Cleaning out the Past

Chapter 4,

"Thanks for going back with me, I can't believe I forgot it." Seth rambled on from where he sat in the driver's seat.

"Yeah, it's okay… So was Anna mad you were gone all day?" Summer asked trying to sound casual.

"Hmm? Oh Anna, she wasn't there." Seth replied. Summer nodded as they turned into the apartment parking lot.

They both got out of the car and walked towards the doors they had exited through less than an hour before.

Seth pressed the up button on the elevator and they headed up.

Outside in the hall Summer dug through her purse to get the tiny silver key. She retrieved it and unlocked the door and they slid in.

All the lights were out and it was too dark to see. Summer fished around for a light switch while Seth walked towards the kitchen.

"Ouch!" He called out. Summer flipped the light switch and looked over to see Seth hopping up and down clutching his knee.

"What did you do?" Summer giggled approaching where he stood rubbing his leg.

"Banged it on that table." He replied, nodding his head towards an end table next to the sofa.

Summer smiled. "I'll get some ice." She crossed the now well-lit room to the freezer. She opened it up and pulled out an ice cube tray.

When cleaning earlier she had left ice and water in the fridge, just in case. She grabbed a tea towel from the box on the counter and wrapped several pieces up.

"Here." Summer thrust forward the make-do ice pack to Seth. He was sitting on the floor with his pant leg rolled up checking out the black and blue bruise, lined with blood.

"Ew." Summer mumbled turning away. Seth smiled up at her as he pressed the ice onto his cut.

"Summer, will you kiss it better?" Seth nagged from the floor in a joking voice.

"Fat chance, that's disgusting!" She replied sitting down on the floor next to him.

"Pretty please, with sugar on top?" He continued. Summer shook her head no again.

"Fine be a bitch." Seth pouted.

"Okay, I'll kiss it better." Summer all of a sudden spoke up. She leaned down to his leg.

"No, Summer, I was just joking, that's disgusting, get away from it." Seth said, tripping over his words.

"That's what I thought" she shrugged and sat up again. Seth let out a sigh of relief and pushed himself to a standing position. Summer followed and they both headed into the kitchen to find his wallet.

"Found it." Summer sang out as she picked up the tiny leather wallet off the breakfast nook.

"Thanks!" Seth said reaching for it from her hand.

"I didn't say I would give it to you…" She giggled holding it behind her back.

Seth looked down at her realizing what she had just said.

For a moment they both stood still, until Summer took off running down the hall, closely followed by Seth.

"Not fair, I'm injured!" Seth called as Summer slipped in to the unicorn paper room.

"Suck it up, you have a scratch" she replied holding the wallet above her head as Seth entered the room and turning the light on.

"The perks to being tall" he mumbled before reaching up and taking the wallet from her hand.

"That's cheating, asshole!" Summer yelled as Seth headed back out of the room, only to have Summer jump onto his back on his way out the door.

"God, get off me!" he said as he tried to shake her off.

"No way!" Summer answered clinging tightly to his shirt. Seth continued to try to shake her off until they got to the living room and he collapsed down onto the couch.

"Ouch, get off!" Summer shrieked, as Seth sat on her lap.

"No way!" he said imitating what she had said moments before.

"Come on!" She wined trying to push him off her lap. Since Seth wouldn't budge she leaned onto his shoulder and bit down as hard as she could, making Seth jump up, yelping in pain.

"Fuck you!" he screeched clutching his shoulder, red blood sinking through the gray material of his shirt.

Summer sat back and laughed as he shut his eyes, trying not to cry.

"That's what you get for being such a jackass!" Summer smiled straightening out her shirt.

"How bout we just say I win, and call it quits." She continued.

Seth looked up. "Good idea, other than the fact that you haven't won!" he jumped onto the couch pinning her down.

Little did Seth know was that Summer knew he would react like so and realized exactly what was going to happen.

Not being able to stop himself Seth leaned down and kissed her.

Summer kissed him back but pulled away.

"Seth, what about Anna?" Seth sat up releasing Summer.

"Oops?" he whispered.

******

In the car ride back to the hotel both of the teens were silent.

Once they parked Summer hopped out mumbling about wanting to take a shower, and Seth saying that Anna would be waiting for him.

Halfway through the parking lot Seth called Summer's name and she turned to see his solemn face.

"I won't tell if you don't" Seth called. Summer nodded and continued on.

In her room Summer began to fill up the bath tub, dumping in a capful of her favorite bubble-bath.

She wrapped in the big fluffy hotel towels and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. Once the water was just about to the brim she turned the handle off and stepped into the scorching water.

After half an hour of soaking deeper in to he tub Summer decided she was wrinkly enough and slid out wrapping in her towel once again. She stood before the mirror wiping off all the streaking make-up from the day and scrubbed her cheeks with cleanser, as she did every night.

After getting re-dressed in a football T-shirt and gray shorts she slid into the freshly made bed and clicked on the TV.

Summer flipped the channels over and over again, pausing every so often if it was a good music video on MTV, or to catch the tail end of American Idol.

Before long she dozed off cradling the remote in her hand the blankets pulled up to her waist.

*****

"So what did you guys do all day?" Anna nagged as she sat on the double bed while Seth watched Lord of the Rings on PPV.

"I already said, nothing, we cleaned her mom's apartment, then we went back to get my wallet." Seth said rolling his eyes. Since he'd gotten back all Anna could do was bug him about what he was up to throughout the day.

"Right, so what did you guys talk about?" Anna spoke, trying to sound casual. Seth rolled onto his back.

"I don't remember, we emptied fridge's and cupboards all day long!"

Anna frowned. "I just wanted to know what you were doing…" she began sticking out her lower lip.

"Well I just told you." Seth replied and turned back to his movie. Anna sat glaring at him for several seconds before standing up and crossing the room to the other bed.

"I'm going to sleep, turn that crap off soon." the blond demanded.

Seth nodded still glued to the screen.

After about twenty minutes Seth began to yawn. He turned over to see Anna fast asleep on the opposite bed. He glanced back at the digital alarm clock.

The numbers read 12:43; the red lines burned into his eyes. Seth turned back to the screen to see the closing scene and the credits popping up. Sighing he grabbed the remote and flicked off the TV, before pulling the blankets over himself.

He couldn't bring himself to move, so he ended up sleeping sideways, beneath fewer than half the blankets, with his feet hanging over the end.

*****

"Seth wake up!" Anna yelled. Seth sat up abruptly, only to slip off the end of the bed and fall to the carpeted floor with a thump.

Anna covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh. "Ouch!" Seth groaned leaning into the back of the armchair.

"Why did you wake me up?" He yawned.

"I want to go for breakfast, like before Summer wakes up, so we can have some like alone time…" Anna smiled as she tied her runners in a bow.

"Ah, I see, well I have to shower and brush my teeth, and do all that before we leave." Seth said standing up and walking to his suitcase.

In his hand he held his toothbrush, toothpaste, and some clothes to change into.

"So if you want to you can go check out the gift shops downstairs." Seth calmly spoke handing her the card key.

"Okay, hurry up though." She agreed and unlocked the door and slipped out. Seth waited a couple minutes before stepping into the bathroom to take a shower.

After cleaning up Seth dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue and white button down shirt. He slipped his converse all stars on and grabbed his phone and wallet off the dresser.

Outside he went and knocked on Summer's door.

She answered wearing a navy blue tank top and denim skirt. It looked as if she'd been up for a while.

"Hey Cohen, whatcha doing here?" She asked.

"W-well, I just wanted know what you were doing, me and Anna are going for lunch, I mean breakfast… wanna come?" He stuttered. Summer stood before him smiling.

"Actually I'm going to Disneyland today!" She explained, smile plastered to her face.

"The funeral's tomorrow, shouldn't we finish cleaning your mom's house?" Seth wondered aloud.

"No." Summer bluntly spoke.

"Okay then… Also, about yesterday, your not gonna tell Anna are you?" Seth looked down running his foot over the carpet nervously.

"No, at least not yet." Summer answered. Seth looked up horrified.

"You can't tell her, it would break her heart!" Seth pleaded.

"Break her heart." Summer chuckled. "Whatever, go have breakfast with precious Anna, I gotta go." Summer whispered taking her purse and key off the table by the door.

She pushed past Seth who stood plastered to the floor in front of Summer's room.

Downstairs in the lobby Summer sauntered out to the shuttle bus to Disneyland parking place. The wall notice read that the bus came every half-hour.

From where Summer sat on the park bench in the shade she saw Anna walking back to the hotel.

"Anna, hi!" Summer greeted when the blond got a little closer.

"Hi" she replied.

"Thanks a bunch for letting your boyfriend help me yesterday. You know Seth is very lucky to have such a trusting girlfriend like you, so generous to other peoples needs, always on time, so faithful. I wish all guys were like Seth." Summer spoke.

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked a little confused.

"Oh you know, oh there's my bus, see you later!" Summer climbed the three stairs on to the shuttle and sat down.

***Meanwhile upstairs****

"Anna, great you're back, ready for breakfast?" Seth greeted as Anna entered the room.

"What the hell happened at Summer's mom's house yesterday?" She demanded.

"I thought we went over this?" Seth asked a little nervous.

"Just tell me what happened, I won't get mad.

"Anna, I told you everything, we cleaned out the apartment. I swear!" Seth replied chewing his lip like mad. Anna didn't look convinced but agreed to go for breakfast anyway.

They headed down to the lobby, and walked to a small diner across the street from the hotel.

They sat down at the small table in the center of the room, and picked up their menus. Seth picked up the cream and poured three into his cup of coffee and added a couple packs of sugar. When their server came back they ordered their food and handed the menus back.

Seth continued stirring his coffee, and Anna stared transfixed at the dessert menu.

"So how was your walk?" Seth asked after several minutes.

Fine, why do you ask?" Anna replied as soon as Seth had finished speaking.

"Just wondering, see anything cool?" Seth again tried to make small talk.

"Just a couple stores and the bus to the theme parks." Anna answered now tracing a small carving in the table.

"Oh. I see." Seth said as he took a small sip of coffee.

"What happened to your shoulder?" Anna asked all of a sudden out of the blue.

"M-my shoulder? Oh nothing." Seth replied, self consciously running his hand over the sore spot.

"I'm sure, what happened to your knee?" Anna continued.

"That, oh I banged it on a table, and my shoulder I dropped a… something on it." Seth lied.

Anna raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"What? Oh a sharp thing…" Seth replied burning his sight into the empty coffee cup.

"Like a knife, or a piece of wood, or an axe?" She began to list off sharp things.

"That's it." Seth breathed.

"Which one?" Anna nagged.

"The uh… look our food is here."

"Which one?" Anna repeated.

"The uh, knife." Seth replied in an urgent voice.

"I have to go to the bathroom, excuse me." He stood from the table and jogged off towards the washrooms.

Inside he leaned over the sink, sweat coming off his brow. He looked pale so he turned the sink on and splashed cold water on his face. Seth stood before the mirror as if he were being judged.

He remembered back to the Rooney concert when Anna stood before him all flustered about how she hated liars.

Seth took several deep breaths before heading back to the table.

Anna was eating her pancakes in silence and didn't really acknowledge when Seth sat down across from her.

Seth began to dig in to his food, hoping he was off the hook when Anna spoke up.

"Did you kiss her?"

*******

Okay that was a really long chapter, anywho review as always, I LOVE reviews!