Marissa stared up at her ceiling. She shouldn't have overreacted. It
was just Marissa freaked. But what else had Ryan done?
"Hi." Marissa looked up. Kaitlin stood in her usual pose at the doorframe.
"Hi." Marissa sat on her bed and was soon accompanied by Kaitlin.
"So, still pissed at me?"
"I guess not."
"Why the hell were you so pissed?"
"I was freaked, all right? Everything just happened so suddenly."
"We didn't do anything."
"I know that. Now. It's just one minute, you pop up. And the next, I learn you kissed my boyfriend."
"Don't ever blame him for it. It was all me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was so wasted."
"You know I care, don't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I just said some stuff in the heat of the moment."
"Like drowning my sorrows down?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that." The two shared a laugh, but then they had nothing to say. Silence overtook the room. Marissa was glad everything was okay with her and Kaitlin, but her worry topped the happiness. Summer had broken up with Seth. And Marissa was a witness. So Marissa could bet that Summer would use Marissa to prove a point at Seth. And then there was Ryan. Marissa had been so mean to him, would he ever forgive her? "So we're good?" Kaitlin looked hopefully to her older sister.
"Uh-huh. We're good." Marissa smiled as Kaitlin's smile broadened. Marissa was tired. She hadn't noticed it before, but she was really fatigued. She fell back to the bed and moments later was followed by Kaitlin. They both stared at the ceiling, eventually drifting off into a relatively calm sleep.
Sandy was wacked with worry. Kirsten hadn't sounded very good on the phone. And something was wrong with Seth. Had he run away again? Was he hurt? Kirsten had told him nothing and that disturbed Sandy. Whatever the hell was wrong wasn't good. He sped down the road and saw a tiny glimpse of Summer's car on the side of the road.
When he reached his home, everything was eerily quiet. Like in a movie and they just turned off all the sound. An ambulance was in the driveway and Kirsten stood clinging to Ryan at the door. Kirsten was crying and of course, Ryan showed no moment of weakness. Sandy got of the car and headed to his saddened wife.
"Oh Sandy." Kirsten barely said before she collapsed instantly into Sandy's arms with a whole new string of tears.
"What's wrong?" As much as he didn't was to, he pushed Kirsten off him and stared a her straight in the eye. "Where's Seth?" Kirsten couldn't talk, but she motioned to the back of the ambulance.
As Sandy approached the ambulance, a million things ran through his head. What was in the back of the ambulance? Was it Seth? Was he okay?
The paramedics at first stopped Sandy, but then saw Kirsten nod from behind him. They pulled out a stretcher with something on it, but covered in a white sheet. Sandy held his breath. The paramedics looked to each other, then to sandy, and finally to Kirsten. After some internal argument, the pulled back the sheet to reveal a face. But not just any face. Seth's face. He looked extremely peaceful, and permanently at rest.
"How? Why?" Sandy muttered, confusingly walking closer to Seth.
"Shot himself in the head. Killed instantly." One paramedic offered cooly.
"I tried to stop him Sa Mr. Cohen."Ryan told Sandy. He no longer felt comfortable talking to Sandy by his first name. Sure, he had said it earlier, but that was before this. Now, seeing Sandy, Ryan felt far away form both Kirsten and Sandy. Like he didn't belong.
Because without Seth, Ryan was completely lost in this world.
Summer didn't know whether to go back to the Cohens or not. Something was wrong. Really wrong. Why would an ambulance be there if there wasn't? But her and Seth had broken up, he wasn't her problem. Yet she still cared about him. And she always would. After a while, she put the car in drive. It couldn't be that bad. She would call later. Maybe they were at the hospital. Seth might not even be the one who was hurt. It could be Ryan, or even Kirsten. There might not even be a problem. It could be a false alarm. Even if, Summer had seen Ryan, and he was okay. Freaked out, but okay. As she drove away, she constantly checked her rearview mirror. Nothing was there anymore. Everything was off the wall, weird, strange, and Summer didn't know why.
She finally reached her house. Summer practically bolted out of the car, leaving the box in the back. She headed for the closest phone. When she reached one, she realized she had a cell phone. Which had been in her purse, in the car. Summer pulled the receiver out of its cradle and began to dial the Cohens.
"Hello?" Sandy's worried tone filled her ear.
"Hi, Mr. Cohen. It's Summer. Can I speak to Seth?"
"No, you can't."
"But "
"Listen, I'll call you later. All right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Bye."
"Bye." Summer pushed the end button. Even Seth's dad was acting strange. The tone of his voice irritated Summer. It had always been funny, and calming, even when he was pissed off. This time it was short and angry. But again, Summer blew it off. She tried to silence the creaming of fear running through her mind.
Kirsten looked down. She couldn't bear to see his face again. It was too much pain.
Sandy walked int o the house when he heard the phone ring and the paramedics took the hint and covered Seth up again. Kirsten then followed her husband, who was already off the phone by the time she got in. He fell into a couch, letting it engulf him. She sat on the opposite couch, fearing he might go nuts if she was too close. Her body began to shake again, and she grabbed a pillow to calm herself.
"Why?" Sandy said finally.
"I don't know." Kirsten was still confused, barely letting the truth slowly sink in.
"When?"
"Not long ago. I walked in and Ryan was holding him." Tears sprung to her eyes as she relived the experience.
"Ryan saw it?" Sandy looked to Kirsten.
"I suppose so. He said he had tried to stop him." Kirsten swallowed hard.
"Well, why didn't he stop him?" Sandy seemed distraught.
"I don't know." Kirsten hugged the pillow closer to herself, and Sandy got up and sat by her. Kirsten mad no move to fall into him, as she expected herself to do. Sandy forcefully took the pillow away from her and she shook harder and Sandy held her close. "I just can't imagine what Ryan's going through. We're having a rough time and we didn't even see it happen."
"I know. But it's hard for all of us. And we'll get through it."
"How can you be so strong throughout this?" Kirsten tearfully looked to Sandy. He didn't look all that strong now, ready to have his eyes dampened with tears.
"Who else is gonna be strong?" Sandy said after a while and Kirsten finally gave up fighting and fell int o his arms.
Ryan watched as the paramedics drove away with Seth. They would take him somewhere, most likely the morgue, until the funeral. Where everyone who knew Seth would bawl their eyes out. Seth would hate it from above, seeing everyone gush all over him. He would complain, saying people had too many emotions. Ryan would smile, and then the two would leave it behind.
And this time, Seth left all of it behind.
Ryan wondered what life would be like in Newport without Seth. It would be horribly wrong. Marissa could be his only savior for this, but right now, Marissa was pissed at him. He had no one. No Seth, no Marissa, not even Kirsten and Sandy. They seemed so distant. The only connection between him and them was that he saw their son die. It had been all his fault. Ryan didn't stop him, and even so, he was the one who screwed it all up. He had to have sex with Theresa, who got pregnant, so he left. Ryan never even knew who the father was. Theresa had already lost the baby. But Ryan had depressed Seth, who ran away, who upset Summer, who broke up with Seth, causing Seth to forfeit his life. All ran back to Ryan, who then watched Seth blow the bullet into his head. As much as Ryan hated it, Seth was dead. He was gone forever and never coming back.
Ryan looked to the Cohens' door. He stood alone in the driveway. The door was open, and Ryan could see Sandy and Kirsten holding each other for support. He longed to be there, to be told that everything would be all right. But he couldn't face those people anymore.
He thought to Chino. Ryan had left so suddenly when he learned Seth had been hurt. Theresa had already lost the baby two weeks earlier, and Ryan had thought she would be okay. He hadn't thought of going back to Newport. Until then. Was Theresa mad at him? There was only one way to figure that out.
Ryan couldn't go back to that house. It would be too hard. Seth dying had left Ryan defenseless, vulnerable, saddened. It left a horribly sour aftertaste in his mouth whenever he thought of Seth. He didn't want to show his emotions. No one needed to know them. They were his own. And going back into that house might open them up.
So Ryan decided. Ryan headed the way he thought was easier, less complicated. Away form the door. Only he realized it was so much harder to walk away from the Cohens.
"Hi." Marissa looked up. Kaitlin stood in her usual pose at the doorframe.
"Hi." Marissa sat on her bed and was soon accompanied by Kaitlin.
"So, still pissed at me?"
"I guess not."
"Why the hell were you so pissed?"
"I was freaked, all right? Everything just happened so suddenly."
"We didn't do anything."
"I know that. Now. It's just one minute, you pop up. And the next, I learn you kissed my boyfriend."
"Don't ever blame him for it. It was all me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was so wasted."
"You know I care, don't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I just said some stuff in the heat of the moment."
"Like drowning my sorrows down?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that." The two shared a laugh, but then they had nothing to say. Silence overtook the room. Marissa was glad everything was okay with her and Kaitlin, but her worry topped the happiness. Summer had broken up with Seth. And Marissa was a witness. So Marissa could bet that Summer would use Marissa to prove a point at Seth. And then there was Ryan. Marissa had been so mean to him, would he ever forgive her? "So we're good?" Kaitlin looked hopefully to her older sister.
"Uh-huh. We're good." Marissa smiled as Kaitlin's smile broadened. Marissa was tired. She hadn't noticed it before, but she was really fatigued. She fell back to the bed and moments later was followed by Kaitlin. They both stared at the ceiling, eventually drifting off into a relatively calm sleep.
Sandy was wacked with worry. Kirsten hadn't sounded very good on the phone. And something was wrong with Seth. Had he run away again? Was he hurt? Kirsten had told him nothing and that disturbed Sandy. Whatever the hell was wrong wasn't good. He sped down the road and saw a tiny glimpse of Summer's car on the side of the road.
When he reached his home, everything was eerily quiet. Like in a movie and they just turned off all the sound. An ambulance was in the driveway and Kirsten stood clinging to Ryan at the door. Kirsten was crying and of course, Ryan showed no moment of weakness. Sandy got of the car and headed to his saddened wife.
"Oh Sandy." Kirsten barely said before she collapsed instantly into Sandy's arms with a whole new string of tears.
"What's wrong?" As much as he didn't was to, he pushed Kirsten off him and stared a her straight in the eye. "Where's Seth?" Kirsten couldn't talk, but she motioned to the back of the ambulance.
As Sandy approached the ambulance, a million things ran through his head. What was in the back of the ambulance? Was it Seth? Was he okay?
The paramedics at first stopped Sandy, but then saw Kirsten nod from behind him. They pulled out a stretcher with something on it, but covered in a white sheet. Sandy held his breath. The paramedics looked to each other, then to sandy, and finally to Kirsten. After some internal argument, the pulled back the sheet to reveal a face. But not just any face. Seth's face. He looked extremely peaceful, and permanently at rest.
"How? Why?" Sandy muttered, confusingly walking closer to Seth.
"Shot himself in the head. Killed instantly." One paramedic offered cooly.
"I tried to stop him Sa Mr. Cohen."Ryan told Sandy. He no longer felt comfortable talking to Sandy by his first name. Sure, he had said it earlier, but that was before this. Now, seeing Sandy, Ryan felt far away form both Kirsten and Sandy. Like he didn't belong.
Because without Seth, Ryan was completely lost in this world.
Summer didn't know whether to go back to the Cohens or not. Something was wrong. Really wrong. Why would an ambulance be there if there wasn't? But her and Seth had broken up, he wasn't her problem. Yet she still cared about him. And she always would. After a while, she put the car in drive. It couldn't be that bad. She would call later. Maybe they were at the hospital. Seth might not even be the one who was hurt. It could be Ryan, or even Kirsten. There might not even be a problem. It could be a false alarm. Even if, Summer had seen Ryan, and he was okay. Freaked out, but okay. As she drove away, she constantly checked her rearview mirror. Nothing was there anymore. Everything was off the wall, weird, strange, and Summer didn't know why.
She finally reached her house. Summer practically bolted out of the car, leaving the box in the back. She headed for the closest phone. When she reached one, she realized she had a cell phone. Which had been in her purse, in the car. Summer pulled the receiver out of its cradle and began to dial the Cohens.
"Hello?" Sandy's worried tone filled her ear.
"Hi, Mr. Cohen. It's Summer. Can I speak to Seth?"
"No, you can't."
"But "
"Listen, I'll call you later. All right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Bye."
"Bye." Summer pushed the end button. Even Seth's dad was acting strange. The tone of his voice irritated Summer. It had always been funny, and calming, even when he was pissed off. This time it was short and angry. But again, Summer blew it off. She tried to silence the creaming of fear running through her mind.
Kirsten looked down. She couldn't bear to see his face again. It was too much pain.
Sandy walked int o the house when he heard the phone ring and the paramedics took the hint and covered Seth up again. Kirsten then followed her husband, who was already off the phone by the time she got in. He fell into a couch, letting it engulf him. She sat on the opposite couch, fearing he might go nuts if she was too close. Her body began to shake again, and she grabbed a pillow to calm herself.
"Why?" Sandy said finally.
"I don't know." Kirsten was still confused, barely letting the truth slowly sink in.
"When?"
"Not long ago. I walked in and Ryan was holding him." Tears sprung to her eyes as she relived the experience.
"Ryan saw it?" Sandy looked to Kirsten.
"I suppose so. He said he had tried to stop him." Kirsten swallowed hard.
"Well, why didn't he stop him?" Sandy seemed distraught.
"I don't know." Kirsten hugged the pillow closer to herself, and Sandy got up and sat by her. Kirsten mad no move to fall into him, as she expected herself to do. Sandy forcefully took the pillow away from her and she shook harder and Sandy held her close. "I just can't imagine what Ryan's going through. We're having a rough time and we didn't even see it happen."
"I know. But it's hard for all of us. And we'll get through it."
"How can you be so strong throughout this?" Kirsten tearfully looked to Sandy. He didn't look all that strong now, ready to have his eyes dampened with tears.
"Who else is gonna be strong?" Sandy said after a while and Kirsten finally gave up fighting and fell int o his arms.
Ryan watched as the paramedics drove away with Seth. They would take him somewhere, most likely the morgue, until the funeral. Where everyone who knew Seth would bawl their eyes out. Seth would hate it from above, seeing everyone gush all over him. He would complain, saying people had too many emotions. Ryan would smile, and then the two would leave it behind.
And this time, Seth left all of it behind.
Ryan wondered what life would be like in Newport without Seth. It would be horribly wrong. Marissa could be his only savior for this, but right now, Marissa was pissed at him. He had no one. No Seth, no Marissa, not even Kirsten and Sandy. They seemed so distant. The only connection between him and them was that he saw their son die. It had been all his fault. Ryan didn't stop him, and even so, he was the one who screwed it all up. He had to have sex with Theresa, who got pregnant, so he left. Ryan never even knew who the father was. Theresa had already lost the baby. But Ryan had depressed Seth, who ran away, who upset Summer, who broke up with Seth, causing Seth to forfeit his life. All ran back to Ryan, who then watched Seth blow the bullet into his head. As much as Ryan hated it, Seth was dead. He was gone forever and never coming back.
Ryan looked to the Cohens' door. He stood alone in the driveway. The door was open, and Ryan could see Sandy and Kirsten holding each other for support. He longed to be there, to be told that everything would be all right. But he couldn't face those people anymore.
He thought to Chino. Ryan had left so suddenly when he learned Seth had been hurt. Theresa had already lost the baby two weeks earlier, and Ryan had thought she would be okay. He hadn't thought of going back to Newport. Until then. Was Theresa mad at him? There was only one way to figure that out.
Ryan couldn't go back to that house. It would be too hard. Seth dying had left Ryan defenseless, vulnerable, saddened. It left a horribly sour aftertaste in his mouth whenever he thought of Seth. He didn't want to show his emotions. No one needed to know them. They were his own. And going back into that house might open them up.
So Ryan decided. Ryan headed the way he thought was easier, less complicated. Away form the door. Only he realized it was so much harder to walk away from the Cohens.