A/N: Disclaimers in Part 1. This one is for all you Summer fans (including my beta, basically this is all her fault). I really am trying!
Ch. 6
By the time Ryan had finished apologizing to Marissa the yelling had resurfaced at the Cohen's.
"Good job apologizing Kirsten," Ryan muttered to himself as he grabbed his keys. He decided to head to Newport beach. It was always crowded there, and it would at least be distracting.
Amazingly Ryan actually found a legal parking spot down a street of beach houses.
Once on the beach Ryan was overtaken by the need to be alone. He liked being alone and Seth could never-
"Damn you Seth," Ryan muttered interrupting his Seth-centered thoughts. Ryan stormed down to the water's edge. He picked up a large rock and heaved it into the ocean.
"DAMN YOU SETH!" he screamed.
"Interesting sentiment Chino. Can't say I share it," Ryan turned guiltily. He hadn't meant to lash out at his dead brother.
"Summer. Hey," Ryan studied the ground intently. He didn't want to see the furious expression she was surely wearing.
"Come walk with me," Summer took Ryan's arm and steered him to the pier. Rather to Summer's surprise, Ryan didn't resist.
The two walked in silence away from the crowds on the beach. Under the pier Summer stopped to pick up a shell. "So, you're pissed off at Seth."
"I don't mean to be," Ryan was defensive. "I don't want to be."
"I get it Ryan. There are times when I'm pretty annoyed with Cohen myself," Summer admitted to Ryan.
"But not right now?" Ryan asked.
"Nope," Summer picked up another shell and handed it to Ryan.
"What's this?" Ryan was surprised by the action. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Sea shell," she resisted adding 'duh'.
"No kidding. Why'd you give it to me?" Ryan pressed. Summer shrugged.
"It's pretty."
"It's some dead animal's leftovers," Ryan pointed out. He slipped the shell into his pocket anyway.
"We should all be lucky enough to leave something beautiful behind us when we die," Summer observed before biting her lip to keep the tears from spilling out of her eyes.
"Summer," Ryan gently put a hand on her shoulder, "Seth left us with lots of good memories."
"But he still left," Summer kicked at the sand.
"Yeah. He did," Ryan agreed picking up a shell. "This one kind of reminds me of you."
"Eww, it's ugly!" Summer was indignant.
Ryan turned over the mussel shell, revealing its iridescent interior.
"See? Just like you, nasty and rough and black on the outside, but smooth and sweet and pretty inside. I finally get what Seth liked about you Summer."
"Are you saying I'm nasty looking?" Summer pretended not to be touched by Ryan's comments, though she accepted the shell.
"Yep," Ryan agreed cheerfully. "So, are we really going to walk all the way to Balboa?"
"You have somewhere better to be Chino?" Summer asked.
"No, I guess not," Ryan realized and the two of them walked down the beach gathering seashells.
Ch. 6
By the time Ryan had finished apologizing to Marissa the yelling had resurfaced at the Cohen's.
"Good job apologizing Kirsten," Ryan muttered to himself as he grabbed his keys. He decided to head to Newport beach. It was always crowded there, and it would at least be distracting.
Amazingly Ryan actually found a legal parking spot down a street of beach houses.
Once on the beach Ryan was overtaken by the need to be alone. He liked being alone and Seth could never-
"Damn you Seth," Ryan muttered interrupting his Seth-centered thoughts. Ryan stormed down to the water's edge. He picked up a large rock and heaved it into the ocean.
"DAMN YOU SETH!" he screamed.
"Interesting sentiment Chino. Can't say I share it," Ryan turned guiltily. He hadn't meant to lash out at his dead brother.
"Summer. Hey," Ryan studied the ground intently. He didn't want to see the furious expression she was surely wearing.
"Come walk with me," Summer took Ryan's arm and steered him to the pier. Rather to Summer's surprise, Ryan didn't resist.
The two walked in silence away from the crowds on the beach. Under the pier Summer stopped to pick up a shell. "So, you're pissed off at Seth."
"I don't mean to be," Ryan was defensive. "I don't want to be."
"I get it Ryan. There are times when I'm pretty annoyed with Cohen myself," Summer admitted to Ryan.
"But not right now?" Ryan asked.
"Nope," Summer picked up another shell and handed it to Ryan.
"What's this?" Ryan was surprised by the action. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Sea shell," she resisted adding 'duh'.
"No kidding. Why'd you give it to me?" Ryan pressed. Summer shrugged.
"It's pretty."
"It's some dead animal's leftovers," Ryan pointed out. He slipped the shell into his pocket anyway.
"We should all be lucky enough to leave something beautiful behind us when we die," Summer observed before biting her lip to keep the tears from spilling out of her eyes.
"Summer," Ryan gently put a hand on her shoulder, "Seth left us with lots of good memories."
"But he still left," Summer kicked at the sand.
"Yeah. He did," Ryan agreed picking up a shell. "This one kind of reminds me of you."
"Eww, it's ugly!" Summer was indignant.
Ryan turned over the mussel shell, revealing its iridescent interior.
"See? Just like you, nasty and rough and black on the outside, but smooth and sweet and pretty inside. I finally get what Seth liked about you Summer."
"Are you saying I'm nasty looking?" Summer pretended not to be touched by Ryan's comments, though she accepted the shell.
"Yep," Ryan agreed cheerfully. "So, are we really going to walk all the way to Balboa?"
"You have somewhere better to be Chino?" Summer asked.
"No, I guess not," Ryan realized and the two of them walked down the beach gathering seashells.