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Chapter 11: Disaster
"I thought you said you wanted to talk." Seth spat out, rubbing the temples of his forehead in order to avoid looking back up at Summer, who was sitting across from him, very still.
"I do."
"Then," Seth said, leaning back in the armchair. "Talk."
"This is kind of hard for me," Summer's eyes wilted at his avoiding eyes.
"Good." Seth rolled his eyes, attempting to at least seem bitter when all his emotions were urging that he kiss Summer's pouting lips.
"Seth," Summer's voice pleaded. He finally let his eyes focus in on hers, and she lowered her eyes, persuasively.
"Well, I have some questions." He let out a smile, trying to be friendly towards her. She smiled back, leaning against the couch, praying that his sudden force of niceness would last a little longer. It was just plain easier for her.
"I have answers." Summer nodded for him to ask away.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Seth began, his smile fading with his words, "Why didn't you tell me about her?" He nodded his head towards Charlotte's bedroom.
"I didn't want you to do something stupid." Summer blurted out quickly. She had wanted to tell him this for so long.
How she did it FOR him, not to hurt him.
"I didn't want you to drop out or anything like that. I," She began to tear, but fought back. "I wanted you to finish school because I knew that if you knew about Charlie you would want to resume responsibility. And I couldn't let you throw your life away because of my mistakes." She sighed, relieved to get all of this off her chest.
"So, instead, you threw away your own life?" Seth said, reeling back from this explanation. Her words only pressed his need to forgive and forget Summer onward. In reflection, it all seemed so sweet to him. So noble.
"I didn't have much of a choice." Summer sighed. "In the beginning, I was going to get an abortion, and tell you afterwards." She wasn't surprised as Seth's eyes bulged out. "But I knew you would be so disappointed in me if I did that. And I didn't want to use that option, but I was young and I didn't know what else to do. So, I ran away."
"Wow." Seth leaned back, letting her words sink into him slowly. He wasn't sure what to think about Summer anymore. A few hours ago, he hated her for everything she had done to him. But now, watching her confess, seeing how much she had grown up, he had never wanted her more.
"I'm so sorry, Seth," She started to bawl, "I never should have left you."
Seth looked at her, furrowing his brow furiously with concern and love. She had been holding this all in for so long. She had sacrificed so much, just so that he would have a good future. He looked around her small apartment, laughing almost. Who ever could have predicted that Summer Roberts would end up like this?
"I bumped into Nicole on the pier." Seth said quickly and Summer popped her head up in response.
"How is she?" Summer rolled her eyes bitterly.
"Why didn't you go to your parents, Summer?"
"I did." She replied calmly. "That was the first place I went. I told them I was super stressed from school and needed a break. They felt – so bad," She laughed sarcastically, "But then a few months into the pregnancy Nicole called my dad, complaining that I was getting fat and it ruined her image as a Newport bitch. He came home from," She squinted. "Berlin? Anyway, he kicked me out when I told him I was pregnant, not fat."
"Prick." Seth said softly, kicking the chair slightly.
"Yeah, well. He told me that I was going to be an 'unnecessary eyesore' for the Robert's family reputation."
"Prick." Seth offered again, smiling.
"So, after that," Summer smiled back, "I stayed at this seedy motel until I was six months in. And somehow, my heart directed me to your mom."
"I'm glad you went to her." Seth said, calmly, moving to the couch and sitting right next to Summer, causing her heart to race with nerves.
"She's amazing, Seth. She has helped me out so much. And," Summer cautioned herself, fanning away what she could have almost revealed. "You're lucky you have such amazing parents." Her eyes became distant and Seth frowned a little at her saddening face.
"Well," Seth said happily, "Now you know how you should treat Charlotte."
Summer smiled, moving her hand closer to his side. All she wanted was for him to hug her, to make everything that had happened go away.
He leaned in, closing in on her lips, but she jumped up hastily. Her brain was over riding her heart and she announced, "I have to go the bathroom."
Seth just watched her walk away slowly to the bathroom and sighed, leaning back and frowning over what was happening all over again between him and Summer.
*********
"Kirsten, answer the door." Julie commanded.
Instead, Ryan's face appeared from the other side, but this was just as good for Julie.
"Oh, hey Mrs. Cooper."
"It's Nichol." Julie frowned, but then remembered to keep up her act and smiled gently, "Just to let you know, sweetie."
"Sorry, hey Mrs. Nichol." Ryan smiled back, flakily. "Looking for Marissa?"
"No." Julie said, sauntering into the Cohen's foyer, Ryan closing the door behind her.
"I wanted to talk to Kirsten, actually. Is she around?"
"What do you want, Julie?" Kirsten called from the top of the stairs and came down slowly.
Ryan quickly slipped into the kitchen to grab Marissa and head to the pool house. He hated being around the Kirsten and Julie tension.
"Kirsten, darling," Julie smiled, sitting down on a couch, crossing her legs smoothly.
"Don't you 'darling' me." Kirsten felt like ripping out all of Julie's overly dyed hair, but instead, sat down by the minibar, pouring herself a drink.
"I see you're still an alcoholic." Julie chimed.
"I see you're still an evil bitch." Kirsten said, raising her glass to an unimpressed Julie Cooper.
"Anyway," Julie subsided this. "I came over to apologize for Caleb's rude behavior before."
Kirsten laughed at this attempt of an apology, muttering between sips of her Merlot, "If my father wants to apologize, he can come over and do so himself."
"You know how he is, Kiki." Julie let out an overly exaggerated smile, beaming up at Kirsten, who rolled her eyes in response.
"Ok, first of all, don't call me," Kirsten swallowed down some of her anger, carefully pronouncing her words with utter disgust, ". . .Kiki. Secondly, I don't really know what you are up to, Julie, but I'm onto you." Kirsten moved in closer, pleased that the effect of her drink was sinking into her blood.
"I think I should go before you pass out," Julie said sweetly, standing up, "Kiki." She said this with such accentuated effort, that Kirsten wanted to punch her a la Ryan, right there in the Cohen's living room, but instead, taking another sip, Kirsten laughed it off.
"Good idea," Kirsten cackled, pushing Julie towards the door. "Ju-Ju."
Julie's frown at Caleb's little pet name made Kirsten only laugh more, as she lazily opened the door, practically pushing the pissed off Julie Cooper out of her home.
"I'll see you for dinner tomorrow night?" Julie asked, sauntering out the door. She quickly turned on her heels before Kirsten slammed the door shut. "I hope you don't mind if Marissa brings Summer along."
Kirsten nodded, skeptically, giving the ok. Kirsten was planning on inviting Summer anyway, since she knew she would be all alone and everything was now out in the open with Seth.
"And I guess that means her," Julie whispered, " . . .child, will be there as well."
Kirsten rolled her eyes at Julie, who, swaying her hips and applauding herself on such great executions of her plan, walked towards her own mansion.
Kirsten slammed the door, then leaned against it, taking a long sip of her Merlot.
Julie Cooper was up to something.
And it involved Summer.
Didn't matter who it involved really, because Julie had it out for all the Cohen's, especially Kirsten. Kirsten felt her stomach jumble a little bit at this, but ignored it, thinking that maybe she should pause on the drinking.
Placing her champagne glass down on the kitchen counter, Kirsten walked off towards the pool house searching for the one person who knew Julie the best. Her daughter.
******
Summer zipped up her jeans quickly and walked over to the sink of the tiny, dingy bathroom of her apartment. She looked in the mirror quickly as she washed her hands, noting the dryness of her skin and how chapped her lips were. She smoothed some chapstick over her lips, in case Seth decided to lean in like that again.
Summer heard a huge rumble come from underneath her, and for once, it wasn't her own nervous stomach. Her wide eyes slowly moved to the toilet, which was making all sorts of noises.
"Not again." Summer muttered. Everything in this apartment was faulty. Summer had to learn how to unclog a toilet, clean a shower drain, use an oven. It was horrible. But at the same time, it gave her this amazing independence that she never had before. She finally felt like she was a real person, just your average joe.
Another spew of noises from the toilet and Summer sighed, grabbing the plunger.
"Summer?" Seth knocked on the door, "Are you ok?"
Summer opened the door slowly, facing Seth, whose stature practically towered hers.
"I'm fine. Can't say the same for the plumbing." Summer held out the plunger in front of her as if it were a weapon and she lifted the toilet seat up.
"I have to see this." Seth laughed. "Summer, unclogging a toilet."
"Shut up, Cohen." Summer laughed, the words sounding so strange, but familiar to her all at the same time.
Seth simply grinned at her as she got down on her knees and started to pump the plunger into the toilet, in and out, in and out. The toilet made a large, exploding sound which made Summer and Seth both jump.
"It does this all the time." Summer sighed. She was about to plunge again, Seth looking on from the safety of the doorway, when all of a sudden the toilet actually DID explode, right in front of her face.
A huge sprout of water jammed right up into Summer's face, pushing her backwards, slipping all over the place until she landed on her ass, looking absolutely horrified and embarrassed.
The water died down, and the toilet flushed and Summer looked at Seth and started to cry, but it slowly turned into a drowning laugh and he laughed along with her, wondering how Summer Roberts had turned into such a soft, loveable girl. Ok, she always was loveable to him, but now she was, broken. It made her so much more appealing. He could finally be her white knight.
"Mommy!" A disgruntled voice called from Charlotte's bedroom, causing Summer to quickly jump up, only to fall again. Her clothes were soaked, and considering she was wearing a fairly light tee shirt, she had to cover up her chest with her arms, as to not give any free shows to Seth.
"I'll get her." Seth replied, reading her mind. "You clean up." He shook his head, laughing at the sight of wet Summer, although it turned him on slightly, walking over to Charlotte's room.
"Seth," Summer finally had managed to crawl out of the bathroom without causing more damage to her behind. "Charlotte's really particular, she doesn't really like when other people pick her up," Summer shut herself up as Seth emerged from Charlotte's bedroom, carrying the girl in his arms. Summer tilted her head down, as she blushed. He was so good with her, it was amazing.
"What were you saying?" Seth said, Charlotte tapping his nose with her tiny fingers.
"I have never seen her attach to someone so quickly."
"I'm not just anyone, am I?" Seth tapped Charlotte's nose back.
"No, you're not." Summer smiled, Seth looking deep into her eyes, searching still for the old Summer to reemerge.
"Mommy, you look dirty!" Charlotte laughed at the sight of her mother's wrecked appearance.
Summer blushed slightly, remembering her soaked outfit, in toilet water, none the less, heading off to her bedroom to grab some clothes to change into. She shut her door slightly, but left it open a crack, at least large enough of a gap to hear Seth's words to Charlotte.
"No, Charlotte." Seth corrected the toddler. "Your Mommy looks beautiful."
Chapter 11: Disaster
"I thought you said you wanted to talk." Seth spat out, rubbing the temples of his forehead in order to avoid looking back up at Summer, who was sitting across from him, very still.
"I do."
"Then," Seth said, leaning back in the armchair. "Talk."
"This is kind of hard for me," Summer's eyes wilted at his avoiding eyes.
"Good." Seth rolled his eyes, attempting to at least seem bitter when all his emotions were urging that he kiss Summer's pouting lips.
"Seth," Summer's voice pleaded. He finally let his eyes focus in on hers, and she lowered her eyes, persuasively.
"Well, I have some questions." He let out a smile, trying to be friendly towards her. She smiled back, leaning against the couch, praying that his sudden force of niceness would last a little longer. It was just plain easier for her.
"I have answers." Summer nodded for him to ask away.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Seth began, his smile fading with his words, "Why didn't you tell me about her?" He nodded his head towards Charlotte's bedroom.
"I didn't want you to do something stupid." Summer blurted out quickly. She had wanted to tell him this for so long.
How she did it FOR him, not to hurt him.
"I didn't want you to drop out or anything like that. I," She began to tear, but fought back. "I wanted you to finish school because I knew that if you knew about Charlie you would want to resume responsibility. And I couldn't let you throw your life away because of my mistakes." She sighed, relieved to get all of this off her chest.
"So, instead, you threw away your own life?" Seth said, reeling back from this explanation. Her words only pressed his need to forgive and forget Summer onward. In reflection, it all seemed so sweet to him. So noble.
"I didn't have much of a choice." Summer sighed. "In the beginning, I was going to get an abortion, and tell you afterwards." She wasn't surprised as Seth's eyes bulged out. "But I knew you would be so disappointed in me if I did that. And I didn't want to use that option, but I was young and I didn't know what else to do. So, I ran away."
"Wow." Seth leaned back, letting her words sink into him slowly. He wasn't sure what to think about Summer anymore. A few hours ago, he hated her for everything she had done to him. But now, watching her confess, seeing how much she had grown up, he had never wanted her more.
"I'm so sorry, Seth," She started to bawl, "I never should have left you."
Seth looked at her, furrowing his brow furiously with concern and love. She had been holding this all in for so long. She had sacrificed so much, just so that he would have a good future. He looked around her small apartment, laughing almost. Who ever could have predicted that Summer Roberts would end up like this?
"I bumped into Nicole on the pier." Seth said quickly and Summer popped her head up in response.
"How is she?" Summer rolled her eyes bitterly.
"Why didn't you go to your parents, Summer?"
"I did." She replied calmly. "That was the first place I went. I told them I was super stressed from school and needed a break. They felt – so bad," She laughed sarcastically, "But then a few months into the pregnancy Nicole called my dad, complaining that I was getting fat and it ruined her image as a Newport bitch. He came home from," She squinted. "Berlin? Anyway, he kicked me out when I told him I was pregnant, not fat."
"Prick." Seth said softly, kicking the chair slightly.
"Yeah, well. He told me that I was going to be an 'unnecessary eyesore' for the Robert's family reputation."
"Prick." Seth offered again, smiling.
"So, after that," Summer smiled back, "I stayed at this seedy motel until I was six months in. And somehow, my heart directed me to your mom."
"I'm glad you went to her." Seth said, calmly, moving to the couch and sitting right next to Summer, causing her heart to race with nerves.
"She's amazing, Seth. She has helped me out so much. And," Summer cautioned herself, fanning away what she could have almost revealed. "You're lucky you have such amazing parents." Her eyes became distant and Seth frowned a little at her saddening face.
"Well," Seth said happily, "Now you know how you should treat Charlotte."
Summer smiled, moving her hand closer to his side. All she wanted was for him to hug her, to make everything that had happened go away.
He leaned in, closing in on her lips, but she jumped up hastily. Her brain was over riding her heart and she announced, "I have to go the bathroom."
Seth just watched her walk away slowly to the bathroom and sighed, leaning back and frowning over what was happening all over again between him and Summer.
*********
"Kirsten, answer the door." Julie commanded.
Instead, Ryan's face appeared from the other side, but this was just as good for Julie.
"Oh, hey Mrs. Cooper."
"It's Nichol." Julie frowned, but then remembered to keep up her act and smiled gently, "Just to let you know, sweetie."
"Sorry, hey Mrs. Nichol." Ryan smiled back, flakily. "Looking for Marissa?"
"No." Julie said, sauntering into the Cohen's foyer, Ryan closing the door behind her.
"I wanted to talk to Kirsten, actually. Is she around?"
"What do you want, Julie?" Kirsten called from the top of the stairs and came down slowly.
Ryan quickly slipped into the kitchen to grab Marissa and head to the pool house. He hated being around the Kirsten and Julie tension.
"Kirsten, darling," Julie smiled, sitting down on a couch, crossing her legs smoothly.
"Don't you 'darling' me." Kirsten felt like ripping out all of Julie's overly dyed hair, but instead, sat down by the minibar, pouring herself a drink.
"I see you're still an alcoholic." Julie chimed.
"I see you're still an evil bitch." Kirsten said, raising her glass to an unimpressed Julie Cooper.
"Anyway," Julie subsided this. "I came over to apologize for Caleb's rude behavior before."
Kirsten laughed at this attempt of an apology, muttering between sips of her Merlot, "If my father wants to apologize, he can come over and do so himself."
"You know how he is, Kiki." Julie let out an overly exaggerated smile, beaming up at Kirsten, who rolled her eyes in response.
"Ok, first of all, don't call me," Kirsten swallowed down some of her anger, carefully pronouncing her words with utter disgust, ". . .Kiki. Secondly, I don't really know what you are up to, Julie, but I'm onto you." Kirsten moved in closer, pleased that the effect of her drink was sinking into her blood.
"I think I should go before you pass out," Julie said sweetly, standing up, "Kiki." She said this with such accentuated effort, that Kirsten wanted to punch her a la Ryan, right there in the Cohen's living room, but instead, taking another sip, Kirsten laughed it off.
"Good idea," Kirsten cackled, pushing Julie towards the door. "Ju-Ju."
Julie's frown at Caleb's little pet name made Kirsten only laugh more, as she lazily opened the door, practically pushing the pissed off Julie Cooper out of her home.
"I'll see you for dinner tomorrow night?" Julie asked, sauntering out the door. She quickly turned on her heels before Kirsten slammed the door shut. "I hope you don't mind if Marissa brings Summer along."
Kirsten nodded, skeptically, giving the ok. Kirsten was planning on inviting Summer anyway, since she knew she would be all alone and everything was now out in the open with Seth.
"And I guess that means her," Julie whispered, " . . .child, will be there as well."
Kirsten rolled her eyes at Julie, who, swaying her hips and applauding herself on such great executions of her plan, walked towards her own mansion.
Kirsten slammed the door, then leaned against it, taking a long sip of her Merlot.
Julie Cooper was up to something.
And it involved Summer.
Didn't matter who it involved really, because Julie had it out for all the Cohen's, especially Kirsten. Kirsten felt her stomach jumble a little bit at this, but ignored it, thinking that maybe she should pause on the drinking.
Placing her champagne glass down on the kitchen counter, Kirsten walked off towards the pool house searching for the one person who knew Julie the best. Her daughter.
******
Summer zipped up her jeans quickly and walked over to the sink of the tiny, dingy bathroom of her apartment. She looked in the mirror quickly as she washed her hands, noting the dryness of her skin and how chapped her lips were. She smoothed some chapstick over her lips, in case Seth decided to lean in like that again.
Summer heard a huge rumble come from underneath her, and for once, it wasn't her own nervous stomach. Her wide eyes slowly moved to the toilet, which was making all sorts of noises.
"Not again." Summer muttered. Everything in this apartment was faulty. Summer had to learn how to unclog a toilet, clean a shower drain, use an oven. It was horrible. But at the same time, it gave her this amazing independence that she never had before. She finally felt like she was a real person, just your average joe.
Another spew of noises from the toilet and Summer sighed, grabbing the plunger.
"Summer?" Seth knocked on the door, "Are you ok?"
Summer opened the door slowly, facing Seth, whose stature practically towered hers.
"I'm fine. Can't say the same for the plumbing." Summer held out the plunger in front of her as if it were a weapon and she lifted the toilet seat up.
"I have to see this." Seth laughed. "Summer, unclogging a toilet."
"Shut up, Cohen." Summer laughed, the words sounding so strange, but familiar to her all at the same time.
Seth simply grinned at her as she got down on her knees and started to pump the plunger into the toilet, in and out, in and out. The toilet made a large, exploding sound which made Summer and Seth both jump.
"It does this all the time." Summer sighed. She was about to plunge again, Seth looking on from the safety of the doorway, when all of a sudden the toilet actually DID explode, right in front of her face.
A huge sprout of water jammed right up into Summer's face, pushing her backwards, slipping all over the place until she landed on her ass, looking absolutely horrified and embarrassed.
The water died down, and the toilet flushed and Summer looked at Seth and started to cry, but it slowly turned into a drowning laugh and he laughed along with her, wondering how Summer Roberts had turned into such a soft, loveable girl. Ok, she always was loveable to him, but now she was, broken. It made her so much more appealing. He could finally be her white knight.
"Mommy!" A disgruntled voice called from Charlotte's bedroom, causing Summer to quickly jump up, only to fall again. Her clothes were soaked, and considering she was wearing a fairly light tee shirt, she had to cover up her chest with her arms, as to not give any free shows to Seth.
"I'll get her." Seth replied, reading her mind. "You clean up." He shook his head, laughing at the sight of wet Summer, although it turned him on slightly, walking over to Charlotte's room.
"Seth," Summer finally had managed to crawl out of the bathroom without causing more damage to her behind. "Charlotte's really particular, she doesn't really like when other people pick her up," Summer shut herself up as Seth emerged from Charlotte's bedroom, carrying the girl in his arms. Summer tilted her head down, as she blushed. He was so good with her, it was amazing.
"What were you saying?" Seth said, Charlotte tapping his nose with her tiny fingers.
"I have never seen her attach to someone so quickly."
"I'm not just anyone, am I?" Seth tapped Charlotte's nose back.
"No, you're not." Summer smiled, Seth looking deep into her eyes, searching still for the old Summer to reemerge.
"Mommy, you look dirty!" Charlotte laughed at the sight of her mother's wrecked appearance.
Summer blushed slightly, remembering her soaked outfit, in toilet water, none the less, heading off to her bedroom to grab some clothes to change into. She shut her door slightly, but left it open a crack, at least large enough of a gap to hear Seth's words to Charlotte.
"No, Charlotte." Seth corrected the toddler. "Your Mommy looks beautiful."