Summer entered Seth's room tentatively. She looked around. It was nice and
fairly neat for a guy's room. One thing hooked her eye as she scanned the
space; a small brown, toy pony. She approached his desk, which the horse
plaything sat on.
"What's this?" She asked.
"I've never seen that in my life." Seth replied with an only faintly believable tone. Summer was not convinced.
"What's its name?" She asked again. Again he denied it.
"I don't know what you're talking abo---okay. His name is Captain Oats." Seth sighed. Summer nearly broke into a fit of giggles.
"We should really get going, don't you think?" He asked in attempt to change the subject.
"Yeah, but we need to get Ryan." She replied, placing the horse on the table. She left Captain Oats there, but she still thought about him as they left to get Ryan. She tried to focus on Marissa's problem, but her thoughts kept going back to that stupid horse. Why did Cohen have a toy horse in his room? She racked her brain on that question but came up with no answer.
Ironically, the answer was truly simple.
Captain Oats had been a gift from Seth's past. At age 8, Seth Cohen was almost as maladjusted as he is now. But at one point he'd been invited to a girl's birthday party. A girl he'd thought was the cutest 2nd grader in all of Orange County. He'd been invited to her birthday party, and it had shocked him. He was never invited to parties, especially girls.
He thought for weeks about what to get her for a present, and he'd decided on a toy pony because he knew she loved horses. His mother gave him some money, and he went out and bought it. He wrapped it up in pink sparkly birthday paper, which any 8 year old girl would have loved.
The day of the party, he got dressed in some semi-formal clothes; khaki's and a nice shirt. His mother made him wear it, but secretly he wanted to look good. He stood on the front doorstep and reached up to ring the doorbell. It rang, and he waited patiently. The door opened, and that little girl was on the other side. She looked at him and stood there.
"Hi. It's your birthday, right?" Seth stammered. He always said the stupidest things whenever he was around her.
"Yeah, but I didn't invite you." She replied.
"But you did. I have the card here---" He added. She cut him off.
"Well, it was a mistake." She replied, looked at him closely for another minute and then shut the door.
Seth sighed. He carried the pony in the wrapping all the way back home. He walked miserably up the stairs, and plopped the box down on his bed. He sat on the bed, staring at the box, attempting to figure out what was wrong with him. As the paper glittered in his direction, he felt the urge to tear the neatly wrapped package. He did, and he pulled out the pony.
From that day on, he kept Captain Oats in his room. It served as a reminder of that little girl who he'd almost got to spend a whole afternoon with. The little girl, who he'd, had a crush on since then and still today. A little girl named Summer Roberts.
"What's this?" She asked.
"I've never seen that in my life." Seth replied with an only faintly believable tone. Summer was not convinced.
"What's its name?" She asked again. Again he denied it.
"I don't know what you're talking abo---okay. His name is Captain Oats." Seth sighed. Summer nearly broke into a fit of giggles.
"We should really get going, don't you think?" He asked in attempt to change the subject.
"Yeah, but we need to get Ryan." She replied, placing the horse on the table. She left Captain Oats there, but she still thought about him as they left to get Ryan. She tried to focus on Marissa's problem, but her thoughts kept going back to that stupid horse. Why did Cohen have a toy horse in his room? She racked her brain on that question but came up with no answer.
Ironically, the answer was truly simple.
Captain Oats had been a gift from Seth's past. At age 8, Seth Cohen was almost as maladjusted as he is now. But at one point he'd been invited to a girl's birthday party. A girl he'd thought was the cutest 2nd grader in all of Orange County. He'd been invited to her birthday party, and it had shocked him. He was never invited to parties, especially girls.
He thought for weeks about what to get her for a present, and he'd decided on a toy pony because he knew she loved horses. His mother gave him some money, and he went out and bought it. He wrapped it up in pink sparkly birthday paper, which any 8 year old girl would have loved.
The day of the party, he got dressed in some semi-formal clothes; khaki's and a nice shirt. His mother made him wear it, but secretly he wanted to look good. He stood on the front doorstep and reached up to ring the doorbell. It rang, and he waited patiently. The door opened, and that little girl was on the other side. She looked at him and stood there.
"Hi. It's your birthday, right?" Seth stammered. He always said the stupidest things whenever he was around her.
"Yeah, but I didn't invite you." She replied.
"But you did. I have the card here---" He added. She cut him off.
"Well, it was a mistake." She replied, looked at him closely for another minute and then shut the door.
Seth sighed. He carried the pony in the wrapping all the way back home. He walked miserably up the stairs, and plopped the box down on his bed. He sat on the bed, staring at the box, attempting to figure out what was wrong with him. As the paper glittered in his direction, he felt the urge to tear the neatly wrapped package. He did, and he pulled out the pony.
From that day on, he kept Captain Oats in his room. It served as a reminder of that little girl who he'd almost got to spend a whole afternoon with. The little girl, who he'd, had a crush on since then and still today. A little girl named Summer Roberts.