Thank you guys so much for the reviews! Woo yeah. Okay, so last time I had
mentioned two more chapters, but now I'm thinking there may be more. I've
been given some good ideas, so keep reading and send a review my way. This
chapter was really fun and easy for me to write. Anyway, read away!
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"Summer?" Marissa closed Summer's bedroom door behind her. She hadn't said a word during dinner and was now lying on her bed with a blank expression on her face.
"I suck, Coop. I totally suck."
"Can we back it up? What's been going on with you two?"
Summer sat up and relayed everything, glad to finally be talking to someone about it.
"Wow," Marissa stared at her friend. "I figured something was going on, but I had no idea."
"Yeah, well."
"So what now?" Marissa asked gently.
"I don't know," Summer punched her pillow.
"Summer, do you want to be with him?"
"Marissa, it was one of the best days of my life."
"Tell him, not me."
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Ryan looked up, startled, when Seth slammed the door of the pool house.
"Whoa, what's going on?" Ryan stood up and Seth kicked a chair.
"As usual, nothing. Absolutely nothing." Seth looked around for something else to kick.
"Seth..." It weirded Ryan out to see his friend so furious.
His anger seemed to break, and he collapsed on the couch. Ryan sunk into a chair and listened as Seth vented about everything that had happened. He didn't interrupt.
"She's gone too far this time." Seth's voice was almost shaking. "It's her damn instinct to be ashamed of me, even in front of her best friend. I'm fucking sick of it. I'm done, I can't do it."
His cell phone rang, and he glanced at the screen. Summer. "Figures," he muttered, turning it off.
Ryan couldn't think of anything to say but crappy cliches, so he kept quiet.
"I'm a real winner lately," said Seth, his voice oddly loud. Ryan knew that he was torturing himself inside, thinking of reasons that Summer wouldn't want to be with him.
"Have you eaten?" Ryan asked, immediately realizing how stupid it sounded.
It was the right thing to say, though. "Let's eat," he agreed. "I want waffles."
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Seth opened the door the next afternoon to see Summer. There were circles under her eyes, and she didn't look as together as she usually did. He leaned against the frame of the doorway and gave a little sigh.
"Can I help you?"
"Seth, we need to talk."
"Funny, because I don't think we do. But then, God knows it's only your opinion that counts."
"Please, Seth. I'm sorry, I-"
"Yeah, so I have a slight schedule today." He pointedly checked his watch. "One o'clock. Yep. I'm supposed to be sitting on the couch playing video games right now, so it's a no go with the chit chat."
He closed the door and immediately heard her knocking.
"Summer, what a surprise," he said brightly upon opening the door again.
"Why-"
"Ahh yes, why?" He said. "Such a good question. For example, why did you ever bother talking to such an embarrassment as me? Or, better yet, why did I waste so much time with a brat like you?"
She quickly averted her eyes.
"Right. So apparently you're too busy for the yapping too, so adios." He shut the door again.
Summer wilted. He had blown her off. Not only that, but he looked so composed, unlike her. She hadn't been able to sleep that night, and he was acting as though he hadn't a care in the world.
How ironic.
She knew that, in some way, she deserved this. All the times she had snapped at him or ignored him had come full circle. It was different though, she knew. He had never done anything to her to warrant her negativity towards him... and she had done everything to get this from him.
Seth walked through the house and out the back door towards the pool house. He tried not to think about Summer, willing himself to concentrate on something else.
"Seth."
Marissa was sitting in a chair in front of the doors to the pool house.
"Wow, stalker!"
"I just got here," she explained, a little embarrassed. "Where's Ryan?"
"Work."
"Oh... so what are you up to?"
"Video game time," he said. "You want in?" He really didn't expect Marissa to take him up on his offer; he was just trying to be nice. He didn't want his frustration with Summer to spill over onto Marissa.
"Sure," she smiled and stood up. "What are we playing?"
"Seriously?"
"It's not like I have anything else to do. Summer's plan is to wallow in self pity all day, and she wants to wallow alone."
"Have you eaten lunch yet?" Seth neatly skipped around her comment, entering the pool house.
"Yeah, but I could use a snack," she eyed him, looking for any hints of emotion.
"Pretzels it is." He tossed her a bag and planted himself on the couch.
"So what am I doing here?" She took the controller and studied the screen.
"In a nutshell, viciously attack me by pressing random buttons."
"Cool."
"Not so cool after you die a horrible death," he smirked.
"Crap!" Marissa threw down her controller after Seth almost immediately beat her.
"Don't worry, I'll show you the ways. Wax on, wax off." He launched another game.
"Evildoer!" He cried as she punched wildly at the buttons. She had lost about six times in a row when she turned to Seth and smiled.
"I have an idea."
"Do tell."
"Okay, if I win this game, we talk about you and Summer."
"And when you lose?"
"If I lose," she answered, "then we won't."
"But if we don't play at all, then we won't talk about it anyway," he pointed out.
"What do you propose, then?"
"When I win, we talk about you and Ryan."
"Fine."
They began a new game, and it was actually pretty close. Seth furrowed his eyebrows and concentrated; Marissa obviously didn't want to discuss her and Ryan. He was about to drop kick her and finish the job when Marissa lunged forward and unplugged his controller.
"Hey!" He scrambled off of the couch and fumbled to plug it back in, but she shoved him over as she mashed the buttons, finally winning.
"Wow, that totally doesn't count," Seth couldn't help but smile.
"Hey, there were no ground rules," Marissa stated. "So you have to talk."
"I don't associate with cheaters."
"I'm just going to keep bothering you if you don't give in," she pointed out.
"Okay." He admitted defeat and fell back onto the couch. "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know if you'll give her another chance."
"I'm out of chances, Marissa. She's has them all, probably all tucked away somewhere."
"She's done nothing but beat herself up over what happened."
"Good," he sighed.
Before Marissa could speak again, Seth jumped in.
"Look, Marissa. Put yourself in my shoes. Think of everything, not just the past few days, but everything. I'm talking back to elementary school. Would you really give her another shot? She'll probably just throw that one away too."
"She cares about you."
"Right. That's real obvious," he said sarcastically. "But seriously, you have to talk to me and support her because she's your friend. But I think you realize that I'm better off just leaving it alone."
"I haven't seen Summer cry in years," she tried a new approach. "And she cried her eyes out."
As angry as Seth was with Summer, he still grimaced at the thought of her crying. Marissa noticed.
"Seth," she said. "Summer didn't send me here to talk to you. I'm just worried about both of you." She stood up.
"You leaving?"
"Yeah, I'm going to spend some time with my dad."
"How's.... everything going?" Seth suddenly remembered everything that Marissa was dealing with and felt a little guilty for not offering to help her.
"Okay," she gave a little smile. "I had fun hanging out with you Seth."
"Ditto. Rematch another day?"
"Sure." She gave him a quick hug and he sat on the deck. It bothered him that Summer had spent the night crying... but it also bothered him that her condition bothered him. He wanted to feel numb against her pain and to be able to be casual about her, as he had earlier that day.
It would take more than a quick apology to sway him, though.
She was going to have to prove that she wasn't going to find a new way of blowing him off and humiliating him.
Suddenly feeling very alone, Seth slipped on some shoes and decided to visit Ryan at the restaurant.
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"Answer your phone," Summer willed aloud, holding her cell phone up to her ear. For the millionth time that day, she was sent directly to his voicemail.
"Seth, it's me again. If nothing else I want you to hear me out, so... just call me. Please. I miss you." She hung up the phone and tossed it onto the table next to her.
She had no idea what to do. Summer Roberts had never, ever, had to chase after a guy before, and certainly not while laden with guilt and throwing out apologies. She had stopped by his house, she had left him voicemails, and she had no idea what else to do.
She knew that she would have to see him again, but the thought of being attacked with his casual yet biting sarcasm was an unpleasant one. All she had wanted to do was hug him up against her, and all he had done was cut her down. Again, the irony didn't fail to hit her square in the face.
She wanted to know where she stood with him, but he wouldn't talk to her. She decided to go see Ryan.
Not long after, she found herself sitting on a barstool, nervously tracing miscellaneous patterns on the side of her water glass. Ryan finally walked over to her.
"I got a few minutes off," he explained.
"Has he given up on me?" She asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.
Ryan raised his eyebrows a little and scratched the back of his neck. "Summer, you broke the guy's heart..."
"But I really want to be with him!" She exclaimed with a frustrated sigh.
"Look," Ryan lowered his voice. "There's no way Seth is completely over you, but he's let so many things you've said and done slide off his back that he can't do it anymore. If you want him, you'd better be ready to show him."
"I am."
"Then do it." Ryan nodded his head to his left, and Summer turned and looked. Seth had just walked in the door and was eyeing her. He turned on his heel and walked right back out the door.
Summer followed him quickly and saw him skateboarding down the road.
"Seth!" He turned around and waved indifferently before landing a kick flip.
"Shit!" She stomped her foot on the ground. He was impossible.
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Okay, so let me know what you think, etc! I'm thinking that the next chapter will give us all some answers (yay!), so until then review! Thanks a lot for reading, you rock! Go you!
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"Summer?" Marissa closed Summer's bedroom door behind her. She hadn't said a word during dinner and was now lying on her bed with a blank expression on her face.
"I suck, Coop. I totally suck."
"Can we back it up? What's been going on with you two?"
Summer sat up and relayed everything, glad to finally be talking to someone about it.
"Wow," Marissa stared at her friend. "I figured something was going on, but I had no idea."
"Yeah, well."
"So what now?" Marissa asked gently.
"I don't know," Summer punched her pillow.
"Summer, do you want to be with him?"
"Marissa, it was one of the best days of my life."
"Tell him, not me."
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Ryan looked up, startled, when Seth slammed the door of the pool house.
"Whoa, what's going on?" Ryan stood up and Seth kicked a chair.
"As usual, nothing. Absolutely nothing." Seth looked around for something else to kick.
"Seth..." It weirded Ryan out to see his friend so furious.
His anger seemed to break, and he collapsed on the couch. Ryan sunk into a chair and listened as Seth vented about everything that had happened. He didn't interrupt.
"She's gone too far this time." Seth's voice was almost shaking. "It's her damn instinct to be ashamed of me, even in front of her best friend. I'm fucking sick of it. I'm done, I can't do it."
His cell phone rang, and he glanced at the screen. Summer. "Figures," he muttered, turning it off.
Ryan couldn't think of anything to say but crappy cliches, so he kept quiet.
"I'm a real winner lately," said Seth, his voice oddly loud. Ryan knew that he was torturing himself inside, thinking of reasons that Summer wouldn't want to be with him.
"Have you eaten?" Ryan asked, immediately realizing how stupid it sounded.
It was the right thing to say, though. "Let's eat," he agreed. "I want waffles."
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Seth opened the door the next afternoon to see Summer. There were circles under her eyes, and she didn't look as together as she usually did. He leaned against the frame of the doorway and gave a little sigh.
"Can I help you?"
"Seth, we need to talk."
"Funny, because I don't think we do. But then, God knows it's only your opinion that counts."
"Please, Seth. I'm sorry, I-"
"Yeah, so I have a slight schedule today." He pointedly checked his watch. "One o'clock. Yep. I'm supposed to be sitting on the couch playing video games right now, so it's a no go with the chit chat."
He closed the door and immediately heard her knocking.
"Summer, what a surprise," he said brightly upon opening the door again.
"Why-"
"Ahh yes, why?" He said. "Such a good question. For example, why did you ever bother talking to such an embarrassment as me? Or, better yet, why did I waste so much time with a brat like you?"
She quickly averted her eyes.
"Right. So apparently you're too busy for the yapping too, so adios." He shut the door again.
Summer wilted. He had blown her off. Not only that, but he looked so composed, unlike her. She hadn't been able to sleep that night, and he was acting as though he hadn't a care in the world.
How ironic.
She knew that, in some way, she deserved this. All the times she had snapped at him or ignored him had come full circle. It was different though, she knew. He had never done anything to her to warrant her negativity towards him... and she had done everything to get this from him.
Seth walked through the house and out the back door towards the pool house. He tried not to think about Summer, willing himself to concentrate on something else.
"Seth."
Marissa was sitting in a chair in front of the doors to the pool house.
"Wow, stalker!"
"I just got here," she explained, a little embarrassed. "Where's Ryan?"
"Work."
"Oh... so what are you up to?"
"Video game time," he said. "You want in?" He really didn't expect Marissa to take him up on his offer; he was just trying to be nice. He didn't want his frustration with Summer to spill over onto Marissa.
"Sure," she smiled and stood up. "What are we playing?"
"Seriously?"
"It's not like I have anything else to do. Summer's plan is to wallow in self pity all day, and she wants to wallow alone."
"Have you eaten lunch yet?" Seth neatly skipped around her comment, entering the pool house.
"Yeah, but I could use a snack," she eyed him, looking for any hints of emotion.
"Pretzels it is." He tossed her a bag and planted himself on the couch.
"So what am I doing here?" She took the controller and studied the screen.
"In a nutshell, viciously attack me by pressing random buttons."
"Cool."
"Not so cool after you die a horrible death," he smirked.
"Crap!" Marissa threw down her controller after Seth almost immediately beat her.
"Don't worry, I'll show you the ways. Wax on, wax off." He launched another game.
"Evildoer!" He cried as she punched wildly at the buttons. She had lost about six times in a row when she turned to Seth and smiled.
"I have an idea."
"Do tell."
"Okay, if I win this game, we talk about you and Summer."
"And when you lose?"
"If I lose," she answered, "then we won't."
"But if we don't play at all, then we won't talk about it anyway," he pointed out.
"What do you propose, then?"
"When I win, we talk about you and Ryan."
"Fine."
They began a new game, and it was actually pretty close. Seth furrowed his eyebrows and concentrated; Marissa obviously didn't want to discuss her and Ryan. He was about to drop kick her and finish the job when Marissa lunged forward and unplugged his controller.
"Hey!" He scrambled off of the couch and fumbled to plug it back in, but she shoved him over as she mashed the buttons, finally winning.
"Wow, that totally doesn't count," Seth couldn't help but smile.
"Hey, there were no ground rules," Marissa stated. "So you have to talk."
"I don't associate with cheaters."
"I'm just going to keep bothering you if you don't give in," she pointed out.
"Okay." He admitted defeat and fell back onto the couch. "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know if you'll give her another chance."
"I'm out of chances, Marissa. She's has them all, probably all tucked away somewhere."
"She's done nothing but beat herself up over what happened."
"Good," he sighed.
Before Marissa could speak again, Seth jumped in.
"Look, Marissa. Put yourself in my shoes. Think of everything, not just the past few days, but everything. I'm talking back to elementary school. Would you really give her another shot? She'll probably just throw that one away too."
"She cares about you."
"Right. That's real obvious," he said sarcastically. "But seriously, you have to talk to me and support her because she's your friend. But I think you realize that I'm better off just leaving it alone."
"I haven't seen Summer cry in years," she tried a new approach. "And she cried her eyes out."
As angry as Seth was with Summer, he still grimaced at the thought of her crying. Marissa noticed.
"Seth," she said. "Summer didn't send me here to talk to you. I'm just worried about both of you." She stood up.
"You leaving?"
"Yeah, I'm going to spend some time with my dad."
"How's.... everything going?" Seth suddenly remembered everything that Marissa was dealing with and felt a little guilty for not offering to help her.
"Okay," she gave a little smile. "I had fun hanging out with you Seth."
"Ditto. Rematch another day?"
"Sure." She gave him a quick hug and he sat on the deck. It bothered him that Summer had spent the night crying... but it also bothered him that her condition bothered him. He wanted to feel numb against her pain and to be able to be casual about her, as he had earlier that day.
It would take more than a quick apology to sway him, though.
She was going to have to prove that she wasn't going to find a new way of blowing him off and humiliating him.
Suddenly feeling very alone, Seth slipped on some shoes and decided to visit Ryan at the restaurant.
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"Answer your phone," Summer willed aloud, holding her cell phone up to her ear. For the millionth time that day, she was sent directly to his voicemail.
"Seth, it's me again. If nothing else I want you to hear me out, so... just call me. Please. I miss you." She hung up the phone and tossed it onto the table next to her.
She had no idea what to do. Summer Roberts had never, ever, had to chase after a guy before, and certainly not while laden with guilt and throwing out apologies. She had stopped by his house, she had left him voicemails, and she had no idea what else to do.
She knew that she would have to see him again, but the thought of being attacked with his casual yet biting sarcasm was an unpleasant one. All she had wanted to do was hug him up against her, and all he had done was cut her down. Again, the irony didn't fail to hit her square in the face.
She wanted to know where she stood with him, but he wouldn't talk to her. She decided to go see Ryan.
Not long after, she found herself sitting on a barstool, nervously tracing miscellaneous patterns on the side of her water glass. Ryan finally walked over to her.
"I got a few minutes off," he explained.
"Has he given up on me?" She asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.
Ryan raised his eyebrows a little and scratched the back of his neck. "Summer, you broke the guy's heart..."
"But I really want to be with him!" She exclaimed with a frustrated sigh.
"Look," Ryan lowered his voice. "There's no way Seth is completely over you, but he's let so many things you've said and done slide off his back that he can't do it anymore. If you want him, you'd better be ready to show him."
"I am."
"Then do it." Ryan nodded his head to his left, and Summer turned and looked. Seth had just walked in the door and was eyeing her. He turned on his heel and walked right back out the door.
Summer followed him quickly and saw him skateboarding down the road.
"Seth!" He turned around and waved indifferently before landing a kick flip.
"Shit!" She stomped her foot on the ground. He was impossible.
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Okay, so let me know what you think, etc! I'm thinking that the next chapter will give us all some answers (yay!), so until then review! Thanks a lot for reading, you rock! Go you!