Disclaimer – I don't own the O.C
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Although he was in the shit with his parents, Seth felt that life had never been better. He thought it was crazy that in the space of about four months he'd gone from having a plastic horse as the only thing he could talk to, to having a circle of close friends, a brother and the girl of his dreams having a secret crush on him.
Seth decided to just straight up tell his parents the honest truth. He told them all about Summer pouring straight vodka down her throat at a hundred miles an hour, how she was slowly poisoning herself and no one else was paying attention so he took matters into his own hands. How he'd taken her home and was about to leave before she broke down in hysterics, begging him to stay, so he did just to get her to calm down.
Thankfully his parents believed him and because his intentions were good they'd let him off lightly. He was to come straight home from school and do all his homework and was banned from playstaion, comics and pudding for two full weeks, a punishment he felt he could handle.
Ryan had also been grounded for a week for lying to them and was taking it hard. Seth was pretty sure that if he hadn't had a long chat with him in which he convinced him that teenagers were supposed to lie to their parents, he would've packed his bags and headed back to Chino saying he was a disgrace who wasn't worthy of their love.
Seth had identified that as one of Ryan's biggest insecurities, the belief that he wasn't good enough to be a part of the Cohen family and if he ever made a mistake they'd want him gone. He had no idea as to why Ryan found it so hard to believe that he was now an integral part of the family and no matter what he did, they were always going to love him.
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Things with Summer were also back to being awesome. She had kept her promise to him that he wouldn't regret giving her another chance. While she didn't exactly broadcast that she was his friend, she had begun to have brief chats with him in the corridors between classes, even when he was on his own. Seth was amazed by her dedication to keeping her word when he heard her talking to Holly.
They had been stood a few yards away and hadn't noticed him when he heard Holly ask her why she'd started sitting with Ryan, Marissa and super dork at lunch again. Summer said because they were her friends. When Holly asked if that included Cohen she'd said yes. She then added that she'd judged him too soon last time and that he was actually pretty cool, that he was really funny. Holly just said "whatever" and that it was Summer's reputation on the line. Seth had snuck off with a big smile on his face before she spotted him.
He hadn't thought it was possible for him to fall even deeper in love with Summer Roberts but he did in that moment. He was so proud of her. He knew how much she loved being popular and that she was pretty much risking it all by openly having a friendship with him. Seth couldn't have cared less if she had gone back to denying their friendship, he just didn't want her to say any more nasty things about him. Here she was though, telling all her popular "friends" that she thought he was pretty cool.
It all but confirmed for him that she'd never do anything that would risk their friendship again. Seth completely trusted her again and that made him seriously consider telling her that he knew about her feelings and that he felt exactly the same way.
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There was also Laura, his caliente new latino friend. She was hot and spicy in every way and Seth was really beginning to enjoy her company. They had finished the project, which they had three weeks to complete, in about three days but she still came round his house to hang. She'd stayed for dinner several times and met his parents who absolutely adored her. There had been an incident on the first meeting which had been quite embarrassing. Sandy being the unobservant dumbass that he was, had asked if they were together, a question that had brought red faces and stuttering upon both teenagers.
Seth had also been to the "ghetto" and met her family. They were certainly an interesting bunch to say the least. She lived in a small three bedroom semi with her dad Jerry and her 22 year old twin brothers Christian and Vernon, her mother had died giving birth to her. Jerry worked as a machinist in a factory a few miles out of town that manufactured drill bits. He worked long hours for no money but Seth could tell that family always came first as far as he was concerned. He was a chubby guy with a ponytail and goatee and had a strong Mexican accent. All of his children, including Laura, had picked up his accent just not as strong.
Then there were the twins. Chris and Verne for short were the craziest characters Seth had ever met. They looked like gangsters because they wore nothing but khaki trousers and wife beaters and had large tattoos all over their incredibly muscular bodies. Seth would've been absolutely terrified of them if he hadn't already met them and known they were the nicest people he would ever have the pleasure of meeting. One never went anywhere without the other, they were like the new Laurel and Hardy. They worked as bouncers at a seedy local club.
All the guys had instantly taken to Seth. It seemed that they were all similar to Laura in the sense that they were blunt, to the point and had a fondness for making fun of him, dubbing him Seth the Stick. Seth just took it all in his stride and gave as good as he got, nicknaming Jerry Fatman Scoop and the twins Dumb and Dumber.
Seth had no idea why he felt so comfortable with them, after all they were the sort of family that would be more commonly found in Ryan's former neighbourhood. He guessed it was probably due to the fact that they were the first family he'd ever met in Newport that were completely unprejudiced towards him. They didn't give a fuck that he was filthy stinking rich and a complete geek, while he couldn't give two shits that they were piss poor Mexicans.
Yes Seth Cohen was definitely happier than he had ever been. He had the parents, the brother and the friends. Now all he needed was the girl, and he was more than halfway there.
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'Oh ha ha ha, stop it you're killing me,' Seth said sarcastically.
'Well maybe if you weren't such a beanpole I wouldn't be able to make fun of you so much, oh wait, yes I would, there are after all about a thousand other reasons,' she replied with a cheeky grin while popping a chip in her mouth.
Summer just sat silently and watched the whole exchange with a look of disgust. It was Monday and had been eight days since she had woken up blissfully in Seth's arms and been given a precious second chance. However, she had walked into school the day after to find that she had stiff new competition for the spot of most important girl in his life in the form of his skanky latino project partner Laura.
Summer had been giddy with glee when the bell rang for lunch that day. She had practically ran to the outside eating area, only to find her seat next to Seth already taken. Seth had once dubbed them the fantastic four. Summer had called him a dork and said it was totally lame but secretly she had loved it because in truth she thought it was absolutely completely and utterly fantastic, there was no other way to describe it.
But now with the addition of Laura the whore as Summer called her, he'd decided to rename them the fabulous five. Summer thought it was more like it was still the fantastic four just with one added skank who wouldn't take her hints and fuck off.
One week later Summer found herself in the same position, on the extra chair pulled up to the end of the table between Marissa and Laura. Seth and Ryan had their usual chairs next to the wall. She didn't know why they didn't like sitting in between two people, she guessed it was just another one of those stupid guy things like peeing standing up or being scared of any kind of physical contact with each other, other than a handshake or thug greeting.
'Hey Summer did you hear that. Laura can finally afford to get those Dayton rims for her car at the weekend, how awesome is that?' Seth said with a happy smile.
'What, oh yeah that's great Laura, that car is gonna be so sweet when it's finished,' she replied with fake enthusiasm. Summer didn't like Laura, no correction, Summer hated Laura. She tried to convince herself that it was because they didn't have anything in common. She liked waxing tanning and shopping, while Laura liked grease stained clothes pulling dirty old cars apart and knowing the neighbourhood she lived in, crack or heroin. But who the hell was she kidding, Summer knew the exact reason she disliked her so much.
Ever since Laura had become a part of the group, an unwanted one in Summer's eyes, she had only been getting half the attention from Seth that she had become used to and most of that was spent talking about Laura's stupid car. It wasn't Seth's fault, he was as great as ever, hell he was more than great, he was perfect. She knew Seth was just being a good friend and trying to split his time evenly between the two of them but Summer couldn't help but remember back to a time before the incident when she had been the sole focus of his attention, and she had loved it.
Nowadays though, most of the chatter was done was between him and Laura, as was most of the friendly banter and fun poking while Summer sat sulkily at the end of the table and said very little, occasionally sending the other girl intense glares of jealousy and hatred. As far as Summer was concerned, Laura had taken something that rightfully belonged to her, Seth's undivided attention, and if there was one thing Summer hated, it was a thief.
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'Hey Cohen. Cohen. Seth,' Summer chanted sweetly, trying to catch his attention. 'Ugh fine, ignore me asshole,' she mumbled angrily to herself while shooting an angry glare in the direction of Laura. Of course she didn't notice it because she had her back to Summer and was deep in conversation with Seth.
After a few more minutes of being completely ignored, Seth and Laura still deep in conversation and Ryan and Marissa making out, Summer couldn't take it anymore. She picked up the small plastic container that had previously held the contents of her salad and launched it at Seth's head like a frisbee. It struck him by the corner just above the eye and definitely caught his attention.
'OW……….what the fuck Summer?' he said harshly while rubbing his face and sending an angry glare in her direction. Summer smiled sweetly at him, all the while thinking that that ought to teach him for being such a dick and ignoring her.
'What lesson you got next?' she asked in an innocent voice. She knew full well he had math next and that her physics class was on the way to his. Back before the incident she had asked to see his timetable and had memorised it so she could plan her routes between classes and take well timed bathroom breaks that would enable her to see him as much as possible during the day. She had pretty much become a stalker.
Now with Laura in the mix, Summer got so little alone time with him she was even willing to walk down the corridors with him between classes. Sure she'd got some funny looks but she didn't care anymore, all she cared about was being with him.
'Maths why?' he replied irritably, still rubbing his face and glaring in her direction.
'I was just wondering,' Summer replied nonchalantly. 'I've got physics next which is on the way, do you wanna walk with me?'
'Yeah sure,' Seth replied, all anger forgotten. He was a little shocked that she was asking him but there was no way in hell he was gonna reject her offer. 'You ready to go now?'
'Uh huh, lets go,' Summer replied as she gathered her things. 'See you guys later,' she said as she stood up. Either Marissa and Ryan didn't hear her or they just couldn't be bothered to break their lip lock, she guessed it was the latter.
Summer knew she was being petty but she couldn't help it. As she and Seth walked away she looked back and gave Laura a triumphant smile over her shoulder. Laura just gave her an amused smirk and shook her head, a gesture that clearly said "you're so pathetic", but Summer didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that she now had Seth's unwavering attention for a few minutes, something that had become like gold dust to her in recent weeks.
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'So Summer, what's up?' Seth said as he walked down the corridor with her, trying to ignore the death glares he was getting from all the water polo players. They obviously thought he was harassing her because there was no way in hell that Summer Roberts would be seen dead with a loser like him. How wrong could they be.
'Nothing's up, I just feel like I haven't talked to you in a while you know.'
'Yeah I know and I'm sorry about that. I've just been busy, what with school and hanging with Laura, it's been hectic.' At the sound of Laura's name Summer felt her chest tighten. She knew that he'd been spending time with her outside school, helping her with her car.
Although Seth had told her he wasn't interested in being any more that Laura's friend, Summer couldn't help but think that if they continued to spend the large amount of time together that they currently were, stronger feelings for each other were bound to develop. Summer knew she had to do something to prevent that from happening, she had to fight back.
'Don't worry about it,' Summer replied casually even though she actually felt like crying. 'I know what with helping with the car you've finally found a masculine thing you're good at, but doesn't it kinda defeat the whole point when you're being taught by a girl,' she added in a teasing voice, Seth just smirked at her and gave her a playful shove.
A few moments of comfortable silence passed before Summer decided speak up. 'So…...……umm…...…I was uhh……...…I was wondering if you wanted to come over on Saturday and hang out. We could, you know, umm hang out and……...….do, uhh...………stuff…...…….or not, whatever I don't care,' Summer mumbled, turning a deep shade of red and looking away from him.
Seth couldn't help the jubilant grin that spread across his face. 'Sure Summer that'd be awesome. Anyways here's your stop, have a good lesson and maybe I'll see you later,' he said bending down to give her a hug. She immediately relaxed into the hug and felt sparks fly at his touch. She breathed in his delightful scent and when he pulled away she was possibly even more flustered than before.
'Okay, bye Seth,' she said shyly, giving him a smile before turning and sauntering into the classroom.
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Midway through last period history, Summer was having what she had recently begun to call Seth Cohen withdrawal symptoms. It'd only been an hour and a half since she'd last seen him but history was incredibly boring and when she got bored, Summer's mind began to fill with thoughts of one person. Thoughts about him hugging her, kissing her, touching her like she had never been touched before. She needed to see him. Knowing that he had French which was on the way to the bathroom, she asked to be excused and went to satisfy her craving.
When Summer got to his classroom she peeked though the door window and instantly spotted him. He was sat at the back and had his head rested in his hand looking thoroughly bored. He looked up and spotted her peeking through the door. Summer gave him a massive grin and a frantic wave. He waved back with his own smile and blew her a kiss which made her giggle. She practically skipped off towards the bathroom, feeling happy and satisfied. It was little moments like those which made her realise why she loved Seth.
FUCK! Summer froze, did she really just think the words Seth and love in the same thought. She now freely admitted to herself that she had really, really strong feelings for him but love? That's was a pretty strong feeling to feel towards a guy she still had trouble acknowledging in public. She knew that she really liked him but she just couldn't be in love with him, could she?
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Summer was putting a fresh layer of cherry red coloured lipstick on in front of the bathroom mirror when she heard the door swing open.
'Oh it's you.'
'Afraid so,' Laura replied with a smile, she knew Summer didn't like her and she knew exactly why, she just couldn't have cared less. She stood next to Summer and pulled out some eyeliner. They stood for a few moments in silence, neither wanting to speak first. Laura decided to make the first move. 'So, have you had a good afternoon since I saw you a few hours ago?'
'Not really, I got history at the moment so how can I be good,' Summer replied shortly without even turning to look at her. She couldn't even be bothered to pretend to like her when Seth wasn't around, it was all an act for him anyway. Laura just nodded in reply and they both went back to primping themselves quietly.
'Why don't you just tell him that you like him?' Laura said unexpectedly. Summer turned to stare at her, eyes bulging.
'I-I…...……I'm sorry…...…….I uhh I……..…..what?' She sounded just like Seth.
Laura grinned at her. 'Come on Summer, it's so obvious you want to be more than his friend. And let me tell you, he tells me things and I know for a fact he likes you too.'
'I……..…I don't know what the hell you're talking about,' Summer mumbled in reply, bright red. That was a lie, she knew exactly what Laura was talking about and even worse, she knew it was one hundred percent true.
'Right, you have no idea,' Laura said sarcastically. 'So there is absolutely no reason as to why you go as green as a tree when he talks to me at lunch. If you're worried about the competition then don't, I'm not interested in the slightest and I don't think any other girls are, he's all yours.'
'I already told you, I don't like him you stupid bitch,' Summer replied fiercely and loudly while sending a death glare in Laura's direction.
'What the hell is your problem? He's smart, hilarious, really cute and pretty much in love with you, what more do you fucking want,' Laura practically shouted. She was really starting to lose her temper at Summer's denial and stupidity. At the other girls words, Summer froze. What in the hell more did she want? He was practically everything she could've asked for in a guy.
'I……...……I just………...I love being the girl that everyone turns to look at when I walk in the room and I guess I'm just terrified that if I get with him, I'll become like him, you know, unnoticeable. Okay I admit it, I really really do like him and would love nothing more than to be with him but I'm scared shitless that I'll become a loser if I do,' Summer replied quietly and sadly, tears forming in her eyes. Laura softened at the sight of her. It was clear to her now that Summer was just a lost and confused girl who may or may not be in love for the first time.
'I understand where you're coming from Summer, I really do. If I was the most popular girl in school, I wouldn't want to do anything to risk it,' Laura said softly, rubbing Summer's arm as she looked like she was about to cry. 'But you need to figure out what you want, Seth or being the queen of Harbor. You probably won't be the most popular girl anymore if you choose him but there's no way you'll just instantly become a loser or as unpopular as him. You'll still have ninety nine percent of the girls wanting to be like you and one hundred percent of the boys wanting to be with you. But whatever you decide, you need to do it quick because the choice isn't always going to be there and you may end up losing one or the other, or both. Look Summer, I gotta go but if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here for you.'
'Please don't tell him,' Summer whispered.
Laura decided not to tell her that he already knew. Instead she decided to do what she does best, make a smartass comment. 'Hun, if you keep looking at him like you're a lovestruck puppy dog I ain't gonna have to tell him, he'll figure it out himself and he's a retard, that's how obvious you are.'
Summer just nodded and gave a small smile while wiping away the moisture forming in her eyes away with a tissue. With one last comforting smile and a pat on the arm, Laura strode past her and out the door. She knew she'd left Summer with a lot to think about, she just hoped to God she made the right choice.
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It was quarter to five and Summer was just heading down Harbor's front steps towards her car. After her twenty five minute bathroom break, Mr Dawson being the assface that he was had decide to keep her after class for an hours detention and get her to write a two page essay on the negativity of internal truancy, which he then scanned for all of ten seconds before throwing it in the bin right in front of her. God she hated that dick.
Summer threw her handbag on the backseat of the silver BM and got in the drivers seat. She agitatedly jammed the key in the ignition. The car squealed but didn't start. She tried again three more unsuccessful times before resigning herself to defeat. She banged her fists on the wheel and screamed in frustration. 'God this day just keeps on getting better and fucking better,' she mumbled angrily before popping the hood and getting out to have a look.
'Hey what's up?' a voice said from behind Summer, causing her to jump and bang her head on the underside of the bonnet, something that hurt like hell. She turned while rubbing her head to see Laura standing there smirking at her. It was obvious she was greatly enjoying Summer's pain and frustration.
'My stupid fucking shitty ass car won't start,' she replied irritably while giving the car bumper a good kick. 'What the hell are you still doing here?'
'Oh I was just putting in some extra work on my electronics project. My teacher encourages me to do it because apparently I'm the most gifted student he's ever had in twenty years of teaching,' she replied with a proud smile on her face.
'That's cool,' said Summer dismissively, not interested in the slightest. 'Do you think it'd be okay if I caught a ride home?' she asked, not even bothering to put on a polite voice to hide her pissy mood.
'No,' Laura replied bluntly.
'No!' Summer said in disbelief, mouth hanging open. 'Why the fuck not?' she said angrily. 'I mean I thought we were friends, or at least pretending to be for Seth's sake.'
Laura smirked. 'We are friends, or pretend ones, whatever, I couldn't give a shit either way. I said no because I can see from here what's wrong with your car and it'll take me all of five minutes to fix it.'
'Really, that'd be awesome thanks,' Summer said, giving the other girl a smile and being civil for the first time in the conversation.
'Whoa, easy there tiger. If I help you, what're you gonna do for me,' Laura said with a mischievous grin.
'Well umm………...…I got my chequebook with me, how much?'
'Summer I may be poor but I'm not gonna take your money. We're friends remember, or pretend friends, whatever I'm not sure. Anyway, no, in exchange for me fixing your car, I want you to tell Seth about how you really feel about him.'
'Laura please, anything but that. I'm gonna tell him in my own time but please, I'm not ready yet.' This was partly true. Ever since their conversation in the bathroom a few hours ago, Summer had been going through periods of "should I, shouldn't I" in terms of telling him. Deep down in her mind though, Summer had already made her choice.
Laura had made her realise that her popular friends, the students who adored her, nothing, NOTHING was worth more to her now than what she already had with Seth. Knowing that she had the chance to have something even deeper with him had effectively sealed her decision. Even so, she was still shit scared about telling him and this was exactly what she needed, someone to her give a push.
'Come on Summer, we both know that when you say "in your own time" you actually mean never. Nope that's my offer, I suggest you either take it or get walking,' Laura said with a sly smile.
'Fine,' Summer replied sulkily, 'he's coming over on Saturday, I'll tell him then.'
'Good, I'll go get my tools.'
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'There we go, that should do it. Try it now.' Summer, who was sat in the drivers seat, obeyed Laura's command and turned the key. The engine roared into life. Laura closed the hood and walked round to Summer with a pleased expression on her face. 'You shouldn't have any problems with it for a while now.'
'Thanks for all your help Laura. I know I've not always been the nicest to you and I was kinda hoping that after this we could be friends, real ones not pretend,' she added with a smile.
'No problem and yeah that'd be cool, being real friends. Just remember your side of the deal, you tell him on Saturday. I fully expect you two to be an item come Monday morning.'
'Okay,' Summer replied, her smile morphing into more of a grin. 'About that, I wanna thank you for giving me a push in the right direction. I guess I've always known what I wanted to do, I just didn't have the guts to go through with it without someone supporting me, or forcing me should I say,' she added with a small laugh.
'It's no problem Summer, I knew you were a smart girl and would make the right choice. He makes you happy, much happier than being queen of Harbor will ever make you, it's plain for all to see. And believe me, the way he talks about you, you make him just as happy. Anyway enough with the cheese, I'll see you tomorrow.'
'Yeah bye Laura and thanks again.' Laura smiled and nodded before turning away and walking towards her dirty old pickup.
Summer pulled out of the lot and sped off towards her house. She had a lot of shit on her mind, like how exactly she was going to tell Seth about her feelings and how he would react to the news. She was experiencing very mixed feelings. On one level, Saturday couldn't come soon enough as far as Summer was concerned but on another, she wished she could go back to a simpler time before she knew Seth Cohen even existed.
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A/N – Please read & review
