Luke had called Marissa 10 minutes previously and she was on her way to meet him at the crab shack. Even though it had been almost a year since Luke and Julie Cooper had hooked up and even though Marissa had forgiven him in the hospital after his car crash, Luke was still nervous. Ever since he stuffed everything up with Mariss he'd wanted to be her friend, he just couldn't deal with her hating him. Luke couldn't deal with ANYONE hating him, which is what had made thing's with his Dad so much worse. Luke's eyes began to haze over as he thought back to everything that had happened with his Dad, all his friends turning on him when he needed them the most, the teasing, the taunting, his locking herself in her bedroom crying. Those were memories he wanted to forgot..

Marissa: Hey Luke.

Luke: Marissa, I didn't see you there.

Marissa: You seemed pretty deep in thought, missing some girl in Portland I bet.

Luke managed a weak smile and pushed out the car across the table from him.

"Thanks" Marissa said smiling. Luke thought for a moment about how happy Marissa seemed, it wasn't since before he had stuffed everything up with her that he had seen her this genuinely happy.

Marissa: So, oh my god. Tell me all about Portland, your new school, this girl that Seth told me you were seeing. Was she pretty ?

Luke: heh, well you know me Ris.

Marissa: Always quick to jump the pretty girls!

Luke coughed quietly and turned away from Marissa for a moment.

Marissa: I'm sorry.. I didn't mean it to come out like that.

Luke: No it's okay. Her name's Jen and we're not seeing one another anymore anyway.

Marissa: Oh. I'm sorry to hear that Luke.

Luke: So what about you, who're you getting your buzz on with these days.

Marissa: Well I was seeing this guy DJ for a while... But that didn't really work out.

Luke: I heard about Ryan and Summer.

Marissa cast her eye's down and began playing with her mobile phone, the idea was still alien to her, and thinking it about it just made it worse.

Marissa: Yeah.

Luke: And are you okay ?

Marissa: I'll be all right, we've all gotta move on sooner or later... But anyway, what are you doing back in Newport ?

Luke: Well my Mum wanted me to stay with her a while, and I missed hanging out with everyone. And anyway, I couldn't leave things they way they were when I left.

Marissa: Well, now that Summer and Ryan have another, we'll probably being able to hang out... alot.

Luke teasingly slapped Marissa's shoulder, "You're saying it like it's a bad thing girl! Now what are we going to order, I reckon I could eat 7 lobster's!"

Marissa began to smile, there was something about Luke, even after everything that had happened between them he was still one person she could count on to cheer her up.

"I'll take that bet" Marissa said beaming at Luke.

Summer and Ryan had driven in relative silence for the last 30 minutes and were approaching the turn off to Longbeach. Summer was slightly unnerved at the speed Ryan was travelling at and the way he was dodging here and there between Traffic. She had been driving with boy's who had been alot more reckless than Ryan, but it wasn't like Ryan to drive unsafely. She would never say it, but he drove like an old women.

Summer: Are you sure you're okay ?

Ryan: I'm fine.

More silence. Summer couldn't take it any longer, she had to talk, she had to lighten the mood.

"So what are we doing tomorrow night?" Summer blurted out.

Ryan: What did you want to do ?

Summer: Whatever you wanted to do Ryan.

Ryan: I want to do whatever you want to do.

Summer sighed to herself and went back to staring out the window, she hoped this wasn't the new Ryan.

15 minutes later the pair pulled into the carpack of a slighty dilapated block of flats, it was about 5 stories tall and the walls of the underground capack were racked with graffitti. Summer carefully hopped out of the car, making sure not to touch a somewhat seedy looking puddle.

Summer: So you know what number his room is.

Ryan: Mmmn Hmmm...

Ryan lead them to some starcases and they walked up to the third floor, after opening the level door for Summer, Ryan lead them down to room 38.

Stopping just outside the door Ryan turned to Summer, "It's nothing special okay. Try not to show your digust too obviously, this is the best he could get. And remember it's not furnish."

"Ok come on Ry, it can't be THAT bad" Summer replied "and anyway, we've got some nice stuff in the car remember."

Smiling at Summer Ryan knocked briefly, it was a minute or two before Trey answered the door.

Previous to actually meeting Trey Summer had developed preconceptions of how he would look. Trey would have bright blue eyes like Ryan, Sandy blonde hair like Ryan, a lean but muscular build like Ryan and be relatively short like Ryan. Afterall, Ryan was really the only model she had of what Trey could possibly look look like. She couldn't really remember much of Ryan's Mother from their very brief contact at Vegas Night last year. When Trey pulled back the door though, she realised that all her preconceptions had been wrong.

Trey had days old stubble, dark brown eyes, he was much taller than both her and Ryan and he had dark brown hair.

Ryan: Hey man.

"Hey little brother", Trey's eyes turned from Ryan to Summer, "You must be Summer, Ryan told me about you." Turning his eye's back to Ryan Trey said, "You said she was hot man, but you never said she was beautiful."

Summer shifted on her feet uncomfortably but Ryan merely smiled and embraced Trey in a hug.

Ryan: Good to see you're still the same old Trey.

"Things about alot easier in Jail after... " Trey cut himself short as his eyes caught Summer's question. Ryan's face told him that Summer didn't know about the stolen car Ryan had taken in to cover Trey's debts.

Trey: Anyway, I bet you're dying to see my place.

Trey beemed at the pair infront of him. "Finally got a place to myself bro".

Moving aside Trey let Summer and Ryan pass into the apartment, It was dark, damp and very very brown. Summer wrinkled her nose at the mean scent being emitted from one of the side rooms. "Yeah, I think the last Tenant did some creepy shit in the other room, I'm going to get it steam cleaned and that" Trey said seeing Summer's reaction, "Some air freshers and that."

Ryan: This place is mad bro, I'd live here for sure.

"But he's not going to" Summer said, possively grabbing Ryan's hand.

Trey laughed softly at Summer's reaction. "Thanks bro, but I know it's abit of a dump. It's just for the time being, until I work up abit of money."

Summer: We brought some furniture and supplies !

Ryan: Summer brought some furniture and supplies, it's all in the car.

Summer: And we'll need some big able bodied men to move it in.

Ryan: I thought you just grabbed a few things.

Summer: I did, but I never said how big they were.

Summer and Ryan were basically facing one another now and Trey thought they might need some time to themselves. "I'm just going to pop downstairs for a second, there's something I want to clear up with the landlord. I'll meet you down in the carpack."

After Trey had left Summer turned to leave to, but before she could go Ryan reached stopped her.

Ryan: Thankyou.

Summer: It's alright, now I get to go shopping for new furniture for my house. That stuff was getting pretty old anyway.

Ryan: Oh, so it was all part of the masterplan was it.

Putting her finger to her bottom lip Summer began to pout, "Mayyyy-be".

Ryan reached out and pulled her to him, embracing her in a passionate kiss. Briefly pulling away he whispered down to her, "God you're sexy". He pulled her back in towards him and began to kiss her slowly, emitting more and more meaning with each kiss.

Ryan: I'm sorry for acting like a jerk before.

Summer: We're all allowed to be jerks sometimes.

Ryan: Oh so now you're saying I was a jerk.

Summer: Basically, yeah.

Ryan playfully slapped her on the bum and began kissing her again.

He began trying to speak between kissed, "I... was just... really nervous... about seeing... Trey."

"It's... okay... sweetie." Summer replied herself.

"So.." Summer began but she couldn't get a word in with all the kissing that was taking place. "Oi, settle down there tiger."

Summer: So, let's start to make this place nice. First the car and then shopping for new furniture, and then after that, some air freshner's and cleaning DEFINATLY.

Ryan: Alright boss.

Summer: That's Ms Robert's to you.

Ryan: Ms ?

Summer: Oh you're not even close to being that lucky Ryan.

Smiling Ryan dogged past Summer and began running down the corridor. It wasn't long before Summer began to chase after him...