Surprise.
Was it ever.
Not because she didn't know about the party...duh. Surprise party or not, it was Summer's idea.
No, surprise-Cohen was there. At her fucking birthday party. Just, standing there, smiling like an idiot. Shit. She was going to cry. It was like there were two Summers. One who wanted to leap into his arms and smother him with kisses. And one who wanted to beat the shit out of him. But both of those Summers wanted to burst into tears.
So she ignored him.
"Oh my God!" She shrieked, feigning shock and delight. "Coop!" She turned to Marissa and threw her arms around her. "Did you know he was going to be here?" She hissed. "If this is your idea of-"
"I swear, Sum," Marissa whispered. "I had no idea."
Summer broke apart from Marissa and set about greeting the guests. Someone passed her a mohito and she decided it was the perfect night to get very, very drunk.
"She's getting drunk!" Seth cried, smacking the table in front of him. He looked at Ryan. "She's talking to anyone and everyone but me. She kissed that idiot Stephen Chestnut! She won't even come within fifteen feet of me, and now she's getting drunk and making out with other guys! I'm not going to be able to talk to her at all tonight."
"Seth," Ryan said. "You messed up, and now you're going to have to suck it up and deal with it."
"Way to be supportive, man," he muttered.
Marissa strolled up to them then, a tight smile on her face and a plastic cup of something in her hand. She gave Seth a quick hug. "Hey, you're back." She looked at Ryan. Well, kind of glared at him, actually. "He's back," she said, through gritted teeth. "You didn't tell me." Tell me was what she said. Warn me was what she meant.
"I didn't know, Marissa," Ryan said.
"Is she going to talk to me?" Seth asked.
Marissa frowned. "It's her birthday party, Seth. You show up, on her eighteenth birthday. She wanted to have a good night. And then, you showed up."
"That's kind of harsh," Ryan said.
Marissa shrugged. "Yeah, and really kind of true. You're such a jerk, Seth, for bailing on her. She like, loved you. Seriously, and you just up and left? She's been messed up about it."