Summary: This is basically, not it actually just is a prologue and is more or less a summary in itself.
Story Notes: Although you might know me and my personal beloved ships, I'm a sucker for sad endings so don't be so sure of whose ending up with who. I'm not going to say more than this until I post the next chapter because.. well, that will ruin the prologue... ;P
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the laptop I'm writing this on.
Rating: I have no idea where this story is going so I rated it T for the time being. It might go up and it might go down. I'm not sure.
Her smiles showed traces of true happiness. Her laughter the only honest one around. The way she flipped her golden hair over her shoulders made the whole room catch themselves staring in awe. There was just something about her. Marissa Cooper just had that thing. That thing that made everyone long to be around her, proud to say that they knew her, know that they were lucky to get to hear her happy returning their hellos. It made you wonder if she had ever experienced anything sad in her life. Made you wonder if all she had ever known was happiness and perfection? Because she looked like one of those girls. One of those girls that truly cared for other people and felt sad for them when bad things happened, although they had no way of relating themselves because everything had just seemed to magically go their way.
But Marissa wasn't one of those girls. She had gone through hell times and again. If you could think of it, Marissa had been through it. For those that knew this a smile on her face always made them smile themselves. If she could be strong and smile, so could they. No one could compare to the things that she had gone through. And kept going through. Because it never seemed to end.
It had seemed so. For a short while. It had seemed like the hard times were over. Like it was all going to be fine from then on and that Marissa would finally get a chance of happiness for a longer time in her life. To be honest, it had seemed so many times, but that time everything had changed and everything had been new. But that too, had ended.
It had been their second year at Brown. They had all winded up there. The girls because they were to scared to be alone, and the boys because they didn't want to live at different sides of the country. At least not yet.
Summer had turmoiled down into depression after it had turned out that everyone was better than her in everything. She had given up school and after meeting a guy named Deacon she had started hanging out with him and his group of friends more and more. It wasn't until one late Tuesday in October Seth had realized she had started doing drugs. He had tried to help her, make her realize that she could manage school, and everything else for that matter, if she just tried hard enough. She didn't even have to go to school, just quit the drugs. But Summer had been unable to reach, it had simply been to late. She had already cheated on Seth numerous of times and her feelings had gone numb. After desperately going to get her at Deacons place more times than he could count he had given up on her one day in early February. There was no way he could manage Summer and school at the same time any longer and frankly he had grown tired of it all. She demanded that she didn't need him anymore and he had finally came to the same conclusion himself. It had been hard, but Ryan and Marissa had helped him through it.
They would come over and get him out of bed every morning. They would help him do his homework and sometimes, they would do his homework for him. He had been numb himself after his break-up with Summer. Even thought about trying out some drugs himself, but seeing what they had done to Summer he knew he would never go that far.
Then one day, while the three of them were eating dinner. Ryan cut Seth off in the middle of another insult towards Marissas cooking. "I'm leaving", he had said and that had been all. They had all gone silent, all staring at their plates, and Ryan had continued talking. He had said that he had been offered a job to help design a new gigantic building over in Spain. Brown had allowed him to go and still keep his place in the school and it was all set for him to leave in three weeks. When Marissa asked why he hadn't told them about it before Ryan said that it was because he wanted to be sure first. Marissa had left the table silently and shut the door harshly behind her. Ryan had soon followed her and Seth heard their entire argument through the thin wooden bedroom door. He had wanted to get angry himself, to tell him that he couldn't leave. It wasn't as if he needed him desperately anymore, he was long over Summer and he had Marissa now. But still, Ryan would always be his best friend. Seth had known it wasn't up to him to ask him to stay though. And he knew Ryan well enough to know that this was something he had to do. Just like with Theresa. Although this time it was because Ryan saw his chance. His chance to make something of himself, and knowing where Ryan came from, he couldn't let that chance slip away.
Seth had smiled bravely at Marissa before waving at Ryan one last time three weeks later. As they watched his plane take off Marissa had seeked comfort in his shoulder and Seth had seeked comfort in her. Ryan and Marissa were over. It wasn't that they didn't love each other anymore, it was just that Ryan didn't know how long he would be gone and if they were meant to be, they would find a way to be together once he got back. Seth knew that now it was his time to be there for Marissa, like she and Ryan had been there for him.
Summer had been just around the corner and they had decided to go away together on vacation. They both needed to get away from Brown and all the memories that layed there of their long gone lovers. Marissa had surprised Seth happily one day with tickets to Thailand. When Seth had smiled excited back he had wondered what it would be like to kiss her.
Their two weeks away had been wonderful and had ended too soon for the both of them. They had spent long hours on the beach competing to get the best tan, they had danced the night away in the bars, wasted on things they had never even heard of before. There had been many hook-ups for the both of them, and they both felt alittle distant each time they saw the "Do not disturb" sign on the other persons door.
One day they had been eating lunch at a rather empty place and the waiter had asked them if they were there on their honeymoon. They had both laughed and said that they were only friends, but the look in their eyes while they talked about how silly it was gave away that they kind of had liked the question. The rest of the day they had more or less pretended to be a couple, not officially, but they smiles had been overly big and they had been openly more affectionate. Marissa even held his hand at one time and Seth wanted the whole world to see it.
It never left their minds that whole day, the thought about how it would be if they had actually been together. And as the alcohol had started to sink in, they had started talking about it in the back corner of Santa Mumba, their favorite pub. Marissa had dared him to kiss her and he had dared. Their kisses had gone on non-stop until they fell asleep in each other arms 4 oclock that same night. It wasn't until the next morning reality had hit them.
At first there had been alot of avoiding looks, feeling guilty and embarrassed. Then they had realized that they should be honest and say that they liked the idea. Two nights later they had both come to the same conclusion that they wanted to try to see how it would go. And so they did. They didn't regret their decision, at least not at that point in time.
If anyone had ever thought they were qualified to being called a "super couple", after meeting Seth and Marissa they had to think again. They just fit together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces, yin and yang, boy and girl. Marissas fear of being left and hurt Seth saw and made her forget. Seths insecurities Marissa made sure were long gone. She made him feel like no man could compare to him in her eyes, and he knew it was true. He made her feel like she was finally safe from hurt and betrayal, and at the moment it was true. At least he intended it to be so.
Then, at the fourth of November, Summer came knocking at their door.
