Note: None of it's mine. Peace and love...

Seth Cohen was never a kid you looked twice at. He always seemed to be walking into doors or tables and always had to tug on his jeans to keep them from falling around his ankles. Because he was the kid that you always knew what color of boxers he was wearing. And even though she shouldn't have been looking, and she felt scandalous doing so, Summer Roberts was the kind of girl that always knew what brand they were.

"Summer. Summer. Summer. Summer."

"What?"

"Hi? Remember me? Holly? I live in the land of the living."

"Yeah, right. So?"

"Join me in the land of the living. Or the awake I guess. What were you doing last night?"

"Uh, sleeping?"

"Omigod, who are we looking at?"

"What?"

"Who is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If you're not tired, you must be staring at someone."

"Nope. No one. Sorry."

Summer picked up all her books and walked out of the room, not taking another look at Seth Cohen, but noticing that he took a look at her. Holly squealed and ran after her.

"Summer!"

He sighed as another cheer leader chased her out of the room. Summer had to be different. She dressed differently and you never saw her turning cartwheels in gym class like the showoffs she hung out with. And she wore a lot of eyeliner. That meant she was different. She didn't always wear white or pink. That meant she was different.

Seth had been different his whole life, so he had always been more comfortable with it. He liked to tell himself that Summer wanted to be different, but she was afraid to break the mold she had built herself after all those years of wearing only pink or white.

"Hey Sum."

Marissa sauntered down the hall, Luke's arm protectively around her skinny waist. Summer grinned.

"Hey, Coop. Listen, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alone?" Summer glanced back at Luke and Holly. Holly looked away and pretended not to care.

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you later, okay, Luke?"

Summer and Marissa had been best friends since they were in the third grade. Surprisingly, four years later, nothing had changed. They shared all their secrets with each other, and so when Holly had tried to butt in when they were in fifth grade because Marissa had kissed Luke on the back of the bus, it was awkward. And Holly was always shunted to the outside. And she always was a little hurt by it. Summer didn't really care; she had never loved the idea of Holly.

"Hey, Sum, what's up?"

"Can I spend the night at your house tonight? The step mother is having some sort of gathering of noops."

"Uh, yeah, sure, I think."

"Okay, thanks, Coop. You're a life saver."

"No problem. I have to baby-sit Kaitlyn though, so...I mean, you can help me if you want."

"Yeah sure. She's cool."

Marissa snorted.

"She's a little bitch. I mean, lately, she's been all clingy, like, she wants to do whatever I do. And I mean, sometimes I don't want her there."

"I dunno, it's cool to have a little sister, right?"

"Sometimes. But she's just a little scammer. It's always my fault. And she has to report everything to my mother. Like when I said I wanted to go on a diet. She went all to the mother saying I was anorexic. And I was, like, nooo. But what I say is always wrong and what she says is right."

Summer swallowed her next thought because she didn't think Marissa would take it very well if she told her that she had been anorexic. And it had been Summer that told Julie and not Kaitlyn.

"I'll watch her then. You can watch t.v. then I'll come and hang out with you."

"Really? No, Sum, that's okay. Don't worry about it."

"No, I like Kaitlyn. She's always been nice to me."

"No, we'll do it together."

"Okay, that'll be cool. So I'll be over at, like...half past six?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Thanks, Coop."

Summer gave her a half armed hug and grinned.

"Class, then."

"Right. Love you."

"Love you too."

Summer had fit in with the 'popular' kids when she had started filling out the year before. The highest of the popular guys had been looking at her during biology. He wore a grin like he practiced in the mirror. And he had asked her out. They had been boyfriend/girlfriend for a week when he decided he liked some other girl better. But the people he had had her hang out with hadn't forgotten her. So she had her rank. And she always had a seat in new classes.

Ready with 10 Things I Hate About You and a package of M&Ms, Summer knocked on the Coopers' door. She didn't hear anything. The lights were on, so someone had to be home, but no one thought they could let in the freezing girl in a pair of shorts during February.

"Come on, Coop."

She tried the doorknob and was surprised to find it open. She slid into the house, left her materials on the table and headed upstairs to find Marissa.

"Coop? Coop."

She walked down the hall to Marissa's room and pushed open the cracked door.

"Marissa, I don't know why you have to be so difficult. I'm not accusing you of anything. I just mean, you're gorgeous and I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Mom, you don't know anything. You assume things just because I'm thinner than you are."

Summer's eyes darted to Julie Cooper's face, whose eyes darted down to her waist that Summer had always thought was perfect.

"Your father and I will be home at around 11."

"Fine by me."

Mrs. Cooper's eyes narrowed but she left without touching Marissa, or even looking at her again. She nodded toward Summer and pushed out of the room. Summer turned to Marissa who shook her head.

"Sorry about that. She can be so stupid."

"No, it's-it's okay."

"All right. You bring a movie?"

"Uh, yeah. Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles."

"Awesome. We just need to send Kaitlyn to bed."

"She can stay with us if..."

"No, she can't."

"MaRISSA!"

She rolled her eyes and shouted back.

"What?"

"I don't want to go to bed, I'm nine years old and it's only 7!"

"Well, you're going to bed anyway. Sorry."

"Liar!"

"So what if I am? Bitch."

Summer tried not to hear, but Kaitlyn flew into the room, daggers in her eyes.

"I don't want to go to bed and you can't make me."

"Oh yes I can."

"No you can't. And I left Curtis at the Cohens' and I can't sleep without him."

Marissa rolled her eyes but her voice calmed down. "Summer will take you. Do you mind?"

"No, no, sure. Whatever."

"All right. Then you're going to bed."

"Fine. Or maybe I'll just stay with Seth."

"Fine with me."

"Fine."

"Summer, will you walk her over? God knows I'd hate it if she was kidnapped on the way over."

"They're next door, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Come on, Kaitlyn."

Kaitlyn took Summer's hand and flipped Marissa off with her other one. Marissa stuck her finger up right back and stuck out her tongue. Summer walked faster.

Once they got out of the house, Kaitlyn let go of Summer's hand and sighed. Summer turned to Kaitlyn; she was always entranced by her.

"So who's Curtis?"

"Oh, just my stuffed animal."

"Oh. That's cool."

"Yeah."

"So you hang out with Seth a lot?"

"Yeah, I guess. He's actually nice unlike" sigh. "some people."

"Marissa is nice. She just...she's sensitive."

"And stupid."

"So are all people."

"Seth talks about you a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He says you're really pretty and nice to people. I think he's right."

She grinned up at Summer and Summer grinned back. She still didn't know why Seth Cohen was talking about her to nine year olds. But it wasn't a long walk, and they were already there. Kaitlyn knocked on the big door and it opened almost instantly. Kirsten Cohen, the woman Lara, Summer's dad's new girlfriend, always talked about with a complete snide tone, opened it. She smiled. She had a really warm smile.

"Kaitlyn, it's so good to see you again."

"You too, Mrs. Cohen. Is Seth home?"

"Yeah, he's in his room. Who's your beautiful friend?"

Summer blushed and Kaitlyn giggled.

"This is Summer. Marissa's best friend."

She said it with so much gusto that Summer blushed harder. Kirsten nodded and without any further embarrassment smiled at Summer and extended her hand.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Kirsten."

"Hi."

"Would you like to come in for a minute? Fresh cookies. Well, I mean, I didn't make them, but Rosa says they're really good."

Summer grinned farther, shot a look at the Coopers' house, but nodded.

"Yeah, sure. That'd be cool."

"Cool. Come in."

She moved aside and the two girls shuffled in. Kirsten's smile seemed to broaden as she led them into the kitchen.

"I can't tell you how great it is to have some females in this house. Boys are fun, but they don't know anything a lot of the time."

Summer smiled again and nodded. Kirsten pointed to the table and Summer sat next to Kaitlyn who popped up as soon as she sat down grinning at the teenage boy that had just came down the stairs.

"Seth!"

"Oh, hey, Kaitlyn. Marissa being mean again?"

"Yeah, she's trying to make me go to bed."

"It's only 7."

"That's what I said. But apparently I'm not cool enough to hang out with them."

"Them?"

"Oh, yeah, Marissa and, uh, Summer."

"Oh."

Summer turned her head and let her eyes rest on his reddening cheeks. She flashed a smile and waved her fingers.

"Hi. You're in my English class, right?"

"Uh...yeah. Hey. So, uh, Kaitlyn, um, I, uh, got this new video game thing if you want to, you know, check it out."

"Yeah sure! Bye, Summer, I'll call you when I want to come home."

"Okay. Bye Kaitlyn. Bye Seth."

He muttered something but walked out of the room without looking at her. Kaitlyn tried to hide a giggle, said bye, and followed him out of the room. Summer spun her legs back around and sat across from Kirsten. She glanced down at the three cookies on her plate, glanced at her own stomach thinking about how Marissa was thinner than her too, but picked up the cookie and nibbled on the edge.

"Milk?"

"Uh, no thanks."

Kirsten grabbed a cookie herself and ate it in two seconds. Kirsten was thinner than Mrs. Cooper, but not nearly as thin as Marissa. Summer thought she was gorgeous.

"So, my son seems to have a really, really big crush on you, huh?"

Summer blushed deeper and laughed. She had never talked to an adult like this. Kirsten Nichol, Cohen, was joking with her about boys.

"I dunno, I mean I don't know him that well anymore."

"But you nearly made his face blow up there for a second. But why shouldn't you? You're a gorgeous young lady."

Summer decided she liked Kirsten Cohen.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, sure." She blew it away as if she had just said they had just had a beautiful day of sun. "You're friends with Marissa?"

"Best friends. For four years."

"Wow. You're pretty lucky."

She nodded. Kirsten smiled fondly at her. Almost like a moth-but she wasn't.

"I should, um, go now. Coop-Marissa's waiting for me."

"You didn't eat. Aren't you hungry?"

"Um, no. I had a big dinner."

"It's 7. You're not like one of those ridiculous girls who think they're fat, are you?"

"No, uh..." Summer popped the cookie into her mouth and grinned. "Thanks." She said it thickly with a mouth full of chocolate that made Kirsten laugh.

"Come back sometime. I like you."

She nodded and smiled as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Bye Summer."

She pulled her head over her shoulder and waved. Before leaving though, she ran into the bathroom next to the front door and spit the chocolatey mess into the toilet. She didn't need it. She coughed for a minute and filled her hands with water from the sink. She sipped it up and checked her hair. She flushed the toilet and turned to leave. The bathroom door was still open and Seth was watching her from the bottom of the stairs. She tried to leave without talking to him but he called out to her.

"You're not fat, you know."

She spun around, her hair flying into her lip gloss and she studied his face. His braces had been reattached to his teeth and it made his mouth look crowded.

"What makes you think I think I'm fat?"

"You can eat a cookie."

"I know."

"And you don't have to throw it up afterwards."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"It's not good for you."

"No shit."

He fingered his belt loops and shook his head.

"I was just saying. You shouldn't do that to yourself. You're fine just the way you are."

"Maybe sometimes I want to be more than fine."

"Maybe you are."

His face had calmed down, and he was looking at her without the fear he had in his eyes before. She shook her head.

"I'm not."

"I think you are."

She bit her lip and looked up at him. He had grown a few inches too. He was almost as tall as Mr. Cooper now.

"Um, thanks, I guess."

"I think you're beautiful."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

She looked at the door and she looked at him. She jogged over to the stairs, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, smiled, and went out the door. He touched the place where she had kissed him lightly and stared at his fingers. He must've been dreaming.

"I hate the way you talk to me and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare. I hate your big, dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick, it even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you're always right; I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly, I hate the way I don't hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all."

Summer and Marissa awed, both of them with tears in their eyes, as Julia Stiles started choking out the last few words, her eyes on Heath Ledger the whole time. They sighed and the phone rang. Marissa jumped up and picked it up.

"Hello? Oh, hey. Yeah. You sure? Okay. All right."

She hung up the phone and paused the movie.

"Would you mind picking up Kaitlyn? She says she wants to come home."

"Oh. Sure."

Summer hopped up, checked out her outfit, and messed up her hair enough to make her not seem to care.

She walked over to the Cohens' and knocked on the door. It was opened by a man this time with shockingly large eyebrows.

"Hi, I'm Summer. I'm here for Kaitlyn."

"Oh, right. Come in."

She stepped inside the house and looked at it for the second time. She knew the Cohens were rich, but this was enormous. The chandelier perched at the top of the ceiling sparkled and send prisms of light around the room.

"Wow."

"Yeah, you gotta love my wife."

"Yeah."

"You're Summer Roberts, right? Your dad's Neil Roberts?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Right. You want to go get her? She's in Seth's room. That's third on your left."

"Oh, um, yeah, sure."

She was going to go into his room? Like, his bedroom? God. She walked up the stairs, trying to not make a big deal of it and found the doorknob. She pulled her hand away and knocked.

"It's open."

She pushed into the room, seeing Seth and Kaitlyn on the floor pulling out strips of wood from a tower. Seth was focusing so hard that his tongue was peeking through his lips. He pulled out the wood and the whole thing fell down. Kaitlyn giggled.

"Ha! You lose; I win."

"You win. My attempts were thwarted again by the super cool nine year old."

He was laughing too and looked up and saw Summer staring at him. His cheeks started heating up. Kaitlyn followed his gaze and saw Summer too. She smiled.

"Hey. You guys watching a movie?"

"Yeah, but it's almost over."

"Oh. Okay. Bye Seth."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he patted her arm.

"Bye kid. Come back, okay?"

"Mm-hmm."

He looked back at Summer and grinned sheepishly. She grinned back.

"Bye Cohen."

"Bye 'Roberts.'"

She bit her tongue again and left. He was so sweet and funny and nice and he was actually starting to get cute. But he was Seth Cohen. Lana would probably like him; he was a Nichol after all. Summer shivered; the fact that she even thought anything like that made her feel shallow. And she wasn't shallow.

"Summer?"

"Hmm?"

Kaitlyn's face was screwed up in concentration, obviously trying to figure out a way to say what she wanted to.

"Can I ask you something? Really weird?"

"Yeah, sure."

"And you'll answer honestly?"

"Of course."

Kaitlyn looked around her shoulders, and smiled at Mr. Cohen as they walked out. As soon as the door was closed she opened her mouth again.

"Have you ever liked someone but, uh, they really liked someone else?"

Summer looked at her out of the corner of her eye and slowly nodded her head.

"Why?"

It wasn't true. It couldn't be.

"And that person...I mean, it's impossible that they liked you back, but you kept...I dunno, picturing it."

"Kaitlyn?"

"Not that I like anyone. I mean, I don't. I mean..."

"Seth?"

Kaitlyn's eyes dilated to twice their size.

"Uh...uh...I mean...no?"

"Kaitlyn, it's okay. It's natural for you to like someone older because all the boys your age don't seem like men."

"You like older people too?"

"Sometimes."

"Oh. Well...don't tell my mom."

"I wouldn't."

"Okay. That's what I thought, I just...wanted to...make sure."

"Yeah, no problem."

"He's just so...nice to me, you know? And when I talk to him I know he's listening. And I dunno...he's got a cute butt too."

Summer laughed and brushed her hair out of her lip gloss again. She nodded and grinned.

"I can understand."

"But he likes you. He really, really likes you and I mean, I'm four years younger than he is. He'd never like me back."

"Well, I mean, you never know about the future, right? When you're sixteen, he'll only be twenty."

"Yeah. But I still wish I could go out with him now."

"Yeah, well, good things come to those who wait."

"Mmm. Summer, can you promise me something?"

"Uh, depends on what it is."

"Could you promise that you wouldn't...go out with him first?"

"What?"

"Because, I mean, I know if he went out with you he'd never want to go out with someone like me."

"That's not true."

"But you don't like him, right? So you're not promising much."

"I don't want to...promise something like that, though, Kaitlyn. I'm sorry. I mean, I don't know what will happen. Whatever happens happens."

"Why? You don't like him. Why can't you just do something to make me happy?"

"Kaitlyn! God, don't get so worked up. You're probably never even going to go out with him."

She scrunched up her nose and turned away from Summer. Summer sighed.

"Kaitlyn, come on. You don't have anything to really get mad about."

She didn't turn around. Summer rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Whatever. Be that way."

Summer crossed her arms and they were about to walk up the Coopers' driveway when she heard her name. She spun around to see Seth running up to her, out of breath. Kaitlyn's eyes widened and seemed to get wet. Summer's heart fell. Seth had a stuffed dog in his hand.

"Oh, hey, Kaitlyn, you forgot this."

"Oh. Thanks."

"No problem."

"Okay."

All three of them stood, rocking on their feet, daring each other to say something. Seth's head fell to his chest and Summer started twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"Um, Kaitlyn, it's late. You should be in-in bed."

"No, it's okay. Marissa's waiting for you; you should probably go in."

"Summer's right, Kaitlyn. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"But-but..."

"He'll see you tomorrow, Kaitlyn."

Kaitlyn scowled at Summer and rolled her eyes, trying to look cool.

"Whatev."

She pushed past Summer's shoulder, pushing him back a little bit on her way up to the house. Summer leaned against the wall.

"Is something wrong with her?"

Seth raised his eyebrows and Summer shook her head.

"It's so stupid."

"Try me."

"I probably shouldn't tell you, but...she kind of...has this little...crush on you."

"Oh. Really? She does?"

"Yeah. And I dunno, she's a little upset because I told her it probably wouldn't ever happen."

"What? Me and her?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Why'd you say that?"

"Because I didn't want her to have false hope."

"Oh. That's it?"

"Well, yeah. I think."

"You think."

"Yeah, I mean, what else could it be?"

She raised her eyebrows too and he laughed. She liked how he laughed.

"I dunno, maybe, unconsciously, you want it to be like that because...really you want to go out with me."

"I do?"

"Unconsciously, you think I'm adorable."

He raised his eyebrows higher and she started laughing harder.

"Don't push your luck, Cohen."

"I'm just saying. There's a chance."

"It's not very big, is it?"

"Well, not large, but it's still a chance."

"Mm-hmm. Maybe you should keep dreaming."

"How did you know?"

She laughed again. He grinned; she laughed well.

"Well, Cohen, if I ever do decide I want to go out with you, I'll let you know."

"All right, that's all I'm asking."

"All right, Cohen."

He grinned farther and she laughed. He was kind of, in a way, cute. That's when Kaitlyn decided to come back out.

"Summer. Marissa wants to see you."

"Fine. I'm coming."

"No you're not."

"I'm almost coming."

"She hasn't eaten anything."

"She'll eat."

"You should go make her."

"She'll eat."

"Why doesn't she eat?" Seth bunched up his eyebrows and Summer shook her head.

"It's stupid. She'll get over it."

"She's already so skinny."

"Yeah, I know."

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes so hard they looked like they were going to fall out of her head. "She's just stupid."

"Hey, she's not stupid."

"Yes she is. It's what Seth and I were talking about tonight."

"So you think she's stupid?" Summer's eyes flashed to Seth's and he stepped back.

"I didn't say she was stupid per say. I just..."

"You just nothing. You don't call great people like her anything like stupid. That's retarded."

"Isn't that self contradictory?"

"I can't believe you would...say something like that and then hit on me."

"Who said I was hitting on you? You were flirting with me."

"Omigod, ew. I wouldn't. I have to go see Coop. Jackass."

"Summer, wait..."

"Let her go, Seth. She doesn't really like you." Kaitlyn glared at Summer again who glared back. Seth stepped forward.

"Hey! Who asked you?"

Kaitlyn looked like she was going to cry. Seth realized his mistake and tried to take it back.

"Kaitlyn, I mean..."

"I don't care what you mean. I'm never talking to you again, Seth Cohen! You never treated me like I was a little kid. Not until now."

"Kaitlyn, aren't you being a little dramatic."

"No, I'm not!"

She pushed away into the house behind Summer. Seth groaned and made his way back to his house. It hadn't been a good night.

Please let me know what you think. I'm still not sure if I want to leave this as one part or a full story.