Chapter 4: As the Long Winding Road Begins
A/N: You reviewers are amazing! There were so many! I love you guys! I'm not sure if this chap is that great, but hopefully it turned out ok. Also: I go back to school on Wednesday, so I won't be able to update as much. At least once a week though, I promise!
* * * Saturday Morning, at the Popover Café * * *
Ryan walked into the Popover, just like he had two mornings ago. This time, Summer was sitting down already as he sat down across from her. They both were clutching the invitation, not to mention another one for the engagement dinner that had come a day later. Summer was the first to open her mouth.
"You're late." She said, with a prim look on her face "I said 10 sharp. It's 10:00:46."
As if on cue, they both burst out into laughter.
"Sorry," Ryan started, "So, I guess we should talk about this..." He gestured at the invitations "You know, get the issue out there."
"Wow, you really have changed. The Ryan Atwood I knew would never offer to talk about anything! Still, we really do. Are you going to go? I still can't believe they had the nerve to invite you...us." She cringed, remembering the breakup at the end of senior year between her and Seth. She saw from Ryan's face that he was remembering the same thing.
***Flashback***
"Hey, Seth" Summer said as she walked up to him after school. It was the last day, and she was ready to par-tay!
"Summer." He stated, barely acknowledging her. Something was clearly wrong.
"What's wrong? Are you okay..." She began...
"No! You know what, I'm not okay. Not in the least. Is this a one sided relationship? I feel like I'm the only one trying. Its like I'm not even there! Sure, at first you would be all affectionate, great in public, but once you and Marissa became popular again, it's like I'm dirt! Do you really think you can ignore me and then come to me after school, acting like everything's fine? Well you can't!" He was yelling...and everyone around them was staring.
"Seth...maybe we should go talk about this in private. You're making a bit of a scene..." She trailed off mid-sentence.
"Don't you see that that's what this is all about? I'm just a public nuisance. I thought you really were accepting me, junior year...but now I see that it was all an act. You should go into acting Summer, you've done a good job of it with me!" The warm brown eyes she had so affectionately looked into before now were cold and full of hate. She knew now that he truly was hurt. But more mad than upset.
They finally walked off together into private, and although somewhat calmer, Seth was still yelling, full stream ahead. The last thing that happened was that he looked her in the eye and said "I can't believe I wasted 10 years of my life on you."
Summer was originally going to be sent away for the summer to her cousins in New York, so she left a few days early. She spoke on the phone with Coop the whole time, but never once thought of calling Seth, ever. When it came time to choose colleges, she immediately rejected Stanford, knowing that the old gang would be there. Instead, she headed down to Duke, leaving every trace of her past (besides the Seven jeans and Jimmy Choo stilettos) behind.
***End of Flashback***
Ryan looked up at Summer. "Were you just thinking of what I was thinking of?"
Summer looked right back at him. "Yeah." She plainly stated, "I was."
Ryan let her have a moment to linger on her thoughts, and then decided to get to the point of their brunch "So...do you want to do this? The wedding I mean. It won't be easy for either of us."
Summer sighed, weighing options in her head "Yeah...I think we should. It might be good for us." All of a sudden her face lit up "Wow! I just had, like, a great idea! We should so totally go together, looking, like, way amazing! That'll knock their socks off! It could actually be fun that way...well, more fun than it would be."
A classic Ryan Atwood smirk spread across his face. "Are you asking me out?"
Summer also felt herself smirking. "Maybe..." She trailed off into a smile.
"Well in that case, yes." Ryan said, "It would be more fun that way. I don't know if I could stand it otherwise."
"Ohmygosh, great!" Summer looked more excited than she should look about going to her ex's and best friend's wedding. All of a sudden it dawned on Ryan that he was way slower than he should have been. He anticipated the next lime, and sure enough it was said...
"That means we get to go shopping together! For like, two outfits! How great is that?!?!" She was practically bouncing off the walls now, and he didn't mind that much that it would mean shopping major with Summer Roberts. He didn't know what had changed, but it was for the better. Things were *almost* looking up.
* * *
Note: So how was that? Sorry if I was a bit repetitive in Summer's flashback as compared to Ryan's. Next chapter: They talk to Kirsten, and Summer takes Ryan to Barney's! Again, thanks for reading!
A/N: You reviewers are amazing! There were so many! I love you guys! I'm not sure if this chap is that great, but hopefully it turned out ok. Also: I go back to school on Wednesday, so I won't be able to update as much. At least once a week though, I promise!
* * * Saturday Morning, at the Popover Café * * *
Ryan walked into the Popover, just like he had two mornings ago. This time, Summer was sitting down already as he sat down across from her. They both were clutching the invitation, not to mention another one for the engagement dinner that had come a day later. Summer was the first to open her mouth.
"You're late." She said, with a prim look on her face "I said 10 sharp. It's 10:00:46."
As if on cue, they both burst out into laughter.
"Sorry," Ryan started, "So, I guess we should talk about this..." He gestured at the invitations "You know, get the issue out there."
"Wow, you really have changed. The Ryan Atwood I knew would never offer to talk about anything! Still, we really do. Are you going to go? I still can't believe they had the nerve to invite you...us." She cringed, remembering the breakup at the end of senior year between her and Seth. She saw from Ryan's face that he was remembering the same thing.
***Flashback***
"Hey, Seth" Summer said as she walked up to him after school. It was the last day, and she was ready to par-tay!
"Summer." He stated, barely acknowledging her. Something was clearly wrong.
"What's wrong? Are you okay..." She began...
"No! You know what, I'm not okay. Not in the least. Is this a one sided relationship? I feel like I'm the only one trying. Its like I'm not even there! Sure, at first you would be all affectionate, great in public, but once you and Marissa became popular again, it's like I'm dirt! Do you really think you can ignore me and then come to me after school, acting like everything's fine? Well you can't!" He was yelling...and everyone around them was staring.
"Seth...maybe we should go talk about this in private. You're making a bit of a scene..." She trailed off mid-sentence.
"Don't you see that that's what this is all about? I'm just a public nuisance. I thought you really were accepting me, junior year...but now I see that it was all an act. You should go into acting Summer, you've done a good job of it with me!" The warm brown eyes she had so affectionately looked into before now were cold and full of hate. She knew now that he truly was hurt. But more mad than upset.
They finally walked off together into private, and although somewhat calmer, Seth was still yelling, full stream ahead. The last thing that happened was that he looked her in the eye and said "I can't believe I wasted 10 years of my life on you."
Summer was originally going to be sent away for the summer to her cousins in New York, so she left a few days early. She spoke on the phone with Coop the whole time, but never once thought of calling Seth, ever. When it came time to choose colleges, she immediately rejected Stanford, knowing that the old gang would be there. Instead, she headed down to Duke, leaving every trace of her past (besides the Seven jeans and Jimmy Choo stilettos) behind.
***End of Flashback***
Ryan looked up at Summer. "Were you just thinking of what I was thinking of?"
Summer looked right back at him. "Yeah." She plainly stated, "I was."
Ryan let her have a moment to linger on her thoughts, and then decided to get to the point of their brunch "So...do you want to do this? The wedding I mean. It won't be easy for either of us."
Summer sighed, weighing options in her head "Yeah...I think we should. It might be good for us." All of a sudden her face lit up "Wow! I just had, like, a great idea! We should so totally go together, looking, like, way amazing! That'll knock their socks off! It could actually be fun that way...well, more fun than it would be."
A classic Ryan Atwood smirk spread across his face. "Are you asking me out?"
Summer also felt herself smirking. "Maybe..." She trailed off into a smile.
"Well in that case, yes." Ryan said, "It would be more fun that way. I don't know if I could stand it otherwise."
"Ohmygosh, great!" Summer looked more excited than she should look about going to her ex's and best friend's wedding. All of a sudden it dawned on Ryan that he was way slower than he should have been. He anticipated the next lime, and sure enough it was said...
"That means we get to go shopping together! For like, two outfits! How great is that?!?!" She was practically bouncing off the walls now, and he didn't mind that much that it would mean shopping major with Summer Roberts. He didn't know what had changed, but it was for the better. Things were *almost* looking up.
* * *
Note: So how was that? Sorry if I was a bit repetitive in Summer's flashback as compared to Ryan's. Next chapter: They talk to Kirsten, and Summer takes Ryan to Barney's! Again, thanks for reading!