I found you
All unwound
Saying things that needed to be said
I don't want to wait 'til tomorrow
--"Yesterday's Gone" by Jibe

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                Seth sat on his bed, staring at Captain Oats. His position hadn't changed for well over an hour. Ryan knocked on the door, then proceeded to walk in. "You haven't moved since the last time I was in here."
                Seth turned. "Hey man, what's with the coming on in? What if I'd been making out with Summer in here?"
                "Summer's not here though."
                "That's not the point. She could have been."
                Ryan shook his head. "You mean you could have sneaked her through the window?"
                Seth's eyes narrowed. "What's with the funny? Since when are you even slightly amusing?"
                "People change."
                "Not Chino people. You are all supposed to be quiet and broody pits of despair." Seth laughed. "There is no laughter in Chino my friend."
                "Yeah, I know." Ryan sat down in Seth's computer chair and dropped his backpack on the floor. "I'm brooding on the inside." He gestured at the computer. "Anyway man, can I use your computer? I need to write an English paper...assuming I still even go to Harbor."
                "Negative thinking man. You gotta stay positive."  Seth leaned up and dropped Captain Oats on the bedside table. "Look at me. I stayed positive, and things are happening with Summer."

            Ryan's eyebrows rose. "Since when are you positive?"
                Seth grinned. "I'm positive that this is the best year of my life. I'm positive that I'm probably dreaming, and I'll probably wake up screaming before long."
                "Way to think positive."
                "I have my own unique system." Seth looked thoughtful. "I've got an idea. You can use my computer, but you have to help me think of a good date to take Summer on."
                "Why are you asking me?"
                "Well, sources tell me that you have experience with the honeys."
                Ryan nodded. "If you call sex in the back seat of a car 'experience'."
                Seth nodded. "Indeed I do. Not necessarily the kind of experience I'm looking for, but we'll call that plan B."
                Ryan sighed. "Why don't you take her on that 'big date' you told Marissa I was taking her on?"
                Seth shook his head. "No no. You see, that date was made up. I need a real one."
                "Can't help you, man. Not really a romantic."
                Seth bobbed his head. "I can do this. I've seen Say Anything. I can be romantic."
                "So, you're gonna go hold a boom-box over your head outside her house."
                "Ha ha, funny man. Let's call that one plan C." Seth stood and started pacing. "Although, who knows what a little Deathcab would do for Summer." He considered it a moment, and then shook his head. "No. I can't do that. I need something original. Summer's been on lots of dates. I need to stand out. I need something big. Not big funny like Danny. Just big."
                 Ryan pulled a book from his bag and sat it on the desk. After rustling through his bag for a minute, he produced a worn notebook. Flipping it open, he turned to consider Seth. "Look, I don't know how to do things big. Unless you wanna go and fight Summer. I can teach you how to punch."
                 "Hmm. I'm thinking no." Seth sat back on the edge of the bed, staring at Ryan. "While that would probably be a big change from her usual dates, I'm going to refrain from assaulting my boat's namesake."
                The computer hummed softly as it came to life. Ryan double clicked on the word processing program, and then turned back to Seth. "Okay. Suit yourself. That's about the extent of my expertise though: fighting. Well, that and pissing people off."
                 "You do have an affinity for both of those, don't you?" Seth pursed his lips. He sat, lost in thought, for a moment. "None of this helps my original problem."
                 "I'm sorry man. I'd help if I could. Why don't you ask your dad?"
                 "Um, that's gonna be no. The man starts beaming any time anyone mentions me having a girlfriend. I'm definitely not adding fuel to that fire." He lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "I'll figure something out. I know I will. I'm gonna sit here and think about it until I do."

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                 Summer's phone chirped loudly. It rang several times before she woke up enough to grab it. "What do you want!?" she hissed into the phone.

                "Summer, my little love muffin, how are you?"

                "Love muffin, Seth? What's gotten into you?"

                "Just trying out a pet name. Ix-nay on the uffin-may. Check."

                Summer grabbed the clock off of her night stand. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

                There was a small pause. "Oh, it looks like it is 5:00."

                "That's right. 5:00. As in 5 a.m. What are you even doing awake?"

                "Well," Seth said. "I have been trying to decide what to do on our first date."

                Summer sighed. "And that kept you up this long?"

                "What else would I be doing?"

                Summer groaned. "Oh, I don't know...sleeping maybe. You know, like I was doing until a few minutes ago. God Cohen, I need my beauty rest."

                "I find that hard to believe. How could you get any more beautiful?"

                Summer smiled. "That's sweet Cohen. Laying on a little thick aren't you?"

                "Laying what on?" Seth sounded genuinely confused. "I wasn't just saying that. I think you are the most beautiful person I've ever seen."

                The smile on Summer's face grew even wider. "What am I gonna do with you, Cohen?"

                "Well, hopefully you are going to go on a date with me tomorrow."

                "You mean tomorrow as in Sunday, or tomorrow as in Saturday?"

                "As in Saturday."

                "Right. So you wanna go out today."                                             

                Seth paused. "Yes. That would be right. Except I actually was planning for more of a night type thing."

                "You're gonna be planning on nothing if you don't let me get back to sleep."

                "So that means you'll go?"

                "What're we gonna do?" Summer sighed.

                "Ah. Good question. I don't actually know just yet. I just know it will be very good and very memorable."

                "Why all the trouble? Not that I don't like a guy doing stuff for me, but dinner in a nice restaurant and a movie would be great."

                "I want this to be perfect. I don't want us to end up like Cordelia and Xander. Although…I've already gone out with my Willow, so that's really not a problem…"

                "What are you talking about?"

"Cordelia and Xander. You now, from Buffy the….you know what, just never mind."

                "God, Cohen. You are so weird. Sometimes I wonder why I even like you."

                "That makes two of us, sugar. Some of us don't look a gift horse in the mouth though."

                "What about a horse?"

                "Never mind. Let's just say that I don't take whatever it is we have here for granted."

                "Good, you shouldn't," Summer huffed. "I could stop liking you at any moment. I'm unpredictable."

                "Yes, my dear that you are. It is part of your very unique charm."

                Another smile crept onto Summer's face. "You always know just what to say, don't you Cohen?"

                "I like to think so."

                "So, if I agree to this, do you agree to have a place and activity when you come to pick me up?"

                "Is it alright if we just go to the comic store? You can wear your Wonder Woman costume..."

                "Seth..."

                "Kidding. Well, I'm not kidding about Wonder Woman, because I wouldn't mind seeing that one again. I was kidding about the comic store. That's more of a 4th date type thing."

                "No, that's more of a never type thing."

                "Fair enough. A couple should have separate interests. It's healthy."

                "So, we're a couple now?"

                "Well...I...I...I don't know. I thought so; do you have a problem with that?"

                Summer paused for a long moment. "No. Actually I don't. That's weird."

                "Okay. Whatever you say. I'm willing to take this thing as slow as you want to. Heck, I'm willing to go to another town on our date if you wanna hide."

                "Look Cohen, if I'm not embarrassed to be seen with you at school, I'm not gonna be embarrassed to be seen with you anywhere."

                "You make a good point." Seth paused. "Okay then. We have a date. What do you say, 7:00?"

                "Kind of early, but I think I can do that."

                "Great. See you then."

                "So, I can go back to sleep now?"

                "Yes my dear, please do. Don't let me interrupt your slumber for a moment more."

                Summer hung up the phone. She lay back in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. "So, we're a couple now?" she thought. It was quite a leap. She'd gone out with guys for months and never thought that they were 'couple-worthy.' Now she was ready to think of her and Seth as a couple and they hadn't even gone out on a first date. "What's going on here?" Summer said out loud. "What's Cohen doing to me?"

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                Seth hung up the phone. His mind was still racing with possibilities for the date. He didn't really know why. It was like Summer had just said; dinner and a movie would be just fine. In fact, it would be pretty easy. Seth knew how to watch movies, and he certainly knew how to eat. What better date than to combine the two? Still, he wanted to do something more. Summer deserved that. He didn't want to take her on the same date she'd been on with every obnoxious soon to be frat boy she'd ever gone out with. He needed something that stood out; something that showed how much he cared.

                Of course, whatever it was needed to be decided on soon. A quick check of the clock revealed it to be 6 a.m. That left him approximately 5-6 hours of sleep if he wanted to have plenty of time to get ready. He racked his brain for another 15 minutes before reserving himself to the inevitable. He was going to have to ask his parents for help.

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                 Sandy looked up from his morning paper as Seth walked into the kitchen. "Getting up kinda late aren't you, son? It's nearly one o'clock."

                Seth shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "One o'clock? Man….I was planning on being up before this."

                 Sandy folded the paper and dropped it on the table. "What's up today? You and Anna going to a big comic convention or something?"

                Seth opened the refrigerator and rummaged around. The shelves were unusually bare, so he grabbed an apple and shut the door. "Yeah, about that. I don't think you'll be seeing much of me and Anna."

                 Sandy looked concerned. "What a happened? Did she dump you?"

                "Excuse me. Why do you automatically assume she dumped me?" Seth tried to look hurt as he continued. "If you must know, I was the one who did the dumping."

                 Sandy shook his head. "Wow. You went from two girls to no girls. It's certainly turning out like old times."

                Seth grinned. "I'll have you know that I went from one girl to one girl. I'm back to the original girl."

                "Oh, it's you and Summer now, huh? She's hot."

                Seth grimaced. "Dad, what did I tell you about saying that?" Sandy just grinned. "Seriously, Dad, never say that to me again. Ever."

                 Sandy stood and walked over to Seth. "Okay, I promise I'll try to keep my opinion of your girlfriend to myself." He leaned against the counter and regarded Seth for a moment. "Can I at least say she seemed nice?"

                Seth considered it. "Okay. Nice is fine. I can do nice." He took a large bite out of the apple and chewed it up. "Wait a minute," Seth said as he swallowed. "How would you even know?"

                 Sandy shrugged. "Granted, I don't really know the girl, but she seemed nice enough at Thanksgiving. I mean, she didn't kill you even though she found out you'd been kissing Anna too. Your mother would have murdered me on the spot if I'd done something like that."

                "I guess you do have a point. Although you may change your mind about the nice once you meet her. Which won't be for a long time I might add."

                 Sandy nodded. "I assumed as much. Parents usually aren't high on the priority list."

                "Not today anyway." Seth agreed. He chewed on the apple thoughtfully for a moment. "I have a question for you. Where should we go on our first date?"

                 Sandy looked surprised. "You're asking your father for advice? What is wrong here?"

                Seth sighed. "Call it performance anxiety; call it brain-freeze; call it first date jitters. I don't know what to call it myself. I just know that I'm stumped."

                "Why? What's so difficult about a date? You've gone on dates with Anna."

                "Yes….how can I say this?" Seth paused. "Okay. Anna was like a good buddy. We just went out and did things that I liked to do…mainly because she liked to do them as well. Summer doesn't like comic books. Summer doesn't like IMAX movies, at least I don't think. The only things that I know Summer likes are shopping, manicures, and herself."

                "So take her to the mall and the beauty shop."

                "Real smooth Dad. Thanks for the help." Seth turned to look his father in the eyes. "Come on, man. Help me out here. You and Mom are all romantic aren't you?"

                "Is this a subject you really want to hear about?"

                Seth's lip curled. "Ugh. I don't want gory details. I want the events that lead up to the gory details."

                "So you want to seduce Summer?"

                Seth grinned. "Eventually, maybe. For now I just want to give her a night to remember...an epic first date if you will."

                 Sandy smiled. "Good boy." He motioned Seth over to the table and then sat down. After Seth had taken his seat, Sandy leaned in. "It's simple really. All you need to do is go back to your room and think of what it is about Summer that makes you like her. Not the superficial stuff like her pretty face and her…"

                "Dad," Seth interrupted. "What did I tell you about that?"

                 Sandy threw up his hands. "Okay, okay. I'm just saying: search your mind for that deep down reason you like her. Find the thing that makes her more special than all the other girls you know." He leaned back and regarded Seth. "It could be anything. It could be something she said to you, something she did that would seem out of character to anyone else; it might even be something you thought was insignificant. Either way, you find that one thing, and the rest of your date plans will just fall into place."