AN - Ok, so this is my second actual fanfic, it's a little different from my other one. I've got most of it planned out, but suggestions are welcome. At the beginning of the first few chapters there will probably be someone - usually Seth or Summer - telling the story a bit. Their name is above the part that they're telling, if that makes sense. It's AU-ish, and there will be a tiny bit of R/M in it, but they're only there to help the S/S story, and sometimes there will need to be a R/M mini-storyline, so I hope that's not a problem, cause I know a lot of S/S fans don't like R/M, but they are needed in this story. This chapter is really an introduction chapter, and a lot of it is thoughts. So, hopefully, enjoy. :D

DISCLAIMER - I think we all know I don't own it.

Seth

Hi, my name's Seth Cohen. I'm just your average sixteen year-old guy, well, not really; I was, but not anymore. It all changed when Ryan Atwood moved in next door to me. The guy was perfect; in every sense of the word. He had instant-popularity, the girls were all over him, he was a straight A+ student, and he was a great friend. I wasn't really popular before Ryan came, I wasn't unpopular either, just not one of those guys that all the girls dream about. As soon as Ryan came, everything changed, people starting looking at me in the same way they looked at, say, Luke Ward, the water-polo players; like I was actually somebody. I've always had friends, my best friend being Summer Roberts. She knew every little detail of my life-story, except for the fact that I've been hopelessly in love with her since the day we met, which, mind you was when we were five. She was also my first kiss; when we were six, we were playing soccer or tag and she fell on her knee, so I kissed it better. Then she kissed my lips; it was the greatest day of my life. When we turned seven, our parents, jokingly, arranged our marriages. They secretly wanted us to end up together, I know, that's weird for parents to want their kids to end up with anyone, but my parents aren't normal. They're not too eccentric either, I mean, I can stand to have friends over, which is really all that matters, right?

You know those parties you see on TV? Like where all the kids are in a house and there's lots of alcohol and fun stuff like that. Well, I thought they were made up, but apparently, they're not. They actually exist, and when Ryan came, we started getting invited to these parties. Or not really invited, more like Ryan was the one holding them, so as his best friend, I got to come.

No one knew about my "crush" on Summer, not even Ryan. I was afraid he would make fun of me for liking one girl for eleven years. Ryan was in love with Marissa Cooper, Summer's best girl-friend, Marissa was with Luke though. But every now and then I would see Ryan and Marissa sneak into a spare room or something at those parties.

———————

Summer picked up a tube of lip gloss and started to apply it onto her lips. She was getting ready for Ryan's latest "bash" as Seth so fittingly called it. He was coming to pick her up soon, and she couldn't wait for him to arrive. The sooner he arrived; the sooner they got to Ryan's party, and if she knew Ryan, his party was probably already in full swing.

Luke was going to be there, and Marissa was very disappointed with that. Normally, Luke would hang out with his stupid water-polo playing friends, so she could go off with Ryan as much as she liked. Hopefully he would try to sneak out with Holly or some other Newbsie-in-training. It was weird to want your boyfriend to cheat on you, but Marissa didn't even like Luke that much. It was just, when your dating the most popular guy in school, you're not about to give that all up for some dude that appears out of no-where from some mysterious school, and starts throwing these amazing parties.

Summer finished getting ready for the party, and Seth was ten minutes late – and counting. Ugh, he was always late! Damn his cute dimples and hilarious comments, if it weren't for those, she would be mad at him for life. He could be the biggest jerk, and then he would say something that would have everyone in a 3-metre radius giggling, and Summer would have forgotten the reason she was mad at him. She had been "in love" with Seth from ages 8-11, but then they hit middle school, and everything changed. Everyone was no longer friends with everyone, and there were several new kids, such as Holly, who was the alpha-dog of them all. If Holly said it, it was true, no one questioned it. Except of course, for Seth. That alone had gotten him ridiculed from the "popular" group. Sure, he made his way back up, but he never quite hit Luke or Summer or Marissa's status. For a while there he was down there with the little mousy-haired kid that couldn't say anything more than the answer to a math problem. The problem was, that little-mousy haired kid also worked his way up, he was now the resident #1 fan to the water-polo team and they all had a soft-spot for the guy that would come to every game with all of his buddies and spend the whole time alternating through each member's name in cheer. This left Seth one level below the "#1 fan" whose name – or nickname – was simply "The Fan." His real name was Phillip, but no one called him that, except for Seth, who still remembered their comic-book-club days together.

Summer's train of thought was interrupted by that curly-haired cutie she called her best friend. "Hey" she whispered.

"What're you thinking 'bout?" Seth asked, knowing immediately that something was on her mind.

"Oh…umm…just the fact that you were late picking me up for the seventeenth time," she glared at him, "Yes, I've counted, and yes, you need to do something that will make me forgive you,"

"Uhh, well I heard that Ryan has erm- the whole team coming tonight, and uhmmm I'm coming with you – for the seventeenth time, but it's actually the sixteenth, see I counted too, and your math is very obviously –" he looked up at her, she was now glaring at him even more, "Brilliant, see…I'm the stupid one here! It's seventeen,"

This was worse than his usual comeback, but since she really wanted to get to that party, she would let it slide, "Alright-y then, so let's go," she smiled.

— — — — —

By the time Seth and Summer arrived, the party was indeed in full swing. Ryan came from the middle of the dance floor in his usual straight-out-of-a-catalogue attire. Summer quickly ran off to greet Marissa and Holly.

"Dude, what took you so long?" Ryan asked, casually.

"There was a little bit of a hold up with my hair-gel. I ran out, so I had to run to the drug-store."

"Ha ha. No seriously, what took you so long?"

"I'm serious." Seth grumbled.

"Ohhhh, well then. Let me introduce you to my friends, Todd and Max, it's their first one of my parties" Ryan said, not truly surprised of Seth's mishap with the hair-gel, as a matter of fact, he had a little problem of his own with his hair-gel before the party; but he wasn't about to tell everyone about it.

"Hey." Todd and Max said in unison.

"Did you see the Harley in the driveway? That's Todd's" Ryan grinned, as did Todd.

— — — — —

Four dancing filled hours later, Seth felt like it was time to be getting himself and Summer home. He was responsible for the two of them, well, not technically, but he felt like it. He searched the entire dancing-area; no sign of Summer. He searched the backyard; no sign of her there either, all that was going on there was a few members of the team and "The Fan" talking about some random-probably-idiotic-topic.

After several more minutes of meandering his way through the dance floor, Seth reached the kitchen, where much to his dismay, Summer was. He wouldn't normally be upset to see her, but when she was one half of those random-make-out sessions, he couldn't help but feel his heart...ache a little bit. More like a lot though.

Summer was having a great time kissing Tom, or was it Todd? She was pretty sure it was Todd, but she had met him less than an hour ago, so she couldn't be too sure. Her "great time" was interrupted by Seth. She hated it when he caught her with another guy, it made her feel so bad. She didn't know about his crush on her, but it made her feel bad because this was the main reason she never had a steady boyfriend. He always had the same look on his face whenever he saw him with someone else. It was a mixture of pained and disappointed. Of course, she couldn't stand to look at him for too long when he looked at her this way, so she never made the connection between his pained expression and possible feelings for her. As she managed to pull herself away from Todd or Tom or Tim, she gave her usual response, which she knew would be met with "I'm not mad" from Seth.

She got up and mumbled "Geez, Cohen, I just wanted to make-out with someone."

Ok, I know that was kind of short, but they will get longer, I promise.

Please review,

-Sarah