"Hey man, you up?"

Ryan snapped his blue eyes open, then shut them tightly as the morning sunlight poured in. He grabbed the soft feather pillow from behind his head and squashed it against his face, trying to get to his feet without falling.

"Yeah, I'm up," Ryan muttered sleepily.

Laughing sarcastically, Seth shut the blinds on the doors. Ryan thankfully lifted the pillow off of his face and rubbed his eyes, yawning loudly. Seth leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and grinning.

"So, tell me Ryan, how does it feel being back? Did you miss me? Were you lonely without me?"

Ryan gave Seth a short, cynical grin and threw the pillow back on his bed. "Oh, of course. So how were things for you?"

"I knew that was coming." Seth kicked his feet and glanced down a bit. "Well, me and Summer, we aren't talking."

Ryan raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Why not?" he asked. He thought Seth and Summer were doing pretty well when he left. They were happy with each other and had a lot of fun and were always there for each other. Then again, he and Marissa had been like that. Maybe Seth got some girl pregnant, Ryan mentally joked. He laughed out loud to himself.

Seth looked up. "It isn't that funny. She, like, hates me now. And I'm not the only one. She won't even be seen with Marissa anymore."

At the mention of Marissa's name, Ryan's head snapped up. Marissa. God how he'd missed her. The way she would always smile whenever she saw him, depsite how bad things were going. The way she would always tell him exactly how she felt about her mom and everything she was going through. The way she would always be the first to apoligize if they got into an argument. The way she was like his beautiful, sweet damsel in distress.

Ryan stuttered as he spoke. "H-how is she...Marissa?"

Seth shrugged. "I don't know. Me and her never were really friends, we hung out because of you and Summer. Last time I saw her was Friday night, at some party on the beach.

Completely smashed. She passed out, then woke up, then passed out, like, 5 times."

Ryan breathed out heavily. "So she's drinking again," he murmured, running a hand through his short hair. Obviously his stay here hadn't fully changed her. He really thought she had stopped drinking for good, but he realized that she had only been that way when he was around.

"She was really upset that you left," Seth said quietly. "My mom and Julie were talking a few days later, I overheard the entire conversation. I guess she was going through a bit of a depression when you first left. But now she's, like, transformed that all into anger. She was really mad that you...you didn't call. 'Cause she tried to ring you, but you never called her back."

"Yeah well, I was busy, OK?" Ryan snapped. Seeing the shocked look on the other boy's face, Ryan sighed again. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I just got a bit upset. I wasn't able to call her back. I didn't really want to...But maybe we can go visit her?"

Seth grinned. "Yeah sure, maybe you can call Summer and tell her to meet us up there.

Make her talk to me," he added sarcastically.

As Seth left the room, Ryan grabbed the phone and dialed Summer's number. Things sure were going to change around here.

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Ok, sorry so long of a wait, first I wrote this but then my brother Xed it out without saving, then I had it half written and the power went out for the whole day. Egh. More soon, unless the power goes out again.