Alright everyone so I've been wanting to write this story for a fairly long time. Since my story Speeding Cars is coming to a close, I thought I would get this up. There are a few small changes, only two really. This story is set right after the Step Monster leaves, so Julie and Neil haven't gotten together yet. Also Marissa lives with Julie at the trailer park, instead of with Summer, for the purpose of this story.
Plotline: Summer's been hiding a big secret, a life threatening, life changing secret. What happens when Seth,Marissa and Ryan find out?
Pairings: Sethummer, Ryissa, Kandy
Rating: Alright it's late, I don't remember the ratings and I'm too lazy to look them up so we'll pretend this is a movie and it's rated 14 A, for some minor language but mostly for abuse.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all.
Summer can recall vividly the first time her dad got drunk. Not drunk, in the sense of having one too many glasses of champagne. Summer had watched the step monster deal with this kind of drunk before. Her dad would laugh a lot and pat Summer very soundly on the shoulder. No. This was the kind of drunk that made her father get angry and loud.
And physical.
Summer had been eleven, nearly twelve. She had just come home from a sleepover at Marissa's. Holly had been there, and a bunch other girls. They had painted their nails, done their hair. Gossiped. Listened to Spice Girl music and danced. Summer had come bursting through the door, her purple over night bag slung over her shoulder. She had been really happy and was ready to sit down on her dad's knee and tell him everything about the sleepover.
"Daddy!" Summer called. "Daddy, I'm home!" Summer put her bag down on the tiled floor, kicked her shoes off and shut the door. As soon as the door shut Summer's dad wobbled towards her. "Daddy? Are you okay?"
"What the hell are you doin' home?"
"Marissa's sleepover is done... Mykala's mom brought me home." Summer bit her lip and headed slowly for the stairs. "Daddy, I'm gonna go in my room now 'kay? Do you want me to get you anything? I think you're sick." Summer noticed that her Daddy's eyes weren't happy like they normally were. They looked scary and mad.
"Get your ass out of my sight."
"Daddy? What's wrong? Did I do something?"
"I said, get your ASS OUT OF MY SIGHT." He screamed, pointing a shaking hand upstairs. Summer took off for the stairs, dragging her bag after her. And then before she even knew what was happening, her Daddy was chasing her. He tripped her just as she was nearing the top of the stairs.
Summer was certain this was some kind of sick joke. This man wasn't her father.
The next morning, Summer had shown up at school with bruises up and down her arms. It had been the second of September. All the other girls were wearing t-shirts. Summer had worn a big sweater.
"Sum? Aren't you hot?" Marissa had asked.
"No.. I'm cold. I think I'm getting sick or something."
And so no one knew. Summer's father had only done that a few times, maybe four times at the most. It was because of her mother and the problems her and her father were having. Summer could hear them at night, arguing. She would cover her ears with her pillow, hold Princess Sparkle tight and pretend like everything was fine. She never told anyone. And after her mother went away, things were fine.
Her Daddy was nice to her again. He even sort of apologized once. But now it was happening all over again. And Summer's no longer the little eleven year old she once was. She's seventeen now and her Daddy isn't nowhere near as gentle with her now. It's more than simple pinches or a few 'accidental' trips down the stairs.
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Summer never thought she would hear herself say it, or rather think it, but she misses the Step Monster. Well, that's not exactly true. Her father misses the Step Monster. A lot. Summer had always secretly prayed and hope that one day the Step Monster would back up her over-Botoxed self and leave New Port. But now she actually has and Summer would give almost anything for her to be back.
Not because she herself wants her back. But because maybe if she comes back, her Dad will be happy. Then maybe he'll stop hurting her and she'll be able to stop lying to Seth, Marissa and Ryan.
"Hey Sum?" Marissa asks. "You wanna come out with us. We're going down to the diner for a late night snack."
"No.. I can't sorry. I'm.. sick." Summer's not sick. Her face is covered in bruises. She's pretty sure if she went down to the diner looking like Kid Chino, they might get just a tad suspicious.
"Summer." Seth says in his goofy tone. "You're cordially invited over to the Cohen house, courtesy of Captain Oats. He misses Princess Sparkles so really, I'm only doing this for him."
Summer has to smile sadly as tears fill up her eyes and say in a normal voice, "Sorry Cohen. Oats'll have to wait. Princess Sparkles has a shit load of homework."
Only now it's Summer vacation. School's out. She can't hide behind piles of homework and tiredness as an excuse. So that Saturday, when she hears loud banging on her door she prepares to have a wild coughing fit and declare she's sick. Highly contagious, is what she'll say. But the voice she hears isn't the voice she expected.
"Ryan?" She calls cautiously. "Did my dad let you in?" She forgets she's supposed to sound sick and lets out a feeble cough.
"Summer? Ya decent?"
Hah! She thinks. Perfect excuse. "Noo.. I'm.." Summer has no idea what the hell she could be doing. "I'm just out of the shower."
"Ookay. Well can you get dressed? Marissa's waiting downstairs and Seth is coming. We're going down to the diner for breakfast."
Shit. Summer cradles her head in her hands and tries desperately to think of an excuse. "Summer?"
"Sure Atwood.. gimme ten minutes." In the following ten minutes, Summer rushes around her bedroom frantically. She finally puts on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a sweater. She fixes her hair so that the bruise on the side of her forehead is hardly visible unless you squint, and figures she can pass off the cut on her cheek as an accident.
"Daddy?" She calls nervously into his bedroom.
"What?" He yells back.
"I'm going out for breakfast, down to the diner. I.. um I won't be long." When a hungover moan reaches the door, Summer takes it for a yes and makes her way downstairs.
"Well, well." Seth says, kissing her. "Look who finally came out from hibernation."
"Very funny." Summer says softly. She can't really be bothered coming up with a halfway decent insult.
"Sum? How are you not like, extremely hot in those clothes? It's like ninety degrees out here." Marissa tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and adjusts the strap of her tank top.
"No.. I'm fine." But Summer can't lie for much longer. Because they're walking to the diner and it really is hot out here. She's sweating already and Seth, Marissa and Ryan are looking at her strangely.
"Summer, seriously take that sweater off.. you'll get dehydrated or something." Seth says to Summer, staring at her in a concerned way.
"Cohen, I'm alright. I'm kind of cold actually." Summer shivers pointedly. Seth reaches over and in one swift movement yanks the sweater off.
"Ohmigod.
"Holy shit.."
"Summer. What the hell happened to your arms?"
Summer laughs, commanding herself not to cry. "Nothing. I just... y'know. I fell."
"And landed on your arms?"
"And I.. I just.. y'know how clumsy I am. Always tripping over my feet." Summer had always had this little speech planned out, if and when any of them found out. She would say how she'd been boxing lately and she really sucked and she was little so she was always getting her ass kicked.. something like that. Then she would laugh it off and change the subject. But when Summer stares down at her skinny arms, she realizes the boxing excuse would never work. Her arms are literally covered in bruises.
"Summer.. who the hell did this to you." Ryan asks. Seth has let Summer's sweater fall to the ground. He's just staring, gaping at her arms.
"No one.. I told you, I just fell." Summer's voice is hysterical and her eyes are filling up with tears. "It was my dad."
"Your dad? Your dad did this."
Summer moves her head up and down a tiny bit. "Yeah."
"Summer.."
"Don't." Summer begs. "Don't look at me like that. Like I'm some poor, pathetic little kid. Just... please don't." Summer's shaking how, badly. She can't help it. It's like when you're little and you fall down and scrape your knees alone, while riding your bike or whatever. It hurts and you're a little scared but you're okay. But as soon as you see your mom or your friends and they see your knees and ask you what happened, they start hurting horribly and you can't help but cry. "Can we just go back to your house or something?" She asks Seth.
"Okay." Seth makes a motion as if to put his arms around her but she almost flinches at his touch so he recoils. And suddenly, it all falls into place.
The way Summer had been so touchy lately. He would go to kiss her and she'd spring apart from him, saying she had to go home. He'd try to coax her out of her sweater and she'd jump away and start pacing his bedroom. He layed his hand on her back and she would close her eyes tightly, as though Seth was hurting her. He realizes, for the first time, how right that thought might have been.
They're back at the Cohen's, heading for the pool house. Ryan pulls down the blinds and they stand around awkwardly. "Sum.. how long has he been doing this?" Marissa asks Summer, her right hand supporting her left arm.
"A few months... after the Step Monster left. He just... he started drinking a lot and when he just.. he did this." Summer gestures feebly to her arms.
"Where else?"
Summer doesn't even think about lying and saying he's only ever hit her there. She pulls up her shirt to reveal a number of bruises and cuts. Finger marks are around her neck. She pushes her hair back to reveal the large bruise on her forehead. She thinks about pulling her jeans off but decides against it. Instead she pulls her shirt back on self consciously, and motions to her knees.
Marissa is shaking her head, back and forth slowly, her hands cupped over her mouth. "Summer.." She steps towards Summer and hugs her tightly, murmuring apologies as Summer whimpers at the touch of Marissa's arms around her back. When they pull away Summer's cheeks are wet and her mascara is beginning to run.
"Summer, we should get my parents." Seth says gently to her.
"No." Summer says firmly. "No. No body else can know about this. I wasn't going to tell anybody, I didn't want you guys to know so.. no. Please don't tell your parents." Summer looks up at Seth with wide eyes.
There's a knock on the pool house door suddenly. Summer scrambles over to Seth, pulls her sweater on and hastily wipes away her tears before Ryan nonchalantly tells the visitor to come in. "Hey guys." Sandy smiles at the four. "Summer, your dad's here, he said he's gonna take you out for lunch, that you must have forgotten."
Lie. Total lie. Summer's dad hasn't taken her out to lunch in almost a year. "Okay." Her voice wobbles. "Tell him I'll be there in a minute."
"Summer! What're you thinking, you can't go home with him." Marissa says, semi hysterical.
Summer ignores her and instead asks them to walk her to the car. "Bye guys." She says, her voice cracking as she opens the car door.
And it breaks their hearts to see her get in that car and drive off, with the man who claims to be her father.