Ryan drummed his fingers of the armrest of the couch in the poolhouse.
He'd just hung up the phone with Marissa, and he could tell that her stint
in rehab hadn't been the change he was hoping for. She had, at least
temporarily, seemed to have given up drinking, but the depth he'd seen when
he first arrived seemed gone. She's prattled on and on about Summer,
dreaming up a rivalry between the two friends, and expressing how nice and
super-sweet Candace had been to her. Ryan could not tolerate Candance.
She'd treated him like dirt when he'd first arrived in Newport, and now she
was fake-nice to him because he was dating Marissa.
Ryan thought back to the conversation. Marissa had rambled brightly for most of the call, but her voice had darkened for a moment after she'd ranted about Summer.
"Anna Stern called me earlier," he recalled Marissa saying, "Telling me that Summer was just trying to be a good friend, and that she would have called my dad too. As if! Who does that girl think she is, anyway? Go back to Pittsburgh, loser."
Ryan had made a hasty excuse to hang up after that. He shifted on the couch and signed deeply. He had to figure out a way to break up with Marissa as gently as possible. She was a different person in 2004, and he wasn't anxious to repeat the last sixteen years of his life by taking care of someone who didn't want his help.
He was startled by a soft knock on the poolhouse door. "Come in," he called, expecting Seth to enter.
Anna cautiously stepped inside. Ryan stood up to greet her, surprised.
"Hey," he said. Anna smiled. She didn't know Ryan well, but he was one of those rare people who could convey Hi-there-how-are-you-what's-going-on in a single 'hey."
"Hi." Anna shuffled her feet. "Um, I guess you're wondering why I'm here."
"Well, it's either because you're here for a repeat of Thanksgiving with Seth," Ryan smiled and Anna's jaw dropped. She picked up a throw pillow and chucked it at him. Ryan put his hands up in a mock-surrender. "Or you're here to talk about your conversation with Marissa." His voice became more serious.
Anna nodded slowly. She sat down on the couch, and Ryan settled in on the ottoman directly across from her. Their knees bumped slightly, and Anna blushed.
"Ryan, I think Marissa may need some serious help. When I talked to her earlier, she was going on and on about Summer and parties and her mother and Caleb Nichol and her father and a financial conspiracy." Anna took a breath. "It was kind of scary."
"Did she say anything about me?" Ryan asked quickly.
"No." Anna furrowed her brow. "That actually really confused me. But she did tell me, after she ranted for about fifteen minutes, that I had some nerve calling a girl like her and I should move back to the E.C. - I think that's supposed to mean 'East Coast' - because I have no business being in the O.C." She bit the inside of her mouth. Maybe Marissa was right. What was she doing here, anyway? She didn't fit in with these kids. She'd thought she'd found a kindred spirit in Seth, but she'd come to accept that they were better off as friends.
Ryan leaned forward on the ottoman as his legs slid next to hers, touching them softly.
"Hey."
Anna kept her head down, taking in a quick gulp of air before she looked back up at him. His eyes were impossibly blue. She felt exposed as his gaze traveled over her face. No, no, no, this could not be happening. She was not going to fall for another guy who was already attached to a Newport Queen Bee.
Ryan reached up and gently tucked a stray piece of Anna's hair behind her ear. Her breathing slowed, and he found himself looking into her wise brown eyes, soothed by her steady manner. She was like him, he realized, taking in the scenery, a newcomer to Newport. He liked the way she tilted her head when she spoke to him, her fascinating mix of complete boldness and utter shyness.
"Hey guys!" Ryan and Anna jumped as Seth bounded into the poolhouse. He glanced from Ryan to Anna, and then back to Ryan, a small smile flickering over his face. "Anna." He tipped an imaginary cap to her. "Ice cream?" He held out a pint to her.
"Um, no, I was just going." Anna hurriedly gathered up her back and dashed out of the door, calling a "see you tomorrow!" behind her as she left.
Seth turned back to Ryan, smiling knowingly.
"Don't even say it." Ryan flopped back onto the couch and pulled a pillow over his face.
Ryan thought back to the conversation. Marissa had rambled brightly for most of the call, but her voice had darkened for a moment after she'd ranted about Summer.
"Anna Stern called me earlier," he recalled Marissa saying, "Telling me that Summer was just trying to be a good friend, and that she would have called my dad too. As if! Who does that girl think she is, anyway? Go back to Pittsburgh, loser."
Ryan had made a hasty excuse to hang up after that. He shifted on the couch and signed deeply. He had to figure out a way to break up with Marissa as gently as possible. She was a different person in 2004, and he wasn't anxious to repeat the last sixteen years of his life by taking care of someone who didn't want his help.
He was startled by a soft knock on the poolhouse door. "Come in," he called, expecting Seth to enter.
Anna cautiously stepped inside. Ryan stood up to greet her, surprised.
"Hey," he said. Anna smiled. She didn't know Ryan well, but he was one of those rare people who could convey Hi-there-how-are-you-what's-going-on in a single 'hey."
"Hi." Anna shuffled her feet. "Um, I guess you're wondering why I'm here."
"Well, it's either because you're here for a repeat of Thanksgiving with Seth," Ryan smiled and Anna's jaw dropped. She picked up a throw pillow and chucked it at him. Ryan put his hands up in a mock-surrender. "Or you're here to talk about your conversation with Marissa." His voice became more serious.
Anna nodded slowly. She sat down on the couch, and Ryan settled in on the ottoman directly across from her. Their knees bumped slightly, and Anna blushed.
"Ryan, I think Marissa may need some serious help. When I talked to her earlier, she was going on and on about Summer and parties and her mother and Caleb Nichol and her father and a financial conspiracy." Anna took a breath. "It was kind of scary."
"Did she say anything about me?" Ryan asked quickly.
"No." Anna furrowed her brow. "That actually really confused me. But she did tell me, after she ranted for about fifteen minutes, that I had some nerve calling a girl like her and I should move back to the E.C. - I think that's supposed to mean 'East Coast' - because I have no business being in the O.C." She bit the inside of her mouth. Maybe Marissa was right. What was she doing here, anyway? She didn't fit in with these kids. She'd thought she'd found a kindred spirit in Seth, but she'd come to accept that they were better off as friends.
Ryan leaned forward on the ottoman as his legs slid next to hers, touching them softly.
"Hey."
Anna kept her head down, taking in a quick gulp of air before she looked back up at him. His eyes were impossibly blue. She felt exposed as his gaze traveled over her face. No, no, no, this could not be happening. She was not going to fall for another guy who was already attached to a Newport Queen Bee.
Ryan reached up and gently tucked a stray piece of Anna's hair behind her ear. Her breathing slowed, and he found himself looking into her wise brown eyes, soothed by her steady manner. She was like him, he realized, taking in the scenery, a newcomer to Newport. He liked the way she tilted her head when she spoke to him, her fascinating mix of complete boldness and utter shyness.
"Hey guys!" Ryan and Anna jumped as Seth bounded into the poolhouse. He glanced from Ryan to Anna, and then back to Ryan, a small smile flickering over his face. "Anna." He tipped an imaginary cap to her. "Ice cream?" He held out a pint to her.
"Um, no, I was just going." Anna hurriedly gathered up her back and dashed out of the door, calling a "see you tomorrow!" behind her as she left.
Seth turned back to Ryan, smiling knowingly.
"Don't even say it." Ryan flopped back onto the couch and pulled a pillow over his face.