot. Of course Seth would never do that. She didn't even have any books with her! "Um, yes?"
Kirsten laughed and her eyes sparkled. "Really Summer, you need to work on your improv skills."
Summer felt her whole face flush and looked down at her feet. "Sorry."
Kirsten placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. "It's okay, I understand."
Summer looked up and she couldn't help feeling hopeful. "You do?"
"I love my son very much, but he can be pretty dense sometimes. He takes after his father in that way." Kirsten laughed and smiled wistfully.
"Yeah, I know."
"Why don't you go ahead and go on up, he needs to wake up anyway."
"Thank you, Mrs. Cohen."
Kirsten smiled one last time and Summer started walking to the stairs. She had been in Seth's room once. The four of them had been hanging out, watching TV, when Ryan and Marissa went off to the pool house for some alone time; it hadn't taken long for Seth to get bored, and he had practically dragged her upstairs to his room. It wasn't that she didn't want to see what his bedroom looked like, because she definitely did, it was the idea of being alone with him in his bedroom that freaked her out. He had wanted to show her his music and comic book collection, which she didn't quite understand why he wanted her to see them, but she had been fascinated by all of it and him. And now she was actively seeking out being alone with him.
It was terrifyingly exciting and she felt her stomach lurch and roll as she ascended the stairs. When she reached his door she just stood in front of it for God knows how long. She needed to psych herself up before she went inside. She took calming breaths, made sure her outfit was just perfect for the tenth time, and finally knocked. There was no answer. So she knocked again. This time she heard a muffled voice.
Tentatively she tried the knob. It turned and she pushed his door open. From inside, she heard more clearly, "Go away, mom, I need to sleep."
She moved down the little hallway that led further into his room and said, "I'm not your mother, Cohen."
She didn't stop until she was standing a few feet from the foot of his bed, smiling softly at the sight in front of her. Seth was wearing blue flannel pajama pants and no shirt, lying haphazardly across the top of his bed, his head buried underneath one of his pillows.
"If you're not my mother then who the hell are you? And why are you waking me up so early?"
"It's ten in the morning, Cohen. Stop being a lazy ass."
Seth pulled his head out from under his pillow and rubbed a hand across his face. His hair was an absolute mess and he looked completely frazzled. He squinted at her and rubbed the palm of his hand against his eyes. "I can't still be drunk, can I?"
Summer giggled and tried not to stare. He just looked so adorably confused that she really wanted to join him on his bed. "I don't know, Cohen, are there two of me?"
"I don't even know why there is one of you." Seth tried to sit up but he groaned and flopped face first into his pillow. "Or why you are so perky and why the hell is it so bright in here?"
Summer laughed and sat down on the very corner of Seth's bed. When she settled, Seth lifted his head and looked at her, still confused. "You said some, uh, interesting things to me last night."
"I did?" Seth shook his head, like he was trying to jog his memories, but quickly sucked in a breath and groaned at the sudden movement. "Oh God, I'm sorry."
Panic started to well inside of her, but she forced herself to remain composed. She had promised herself that if she was going to do this, she wasn't going to freak out so quickly. "Why are you sorry?"
"Because when I'm drunk I tend to lose control of my mouth. It's safest to just issue a blanket apology."
"You said I was beautiful."
"Oh."
"And that you thought I was special."
"Oh geeze."
Summer lowered her voice, afraid if she said the next thing too loud it would be like it never happened. "And that you wanted to kiss me."
"Oh God." Seth blushed and buried his face into his pillows again. "I hate alcohol."
Summer laughed nervously and busied her fingers with fiddling with his sheets. "Are you sorry about saying those things?"
"I don't want to talk about it." His voice was distorted by his pillow but she understood him perfectly.
"Cohen – Seth – please, I need to know." She slowly reached out, afraid to touch him, but gently placed her hand on his bare shoulder and pulled him toward her. She needed to see his face.
With obvious reluctance, he faced her, frowning. "You want the truth?" She nodded, too nervous and scared to actually say anything. "I'm sorry I said them." She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. She wasn't going to cry, at least not in front of him. "But that doesn't mean I didn't mean what I said."
"What does that even mean?" Summer was both hopeful and confused.
Seth sat up and it was hard for Summer not to look at his chest and the way his pajama pants seemed to be slipping past his hips. "Look, I really don't remember very much of what I said last night, but I do know that if I told you all that stuff, I must have mentioned how I felt about, uh, us."
Summer nodded vigorously. "And like I told you last night, I don't give a shit."
Seth laughed and shook his head. He smiled wryly and then smirked. "Oh really?"
"Yes, you idiot."
"Gosh Summer, you really know how to charm a guy."
"I don't have your level of experience that's true."
Seth winced but his eyes were still dancing. "Ouch. I guess I deserve that."
Summer shrugged but scooted closer to Seth on his bed. "I just don't know why you do it."
"Didn't we already go over this?" At Summer's clearly unimpressed look, Seth sighed. "Me?" He motioned to himself. "Jackass. You?" He now motioned to her. "Really awesome."
Summer blushed and moved closer to him again. "I don't really believe that."
"Well it's true." Seth turned away from her and looked to the side. "Look, I think it's a good idea if you leave. I've got a killer headache."
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"I mean no." Summer reached out and carefully grasped his chin. Her fingers were light and she gently turned his head to face her. "I don't think I'm going to listen to you."
"Summer, what – what are you doing?" There was actual fear in Seth's eyes and his voice wavered slightly.
It only made her more determined. This is what she had set out to do in the first place. She slowly began to move her face closer to his, keeping her hold on his chin so he couldn't turn away. "I'm going to k-kiss you now."
Nothing happened. Summer continued to stare at his face, trying to avoid his eyes, but not succeeding. She was starting to warm, realizing how embarrassing she was acting. She was just sitting there, holding his chin, not doing anything.
He smirked and she wanted to hit him and kiss him at the same time. It only made her want him more. She loved that smirk. It was disgusting. "I'm waiting."
"Give me a second, I've never done this before."
Seth's eyes widened and then they softened. "Really?"
"Yeah." She was definitely blushing now.
"Let me help you out." He leaned forward, very slowly, probably giving her time to back out. He gently cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb caressing it lightly, and then he kissed her.
It was hardly a kiss at all. His hand trembled slightly and there was barely any pressure, but Summer thought it was perfect. She immediately shut her eyes when his lips touched hers and she leaned forward just slightly. He stayed restrained and sweet, not pushing or prodding. He gradually pulled away, his hand still on her cheek, it had stilled, and he looked in her eyes. "Okay." Then he kissed her again, and this time, it was a real kiss, with insistence, desire, and desperation.
And then Summer forgot everything. Where she was, what had happened the night before, what her life had been like. Seth was kissing her and she was kissing him. And she was happy.