Alright, fair warning, the end of this chapter is slightly confusing, but it is meant to be. It will all be explained next chapter.

xoxo Jules

Chapter 9: "Well how about those people I know that you know the ones I mean"

"WHAT!" Seth practically yelled. "You have no recollection what so ever of what happened in the Rover that night?"

"I JUST SAID NO!" Summer yelled

"How the hell do you not remember?"

"I just don't alright Seth!"

"Is Little Seth my kid or not? I just don't understand how the hell you don't know!"

Summer took a deep breath. She had promised herself that she was never going to be in this situation.

She had never seen this side of Cohen before...

Seventeen year old Summer Roberts walked into an empty house. She just got back from a date with Seth. Inside the mansion it was always cold, dark, and gloomy. Summer climbed the stair with ease, but stopped suddenly when she noticed that her mothers bedroom door was ajar. The maids could have been stealing again…

Summer hadn't been in her mothers room since the night before she died… it had been a long twelve years. Summer timidly stepped into the room. As she looked around memories flooded her mind like an unstoppable tidal wave.

When she was younger Summer would dance around the room with her mother in an unruly manner singing Etta James… her mother had let her wear her pearl earrings. Sometimes when her mother was out she would sneak into her rooms and try on her high heels and prance around like the ideal Newport woman chattering about the latest charity event that would be the scene of some mans downfall.

What she remembered the most was the vanity, the windows now caked with dust. Her mother would sit in front of that vanity, combing each piece of hair over and over. Sometimes before Summer went to bed her mother would allow her to sit on the padded vanity seat and she would braid her hair until two perfect pig tails.

When you were a child you ignored all of your mothers imperfections. Now looking back Summer saw all of the warning signs… everything that would have told an adult that she was unhappy. Summer remembered her taking medicine all of the time… all of the time. And she would wash it down with a clear liquid that looked like water but wasn't because water didn't burn your throat like it did when Summer tried it.

"Mommy…" Summer said as traced her fingers lightly over the pillow, still doused with her mothers scent. Something in her then gave way. She shoved her face into the bedspread and sobbed heavily, the bathroom where her mother was found dead less than a few feet away…

"SUMMER!" Seth yelled pulling the girl back into reality.

"Look Seth, I cannot do this right now. I think that you should leave." Summer said more of and order than request.

"What?" Seth asked raising his eyebrows.

"GO!" Summer yelled pointing towards the door. "I can't deal with this right now Cohen!"

Cohen… the name twisted Seths heart, he was still her Cohen.

"I'll be back." He said heading out slamming the door behind him.

He stood in the hall for about five minutes and the Marissa appeared down the hall, Little Seth holding her hand.

"Seth?" Marissa said, and then she saw the look on his face. "Oh god, what is it? Where is Summer?"

"In your apartment." He grabbed Marissa's arm. "My place, now!" He ordered.

Little Seth watched the two adults. The scene in front of him was nothing out of the normal. Seth closed the door when they got in. His face looked angry. He and Marissa both started to say something, but then Little Seth ran into the bathroom and closed the door.

"What was that about?" Seth asked Marissa

"He probably thought that we were about to fight."

"Why would a three year old think that?"

Marissa looked at the ground and shrugged.

"Alright look, does Summer have amnesia or something, because she SEEMS to not remember sleeping with me." Seth said

"What?" Marissa asked shock

For years Seth and Marissa had avoided any Summer or Ryan talk with one another. And it suddenly became so apparent why.

"Yeah, back freshman year when I went to visit her. Who the hell does she think Seth's father is?" Seth yelled

"Todd!"

"Todd! Todd from Berkley?" Seth remembered the guy well after only meeting him for five minutes.

"Sometimes trauma survivors block out-"

"Wait what, trauma survivor? Don't spit that therapist stuff out at me. What happened to her?" Seth demanded

Marissa looked at her feet.

"Marissa, you gotta tell me something here!" Seth pleaded.

"Summer has gone out with Todd since freshman year, he beats her, rapes her, all that stuff." Marissa said, her voice muffled by sobs that were almost daring to escape.

"What! Why didn't she tell me?" Seth said hysterically. "GOD!" He yelled

"She… she just thinks that she deserves it." Marissa explained

"Why the hell would she be think that she deserves it! That's crazy!"

"Um excuse you Seth but it's not crazy at all. You have always held Summer up on such a high pedestal there is nowhere else to go but down. She disappoints you and she feels that she is the most horrible person in the world! THAT is why she broke up with you! She was tired of hurting you. She didn't want to do it anymore. She didn't want to hurt anyone else!"

"Well as I recall someone ended up hurt, and someone else dead!"

"Summer thought she was doing the right thing! You don't know what it's like to be in her positon!"

"Oh, and I assume you do?" Seth challenged

"Not exactly but I know more than you! I saw Summer run all of the decisions through her head time and time again. She cried in my arms late into the night about how much it all was hurting you. She didn't cry for herself Seth, she cried for YOU!" Marissa yelled

"So what, she made the decision that she did to protect me?" Seth said sarcastically

"It wasn't ONLY for you, her choice. Summer always said that she would have never lived if she had to go through the pain that she did… in her mind she helped the situation, made it better for everyone."

"But I told her… I would have been there… I wanted to be there for her…" Seth yelled…

He remembered the day so clearly...

And you're thinkin' huh? hehe, that was my point. Anyways all will be explained in the next chapter which will be completely in flashback.

xoxo Jules