Author's Note: First off, I must offer my apologies for being a day late updating. My excuse being, I spent Sunday sleeping due to getting in at 4am Sunday morning from a mud-filled day of music festival fun. So, I am very sorry. I must also take this time to add that Franz Ferdinand rocked my socks. Enough said.
Again, thank you for all your wonderful reviews. They made me laugh and smile, so thank you to each and every one of you who took the time to. Keep them coming!
On with the story...
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
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Chapter 4
The early hours of the morning brought a cool mist to the desert air. It gathered just above the road's surface, giving an eerie look to the surrounding desert landscape.
Seth was bored. In fact, he thought that maybe he had even surpassed boredom, the train had left that station and had moved on to other destinations. He glanced across at Summer, who was sleeping soundly next to him. She was curled up into a ball, her feet pulled up underneath her. One hand lay under her head, acting as a pillow, and the other lay on Seth's lower thigh, clinging to him slightly.
In some ways Summer was keeping him from boredom. He often glanced over at her, when he could afford to take his eyes from the road, just to watch her sleep. It was soothing in a way. She looked so innocent and vulnerable, almost child-like. Those were sides of Summer that she rarely showed. She let her guard down in front of Seth more than anyone else. She cried to him when she was scared, she voiced her fears to him, her dreams to him. However, despite all of this, Seth still felt as though there was a side to Summer that she never showed to anyone but herself. He just hoped that with time and trust, Summer would be able to give all of herself to him.
Seth looked in the rear view mirror, and laughed to himself. Ryan and Marissa were both asleep. Ryan was snoring softly, and Marissa was using Ryan's shoulder as a pillow. What Seth found amusing was the was 'beauty-queen' Marissa seemed to have adopted the classic 'fly-catcher' sleeping pose. Her mouth was open widely in a perfect 'o' shape. This would be the perfect opportunity for Seth to pay her back for ignoring him all those years. One single 'snap' and this not-so-perfect Marissa Cooper would be plastered across every hallway in Harbor. What a start to her Senior year that would be. Then again, Seth was not that type of person. He did not publicly humiliate people purely for his own selfish pleasure, he knew how that felt, he'd had enough shoes peed in to know exactly how that felt. Marissa Copper was his friend now, or at least she was his brother's girlfriend, and how ever confident Seth was that Ryan would find the act amusing deep deep down, he knew that he would show must displeasure towards Seth in order to save his own ass. So, there was going to be no public humiliation this time, he just happily laughed to himself.
Seth's attention was averted from laughing at Marissa Cooper's expense to the road in front of him. The never ending road had finally ended and come to a set of cross roads. Seth strained his eyes to look for familiar landmarks or signs that would direct him to the border, as he knew San Diego well from surf and sailing trips he had taken with his father. However, in the dark this task proved difficult. Seth therefore made a quick decision and went with his gut feeling to turn left. He was 99% sure it was left. Or at least 90%. Okay so 75% at the very very least. He was far too stubborn to consult the road map Ryan had put in the trunk of the SUV. How dumb did you really have to be to get lost on your way to Tijunana? Hello, signposts!
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So obviously you had to be as dumb as Seth Cohen, Seth thought wearily. He checked the digital clock on the dashboard once again. It was four am. They should have been in Tijuana three hours ago. He checked on his passengers quickly. Luckily, they were all still sleeping and so the impending game of 'Kill Seth' would be delayed for a few hours.
Seth had realized he had gotten lost about two hours ago. There had been no road signs for Tijuana since the spontaneous left turn he had taken at the crossroads. However, what had been the real clincher was the road signs for 'Phoenix' that had suddenly popped up out of no where about an hour ago. At first, Seth thought that the Phoenix mentioned was obviously a small town somewhere near the Mexican border, which he was obviously still heading for. However, the 'Welcome to Arizona' sign he had passed ten minutes or so ago had really sealed the deal. What he was glad of was the fact that it was only four am, so the air was still cool. Come sunrise and things would get really interesting.
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Ryan stirred. He seemed to be making quite a habit of waking up in strange surroundings. This time it was not a dingy Motel room in the middle of the desert, but the back seat of a Range Rover in the middle of the desert.
The morning sun beat down onto the black paint of the SUV, making it unbearably hot inside. Ryan squinted against the bright sun seeping in through the windows as he looked at his watch. It was eight am. He looked down to his left shoulder to see Marissa silently sleeping there. Summer seemed to be doing the same in the front seat. It was then that his brain clicked at what was wrong with the situation. He looked at the back of Seth's head in front of him, briefly noticing the damp texture of his curls from the sweat seeping into his hair. Seth was driving silently, oblivious of Ryan's awoken status.
"Seth?" Ryan asked, his one word question bordering on a warning.
Seth jumped slightly, turning around briefly in his seat.
"Ryan, buddy, you're awake." Seth whispered in surprise, his eyes widening slightly as he turned back around, waiting for the inevitable to come.
"Seth, why are we not in Tijuana?" Ryan expanded this time on one word warnings, his voice keeping the same threatening tone.
There it was. "Ryan look, I think you should quiet the tone down dude, I mean, you don't wanna wake up Summer now because really Ryan, I don't wanna die a slow and painful...
"Seth where are we?"
"Well, we're on a road, I am guessing driving East, although I can't be sure on that one right now seeing as..."
"Seth!"
"Arizona Ryan, we're in Arizona." Seth whispered, defeated. His body slumped, ashamed, apprehensive.
"Arizona?!"
Ryan's shouts caused a wave of movement throughout the vehicle. Seth tensed, hands gripping the wheel tightly. Marissa's head flew from Ryan's shoulder as he shouted, bumping against the window causing her to awake in a state of confusion and pain. Summer sprung from her seat, her body immediately awoken by the volume of Ryan's voice from the back seat.
"Okay, time to tune in people of America, 'Kill Seth' is about to begin." Seth muttered, as he held in his breath.
"Okay, I must seriously have been dreaming then because I did so not hear Chino say we were in Arizona. Right Cohen?" An awake and alert Summer threatened, a mere few inches away from Seth.
"Ryan?" Marissa question, still rubbing her head.
"Seth?" Summer expressed angrily.
Seth's hands gripped the wheel tighter, his jaw clenching in unspoken fury and frustration. Had they been awake, these three accusers would have been able to give him a hand, help him out, lead the way, instead of taken selfish naps and leaving Seth to do all the navigating.
He felt three pairs of bulging eyes upon him, but chose not to speak. He did not have the excuses they wanted, the explanations, the apologies.
After a minute of silence, he spotted a rest stop at the side of the road. He pulled the vehicle over, slamming on the brakes out of fury and causing everyone, including himself, to lurch forward in their seats. He killed the engine before slamming his forehead down on the steering wheel.
"I'm sorry." He muttered softly.
"I can't believe this Seth." Ryan injected from the back seat, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Oh I can!" Summer uttered, her words not laced with the disappointing softness of Ryan's, but with nothing but hard anger. "You got us lost Cohen! Lost in a different state where it's one hundred freaking degrees outside!"
Seth didn't say a word, but kept his head down and eyes closed. He felt like shit, if he was going to be honest. The heat was giving him a dry mouth, and his dry eyes itched like crazy. He needed to get out of the car, otherwise he was not going to be held responsible for his actions.
"I'm going to pee." Was all he could muster up, before opening the door, and slamming it shut.
He leaned his back against the outer car door, resting his head back against the hot paint. His head was spinning, and he had to take a few deep breaths before he could manage to walk on. He blocked out Summer's shouts for him to 'come back and face the music, asshole' as he marched on into the shrubbery at the side of the road, looking for some privacy and closure.
A million thoughts were running through his head at that moment. How he was to blame for all of this mess. Questioning how the hell they were going to find their way home again. At the back of his mind was also the nagging thought of his downward spiraling health. He had been feeling less than fit for a few days now, but had kept in on the quiet, which was extremely unlike him. He was sure he had a fever, seeing as his forehead felt about one hundred degrees hotter than normal. He had also come over extremely dizzy and lethargic on more than one occasion.
As he reached a secluded area, that he summed up was private enough to urinate in, his health took a turn for the worse. Unable to comprehend what was happening to him, Seth grabbed madly in the air for something to steady him. His head was spinning faster than a carousel at hte annual carnival and his vision was blurring more than that of an alcoholic's after ten shots of absinthe. The last thought that entered his mind before his vision blackened and his legs collapsed from underneath him were a silent cry for help.
I need you Summer Roberts.
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Please review. Chapter 5 coming soon.
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