If You Can't Beat 'Em...(3/?: Verbal Sparring)
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.

~*~

"What is *wrong* with you?!" Seth exclaimed.

"*Me*?!" Summer sputtered. "*You're* the one that gets this nasty look in your eye every time I even open my mouth!"

"That's because nothing even *remotely* intelligent ever comes out of it!"

"Ex*cuse* me?"

Whoops. He'd gone a bit too far with that one. But dammit, the girl just pissed him off. Who the hell did she think she was?

Summer Roberts, that was who. And that was good enough for her.

"Sorry," he muttered. She looked away.

"You should be."

Awkward silence number three...

They were at the Crab Shack. Marissa had come to visit Ryan - the two had made up over the whole Oliver ordeal two weeks ago, when they had all returned from Palm Springs. So of *course*, she had brought Summer along. And of *course*, Seth and Anna had been there as well. So of *course*, Summer had plopped herself down at their table, stolen a sip of Seth's drink, and taken over. If it had been anyone else, Seth might have let it go. Maybe they hadn't seen Anna's death glares. Summer, however, had *definitely* seen them. In fact, she seemed to take them as a challenge, because the angrier Anna got, the more sugary-sweet Summer became. Finally, Anna had excused herself to go use the bathroom, giving Seth a look. Seth knew what that look meant. It meant: "She'd better be gone when I come back." So far, however, he wasn't having much luck convincing her to leave. May be it had something to do with that fact that, deep down, he didn't really *want* her to. Well, if at first you don't succeed...

"Maybe you should go," he suggested.

"Why should *I* go?" Summer countered. Seth shot her an incredulous look.

"You've gotta be kidding me." The look in her eyes, however, clearly told him that she was not. "We were here first! *You're* the one who decided to butt in and cause trouble."

"Explain to me how I'm 'causing trouble'. Because it seems to me like I'm just hanging out with two of my friends."

"There you go with that word again."

"What word?"

"*Friend*," Seth sneered.

"Are you implying that we're not friends?" Summer asked coldly.

"Hardly! You barely even look at me for the first sixteen years of my life, then all of the sudden, you're everywhere, kissing me and making me keep it a secret. When I finally decide to move on, though, you just can't handle it, so you purposefully try to sabotage it every time you see us alone together."

"Okay, first off, you're in one of the most popular hang-outs in the county. That hardly qualifies as being alone. And secondly - what if Ryan had wanted to hang out? You would have invited him to join you before he could even ask. Because he's your *friend*. How am I so different?"

"Ryan," Seth pointed out, "doesn't use the word 'friend' like it's a threat. You act like I'm hurting your feelings by dating Anna."

"How are you *not*?!"

"*You're* the one who wanted me to choose!"

"I *meant* to choose *me*!"

Seth hadn't even noticed until now that with every insult exchanged, they had instinctively leaned closer, to the point where when Summer uttered the word 'me', their lips brushed. His eyes widened, then closed.

"Shit," he muttered. No matter how strong his feelings for Anna were, he would never be able to resist Summer Roberts. Even this tiny little bit of contact sent shivers down his spine, tingles down his legs, butterflies to his stomach, and blood rushing to his groin. He felt himself shift imperceptibly, and her warm breath blew across his face. He licked his lips, but he should have known that that was a mistake, because in doing so, his tongue touched Summer's lips. She gasped, and his heart beat faster, and if either one of them was going to initiate this kiss, now would be the time to do it...

High-heeled shoes clicking across the concrete floor. Seth leapt backwards as if he had been burned, his breath ragged. Anna was coming, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Summer.

"Fuck," she said under her breath. Calmly, she picked up her purse and slid out of the booth, nodding at Anna as she headed out the door. Anna watched her go.

"You think she finally got the message?" she asked. Seth let out the breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding.

"Not likely," he responded.