Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C. or its characters. All I own is my piece of the story line, which has been done…too many times to count.
Rating: PG for now. May change in later chapters.
Summary: We all know Ryan's "fish out of water" story. But what if Marissa was the fish out of water?
A/N: This is my first fanfic, so please be nice. I've been reading stories on here for a while and I finally decided to register. Please review, constructive criticism is encouraged and appreciated. Also, Summer may seem really ditzy and snobby at first, but that's how she was in the beginning of the show also. Marissa's going to be a little OOC, less of a "dependent crybaby" and more of a street-smart tough girl. Kay?
"So I was thinking, we'll go to South Coast, get in a little shopping, go to Antonucci's for pizza, and catch a movie? Or we could skip the shopping, or the movie. If you want, we can drive down to L.A.," Seth rambled running to keep up with Summer's fast pace.
Summer slowed her pace; Seth had asthma, after all. And the last thing she wanted was for her boyfriend to have an asthma attack in the middle of Harbor's parking lot. "Seth," Summer replied in a bored tone, "Can we do that tomorrow night? I told you, my dad and Ashley said they have to talk to me tonight. If it goes quickly, then you can like, pick me up and take me out. But I'll call you."
"Oh," Seth said, "Okay then. Call me before seven, or I'm going to go out with Ryan and the guys." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before running off to find Ryan.
***
"I'm home," Summer yelled, dropping her keys on the kitchen counter and slipping out of her shoes. She opened the pantry and grabbed a handful of pretzels, crunching them loudly.
Her father and stepmom came into the kitchen holding hands. Summer wanted to gag, but she didn't. For all she knew, she might be in trouble for maxing out her credit card—again. Hey, if it kept her off drugs, Summer reasoned it was a healthy addiction.
"How was your day?" Neil Roberts asked. Before Summer could respond, Ashley cut in.
"Summer, honey, we've got a surprise for you!" Summer's stepmom, Ashley smiled.
Summer rolled her eyes. "What? You're going away again or something?" She turned her back on Ashley and her father, Neil, looking out the French doors that led to the garden. The garden her mom had planted with so much love.
Her father laughed. "No, Summer darling. It's much, much better than that. You remember Ashley's cousin, Dave?"
Summer shook her head. The wedding had only been four months ago, but she couldn't put a face to any of Ashley's relatives.
"Well, Dave's daughter is in a bit of trouble. We thought it would be best if she came to stay with us for a while. This way, I can keep an eye on her and you'll have a friend. Almost a sister!" Neil put his hand on Summer's shoulder. "Isn't that great?"
"Super," rolling her eyes again, she turned to face them. "Now can I have my credit card back? It's been four days, and I'm going crazy!"
Neil and Ashley exchanged a look. Reaching into his wallet, Neil said, "Well, since you're being such a good sport about the whole mess, I don't see why not. Here you are, princess."
Summer wrapped her arms around her father's neck, kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks, Daddy. You're the best," she grinned and ran upstairs to get ready for the mall. To be honest, Summer didn't really care that Ashley's cousin's daughter, Marissa, was coming to live with her family. As long as the girl wasn't a total washout, she was fine with it. Really, she was. I mean, how bad could Marissa be?
Ashley turned to Neil. "Do you know what you're getting yourself into? The girl's a heroin addict, chain-smoker, and she has a violent history. Do you really want to do this? I mean, it's not like we're going to be around much."
"Summer can handle it," Neil replied seriously. "Hopefully she'll get Marissa into acceptable habits, like shopping and what not. Drugs or shopping, they'd both cost me about the same per week."
"If you're sure…" Ashley said. "Come on. I need to drive me to my pilates class."