A/N: OK. LISTEN TO ME. THIS IS FICTION. COMPLETE FICTION. Secondly - I know
that right now it seems that Kirsten not telling Seth about Summer is
ludicrous, but I swear, all will be explained and it will make some sort of
sense. By the way, I don' know about your parents, but my parents keep
secrets from me in order to protect me *hint hint*. Lastly, I had said that
this would be a dramatic story, meaning like a soap opera. in the first
chapter. So. yea. For everyone who gave nice reviews, thanks! And..this
story is supposed to be the kind where you have to figure things out
slowly. I'm dragging it out purposely. Thanks, and keep reviewing!
Chapter 7: Kirsten Comes Clean
Summer rocked back and forth to the beat of the radio propped up on the washing machine. Charlotte was sitting on top of the counter in the tiny, dim laundry room of their apartment building, playing around with Summer's bag of laundry quarters. Summer kept glancing down at her watch, making sure she didn't spend too much time down here, because Marissa was on her way.
Summer awoke from her daze at the loud beeping of the dryer, reminding her that it was done. Charlotte had also looked up and Summer tapped her nose and started piling their clean clothes into her laundry basket.
"Come on, Charlie!" Summer smiled at her, picking her up and placing her down on the floor. Charlotte waddled in front of her, towards their apartment, Summer following suit, dragging the overfilled laundry basket. Summer unlocked the apartment door, as Charlotte leaned against her leg. Swinging the door open, Charlotte charged in, running to the couch in the living room, grabbing her dolls on the couch and instantly amusing herself.
Summer kicked the laundry basket into her bedroom, shutting the door so Marissa couldn't see the outrageous mess in there, and went to the kitchen to microwave some pasta she had brought back from the Crab Shack for dinner. As she pressed down on the buttons of Kirsten's old microwave, she smiled to herself. Thank god for Kirsten Cohen. She could still remember that night she had went to Kirsten's, confused and lost.
Summer was six months pregnant, and had no where else to go. Her father, who shockingly didn't care about Summer or her baby, kicked her out of the house as soon as she had started to show and with the little money she had left, and the money she got from selling all her college books, she had been staying at a greasy motel on the outskirts of Newport. The only person who she had contact with was Coop, who called her at least once every day, to check up on her.
That night, Summer decided to take a drive through Newport, thinking back on her simple life back then. On impulse, she drove up his street. She knew he was back at UCLA and probably incredibly angry at her, but she didn't care. There had been a huge thunderstorm that night, no surprise to her, because it always rained when Summer was in trouble. No wonder California's rain levels have skyrocketed recently.
She had parked her car, back then she still had her Jaguar, right in front of the Cohen's house. The baby was kicking, but she paid no mind, as she stared up at the house, debating whether or not to knock on the door. Something was definitely missing from Summer's brain, as she ran through the rain to the Cohen's front door. The bell rang once, then twice, and she knew she had no escape. What was she going to say when Seth's parents opened the door? Oh hey, Mr. and Mrs. Cohen. I got knocked up and ditched your son, but I just came by to say what's up, oh, and maybe borrow twenty bucks, because, like, who knew babies were so expensive?
No, she obviously had to play it by ear, because she very well couldn't say that. The door opened slowly, and she sighed heavily in anticipation.
"Summer?" Seth's father, Sandy, had asked, confused. "Come in." He said, noticing her damp hair from the rain.
She stepped inside, smiling graciously, hugging herself tightly in Seth's old denim jacket. She wore it all the time. Well at least, when she first left, she did. Now, it was safely tucked in the back of her closet, along with everything else she had of Seth's.
"Summer?" Kirsten asked from the top of the stairs, flying down them like a madwoman. Summer winced at Kirsten's face, which was pretty angry looking. She knew Seth and his parents were pretty close, and that he probably informed them that Summer was MIA. Kirsten's anger faded as she laid eyes upon Summer's stomach, her eyes practically popping out. "How many months?" She stammered, leading Summer to the living room and sitting down on a couch with her. Sandy, showed some sort of concern, but left the women to talk and went to the kitchen.
"Six." Summer said, weeping. Why did she force herself to do things like this? She placed herself in such an awkward situation. "Kirsten, I didn't no where else to go. I have no one." She cried, placing her head in her hands, covering her tears.
Kirsten wrapped her arm around Summer, stroking her hair as she cried. "What about your parents?"
"They kicked me out." Summer sighed, wiping her eyes and looking up into Kirsten's sympathetic ones. "You can't tell Seth!"
"What?" Kirsten asked, surprised by this random command. "He's my son, Summer. And if this baby is his, then," She started, but Summer's head bobbled in interruptive reply.
"It's not his!" The tears rolled again, and she plunged herself into Kirsten's arms.
Kirsten stared at the girl in her arms, sadly. "Where are you staying, Summer?"
"Motel." Summer's words were muffled by Kirsten's arms, but Kirsten nodded in understanding.
"Listen," Kirsten lifted Summer off her shoulders, "You need to get a job. You need to get a place to live, I can help. But most importantly, you need to tell Seth."
"I can't," Summer began, her face red and throbbing from crying so much, "You don't understand, Kirsten."
"Then explain it to me."
"If I tell Seth about the baby, he'll feel responsible, whether he's the father or not. You know how stubborn he is! I can't risk Seth giving up his future because of my mistakes. I love him so much, Kirsten. I can't let him ruin his life because I ruined mine." Kirsten watched her with every word, only feeling more and more sorry for her. "Please don't tell him, Kirsten. You don't have to help me, I'll manage." She quickly stood up, but Kirsten wrapped her arms around her, forcing her down, engulfing her in a hug as Summer kept sobbing.
"I understand, Summer, but I can't lie to him."
"Then don't. Just don't say anything. Please, Kirsten. I have no one else. I have no one else. . ." She kept muttering. This was truly Summer's weakest moment. She had never relied on anyone, not even Seth. She never trusted anyone so much, not even Seth. But here she was, pouring her heart out to someone who was practically a stranger, begging for help.
Kirsten gulped her words down, guiltily. She couldn't lie to her son, but she had to help this poor girl. And it's not as if Summer's intentions aren't honorable. She was trying to protect Seth, trying to ensure he finished school. Kirsten nodded slowly, calming Summer down, "I won't tell him." She promised and Summer smiled softly, resting in Kirsten's embrace, feeling safe and secure for the first time in six months.
Kirsten smiled, happy that Summer had calmed down, but concerned. She knew that keeping something so important from Seth would hurt her and him in the long run, but she promised Summer. And Kirsten Cohen never breaks a promise. Yet, still, she couldn't help but think she was making a huge mistake by helping Summer without telling Seth? After all, he called almost every day, sounding completely miserable about her leaving him. If only he knew, but of course, now, as Kirsten helped Summer out of the house and to her car, she knew that it was too late to break her word to Summer. She saw the spark of hope back in Summer's eyes as she started her car, smiling as she drove away. Kirsten silently prayed that Summer would be alright, that she could help her in any way. But deep down in her heart, she knew she was making a mistake. After all, even Kirsten Cohen makes mistakes.
Summer sighed as she placed the pasta on three plates and she heard Marissa knock on her apartment door. Every time she thought of how dumb and young she was when she went to Kirsten. How she had manipulated Kirsten into lying to her son. How she had lied to Kirsten, herself. Summer sighed, glancing at Charlotte as she opened the door to greet Marissa, silently praying that Charlotte would never make the mistakes she had.
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"Seth!" Ryan shouted. He was on his way back from dropping Marissa's at Summer's, when he spotted Seth skating down the street.
"Hey." Seth called, sadly, as Ryan slowed down, approaching him.
"Need a ride?" Ryan asked, opening the door. Seth shrugged, throwing his board into the back as he climbed in and slammed the door.
"So guess what?" Seth said, crossing his arms in anger. Ryan waited for him to say whatever was bothering him. "Summer lives in Newport." Ryan winced. "And not only that, but my own mother, Ryan, my own mother got her an apartment! My mother has known where Summer is for the past two years."
"Maybe," Ryan said, learning this new information. "Maybe she has some sort of explanation." He knew Kirsten would never purposely lie to Seth, unless there was some valid excuse.
"I didn't stick around to ask." Seth laughed, bitterly.
"Seth," Ryan cleared his throat. "I never asked Marissa about Summer before today."
"Uh-huh. . ." Seth eyed, Ryan, his eyes scrutinizing Ryan's every word.
"I just dropped Marissa off at Summer's." Ryan said, calmly. He didn't care if he promised Marissa not to say anything. He wasn't going to lie to his best friend, when his own mother was already lying to him.
"Oh." Seth let this sink in. "Thanks, for being honest with me." Seth said, calmly, focusing on the Newport scenery that passed him by.
"There's more." Ryan said, shifting his eyes from Seth to the window in front of him. Seth nodded for him to continue.
"She's changed, Seth. A lot." Ryan said, biting his lip, unsure of exactly how much he should tell Seth himself.
"What does that mean?" Seth kicked the dashboard in front of him out of frustration.
"I think you should go to her." Ryan said, parking in the Cohen's driveway.
"That's genius." Seth said, hopping out of the car. "Ryan, I would if I had the strength to, but she left me. She obviously doesn't want me to know where she is, since she made my mom promise not to say anything. I can't just show up at her door, can I?"
Ryan gave him a look that made Seth's stomach rumble. He didn't know if he could stand to see Summer again. It might make all his hatred of her break down, and he didn't want to get hurt again.
"First off, I think you should talk to Kirsten. There has to be a reason she didn't tell you." Ryan said, walking towards the pool house.
"Well, she had mentioned something about promising Summer, like I said. But, I'm her son!" Seth screamed to him, whipping around as he heard the Cohen's front door open, a weak looking Kirsten smiling at him gently in the doorway.
"Seth, can we talk?" She asked, timidly.
"Whatever." Seth shrugged, waving goodbye to Ryan, who disappeared into the pool house. Seth trudged up to the house, passing by Kirsten, who shut the door behind him and pulled his arm gently, causing him to turn around and face her. In all his life, he had never seen his mother cry. But, it was obvious to him she had been crying. Her eyes were red and her skin was splotchy. Never, had he seen his mother look so weak. It almost reminded him of high school, that period of time when Summer was in denial of her feelings of him, and was crying every night to sleep over it. Every morning, her eyes looked just as Kirsten's looked at that moment. He hugged Kirsten, who just smiled awkwardly, trying to remember why she had promised Summer she wouldn't tell Seth in the first place. Seth pulled back, looking at Kirsten.
"What's Summer's address?" Seth demanded, more then asking.
"Seth, I--," She stopped herself, running over to her phonebook and pulling out a page. She handed it to him. "I'm sorry I never told you."
"I forgive you." He said, staring down at the paper.
"She was trying to protect you." Kirsten whispered.
"Protect me from what?" Seth demanded again, grabbing the keys to the Rover from the tiny candy dish in the foyer.
"You'll see." That was all Kirsten needed to say, realizing that Seth was going to go see Summer. "She's been through a lot, just," Seth glared at her, as if to say 'and I haven't?', "You know what? It's your life." Kirsten laughed, giving up and Seth kissed her cheek gently in appreciation, shoving the address into his pocket and running out the door. For the first time in two years, he was going to see Summer Roberts, the love of his life and he could barely hear his own thoughts over his rapid heartbeat.
Chapter 7: Kirsten Comes Clean
Summer rocked back and forth to the beat of the radio propped up on the washing machine. Charlotte was sitting on top of the counter in the tiny, dim laundry room of their apartment building, playing around with Summer's bag of laundry quarters. Summer kept glancing down at her watch, making sure she didn't spend too much time down here, because Marissa was on her way.
Summer awoke from her daze at the loud beeping of the dryer, reminding her that it was done. Charlotte had also looked up and Summer tapped her nose and started piling their clean clothes into her laundry basket.
"Come on, Charlie!" Summer smiled at her, picking her up and placing her down on the floor. Charlotte waddled in front of her, towards their apartment, Summer following suit, dragging the overfilled laundry basket. Summer unlocked the apartment door, as Charlotte leaned against her leg. Swinging the door open, Charlotte charged in, running to the couch in the living room, grabbing her dolls on the couch and instantly amusing herself.
Summer kicked the laundry basket into her bedroom, shutting the door so Marissa couldn't see the outrageous mess in there, and went to the kitchen to microwave some pasta she had brought back from the Crab Shack for dinner. As she pressed down on the buttons of Kirsten's old microwave, she smiled to herself. Thank god for Kirsten Cohen. She could still remember that night she had went to Kirsten's, confused and lost.
Summer was six months pregnant, and had no where else to go. Her father, who shockingly didn't care about Summer or her baby, kicked her out of the house as soon as she had started to show and with the little money she had left, and the money she got from selling all her college books, she had been staying at a greasy motel on the outskirts of Newport. The only person who she had contact with was Coop, who called her at least once every day, to check up on her.
That night, Summer decided to take a drive through Newport, thinking back on her simple life back then. On impulse, she drove up his street. She knew he was back at UCLA and probably incredibly angry at her, but she didn't care. There had been a huge thunderstorm that night, no surprise to her, because it always rained when Summer was in trouble. No wonder California's rain levels have skyrocketed recently.
She had parked her car, back then she still had her Jaguar, right in front of the Cohen's house. The baby was kicking, but she paid no mind, as she stared up at the house, debating whether or not to knock on the door. Something was definitely missing from Summer's brain, as she ran through the rain to the Cohen's front door. The bell rang once, then twice, and she knew she had no escape. What was she going to say when Seth's parents opened the door? Oh hey, Mr. and Mrs. Cohen. I got knocked up and ditched your son, but I just came by to say what's up, oh, and maybe borrow twenty bucks, because, like, who knew babies were so expensive?
No, she obviously had to play it by ear, because she very well couldn't say that. The door opened slowly, and she sighed heavily in anticipation.
"Summer?" Seth's father, Sandy, had asked, confused. "Come in." He said, noticing her damp hair from the rain.
She stepped inside, smiling graciously, hugging herself tightly in Seth's old denim jacket. She wore it all the time. Well at least, when she first left, she did. Now, it was safely tucked in the back of her closet, along with everything else she had of Seth's.
"Summer?" Kirsten asked from the top of the stairs, flying down them like a madwoman. Summer winced at Kirsten's face, which was pretty angry looking. She knew Seth and his parents were pretty close, and that he probably informed them that Summer was MIA. Kirsten's anger faded as she laid eyes upon Summer's stomach, her eyes practically popping out. "How many months?" She stammered, leading Summer to the living room and sitting down on a couch with her. Sandy, showed some sort of concern, but left the women to talk and went to the kitchen.
"Six." Summer said, weeping. Why did she force herself to do things like this? She placed herself in such an awkward situation. "Kirsten, I didn't no where else to go. I have no one." She cried, placing her head in her hands, covering her tears.
Kirsten wrapped her arm around Summer, stroking her hair as she cried. "What about your parents?"
"They kicked me out." Summer sighed, wiping her eyes and looking up into Kirsten's sympathetic ones. "You can't tell Seth!"
"What?" Kirsten asked, surprised by this random command. "He's my son, Summer. And if this baby is his, then," She started, but Summer's head bobbled in interruptive reply.
"It's not his!" The tears rolled again, and she plunged herself into Kirsten's arms.
Kirsten stared at the girl in her arms, sadly. "Where are you staying, Summer?"
"Motel." Summer's words were muffled by Kirsten's arms, but Kirsten nodded in understanding.
"Listen," Kirsten lifted Summer off her shoulders, "You need to get a job. You need to get a place to live, I can help. But most importantly, you need to tell Seth."
"I can't," Summer began, her face red and throbbing from crying so much, "You don't understand, Kirsten."
"Then explain it to me."
"If I tell Seth about the baby, he'll feel responsible, whether he's the father or not. You know how stubborn he is! I can't risk Seth giving up his future because of my mistakes. I love him so much, Kirsten. I can't let him ruin his life because I ruined mine." Kirsten watched her with every word, only feeling more and more sorry for her. "Please don't tell him, Kirsten. You don't have to help me, I'll manage." She quickly stood up, but Kirsten wrapped her arms around her, forcing her down, engulfing her in a hug as Summer kept sobbing.
"I understand, Summer, but I can't lie to him."
"Then don't. Just don't say anything. Please, Kirsten. I have no one else. I have no one else. . ." She kept muttering. This was truly Summer's weakest moment. She had never relied on anyone, not even Seth. She never trusted anyone so much, not even Seth. But here she was, pouring her heart out to someone who was practically a stranger, begging for help.
Kirsten gulped her words down, guiltily. She couldn't lie to her son, but she had to help this poor girl. And it's not as if Summer's intentions aren't honorable. She was trying to protect Seth, trying to ensure he finished school. Kirsten nodded slowly, calming Summer down, "I won't tell him." She promised and Summer smiled softly, resting in Kirsten's embrace, feeling safe and secure for the first time in six months.
Kirsten smiled, happy that Summer had calmed down, but concerned. She knew that keeping something so important from Seth would hurt her and him in the long run, but she promised Summer. And Kirsten Cohen never breaks a promise. Yet, still, she couldn't help but think she was making a huge mistake by helping Summer without telling Seth? After all, he called almost every day, sounding completely miserable about her leaving him. If only he knew, but of course, now, as Kirsten helped Summer out of the house and to her car, she knew that it was too late to break her word to Summer. She saw the spark of hope back in Summer's eyes as she started her car, smiling as she drove away. Kirsten silently prayed that Summer would be alright, that she could help her in any way. But deep down in her heart, she knew she was making a mistake. After all, even Kirsten Cohen makes mistakes.
Summer sighed as she placed the pasta on three plates and she heard Marissa knock on her apartment door. Every time she thought of how dumb and young she was when she went to Kirsten. How she had manipulated Kirsten into lying to her son. How she had lied to Kirsten, herself. Summer sighed, glancing at Charlotte as she opened the door to greet Marissa, silently praying that Charlotte would never make the mistakes she had.
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"Seth!" Ryan shouted. He was on his way back from dropping Marissa's at Summer's, when he spotted Seth skating down the street.
"Hey." Seth called, sadly, as Ryan slowed down, approaching him.
"Need a ride?" Ryan asked, opening the door. Seth shrugged, throwing his board into the back as he climbed in and slammed the door.
"So guess what?" Seth said, crossing his arms in anger. Ryan waited for him to say whatever was bothering him. "Summer lives in Newport." Ryan winced. "And not only that, but my own mother, Ryan, my own mother got her an apartment! My mother has known where Summer is for the past two years."
"Maybe," Ryan said, learning this new information. "Maybe she has some sort of explanation." He knew Kirsten would never purposely lie to Seth, unless there was some valid excuse.
"I didn't stick around to ask." Seth laughed, bitterly.
"Seth," Ryan cleared his throat. "I never asked Marissa about Summer before today."
"Uh-huh. . ." Seth eyed, Ryan, his eyes scrutinizing Ryan's every word.
"I just dropped Marissa off at Summer's." Ryan said, calmly. He didn't care if he promised Marissa not to say anything. He wasn't going to lie to his best friend, when his own mother was already lying to him.
"Oh." Seth let this sink in. "Thanks, for being honest with me." Seth said, calmly, focusing on the Newport scenery that passed him by.
"There's more." Ryan said, shifting his eyes from Seth to the window in front of him. Seth nodded for him to continue.
"She's changed, Seth. A lot." Ryan said, biting his lip, unsure of exactly how much he should tell Seth himself.
"What does that mean?" Seth kicked the dashboard in front of him out of frustration.
"I think you should go to her." Ryan said, parking in the Cohen's driveway.
"That's genius." Seth said, hopping out of the car. "Ryan, I would if I had the strength to, but she left me. She obviously doesn't want me to know where she is, since she made my mom promise not to say anything. I can't just show up at her door, can I?"
Ryan gave him a look that made Seth's stomach rumble. He didn't know if he could stand to see Summer again. It might make all his hatred of her break down, and he didn't want to get hurt again.
"First off, I think you should talk to Kirsten. There has to be a reason she didn't tell you." Ryan said, walking towards the pool house.
"Well, she had mentioned something about promising Summer, like I said. But, I'm her son!" Seth screamed to him, whipping around as he heard the Cohen's front door open, a weak looking Kirsten smiling at him gently in the doorway.
"Seth, can we talk?" She asked, timidly.
"Whatever." Seth shrugged, waving goodbye to Ryan, who disappeared into the pool house. Seth trudged up to the house, passing by Kirsten, who shut the door behind him and pulled his arm gently, causing him to turn around and face her. In all his life, he had never seen his mother cry. But, it was obvious to him she had been crying. Her eyes were red and her skin was splotchy. Never, had he seen his mother look so weak. It almost reminded him of high school, that period of time when Summer was in denial of her feelings of him, and was crying every night to sleep over it. Every morning, her eyes looked just as Kirsten's looked at that moment. He hugged Kirsten, who just smiled awkwardly, trying to remember why she had promised Summer she wouldn't tell Seth in the first place. Seth pulled back, looking at Kirsten.
"What's Summer's address?" Seth demanded, more then asking.
"Seth, I--," She stopped herself, running over to her phonebook and pulling out a page. She handed it to him. "I'm sorry I never told you."
"I forgive you." He said, staring down at the paper.
"She was trying to protect you." Kirsten whispered.
"Protect me from what?" Seth demanded again, grabbing the keys to the Rover from the tiny candy dish in the foyer.
"You'll see." That was all Kirsten needed to say, realizing that Seth was going to go see Summer. "She's been through a lot, just," Seth glared at her, as if to say 'and I haven't?', "You know what? It's your life." Kirsten laughed, giving up and Seth kissed her cheek gently in appreciation, shoving the address into his pocket and running out the door. For the first time in two years, he was going to see Summer Roberts, the love of his life and he could barely hear his own thoughts over his rapid heartbeat.