Summary: Ryan's found the perfect combination.
A/N: Slightly angsty I guess; kind of. Just something that I thought of whilst thinking about all the girls of the show.
Theresa was predictable. She was safe. She was strawberry shampoo and berry lipgloss. Something that everyone liked, but nobody loved it. Nobody craved it, desired it. You could never hate it; you could get bored of it, and find it monotonous and dull though. Theresa was curves, olive skin and long dark hair. She was undeniably beautiful, and not just in the typical 'girl next door' way. She was beautiful in her own right, and she was anything but cliched. She was predictable, sure, but never cliched. Ryan thought that there was a difference.
With Marissa, everything was different. She was perfect from afar, but up close you could see every little flaw. Marissa was dangerous but vulnerable, strangely intimidating, but delicate. Marissa was all angles and bones, awkwardness and beauty. She was a queen by of her looks and her boyfriend, but not by her personality. Marissa was vanilla shampoo and flavourless lipgloss. Delicate, simple and classy. Again, there was nothing wrong with it, but too much vanilla became over powering and smothering, and flavourless lipgloss constantly left you with it's waxy stain. Marissa was a walking contradiction.
Lindsay was new. Lindsay became Ryan's latest life-changer. He suddenly morphed from angsty, hero Ryan into studious, sensible Ryan. Lindsay was smart, attractive and had her own distinct kind of charm. She was average. She was long, straight hair and a normal body. She was nice-looking, but there was nothing defining or remarkable about her. Navigating his way through this relationship proved to be even harder than his relationship with Marissa. Lindsay was always on and off, yes and no, hello and goodbye. Ryan was constantly tip-toeing around her. He was tired. Lindsay was floral shampoo and citrus lipgloss. The shampoo was subtle, and after a while didn't smell like anything at all. Lindsay was just like her citrus lipgloss: bittersweet. You never knew which way she'd go.
Then there was Anna. That was a brief thing. Just a kiss one night after Seth had stuffed her around one too many times. Anna was gorgeous, with a personality that made her even more beautiful. Anna was sweetness and excitement, tininess and wisdom. She was helpful and kind, and never let you down. Ryan wanted to comfort and protect her, to heal the wounds that she never let anybody see. Anna was easy to trample over; she set herself up for the fall. Anna was passionfruit shampoo and tropical lipgloss. It was different and unusual, while being comforting and familiar. Nobody seemed to stay with it for long though; eventually they turned to other more permanent scents, leaving her trampled once again.
Summer was a secret desire. He'd known it since the day he'd met her. It had taken all the strength he had in him to turn her down that first night at the party, but he had to. Even if he'd only known Seth for a couple of days, he couldn't betray his trust. Summer was the kind of girl that he'd always known he wanted to be with. She was just the right combination. Summer was petite and curvaceous, fire and calmness. She was unusual but not overbearing, she was a challenge as well as a treat. Everyone said that Ryan loved to play the hero; he didn't. He had to play the hero. For once in his life he'd like a break. He'd waited for so long to find someone like Summer. Someone who you could still protect without really needing to. Summer wasn't emotionally draining. He'd danced with her once. At the end of the dance she'd looked up and kissed him lightly on the lips, smiled and thanked him for everything that he'd done for them all. Summer was coconut shampoo and mango lipgloss. Exhilarating and feminine, soft and beautiful. Ryan knew that he'd never be able to have Summer, but she would always be his secret desire. He only hoped that he'd find someone just like her. The perfect combination.