AN: Ok.. someone said this has been confusing.. but I don't see how.. can
you explain to me why it's confusing. As far as point of view and time..
picture it as if it were on TV, like each section is a different scene.
Hope that helps. I think this is one of the best stories I've written, and
the idea is in general, original, so I hope people like it!
Chapter 4: Evil Julie Cooper
She hadn't thought of Seth Cohen in practically forever. If forever meant two seconds, because that was a lie. Basically, she thought of him always. Everything she saw, everything she touched, everyone she met, reminded her of Seth Cohen. That was unavoidable in the beginning, when she first left UCLA, but she grown stronger, building walls so high that no thought of Seth Cohen could ever be reached. She'd push every reminiscent spark of a thought to the back of her mind, just as she had earlier when she wanted to ask Ryan if Seth was in Newport as well. Summer had stopped herself then, thankfully. She figured that if Seth were in Newport, Marissa would have mentioned it by now. At least, she hoped he wasn't home, as she climbed up the front steps of the Cohen's mansion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------
"Shit," Ryan muttered to himself, quickly standing up from his spot next to Seth on the couch. "I forgot my wallet in the car."
"It's a miracle you haven't lost your head yet." Seth said dryly, pausing the video game. It was amazing to him how the first thing him and Ryan do is not unpack, not take a swim, not chill with the parents, but play video games. Just like old times.
Ryan rolled his eyes jokingly, making his way to the door, where the doorbell rang before just as he reached it. He, being the closest to the door, opened it promptly.
"Summer." He stated in a surprised tone, a very loud tone. He looked back at the living room, where Seth's ears had perked up and he shuffled to get up quickly. On impulse, Ryan pushed himself between Summer and the door, shutting the door behind him, glancing back nervously. "What are you doing here?"
Summer shifted her feet, impatiently. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here." Ryan confirmed slowly, targeting his gaze at her, questioningly. "What are you doing here?" He repeated, clearly amused by her shifting feet.
Before Summer could reply, the front door opened quickly and Kirsten darted out, tiny Charlotte cooped up in her arms.
"Summer!" She squealed, nervously. "You're early!"
Ryan stared at them with a blank expression, confused and speechless, as Kirsten handed the tot to Summer, who embraced her, like . . . like a mother, thought Ryan.
"Thanks again, Kirsten." Summer nodded goodbye to Ryan, who along with Kirsten watched her leave.
"Care to explain?" Ryan demanded, crossing his arms sternly.
"No." Kirsten turned on her heels and opened the door, calling behind her. "And Seth doesn't need to know either."
Ryan almost went after her for answers, but instead made his way to the Cooper's, or was it the Nichols' now, to see someone who he was sure had some answers. Someone who happened to be his girlfriend.
"Who was that?" Seth attacked his mom as soon as she shut the door behind her.
"Charlotte's mother." Kirsten replied coolly.
"Ha." Seth laughed heartily, sliding into a chair in the kitchen as Kirsten put away clean dishes. "I could've sworn I heard Ryan say Summer's name when he answered the door." He eyed his mother wearily, trying to break her down.
Kirsten shrugged, shutting the dishwasher, clapping her hands at her motherly accomplishment, and went to go find Sandy, leaving Seth alone to wonder if he was just hearing things.
Seth sighed, something him and his crew seem to do a lot of lately. Did he just refer to Ryan and Marissa as his crew? He laughed out loud and sat back down at the paused screen of the video games. After a while of staring at the screen, he figured that somewhere between the Rover and the house, Ryan had gotten lost and would wind up with Marissa. At this realization, he grabbed the keys to the Rover, deciding to escape the cold, empty Cohen house and go down to the pier for a walk.
"Ryan!" Julie exclaimed, throwing her arms around Ryan's as he squirmed with great discomfort. "How are you?" She let go instantly, beaming down at him in the doorway of her mansion.
"Good. You?" He found it best to converse with Marissa's mom in as minimal vocabulary was possible.
"Great!" Julie flashed him a over exaggerative grin, to display how 'great' she was. "Marissa's in her room." She winked at him, eerily, before abruptly turning off to god knows where.
Ryan shuddered at Julie's departure and ran up the stairs to Marissa's room.
"Knock, knock." He called at the open door, peering inside to see Marissa unpacking her clothes from a duffel bag. She looked up at him, smiling at his sudden appearance, but her smile seemed sad as well. "Now, don't get all excited." Ryan laughed, sitting on an empty spot on her bed.
"Sorry." She sighed, daintily sitting next to him. "Seeing Summer like that kind of bummed me out." He wrapped his arm around her, in a consoling way.
"Why did she leave, Marissa?" He asked gently, trying his best not to sound nosy.
Marissa stared at him, biting her lip, fighting with herself on what to say until she lowered her voice and said, "Family issues." She had decided this was ambiguous enough to tell Ryan, without betraying Summer's trust.
"Oh." Ryan pushed on, "What kind of family issues?"
"The parental kind." She blurted quickly, as if this was rehearsed. But she said it all guilt free, because she wasn't exactly lying. Ryan sighed, giving up. He shouldn't pry too much, because whatever did happen to Summer, she didn't want Seth to know.
Julie had happened to be walking past Marissa's bedroom. Ok, that was BS. She had walked by to check if that poor shmuck was making any moves on her daughter, or vice versa. Thankfully, for her benefit, they were only talking. But their conversation was very intriguing to Julie's ears and she practically giggled with excitement as she swiftly walked back to Caleb's study, where he was hovering over some papers.
"Ryan and Marissa are discussing Summer's little problem." Julie whispered evilly, sliding into one of the empty chairs.
Caleb looked up from his work, smiling at her visit. "Now, Jules, it's not nice to eavesdrop." He quickly jotted down something on a paper. "Isn't Summer the one who went out with Seth?"
"The door was open!" She exclaimed, as if that was a justified excuse. "And, yes, that's the slut." She leaned over to Caleb, whispering into his ear. "I really don't want my Marissa to be friends with that hussy!"
"Well, dear, we can't decide who our children socialize with. Look at who Kirsten married. God knows I never approved of that hippie, Sandy." Caleb chuckled bitterly. Julie smiled, placing her arm on his knee to grab his attention, which it did.
"Did you also know that your very own daughter is practically harboring that mishap, Summer?" Julie cackled at Caleb's confused expression. "Oh, Caleb. How do you think Summer found an apartment so fast with no money?"
"The same way Jimmy did." Caleb concluded, rubbing the temples of his forehead.
"Exactly." Julie kissed Caleb's throbbing forhead. "If only someone who had some authority over Kirsten could express to her the concerns of the town for Ms. Roberts." She stroked his thigh, gently.
"Kirsten has no intention of following any advice I give her, Jules."
"The least you can do is try." She said, strongly.
"Fine." Caleb gave in, kissing her cheek. "For you."
Julie clapped her hands with joy. "Now, how am I going to get rid of that Ryan character once and for all?"
Chapter 4: Evil Julie Cooper
She hadn't thought of Seth Cohen in practically forever. If forever meant two seconds, because that was a lie. Basically, she thought of him always. Everything she saw, everything she touched, everyone she met, reminded her of Seth Cohen. That was unavoidable in the beginning, when she first left UCLA, but she grown stronger, building walls so high that no thought of Seth Cohen could ever be reached. She'd push every reminiscent spark of a thought to the back of her mind, just as she had earlier when she wanted to ask Ryan if Seth was in Newport as well. Summer had stopped herself then, thankfully. She figured that if Seth were in Newport, Marissa would have mentioned it by now. At least, she hoped he wasn't home, as she climbed up the front steps of the Cohen's mansion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------
"Shit," Ryan muttered to himself, quickly standing up from his spot next to Seth on the couch. "I forgot my wallet in the car."
"It's a miracle you haven't lost your head yet." Seth said dryly, pausing the video game. It was amazing to him how the first thing him and Ryan do is not unpack, not take a swim, not chill with the parents, but play video games. Just like old times.
Ryan rolled his eyes jokingly, making his way to the door, where the doorbell rang before just as he reached it. He, being the closest to the door, opened it promptly.
"Summer." He stated in a surprised tone, a very loud tone. He looked back at the living room, where Seth's ears had perked up and he shuffled to get up quickly. On impulse, Ryan pushed himself between Summer and the door, shutting the door behind him, glancing back nervously. "What are you doing here?"
Summer shifted her feet, impatiently. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here." Ryan confirmed slowly, targeting his gaze at her, questioningly. "What are you doing here?" He repeated, clearly amused by her shifting feet.
Before Summer could reply, the front door opened quickly and Kirsten darted out, tiny Charlotte cooped up in her arms.
"Summer!" She squealed, nervously. "You're early!"
Ryan stared at them with a blank expression, confused and speechless, as Kirsten handed the tot to Summer, who embraced her, like . . . like a mother, thought Ryan.
"Thanks again, Kirsten." Summer nodded goodbye to Ryan, who along with Kirsten watched her leave.
"Care to explain?" Ryan demanded, crossing his arms sternly.
"No." Kirsten turned on her heels and opened the door, calling behind her. "And Seth doesn't need to know either."
Ryan almost went after her for answers, but instead made his way to the Cooper's, or was it the Nichols' now, to see someone who he was sure had some answers. Someone who happened to be his girlfriend.
"Who was that?" Seth attacked his mom as soon as she shut the door behind her.
"Charlotte's mother." Kirsten replied coolly.
"Ha." Seth laughed heartily, sliding into a chair in the kitchen as Kirsten put away clean dishes. "I could've sworn I heard Ryan say Summer's name when he answered the door." He eyed his mother wearily, trying to break her down.
Kirsten shrugged, shutting the dishwasher, clapping her hands at her motherly accomplishment, and went to go find Sandy, leaving Seth alone to wonder if he was just hearing things.
Seth sighed, something him and his crew seem to do a lot of lately. Did he just refer to Ryan and Marissa as his crew? He laughed out loud and sat back down at the paused screen of the video games. After a while of staring at the screen, he figured that somewhere between the Rover and the house, Ryan had gotten lost and would wind up with Marissa. At this realization, he grabbed the keys to the Rover, deciding to escape the cold, empty Cohen house and go down to the pier for a walk.
"Ryan!" Julie exclaimed, throwing her arms around Ryan's as he squirmed with great discomfort. "How are you?" She let go instantly, beaming down at him in the doorway of her mansion.
"Good. You?" He found it best to converse with Marissa's mom in as minimal vocabulary was possible.
"Great!" Julie flashed him a over exaggerative grin, to display how 'great' she was. "Marissa's in her room." She winked at him, eerily, before abruptly turning off to god knows where.
Ryan shuddered at Julie's departure and ran up the stairs to Marissa's room.
"Knock, knock." He called at the open door, peering inside to see Marissa unpacking her clothes from a duffel bag. She looked up at him, smiling at his sudden appearance, but her smile seemed sad as well. "Now, don't get all excited." Ryan laughed, sitting on an empty spot on her bed.
"Sorry." She sighed, daintily sitting next to him. "Seeing Summer like that kind of bummed me out." He wrapped his arm around her, in a consoling way.
"Why did she leave, Marissa?" He asked gently, trying his best not to sound nosy.
Marissa stared at him, biting her lip, fighting with herself on what to say until she lowered her voice and said, "Family issues." She had decided this was ambiguous enough to tell Ryan, without betraying Summer's trust.
"Oh." Ryan pushed on, "What kind of family issues?"
"The parental kind." She blurted quickly, as if this was rehearsed. But she said it all guilt free, because she wasn't exactly lying. Ryan sighed, giving up. He shouldn't pry too much, because whatever did happen to Summer, she didn't want Seth to know.
Julie had happened to be walking past Marissa's bedroom. Ok, that was BS. She had walked by to check if that poor shmuck was making any moves on her daughter, or vice versa. Thankfully, for her benefit, they were only talking. But their conversation was very intriguing to Julie's ears and she practically giggled with excitement as she swiftly walked back to Caleb's study, where he was hovering over some papers.
"Ryan and Marissa are discussing Summer's little problem." Julie whispered evilly, sliding into one of the empty chairs.
Caleb looked up from his work, smiling at her visit. "Now, Jules, it's not nice to eavesdrop." He quickly jotted down something on a paper. "Isn't Summer the one who went out with Seth?"
"The door was open!" She exclaimed, as if that was a justified excuse. "And, yes, that's the slut." She leaned over to Caleb, whispering into his ear. "I really don't want my Marissa to be friends with that hussy!"
"Well, dear, we can't decide who our children socialize with. Look at who Kirsten married. God knows I never approved of that hippie, Sandy." Caleb chuckled bitterly. Julie smiled, placing her arm on his knee to grab his attention, which it did.
"Did you also know that your very own daughter is practically harboring that mishap, Summer?" Julie cackled at Caleb's confused expression. "Oh, Caleb. How do you think Summer found an apartment so fast with no money?"
"The same way Jimmy did." Caleb concluded, rubbing the temples of his forehead.
"Exactly." Julie kissed Caleb's throbbing forhead. "If only someone who had some authority over Kirsten could express to her the concerns of the town for Ms. Roberts." She stroked his thigh, gently.
"Kirsten has no intention of following any advice I give her, Jules."
"The least you can do is try." She said, strongly.
"Fine." Caleb gave in, kissing her cheek. "For you."
Julie clapped her hands with joy. "Now, how am I going to get rid of that Ryan character once and for all?"