Chapter 2
Ryan opened the door and walked in to the house. He put a hand out behind him to warn Seth as he came in, and then stepped to the side of the doorway. Seth closed the door quietly behind him, and stood next to Ryan. Luke and three of his buddies were surrounding the keg, already drunk and laughing. The last time they'd seen Luke was at the club in Tijuana, trying to stay upright in the bar fight that ensued after Ryan hit him. Seth tried not to smile as he noticed the bruise that hadn't quite faded around his eye. Just then Summer entered the room from the hallway, stopping short when she saw Luke. Seth was placing his bets that she would fly across the room "Crouching Summer, Unexpected Ass-kicking" style and try to take him down, but she surprised him by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, visibly getting control of herself. She opened her eyes, and ignoring Luke, began walking across the room.
"Summer, hey!" Luke saw her and started after her.
Seth sighed. Maybe Luke had suffered a concussion during the fight and still wasn't thinking clearly. He couldn't possibly be that stupid.
He caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Hey how's Mar-?"
Seth's eyes widened. He turned to Ryan and he was shaking his head. Luke WAS that stupid.
Summer whirled around, her eyes flashing fire. She pulled her arm from Luke's grasp, and then shoved him as hard as she could. Surprised and off balance, he staggered several steps backward bumping the sound system and silencing the CD, barely managing not to fall into it by bracing himself against the wall.
Ryan and Seth looked at each other, wincing.
Summer followed him as he went, and when he caught himself, she shoved him again, backing him up against the wall next to the sound system. She drew up to her full height and got on her tiptoes, invading his space, her voice low and dangerous. "First of all, asshole, you are NOT to even SAY HER NAME. Second of all, you are not to touch me ever again."
The shock wore off and Luke finally noticed the party had stopped and everyone was watching. His eyes went hard and he clenched one hand into a fist. "Look you little - "
"I'd stop right there if I were you." Ryan and Seth walked over to them, standing behind Summer, who hadn't backed down at all. Ryan stared down Luke with icy eyes. "You have a real problem respecting women. Don't give me another good reason to hit you."
Luke glanced over at his buddies, who were conveniently looking away from him. It was one thing to help him mess with a kid from Chino. You just don't threaten a girl.
Seth put a hand on her shoulder. "Summer, did you have something else you wanted to say?"
"Yes I did, Seth, thank you." She turned her attention back to Luke, pointing a finger directly in his face. "Don't call her house. Don't call her cell phone. Do not be in her line of vision. If you see her anywhere near you, I don't care where it is, the mall, school, the beach, you are to turn around and walk away. Do not mess with her AT ALL or so help me God I will make sure you regret it. Do you understand me?"
Luke tried to smile, nervously looking around. "I just-"
Seth interrupted him. "It would be polite to answer the lady's question."
Luke glared at Seth, then looked at Summer. "I get it. Would you just tell her I'm sorry?"
Summer glared at him. "Don't. Even. Say. "Her"," she spit at him. She turned around, dismissing him. "You guys ready to go? My light work is done." She walked in between Seth and Ryan and took each by the arm, and they went out the front door.
They reached the Range Rover in silence, and Seth unlocked and opened the passenger door for her, then went to the driver's side. Ryan opened the rear door, and Summer turned to him. "We can all sit up here Ryan, there's plenty of room." Seth began nodding his head vigorously at him, so Ryan rolled his eyes, shut the door and went to the front, getting in as Summer slid over next to Seth.
Ryan looked at her warily. "Daa-a-amn, girl. I think I'd feel more comfortable in the back, because I'm really pretty much terrified of you right now."
Seth started laughing. "You were magnificent, woman! Did you see his face when you shoved him? And oh my god - your "light work?" They both lost it, laughing uncontrollably then, Ryan leaning against the door for support, Seth slumped forward on the steering wheel.
"God, I hope I never make you that mad. And Ryan, we need to make a pact right now. Every day we'll remind each other not to piss Summer off."
"Deal." Ryan reached across Summer and they touched fists. He shifted his eyes to her and shook his head. "Damn."
Summer looked down, embarrassed now. "You guys, c'mon, I really need to learn how to control that kind of stuff."
"Oh please! I saw you pull yourself together when you first saw him. It wasn't like you started it, he went after you and face it, he totally deserved that and more."
She smiled a little, looking up at Seth. "You saw that? I was trying so hard to stay calm, but when he grabbed me, I just - snapped."
Seth laughed. "Of course I saw it. I'd have lost money too, 'cause I was betting you'd go off on him the second you saw him."
She hit him in the arm.
"Ow! You couldn't have controlled that?" Seth asked her, still laughing.
She smiled sweetly at him. "I didn't WANT to control that." She settled back in the seat. "Hey, you guys were pretty good backup, you know. Thanks." Ryan smiled at her.
"Anytime." Seth started the truck. "Ok. Where do we want to eat?"
"Why don't we just go back to the house, Seth? There's plenty of stuff there." Ryan had a feeling Summer might like the family atmosphere at the Cohen's. She'd been completely alone for a week, and it sounded to him like her family really didn't spend too much time worrying about her anyway. He remembered how strangely good it was to have adults that cared around when he'd moved in.
"You want to come over to Casa Cohen, Summer? The parents are vaguely cool. Well, you've met my Dad already anyway." Seth looked across her and silently thanked Ryan. He knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Sure - if you think- if they won't mind."
"Oh, trust me, they'll be thrilled." He put the truck in gear and headed home.
Summer looked over at Ryan thoughtfully. "You know, I've never heard you laugh like that before."
"Yeah, well, the other day Seth said he wished I'd act more like when I first got here. All brooding and mysterious I think is how he put it." Ryan looked over at him." Does my laughing bother you?"
"First off, I was joking and second - No, laugh away, my monosyllabic friend. I just wish you'd stop talking so damn much."
"Very funny, Seth."
Seth giggled at himself. "That joke just never gets old, does it?"
Ryan opened the door and walked in to the house. He put a hand out behind him to warn Seth as he came in, and then stepped to the side of the doorway. Seth closed the door quietly behind him, and stood next to Ryan. Luke and three of his buddies were surrounding the keg, already drunk and laughing. The last time they'd seen Luke was at the club in Tijuana, trying to stay upright in the bar fight that ensued after Ryan hit him. Seth tried not to smile as he noticed the bruise that hadn't quite faded around his eye. Just then Summer entered the room from the hallway, stopping short when she saw Luke. Seth was placing his bets that she would fly across the room "Crouching Summer, Unexpected Ass-kicking" style and try to take him down, but she surprised him by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, visibly getting control of herself. She opened her eyes, and ignoring Luke, began walking across the room.
"Summer, hey!" Luke saw her and started after her.
Seth sighed. Maybe Luke had suffered a concussion during the fight and still wasn't thinking clearly. He couldn't possibly be that stupid.
He caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Hey how's Mar-?"
Seth's eyes widened. He turned to Ryan and he was shaking his head. Luke WAS that stupid.
Summer whirled around, her eyes flashing fire. She pulled her arm from Luke's grasp, and then shoved him as hard as she could. Surprised and off balance, he staggered several steps backward bumping the sound system and silencing the CD, barely managing not to fall into it by bracing himself against the wall.
Ryan and Seth looked at each other, wincing.
Summer followed him as he went, and when he caught himself, she shoved him again, backing him up against the wall next to the sound system. She drew up to her full height and got on her tiptoes, invading his space, her voice low and dangerous. "First of all, asshole, you are NOT to even SAY HER NAME. Second of all, you are not to touch me ever again."
The shock wore off and Luke finally noticed the party had stopped and everyone was watching. His eyes went hard and he clenched one hand into a fist. "Look you little - "
"I'd stop right there if I were you." Ryan and Seth walked over to them, standing behind Summer, who hadn't backed down at all. Ryan stared down Luke with icy eyes. "You have a real problem respecting women. Don't give me another good reason to hit you."
Luke glanced over at his buddies, who were conveniently looking away from him. It was one thing to help him mess with a kid from Chino. You just don't threaten a girl.
Seth put a hand on her shoulder. "Summer, did you have something else you wanted to say?"
"Yes I did, Seth, thank you." She turned her attention back to Luke, pointing a finger directly in his face. "Don't call her house. Don't call her cell phone. Do not be in her line of vision. If you see her anywhere near you, I don't care where it is, the mall, school, the beach, you are to turn around and walk away. Do not mess with her AT ALL or so help me God I will make sure you regret it. Do you understand me?"
Luke tried to smile, nervously looking around. "I just-"
Seth interrupted him. "It would be polite to answer the lady's question."
Luke glared at Seth, then looked at Summer. "I get it. Would you just tell her I'm sorry?"
Summer glared at him. "Don't. Even. Say. "Her"," she spit at him. She turned around, dismissing him. "You guys ready to go? My light work is done." She walked in between Seth and Ryan and took each by the arm, and they went out the front door.
They reached the Range Rover in silence, and Seth unlocked and opened the passenger door for her, then went to the driver's side. Ryan opened the rear door, and Summer turned to him. "We can all sit up here Ryan, there's plenty of room." Seth began nodding his head vigorously at him, so Ryan rolled his eyes, shut the door and went to the front, getting in as Summer slid over next to Seth.
Ryan looked at her warily. "Daa-a-amn, girl. I think I'd feel more comfortable in the back, because I'm really pretty much terrified of you right now."
Seth started laughing. "You were magnificent, woman! Did you see his face when you shoved him? And oh my god - your "light work?" They both lost it, laughing uncontrollably then, Ryan leaning against the door for support, Seth slumped forward on the steering wheel.
"God, I hope I never make you that mad. And Ryan, we need to make a pact right now. Every day we'll remind each other not to piss Summer off."
"Deal." Ryan reached across Summer and they touched fists. He shifted his eyes to her and shook his head. "Damn."
Summer looked down, embarrassed now. "You guys, c'mon, I really need to learn how to control that kind of stuff."
"Oh please! I saw you pull yourself together when you first saw him. It wasn't like you started it, he went after you and face it, he totally deserved that and more."
She smiled a little, looking up at Seth. "You saw that? I was trying so hard to stay calm, but when he grabbed me, I just - snapped."
Seth laughed. "Of course I saw it. I'd have lost money too, 'cause I was betting you'd go off on him the second you saw him."
She hit him in the arm.
"Ow! You couldn't have controlled that?" Seth asked her, still laughing.
She smiled sweetly at him. "I didn't WANT to control that." She settled back in the seat. "Hey, you guys were pretty good backup, you know. Thanks." Ryan smiled at her.
"Anytime." Seth started the truck. "Ok. Where do we want to eat?"
"Why don't we just go back to the house, Seth? There's plenty of stuff there." Ryan had a feeling Summer might like the family atmosphere at the Cohen's. She'd been completely alone for a week, and it sounded to him like her family really didn't spend too much time worrying about her anyway. He remembered how strangely good it was to have adults that cared around when he'd moved in.
"You want to come over to Casa Cohen, Summer? The parents are vaguely cool. Well, you've met my Dad already anyway." Seth looked across her and silently thanked Ryan. He knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Sure - if you think- if they won't mind."
"Oh, trust me, they'll be thrilled." He put the truck in gear and headed home.
Summer looked over at Ryan thoughtfully. "You know, I've never heard you laugh like that before."
"Yeah, well, the other day Seth said he wished I'd act more like when I first got here. All brooding and mysterious I think is how he put it." Ryan looked over at him." Does my laughing bother you?"
"First off, I was joking and second - No, laugh away, my monosyllabic friend. I just wish you'd stop talking so damn much."
"Very funny, Seth."
Seth giggled at himself. "That joke just never gets old, does it?"