Hiya everybody!
I'm BACK again, and really happy about it:) After a more or less frustrating writing blockade I found an old fanfic idea... and I tried to make a whole story out of it... and yeah, well, here it is:) Anyways, just some information beforehand: it starts in the summer before college, and of course the story is about Seth and Summer, although a little more focused on Summer since it's her storyline I'm gonna evolve over time. But don't worry, of course Seth is gonna be there too:) Okay, so I hope you like it, even if the idea might seem strange, but yeah... you have to read it to find out what's gonna happen ;) Steffi PS: Thanks to my lovely Sisda and beta reader Sarah for smilie-commenting on every paragraph, and for some tips to improve the plot kiss
I have to say that it's not gonna be so heavily dramatic as the trilogy, but as you all know me, I can't live without any good drama ;)
What The Future Holds
It was a sunny day in southern California, a fact that wasn't too spectacular. The summer breeze blew slightly over the beach, taking a bit of the heat away, and making it more comfortable to get tanned.
Surfer guys came in and out of the water, trying their best to impress all the girls that had parked their perfect bodies only inches away from the shore. The beach was like a catwalk for some people – to show what you got.
Everything was how it always was, and how it always would be. But to Summer Roberts and Marissa Cooper it had never seemed so special before. All their lives they had spent right on this beach, getting tanned, talking about their boyfriends, about school, fashion, music, make-up… the list was long.
But in less than two weeks from now, everything would be different. Neither of them would be lying on this beach, letting the Newport sun tan her perfectly shaped body. They wouldn't see the so familiar shore, and the surfers wouldn't be there to try to impress them.
Because two weeks from now, college life would start. A whole new beginning – and the worst thing: without each other. Marissa Cooper and Summer Roberts, best friends since the beginning of time, would go to college in different cities, more, they would go to college on different coasts of the country.
Summer sighed as she thought about what lay ahead of her. Her boyfriend, Seth Cohen, and her had gotten sponsored a beautiful apartment by their parents in downtown New York City, only a few meters away from NYC college.
Their plans from earlier this year were destroyed as none of them was taken to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. To Summer, it hadn't seemed all too bad, she had never been really sure about what college in what city she wanted to attend, but Seth had had to work a long time on being refused from the college of his dreams.
Most sarcastically, Taylor Townsend had been accepted to Brown, so Seth even had to deal with the fact that a girl had been chosen over him.
After a few days of sadness, both Seth and Summer had decided to attend New York City college, which was also said to be a good university. And it was still on the East Coast, a fact that was very important to Seth – far away from California.
So here they were now, packing up the chapters of their lives to start a new one.
Summer sighed again. Marissa and Ryan would have it easier, at least they were staying in their home state. Both of them were about to go to Berkeley, in a student apartment right on the university's campus.
A laugh from Marissa ended Summer's daydreaming abruptly, and she turned her head to see what her best friend seemed to find so funny.
"Look at that guy." Marissa said, holding her stomach from laughing. Her finger pointed out to a surfer that had just fallen off his board and who couldn't make it back on.
Summer grinned to herself. That guy wasn't really talented for surfing, like, at all. "Yeah, someone really does his best to embarrass all of the other surfer guys around here." She said and pushed her sunglasses up her nose.
The two girls were so concentrated on commenting on the sufer's useless tries to get on his board again that they didn't notice the tall, black haired woman that was standing next to them, thoroughly examining Summer.
Only when the woman cleared her throat, the girls looked up. Summer's eyes narrowed as she saw how intensively the woman stared at them, especially her. If she wasn't already dressed in only a bikini, the woman's gaze could have undressed her as well.
"Can we help you?" Summer finally asked, seeming to be getting more and more unnerved.
The woman knelt down next to Summer and held out her hand. "My name is Fran Hart, I'm from New York City." She said.
Summer raised her eyebrows, but shook Fran's hand nevertheless. "Okay… and what exactly do you wanna tell us with that information?"
Fran reached into her purse and took out a business card. "I work for a model agency there-" she pointed out to the card Summer was holding now, and traced the writing on top of the card with her finger. "It's called 'shorts do it better', and right now, we're in search for new faces for the new season."
Summer's eyebrows rose only higher, and she took her sunglasses away, sitting up. She still didn't get what this Fran chick wanted to tell her. "So?" she asked.
Fran smiled, a thing that made her seem even younger than Summer and Marissa were. "I think that you might be one of the new faces."
Summer let out a tiny laugh of disbelievement. "Sure." She replied. "I think you haven't seen my height yet. Shall I get up? Cuz, you know, I've never heard about dwarves being models."
Fran shook her head and crossed her legs, sitting down completely into the warm sand. "That's why you seem to be perfect. You see? The model agency is called 'shorts do it better'. It's especially for women of your height and smaller. That's the whole concept."
That was a dream. Definitely. Summer had fallen asleep in the hot sun and she was just dreaming. Or there were cameras hidden somewhere and she was about to get Punk'd or something.
Because that woman couldn't possibly sitting in front of her, rambling total insane stuff about short women being models. About HER being a model.
"Anyways, you have the agency's card, my name is also on there. We have a casting in LA next week, and I really think you should come. You really might have a chance to get a contract." Fran said while getting up again.
As she recognized Summer's unbelieving gaze, Fran smiled again. "I know this sounds hard to believe, but the agency really exists. And the casting is really gonna be held. Just call me if you wanna come – I'll tell you the location." Fran said and was just about to walk away again when she turned around.
"Oh, I almost forgot: what's your name, honey?"
Summer blinked twice before she answered wearily. "S-Summer." She stammered.
Fran clapped her hands and looked up to the sky. "Summer. What a wonderful name. That fits so perfectly – please call me, you just NEED to come."
Frowning, Summer nodded and twisted the card in her hand as she watched Fran walking away.
Suddenly, she felt Marissa's hand on her arm, and turned around to face her friend.
"Oh my God, Sum, did that just really happen?" Marissa asked, a broad grin on her face.
Summer shook her head. "I think it did." She answered, studying the card intensively.
"God, you need to go there. Oh please, Sum, this could be so much fun, let's go together, like the last big thing we do before college starts." Marissa urged.
Summer kept on frowning and stared at the card in her hands. She still felt like dreaming. Stuff like that always happened in movies or books, never in real life.
Or did it?
After researching the internet when she had gotten home, Summer knew that what she had experienced today wasn't just a dream.
The company really existed, and they had so many beautiful girls doing so many beautiful photo shoots for tons of different magazines it still was unbelievable. And an incredible honor to be asked to become a part of them.
To herself, Summer had already decided that she would go to the casting with Marissa, even if it turned out to be a total washout. A little fun between friends before going to college couldn't be that bad, could it?
The only thing Summer had to do now was to tell Seth the big news.
She was sitting on Seth's bed, watching him from behind his back as he scrolled and clicked the internet sites that showed pictures of the models, and the company's concept.
After a while, Summer decided Seth needed to say something, and she stood up and walked over to him, resting her head on his shoulder from behind.
"What do you think?" she asked and bit her lip. She was almost sure that Seth would tell her she was completely insane. But like so many times before, Seth surprised her.
"I think it looks great. And if you wanna do it, then go to LA. Just see how this thing turns out." Seth replied and kept scrolling up and down his monitor.
Summer reached out for Seth's chin and softly turned her boyfriend's head around, making him look straight into her eyes.
"Are you serious?" she asked, her voice sounding disbelieving.
Seth grinned and turned his chair around, pulling Summer on his lap. "Yeah, I am. I mean, if you really wanna do this."
"Are you kidding? Modeling is like shopping all day… new clothes, new shoes… – and you get paid for it! I think it's the perfect job." Summer said and crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking quite content at the moment.
"Well, then go to LA, see how this thing turns out, and then we'll decide what to do next." Seth answered and rested his head against Summer's arm.
"Wow, I thought I'd be harder to convince you." Summer stated and played with one of Seth's brown curls.
"Hey, as long as you come to New York with me, everything's fine." He replied and yawned.
Summer raised her eyebrows at her boyfriend's gesture.
"Been awake too long again?"
Seth nodded and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Yeah, playstation marathon. Ryan and I need to prevent for the time we're gonna spend apart."
Laughing, Summer replied, "Well, you're gonna have a lot more time to prevent next week. Coop and I are heading to LA!" Summer announced and jumped up from Seth's lap, running over to the bed and searching for her cell phone. "I'm just gonna call her, then we can do something… what about seeing a movie?" Summer asked while dialing Marissa's number in her phone.
As Seth didn't reply, Summer looked up, frowning. When she spotted her boyfriend, she had to smile. His head had sunk back onto the back of his desk chair, his mouth was opened slightly and he was sound asleep.
It was a picture that made Summer's heart melt. On tiptoes, she walked over to Seth and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I'm gonna be downstairs." She whispered and left the room, letting her boyfriend get some energy to "prevent" for apart time with Ryan.
Next chapter: LA here we come!