Summer felt sore and heavy as she opened her groggy eyes, slowly waking up. Her head was tight and hot, her back knotted from the way she'd fallen asleep on top of Seth.
"Sum..?" a slurred voice sounded behind her ear.
"Uh huh?" she replied.
"N'thing, just wanted to check it was you.." Seth trailed off.
"Who else would it be, Cohen? Expecting Ryan?" Summer coughed, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"Heh um, I don't know.." he mumbled softly, "you okay?" he asked as he snaked an arm round her waist.
Summer swallowed awkwardly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry.. I was like, I was a mess," she murmured.
Rolling over to check his watch Seth made a little groaning noise and turned back to Summer.
"I have class soon.. now. But I, I can skip if you want. Or I guess go if you think-"
"You should go," she cut him off, "if you don't learn stuff who'll teach me?" she smiled a little.
"Point taken," his lips curving up against her mouth, "be good to yourself while I'm gone little lady, play some cards with Captain Oats.. he gets lonely these days without Ryan around so much."
"Mmm hmm," Summer dazed as Seth went through the motions of pulling on a clean shirt, grabbing some geography notes and indulging in a quick swig of cold coffee as he stumbled through the door, blowing her a kiss. She blew him a half-hearted kiss back and rolled under the duvet until her head was covered.
Swiftly making his way across campus, Seth almost collided with Ryan.
"Hey, man, how goes it?"
"Good," Ryan nodded, "how's Summer?"
"Not so, but she sent me to class so that she could do some private crying," he replied, "I don't know what to do, I mean, man, if it was Julie Cooper Marissa would probably be hosting the party and.. and I guess I always thought Summer would be the same," he added.
"Huh."
"Yeah," Seth breathed, "so, how's Marissa?"
"Where I'm headed now," Ryan gestured with the two double lattés occupying his hands, "long night," he grinned.
"Aah, so you do partake in the less drinking parts of relationship life, I'd begun to think that you were letting the teeeam down," he said in a sing-song voice.
"You know me, not one to bring the team down."
"Going down can be fun, as long as it's with people not of the team, if we're a team of.. what are we a team of?" Seth shook his head, "I gotta go to class, increase my brain.. mass or something."
"I'll see you later, Summer still in the room?" Ryan shouted after him.
"Last I heard," Seth departed with a quick wave, sprinting towards the Arts block.
Seth almost fell into the main corridor of the Arts block, tripping over the metal bar used to secure the bottom of the door. It was the second time that morning that he was glad he hadn't stopped off to procure something caffeinated. He arrived at the lecture room being used for Geography just in time to follow the last person in and avoid being branded late.
As he took his seat, near the middle, nice and inconspicuous, his thoughts drifted to Summer and then to Kirsten. Seth knew how he'd feel if he ever lost her but was it really the same if you didn't know the person? Was it worse? Summer's mom had been dead to her for ten years, the only difference now was that it was official. As the projector board lit Seth settled down, vowing to make Summer talk about it when class was out.
Marissa was already showered and half dressed by the time Ryan got back with their morning buzz. Marissa has gone through a phase of adding vodka to her morning coffee, insisting it was Irish, but she had grown out of it pretty quickly when Ryan had left her to her own devices.
"Hey," he set the cardboard cups down on her dresser, flopping onto her bed as Marissa towel-dried her hair.
"Hey," she smiled.
"I saw Seth."
"How is her? How's Summer?" she asked quickly.
"Flustered. And not good."
"What's happening with her?" Marissa prodded.
Ryan shrugged, "he was late for class, but she's still at ours if you wanna go see her," he offered.
"But what would you do?" she questioned.
"I'll hang here, catch up on sleep. I've got English at two," he reasoned.
Making her was over to the bed Marissa leaned down for a kiss, her damp hair swinging loosely.
"I'll get tidied up and then head over," she decided.
"Oh, I can do that," Ryan jumped off the bed and headed to grab some discarded clothes from the floor as Marissa started laughing.
"I meant me," she grinned, gesturing to her tangled tresses.
"Oh," he stopped short, "well you look tidy already," he finished.
"Smooth, very smooth Mr Atwood," she giggled, writhing out of his grip to head to the bathroom, and her straightening irons.
"Sum..?" a slurred voice sounded behind her ear.
"Uh huh?" she replied.
"N'thing, just wanted to check it was you.." Seth trailed off.
"Who else would it be, Cohen? Expecting Ryan?" Summer coughed, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"Heh um, I don't know.." he mumbled softly, "you okay?" he asked as he snaked an arm round her waist.
Summer swallowed awkwardly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry.. I was like, I was a mess," she murmured.
Rolling over to check his watch Seth made a little groaning noise and turned back to Summer.
"I have class soon.. now. But I, I can skip if you want. Or I guess go if you think-"
"You should go," she cut him off, "if you don't learn stuff who'll teach me?" she smiled a little.
"Point taken," his lips curving up against her mouth, "be good to yourself while I'm gone little lady, play some cards with Captain Oats.. he gets lonely these days without Ryan around so much."
"Mmm hmm," Summer dazed as Seth went through the motions of pulling on a clean shirt, grabbing some geography notes and indulging in a quick swig of cold coffee as he stumbled through the door, blowing her a kiss. She blew him a half-hearted kiss back and rolled under the duvet until her head was covered.
Swiftly making his way across campus, Seth almost collided with Ryan.
"Hey, man, how goes it?"
"Good," Ryan nodded, "how's Summer?"
"Not so, but she sent me to class so that she could do some private crying," he replied, "I don't know what to do, I mean, man, if it was Julie Cooper Marissa would probably be hosting the party and.. and I guess I always thought Summer would be the same," he added.
"Huh."
"Yeah," Seth breathed, "so, how's Marissa?"
"Where I'm headed now," Ryan gestured with the two double lattés occupying his hands, "long night," he grinned.
"Aah, so you do partake in the less drinking parts of relationship life, I'd begun to think that you were letting the teeeam down," he said in a sing-song voice.
"You know me, not one to bring the team down."
"Going down can be fun, as long as it's with people not of the team, if we're a team of.. what are we a team of?" Seth shook his head, "I gotta go to class, increase my brain.. mass or something."
"I'll see you later, Summer still in the room?" Ryan shouted after him.
"Last I heard," Seth departed with a quick wave, sprinting towards the Arts block.
Seth almost fell into the main corridor of the Arts block, tripping over the metal bar used to secure the bottom of the door. It was the second time that morning that he was glad he hadn't stopped off to procure something caffeinated. He arrived at the lecture room being used for Geography just in time to follow the last person in and avoid being branded late.
As he took his seat, near the middle, nice and inconspicuous, his thoughts drifted to Summer and then to Kirsten. Seth knew how he'd feel if he ever lost her but was it really the same if you didn't know the person? Was it worse? Summer's mom had been dead to her for ten years, the only difference now was that it was official. As the projector board lit Seth settled down, vowing to make Summer talk about it when class was out.
Marissa was already showered and half dressed by the time Ryan got back with their morning buzz. Marissa has gone through a phase of adding vodka to her morning coffee, insisting it was Irish, but she had grown out of it pretty quickly when Ryan had left her to her own devices.
"Hey," he set the cardboard cups down on her dresser, flopping onto her bed as Marissa towel-dried her hair.
"Hey," she smiled.
"I saw Seth."
"How is her? How's Summer?" she asked quickly.
"Flustered. And not good."
"What's happening with her?" Marissa prodded.
Ryan shrugged, "he was late for class, but she's still at ours if you wanna go see her," he offered.
"But what would you do?" she questioned.
"I'll hang here, catch up on sleep. I've got English at two," he reasoned.
Making her was over to the bed Marissa leaned down for a kiss, her damp hair swinging loosely.
"I'll get tidied up and then head over," she decided.
"Oh, I can do that," Ryan jumped off the bed and headed to grab some discarded clothes from the floor as Marissa started laughing.
"I meant me," she grinned, gesturing to her tangled tresses.
"Oh," he stopped short, "well you look tidy already," he finished.
"Smooth, very smooth Mr Atwood," she giggled, writhing out of his grip to head to the bathroom, and her straightening irons.