Clandestine
Chapter Fourteen: Snapped
* * *
A/N: Forgive me for the more-than-a-month wait between chapters. I've been busy and in a big writer's block rut. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also, ignore the mention of the school as Pacific Heights in previous chapters. I don't want to have to go back and change them all, and since we now know the real name of the school, it'll be called that from here on out.
* * *
"Summer...?" Marissa asked slowly.
Summer grunted a reply.
"You're being quiet," Marissa told her, moving the phone to her other ear.
"What do you expect me to be doing?"
"You should talk about it."
"What's there to talk about?" Summer sighed. "They know each other from a few years back, big deal."
"Summer, come on. I know when you find something to be a big deal. It's not like they slept together or anything."
"How do you kn-"
"And," Marissa interrupted, "even if they did, it was before you were with Seth. Well, you're not actually with him. But it was before you and he... had whatever you have."
"It's still kind of disturbing," Summer said. "You know, knowing that your ex-friend and your current... whatever Seth is, which is not my boyfriend, or anything close... had a thing."
"Yeah," Marissa agreed, though more out of wanting to keep Summer from freaking out on her than actual agreement.
* * *
It had turned out that Seth had met Cadence in her then-residence of Laguna Niguel. She had felt particularly vulnerable but needed someone to turn to at the same time. Seth had been up there - the reason why still a mystery to Summer - and had met the distraught girl. Feeling helpless, Cadence had confided in him, but had lied about her name, calling herself Emily Benson.
Summer understood why Cadence had lied about her name, but the whole situation was just so cheesy teen drama. Summer was used to serious soap scenarios in Newport, and this was completely unlike anything she had faced before.
Which made it so weird.
Summer had demanded to be taken home, and the four had left. Summer was fuming, Ryan and Marissa were both obviously very confused, and Seth looked embarrassed. Cadence had just stood there at the exit of the bathroom, watching them leave.
Summer had just needed time to think.
* * *
The first day of Harbor School brought more stress to Summer's life. Not only was her relationship with Seth extremely rocky right now, she had to see Anna in every class and Cadence in several.
Marissa's social status hadn't diminished as much as they had thought, given the whole TJ incident, but it was lessened noticeably. Summer's status also suffered since she refused to ditch Marissa, but she didn't really care. It's not like she was having the best time of her life anyway. And frankly, the potheads and bimbos of Harbor School didn't really matter to her.
Little did she know, things would only get worse by lunchtime.
* * *
"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Summer told Marissa, getting up from the picnic table. "Be right back."
Summer trudged to the nearest restroom. She didn't really have to go, she just needed to get away from. outside. Inside, she went to the sink and began slowly applying lip-gloss. If anyone happened to come in, she didn't want to make herself look any worse by being the girl who stands around in bathrooms.
But someone was already in there, Summer found out, as a stall door swung open. "Well, well, well." Summer looked into the mirror to see Holly's reflection.
"Leave me alone, Holly," she mumbled.
"So what's up with you and that Cohen kid? I hear that you're not the only one in line to be with him. Some chicks named Annie and Candace? Anyway, I still don't see it. Unless you're all in it for the money. Guess I can't really blame you there. But if Cohen's what I'd have to put up with, I'd rather be poor."
"Shut it. You don't even know what you're talking about."
"Oh, excuse me, your highness. I think you passed over your crown when you started screwing the loser," Holly spat.
That was too much for Summer. She just couldn't handle the whispers and stares anymore, and Holly had just snapped the thin thread that was keeping Summer down. She swung her fist at Holly, barely missing as Holly dodged it.
"You want to play it this way, huh? Alright then," Holly sneered, standing her ground. "Come on, show me what you've got."
Summer took another swing, this time catching Holly in the chin. Holly squealed in surprise and grabbed at Summer's hair, yanking. Hard. "Ow!" Summer yelled. She stopped fighting fair and began to claw at the blonde.
They continued scuffling through someone coming in and quickly exiting again. A few moments later, a teacher rushed in. The person must have went and told. The teacher pushed Summer and Holly apart. "Fighting is against Harbor School's policy. You're both going to be written up. Show up for detention after school."
* * *
After school Summer found room 148, where she was supposed to serve her detention. Holly was already there, and much to Summer's disdain, so was Cadence. "Ugh," she muttered, finding a seat as far away from both of them as she could.
She didn't care why Cadence was there, and had no intention of asking. Instead, she unhappily sat in her front-row seat and tried not to fall asleep. But when another teacher came in the room to talk to the detention teacher, Summer had no desire to sleep. She couldn't help but overhear what they were whispering, although she pretended not to notice.
"Which one of these girls is Summer Roberts?" the teacher that had just walked in whispered.
"The brunette. Why?"
"She's needed in the office."
"She's serving detention."
"It's an emergency. I've been sent by the principal."
"Are you sure it can't wait?"
"I'm positive. There's been a car accident..."
Chapter Fourteen: Snapped
* * *
A/N: Forgive me for the more-than-a-month wait between chapters. I've been busy and in a big writer's block rut. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also, ignore the mention of the school as Pacific Heights in previous chapters. I don't want to have to go back and change them all, and since we now know the real name of the school, it'll be called that from here on out.
* * *
"Summer...?" Marissa asked slowly.
Summer grunted a reply.
"You're being quiet," Marissa told her, moving the phone to her other ear.
"What do you expect me to be doing?"
"You should talk about it."
"What's there to talk about?" Summer sighed. "They know each other from a few years back, big deal."
"Summer, come on. I know when you find something to be a big deal. It's not like they slept together or anything."
"How do you kn-"
"And," Marissa interrupted, "even if they did, it was before you were with Seth. Well, you're not actually with him. But it was before you and he... had whatever you have."
"It's still kind of disturbing," Summer said. "You know, knowing that your ex-friend and your current... whatever Seth is, which is not my boyfriend, or anything close... had a thing."
"Yeah," Marissa agreed, though more out of wanting to keep Summer from freaking out on her than actual agreement.
* * *
It had turned out that Seth had met Cadence in her then-residence of Laguna Niguel. She had felt particularly vulnerable but needed someone to turn to at the same time. Seth had been up there - the reason why still a mystery to Summer - and had met the distraught girl. Feeling helpless, Cadence had confided in him, but had lied about her name, calling herself Emily Benson.
Summer understood why Cadence had lied about her name, but the whole situation was just so cheesy teen drama. Summer was used to serious soap scenarios in Newport, and this was completely unlike anything she had faced before.
Which made it so weird.
Summer had demanded to be taken home, and the four had left. Summer was fuming, Ryan and Marissa were both obviously very confused, and Seth looked embarrassed. Cadence had just stood there at the exit of the bathroom, watching them leave.
Summer had just needed time to think.
* * *
The first day of Harbor School brought more stress to Summer's life. Not only was her relationship with Seth extremely rocky right now, she had to see Anna in every class and Cadence in several.
Marissa's social status hadn't diminished as much as they had thought, given the whole TJ incident, but it was lessened noticeably. Summer's status also suffered since she refused to ditch Marissa, but she didn't really care. It's not like she was having the best time of her life anyway. And frankly, the potheads and bimbos of Harbor School didn't really matter to her.
Little did she know, things would only get worse by lunchtime.
* * *
"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Summer told Marissa, getting up from the picnic table. "Be right back."
Summer trudged to the nearest restroom. She didn't really have to go, she just needed to get away from. outside. Inside, she went to the sink and began slowly applying lip-gloss. If anyone happened to come in, she didn't want to make herself look any worse by being the girl who stands around in bathrooms.
But someone was already in there, Summer found out, as a stall door swung open. "Well, well, well." Summer looked into the mirror to see Holly's reflection.
"Leave me alone, Holly," she mumbled.
"So what's up with you and that Cohen kid? I hear that you're not the only one in line to be with him. Some chicks named Annie and Candace? Anyway, I still don't see it. Unless you're all in it for the money. Guess I can't really blame you there. But if Cohen's what I'd have to put up with, I'd rather be poor."
"Shut it. You don't even know what you're talking about."
"Oh, excuse me, your highness. I think you passed over your crown when you started screwing the loser," Holly spat.
That was too much for Summer. She just couldn't handle the whispers and stares anymore, and Holly had just snapped the thin thread that was keeping Summer down. She swung her fist at Holly, barely missing as Holly dodged it.
"You want to play it this way, huh? Alright then," Holly sneered, standing her ground. "Come on, show me what you've got."
Summer took another swing, this time catching Holly in the chin. Holly squealed in surprise and grabbed at Summer's hair, yanking. Hard. "Ow!" Summer yelled. She stopped fighting fair and began to claw at the blonde.
They continued scuffling through someone coming in and quickly exiting again. A few moments later, a teacher rushed in. The person must have went and told. The teacher pushed Summer and Holly apart. "Fighting is against Harbor School's policy. You're both going to be written up. Show up for detention after school."
* * *
After school Summer found room 148, where she was supposed to serve her detention. Holly was already there, and much to Summer's disdain, so was Cadence. "Ugh," she muttered, finding a seat as far away from both of them as she could.
She didn't care why Cadence was there, and had no intention of asking. Instead, she unhappily sat in her front-row seat and tried not to fall asleep. But when another teacher came in the room to talk to the detention teacher, Summer had no desire to sleep. She couldn't help but overhear what they were whispering, although she pretended not to notice.
"Which one of these girls is Summer Roberts?" the teacher that had just walked in whispered.
"The brunette. Why?"
"She's needed in the office."
"She's serving detention."
"It's an emergency. I've been sent by the principal."
"Are you sure it can't wait?"
"I'm positive. There's been a car accident..."