Disclaimer: Characters not mine.
Noticing Seth
"People get shot."
"That's what I'm saying," Seth agreed, turning his head to face forward. "That's what I'm saying."
They sat stoically a while longer, silence and tension between them. Seth had never been good with silence, and it took all the patience within him to keep quiet for as long as he did.
"You want to head back?" he finally asked.
Ryan's lip curled up in an unhappy sneer, and he slowly began to shake his head. His voice was calm and smooth, but his hands rubbed together, grinding knuckles and squeezing fists as he spoke. "No. No. I'll wait it out a little longer. See if she comes down. I doubt Luke will be up for a really long visit, right?"
Seth shrugged but rose from his seat anyway, patting Ryan on the back. He looked around the hallway for a sign that he should stay or confirmation that he could leave without feeling guilty about abandoning Ryan. Eerily enough, there was no one in their quiet section of the floor.
"All right, man. Call if you need a ride."
Ryan nodded, his eyes fixed to the elevator doors, waiting to see if Marissa would eventually pop out. He opened a hand and raised a few fingers in a goodbye gesture as Seth walked around the corner.
Seth rubbed at his eyes as he moved toward the entrance. He was almost at the doors of the hospital before he noticed her. That is so wrong, Seth thought to himself quickly. Never, in his entire life, had he not noticed Summer Roberts.
At least, he noted, he had noticed her before he left the building. Even if she wasn't moving or talking, he had still managed to feel her. Perhaps the night's events hadn't shaken him too badly.
"Summer?" he asked as he moved toward her.
"Hey," she answered, quickly wiping at her tear stained cheeks. She straightened her back and leaned toward him without moving forward. "Hi."
"What are you doing here?"
She shrugged and wrapped her arms around her torso. She pulled at the sleeves of the sweater she wore. His sweater. A sweater he remembered having left in the Range Rover a few days earlier.
"I came with you guys, remember? I wanted to make sure Luke was okay. Plus I did not want to be at Holly's house with all that blood and everything. I didn't want to have to talk about it and the police and…"
Seth smiled from the side of his mouth and took another step toward her. He reached out and let his hand rub over her clothed arm. He made the motion only once, but it seemed to be enough for her to calm her breath.
"I know that," he told her. "I meant what are you still doing here? I thought you were going to get your dad to pick you up, or something."
"He's out of town," Summer told him with a shrug and a shake of her cell phone in his direction. "I guess the step-monster has passed out already, because she isn't answering either. I was kind of stranded. I didn't want to get in a cab and…"
"Oh," Seth answered when Summer's voice trailed off. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked from heel to toe for a few moments. He watched the people walk around them; all of them in a hurry to get somewhere, save someone's life.
"So, you want a ride?" he asked, ducking his head to hide the blush on his cheeks.
Summer's eyes widened as she too looked around them. She took a deep breath and shrugged.
"Yeah," she finally whispered.
"How do you know that guy anyway?" Summer asked after fifteen minutes of awkward silence. She shifted in the passenger seat and tugged at the belt that was digging into her shoulder as she waited for Seth to answer.
"He works with Ryan at the Crab Shack." Seth shrugged as he took a curve in the road. "Ryan had a date with Marissa tonight, so I figured I'd find someone else to hang with."
Summer froze. Her eyes narrowed. "Wait. Marissa was with Ryan tonight? She told me she was babysitting again."
"I guess I wasn't supposed to tell you that then," Seth answered, biting the inside of his cheek. Perhaps, he thought, he should be thankful he had never had a relationship. He seemed to be pretty good at ruining them if his latest contributions to the Ryan/Marissa saga were any indication.
Summer chuckled and shook her head. "Her mother is going to be so mad."
"What about her dad?"
"Nah," Summer shrugged. "He's pretty cool."
Seth sighed. It was probably the first thing that happened since Ryan had moved to Newport that was in favour of the outsider. "Well, at least Ryan's only got half the opposition he could have."
Summer scratched the back of her head and arranged her hair, but said nothing more. She snuck a few looks at the car radio between them, but didn't dare reach forward to turn on any music. She didn't think there was any music that fit the moment some geek was driving you home from a party where people had almost died and a friend was shot.
"So…" Seth finally sighed. "Pretty intense night, huh."
"Yep," she answered, in her determined tone that didn't encourage any further conversation.
Seth was never good at reading subtlety.
"I bet that's never happened at one of your parties before."
"Nope, and it's not really upping the chances of you ever getting invited to another."
"It can't make my chances any worse," Seth mumbled, lowering his head and focussing all his attention on the road ahead.
Summer tilted her head to look over at him without making the movement obvious. It was her turn to bite her lip at the sight of his slumped shoulders and sad eyes.
"It was kind of brave though," she finally said. "The way you pushed me back and stood in front of me so I wouldn't get hurt or whatever."
Seth shrugged. "Yeah, well, it was my fault the guy was there to start with."
"Plus you totally got to cop a feel." Summer nodded.
"What?" Seth screeched, reminding himself at the last minute to turn as they approached another curve in the road.
"You totally did. Please, there was definite hand-boob contact."
"Are you kidding me?" Seth asked in disgust. "I copped a feel and I was too busy staring at the guy with the gun to notice? Yeah, that would figure."
"You really hadn't noticed?" Summer chuckled.
Seth said nothing, shaking his head and letting out a loud sigh. Summer turned her head to look out the window and hide her grin from Seth who clearly would not appreciate the humour in the situation. She watched Newport roll by until the car stopped at her house. The smile quickly fell from her face. She sat in silence for a few moments before final shuffling in her seat.
"Hey," she suddenly said as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "how did you know I lived here? I didn't even tell you where to go."
"I… Well, the… With the traffic and the skateboard… Everyone knows you live here," Seth finally stammered.
Summer reached for the door handle and stopped just short of grabbing it. She pursed her lips together, and finally turned back to look at Seth.
"Well, I hope that the next time you grope a girl, you actually know it." She paused for a moment, then seemed to realise what she'd said. "Whichever freak actually lets you touch her."
"Hey." Seth's head bob as a sarcastic sneer played on his lips. "Thanks, Summer. That's real sweet of you."
Summer nodded and reached for the door again. She stopped.
"You know, maybe I should tell Coop what happened."
"She knows. Ryan called her."
"Maybe I should make sure she's okay."
Seth sighed. "She's at the hospital. You must have been too out of it to notice her walk by you."
"Coop was at the hospital?" Summer asked in a voice that neared a shriek. She smacked Seth on the shoulder, then crossed her arms before her chest and let her lips form a pout. "Why didn't you tell me while we were there?"
"I don't know." Seth shrugged. "You were standing right there. She must have walked right past you. I'm not the maître d' of the place. I don't bring guests together."
Summer shook her head as she took another look at her dark house. She straightened her back as she faced Seth once again.
"Well, maybe I should go wait for her and make sure she's fine."
"At the hospital?"
"Ew, no. I've had enough of that place for one night, thank you very much. At her house, I guess."
"You want to tell Julie Cooper why Marissa isn't there and why you're waiting for her?"
Summer scowled. "Well where are you going?"
"My house."
"Where's that?"
"Right next door to Marissa's," Seth told her with a loud sigh.
"Really?"
Seth rolled his eyes. Summer shrugged.
"Great. Then, I can wait for her at your house."
"You can?"
Summer buckled her seatbelt and patted the dashboard a few times. She pointed forward before falling back into her seat.
"Let's go."
"Wow. Ryan can afford a lawyer that lives in a house like this?" Summer asked as she twirled around, her head tilted so she could look up at the ceiling.
"Anyone can afford my dad. He's a public defendant," Seth said as he walked past her. "He's quick and cheap. My mother's the one who's rich."
"What does she do?" Summer asked as she followed Seth into the kitchen.
"She's into real estate."
"She must be doing well." Summer shook her head at the can of Mountain Dew Seth pointed in her direction until he changed it for a bottle of water which she quickly grabbed from him.
"Yeah," Seth answered as he moved them toward the living room. "That, and my grandfather is Caleb Nichol."
Summer's eyes widened and she froze. "What?"
"My grandfather is Caleb Nichol."
"As in…"
"The man who owns most of Newport County? Yeah, him."
Summer's jaw dropped. "How does no one… I mean, Holly would definitely invite you if she knew… Because you never…"
"People can't know I'm Caleb Nichol's grandson if they don't know I exist."
Summer's face scrunched in confusion as she tried to understand. "But, I mean, you must be able to—"
"I've lived beside Marissa Cooper my entire life, and this is the first time you realise that my house is next to hers. I told you I lived next door to her a few week's ago, and this is the first time you notice."
"What? When did you tell me that?"
"When I walked in on you with your top off," Seth sighed as he handed her a PlayStation controller.
Summer's face tightened in anger, ready to defend herself and injure Seth if needed. "When did you see me without my top?"
"Marissa's house, a few weeks ago."
Her face relaxed as she suddenly remembered. "That was you?"
Seth chuckled and nodded slowly. "And that would just prove my point right there."
Summer felt a blush grow on her cheeks. She tilted her head to get a better look at Seth as her fingers fiddled with the controller, not pressing any buttons, but getting a feel for it in her hands.
He was right. She had never noticed him. Now that she looked at him, she could remember him being places, but she had never noticed him.
He'd said something once in class that had been really funny. Or perhaps he'd done that a few times. He'd gotten beat up by Luke once after a water polo match that they'd all been dragged to during school hours. He'd dropped his tray in the cafeteria a few weeks back—perhaps because he was clumsy, or perhaps because someone had tripped him. That was three. There were probably numerous other incidents involving him in her life that she simply couldn't remember.
Yes, Seth Cohen had definitely always been there. She'd just never noticed him. None of them had.
Summer also remembered hearing that Caleb Nichol had a grandson, but assumed he didn't live in town. She'd heard that Caleb's daughter had married someone he didn't approve of, and assumed that explained the distance. She'd seen Mr. and Mrs. Cohen around as well, but somehow never thought of Seth or a connection to Caleb.
She had just never noticed. And all because… Well she supposed there wasn't really a reason why she had never noticed Seth before.
Summer shook her head and waved the controller she held in the air.
"So, how do I use this thing anyway?"
"What are you guys doing?" Ryan asked as he walked into the living room hours later, his brow furrowed and keys dangling from his fingers.
"We're beating up some pirates," Summer called out, her mouth in a determined pout and her eyes on the screen.
"Ninjas," Seth corrected, nodding in Ryan's direction and following the action on the screen with much more ease than his counterpart who was once again accidentally stabbing his character.
"Whatever," Summer groaned. "Get him."
"That's me. Stop getting him."
"Okay," Ryan drawled as he sat in the vacant arm chair. His head fell back, he closed his eyes, and his feet rose to rest on top of the coffee table. He hoped Kirsten was in bed and wouldn't see.
"Hey," Summer said, suddenly dropping the control. "Is Coop with you?"
"No." Ryan shook his head without looking up. "She's still at the hospital. I think she'll be there a while."
"Oh." Her mouth pursed and her eyes travelled the room. She shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll just go home, then."
She stood, straightening her skirt. Her hands tugged at the sleeves of the sweater she still wore, covering her palms with the dark blue material. She looked down in surprise and then guiltily at Seth who probably wanted his clothes back. His eyes were on the screen, and she gave a small smile, keeping the sweater on. She waved as she moved over Ryan's legs.
"Bye, guys."
"You need a ride, Summer?" Seth asked, pausing the action on the screen so he could watch her.
"Nah, I'll grab a cab. I was supposed to do that from Holly's house, anyway." She waved again before turning to leave, stopping just before rounding the corner and being out of sight. Her lips parted in a wide smile. She pointed in Seth's direction. "Carefully Chino; he gropes."
Ryan nodded, letting his head fall back against the back of the chair.
"So you grope?" Ryan asked the next morning when there was nothing for them to do but play video games as they waited for any kind of news that would come to them.Seth shrugged. "I didn't even know until she told me."
Ryan took his eyes off the television screen for a moment, sending a narrow, cutting gaze in Seth's direction. "Then you're obviously doing it wrong."
Seth scrunched his nose as he pretended to concentrate on the action in front of them rather than the conversation. He shook his head as he high kicked Ryan's player.
"Who cares, man?" he sighed. "She totally wants me."
Ryan shook his head but said nothing. He chuckled under his breath at the thought of Seth and Summer. But then again, the thought of him and Marissa…
He returned the high kick in the direction of Seth's animated representation despite his friend's protest, and then they both moved forward in the game to find another obstacle. One that preferably didn't involved guns or water polo players or anything else that would undoubtedly come their way in Newport.