Usual disclaimer applies.

A/N: OK guys, this chapter is kind of...fluffy. The next update probably wont be for a while, so read this really slowly so it will last. Cheers to all my wonderful reviewers, and to all the new readers, please review and tell me what you think. (feel free to add how proud you are of me because I updated so quickly.) And thanks to Young Republican, who gave me the idea for the title.

Twenty three...twenty four...twenty five...

Ryan counted as he did sit ups on the pool house floor. He did them whenever he was bored. Or whenever he wanted time to himself to think.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Seth asked "Ryan are you decent?"

Ryan stood up and yelled back that he was.

Seth came in the door. "It's just that I've made that mistake before, and its not really and experience that I want to repeat."

Ryan rolled his as he turned around to walk to his bed. "What's up Seth?"

The two sat down on Ryan's king sized bed, and Seth said "Well, you know, nothing much, except that...umm, oh yeah my girlfriend and your ex-girlfriend got into a bitch fight today."

Ryan looked astounded. "What! Where? Why? How?"

"Slow down man, I'm only one man...although that's what Clarke Kent thought before he became Superman..."

Ryan interrupted "Seth! You're rambling again. Just tell me what happened."

"Well, Summer and I were walking down to her locker, because I had to get my maths textbook out of there, because mine was broken when I was err...thrown into it...apparently I don't fit as well as I did in the third grade."

Seth looked over to Ryan who was giving him a stare that suggested that he get on with it or Seth might find himself being thrown into the cupboard this time.

"Okay, so that doesn't matter, but when we walked in, there was Marissa herself getting books out of her locker, which is right next to Summers. So, the entire hallway went quiet, and Marissa saw Summer. So, there was like, a stare-off Ryan, they were just giving each other the evil eye from opposite sides of the hallway. Then they walked together, and said like two sentences to each other, and then Summer bagged Marissa, and then she got really angry and yelled at everyone to stop staring at them, and then she walked off!" Seth stopped the story there. He knew Summer wouldn't want everyone to know that she was crying over Marissa, especially Ryan.

Ryan went silent for a moment. "So, there was no violence?"

Seth said, "No, of course not, this is Summer and Marissa we're talking about."

"That's good. But still, that's pretty amazing."

"I know. And, it was so scary, I mean, I thought the doors I was standing behind would fall on me with the tension in the room."

"Seth, that doesn't make any sense."

"Okay, so maybe I was just being a little paranoid."

"No, didn't you say you came in with Summer? What were you doing behind the doors?"

Seth's face didn't move. Suddenly he got up and started saying, "Yeh mum, I'm coming, sorry Ryan but Mum's calling me, I've got to go!"

Seth attempted to open the pool house doors, but couldn't. "Ryan, do you realise that these doors are a fire hazard? We'll have to get Dad to fix them. Wooh, I'm beginning to feel a little claustrophobia coming on."

Ryan just ignored him and said, "You ran away! How could you run away Seth?"

Seth looked defeated and leant on the door. "Ryan, Summer is stronger than she looks! She could hurt me if she got into one of her rage blackouts! And Marissa – well, she wears really pointy shoes, and if she threw one, it could stab me and I could die!"

Ryan shook his head. "Seth...sometimes you amaze me." He got up and opened the door.

Seth breathed in deeply. "Ahh, that's better. Wide open spaces Seth, just keep thinking of the wide, open spaces." Then, with a sheepish look towards Ryan, he ran back into the house.

Ryan waddled back to his bed. He couldn't help feeling responsible for Marissa and Summer's fighting. Even though he wasn't the one who cheated, if he hadn't been involved with Marissa, none of this would've happened. He layed back down on his bed, and didn't even realise when he fell asleep. Everything he had to do could wait until the morning...