Sandy and Kirsten see Seth step out with Summer then disappear. Kirsten tries to break the barricade but Sandy convinces her to wait.
Finally, the police come out with a list of names of kids that are in the hospital and a few parents leave in a rush. Sandy and Kirsten hold hands as they let the remaining parents through the police tape to the gathered teenagers.
"Do you see them?" Kirsten asks, after they make it through the majority of crying kids.
"I'm sure they're fine," Sandy says, his voice not convincing.
Luke Ward rushes past them and they turn to watch him. Luke pushes past a small group of crying girls and tackles someone to the ground. Ryan. A blood-covered Ryan that was holding their son's arm as if he was about to collapse.
"Is it true? Tell me!" Luke demands, shaking Ryan as he crouches on his fallen body.
Ryan shakes his head. "I…she's…"
"Goddammit…"Luke sobs, releasing Ryan. They sit beside each other on the grass. Luke sobs uncontrollably into his hands but Ryan stares at the ground.
Kirsten and Sandy have reached them now. Kirsten embraces Seth and he starts to cry in her arms. Sandy kneels beside Ryan.
"Ryan? Ryan, are you okay?"
Ryan doesn't respond. He leans over to Luke and says, "You know I would have saved her if I could have…you know that…" He shakes Luke.
"I know…I…I loved her, man…" Luke sobs.
"I tried…I should have…I should saved her…" Ryan mutters, letting go of Luke and starting to shake.
"Let's go home, Ryan," Sandy says, taking his arm.
Ryan looks at him, his eyes empty. He nods slowly and lets Sandy help him to his feet. He staggers and Sandy has to steady him.
"Are you alright? Ryan, look at me, kid," Sandy urges once Ryan can stand on his own.
"Yeah? Yeah…Um…Marissa, she died…" Ryan says, not meeting his eyes and taking a few steps back.
"Oh god, no…" Sandy realizes. Ryan takes more steps back, his eyes dark with pain and confusion.
"Ryan…" A small voice calls and he turns. He goes over and embraces Summer in his arms.
"Summer, I'm so sorry…" Ryan murmurs.
"Not your fault…you stopped them…" She says, her voice hoarse from crying.
Sandy doesn't ask but Kirsten hears it. "What? Ryan?"
"It didn't matter…I failed her…" Ryan replies.
"Let's go home, can we just go home?" Seth asks, quietly.
"Do you have somewhere to go, Summer?" Kirsten asks quietly.
She shakes her head. "My parents are out of town…"
"Come on then. You'll come home with us," Kirsten replies. They start toward the cars.
*****
An officer stops them before they reach the parking lot. They explain to Sandy and Kirsten that they need to take statements from the students.
Ryan doesn't react until the officer pulls him aside, Summer still clinging to him.
"Mr. Atwood, we need to know what happened in there, son," The older man says gently.
"Now? You have to do this now?" Summer asks.
"The sooner we take statements, the sooner I can let you guys get out of here," He smiles apologetically.
"Um…I don't know if I…"
"Just tell me what happened, Ryan," The officer urges.
"Um…Marissa and I were standing beside the table, we hadn't sat down yet. Summer and Seth were beside us…" Ryan's voice is flat. Summer can see that he's lost in his memory.
"Go on…" The officer coaxes.
"I heard the shots. I didn't see where they were coming from but I pulled Marissa to the floor…"
"He pulled Seth down, too, that's how I knew, Seth pulled me down," Summer adds.
"Yeah…and Marissa…she had been shot in the stomach…she was bleeding from both sides…" He says, hesitating.
"Did you stay with her?"
Ryan shakes his head slowly. "I put pressure on it for a few seconds but…Luke caught my eye…he made like he wanted to take down the shooters so I…I let Seth take care of Marissa. The kids with the guns had their backs to us so we…we took them out. I tackled one kid into the table and he was out…some other kids pulled him away from me. Luke took his guy out and I went back to Marissa…I don't really know what happened after that…Marissa died…"
The officer is staring at him, stunned. Seth's officer is looking at Ryan as well from a few steps away.
"So you and Luke…you just decided to rush the guys that were shooting at you?" The officer asks slowly.
"Marissa was dying…she was bleeding…I…" Ryan's eyes flash and he meets Summer's eyes. "What was I supposed to do?"
"Ryan…" Summer starts.
"That's okay…we'll need to ask you some more questions later, okay?" The officer says, realizing that Ryan is out of information.
Ryan scribbles his contact information and then makes his way to Kirsten and Sandy. Summer is still leaning against him and they can't see him shake.
*****
Seth, Summer and Ryan ride with Kirsten. Summer sits in the back with Ryan, curled against him, crying softly into his shoulder.
Seth turns around in the seat suddenly. "What the fuck were you thinking, man? Rushing that punk with the gun? That was like suicide!"
"Seth, what are you talking about?" Kirsten asks, pale.
Ryan glances at Seth with dazed eyes.
"I…she was dying, man…I couldn't think…I…" Ryan shudders and Summer even looks up in concern.
"Shit, man…" Seth relaxes and turns back around in the seat.
"Did you see her? God…" Ryan loses his voice.
"Ryan and Luke jumped the shooters. Got the guns away from them," Summer says quietly for Kirsten's benefit. Kirsten is speechless.
"Ryan? Ryan…" Summer shakes him, but he doesn't respond, his eyelids drooping. "Please…"
Kirsten pulls into the driveway and Seth steps out. He opens the back door and pulls Ryan from the car and leans him against it before slapping him hard across the face.
"Ryan. I need you to talk to me," Seth says.
Ryan blinks and his eyes clear for a moment. "I can't…I can't…shit…did you see her?"
Seth nods slowly. "Yeah, man. Just tell me you're alright…"
"I'm not alright…" Ryan breathes, staggering away from the car. "Her blood…god…I should've…" Seth catches his wrists, not letting him struggle away. Kirsten holds Summer, comfortingly, by the front door.
"There's nothing you could do…Ryan…you couldn't save her…" Seth says.
"Then what's the point?" Ryan asks, going limp and sinking to the ground as Sandy's car pulls in. "If I couldn't save her…what's the point…"
"Stop it! Stop it right now…" Seth goes to his knees and shakes his broken friend.
Ryan meets his eyes, anguished. "It should've been me…not her…" Ryan whispers.
Seth can't handle it anymore and gets to his feet and staggers inside. Summer takes charge, pulling Ryan to his feet.
"Come on. You have to get cleaned up…" Summer says, through tears. "He lives in the pool house, right?" She asks.
"I'll come with you. Sandy, can you check on Seth?"
Sandy nods, going into the house.
Summer pulls Ryan into the pool house and leans him against the wall outside the bathroom. Kirsten watches her, awed by the younger girl's control.
"He needs clothes, he needs to take a shower and get her blood off her or it's going to drive him nuts," Summer says, pulling open Ryan's drawers to search for clothes. She grabs a pair of boxers, jeans and a sleeveless wife-beater.
"Summer, I can take care of him…" Kirsten says.
"I need to do it…Marissa would want me to do it…she loved him like oxygen, Mrs. Cohen…" Summer says, pausing beside her. "Let me take care of him…"
Kirsten nods and leaves to go check on Seth.
Summer goes into the hallway and kneels beside Ryan. "Ryan? You need to get cleaned up," She urges.
"What…it doesn't matter…" Ryan mutters, shaking his head.
"Yes, it does. Seth needs you. I need you. You'll feel better if you do this, okay?" Summer says. She takes his hands and pulls him to his feet. She leads him into the bathroom.
"Why are you doing this?" Ryan asks as she puts the clothes on the sink for him.
"Because you were Marissa's world, Ryan, and she wouldn't want you like this…" Summer says. "So get in the shower and get cleaned up."
"Are you going to leave?" Ryan asks.
"Not a chance. Get in, toss your clothes out and turn on the shower. The shower curtain's not see through, you perv," Summer smiles slightly.
Ryan hesitates but obeys. He undresses and turns on the shower. He turns it on hot and stands under the scalding water, watching the red swirl in the drain.
"Ryan?" Summer calls. "How hot is it in there?"
Ryan scrubs his skin until Summer's hand reaches in and turns the water off.
"Too long. You alive in there?"
"Yeah…sorry…I spaced…" Ryan admits. A towel swings over the rod and Ryan dries off. He dresses and steps out. Summer is standing over the sink, scrubbing her hands.
Ryan realizes that she is out of it. He turns the water off. "Summer. You want to take a shower? I'm sure I can find something for you to wear," He offers.
"I can't get her blood off me…Do you see it? Can you get it off?" Summer pleads, holding out her arms. Ryan goes into his room and grabs a sweatshirt from his closet. He returns to Summer's side and closes the door behind him. He pulls her shirt over her head. He gets a washcloth and gently washes her skin of Marissa's blood.
"God, Chino…she's really gone…" Summer says as he moves to her back. Marissa's blood is everywhere.
"Can we not…I just can't think…" Ryan mutters, hesitating.
"Okay, I'm sorry…I'm supposed to be taking care of you," Summer says.
"Get a shower, Summer, okay? I'll wait right here, okay?" Ryan urges.
"You'll be okay?" Summer asks.
"Yeah…I'll be right here if you need me…" Ryan says.
"Thanks…" Summer gets in the shower and Ryan leans against the wall.
"You know I'm in Seth's wet dream right now," Ryan calls.
"Shut up," Summer snaps. She reaches out and grabs the sweatshirt and her jeans. Ryan has slumped to the floor.
She dries her hair before sinking to the floor beside him. "What's up?"
"I just want to drink myself unconscious, Summer…I feel like I can't breathe…" Ryan says quietly.
"We'll get through this, Ryan…we have to…" Summer replies. "Let's go check on Seth, okay? You can do that, can't you?"
"Seth…yeah…Let's go…" He gets to his feet and helps her up.
They stagger from the pool house into the kitchen. Seth is sitting at the counter across from his mother and father.
"Ryan…" Sandy calls, relieved. He embraces him. "Are you okay? We heard what happened…what you did…"
"Don't…stop…I can't right now…" Ryan mutters, putting a shaky hand on Seth's arm.
"You alright, man?"
"Are you?" Ryan replies.
"I guess not…" Seth says.
The phone rings and Sandy gets it quickly.
"Do you need anything? Food? Drink?" Kirsten offers, unsure of what to do for the grief-stricken teenagers.
"Ryan. I think its Luke," Sandy says, holding out the phone. Ryan takes it.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. We're meeting at Holly's tonight…just so we don't have to be alone…drink to the ones we lost…"
"Luke…" Ryan sighs, hearing the boy start to choke on his tears.
"Anyway…you should be there…you and Cohen and Summer…" Luke says, recovering.
"I'll let them know, man," Ryan says.
Luke hangs up and Ryan hands the phone back to Sandy.
"What did he say?" Seth asks, quietly.
"The kids are getting together tonight and they wanted to let us know," Ryan says.
"Marissa's dead and they're having a party?" Summer gasps.
"In memory of the people that we…lost…" Ryan continues. Summer nods.
"I think everyone should sit down and take a break, okay? I'll make everyone some tea…"
"I think we just need to be by ourselves, Mrs. Cohen." Summer catches Kirsten's eyes and nods to Ryan who is shaking uncontrollably. "He needs to lie down."