(Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all. So don't sue me. Please.)

A Note from the Author: Okay, for some reason the chapters are getting longer. I don't know if this is just a weird freakish coincidence, or if it's because I threw out my old story plan and am essentially writing blindly, but… yeah. Please enjoy this. I guess I'll dedicate this chapter to all the new future O.C. eps (there's like, what? 5 episodes more 'til the season finale?) and the 'regular' reviewers, bop1997, Candy.07, BlueStarGirl, and OcFan4u. Thanks you guys! And hey, if any of the rest of you want to be mentioned in AN's, I guess you'll just have to review! wink wink nudge nudge Ooh, onwards!

Chapter Twelve

Summer hung up the phone, and buried her face in her pillow. God, she was pathetic. Calling Ryan up, no rhyme or reason to it, just because…

Well, she didn't know at the moment, but she was sure it couldn't have been good.

There was no one she could really talk to at this point. Seth or Marissa, obviously, would be the wrong choice. Ryan, well, that's whom her whole dilemma was about. She even contemplated talking to Luke, of all people. I mean, a few months ago, this thought would have warranted an emphatic "Ew!" But even he was strangely busy lately, doing some odd jobs ("To gain some experience," he had said) and God knows what.

So. She was all alone (with the exception of Princess Sparkle, of course).

She had grown used to this feeling before, but at least she had been popular and had fake friends.

Now she was a social leper with no friends, not even the shitty kind.

What had happened? Probably Seth, although cheerleaders to this day still swoon about the day they announced their relationship standing atop of a coffee cart. And she could have made her re-debut in the summer, you know, shown up looking totally hot at one of Holly's parties to take back her popularity, but… well, Ryan happened.

And in the worldview that she currently possessed, she was better off with him than with Holly or any other one of those bimbos.

Yes. This could work. If she could only salvage some form of a relationship with Ryan, she'd be alright and emotionally strong enough to get out of bed and master the basics of grooming. Because while she knew breaking up with Seth was the right thing to do, that fact sure as hell didn't make her feel any better. Just remembering how he had told her he loved her…

But he didn't mean it, right? I mean, they were still young. As opposed to Ryan and Marissa's relationship with the broken childhood, the criminal record, the suicide attempt, and the crazy Oliver situation, Seth and Summer were still child-like, in their own right (okay, they had sex, but it wasn't like, depraved or something). Seth probably had no idea what he was saying really meant, and Summer was sure that he would eventually forgive her for breaking his heart.

Then the phone rang, and it was Marissa. "Sum," she whined. "I need Ryan back. It's been three weeks and I'm getting desperate."

Summer had to refrain from rolling her eyes, even though Marissa wouldn't have seen it. She knew her best friend was already over him; in fact, she had met someone in London and even casually fooled around with him ("Because he reminded me so much of Ryan," she had said).

But it was coming back from Heathrow, and knowing that there was still one person in the world who disliked her, that made Marissa change her mind. She couldn't stand knowing someone was mad at her. It was disheartening, to say the least. So, if he could just forgive her, and if she could make it up to him by giving him the trusting relationship he never had with her, then, the world would be right again.

At least, that was Marissa's reasoning.

Summer didn't know if wanting everyone to like you was a good trait or bad, but it applied to Marissa, and she had to be comforted, or else neither of them would get a good night's sleep.

It was just really hard to forget what Ryan could do with his hands, that's all.

In the meantime, though, he was having a little discussion with Sandy, one that really didn't involve said 'skill'. At least not yet.

"That was Summer, wasn't it?" Sandy looked at Ryan expectantly.

He wondered why Sandy asked questions he already knew the answers to. Ryan felt like a witness being cross-examined, with the odds stacked against him. He just decided to reply with a look, one that could be understood universally. You know, the one that read 'back off, even though you're absolutely right'.

"Ah… I see." Sandy sat down next to Ryan. "And how do you feel about her?"

Ryan shrugged.

"Words, Ryan. It's a new concept, but very revolutionizing."

"I don't know."

"Well, how does she feel about you?"

"Dunno," he mumbled.

Sandy sighed. "Well, are you together?"

Ryan snorted. "Not likely."

"What about in the summer? Were you together together?" It's a hard thing to do, making Ryan choke on his own saliva, but Sandy managed it with the implications of his last statement. "C'mon, Ryan. Kirsten and I weren't blind. We would have liked to be deaf at certain points –"

And here Ryan wished he could be doing anything else but having this conversation.

"– but anyway. We know something was going on."

Ryan regarded him suspiciously. "And you're okay with it? I mean, Seth's your son. I'm just the guy who was supposed to be his friend, and ended up with his girlfriend."

Sandy shook his head. "I know how I reacted before. I didn't say that we were completely against it. But I'm not saying that we are completely okay with it. What I meant was… Ryan, you still don't understand, do you? Yes, Seth's our son, and yes, the situation with Summer is complicated, but you need to remember that you're our son too. We still love you and we want what's best for you, even if she's Seth's ex-girlfriend."

Ryan glanced at him in surprise. "But I –"

Sandy finished, "Kirsten and I have already discussed this numerous times. Seth will get over it. We Cohen men always do. It's in our genes, just like my very regal eyebrows. And besides, I always felt Summer was more well-suited with you. She's shorter, isn't she?" He chuckled at his own joke.

Ryan was just speechless at how casual Sandy made his very serious problem sound. However, he was mistaken. The conversation was about to get very serious.

"Anyway. Ryan, this summer… you two were using protection, right? Because as distinguished as I look, I wouldn't want to be a grandpa so soon."

Oh. 'The talk'. He had heard of how incredibly awful it was for Seth, and Ryan respectively disagreed.

It was more than awful. It was downright horrifying.

Ryan opened his mouth to protest that Sandy had jumped to conclusions, that he and Summer didn't… But Sandy would have none of that. He took Ryan's discomfort to mean that he was just embarrassed at having his summer exploits discussed in such great detail. However, this didn't mean that Sandy was going to stop delivering his long-winded version of 'the talk'.

Oh no. He was just getting started.