Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for all of your kind and generous reviews. Sorry this took so long. Computer problems are sooo 2003. And, yes, I reverently pay homage to "The Chinos", the funniest thing ever.

DISCLAIMER: The usual - Don't own it, ain't making no money, just trying to get through the drought until Josh and Co. bring them back. In freakin' November, for crying out loud! Sorry, rage black out.

After a restless night, Ryan dragged himself out of bed and headed to the kitchen to get some coffee. Seth was already up and finishing his cereal.

"Hey, man. Slept in a bit today, huh?"

Ryan merely grunted at him.

"Well, Sunshine, I hope you're rested up, because we've got the big party thing happening tonight," Seth said while rubbing his hands together gleefully.

"Since when did you become such a party boy?" Ryan asked.

"I've come out of my shell, Ryan, emerging like a butterfly from the cocoon. Besides, I've been re-working my limericks. If I play my cards right tonight, I might be able to convince Tiffany to publish them in The Plank next month."

Ryan eased down on a stool at the counter and gratefully took a sip of his hot coffee. "Limericks, huh?"

"Yeah, I know it's not exactly Byron-esque but I find it to be an art form uniquely suited to my talents."

"And those would be…?"

"Words, my friend. I'm all about the witty manipulation of the Mother Tongue. Oooh, that sounded kind of sexy."

"Kinda disturbing," Ryan added with a sideways glance at his friend.

"Okay, okay. But hey, listen to my latest effort. Okay, here goes…"

"There once was a boy named Ryan

Who was lookin' at Summer and sighin'.

Said he, I know she's a bitch,

But I can't really switch.

If I said I didn't like her, I'd be lyin'."

"Pretty good, huh? Okay, I've got another one," Seth said quickly before Ryan could interrupt.

"There once was a girl named Summer

Who loved a boy who was a bummer.

He was a mathematical brain,

But was meant for a swain,

And Summer wishes he would strummer."

"Strummer, strum her, get it? Okaaay…..it's too early in the day for the death glare. Come on, man. You know you like her. I've seen the way you look at her when you think nobody's watching."

"Seth, stop it."

"Are you sure you don't like her just a little bit, 'cause I kinda think you do. And, even more importantly, I think she kinda likes you, my surly friend."

"What! Why?" Ryan interjected with barely disguised eagerness.

"Oh, just a vibe I've been getting. It's my keen Super Hero sixth sense that allows me to pick up on unresolved sexual tension."

"Okay, you're just weird."

"No, man. I'm tuned in. And I'm telling you, Summer likes you. And admit it, man, she's a fiery little jalapeno. And need I remind you that you're kinda going through a sexual drought right now? Maybe a little Summertime would fix you right up."

"We're friends, Seth. It just wouldn't be right," Ryan said nobly all the while thinking, No, but it sure would be hot. Dammit. I've really got to get laid - and soon!

"Yeah, well, Anna and I started out as friends, too. Now we're working our way through the Kama Sutra."

"I don't need to know that."

"Okay, fair enough, but let me ask you this. If you could see any girl - any girl at all - naked, who would it be? Summer, right? I'm right, aren't I?"

With a groan, Ryan headed toward the door. "I'm going back to bed".

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Later that afternoon, Summer was digging through her closet. Rejected outfits lay scattered on the floor around her. "So, I'm thinking sexy yet cerebral. I've got lots of sexy, but cerebral? Not so much."

Anna sat on Summer's bed leafing through a magazine. How could Summer, who was a smart girl, read this tripe? Ohh, wait. An article on the top ten secret male fantasies. That might be worth a look, purely for research purposes, of course.

"Summer, it's not a big event. Just a school club party. Go casual."

"Okay, casual but still sexy. I've got a reputation to uphold you know. I wonder what Chino's going to wear? Chinos, perhaps? Now that would be deliciously apropos." And very, very sexy, she thought to herself.

"Speaking of Ryan, how are you two getting along?"

"Great! I mean, really good, I mean, uh, okay, I guess. He's really kind of a nice guy once you get to know him."

"And kind of easy on the eyes, too, don't you think?" Anna added innocently.

"Anna! Sheesh, have you been checking him out? I thought you loved Seth," Summer exclaimed with annoyance.

"Oh, I do love Seth," Anna explained. "But I'm not blind. I can still look, you know, and Ryan's definitely nice to look at, from a purely aesthetic point of view, of course."

"Of course," Summer muttered sulkily. Wasn't it enough that Anna had Seth? Did she want Chino now, too? No way! She'd better keep her hands off of him. Had everyone forgotten that Summer had spotted him first when he showed up on the scene?

"And," Anna continued while pretending to be oblivious to Summer's annoyance, "He obviously thinks you're nice to look at, too." She casually flipped a page of her magazine.

"What?! Why?!" Summer squealed.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I've just noticed how he looks at you when he thinks nobody's watching," Anna said with practiced nonchalance.

"How?! I mean, uh, what exactly do you mean?" Summer struggled to maintain a calm, unconcerned demeanor even though she could feel her cheeks begin to burn as a flush washed over her.

"Oh, just that look he gets sometimes. Surely you've noticed. When he gets all intense and focused looking. I'll bet when he gets that look in bed, it's really something," Anna said wistfully. "Ummh, yeah, if I didn't love Seth so much, I'd definitely like to see that look up close and personal."

"Ewww! God, stop it, Anna. You're such a slut."

"Oh, come on, Summer, like you haven't thought about it, too?"

"No, I haven't!" Summer exclaimed. Well, at least not in the last 2 minutes, she thought with frustration. Dammit, she was going to have to give Seth some of her Cosmo articles. Boy needed to get busy and keep his lady satisfied.

"Could you please get your mind out of the gutter for just a minute, Anna? I've got to get ready and you're not helping, so go home already. By the way, I've decided to take my own car so I'll just meet you guys there. Around 7:30, okay?"

"Summer, the party starts at 7:00."

"Yeah, but I like to make a dramatic entrance."

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Seth pulled up in front of a large home sitting well back from the road. The driveway was crowded with vehicles. "Okay, here we are. I've got a really good feeling about tonight. Harbor Literary Elite, meet Seth Cohen - Limerick Stylist Extraordinaire."

Anna and Ryan groaned simultaneously. "Let's just get this over with," Ryan sighed.

"That's the spirit," Seth enthused.

As the trio of friends headed toward the front door, a red convertible flew past them, then screeched to a halt. Summer bounced out, waving enthusiastically to them. "Hi, guys! I guess I'm early. Have I missed any fistfights yet?" Summer said, directing a saucy grin in Ryan's direction.

"Not yet, but just give me a minute," Ryan muttered while glaring at Seth and Anna.

Seth whistled nonchalantly while affecting his most innocent face; the one he usually used on his parents to get out of trouble.

Damn, Chino looks hot! Summer thought. Now why is that? she wondered to herself. He's just wearing jeans (damn, no Chinos!) and a dark blue button down shirt over a wife beater. Maybe it's the way his damned shirts stretch over his muscles. Stop it! Eyes front! No, not the front of his pants, dammit! Summer was growing increasingly annoyed with herself and the disturbingly lewd directions her thoughts seemed to take whenever she was around him. Stupid Chino with his stupid pants and stupid muscles! Assface!

As the group entered the foyer of the house, Summer turned to Ryan and gave him a look until he realized she wanted him to help her with her jacket. He eased off her lightweight evening jacket to reveal a skimpy white halter-top that contrasted nicely with her tanned skin. She was wearing a very short, very tight black denim skirt and the usual fk-me high heels. When she turned to lay her wrap on the staircase banister, Ryan was struck dumb. Her back was completely naked from the little shoestring halter tie at her neck all the way down to the twin tie which rested at the small of her back. Okay, there was something about a girl's naked back that was just, well, hot, Ryan admitted to himself. It made her look vulnerable, especially at the nape of her neck where wispy tendrils of hair had come loose from her chignon and lay curled on her neck. Ryan had an almost overwhelming desire to run his hand up that smooth, soft, toned expanse of skin. He cleared his throat while at the same time trying to clear his mind of these unproductive and possibly dangerous thoughts. Summer turned to him and questioningly raised a beautifully arched eyebrow.

Ryan tried to ignore the sudden strong feeling of heat that was washing over him. God, couldn't she ever wear something that wasn't sexy beyond belief? Probably not, he decided. "Aren't you, uh, cold?" he asked her grumpily.

"No, I'm not, but thank you for asking," Summer said before turning to walk into the living room. Point to Roberts, she thought, and then put a bit of extra swish in her walk just to make sure he was paying attention.

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Ryan had been pleasantly surprised by Tiffany Maxwell. She was a very pretty girl with long blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was a little shorter than he was and had a slim, willowy body with great legs. More importantly, she kept sending him little signals, like brushing her hand against his thigh while she talked and moistening her lips with her small pink tongue while she listened to his quiet replies. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a complete waste of time after all, he thought. After about an hour of conversation, with increasingly sexual body language, Tiffany stood up abruptly and asked him if he would help her get some books from her room that she wanted to loan to Anna. Ryan obediently followed her up the stairs and tried not to compare Tiffany's slim hips with Summer's curvaceous and deliciously rounded backside. Focus, Atwood! He thought angrily to himself. Dammit, Summer was really starting to get to him. Okay, this is easy, just focus on the girl in front of you. Yeah, love the one you're with.

Tiffany showed him into her bedroom which was, of course, fitted out in ruffled pink linens and lots of stuffed animals. Ryan turned around quickly when he heard Tiffany shut the door behind her. She leaned against it for a moment and then slowly sauntered toward him. Ryan unconsciously found himself backing up until he felt the back of his knees hit the side of the bed.

"You know, I've really been dying to get to know you, Ryan. I've noticed you at school since the first day you got here but you were always hanging out with Marissa and I didn't want to be a poacher."

"Uh, that's nice," Ryan said cautiously. Now that he was actually here, he was starting to feel a little nervous. He wasn't sure exactly why. He'd had sex before with a party full of people just in the other room but this time it felt, well, just wrong somehow.

Tiffany walked up until she was standing directly in front of him and placed the palm of her hand on his chest. Here it comes, Ryan thought. Sure enough, she gave him a forceful push. As usual, Ryan cooperated and fell backwards onto the bed. He knew some girls really got off on being aggressive and he was usually more than happy to accommodate them. Despite his misgivings and a nagging sense of guilt about Summer, he tried to convince himself that a little mindless, uncomplicated sex was just what he needed to take the edge off. Especially after seeing Summer in that sexy little backless get-up.

Tiffany climbed on top of him and straddled his waist. Placing her hands on the bed on either side of his head, she slowly leaned down and kissed him. Ryan kissed back and let his hands slide up her thighs and under her dress until he was holding her firm rear in his hands. Okay, I shouldn't be doing this, he thought to himself. With sudden clarity, he realized that more than anything he wished that the girl sitting on top of him was one Summer Roberts. He was just starting to break off the kiss when the bedroom door flew open and one Summer Roberts was standing right there! Oh hell, he groaned inwardly. Think of the devil and there she is. His head fell back on the bed as he thought to himself, I'm about to die.