Three years and six months ago...
She took a deep breath as she climbed the stairs of his house, making her way down the plushly carpeted hallway to his room at the end. Raising her hand to knock on the shut door, she paused for a second. 'Is this really my business?' She sighed deeply, knocking quietly on the door, "Mike? It's me."
Noises came from inside the room, and she heard the lock turning and the handle turning. He opened the door enough for her to get in before turning and walking back to his bed, flopping onto it face down. She took a step in, turned and shut the door, and then sat gingerly on the end of his bed. She reached out tentatively and slowly began to rub his back.
"Mike? I don't know if this is any of my business, but Coop told me you quit the soccer team. Is that true?" She jumped slightly as he sat up quickly. He turned to face her but did not actually look, an angry, but thoughtful look on his face.
Finally he looked up, meeting her concerned eyes, "How'd she know about that?"
She rolled her eyes, "Luke, being the asshole that he is, was gloating about how he's the captain now, so he'll probably be the captain in high school. I mean, he's bummed that your not on the team anymore 'cause you were definitely an asset, but he's psyched that he gets to be captain. He's such a jerk sometimes. Honestly, sometimes I don't know what Coop sees in him." She reached out for his hand, trying to decide whether or not to ask him about the other thing she had heard about him. She took a deep breath, deciding she had to know, "Umm... I also wanted to ask you about something Ms. Jacobs talked to me about."
His eyes narrowed, "Ms. Jacobs? Our math teacher talked to you about me? What the fuck?" He pulled his hand out of hers, standing up and pacing back and forth across the room. He stopped suddenly, and turned on her, arms crossed, a glare on his face, "Well? What the hell did she say?"
Summer looked him straight in the eye, anger brewing inside her, "Listen, don't get all mad at me! Ms. Jacobs approached me! She's worried about you! She said you're not doing any work and you've failed the last two tests in there." Anger was swiftly replaced with concern when his face fell and he stared at the floor, shifting his feet nervously. She stood slowly, walking over to stand in front of him, "What's going on babe? Math's your favorite subject. What's the matter?"
He picked his face up, looking deeply into her eyes. Summer took a step back, her breath catching in her throat. His eyes, his beautiful brown eyes that usually held so much joy and humor, were clouded over. She studied him intently, realizing slowly that he looked so sad, so hurt, "Mike, what's the matter?"
Sighing deeply, he went over to his bed, sitting down with his head in his hands. His voice was muffled and sounded choked, almost as if he was holding back tears, when he spoke, "Everything. Nothing seems worth it anymore. I just can't find the motivation to do anything anymore." He looked up at Summer, who had moved to kneel in front of him, her hands on his knees. Their eyes met, his rimmed with tears and so sad, hers, also rimmed with tears, but full of worry. "You're the only thing that makes me happy anymore, really happy. I think... I think I'm in love with you, Summer."
The tears balancing on the edge of her eyes spilled over, as her face broke into a smile. She leaned in and kissed him softly. When she pulled back, the tears in his eyes had also spilled over. She reached out, wiping the salty water from his face, as she spoke the soft words she had been wanting to tell him for a long time, "I'm in love with you too, Mike."
A slightly crooked grin burst across his features as he gathered her in his arms. He buried his face in the soft dark hair spilling around her shoulders, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. She couldn't remember how long they stayed like that, but she woke up five hours later wrapped up in his arms to the soft knock of his mother on his bedroom door. She smiled lightly, before sliding out of his grasp, pulling a blanket over his still sleeping body. Kissing him on the forehead, she whispered, "I love you," before walking over to the door, opening it quietly. She exited into the hallway, exchanged good-byes with Mrs. Hutchinson and walked out into the fading light of day.
She walked slowly back to her own house, feeling a combination of joy and concern. Reaching her house, she went around back instead of going in. She made her way to the wall that separated her backyard from the beach below, climbing up and perching on the edge of it, her legs pulled up and hugged to her chest. Resting her chin on her knees, she allowed herself to really cry. She cried for Mike, she cried for herself, she cried for her mother and her father. As the sun sank behind the horizon, she noticed someone walking along the beach heading in the direction of Marissa's house, about a mile down the beach. Looking down, she realized it was the curly haired boy that lived next door to Marissa. As she watched him walk, he looked up and noticed her sitting there. He tripped and fell flat on his face, his gangly limbs sprawled in all directions. She rolled her eyes, spinning around on the wall and climbing down into her backyard, making her way back to the house, "Dork."
Today, two weeks after the shooting...
Seth woke with a start, feeling Summer's hand shift under his. He was alone in the room and had fallen asleep after putting on one of Summer's favorite cds, 'Lucky Eleven' by Stephen Kellogg. The soft music was drifting through the room, enveloping everything within the notes and melodies...
There were no voices anymore, just a constant pulsing rhythm pushing through the ocean. She could also hear her favorite song, but it was distant, like it was playing miles and miles away. Slowly, the ocean began to melt away, and she found herself laying on a bed. She opened her eyes to the realization that she was in Seth's room. She stood up, hearing the song "Such A Way" louder than when she was in the ocean. Walking around the room and trying to find the source of the music, she thought of how happy and safe she felt whenever she was around Seth. Whenever she was even remotely upset or scared, he would sense it and wrap his arms around her. Before they were even together, when they went to Tijuana and Marissa overdosed on her pain killers, Seth held her tightly when they found her passed out in an alley. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. Finally, she realized that the music was coming from out in the hall. She opened the door slowly, shielding her eyes from the intense light that flooded over her...
He watched as her eyes fluttered open, unsure and confused. The beautiful brown eyes flew around the room without comprehension until they landed on Seth's eyes, full of concern and joy. Tears welled up in his eyes as a shy smile spread across his features, and he reached out to smooth her hair, "Hey there stranger." His voice was just above a whisper as he talked to her, a single tear snaking its way down his face, "Welcome back."
She began crying seeing him cry and realizing where she was and remembering why she was there. Taking a deep breath, she reached out her hand to place it on his cheek. Summer wiped away the tear and the damp trail it left behind, "You're really here. I could hear you, but you weren't there. And now you're really here."
Marissa and Ryan stood in the doorway, his arm snaking around to rest on her hip. She turned her head to face him, smiling softly as a few tears escaped from her eyes. She leaned her head down so it rested on his shoulder, "They really do love each other."
She took a deep breath as she climbed the stairs of his house, making her way down the plushly carpeted hallway to his room at the end. Raising her hand to knock on the shut door, she paused for a second. 'Is this really my business?' She sighed deeply, knocking quietly on the door, "Mike? It's me."
Noises came from inside the room, and she heard the lock turning and the handle turning. He opened the door enough for her to get in before turning and walking back to his bed, flopping onto it face down. She took a step in, turned and shut the door, and then sat gingerly on the end of his bed. She reached out tentatively and slowly began to rub his back.
"Mike? I don't know if this is any of my business, but Coop told me you quit the soccer team. Is that true?" She jumped slightly as he sat up quickly. He turned to face her but did not actually look, an angry, but thoughtful look on his face.
Finally he looked up, meeting her concerned eyes, "How'd she know about that?"
She rolled her eyes, "Luke, being the asshole that he is, was gloating about how he's the captain now, so he'll probably be the captain in high school. I mean, he's bummed that your not on the team anymore 'cause you were definitely an asset, but he's psyched that he gets to be captain. He's such a jerk sometimes. Honestly, sometimes I don't know what Coop sees in him." She reached out for his hand, trying to decide whether or not to ask him about the other thing she had heard about him. She took a deep breath, deciding she had to know, "Umm... I also wanted to ask you about something Ms. Jacobs talked to me about."
His eyes narrowed, "Ms. Jacobs? Our math teacher talked to you about me? What the fuck?" He pulled his hand out of hers, standing up and pacing back and forth across the room. He stopped suddenly, and turned on her, arms crossed, a glare on his face, "Well? What the hell did she say?"
Summer looked him straight in the eye, anger brewing inside her, "Listen, don't get all mad at me! Ms. Jacobs approached me! She's worried about you! She said you're not doing any work and you've failed the last two tests in there." Anger was swiftly replaced with concern when his face fell and he stared at the floor, shifting his feet nervously. She stood slowly, walking over to stand in front of him, "What's going on babe? Math's your favorite subject. What's the matter?"
He picked his face up, looking deeply into her eyes. Summer took a step back, her breath catching in her throat. His eyes, his beautiful brown eyes that usually held so much joy and humor, were clouded over. She studied him intently, realizing slowly that he looked so sad, so hurt, "Mike, what's the matter?"
Sighing deeply, he went over to his bed, sitting down with his head in his hands. His voice was muffled and sounded choked, almost as if he was holding back tears, when he spoke, "Everything. Nothing seems worth it anymore. I just can't find the motivation to do anything anymore." He looked up at Summer, who had moved to kneel in front of him, her hands on his knees. Their eyes met, his rimmed with tears and so sad, hers, also rimmed with tears, but full of worry. "You're the only thing that makes me happy anymore, really happy. I think... I think I'm in love with you, Summer."
The tears balancing on the edge of her eyes spilled over, as her face broke into a smile. She leaned in and kissed him softly. When she pulled back, the tears in his eyes had also spilled over. She reached out, wiping the salty water from his face, as she spoke the soft words she had been wanting to tell him for a long time, "I'm in love with you too, Mike."
A slightly crooked grin burst across his features as he gathered her in his arms. He buried his face in the soft dark hair spilling around her shoulders, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. She couldn't remember how long they stayed like that, but she woke up five hours later wrapped up in his arms to the soft knock of his mother on his bedroom door. She smiled lightly, before sliding out of his grasp, pulling a blanket over his still sleeping body. Kissing him on the forehead, she whispered, "I love you," before walking over to the door, opening it quietly. She exited into the hallway, exchanged good-byes with Mrs. Hutchinson and walked out into the fading light of day.
She walked slowly back to her own house, feeling a combination of joy and concern. Reaching her house, she went around back instead of going in. She made her way to the wall that separated her backyard from the beach below, climbing up and perching on the edge of it, her legs pulled up and hugged to her chest. Resting her chin on her knees, she allowed herself to really cry. She cried for Mike, she cried for herself, she cried for her mother and her father. As the sun sank behind the horizon, she noticed someone walking along the beach heading in the direction of Marissa's house, about a mile down the beach. Looking down, she realized it was the curly haired boy that lived next door to Marissa. As she watched him walk, he looked up and noticed her sitting there. He tripped and fell flat on his face, his gangly limbs sprawled in all directions. She rolled her eyes, spinning around on the wall and climbing down into her backyard, making her way back to the house, "Dork."
Today, two weeks after the shooting...
Seth woke with a start, feeling Summer's hand shift under his. He was alone in the room and had fallen asleep after putting on one of Summer's favorite cds, 'Lucky Eleven' by Stephen Kellogg. The soft music was drifting through the room, enveloping everything within the notes and melodies...
There were no voices anymore, just a constant pulsing rhythm pushing through the ocean. She could also hear her favorite song, but it was distant, like it was playing miles and miles away. Slowly, the ocean began to melt away, and she found herself laying on a bed. She opened her eyes to the realization that she was in Seth's room. She stood up, hearing the song "Such A Way" louder than when she was in the ocean. Walking around the room and trying to find the source of the music, she thought of how happy and safe she felt whenever she was around Seth. Whenever she was even remotely upset or scared, he would sense it and wrap his arms around her. Before they were even together, when they went to Tijuana and Marissa overdosed on her pain killers, Seth held her tightly when they found her passed out in an alley. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. Finally, she realized that the music was coming from out in the hall. She opened the door slowly, shielding her eyes from the intense light that flooded over her...
He watched as her eyes fluttered open, unsure and confused. The beautiful brown eyes flew around the room without comprehension until they landed on Seth's eyes, full of concern and joy. Tears welled up in his eyes as a shy smile spread across his features, and he reached out to smooth her hair, "Hey there stranger." His voice was just above a whisper as he talked to her, a single tear snaking its way down his face, "Welcome back."
She began crying seeing him cry and realizing where she was and remembering why she was there. Taking a deep breath, she reached out her hand to place it on his cheek. Summer wiped away the tear and the damp trail it left behind, "You're really here. I could hear you, but you weren't there. And now you're really here."
Marissa and Ryan stood in the doorway, his arm snaking around to rest on her hip. She turned her head to face him, smiling softly as a few tears escaped from her eyes. She leaned her head down so it rested on his shoulder, "They really do love each other."