Ahh! Who is that girl that Seth is kissing in the previews? It looks like
Anna, but I can't be sure... don't tell me if you know, I want to be
surprised! The synopsis for the episode after tomorrow's talks about Summer
being jealous, so naturally I'm excited! I love it! Anyway, here's another
chapter for you, enjoy and, as always, let me know what you think!
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Seth and Summer were getting closer and more comfortable with each other, but that didn't mean that they were getting bored.
Whenever Summer saw him she felt the need to hug him and bury her face in his shirt, which always smelled like laundry detergent. She loved the smirk on his face whenever they teased each other, and the way that he rubbed his thumb on her hand whenever he held it. He made her laugh. Seth never got annoyed when she was late in the morning, tearing apart her room for a belt. He didn't condemn her sarcasm, nor did he simply take it. He kept her on her toes.
He, on the other hand, couldn't get over the fact that Summer Roberts not only could stand him, but loved him. Love. He felt like he could do anything whenever she told him. He adored the way that she was always touching him in some way, be it holding hands, playing with the bottom of his shirt, or just leaning against him. She bitched out anybody that gave her a hard time about dating him, and she never made him feel stupid about babbling. Her chastisements always had an underlying tone to them that proved her bark to be worse than her bite.
"You WOULD fall off of your skateboard," she said the following day, her eyes sympathetic. She leaned over and lightly kissed his ribs, where a purple bruise was forming.
"It's not like I meant to fall off of the rail," he said, frowning.
"Sure you did. You wanted me to take care of you."
"Well, it's a bonus."
They were sitting with their feet in the Cohen's pool.
"Did you like Anna?" Summer suddenly asked, her foot hooked under his ankle in the water.
"What?"
"At the Cotillion. You two were all smiley, and Ryan said something about you two 'clicking' to Marissa. Something about comic books and Tahiti."
"Someone's jealous," Seth grinned.
"Shut up. I'm serious."
"We had some things in common, sure, and we had a good time." Seth realized that he had to be careful here.
"So did you like her?" She was scared to hear his answer.
Seth battled between honesty and safety. Eventually, honesty won.
"I wasn't sure. I mean, I thought she was cool, but I couldn't quit watching you all night. She knew, too. She told me I would need confidence to get you."
Summer continued frowning. "I still don't like her."
"I don't think she likes you either," Seth admitted. No shock to Summer.
"That's because she wants you," Summer explained.
"I'm telling you, Summer, if you want to be with me you're going to have to get used to all the ladies. It's always been a big problem of mine, you know. I've learned to live with it, and so will you."
Summer smiled, but his comment bothered her a little. He was constantly making cracks about his luck with women, as though Summer was way too good for him, and as though he had nothing going for him. She didn't want him to feel insecure about himself, or unsure as to why Summer liked him.
"I wouldn't be going out with Seth Cohen if he wasn't perfect," Summer said. "Don't act as though he isn't a catch. That's my boyfriend you're talking about."
Seth grinned and kissed her.
______________
Anna watched as Seth kissed Summer before walking into the classroom. She looked away when he entered, trying to ignore the goofy grin that was on his face.
"Happy Friday," Anna greeted him as he sat down.
"It's a beautiful day," Seth continued grinning, pulling out a notebook. "So when do you want to get started on this project?"
"How about this weekend?" She suggested. "The sooner the better."
He considered, quickly running through his schedule in his head. "Saturday?" He suggested. Summer was spending the day with Marissa and Ryan was working, so it wasn't like he had anything better to do. Maybe Anna would let him sneak in some Playstation.
They worked out the details after class, and Anna walked away feeling satisfied. She wasn't sure what exactly she wanted from Seth, but the Summer thing did bother her. Seth was so... different. It just didn't make any sense.
______________
Seth sat on the edge of his bed in a pair of shorts, his highlighter poised over the pages of the novel. He was going through the last chapter of Catcher In The Rye, trying to find some quotes for them to work with for the project. He glanced at the clock, noting that Anna would be there in about half an hour.
His door opened, and he was surprised to see Summer.
"Well, hey," he grinned.
She glanced around his room. "You need to clean," she informed him.
He turned his palms up in the air, still focused on her. "I thought you were going out with Marissa."
"I am," she smiled. "Just stopped by to see you first. Can you fit me into your busy schedule?"
"You have precedence over J.D. Salinger," he assured her, putting the book down.
"I would hope so." She sat down next to him, looking him over. "You should be shirtless more often."
"So should you." He smirked.
She elbowed him in the ribs. "You think so, huh?"
"Definitely. It's only fair." He knew he was on shaky ground here, but Seth's mouth wasn't usually aligned with Seth's common sense. He shifted so that he was sitting Indian style, facing her.
"And what makes you think that your vote matters, Cohen?"
"I'm the boyfriend. My vote counts double."
"Sorry, that's not how it works. Better luck next time."
"Damn."
Summer couldn't stand sitting that close to him and not doing anything about it. She leaned over and kissed him, her fingers sliding across his torso. She leaned him back onto the bed, slipping out of her tank top before joining him. Seth accepted this new development- from black tank top to black bra- with grace, and she melted into him. His touch was gentle, but certainly not as shy as she would have figured. And damn, he was a good kisser.
Seth suddenly pulled back, and Summer frowned impatiently. "What?"
Seth felt stupid, but he was also worried. "My parents..."
"I love you Cohen, but sometimes..." She kissed down his neck.
He lost himself in her again, forgetting about parents. A knock brought them both back to the situation, and Summer jumped up from on top of him, quickly and casually putting her shirt back on.
"Yeah?" Seth wished death on whoever was at his door.
Ryan's voice came from the other side. "Anna's here. She's waiting in the kitchen, so... yeah."
Seth cursed his English teacher and J.D. Salinger, and Summer shot him a rueful smile. "We're still on for dinner tomorrow?"
"Yeah," he smiled and put on a t-shirt, walking her out. Anna was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, and the girls exchanged a glance.
"Hi Summer," Anna greeted.
"Hello," Summer said coolly, eyeing the blonde with distaste. She didn't know why Anna bothered acting friendly.
"So... am I the only one thrilled about his project?" Seth tried, feeling more than awkward.
"It won't be so bad," Anna assured him, picking her backpack up off the floor. "We'll make it entertaining."
Summer's head swam with sarcastic comments to make, but was hesitant when she saw the pleading look in Seth's eyes.
Anna was lucky that she had caught her when Seth was around.
"Call me later," Summer kissed Seth lightly and strolled out of the kitchen. She was glad that she hadn't given Anna the satisfaction of showing any worry or insecurities. She wasn't afraid of Anna, and she wanted to make sure that was obvious.
Anna was NOT a threat.
She reminded herself of this more than once while she walked next door to Marissa's.
______________
Seth and Anna had brainstormed for the first half hour, but now, three hours later, they had yet to work any further on the project.
"I can't believe you have the first edition. Wow," Anna studied a comic book, while Seth shifted through his collection.
"That's nothing, Ms. Stern. Check THIS out..."
They had been distracting each other all day, and they weren't showing any sign of letting up.
"You have to let me see your boat," Anna said.
"Oooh yeah," Seth hopped up from the couch, where they had been playing Tony Hawk, and motioned for her to follow.
Anna hadn't connected with anyone this well since she had arrived in Newport, and she wondered if Seth had either. Probably not. He was unique, and these pod people didn't really appreciate the things they appreciated.
"Thar she blows," Seth nodded his head towards the boat.
"It's awesome." Anna shot him an enthusiastic glance and began looking the boat over. "Wow, Seth."
She paused when she saw the name, turning to Seth with a raised eyebrow. "Seth..."
"Anna..."
She waited him out, her expression curious.
"Yes yes, fine. No coincidence, okay?"
"That's scary, Seth."
"No it's not!" He smiled a little. "I just had really good foresight, that's all."
Anna shook her head and walked away from the boat. "I don't mean to pry, Seth, but I still don't understand it."
"I know Summer has a tough exterior," he began as they walked back. "But there's more to her. Trust me."
Anna forced a little smile, not wanting to be a jerk. It was weird, but she didn't want Seth to get upset with her. "So, does she appreciate your full- fledged Batman collection?"
"Not to its fullest," he sighed dramatically. "I don't know how she feels about guys in tights."
Anna laughed, making up an excuse to touch his arm.
He was adorable.
______________
"Quit looking at me like that," Seth said, putting some butter on his bread.
"I'm not looking at you like anything," Summer said, pretending to study her menu.
"Do you want to know how our project went yesterday?"
"Not particularly." She ran her finger down the list of entrees and stopped. "Oooh, crab."
"You've been looking at me expectantly all night."
"Cohen, chill." She continued to look away.
"Summer, you have nothing to worry about, okay?"
"I know."
"All we did was make out, and it didn't mean anything. You're a better kisser than her, trust me," he said, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"Ha ha," she gave him a look.
Seth picked up her hand and kissed it, sending her an over exaggerated wink.
"Nothing to worry about," he reminded her.
She finally smiled, pulling her hand back. "Okay."
______________
Summer half-considered marching over to Seth and making out with him right then and there, but she didn't. No signs of weakness, she reminded herself, forcing herself to pull her eyes away from the two. She busied herself with her locker as Seth and Anna moseyed down the hallway towards her.
"Hey," she said casually as they stopped at her locker.
"Hello love," Seth kissed her cheek in greeting. "Party in the cafeteria!"
"Thrilling," she rolled her eyes, grinning slightly.
Somehow Anna ended up sitting with them at lunch. Summer wasn't sure how it happened, but soon there the blonde was, across from Seth, eating pizza.
"How is Storm at all better than Gambit? Is that some girl power issue or something?" Seth shook his head.
"Look at everything she can do! Gambit can what, throw exploding cards? Forget that, Storm can just call in a few lightning bolts! Look, I thought I went over this at your house," Anna argued.
Summer watched them argue light-heartedly and shot Marissa a meaningful look. This little session was not going to work.
But, once again, she didn't want to give Anna the satisfaction, or upset Seth.
She knew that Anna thought she was better for Seth. It was pretty obvious that she saw Summer as some ditz who couldn't understand him or truly care for him, while believing that Anna herself connected with him on some great level. Whatever.
Marissa watched Summer brood and stab at her salad. She began wondering if a trademark rage blackout was on the way, and she decided to jump in.
"So, Anna," she interrupted Seth in mid-sentence, "How are you liking Newport?"
While Anna responded, Summer nudged Seth and grabbed his free hand.
"Well hello, beautiful," he said.
"No need to 'hello' me, Cohen. I've been here the whole time."
He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss, letting his lips linger.
"That's better," she said after he pulled back.
Seth opened his mouth to respond, but Anna's voice again interjected. Summer found herself grinding her teeth.
"So where do you think that Cyclops fits in to all of this. I've always kind of liked Scott..."
"Ugh, can we please talk about something ELSE already?" Summer finally said. Everyone turned to face her, and she shrugged, trying to play it off. "What?!"
"Feel free," Anna said sweetly. "I really don't think anyone was talking to you anyway."
Summer felt her goals of civility for Seth's sake drop, and she raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me? I really don't think anyone asked you to sit here."
"Sorry, I didn't think I needed your almighty permission to sit in the stupid cafeteria!"
"I see plenty of other tables," Summer shot back hotly. "You have my permission to sit at one of them!"
"You are such a bitch," Anna said heatedly. "You're a spoiled skank who can't imagine anything different than what you want or what you have. You think you're better than me because of what you wear? Wake up Summer, there is life beyond Newport!"
"Well thanks, Dr. Phil," Summer rolled her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind. Meanwhile, I think one of those other tables is calling your name."
"You don't deserve-"
"Bye bye, now," Summer cut her off.
Anna grabbed her belongings and stood up. "Eventually he'll see what you are," she said before turning and walking away.
"Oh God," Summer rolled her eyes again and looked at Seth. He saw sitting there kind of blankly. He looked a little lost.
Without warning, she picked up her purse and stalked from the table silently.
She was fuming as she walked down the hallway, no destination in mind. She hated being jealous, and she hated Anna for giving her something to be jealous about. She even hated Seth for keeping so damned quiet.
Okay, maybe not.
She WAS annoyed that he had just sat there at lunch, though. She sat on a bench and buried her face in her hands, feeling frustrated.
Seth finally spotted her at the end of the hallway, and he quickened his pace. He sat down next to her quietly, trying to see if she was crying. His hand brushed her hair away from her hands, and she let them fall.
Okay, definitely not crying.
"What, Cohen?"
"Summer..." he tried to rub her back, but she tensed up.
"Do you think she's right or something?" She asked angrily.
"You know I don't," he said gently.
"Then freaking act like it!" Her voice was unsteady, but he couldn't mistake the look on her face.
"Summer... I was just... startled."
"I don't know why you couldn't just say one thing in my defense, Seth. One thing. Do you have any idea how many times I've stuck up for you so far? It's not like that's exactly been fun for me, okay? It's not exactly easy convincing people that you're not... not...."
"That I'm not what?"
"That you're not a complete loser!" Her words had an unnecessary bite to them, and Seth didn't miss it. He felt stung.
"Not a complete loser," he repeated. "Only partially, right? Still a dork, and the only decent thing about me is you, right? And God knows you HAVE to try to redeem yourself to everyone for dating a moron like me..."
"Don't put words in my mouth, Cohen, especially when you can't put any in your own when you need to!" She stood up and grabbed her purse, waling purposefully away and leaving Seth a mess.
He leaned his head up against the brick wall and groaned.
So yeah, he probably should have spoken up at the table... but that was their dumb battle, not his. Right? Maybe. Either way, he had run after her, not Anna. That should have meant something... not to mention their entire relationship and everything leading up to it was proof enough of how he felt. Why couldn't she see that?
He sulked through the rest of his classes, torn between being angry with her and wanting to beg forgiveness.
When he got to the car, there was a folded note on the windshield.
"Got another ride home.
We'll talk later. Just not this second.
Summer."
Great. His insides twisted up and he sighed.
______________
Very glum, I know! The next chapter should be more fun, we'll see! I need some more inspiration, if you can't tell, so I'll hopefully get that tomorrow night! YES!
Review!
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Seth and Summer were getting closer and more comfortable with each other, but that didn't mean that they were getting bored.
Whenever Summer saw him she felt the need to hug him and bury her face in his shirt, which always smelled like laundry detergent. She loved the smirk on his face whenever they teased each other, and the way that he rubbed his thumb on her hand whenever he held it. He made her laugh. Seth never got annoyed when she was late in the morning, tearing apart her room for a belt. He didn't condemn her sarcasm, nor did he simply take it. He kept her on her toes.
He, on the other hand, couldn't get over the fact that Summer Roberts not only could stand him, but loved him. Love. He felt like he could do anything whenever she told him. He adored the way that she was always touching him in some way, be it holding hands, playing with the bottom of his shirt, or just leaning against him. She bitched out anybody that gave her a hard time about dating him, and she never made him feel stupid about babbling. Her chastisements always had an underlying tone to them that proved her bark to be worse than her bite.
"You WOULD fall off of your skateboard," she said the following day, her eyes sympathetic. She leaned over and lightly kissed his ribs, where a purple bruise was forming.
"It's not like I meant to fall off of the rail," he said, frowning.
"Sure you did. You wanted me to take care of you."
"Well, it's a bonus."
They were sitting with their feet in the Cohen's pool.
"Did you like Anna?" Summer suddenly asked, her foot hooked under his ankle in the water.
"What?"
"At the Cotillion. You two were all smiley, and Ryan said something about you two 'clicking' to Marissa. Something about comic books and Tahiti."
"Someone's jealous," Seth grinned.
"Shut up. I'm serious."
"We had some things in common, sure, and we had a good time." Seth realized that he had to be careful here.
"So did you like her?" She was scared to hear his answer.
Seth battled between honesty and safety. Eventually, honesty won.
"I wasn't sure. I mean, I thought she was cool, but I couldn't quit watching you all night. She knew, too. She told me I would need confidence to get you."
Summer continued frowning. "I still don't like her."
"I don't think she likes you either," Seth admitted. No shock to Summer.
"That's because she wants you," Summer explained.
"I'm telling you, Summer, if you want to be with me you're going to have to get used to all the ladies. It's always been a big problem of mine, you know. I've learned to live with it, and so will you."
Summer smiled, but his comment bothered her a little. He was constantly making cracks about his luck with women, as though Summer was way too good for him, and as though he had nothing going for him. She didn't want him to feel insecure about himself, or unsure as to why Summer liked him.
"I wouldn't be going out with Seth Cohen if he wasn't perfect," Summer said. "Don't act as though he isn't a catch. That's my boyfriend you're talking about."
Seth grinned and kissed her.
______________
Anna watched as Seth kissed Summer before walking into the classroom. She looked away when he entered, trying to ignore the goofy grin that was on his face.
"Happy Friday," Anna greeted him as he sat down.
"It's a beautiful day," Seth continued grinning, pulling out a notebook. "So when do you want to get started on this project?"
"How about this weekend?" She suggested. "The sooner the better."
He considered, quickly running through his schedule in his head. "Saturday?" He suggested. Summer was spending the day with Marissa and Ryan was working, so it wasn't like he had anything better to do. Maybe Anna would let him sneak in some Playstation.
They worked out the details after class, and Anna walked away feeling satisfied. She wasn't sure what exactly she wanted from Seth, but the Summer thing did bother her. Seth was so... different. It just didn't make any sense.
______________
Seth sat on the edge of his bed in a pair of shorts, his highlighter poised over the pages of the novel. He was going through the last chapter of Catcher In The Rye, trying to find some quotes for them to work with for the project. He glanced at the clock, noting that Anna would be there in about half an hour.
His door opened, and he was surprised to see Summer.
"Well, hey," he grinned.
She glanced around his room. "You need to clean," she informed him.
He turned his palms up in the air, still focused on her. "I thought you were going out with Marissa."
"I am," she smiled. "Just stopped by to see you first. Can you fit me into your busy schedule?"
"You have precedence over J.D. Salinger," he assured her, putting the book down.
"I would hope so." She sat down next to him, looking him over. "You should be shirtless more often."
"So should you." He smirked.
She elbowed him in the ribs. "You think so, huh?"
"Definitely. It's only fair." He knew he was on shaky ground here, but Seth's mouth wasn't usually aligned with Seth's common sense. He shifted so that he was sitting Indian style, facing her.
"And what makes you think that your vote matters, Cohen?"
"I'm the boyfriend. My vote counts double."
"Sorry, that's not how it works. Better luck next time."
"Damn."
Summer couldn't stand sitting that close to him and not doing anything about it. She leaned over and kissed him, her fingers sliding across his torso. She leaned him back onto the bed, slipping out of her tank top before joining him. Seth accepted this new development- from black tank top to black bra- with grace, and she melted into him. His touch was gentle, but certainly not as shy as she would have figured. And damn, he was a good kisser.
Seth suddenly pulled back, and Summer frowned impatiently. "What?"
Seth felt stupid, but he was also worried. "My parents..."
"I love you Cohen, but sometimes..." She kissed down his neck.
He lost himself in her again, forgetting about parents. A knock brought them both back to the situation, and Summer jumped up from on top of him, quickly and casually putting her shirt back on.
"Yeah?" Seth wished death on whoever was at his door.
Ryan's voice came from the other side. "Anna's here. She's waiting in the kitchen, so... yeah."
Seth cursed his English teacher and J.D. Salinger, and Summer shot him a rueful smile. "We're still on for dinner tomorrow?"
"Yeah," he smiled and put on a t-shirt, walking her out. Anna was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, and the girls exchanged a glance.
"Hi Summer," Anna greeted.
"Hello," Summer said coolly, eyeing the blonde with distaste. She didn't know why Anna bothered acting friendly.
"So... am I the only one thrilled about his project?" Seth tried, feeling more than awkward.
"It won't be so bad," Anna assured him, picking her backpack up off the floor. "We'll make it entertaining."
Summer's head swam with sarcastic comments to make, but was hesitant when she saw the pleading look in Seth's eyes.
Anna was lucky that she had caught her when Seth was around.
"Call me later," Summer kissed Seth lightly and strolled out of the kitchen. She was glad that she hadn't given Anna the satisfaction of showing any worry or insecurities. She wasn't afraid of Anna, and she wanted to make sure that was obvious.
Anna was NOT a threat.
She reminded herself of this more than once while she walked next door to Marissa's.
______________
Seth and Anna had brainstormed for the first half hour, but now, three hours later, they had yet to work any further on the project.
"I can't believe you have the first edition. Wow," Anna studied a comic book, while Seth shifted through his collection.
"That's nothing, Ms. Stern. Check THIS out..."
They had been distracting each other all day, and they weren't showing any sign of letting up.
"You have to let me see your boat," Anna said.
"Oooh yeah," Seth hopped up from the couch, where they had been playing Tony Hawk, and motioned for her to follow.
Anna hadn't connected with anyone this well since she had arrived in Newport, and she wondered if Seth had either. Probably not. He was unique, and these pod people didn't really appreciate the things they appreciated.
"Thar she blows," Seth nodded his head towards the boat.
"It's awesome." Anna shot him an enthusiastic glance and began looking the boat over. "Wow, Seth."
She paused when she saw the name, turning to Seth with a raised eyebrow. "Seth..."
"Anna..."
She waited him out, her expression curious.
"Yes yes, fine. No coincidence, okay?"
"That's scary, Seth."
"No it's not!" He smiled a little. "I just had really good foresight, that's all."
Anna shook her head and walked away from the boat. "I don't mean to pry, Seth, but I still don't understand it."
"I know Summer has a tough exterior," he began as they walked back. "But there's more to her. Trust me."
Anna forced a little smile, not wanting to be a jerk. It was weird, but she didn't want Seth to get upset with her. "So, does she appreciate your full- fledged Batman collection?"
"Not to its fullest," he sighed dramatically. "I don't know how she feels about guys in tights."
Anna laughed, making up an excuse to touch his arm.
He was adorable.
______________
"Quit looking at me like that," Seth said, putting some butter on his bread.
"I'm not looking at you like anything," Summer said, pretending to study her menu.
"Do you want to know how our project went yesterday?"
"Not particularly." She ran her finger down the list of entrees and stopped. "Oooh, crab."
"You've been looking at me expectantly all night."
"Cohen, chill." She continued to look away.
"Summer, you have nothing to worry about, okay?"
"I know."
"All we did was make out, and it didn't mean anything. You're a better kisser than her, trust me," he said, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"Ha ha," she gave him a look.
Seth picked up her hand and kissed it, sending her an over exaggerated wink.
"Nothing to worry about," he reminded her.
She finally smiled, pulling her hand back. "Okay."
______________
Summer half-considered marching over to Seth and making out with him right then and there, but she didn't. No signs of weakness, she reminded herself, forcing herself to pull her eyes away from the two. She busied herself with her locker as Seth and Anna moseyed down the hallway towards her.
"Hey," she said casually as they stopped at her locker.
"Hello love," Seth kissed her cheek in greeting. "Party in the cafeteria!"
"Thrilling," she rolled her eyes, grinning slightly.
Somehow Anna ended up sitting with them at lunch. Summer wasn't sure how it happened, but soon there the blonde was, across from Seth, eating pizza.
"How is Storm at all better than Gambit? Is that some girl power issue or something?" Seth shook his head.
"Look at everything she can do! Gambit can what, throw exploding cards? Forget that, Storm can just call in a few lightning bolts! Look, I thought I went over this at your house," Anna argued.
Summer watched them argue light-heartedly and shot Marissa a meaningful look. This little session was not going to work.
But, once again, she didn't want to give Anna the satisfaction, or upset Seth.
She knew that Anna thought she was better for Seth. It was pretty obvious that she saw Summer as some ditz who couldn't understand him or truly care for him, while believing that Anna herself connected with him on some great level. Whatever.
Marissa watched Summer brood and stab at her salad. She began wondering if a trademark rage blackout was on the way, and she decided to jump in.
"So, Anna," she interrupted Seth in mid-sentence, "How are you liking Newport?"
While Anna responded, Summer nudged Seth and grabbed his free hand.
"Well hello, beautiful," he said.
"No need to 'hello' me, Cohen. I've been here the whole time."
He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss, letting his lips linger.
"That's better," she said after he pulled back.
Seth opened his mouth to respond, but Anna's voice again interjected. Summer found herself grinding her teeth.
"So where do you think that Cyclops fits in to all of this. I've always kind of liked Scott..."
"Ugh, can we please talk about something ELSE already?" Summer finally said. Everyone turned to face her, and she shrugged, trying to play it off. "What?!"
"Feel free," Anna said sweetly. "I really don't think anyone was talking to you anyway."
Summer felt her goals of civility for Seth's sake drop, and she raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me? I really don't think anyone asked you to sit here."
"Sorry, I didn't think I needed your almighty permission to sit in the stupid cafeteria!"
"I see plenty of other tables," Summer shot back hotly. "You have my permission to sit at one of them!"
"You are such a bitch," Anna said heatedly. "You're a spoiled skank who can't imagine anything different than what you want or what you have. You think you're better than me because of what you wear? Wake up Summer, there is life beyond Newport!"
"Well thanks, Dr. Phil," Summer rolled her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind. Meanwhile, I think one of those other tables is calling your name."
"You don't deserve-"
"Bye bye, now," Summer cut her off.
Anna grabbed her belongings and stood up. "Eventually he'll see what you are," she said before turning and walking away.
"Oh God," Summer rolled her eyes again and looked at Seth. He saw sitting there kind of blankly. He looked a little lost.
Without warning, she picked up her purse and stalked from the table silently.
She was fuming as she walked down the hallway, no destination in mind. She hated being jealous, and she hated Anna for giving her something to be jealous about. She even hated Seth for keeping so damned quiet.
Okay, maybe not.
She WAS annoyed that he had just sat there at lunch, though. She sat on a bench and buried her face in her hands, feeling frustrated.
Seth finally spotted her at the end of the hallway, and he quickened his pace. He sat down next to her quietly, trying to see if she was crying. His hand brushed her hair away from her hands, and she let them fall.
Okay, definitely not crying.
"What, Cohen?"
"Summer..." he tried to rub her back, but she tensed up.
"Do you think she's right or something?" She asked angrily.
"You know I don't," he said gently.
"Then freaking act like it!" Her voice was unsteady, but he couldn't mistake the look on her face.
"Summer... I was just... startled."
"I don't know why you couldn't just say one thing in my defense, Seth. One thing. Do you have any idea how many times I've stuck up for you so far? It's not like that's exactly been fun for me, okay? It's not exactly easy convincing people that you're not... not...."
"That I'm not what?"
"That you're not a complete loser!" Her words had an unnecessary bite to them, and Seth didn't miss it. He felt stung.
"Not a complete loser," he repeated. "Only partially, right? Still a dork, and the only decent thing about me is you, right? And God knows you HAVE to try to redeem yourself to everyone for dating a moron like me..."
"Don't put words in my mouth, Cohen, especially when you can't put any in your own when you need to!" She stood up and grabbed her purse, waling purposefully away and leaving Seth a mess.
He leaned his head up against the brick wall and groaned.
So yeah, he probably should have spoken up at the table... but that was their dumb battle, not his. Right? Maybe. Either way, he had run after her, not Anna. That should have meant something... not to mention their entire relationship and everything leading up to it was proof enough of how he felt. Why couldn't she see that?
He sulked through the rest of his classes, torn between being angry with her and wanting to beg forgiveness.
When he got to the car, there was a folded note on the windshield.
"Got another ride home.
We'll talk later. Just not this second.
Summer."
Great. His insides twisted up and he sighed.
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Very glum, I know! The next chapter should be more fun, we'll see! I need some more inspiration, if you can't tell, so I'll hopefully get that tomorrow night! YES!
Review!