"A woman who'll wait for the third time around, head in the clouds, feet on
the ground
She's girl he's glad he's found, she's his shipoopi."
---Shipoopi, The Music Man
The next morning Summer woke up early to find Marissa gone.
"Coop?" She called out, "Where are you?"
"Shh." She heard someone whisper from the living room, "Summer's awake."
"What's going on out there?" Summer put her robe on over her pajama's and slid her slippers on.
"Okay you guys, what are you doing?" She asked walking into the living room.
"Surprise!" Meg, Kellie, Ryan and Marissa exclaimed standing around the coffee table which was covered in presents and a vanilla cake with eighteen candles on it.
"Happy birthday babe." Marissa said holding out a tiara that Meg picked up at Wal-Mart and decorated.
"You guys! This is too much!"
"You deserve it." Meg said smiling.
"Thank you."
"Is it time for cake?" Kellie asked impatiently.
"Present's first." Meg instructed, "Everyone take a seat. Summer you're here in the middle."
Summer did as she was told and waited for everyone to sit down as well.
"Which one do you want first?" Ryan asked.
Summer studied all of them, and then chose an oddly shaped purple one, "This one." She said.
Marissa held back a laugh as she gave Ryan a secretive look.
"What?" Summer asked.
"That one's from Seth." Ryan told her.
"How'd I know?" She took the card off and opened it "It says: 'Hopefully this will help you feel like you have a piece of Newport with you always. Hope you have a splendiferic birthday. Love, Seth.' Ooh, look it has a picture with it."
"Let me see!" Kellie exclaimed pulling it out of her hands "Is this Seth? He looks like a porn star with clothes on. I don't know what you see in him."
"You'd have to know him."
"So, open the present!" Marissa said excitedly, "He's been bragging about this all week. I want to see what it is."
"Okay. Here goes." Summer carefully tore the paper off of the present and then laughed gently.
"What is it?" Ryan asked
She pulled the objects out of the paper, "A bottle filled with sand, probably from the beach. And..."
"A horse?" Meg asked, "I don't get it."
"Captain Oats. This isn't him is it?"
"No way." Ryan told her, "He'd never be able to let that horse go."
After a half hour of unwrapping presents and another half hour of eating cake Summer, Ryan and Marissa sat in Meg's car on the way to a surprise location.
"Why won't you tell me where we're going?" Summer asked as she looked out the window trying to mentally figure it out.
"We told you it's a surprise." Marissa told her, "Don't you know the definition of a surprise?"
Summer rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and scrunched down in her seat. "Fine." She pouted.
"We'll be there soon Summer." Ryan said and then whispered to Marissa, "We will be there soon right?"
Marissa nodded her head and turned her attention back to the road ahead of them. In the back seat Summer turned her cd player on and put the cd on random play. She laughed to herself when it started playing a Death Cab song.
She remembered the time during the trip to Tijuana when she and Seth got into a fight over it.
"Do not insult Death Cab." Seth had said.
"It's like one guitar and a whole lot of complaining." She argued.
"Right Summer?" Ryan asked
"What?" She asked getting pulled back into reality. Marissa laughed and shook her head from side to side.
"What?" Summer asked again.
"Nothing." Ryan said laughing as well.
"Are we there?" Summer asked when she realized that they were parked.
"Yeah. We're here." Marissa told her.
"And here would be where?"
"Get out and see." Ryan instructed.
Summer slowly got out of the car and looked around.
"The fair?" She asked, "That's the big surprise?"
"We figured that since you're not going to get to go to the school carnival then we could bring the carnival to you. Or at least an appropriate imitation." Marissa said.
"Unless you're not up for it." Ryan said.
"I'm so up for it!" Summer exclaimed
The day passed rather quickly, and before any one knew it, it was getting dark.
"So, you want to head home or do you want to stay?" Marissa asked as she tried to juggle cotton candy, a mug of root beer, and teddy bear.
"I'd actually enjoy staying a while longer, if you guys wouldn't mind." Summer said
"I'm okay with it." Ryan said, "Marissa?"
"It's cool with me."
They began walking further down the midway when they heard someone call out, "Summer!"
Summer turned around and laughed when she saw Kristi and Wasman walking arm in arm towards them.
"Hey Kristi, Wasman."
"Hey." Wasman said.
"What up peeps?" Kristi said, and when she saw that everyone was looking at her oddly she explained, "I'm trying to find my word."
"How about whiter than white?" Wasman suggested
"Shut up!" She said playfully slapping his arm, "It's not my fault that I'm Irish and all I can do is burn."
"So what are you guys doing here?" Summer asked.
"We came to see some local bands with the gang, but they all sucked so Kristi and I decided to go check out the sights."
"Check out the sights huh." Summer said raising her eyebrows, "So that's what they're calling it these days."
Kristi blushed and looked at her feet while Wasman turned his attention to Ryan and Marissa.
"So, who are you're friends?" he asked
"These are my friends from Newport Ryan and Marissa. Ryan, Marissa this is my friend Wasman and you met Kristi last night."
"Hi Kristi, Wasman." Marissa said
"Hey." Kristi said back.
"So, who else is here?" Summer asked
"We saw Counterman and Niki, but there was no way we were going to go talk to them, Counterman may be one of my best friends but I cannot stand Niki. "Wasman said
"Join the club. "Summer said, "So, you guys didn't come here with anyone else then?"
"No. Why?" Kristi asked
"Just curious." Summer said smiling and then she mouthed, "Call me and tell me everything later."
Kristi shook her head and then said, "Well, we should be going because I'm sure that the three of you want to catch up some more."
"Okay. It was great seeing you again."
"Yeah it was you know 'because last night was so long ago." Wasman joked.
Around midnight Summer, Ryan and Marissa all got into the car thoroughly exhausted.
"I don't think I have ever walked much in my life." Ryan said laying his head on the steering wheel.
"Well I personally think that this kiddo here," Summer patted her stomach, "enjoyed it a lot. She's been so active all day."
"I think that it's because she knows that her aunt Marissa and uncle Ryan were here." Marissa said curling up in her seat.
"So, Summer, what was up with you interrogating Kristi and that Wasman guy?" Ryan asked
"That's a funny story." Summer said as they pulled out of the fair grounds, "You see, according to Mackenzie Kristi's best friend, Kristi has had this crush on Wasman for as long as she's known him..."
Around two in the morning as the three laid in Summer's bed watching The Ring, due to the lack of anything better to do and far too many sweets in their diet for that day, Summer sat straight up grabbing her stomach.
"Are you okay?" Marissa asked worried.
Summer just shook her head no.
"Ryan, go wake up Meg and get her in here now."
The next morning Summer woke up early to find Marissa gone.
"Coop?" She called out, "Where are you?"
"Shh." She heard someone whisper from the living room, "Summer's awake."
"What's going on out there?" Summer put her robe on over her pajama's and slid her slippers on.
"Okay you guys, what are you doing?" She asked walking into the living room.
"Surprise!" Meg, Kellie, Ryan and Marissa exclaimed standing around the coffee table which was covered in presents and a vanilla cake with eighteen candles on it.
"Happy birthday babe." Marissa said holding out a tiara that Meg picked up at Wal-Mart and decorated.
"You guys! This is too much!"
"You deserve it." Meg said smiling.
"Thank you."
"Is it time for cake?" Kellie asked impatiently.
"Present's first." Meg instructed, "Everyone take a seat. Summer you're here in the middle."
Summer did as she was told and waited for everyone to sit down as well.
"Which one do you want first?" Ryan asked.
Summer studied all of them, and then chose an oddly shaped purple one, "This one." She said.
Marissa held back a laugh as she gave Ryan a secretive look.
"What?" Summer asked.
"That one's from Seth." Ryan told her.
"How'd I know?" She took the card off and opened it "It says: 'Hopefully this will help you feel like you have a piece of Newport with you always. Hope you have a splendiferic birthday. Love, Seth.' Ooh, look it has a picture with it."
"Let me see!" Kellie exclaimed pulling it out of her hands "Is this Seth? He looks like a porn star with clothes on. I don't know what you see in him."
"You'd have to know him."
"So, open the present!" Marissa said excitedly, "He's been bragging about this all week. I want to see what it is."
"Okay. Here goes." Summer carefully tore the paper off of the present and then laughed gently.
"What is it?" Ryan asked
She pulled the objects out of the paper, "A bottle filled with sand, probably from the beach. And..."
"A horse?" Meg asked, "I don't get it."
"Captain Oats. This isn't him is it?"
"No way." Ryan told her, "He'd never be able to let that horse go."
After a half hour of unwrapping presents and another half hour of eating cake Summer, Ryan and Marissa sat in Meg's car on the way to a surprise location.
"Why won't you tell me where we're going?" Summer asked as she looked out the window trying to mentally figure it out.
"We told you it's a surprise." Marissa told her, "Don't you know the definition of a surprise?"
Summer rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and scrunched down in her seat. "Fine." She pouted.
"We'll be there soon Summer." Ryan said and then whispered to Marissa, "We will be there soon right?"
Marissa nodded her head and turned her attention back to the road ahead of them. In the back seat Summer turned her cd player on and put the cd on random play. She laughed to herself when it started playing a Death Cab song.
She remembered the time during the trip to Tijuana when she and Seth got into a fight over it.
"Do not insult Death Cab." Seth had said.
"It's like one guitar and a whole lot of complaining." She argued.
"Right Summer?" Ryan asked
"What?" She asked getting pulled back into reality. Marissa laughed and shook her head from side to side.
"What?" Summer asked again.
"Nothing." Ryan said laughing as well.
"Are we there?" Summer asked when she realized that they were parked.
"Yeah. We're here." Marissa told her.
"And here would be where?"
"Get out and see." Ryan instructed.
Summer slowly got out of the car and looked around.
"The fair?" She asked, "That's the big surprise?"
"We figured that since you're not going to get to go to the school carnival then we could bring the carnival to you. Or at least an appropriate imitation." Marissa said.
"Unless you're not up for it." Ryan said.
"I'm so up for it!" Summer exclaimed
The day passed rather quickly, and before any one knew it, it was getting dark.
"So, you want to head home or do you want to stay?" Marissa asked as she tried to juggle cotton candy, a mug of root beer, and teddy bear.
"I'd actually enjoy staying a while longer, if you guys wouldn't mind." Summer said
"I'm okay with it." Ryan said, "Marissa?"
"It's cool with me."
They began walking further down the midway when they heard someone call out, "Summer!"
Summer turned around and laughed when she saw Kristi and Wasman walking arm in arm towards them.
"Hey Kristi, Wasman."
"Hey." Wasman said.
"What up peeps?" Kristi said, and when she saw that everyone was looking at her oddly she explained, "I'm trying to find my word."
"How about whiter than white?" Wasman suggested
"Shut up!" She said playfully slapping his arm, "It's not my fault that I'm Irish and all I can do is burn."
"So what are you guys doing here?" Summer asked.
"We came to see some local bands with the gang, but they all sucked so Kristi and I decided to go check out the sights."
"Check out the sights huh." Summer said raising her eyebrows, "So that's what they're calling it these days."
Kristi blushed and looked at her feet while Wasman turned his attention to Ryan and Marissa.
"So, who are you're friends?" he asked
"These are my friends from Newport Ryan and Marissa. Ryan, Marissa this is my friend Wasman and you met Kristi last night."
"Hi Kristi, Wasman." Marissa said
"Hey." Kristi said back.
"So, who else is here?" Summer asked
"We saw Counterman and Niki, but there was no way we were going to go talk to them, Counterman may be one of my best friends but I cannot stand Niki. "Wasman said
"Join the club. "Summer said, "So, you guys didn't come here with anyone else then?"
"No. Why?" Kristi asked
"Just curious." Summer said smiling and then she mouthed, "Call me and tell me everything later."
Kristi shook her head and then said, "Well, we should be going because I'm sure that the three of you want to catch up some more."
"Okay. It was great seeing you again."
"Yeah it was you know 'because last night was so long ago." Wasman joked.
Around midnight Summer, Ryan and Marissa all got into the car thoroughly exhausted.
"I don't think I have ever walked much in my life." Ryan said laying his head on the steering wheel.
"Well I personally think that this kiddo here," Summer patted her stomach, "enjoyed it a lot. She's been so active all day."
"I think that it's because she knows that her aunt Marissa and uncle Ryan were here." Marissa said curling up in her seat.
"So, Summer, what was up with you interrogating Kristi and that Wasman guy?" Ryan asked
"That's a funny story." Summer said as they pulled out of the fair grounds, "You see, according to Mackenzie Kristi's best friend, Kristi has had this crush on Wasman for as long as she's known him..."
Around two in the morning as the three laid in Summer's bed watching The Ring, due to the lack of anything better to do and far too many sweets in their diet for that day, Summer sat straight up grabbing her stomach.
"Are you okay?" Marissa asked worried.
Summer just shook her head no.
"Ryan, go wake up Meg and get her in here now."
