"The Goodbye"
Note: I don't own the O.C.
Someone from the past is back!! Julie learns a long-kept secret from her husband. Please review everyone. Thank you.
At the airport, Summer couldn't stop crying. Seth couldn't either. He hugged her and didn't let go for at least five minutes. He couldn't believe she was really leaving.
"Summer," her dad interrupted, "It's time to go."
"Final boarding call for flight 603, non-stop to Baltimore," they all heard over the P.A. system.
Summer let go of Seth and had to push him a little to get him to release her. "I love you," said teary-eyed, then whispered, "Wait for me."
She hugged Marissa, who was also crying, then looked at Ryan.
"See ya later, Chino," she said, trying to smile.
He surprised her by grabbing her and giving her a big hug. "We'll see you soon," he said, then stepped back.
"Bye, Sum," Marissa said through tears. She was sobbing by then, and Ryan pulled her in and held her shaking body against his chest.
Seth walked with Summer as far as they would let him and held onto her hand as long as he could while she walked away from him and onto the plane. His arm stayed outreached in mid air even after he lost hold of her hand. She followed her father, looking back at Seth until she couldn't see him anymore. His arm fell to his side as he watched Summer board the plane. It wasn't a bad dream, she was really leaving.
Seth moped around the house for days, then weeks. The only time he smiled was at 8:00pm when Summer called him every night before she went to sleep on the opposite coast. They talked about her new life in Baltimore, the new school she was attending, the way kids dressed in Baltimore, her new neighbors who had sex in their backyard and how it made her think of their last time together in the pool. Whenever Seth would try to talk about something that was going on in Newport, she would cut him off and change the subject, or just say she had to go and hang up the phone. It hurt too much for her to be reminded of the life she left behind. Seth tried to be understanding, but he missed having real conversations with his girlfriend.
Inside her beautiful new mansion, with gorgeous furniture and décor, and amazing art everywhere she looked, Julie Nichol was falling apart inside. She had overheard a conversation Caleb was having in his home office with one of his business associates. She couldn't make out everything they were saying, but she was pretty sure she got the idea from a few key phrases she heard: "We're going under…" We're looking at a lot of legal problems…" "We have no choice but to give them what they want…" "Our time is up…" "The Newport Group won't survive this…" The room was spinning, and Julie had to sit down before she fell. She was having trouble catching her breath when Caleb walked out of his office and into the living room.
"Julie, what's wrong?" he looked at her on the sofa holding her stomach.
"What- what's going on, Cal?" she managed to whimper.
"What do you mean?" he looked from her to his office and back to her. He realized she had been eavesdropping. "Julie, you've been sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. That was a private meeting."
"Cal!" she said as loud as she could, still trying to breathe normally. "What is…what does this mean? What will happen to … us?"
"Now Julie, you are overreacting. You don't know what you're talking about. Let's have some tea and try to relax a little.
"Damn it, Cal!" she yelled in full force, finally regaining her composure. "Tell me what the hell is going on this instant!"
Caleb took a deep breath and looked at the floor. He couldn't keep his financial problems from his wife any longer. He explained the terrible truth in all the gory details, giving Julie the whole story. And unlike with Jimmy, she listened intently, tears building up in her eyes until a single tear streamed down the right side of her face and she grasped the idea that she was going to be poor. Again.
Seth stared at his food while he pushed it around the plastic plate with his fork. He hadn't taken more than two bites of his school cafeteria lunch. Ryan and Marissa, who sat across the outdoor table, just looked at each other helplessly. They figured Seth would be doing better by now, almost a month after Summer left.
"Oh, Seth," Marissa said brightly, trying to boost his mood, "Summer says she might be able to make it back for spring break. And spring break is like, two weeks long at her school." She nodded, trying to cheer him up.
"Yeah," he said, barely looking up from his plate of mush, "Then what? Then she'll go back to Baltimore and I'll just miss her even more." He stood up and picked up his tray. "I better get to class," he said as he left.
He looked down at his plate as he slowly made his way around corners and through the array of tables. He had almost reached the garbage can to dispose of his food and tray when he crashed head on with someone else, who had been going much faster than he.
"Oww!" the girl's voice whined as she grabbed her knee and tried to rub the pain away.
Seth immediately dropped to the ground to pick up his mess. As he picked up his things he saw the girl's shoes- red Converse All-Stars, worn over black and white striped knee-high socks. As he looked upward, he saw her pink layered skirt, and he could only think of one girl she could be.
"Seth Cohen!" she said in a familiar voice, and he stood up until they were face to face.
Seth smiled for the first time in a long time. "Anna!"