Chapter Six: The Forward Plan
"Was that Summer?" Ryan asked as he moved inside Seth's punk rock themed room and took a seat on the edge of his bed full sized bed clad in blue and pale yellow stripes. He looked around, and it was exactly how he remembered it being back in high school. But then again, the entire house looked untouched, excluding some new art Kirsten had picked up.
Once they got home, Isabella and Ryan had quickly made their way through the first level of the house, only to find it completely empty. This worried Ryan, and so Izzy offered to take their bags into the pool house, while Ryan checked upstairs.
Seth looked down to him. He knew there was no use lying about who it was on the phone, who else did he talk to anyway? His hands began to grow sweaty, and so he leaned down to rub them off on his light brown corduroys. Why was he so nervous? It was almost as if he should be ashamed of talking to his own girlfriend.
"Of course it was Summer. Who else would I say 'I love you' to?" He asked and rolled his eyes as if it was the most stupid inquiry ever known to man. Really he was just trying to avoid the question he knew Ryan was going to ask again. But his face was a dead give away, and Ryan was no fool. "I mean, I know that most woman find me to be the cats meow, la crème de la crème, but really Ryan, I'm a one woman kind of guy. Well not counting that fateful Thanksgiving day when…"
"I remember Seth." He interrupted him before he could even get started. "Really could your head get any bigger? That was definitely a fluke." He spoke and laughed lightly. Just like his room, some things never changed. "So how is she doing?" He decided to play the game a bit longer; ignoring the fact that Seth had just said he wouldn't tell him something.
Seth smiled, completely relieved that he wasn't going to ask him again. But he was really afraid that if he started talking about her, he would let something slip. And the thought of Summer slipping something else to some other random guy made his stomach churn. And so he had to change the topic all together and he had to do it fast.
"So buddy, how was your trip? Six hours in a car, man I don't know how you do it? My bum would have fallen asleep after the first twenty minutes. My legs would cramp, then again my legs are a lot longer than yours but still. You should have just asked Mom and Dad to buy you some tickets. It's not like they don't have the money, or did you forget that our family is kind of loaded?" Seth continued on, explaining to him, once again, how to take advantage of Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Cohen.
The fact that Seth completely changed the subject obviously didn't go unnoticed by his blonde brother. And with his gorgeous blues, Ryan gave him an all too familiar glare. And yet Seth either didn't see it, or could it be possible that he had become too accustomed to it to let it faze him?
"And even your little snow bunny could have gotten one. I know how you guys are all penny pinchers and stuff. But you don't have to pinch money when it's not yours to begin with." Seth continued on more and more, almost talking as if no one was there to listen to him.
"Seth!" Ryan spoke in a very stern voice, and their eyes finally met when Ryan gave him another glare. This time Seth shivered slightly and shut up for a moment. "So what is it that you can't tell me?" Ryan asked with a half smirk. He had decided to be straight forward. Knowing that if he didn't then he would have to listen to Seth ramble all night.
"Wha.. what are you talking about? By the way, where is your Buffalonian? I was sure I heard her in the car when I called you on your brave adventure down here. Did she decide not to co…"
"You mean all TEN times you called?" Ryan shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, which had gotten quite a bit longer than the last time Seth had seen him; he was growing impatient. "Stop changing the subject anyway, what's going on?"
Seth stood there, his second attempt at changing the topic failing miserably. His brain started to work on overdrive, trying to think of some sort of explanation. He scratched the back of his neck and met Ryan's eyes again, knowing by his look that he wasn't just going to let him slide by. "Why does she trust me with anything?" Seth mumbled softly to himself.
And then, miraculously and out of no where he blurted out, "Summer was just telling me about the gift she got you in Europe, its uh… it's really cool." Seth's eyes widened at his stroke of genius and he smiled, satisfied with his answer. "It's no glorified wife beater or anything my friend, but I am sure you will love it nonetheless."
"My gift? You mean like a souvenir? Summer didn't have to do that." Ryan looked at him confused. He couldn't figure out what the big deal was about a gift, but knowing the two of them, they made everything a big deal.
"Au contraire mon frére. You know how much Summer likes to shop. She is so excited to come back and give us all our presents. She gets some sort of high off of it. But really, who am I to complain? I definitely could use some new clothes, maybe from the new Armani line. I wonder if you get a discount in Italy."
Seth continued to ramble, and Ryan couldn't help but chuckle. "Italy, I thought she was in France?"
Seth looked at him wide eyed and thought of something quick. "Oh, she is all over the place. You know our Summer, busy like the cute little bee that she is. In fact, I believe your gift just might be English." He thought to himself for a moment, yes the last name 'Cooper' was definitely English.
Ryan raised a brow and nodded with approval. He always had a hard time accepting gifts, but over the last six years with the coaching of the Cohen's, it was getting easier. He finally understood that allowing someone to give you a gift was humbling. And allowing someone to do something for you was a huge step for him.
Then there was a short silence that filled the room as both young men looked around and pondered over different things. They were both trying to figure out if what they had just discussed was satisfying or not. Just when Seth was about to speak up to assure that he was in fact telling the truth, he heard a beep come from his cell phone, indicating that he had a text. He reached into his pocket, pulled it out and flipped it open to read: 'You better not have slipped yet!' And then a picture of Summer with Marcello appeared with Summer's arms wrapped tightly around his small body.
Seth studied it intensely for a moment, trying to decide if Marcello was sexier than he was or not. After a few moments and a throat clearing from Ryan, Seth shut his phone and rolled his eyes. "She has no faith in me."
"Do you blame her?" Ryan smirked and stood up off his bed, indicating that he was ready to leave the room.
"No, but we'll keep that secret to ourselves. Come on, let's go down stairs. I have had the PS2 set up for hours. Do you know how long it's been screaming at me to play it? But I firmly told it no, knowing that you would want the first crack at it seeing how its been so long, and you will need to warm up to face the master. See how selfless I have become?"
And as the two brothers walked out of the room, just like old times, Ryan couldn't help but laugh, imagining Seth truly talking to the man made machine. They made their way down stairs where Isabella was waiting for them patiently. And into the early morning sunrise, the three of them bonded over Seth's favorite past times: Play Station, pudding, and talking about himself.
After only a few hours of sleep, Summer had been rejuvenated and ready to go. Marcello had already finished getting ready, and was sitting on the edge of the bed watching as Summer finished putting on her make up. Marcello was clad in his newest outfit by John Varvatos; white form fitting slacks, a simple baby blue tee that clung to his body, topped with black loafers and a dark green zipper jacket that not only had random zippers on the front that went different ways, but also zipped both up and down, so that he could bring them together in the middle, leaving the top and the bottom open to show off the blue beneath. Summer wanted to look as Italian as possible, to be sure that she blended in. Her hair was stick straight, making it look blacker than ever. Her short legs looked longer in her dark grey Herringbone Pants. They were a thin and straight legged that looked fresh and new in a diamond-pattern with cuffed hem. On top she wore a Sadie Printed Silk Blouse, with a pintucked front and ruffled details to define a sheer silk organza style. Over top of the silk blouse was an embroidered bustier top that was satin and strapless with a crinkled chiffon sash with metallic details. The outfit was completed with a pair of Jimmy Choo's patent ankle strap pumps. She looked hot if she did say so herself. And Marcello noticed too.
"Damn girl, I thought we were going to spy on your beloved Marissa, not go hit on hot Italian men?" He leaned back onto his hands and watched as she put the finishing touches of her lip gloss on.
Summer turned to him and smiled. "We are going to do research, NOT spy. Besides, I bought this outfit in Paris, and have been dying to wear it. Do you think I will blend in?" She stepped away from the mirror and did a slight turn for him and then posed waiting for a response.
"Honey, with your looks I don't think you could blend in anywhere!" He meant it as a compliment, and Summer just ate it up. She moved over to the bed and took him by the hands to pull him into a standing position.
"Come on, let's go." She turned around to straighten her outfit and to check herself out one more time; Marcello doing the same thing behind her. "And you are sure that Julie and Marissa always go to the restaurant for brunch?"
Marcello responded as they headed out of the hotel and down to the Vespas that he got for them for the day. "Almost every day! I haven't had the morning shift in a couple of weeks, but by now Joseppi should be giving them Julie's favorite table. Once they sit and chat for a bit, they almost always order the same exact thing. Julie gets espresso with an English muffin and fruit, while Marissa gets her usual tall stack of pancakes."
Summer paused to smile as she pictured Marissa eating her pile of pancakes. For a moment her mind wandered to their times at the Diner in Newport and she sighed to herself. "Though her life is always unforeseen her appetite is forever predictable." They both laughed and Summer raised her brow at the Vespa she was supposed to get on. "It's kind of small." She tilted her head and studied a bit.
"It's my sister's, so don't crash it, or she will have my head. And trust me, it's not as pretty without the body to accompany it." Marcello got on his own scooter and handed Summer a helmet. "Come on, Formello is about thirty minutes away."
Summer was a little weary at first, wondering if maybe she wore the wrong outfit. But just as she hesitated she saw two men in designer business suits fly down the street on their very own Vespas. She smiled and shrugged. "Onward Formello!"
"Marissa honey, what is the matter, are you not feeling well?" Julie Cooper-Nichol, almost but not quite Roberts was sitting across from her eldest daughter with an all too familiar look plastered on her botoxed face: a forged smile. Julie had just finished reassuring her love for her latest beau, Joseppi and she blew him a kiss as he walked away. And now it was time to give her daughter some attention. They had just ordered their food, for her it was the regular, but Marissa had only ordered fruit. And now for the first time Julie seemed to notice that Marissa was distant.
"I'm fine mother, I just didn't get that much sleep last night." She spoke as she leaned back in her chair, and looked out the window into the familiar Roman streets. There was more to it than that, but Marissa was in no mood to get into it with her mother.
Julie couldn't help but frown severely as she unfolded her napkin, and laid it across her lap. "Oh honey, are you still having those horrid dreams? I should talk to your doctor, maybe he can prescribe a new medication to get rid of them"
"No." Marissa stated brusquely. "No more medication, I am fine." The last thing that she wanted was to stop her brain from trying to remember; she couldn't help but think that the dreams just might start to bring her to the truth. "Besides it wasn't the dreams last night, Bray came over remember?"
And with that, Julie's frown quickly turned into a smile again. This time however, it wasn't fake, but rather quite genuine. She knew that what she had done to Marissa was very risky. But she also knew it was best for her. And the fact that Marissa had met such a nice young man, one with no drama, who supported her and loved her, made Julie realize she had made the right decision. Not to mention, he of course was loaded. On rare occasions it killed her to see Marissa struggle with trying to regain her memories. She hated to see her daughter in any form of pain. But in her opinion, the pain from the three years that she had caused was worse than the pain she was currently experiencing. The accident was their chance, to start over, to try again. And so far, Julie's plan had worked beautifully. Marissa attended university, was dating a brilliant young man, and Julie had also met someone knew… someone who could take care of them.
"Ooh la la Marissa, do tell! Bray is definitely one sexy guy, and oh my gawd that body, he must be excellent between the sheets." Julie grinned and leaned forward to look into Marissa's eyes. Her enthusiasm was almost sickening. She wanted to know the details, but not just for the gossip, to ensure that her daughter was happy.
"We just talked mom." Marissa said flatly. And even if her and Bray had done something more, she wasn't about to tell her mother, even if she was her closest friend.
"Just talked?" Julie asked with wide eyes. She couldn't imagine laying in bed with someone as handsome as Bray, and JUST talk. And now she was curious.
"Yes, just talked. It is possible for two people to sleep together and not let anything happen." She explained it to her as plainly as she could. But she knew her mother too well, and knew that it would be hard for her to understand.
"Oh Mariss, you don't have to tell me, I did it all the time with Ca… with your father." She quickly corrected herself. As far as Marissa was concerned her mother had never married Caleb Nichol, and Julie cursed herself for almost letting the cat out of the bag. "But honey, you are young and beautiful, what would keep you from taking full advantage of such a strapping young man?"
Marissa rolled her eyes once again. She hadn't caught on that Julie almost said another name besides 'Jimmy.' And the thought of discussing her non existent love life with her mom was causing her to grow ill. Should she tell her the truth? That she had a hard time trusting anyone. After all Luke had cheated on her. And according to Julie, so did Koby with her own best friend at the time. Not that she remembered Koby, but still it was the same in principle. Or should she explain to her that she was scared, scared that she didn't even know what she was giving him. She decided on the most simplistic explanation she could think of.
"I'm just not ready yet. It's kind of hard to give yourself to someone when you don't even know what you are giving." And with that Marissa was saved by the server who returned with their food.
Julie frowned once more and sat there staring at her gorgeous daughter as she began to pick at the fruit in front of her. She looked the same, but Julie knew that something was missing. Marissa's absent mind had changed her. And as Marissa spoke those harsh words, Julie felt as if someone had just threw a bolder into her stomach. It had hit home, and maybe for the first time Julie was actually having REAL second thoughts about her 'virtuoso plan.' Was it better to live a life free of pain and drama, even if it was naively fake? Or had Julie done the wrong thing yet again? Maybe all of that pain and drama had truly made Marissa the person she was today.
"Hello, earth to Julie?" Marissa spoke up when she saw her mother in deep thought. "What's the matter, did they butter your muffin with the real butter instead of fat free margarine?" Marissa laughed lightly at her joke.
And as she did, Julie laughed lightly as well and took a bite of her breakfast. Maybe… just maybe Neil was right. But she couldn't turn back now. She had spent three years building this faux life. She wasn't going to ruin it. "Sorry honey, I was just thinking of all our tasks that we have to do today. Maybe we can cheat on our diets and stop by and grab some gelato." She smiled, trying hard to make light of everything.
"Ummm sure Mom." Marissa shook her head, and the two women continued to eat their breakfast in near silence. Something that didn't occur very often with the Cooper woman.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Summer stood holding her helmet under her arm and looking up at a quaint old villa sitting on a small hill surrounded by grape fields. Although it was only 20 minutes out side of Rome, it was like they were in a different world. Just like the city, everything seemed long-standing and ancient. But instead of just the elaborate stone structures, everything was also covered in vines. It was absolutely beautiful; a scene from what Summer would imagine the Garden of Eden to look like. And although it was stunning it still didn't really look like anything Julie Cooper would pick out. Which is why Summer had doubted the information he had given her. She looked to Marcello and then looked to the house and back to him again.
"Of course it is, Bella. I told you I've been here before. Not since Marissa and the Queen Mistress have inhabited it, but back when Joseppi used it more of his bachelor... how do you say it... bachelor pad?" Marcello looked to Summer and shrugged, hoping his English didn't mess up what he was trying to communicate.
Summer shook her head and chuckled lightly. So Julie had found a man even half way across the world to accommodate her lifestyle. "Let's do this." She instructed, and with that they both moved forward and up the hill.
Once they reached the house Summer immediately started to look around to make sure that they were actually alone. "Are you sure we are alone? No maids or pool boys hanging around?"
Marcello was getting a kick out of her paranoia. They had run over this plan about a million times before putting it into action, and he was pretty sure it was flawless. Placing his hands on his small hips and cocking one to the side, he raised his brows to her and just stared.
Summer turned to face him, her big brown eyes were wide and easily exposed her apprehension. She laughed once she saw him standing there and shook her head. "I can't believe I ever doubted that you were gay." They both laughed and Summer moved to the door. She checked to see if it was unlocked, and sure enough it was not. She figured that she always had to go for the easy route first. But this didn't deter her whatsoever. She grabbed Marcello by the end of his shirt and pulled him to the side of the house.
"Hey hey hey, be careful! This shirt cost a pretty fortune!" He proclaimed, practically running behind her to be sure the shirt didn't tear. Summer stopped and turned around, causing Marcello to bump into her.
"Oh sorry." She caught him, pushed him away from her and 'dusted' off his shirt. She knew what it was like to damage expensive clothing. "So the door was obviously just too easy. But I bet one of these windows will be unlocked. If I know Marissa, she always likes her fresh air, and she was never super responsible about keeping her things safe."
And sure enough as they rounded the corner to the side of the house, they saw a window just a couple inches open. Summer turned to her new friend and both of their eyes lit up. This time Summer didn't have to drag Marcello as they both took off in a jog towards the entrance. Once arriving Summer turned to Marcello and spoke. "Ok, so it's a little high, but all you have to do is hoist me up and I should be able to…"
Marcello interrupted her instantly and asked. "Wait, what?"
"You know, hoist… push me up, give me a hand?" She tried to change the word around so that he understood her.
Marcello made a face and shook his head. "I know what 'hoist' means honey. But you honestly think that I can push you up that high? My strength is not in my arms gorgeous, it's in my…"
"I don't want to know." It was Summer's turn to interrupt and she had no choice but to roll her eyes at him. She had grown to know him quite well in the last few days, she had an idea of what he just might say. "I'm not that heavy, come on just do it." She moved over to the edge of the house, preparing to reach up towards the window sill. But when she felt that Marcello was not falling behind her she shook her head. She looked at him and realized he wasn't any bigger than her, taller perhaps, but definitely NOT bigger.
"Ok fine, I'll hoist YOU up." She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over to the window, getting down on one knee for him to stand on. "But if you ruin my new Herringbone Pants, I will seriously kick your scrawny ass." She stopped herself and suddenly realized just how much she sounded like she was talking to Cohen and she shook her head again.
"I'll take of my shoes." He said, to be sure that her pants were not ruined. Then he placed one hand on her shoulder and one foot on her knee. He turned to see where he could get a good grip, then turned back to look at her eyes. "Wait a minute..." He began, before actually attempting to get up.
"What is it? We are wasting precious time Marcy... " Summer was growing impatient, she just really wanted to go in and get the information she needed.
"Once I get inside, how will we get you up here?" He asked, making sure they had it all thought out before they moved on.
"As soon as I throw your bean stalk body up into that window, you can let me in through the front door." Summer said, and then reached down to grab his other foot to 'hoist him up'.
"Your a genius Roberts."
"Someone has to be." And with that, he placed his other foot into her hand, and with all her strength she pushed him up so that he could reach the window sill. He successfully grabbed on, and Summer smiled with satisfaction of her achievements. But for a moment, Marcello just kind of hung there. His legs swung back and forth as he tried to find something to use as leverage to get the rest of his body up.
It was a funny sight for Summer. Once he was partly up, she stood back and burst out laughing as his thin legs scrambled to find something to use. His shirts had inched up to expose part of his back, and for someone who was normally very smooth and confident, he looked too much like a fish out of water. After a few seconds of failed attempts he groaned. "Can you please help me?"
Summer laughed some more and moved over so that he could place his socked foot on her shoulder. Once he got a bit of footing, he pulled himself up and fell inside the room.
"OUCH!" He screamed and Summer smiled once more.
"Are you in?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips with a bit of a giggle escaping.
"If by in, you mean falling on my face onto a dusty hardwood floor… then yes I'm in."
"Good, now go to the front and let ME in." She heard another groan, and Summer leaned down to grab his shoes and run to the front door.
The next twenty minutes Summer and Marcello spent rummaging through the villa. They looked everywhere for any signs of good information as to the current state that Marissa was in. They had found some hospital paper work in a drawer in the office, but nothing more than the typical bills and slight explanation of what was done. All seemed to fit into Julie's explanation, but Summer wasn't fully convinced. As she sat on the floor going through a box of old papers, Marcello sat at the desk, looking for a key to open the safe in the corner of the room.
With his head practically inside the desk, he spoke up. "So Summer, I have a question for you." He prefaced his inquiry, hoping he could find out even more of the situation.
Without looking up, she continued to thumb through papers and responded. "We've been through this, I know I'm gorgeous enough to turn any man straight, but what will your friends think when you tell them you are going back to women?" She smirked slightly and looked up briefly to him.
Marcello met her eyes and shook his head. "Very funny smart ass. You are so cute, I almost don't want to tell you what I was really going to ask."
Summer just shrugged and the two of them giggled to themselves lightly. And then Summer looked up to him once more as if to tell him to go ahead with the real question.
"Well what I was really going to ask was this. From my understanding, you weren't Marissa's only friend. I understand why she hasn't made contact, she lost her memory and all. But why are you the first person in three years that has shown up looking for her?" Marcello looked back down at the desk, unsure if he should have dived that deep into the lives of these OC girls or not. He could tell by Summer's passion of this mission just how much Marissa meant to her, but surely there had to be more.
Summer thought about his question for a few moments as she continued to sift, and then finally spoke. "Honestly? I haven't figured it all out yet. I mean, I think it was just too hard for Ryan to keep hoping. Her absence was destroying him. Besides the fact that Julie told us to stay away, and made it pretty impossible for us to come in any contact with her, I have never seen Ryan the way that he was when he found out that Marissa had left."
She paused again and stopped what she was doing to continue; her gaze faded off to a wall as her memories were recalled. "He was an absolute mess. We almost thought that we were going to lose him. He didn't eat, didn't sleep. The only thing he did was study and sleep. But from the looks of it, that was pretty rare too. I mean one time when he came home for Thanksgiving I barely could recognize him. Trust me, Chino is a good looking guy, but this time he looked so… ill. His blue eyes seemed so dull, as if his soul had left his body."
She looked back to Marcello as he watched her intently. "I kept trying to urge Seth to get him to talk, you know to extract some emotion from him, but it was next to impossible." Summer sighed as she thought of how hard it was for him… for all of them, that first year. "Kirsten just kept telling us that he would come around. But even we knew that she doubted it herself." And then Summer went back to her box and began to look again. "I know what he went through, because I did too, its just… Ah-ha… here is something!" She quickly changed the subject when she finally pulled out a doctor's note that had been written on a piece of prescription stationary. It was to Julie, which Summer thought was somewhat odd.
"Julie…" she began to read. "...We need to discuss Marissa's state in private, please set up a separate appointment to come in without her. Signed Jacomo." She made a face and looked up to Marcello. "Eww she is on a first name basis with her daughter's doctor?"
At first Marcello frowned. He wanted to know more about this Ryan character, and why he wasn't here with Summer looking for his lost love. Summer had already filled him in on Ryan, Marissa, that guy Volchok, and what led her to being in Italy. But there was so much more that he wanted to know. But as soon as Summer started to read the note, he left his position at the desk and joined her on the floor.
"I wonder why the doctor wanted to see her alone? I mean, what couldn't he say in front of Marissa?" Marcello wondered out loud and looked to Summer for some explanations.
"Don't look at me, I only know what she did with MY dad while they were alone. And with the way she convinced him to do things, I don't want to know anything more." She shuddered at the thought and then smiled. "But I bet the doctor could tell us some more." With that, she put folded up the piece of paper and shoved it in the pocket of her pants. Then she stood up, put the box back into the drawer where she found it and motioned for Marcello to follow her. "Let's go look in Marissa's room once more. How much time do we have?"
Marcello looked at his watch as they headed out of the room. "I'd say about ten more minutes before they return. But with what you have told me about Julie Cooper, I don't want to risk getting caught. We better make it five."
Summer nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, the only thing you will be scared of if we come face to face with Julie Cooper is a rage blackout from me. And I'm not sure we know each other well enough for you to witness that yet."
Marcello laughed and shook his head in concurrence. "I think I might have seen one when you were talking to Seth and I'll definitely pass."
"That wasn't a rage blackout, it was just foreplay." She smiled and moved into the room that Marcello first fell into. The one that was obviously Marissa's.
"You are kidding right?" Marcello asked as he stood in the door way. But when Summer just shrugged his question off he shivered slightly. He decided that changing the subject might be the best way to go again. "So Ryan was in pretty bad shape when Marissa left?"
Summer began opening her best friend's drawers once again to search for some kind of clues. The bad part was, she wasn't sure what she was looking for. "I wouldn't even know where to begin to tell you. Marissa and Ryan's relationship was one very complicated connection. For three years their drama could have easily filled all the drama of seven seasons of the Valley. They were on again, off again for a long time, but even when they were off they were still in love. It was bitter sweet, and none of us really knew how they would end up. I love my girl, but she was a mess. I would kind of describe them as a quintessential damsel in distress with a knight in not always so shining armor."
Marcello nodded, knowing a couple like that himself, and understanding exactly where she was coming from. "But they loved each other right?"
"Never stopped. They went through so much together, I just think that the last break that they had was needed to catch their breath." Summer continued the tale of her best friends and then moved to the other side of the room to look through the end table next to her bed. "They both made mistakes, and when the accident happened Marissa was actually going to leave to try to sort through her life. As much as I didn't want to see her go, I think it was the best choice she had ever made."
"And Ryan was the one there with her… when she… well you know?" Marcello continued to inquire, trying to get it all straight in his head.
"He was the last one that got to speak with her. She.. she lost consciousness in his arms." She paused for a moment and had to stop. Talking about this was bringing up some pretty horrible memories and along with them came the severe emotions, the ones she often tried to hide with rage blackouts. But they were also the same ones that had driven her to come to Italy. "The thing is, he wouldn't talk about what had happened really. Sandy, that's his adopted dad, had to pry it out of him who even did it so that they could press charges against that creep that did it."
She turned around to see Marcello sitting on Marissa's queen sized, canopy bed, listening intently to her every word. "Ryan has had a hard life to begin with, and to say that he broods would be an understatement. But I have never seen him like that before. He was so broken, so devastated. It was as if part of his own being was stolen from him."
She took a deep breath and tried to continue. "I think he blamed himself for a long time, and just the fact that he couldn't do anything to save her. It killed him inside… it killed all of us. He had always been there to save her, and this time he just couldn't." A small tear started to form in the corner of her eye and she quickly blinked it away. "He retreated into himself for over a year. We were all really scared for him. Seth and I… we tried to move on with our lives. And I think I did a pretty good job. I distracted myself with school and him. But Ryan… his passion was gone. And until he found Isabella, we wondered if he would ever love again." Finally one tear escaped and she let it roll down her delicate cheek and off her chin. As it did, she looked down to where Marcello's foot hung over the bed.
"What is that?" She pointed to something that was sticking out under the bed.
He blinked, being snapped back into reality. He was getting lost in her story, realizing just how much impact this all had on his new friend. "What is what, Bella?" He turned looked down at his body and around him to try to figure out what she was talking about.
"THAT!" She moved over to his side and bent down to where a leather bound book had been peaking out of its hiding place.
Marcello immediately stood up and stood beside Summer to look at her findings. "It's her journal!"
Summer looked up to him, a look of uncertainty evident upon her face. As much as she wanted to open it up and read every word, she knew that it was an invasion of privacy. Her conscious was getting in the way of finding out the truth.
"Are you going to open it?" Marcello urged her on with great anticipation.
"I don't know, can I really do that?" Summer asked, her eyes pleading with him to give her an answer.
"Of course you can! This is a matter of finding the truth, not spying on your best friends secrets of what she did with her boyfriend last night. Though that could be pretty juicy too, have you taken a look at that beau she hangs around with?"
Before Summer could open her mouth to ask any more questions she heard some voices coming from the front entrance of the house. And suddenly both Summer and Marcello had forgotten about their emotions as well as the question of if it was right to take Marissa's journal or not. They looked at each other with wide eyes and just as Marcello opened his mouth in terror, Summer clasped her own hand over his mouth and put a finger up to her own to tell him to stay quiet. Then, without thinking she thrust the journal into his arms and took off towards the door.
"Summer we can't jump out of here, it's too high." He spoke in a panicked whisper.
"Would you stop you pansy, just get on the edge and jump down!" She started pushing him towards the window but he hesitated.
"You go first." He instructed her as he attempted to stay away from the window. Summer shook his head with frustration. And just as she was about to get into the window they heard more voices.
"I'm going to go lay down for a few minutes Mom, will you let me know when Bray gets here?" Marissa's faint voice could be heard down the hall.
Then out of pure fright, the both of them practically dived towards the window. There was a bit of a fight as to who would jump first, both wanting to get out as fast as they could. But in the end Summer stood back and let Marcello jump out first. As soon as it was clear she started to get into the window. Once she positioned herself with her legs dangling out first she could hear Marissa's foot steps come closer, she took one last glance back and jumped into the grass below her.
At the same time Marissa entered her room. She performed a double take at the window as soon as she came across the threshold. Did she just see what she thought she saw? Not only did she imagine a face in her window, which would be impossible, due to the fact that it was a good eight feet above the ground, but she could have sworn that face was someone she knew.
Quickly Marissa moved over to the window and peered out it. But there was no one insight. She blinked and shook her head. "You are going crazy Cooper." She laughed at herself and moved back over to her bed, plopping down and sighing. "I need some sleep."
"Seth, I need some sleep." Isabella complained as she lay on the Cohen's couch watching old movies on low volume, trying to take a quick cat nap before everyone else came home.
Seth who was at the end of the couch, talking in a one sided conversation to Isabella about his latest idea for Atomic County, completely ignored her request to leave her alone for twenty minutes while the others went for Thai food, and spoke up again. "What's the matter Izz, is Ryan keeping you up late at night? I have always wondered how he was with the endurance factor. I mean I usually can only go for about…" Seth got lost in his own world and Isabella kicked him playfully in his side to get him to stop.
"SETH! I don't think that Summer would appreciate you telling me about your sex life, and frankly neither would Ryan if I told you. So I think we will just leave it at the fact that I have been working two jobs all summer, and I'm just exhausted." Part of that was the truth, the other part was the fact that she was up all night long listening to Ryan toss and turn. She didn't know what was on his mind, but he didn't sleep a wink. And in return, neither did she.
"You are absolutely right Isabella. I have to remember to think like a woman. It would save me so much time and … pain! You are in fact a woman, and understand Summer far better than I ever could. So maybe I can ask you a few questions later." He paused to actually look at her and smile. "There really is a huge difference between men and women. Have you ever read that book, Men are from Mars, Woman are from Venus? Not that I have, but I hear it's really interesting." He didn't even notice, as he rambled on and on that Isabella had given up on trying to take a power nap, and returned to the sitting position next to Seth. "Thank you once again for saving me from the wraith of Summer's rage blackouts. Even from all the way in Europe I don't think I could escape from them. And of course here I have to deal with Ryan. Who I have to admit isn't quite as scary as he once was, but I still wouldn't want to brush my shoulder against his fist by any means…"
Isabella just laughed and flowed into the conversation. "How is Summer doing in Europe? Has she done a lot of shopping and sight seeing?" Isabella crossed her legs up under her, and used the remote to turn off the television. She decided that if you can't beat him, you might as well join him right? Besides she was genuinely interested in hearing about Summer's trip. She couldn't wait to go to Europe some day.
"I don't think she really has gotten much shopping in. Not with looking for Marissa and letting her new boy toy oogle her with his eyes. Do you think that letting some guy oogle you should be consider cheating? If not, maybe I should consider stripping for the rest of the summer. I bet Hailey can get me in at that place in LA. I don't need the money, but it would be a lot of fun."
"Wait, Summer is looking for Marissa?" Isabella's eyes widened. She knew who Marissa was, she was Summer's best friend, but she didn't know the entire story. Most of the time, whenever her name was brought up people fell silent. It was as if her name was banned from any topic of conversation on the West Coast. At least with around Ryan it was. Last year, when she came home with Ryan for Thanksgiving, she overheard part of a conversation between Sandy and Kirsten. So she knew that she was in an accident and lost her memory, but that was about the gist of it.
"What? How did you know?" Seth looked surprised, completely unaware that he had just spilled the beans. "I thought Summer only trusted ME with her secrets!"
"Seth, you just told me!" Isabella griped and laughed lightly. But the look of worry on Seth's face made her concerned. "What is it Seth?"
"Summer is so going to kiss Marcy!" He stood up in horror and began pacing the room. "If she finds out that I told you where she is and what she is doing I am a dead man. No wonder they never trust me with anything. But I did so well this time. I mean I kept it from him didn't I? For almost an entire month even. That has to be a record or something. It HAS to get me some sort of sympathy points." Seth continued to ramble and pace at the same time.
And during his tantrum Isabella watched him go back and forth, trying to take in everything that he was saying. Why was he freaking out so much? Isabella was a smart girl, and she knew that there was more to the Marissa story than Ryan let on. Still, at the same time, she never wanted to believe that he still wasn't over her. They were an old high school fling, but was there more? She shook her head and turned her attention back to Seth, who was still pacing and freaking out.
"SETH!" She screamed to get his attention.
Seth suddenly jumped and looked to her with confusion. He looked as if it was the first time he realized she was in the room. "Yeah?"
"Calm down. Summer is all the way across the world, and she has no idea you just told me. In fact, I don't even know what it is exactly that you let slip. Don't you think you are overreacting just a bit?" She looked at him, studying his reaction carefully. With her legs still crossed under her, she sat there waiting for a response.
Seth shook his head nervously and moved back over to his brother's girlfriend, joining her on the couch once more. He looked deep into her green eyes and lowered his voice, to let her know just how serious this was. "You have no idea what I have just done, Isabella. I mean she made it perfectly clear what would happen if I let this slip. And normally when I mess up, I can beg and pout before pulling out the big guns and perform some sort of grand gesture to make her forgive me. I even had one picked out last semester for the next time something like this happened. Luckily I haven't had to use it. But the thing is, she is in Italy and this gesture won't exactly work via cell phones or emails."
Isabella smiled lightly, momentarily forgetting about what Seth had just told her, to focus on calming his nerves. "Seth, it's ok, I know how to keep a secret. This doesn't have to leave my lips." She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder to reassure him.
"Really? Because you have no idea what the repercussions are of this mistake. I don't think you have ever really seen Summer mad." Seth shook his head up and down extremely slowly, trying to make her realize that Summer was NOT one to mess with.
Isabella smiled and shook her head yes again. But Seth's words only made her want to know more. What was it that Summer was doing that had to be kept such a secret. Visiting an old friend was a good thing right? She opened her mouth to speak, to ask more questions, but before she had the chance the front door swung open reveling that the rest of the family had come back home.
"Food's here." Boomed Sandy as he, Kirsten and Ryan came through the door carrying bags of Thai food and a couple of other grocery bags.
"You are the best Isabella, no wonder Ryan loves you so much." Seth leaned over and hugged Isabella quickly and then bounced off of the couch, his mood completely changing as he headed towards the kitchen. "Hurry up, I'm starving, and did you know we are out of any of the really good snacks?"
Isabella laughed lightly and turned to get up. As she did she was confronted with a smiling Ryan. "Should I be jealous? I didn't know you were only using me to get to Seth."
"Well I didn't want to hurt your feelings right away." Isabella moved closer so that she could wrap her arms around her boyfriend's neck.
At the same time, his strong arms wrapped around her waist, and he brought her body to his. Lowering his head he smiled and moved his lips closer to hers. "Maybe I'll have to fight him for you. I think I can take him."
"Are you sure about that? I hear he has some kick ass ninja moves up his sleeve." And with that she could no longer resist, pressing her full lips against his, and melting into his arms. Just as Ryan let his tongue press between her lips to enter her mouth to massage her own, they were interrupted by a loud voice.
"The force, I'd use the force! Come on guys, stop making out, we are hungry." Seth complained from all the way into the kitchen.
Isabella pulled back with a laugh. "Come on Lothario, before Seth starves." She grabbed him by the hand and started to pull him away.
But Ryan wasn't budging. He used his strength to pull her back to their original positions, and forcefully pressed his lips against hers once more. This time though he pressed his body more firmly into hers and let his hands snake around to her bottom. As he did, Isabella could feel her skin warm and her heart flutter. Ryan pulled back with a smile, feeling the way that he effected her. "I can live with him starving if this is what I get in return."
Isabella smiled and then they laughed when they heard Seth yell, "I heard that!" Then with much reluctance the couple turned and walked hand in hand into the kitchen, where the five of them sat down to a meal of Thai food and laughter. All the while, Isabella was dying to know more.