The two cars pulled up to Jimmy Cooper's apartment building. Summer knew
that Marissa would kill her for doing this, but she ran to the intercom,
hoping that Mr. Cooper was home. Despite his troubles, he was a pretty
good dad, and Marissa needed help.
"Hello?" Jimmy's discombobulated voice crackled out of the speakers.
"Mr. Cooper? It's me, Summer. I'm-" she hesitated, not knowing what to say. "I'm outside with Marissa."
The voice box went silent, and Summer saw Mr. Cooper push his door open, running toward the four teenagers and his daughter. Marissa was awake now and was standing upright, but her face was red and her eyes glittered.
"Sweetie," Mr. Cooper's concern was evident. He wanted to yell at Marissa and he turned to her friends, wanting to lash out, but all he saw was a group of scared teenagers, looking younger than they usually did as they watched Marissa quietly.
The group made their way into Jimmy's apartment. Mr. Cooper laid Marissa down on a couch in the front room as the four stood nervously, watching each breath. Summer was pale, and she trembled in her thin white dress. Seth wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her shoulders. Anna crossed her arms and wrapped them tightly around herself. Ryan noticed and hesitantly opened his arms to hug her as Mr. Cooper tended to Marissa. Anna and Ryan hugged awkwardly at first as Ryan looked at her carefully.
"Thanks for helping." Ryan spoke so softly that Anna had to strain to hear him. She wasn't sure how to respond - her typical 'no problem' reply would have seen dismissive. She didn't know much about Ryan Atwood, but she did know that he rarely reached out to others. Instead, she offered a tiny nod, and he hugged her again quickly before walking over to Marissa's side.
"Dad," Marissa propped herself up against the couch. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me, I just can't seem to figure out what I'm supposed to do anymore."
"Honey." Jimmy Cooper's tone was kind, but firm. "You're going to a rehabilitation program." Marissa began to protest, but the look on Jimmy's face silenced her. "It's only for a few days - from tomorrow until Sunday evening. You'll be able to start school again on Monday, but I think that getting away from all this, if only for a few days, may really help."
Marissa looked at the room full of concerned faces. Suddenly, she felt like she had been punched in the stomach. What had she been doing to her friends? "Ok." She swallowed and spoke a little louder. "Ok, I'll go."
Summer couldn't help it. A little gasp escaped and she could tell that she was going to start crying if she stood there any longer. "I have to go," she managed, and hurried out of the room, down the stairs.
Seth turned to Ryan and Anna. "Go!" Anna urged. "I'll take Ryan home."
He flashed her a look of thanks and dashed after Summer.
Summer was sitting in the passenger seat of the car. He climbed into the driver seat and covered her small body in a hug. "Hey there," he held her head against his shoulder. "Let's get you home, ok?" He felt her nod, and she pulled back to lay in the leather fabric seat. Seth reclined the seat for her a bit, and she stretched out, her feet on the dashboard as she turned to face him, laying quietly.
They drove in silence for a moment before she spoke.
"I'm really sorry about all this," she began. "I'm normally not a crier at all; this just reminds me so much of my mom, and it just seems like everything is happening so quickly, and I'm really not equipped for all the changes at once. Not that the changes aren't good." Summer reached out and rubbed Seth's arm gently. "It's just a little overwhelming."
"Hey, hey, I get it," Seth replied as they pulled up in front of Summer's house and began to make their way inside. "It's a little crazy for me too, I mean, I'm still not entirely convinced that this isn't some really elaborate dream, or a totally realistic three-dimensional video game adventure, or some new-age live comic book legend, or-"
He stopped as he noticed Summer looking at him, her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised expectantly as she stood on the stairs to the second level of her house. She crooked her finger and he began to follow her.
"It's just, you know, I'm not really sure what happened," Seth continued to ramble as he followed her up the stairs. "I mean, I've had a crush on you since, you know, the first millisecond I saw you, and now, not only are you like, willing to kiss me and be seen with me in public, but you know all this stuff about my grandpa's business and you have the secret study and I just realized that there's a lot to you, and I always knew it was there, but now I'm right." He smiled as she looked at him, obviously trying not to smile herself. "I like to be right."
"Really?" Summer mocked shock. "No!"
"Yup." Seth moved into Summer's bedroom and gestured to the study.
"So are you going to tell me, or should I let it remain yet another female mystery?"
Summer followed his gaze to the study doorway. She looked up at his nervous, sincere brown eyes, and she didn't want to hold back any longer.
"Hello?" Jimmy's discombobulated voice crackled out of the speakers.
"Mr. Cooper? It's me, Summer. I'm-" she hesitated, not knowing what to say. "I'm outside with Marissa."
The voice box went silent, and Summer saw Mr. Cooper push his door open, running toward the four teenagers and his daughter. Marissa was awake now and was standing upright, but her face was red and her eyes glittered.
"Sweetie," Mr. Cooper's concern was evident. He wanted to yell at Marissa and he turned to her friends, wanting to lash out, but all he saw was a group of scared teenagers, looking younger than they usually did as they watched Marissa quietly.
The group made their way into Jimmy's apartment. Mr. Cooper laid Marissa down on a couch in the front room as the four stood nervously, watching each breath. Summer was pale, and she trembled in her thin white dress. Seth wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her shoulders. Anna crossed her arms and wrapped them tightly around herself. Ryan noticed and hesitantly opened his arms to hug her as Mr. Cooper tended to Marissa. Anna and Ryan hugged awkwardly at first as Ryan looked at her carefully.
"Thanks for helping." Ryan spoke so softly that Anna had to strain to hear him. She wasn't sure how to respond - her typical 'no problem' reply would have seen dismissive. She didn't know much about Ryan Atwood, but she did know that he rarely reached out to others. Instead, she offered a tiny nod, and he hugged her again quickly before walking over to Marissa's side.
"Dad," Marissa propped herself up against the couch. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me, I just can't seem to figure out what I'm supposed to do anymore."
"Honey." Jimmy Cooper's tone was kind, but firm. "You're going to a rehabilitation program." Marissa began to protest, but the look on Jimmy's face silenced her. "It's only for a few days - from tomorrow until Sunday evening. You'll be able to start school again on Monday, but I think that getting away from all this, if only for a few days, may really help."
Marissa looked at the room full of concerned faces. Suddenly, she felt like she had been punched in the stomach. What had she been doing to her friends? "Ok." She swallowed and spoke a little louder. "Ok, I'll go."
Summer couldn't help it. A little gasp escaped and she could tell that she was going to start crying if she stood there any longer. "I have to go," she managed, and hurried out of the room, down the stairs.
Seth turned to Ryan and Anna. "Go!" Anna urged. "I'll take Ryan home."
He flashed her a look of thanks and dashed after Summer.
Summer was sitting in the passenger seat of the car. He climbed into the driver seat and covered her small body in a hug. "Hey there," he held her head against his shoulder. "Let's get you home, ok?" He felt her nod, and she pulled back to lay in the leather fabric seat. Seth reclined the seat for her a bit, and she stretched out, her feet on the dashboard as she turned to face him, laying quietly.
They drove in silence for a moment before she spoke.
"I'm really sorry about all this," she began. "I'm normally not a crier at all; this just reminds me so much of my mom, and it just seems like everything is happening so quickly, and I'm really not equipped for all the changes at once. Not that the changes aren't good." Summer reached out and rubbed Seth's arm gently. "It's just a little overwhelming."
"Hey, hey, I get it," Seth replied as they pulled up in front of Summer's house and began to make their way inside. "It's a little crazy for me too, I mean, I'm still not entirely convinced that this isn't some really elaborate dream, or a totally realistic three-dimensional video game adventure, or some new-age live comic book legend, or-"
He stopped as he noticed Summer looking at him, her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised expectantly as she stood on the stairs to the second level of her house. She crooked her finger and he began to follow her.
"It's just, you know, I'm not really sure what happened," Seth continued to ramble as he followed her up the stairs. "I mean, I've had a crush on you since, you know, the first millisecond I saw you, and now, not only are you like, willing to kiss me and be seen with me in public, but you know all this stuff about my grandpa's business and you have the secret study and I just realized that there's a lot to you, and I always knew it was there, but now I'm right." He smiled as she looked at him, obviously trying not to smile herself. "I like to be right."
"Really?" Summer mocked shock. "No!"
"Yup." Seth moved into Summer's bedroom and gestured to the study.
"So are you going to tell me, or should I let it remain yet another female mystery?"
Summer followed his gaze to the study doorway. She looked up at his nervous, sincere brown eyes, and she didn't want to hold back any longer.