Kirsten sat at her desk, scrolling through e-mails. In the back of her mind, she was really hoping she'd get a note from Ryan saying everything was alright. She wasn't actually sure if Theresa's family had a computer. She knew in Newport they were some type of necessity, but in Chino? Well, she had never actually been to Chino.

"Hel-lo!" Sandy's warm voice greeted as he strolled into the office.

Kirsten smiled. Sandy was good at making her feel better. She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders and his lips softly and quickly kiss her head.

"How was your day?" Kirsten asked, spinning her chair around to face Sandy, who had taken a seat in the lounge chair adjacent to the desk chair.

"Everyone wants to sue a cosmetic surgeon. Maybe I should get botox injections and sue the doctor. We could make some money that way, with the Newp..." Sandy paused. He figured Kirsten didn't know about The Newport Group's eventual train wreck. He wouldn't be the one to tell her. He'd leave that up to Caleb, who would tell Kirsten when he wasn't taming the dragon he had of a wife that was Julie Cooper.

"Anyway, how was your day? Any news? Anything?" Sandy asked hopefully.

Kirsten shook her head. "No," she replied, "But Summer came here. I told her about Seth and gave her the letter,"

Sandy nodded. "Poor girl," he sympathized, "Her boyfriend's gone and she's got nobody to talk to, I mean, her best friend's Marissa Cooper, who's got so many problems of her own. Her father is Neil Roberts..."

Kirsten agreed with an "Mm..." Sandy was right. Summer had nobody now.

"So, what are we ordering tonight?" Sandy asked causing Kirsten to jump out of her thoughts.

Kirsten shrugged and stood up. "Indian?" she suggested.

Sandy and Kirsten left the office together and headed towards the kitchen. "I love spice," he commented, putting his arm around Kirsten shoulders and pulling her to his chest.

Kirsten wrapped her arms around Sandy's waist and gave him a long kiss. "Mm...spice," she said with a devilish smile.

Summer sat on her couch, curled up with a bowl of macaroni & cheese and Hershey's with Almonds and a fleece blanket. Nothing too good came on TV late at night, so she was stuck watching a "Friends" DVD. It felt good to see six complicated yet simple people live their lives. So what if it was a sitcom?

She knew she couldn't spend her entire summer like this. Last summer, she would've been at a party at some beach house now. Everything in her world had been so stupid and small, or in the world she pretended to live in. Beach parties, shopping, kissing, shoes, gossip, and freak-dancing with guys were all that mattered. But underneath all of that there was an undeniable yearning, she wanted something badly. She wanted to be loved. She wanted to the center of someone's universe, she wanted to be herself. And she finally got that. And then he runs off to Tahiti on a stupid sail boat named after her.

Summer hated being alone. It wasn't fun and she had spent so much of her life alone. Her father would be off somewhere with an excuse. And her step-mom, Lauren? A druggie late-twenty-year-old woman who was pretty when she was done up in make-up and an expensive dress wasn't so much fun. Lauren had been one of Neil's clients, getting a boob job. Summer figured he enjoyed the work he'd accomplished because next thing she knew he had a new excuse: "I'm going out with Lauren, tonight, peanut. I'll take you out shopping on Saturday," It was a bad excuse, especially to a young girl. She would complain to Marissa and her friends about being ignored. Summer was past that now. Now she put on a front with her father, and he would put one on with her. Sure, they were best friends. All she wanted was his approval, for once.If he wouldn't give her that, then fine.

Summer betted Kirsten was barely alone. She had work, Sandy, her father, Seth, Ryan, and Julie Cooper. Although Seth and Ryan were gone and Julie and Caleb were in married bliss, which made Summer very reluctant to go see Marissa, she still had someone.

Summer didn't want to be alone this summer. She wouldn't be alone this summer.

She was going to be with Kirsten this summer.

First thing tomorrow she was calling Kirsten.

A/N: Brief history of my version of Summer's family there and her popularity. The basic point of this chapter was to show the contrast of Summer and Kirsten's lives from the outside, I have no idea if it worked. Don't we all want to be loved, especially by Adam Brody? The bonding is coming, I promise! Please leave some reviews, you guys are freakin' awesome. I love you all!