Title: Prom Queen

Summary: A new guy comes to the OC from Australia and he's bound to rock the relationships. So who's going to end up his Prom date? Not for SethSummer lovers. Anna comes in a bit later. SummerNew Guy and a bit of SethAnna and the smallest portion of RyanMarissa.

Pairing: SummerTom, SethAnna, RyanMarissa

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the OC characters. I only own Tom and Tina.

Chapter 10: History Class II

Summer was sitting down in History class. No matter what she couldn't get Tom's words out of her head. 'We have to move back to Australia.' It was definitely stuck deep into her mind. What happened after he'd dropped the bomb was them sitting there uncomfortably until they managed to strike up a clumsy conversation about something that Summer couldn't even remember.

Summer longed to throw herself at him sitting in the bed and just kiss him and try to forget about it all. But it was impossible. She knew that she couldn't do it. They were both too sad to make out. Or do anything else. Anything but sit there and be sad. Fun.

She knew that Tom wouldn't have wanted for this to happen. Not for her to be so bereft. So sad. So deserted. So dejected. So disconsolate. So melancholy. So gloomy. So miserable. So depressed. So despondent. So isolated. So empty. And so on.

"Where's your partner?" The teacher was standing over Summer and looking down at her through her glasses. Summer looked up at her with a hostile expression.

"He's in hospital. He got shot three times by your friend Sarah." The teacher hesitated before pushing her glasses up her nose and leaving to move onto the next table. The whole class stared at her but she managed to ignore them. Just. Ignoring a group of thirty people staring at you accusingly is quite hard.

Summer wrapped her arms around herself and felt as if she was going to burst if she didn't see Tom soon. She just wanted to have someone wrap their arms around her and for her to wrap her arms around him. To feel his lips against her own. To feel that safe feeling that she always got with Tom. That feeling that no one could touch her. That she was protected and loved. And safe.

She felt tears threaten and blinked them back. She could feel the emptiness in her. An emptiness that made her feel as if she was missing a body part. It was almost impossible to describe. Just as if she was missing something. She felt so lonely sometimes. As if something had been carved out from her.

"Summer?" Summer just realised that Seth had just sat next to her.

"What is it Cohen?" Seth looked at her with worry on his face.

"Are you okay? You look as if someone died."

"Well someone almost died didn't they Cohen!" Seth drew back, shocked by the outburst and replied,

"Yeah, they did. And I know that. I know this must be hard for you..."

"You have no idea. I was right there as it happened. I could have stopped it but I didn't, I didn't because I'm a coward."

"You're not. How do you think you stopped him from getting shot more times? You tackled her. It's just like you Summer. Radical." Summer couldn't help but smile a little. She looked up at Seth and asked,

"Radical?" Seth nodded and confirmed it,

"Radical."

"Thanks." Summer smiled by twitching the ends of her mouth up.

"Hey, it's okay Summer." Seth said and smiled. Anna came over and both Seth and Summer greeted her,

"Hey Anna." Seth greeted Anna with a smile.

"Hey." Summer said and greeted Anna with a faint smile. Something that had to be well deserved in Summer's current state.

"Hey you guys." Anna replied and grabbed a seat to sit down.

"So I guess Seth worked his magic." Anna said and continued, "I mean, know you don't look like you're ready to jump off a cliff." Summer gave Anna a look and Anna shrugged.

"Do you miss him?" Anna asked and Summer nodded.

"But you've only…" Seth began but Anna stopped him with a look. Seth made an unknowing face by knotting his eyebrows together and then looked from one of the girls to the other and then said,

"Okay, uh, I'm going to go now." With that Seth got up and left the two girls to talk about what only they knew and understood.

"How are you faring?" Anna asked.

"You've changed." Summer seemed to scrutinize Anna and Anna shrugged non-committal.

"Yeah, things happened while I wasn't here. You've changed too." Summer looked at Anna and decided to let it go.

"Tom does that to you." Anna nodded, agreeing completely. Summer then continued to answer Anna's previous question,

"I'm okay. Well, not okay but you know, I'm coping." Anna nodded, she seemed to know that this was the best outcome that could possibly be accepted.

"He'll be alright. He's a survivor. He'll be up and walking around in no time at all."

"It's been two months." Summer said quietly.

"And you've been moping around for two months. This is your first week back at school and everyone knows how much you've changed." Anna sighed and then said, "He was shot in three places, it's expected that it'll be a while before he can do a merry jig. But I'm sure he'll be up for Prom tomorrow night." Anna looked unsure, well a little more than unsure, but Summer would take any reassurance that she could get.

"You know the one thing that I want most in the entire world is for him to walk through that door." Summer said and turned and nodded towards the classroom door. She turned back to Anna and continued on, "I mean, that would be such an amazingly miraculous thing that I would do anything for that to happen. Anything."

"You won't have to." Anna said with her eyes fixed on the doorway.

"What?" Summer had a feeling that she knew but she had to make sure. She had to ensure that it was what she thought it was before she got her hopes up higher than she already had. Which was almost impossible but it was the principle. Anna glanced back at Summer and elaborated,

"You won't have to give up anything." Summer cocked her head,

"Anna?" Anna remained speechless and just chose to nod at the door. Summer turned around with the hope brimming in her eyes and saw what she had wished for standing in the doorway. Tom.

He was leaning heavily on crutches and with every breath he was racked pain. But he was standing there nevertheless.

Summer stood up and ran over to him and ran into his arms. He winced and quietly said 'oof' but he let go of his crutches to hug her back. Summer felt the emptiness inside her fill up. She enjoyed the smell of Lynx on him that mixed with his own personal smell. His strong safe arms that enveloped her.

"I've missed you." Summer said, although what she really wanted to say was 'love' but she just couldn't get it out. She buried her face in Tom's right shoulder. Then she felt his response vibrate his chest,

"I've missed you too." He kissed the crown of her head and she wished that she could just say it. Just say how much she loved him when he wasn't unconscious.

(Sorry this chapter was so short. I just really wanted to move on from the sad stuff and get the whole Tom appearing in the doorway thing over and done with. Pretty sweet stuff. Oh yah, the hug at the end would've probably killed him with pain but I just had to put that. They're more personal than kisses in some ways, more body contact and sweeter.)