Chapter 2: Homecoming
"Thanks so much, Kirsten." Summer said graciously, twirling the phone cord in her delicate fingers. Not so delicate as they used to be, thought Summer, as she noticed her chipped nails and the roughness of her skin. It made her frown, but she ignored it and thanked Kirsten again for helping her out before hanging up the phone.
She placed her hands on her hips and looked around her crowded, messy bedroom. She glanced at her watch. It was practically noon and she had promised herself that she would attempt to clean some of this mess. As she picked up a teddy bear and a tee shirt from the ground, she couldn't but help her mind wander. The tee shirt was old and worn out, with yellow lettering stamped out across the chest. Faded, but still readable, she mouthed "UCLA" to herself and sat down on the bed, nearly in tears.
"I'll clean some other day." She prompted out loud, falling back and sighing.
"We're only half an hour away." Marissa called out to Seth, who she noticed was abnormally more depressed then usual. He had been since. . . since Summer left him. She turned around to face Seth, even though facing backwards in a car always made her nauseous. She winced internally at the expression of pain and self pity on his face.
"Yay?" Seth asked, forcing a laugh for Marissa's sake.
"Come on," Ryan pleaded from the driver's seat. "It's Christmas. It's the best holiday!" He overflowed his words with forced happiness, causing Marissa to part her lips into a forced smile. Everything was so damn forced lately, thought Seth.
"May I remind you, that I am Jewish, and therefore never really enjoyed Christmas?" Seth spat out, leaning against the window again.
"Hannukah, Christmas, it's all the same thing." Marissa announced giddily. "It's about getting presents, eating good food, and being with the ones you love." She squealed and kissed Ryan's cheek.
"This is where Summer would say ew." Seth sighed, shutting his eyes. Seeing Marissa and Ryan be all couple-y was aggravating when he had no one.
Marissa sighed as well, giving Seth a weary look and leaning against her own window.
"Some holiday spirit you have, Seth." Ryan retorted. There was a pause of silence in the car, except for the light hum of the Rover's wheels on the pavement of the California highway.
"I can't wait to get home." Marissa squealed, out of nowhere, trying to lighten the mood.
"Me too." Seth forced a smile, since that was the perpetual theme of this car ride, but the smile didn't hide the obtrusive sarcasm in his voice.
Summer had given up all hope on cleaning that day. Instead, she decided to run some errands. Great timing too, she thought, as she had entered the pharmacy in Newport to pick up some medicine. As she waited online, she could feel Julie Cooper ( or was it Julie Nichol now? ) staring holes into her own head. It made her oh so uncomfortable, but she managed to make it to the cashier, worry free. Julie Cooper couldn't faze her.
"Summer? Is that you, darling?" Julie's voice rang out cheerily from Summer's side. Dammit, and she was so close at getting away. She paid for her prescriptions and smiled at Julie.
"Hi Mrs. Cooper." Summer frowned indecisively, wandering if it was Mrs. Nichol, after all.
"Oh, please, call me Julie." Julie exclaimed vibrantly as she handed over the cashier a credit card. Summer peeked at Julie's items, which included a box of condoms and denture cream. Ew. How anyone would want to be intimate with Caleb Nichol was beyond her. She could barely believe he was Seth's grandfather. Her heart twittered as she thought of his name, but she paid not attention, and pressed on with Julie Cooper.
"Ok, Julie." Summer flashed an insincere grin. "Marissa's coming home this weekend, right?" Summer asked, as they made their way to the parking lot.
"Yes, I'm terribly excited." Julie squealed in a very Marissa-ish way, her eyes showing slight remorse.
"Same here." Summer smiled honestly. And she was. Even though Coop and her had been constantly in touch over the phone, she hadn't seen her since the night she said goodbye, back at UCLA. A chill ran down Summer's spine as she remembered those horrible days of her past, and she shut it out of her mind, as usual.
"So, how's . . ." Julie paused as they reached their cars, glancing at Summer's tiny Honda. "Life?" Julie almost laughed out loud and obviously was restraining herself, poorly.
"Life," Summer smiled, looking up at the warm California sun, "is good."
"Good." Julie waved goodbye and got into her car, snickering as soon as she in. She knew girls like Summer Roberts. Heck, she would have been Summer Roberts, had she not gotten together with Caleb. Julie silently congratulated herself on landing a man with a heavy wallet and started her car.
Summer rolled her eyes as Julie's Lexus disappeared from her sight. Big, flashy car for a big, flashy mouth, she thought. Summer opened the squeaky door of her humble Honda, throwing her bag into the car, and turning the car on, but not before letting a huge, rumbling sigh leave her lips. She had felt so alone, lately. She couldn't wait for Coop to get here. She was in dire need of a friend.
"Thanks so much, Kirsten." Summer said graciously, twirling the phone cord in her delicate fingers. Not so delicate as they used to be, thought Summer, as she noticed her chipped nails and the roughness of her skin. It made her frown, but she ignored it and thanked Kirsten again for helping her out before hanging up the phone.
She placed her hands on her hips and looked around her crowded, messy bedroom. She glanced at her watch. It was practically noon and she had promised herself that she would attempt to clean some of this mess. As she picked up a teddy bear and a tee shirt from the ground, she couldn't but help her mind wander. The tee shirt was old and worn out, with yellow lettering stamped out across the chest. Faded, but still readable, she mouthed "UCLA" to herself and sat down on the bed, nearly in tears.
"I'll clean some other day." She prompted out loud, falling back and sighing.
"We're only half an hour away." Marissa called out to Seth, who she noticed was abnormally more depressed then usual. He had been since. . . since Summer left him. She turned around to face Seth, even though facing backwards in a car always made her nauseous. She winced internally at the expression of pain and self pity on his face.
"Yay?" Seth asked, forcing a laugh for Marissa's sake.
"Come on," Ryan pleaded from the driver's seat. "It's Christmas. It's the best holiday!" He overflowed his words with forced happiness, causing Marissa to part her lips into a forced smile. Everything was so damn forced lately, thought Seth.
"May I remind you, that I am Jewish, and therefore never really enjoyed Christmas?" Seth spat out, leaning against the window again.
"Hannukah, Christmas, it's all the same thing." Marissa announced giddily. "It's about getting presents, eating good food, and being with the ones you love." She squealed and kissed Ryan's cheek.
"This is where Summer would say ew." Seth sighed, shutting his eyes. Seeing Marissa and Ryan be all couple-y was aggravating when he had no one.
Marissa sighed as well, giving Seth a weary look and leaning against her own window.
"Some holiday spirit you have, Seth." Ryan retorted. There was a pause of silence in the car, except for the light hum of the Rover's wheels on the pavement of the California highway.
"I can't wait to get home." Marissa squealed, out of nowhere, trying to lighten the mood.
"Me too." Seth forced a smile, since that was the perpetual theme of this car ride, but the smile didn't hide the obtrusive sarcasm in his voice.
Summer had given up all hope on cleaning that day. Instead, she decided to run some errands. Great timing too, she thought, as she had entered the pharmacy in Newport to pick up some medicine. As she waited online, she could feel Julie Cooper ( or was it Julie Nichol now? ) staring holes into her own head. It made her oh so uncomfortable, but she managed to make it to the cashier, worry free. Julie Cooper couldn't faze her.
"Summer? Is that you, darling?" Julie's voice rang out cheerily from Summer's side. Dammit, and she was so close at getting away. She paid for her prescriptions and smiled at Julie.
"Hi Mrs. Cooper." Summer frowned indecisively, wandering if it was Mrs. Nichol, after all.
"Oh, please, call me Julie." Julie exclaimed vibrantly as she handed over the cashier a credit card. Summer peeked at Julie's items, which included a box of condoms and denture cream. Ew. How anyone would want to be intimate with Caleb Nichol was beyond her. She could barely believe he was Seth's grandfather. Her heart twittered as she thought of his name, but she paid not attention, and pressed on with Julie Cooper.
"Ok, Julie." Summer flashed an insincere grin. "Marissa's coming home this weekend, right?" Summer asked, as they made their way to the parking lot.
"Yes, I'm terribly excited." Julie squealed in a very Marissa-ish way, her eyes showing slight remorse.
"Same here." Summer smiled honestly. And she was. Even though Coop and her had been constantly in touch over the phone, she hadn't seen her since the night she said goodbye, back at UCLA. A chill ran down Summer's spine as she remembered those horrible days of her past, and she shut it out of her mind, as usual.
"So, how's . . ." Julie paused as they reached their cars, glancing at Summer's tiny Honda. "Life?" Julie almost laughed out loud and obviously was restraining herself, poorly.
"Life," Summer smiled, looking up at the warm California sun, "is good."
"Good." Julie waved goodbye and got into her car, snickering as soon as she in. She knew girls like Summer Roberts. Heck, she would have been Summer Roberts, had she not gotten together with Caleb. Julie silently congratulated herself on landing a man with a heavy wallet and started her car.
Summer rolled her eyes as Julie's Lexus disappeared from her sight. Big, flashy car for a big, flashy mouth, she thought. Summer opened the squeaky door of her humble Honda, throwing her bag into the car, and turning the car on, but not before letting a huge, rumbling sigh leave her lips. She had felt so alone, lately. She couldn't wait for Coop to get here. She was in dire need of a friend.