The sun was almost simmering into early afternoon by the time Marissa arrived at Seth and Ryan's door. She paused before knocking, apprehensive. Marissa wasn't very good with confrontation, and she certainly didn't want to intrude on Summer's grief, but this was her best friend and she would feel guilty if she didn't at least try and help. Marissa raised her hand to the door.
Summer heard a knocking from the door, confused she pulled her head out of the covers slightly. Seth wouldn't knock.. but Ryan would, and although she wasn't really in the mood for visitors Summer was the visitor here and she wasn't quite rude enough to deny Ryan his belongings.
"It's open," she called, wiping her face clean, "Coop."
Marissa looked almost as surprised as Summer was. From what she could see, a small face peeking out from beneath the covers on Seth's bed, Summer was a mess.
"Ryan saw Seth, he said you were here," she explain, "Are you okay?" she asked, stepping in to close the door behind her.
Summer pulled herself up until there was enough room on the bed for Marissa to sit awkwardly beside her, half-sliding off the scrunched up duvet.
Summer was quiet for a moment, tears bubbling up in her throat, "I don't know, Coop. I don't know what I'm doing," her voice cracked as Summer started to cry, again.
Marissa looked on helplessly, not sure how to comfort her friend.
"Have you called your dad, yet?" she questioned gently.
"No," Summer choked, tears sliding down her cheeks silently, "I don't know if he knows, of if he wants to.. I mean she, like, just left us, like it was nothing, y'know? Why should we cry about her now?" she asked earnestly.
Marissa started to wonder if perhaps she was a little in over her head, in all the years she'd known Summer she'd never seen her break down like this and frankly Marissa didn't know what to do. How could she ever make this better for Summer, even a little?
Usually Marissa was too busy being the one who broke down to help other people. She knew it was selfish but she was hardly able to look after herself and the sooner she was able to leave the sooner Seth could start helping Summer. He would do a much better job.
"I really think you should call your dad," she prodded, "he has a right to know."
Gulping down a sob Summer gave a few exaggerated nods, trying to calm herself enough to talk. But the pulsing in her jaw was too tight so she resigned herself to the head motion as her main means of communication, for the moment.
After a few minutes of silence Marissa stood, "I'll, I'll leave you to make the call," when she got no answer she ducked out the door, bobbing her head slightly as she quietly mumbled a "bye".
Fresh from sitting still for an entire lecture Seth was buzzing with fidgety energy, determined to get back to Summer and force her to share and grieve and learn and grow. He'd thought out a whole speech, but was fast forgetting it, nerves getting the better of him.
But it was a plan. Not a very good plan, even by Seth's standards, but he had run out of ideas pretty quickly and watching his girl cry her eyes out for another night did not sound appealing. So, as much as he knew that no one could make Summer do something she didn't want to, he was going to try.
'Maybe if she had some facts, how, when, where, funeral dates even, like closure,' he thought.
Summer stared at the phone between her hands, she had already punched in the number and no doubt it had started ringing on the other side, she knew she should really put it to her ear and talk.
"Hello?" a slightly flustered male voice repeated.
"Hey daddy," she answered.
"The voice calmed, "hello darling, Summer how are you?"
"Mom's dead," she replied matter of factly.
"Ahh, yes. I received a phone call yesterday afternoon, I told her that quest for cheap beauty would be the death of her," he added nostalgically.
"What?" Summer sniffed.
"Summer, not 'what', 'excuse me'," he sighed, "Her latest 'enhancement' apparently, silly woman went to a surgeon in some godforsaken European country. Died on the table."
Fresh tears sprang up in Summer's eyes, grief and disgust in equal measures, she loved to be beautiful as much as the next person, maybe more, but she couldn't imagine being vain enough to put her life at risk for bigger breasts or some nose work. No matter what some people might have thought. It just seemed like such a waste.
"Are you going to her funeral," she asked cautiously.
There was a long pause.
"No," he finally answered, "I haven't seen your mother in a very long while, we didn't part on the best of terms and, I've already said my goodbyes to her long before this," he finished.
"I want to go," she tested the words.
After another pause, Summer heard a slight rustling down the line, like a piece of paper being picked up.
"New York City, Tuesday at one thirty," he read calmly, "I don't know which cemetery but I'm sure Kate can fill you in."
Summer's mouth moved into a sore smile as she whispered roughly down the phone, "thank you, daddy," and hung up.
As Seth reached the door he heard talking coming from his room, it was unlikely that Ryan and Summer would be making conversation.. but maybe Marissa. He stopped shortly to listen before deciding it was in fact a phone call.
Not wanting to interrupt he crossed his arms, let his back fall against the wall next to the door and lightly crossed his legs at the ankle waiting impatiently.
After a few minutes the sound went away and he decided it was safe to enter. Seth was surprised to see Summer up and out of bed, sitting on the floor with her cell phone.
"Summer. Feeling better?" he ventured.
"Going to New York tomorrow morning," she replied without looking up.
"New York, aah. The N.Y., good times, hoping the pretty pictures will cheer you up? Or just going to catch a game? What game I do not know, but I'm sure it will be AWESOME and.. sporty," he babbled semi-coherently, trailing off.
Summer scowled at him.
"I'm sorry, I'm not very good under pressure. I'm bad, a bad, bad boyfriend," he sighed, "I'm going to not talk for a while."
"The funeral is there," she offered, hoping that he really would stop talking, just for a little bit while she figured out her plan.
Taking a seat on the bed behind Summer, Seth slumped down.
"Is your dad going with you?"
"No, he doesn't want to," she said quietly.
"Well, uh, do you want me to go?" he asked, leaning forward.
"It's okay, it'll be boring and I know how much you like, hate wearing a suit," she quipped glumly.
Seth slid down onto the floor next to Summer, taking her hand.
"I'm serious, Sum, you shouldn't have to go alone, and Princess Sparkle doesn't have ID so it looks like you're stuck with me.. and Captain Oats who I shall be smuggling in with my carry ons, but shhh they'll never know," he looked around the room shiftily.
She smiled a little for real then, pulling herself to her feet.
"I should, like, go, get changed, y'know?" she yawned.
"You should," he said sincerely, "but you can come back if you don't want to sleep there. Ryan's used to being evicted, he won't mind and if he complains then I'll get my mom to phone him, he hates speaking on the phone and my mom will try and buy him stuff. Seriously we should do it just to watch him squirm, oh, please, can we phone her?" he rambled animatedly, scrambling to his feet.
Leaning up, she quietened him with a soft kiss and then bent to get her bag, walking lazily too the door.
"You want me to walk you?" Seth asked just before she left.
"Chivalry's dead, Cohen," Summer responded with a smile in her voice.
Summer heard a knocking from the door, confused she pulled her head out of the covers slightly. Seth wouldn't knock.. but Ryan would, and although she wasn't really in the mood for visitors Summer was the visitor here and she wasn't quite rude enough to deny Ryan his belongings.
"It's open," she called, wiping her face clean, "Coop."
Marissa looked almost as surprised as Summer was. From what she could see, a small face peeking out from beneath the covers on Seth's bed, Summer was a mess.
"Ryan saw Seth, he said you were here," she explain, "Are you okay?" she asked, stepping in to close the door behind her.
Summer pulled herself up until there was enough room on the bed for Marissa to sit awkwardly beside her, half-sliding off the scrunched up duvet.
Summer was quiet for a moment, tears bubbling up in her throat, "I don't know, Coop. I don't know what I'm doing," her voice cracked as Summer started to cry, again.
Marissa looked on helplessly, not sure how to comfort her friend.
"Have you called your dad, yet?" she questioned gently.
"No," Summer choked, tears sliding down her cheeks silently, "I don't know if he knows, of if he wants to.. I mean she, like, just left us, like it was nothing, y'know? Why should we cry about her now?" she asked earnestly.
Marissa started to wonder if perhaps she was a little in over her head, in all the years she'd known Summer she'd never seen her break down like this and frankly Marissa didn't know what to do. How could she ever make this better for Summer, even a little?
Usually Marissa was too busy being the one who broke down to help other people. She knew it was selfish but she was hardly able to look after herself and the sooner she was able to leave the sooner Seth could start helping Summer. He would do a much better job.
"I really think you should call your dad," she prodded, "he has a right to know."
Gulping down a sob Summer gave a few exaggerated nods, trying to calm herself enough to talk. But the pulsing in her jaw was too tight so she resigned herself to the head motion as her main means of communication, for the moment.
After a few minutes of silence Marissa stood, "I'll, I'll leave you to make the call," when she got no answer she ducked out the door, bobbing her head slightly as she quietly mumbled a "bye".
Fresh from sitting still for an entire lecture Seth was buzzing with fidgety energy, determined to get back to Summer and force her to share and grieve and learn and grow. He'd thought out a whole speech, but was fast forgetting it, nerves getting the better of him.
But it was a plan. Not a very good plan, even by Seth's standards, but he had run out of ideas pretty quickly and watching his girl cry her eyes out for another night did not sound appealing. So, as much as he knew that no one could make Summer do something she didn't want to, he was going to try.
'Maybe if she had some facts, how, when, where, funeral dates even, like closure,' he thought.
Summer stared at the phone between her hands, she had already punched in the number and no doubt it had started ringing on the other side, she knew she should really put it to her ear and talk.
"Hello?" a slightly flustered male voice repeated.
"Hey daddy," she answered.
"The voice calmed, "hello darling, Summer how are you?"
"Mom's dead," she replied matter of factly.
"Ahh, yes. I received a phone call yesterday afternoon, I told her that quest for cheap beauty would be the death of her," he added nostalgically.
"What?" Summer sniffed.
"Summer, not 'what', 'excuse me'," he sighed, "Her latest 'enhancement' apparently, silly woman went to a surgeon in some godforsaken European country. Died on the table."
Fresh tears sprang up in Summer's eyes, grief and disgust in equal measures, she loved to be beautiful as much as the next person, maybe more, but she couldn't imagine being vain enough to put her life at risk for bigger breasts or some nose work. No matter what some people might have thought. It just seemed like such a waste.
"Are you going to her funeral," she asked cautiously.
There was a long pause.
"No," he finally answered, "I haven't seen your mother in a very long while, we didn't part on the best of terms and, I've already said my goodbyes to her long before this," he finished.
"I want to go," she tested the words.
After another pause, Summer heard a slight rustling down the line, like a piece of paper being picked up.
"New York City, Tuesday at one thirty," he read calmly, "I don't know which cemetery but I'm sure Kate can fill you in."
Summer's mouth moved into a sore smile as she whispered roughly down the phone, "thank you, daddy," and hung up.
As Seth reached the door he heard talking coming from his room, it was unlikely that Ryan and Summer would be making conversation.. but maybe Marissa. He stopped shortly to listen before deciding it was in fact a phone call.
Not wanting to interrupt he crossed his arms, let his back fall against the wall next to the door and lightly crossed his legs at the ankle waiting impatiently.
After a few minutes the sound went away and he decided it was safe to enter. Seth was surprised to see Summer up and out of bed, sitting on the floor with her cell phone.
"Summer. Feeling better?" he ventured.
"Going to New York tomorrow morning," she replied without looking up.
"New York, aah. The N.Y., good times, hoping the pretty pictures will cheer you up? Or just going to catch a game? What game I do not know, but I'm sure it will be AWESOME and.. sporty," he babbled semi-coherently, trailing off.
Summer scowled at him.
"I'm sorry, I'm not very good under pressure. I'm bad, a bad, bad boyfriend," he sighed, "I'm going to not talk for a while."
"The funeral is there," she offered, hoping that he really would stop talking, just for a little bit while she figured out her plan.
Taking a seat on the bed behind Summer, Seth slumped down.
"Is your dad going with you?"
"No, he doesn't want to," she said quietly.
"Well, uh, do you want me to go?" he asked, leaning forward.
"It's okay, it'll be boring and I know how much you like, hate wearing a suit," she quipped glumly.
Seth slid down onto the floor next to Summer, taking her hand.
"I'm serious, Sum, you shouldn't have to go alone, and Princess Sparkle doesn't have ID so it looks like you're stuck with me.. and Captain Oats who I shall be smuggling in with my carry ons, but shhh they'll never know," he looked around the room shiftily.
She smiled a little for real then, pulling herself to her feet.
"I should, like, go, get changed, y'know?" she yawned.
"You should," he said sincerely, "but you can come back if you don't want to sleep there. Ryan's used to being evicted, he won't mind and if he complains then I'll get my mom to phone him, he hates speaking on the phone and my mom will try and buy him stuff. Seriously we should do it just to watch him squirm, oh, please, can we phone her?" he rambled animatedly, scrambling to his feet.
Leaning up, she quietened him with a soft kiss and then bent to get her bag, walking lazily too the door.
"You want me to walk you?" Seth asked just before she left.
"Chivalry's dead, Cohen," Summer responded with a smile in her voice.