"Ryan, are you sure you're up to this?" Kirsten asked as she hovered in the pool house doorway and watched Ryan fasten the velcro on his large knee brace.

"Yeah, I'm good." He said, he smiled reassuringly.

"Alright..." She hesitated.

"I promise, it's going to be fine." He got to his feet, and limped towards Kirsten.

"I know," Kirsten smiled at him. "Or else I wouldn't be letting you go."

****************************

"You know, you should try breaking your leg more often if it means Mom and Dad letting us go to parties without a fuss." Seth said as they climbed into the car.

Ryan made a face at him, "Yeah, six weeks of being unable to walk, six weeks of physical therapy, and a leg brace for ten? All to get permission to go to one party? Oh yeah, totally worth it."

"What about the part where you're Marissa's date?" Ryan turned and looked at Seth with a mild expression of annoyance, "Would have been better if you hadn't needed the broken leg to get it?"

"Something like that." He sighed, "What if this is a mistake?"

"Hey man, if you don't want to go."

"We're going."

"Okay..." Seth said, and started the engine.

***********************************

Marissa turned her head and examined her updo closely and inspected her makeup. "You look fine, stop worrying." Summer told her. "So tell me, who are you more worried about impressing- Ryan or Oliver?" She cocked an eyebrow at Marissa.

"I already told you, Natalie's going to be there. Besides, it's not like that between Oliver and me. We're just friends."

"So you keep saying."

"Because it's true!" Marissa insisted.

"Uh huh..."

"Sum! Come on- he has a girlfriend."

"But who's even seen her? And if he didn't have a girlfriend? What then?"

"Then we'd still just be friends."

"I don't understand. If you care about Ryan so much... Then why..."

"Why what?"

"Nothing... Never mind." There were certain places where Summer just wouldn't go with the girl she called her best friend. Summer knew that sometimes Marissa just wasn't interested in her opinion, and she wasn't going to start a fight over it. Particularly when Marissa seemed... Happy. And even slightly relieved. Summer understood that Marissa liked Ryan a lot. She just had trouble sometimes, expressing her emotions. And so did Ryan. A relationship between them would probably always be troubled until they learned to trust one another, and that could take some time...

********************************

Anna sighed as she moved a bang into a better position. She wasn't even sure she wanted to go to the party, but Seth was going. And so was Summer. And she'd be damned if she left the two of them at the party together. Especially with Seth's recent extra- curricular activities. She hadn't complained of course. Summer had needed him. She understood that. Seth was just being a good guy. She just wished the girl involved hadn't been Summer.