A/N: This is just my take on what happens when Seth returns from Portland
I don't know where this came from. I started it months ago and just found it today and decided to try to finish it. Decided to make it a one-shot, too. It probable sucks, I don't know. It's the first OC fic I've finished. Keep in mind that I'm extremely tired right now, so I apologize in advance if some of the parts don't make sense or something. LOL.

Pieces of Me

Summer Roberts dumped the box of Seth's things onto his bed. She glanced around the room for a moment, trying to paint a memory. Who knew when the next time she'd see his room again—if ever? She picked up Captain Oats and stroked his mane of fake hair, oddly feeling a sense of comfort.

She sat down on Seth's bed, placing Captain Oats beside her. Her eyes fell on one of the framed pictures she had thrown onto the bed. It was a picture of her, Seth, Ryan, and Marissa, taken shortly after their return from Tijuana. She absentmindedly ran her fingers across Seth's image, sighing.

"I love that picture."

Summer jumped in surprise, the picture falling from her fingers and crashing to the floor. The glass broke into a million tiny little pieces, flying in every direction. Summer glanced down at the broken picture of herself and it smiled up at her. Feeling her eyes start to well with tears, she picked up the picture from the ground. She willed the tears away and luckily there they went.

Seth sprung forward, taking the picture frame from her shaking hands. Her eyes met his, and he offered a small smile. "I don't want you to cut yourself," was all he said, before setting the picture back down and going to get something to clean up the glass.

Summer waited, as she always did, now fully aware of the toll it was taking on her. She felt like she was missing out on something, and maybe she was. After all this time, she was finally coming to realize that Seth just wasn't ready for her. Yes, they had slept together already, but that wasn't really the point. That wasn't what she was waiting for. She was waiting for him. Waiting for him to get over Anna. Waiting for him to get over Ryan leaving. Waiting for him to just come back to her. Didn't he care about her at all?

Now that she had finally gotten her wish, she wasn't so sure she knew what she wanted anymore. Did she still want Seth?

Before she could even answer her own question, there he was standing in the doorway again, broom and dustpan in hand.

"Don't move," he told her, sweeping up the mess around her.

Summer watched him work, trying to act uninterested. Like she hadn't a care in the world. She picked up a CD from the pile on Seth's bed. Death Cab For Cutie. Seth had lent it to her, hoping to turn her on to his kind of music. She was surprised that, after having listened to it, she really liked the CD. She had burned herself a copy before returning it to Seth.

Another picture. This one of only Seth, one Summer had taken awhile back, right when they had first started going out.

She could feel his eyes on her. Summer silently turned the picture over and placed it facedown into the pile.

"Summer, can we—"

"Seth!" Kirsten called from downstairs. "Phone!"

Seth shut his eyes for a second, sighing. "I'll be right back," he promised, leaving the room.

Summer watched him leave, until he shut the door behind him. She stood up from the bed and walked around his room. Everything she saw brought back memories. His CD collection, pictures, his bed...She stopped in her tracks. Oh god. She had to get out of here. This was all too much.

She was so confused. He wasn't supposed to be back. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go. She was with Zach now. Seth couldn't just come back and expect her to drop everything like before, could he?

But then, that didn't seem to be a problem. Other than his initial apology for leaving, Seth hadn't mentioned one word about leaving, or coming back, or them as a couple.

It was as if they were starting over, as friends. A sort of mutual understanding that that was all they were going to be. For now.

Summer felt the tears come again, but, as before, she fought them back. Damn him! She thought. I thought I was through with this. I have Zach now.

As if on cue, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID. Zach. Putting on a forced smile, she greeted her boyfriend with as much enthusiasm as she could muster at that point.

"Zach! I'm glad you called. I was just thinking about you..."

A/N: Well?? What did you think?? ;)