Author's note: There are a lot of inside jokes in this chapter so I would like to send shout outs to those people who would understand. Also, Trails of Tears is an actual movie that actually had my friend Ilana in it so, even though it's bad, if you ever get the chance to watch it do so just to see Ilana playing the roll of Darlene. Okay, sorry, shameless plug over, onto the story.

"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

"You told him you love him!" Anne Marie exclaimed on New Years Eve at the casts after party.
"Excuse me! I would like to get back to the part when you didn't tell him about his daughter." Becca cut in, "I mean ok, his ex showing up right when you're about to drop the big baby bomb, you know hello awkward, but come on..."
"Yeah, yeah yeah, all that's great and all, "Gwen said stopping Becca, "but I would like to know how he reacted to you telling him you that you love him."
"Hold it you guys." Summer laughed, "Wow, who knew my little story was going to cause this much excitement?"
"Summer, sweetheart." Anne Marie said taking a hold of her hand, "The Valley is on hiatus for two more weeks. We need a torrid love affair to keep us busy."
"I haven't been this curious about what happens next since last season when they sent Adam off on his little joke of a boat by himself and his best friend went back to ghetto's-land." Gwen told her.
"Don't forget about the neighbor girl becoming a boozer again." Anne Marie said remembering
"Or Adam's mom having that breakdown in the guest house. "Becca said shaking her head up and down, "That was a good season finale."
"Okay, are we going to talk about The Valley or am I going to finish my story?"
"The story!" Everyone cried.

Summer sighed and then began where she left off.


"I can't be here with you because it's perfect. Too perfect! And I have to go back to Springfield even though I love you. And I hate that!"
Seth sat there looking at Summer trying to take in everything that was just told to him
"You love me?" he finally asked.
"Yes." she said wiping her eyes
"Did you just realize this now or..."
"It's been going through my mind for a while. There just wasn't an appropriate time to tell you."
"When you're talking about divulging your love for someone, anytime is a good time. "Seth said.
"That's funny coming from you. I mean how long did I have to wait to find out..." Summer began but was cut off by Seth's phone ringing.
"Hello?" He asked furiously, "Dad, hi...yeah, I'm still out with Summer.... I was just about to drop her off...Yes...Dad! I cannot believe you would even...I wasn't planning on it...yes, I promise you that if we do, which doesn't seem very likely, we'll use protection..."
Summer buried her head in her hands and sunk down into the seat.
"I know that it doesn't always work...we've already been through this...you're actually looking at now to give me another sex talk?...Okay dad, I'm going to go now...I'll be home soon...Bye."
He hung up his phone and looked at Summer.
"So how about that as a way to end a night, I certainly know I'll never forget it." he joked, very humiliated "And then said good night and I went inside." Summer said finishing up the story.


"Oh god." Anne whispered
"That's totally not the way I thought it would end." Gwen sighed.
"That's the worst story ever!" Becca exclaimed, "You're never telling me any more stories."

Monday morning Summer walked up the steps with Sam on her hip and the diaper bag swung over her shoulder.
"Hey." Kristi said walking up next to her, "Is it Sam's first day of daycare?"
"Yep. And hey, why weren't you at the after party?"
"I didn't really feel like it."
"You not in the mood for a drama related activity? That's hard to believe. What happened?"
"Ok, remember when we were hanging out that one night watching that episode of Buffy; because it's always gotta be Buffy, when Willow told Kennedy it wasn't girl's it was girl?"
"Yeah."
"That's me."
"Are you trying to tell me...?"
"No! No! I just, what I mean is that I don't think I am ever going to be able to love anyone as much as I love Wasman."
"So, what's the big problem?"
"We broke up."
"You and Wasman?"
"No, me and Angel. Of course it was Wasman, who else would it be?"
"Oh I'm so sorry."
"It's okay."
"You want to talk about it?"
"Not right now. I don't want to look all weepy eyed all day."
"Okay, then how about you come over tonight. We can watch television and eat cookies and we can just talk about how bad guys are."
"I did see that movie that Ilana was in is going to be on Lifetime."
"So we're on?"
"Okay."

That afternoon on the way to math Summer tried to get some answer out of Wasman on why he and Kristi broke up.

"Is it someone else?" she asked
"No it wasn't anyone else. Can we please just drop it?" Wasman asked walking into class.
"Kristi's my friend and friends are supposed to help each other out, even if that means harassing ex-boyfriends on why they..."

Summer stopped mid- sentence when she saw a new teacher standing at the front of the class.

"Oh no." Wasman moaned.
"What's going on?" Summer whispered as she took her seat in the back of the class.
"You haven't heard?" A girl named Missy asked turning around in her seat, "Ms. Iye quit."
"Are you serious?" Wasman asked
"Mmmhmm. And because of that we're being forced to suffer through the pain of Mr. Upton for the rest of the year."
"That's Mr. Upton?"
"Afraid so Summer."

The tardy bell rang and various stragglers made their way into class.
"Well, hello." Mr. Upton said taking a seat on a stool behind the podium. "I'm Mr. Upton and as you all might have heard I'm taking over for Ms. Iye who had to leave for personal reasons. So, since I'm coming in, in the middle of all of this I'm going to have to learn all of your names which might take a while so bare with me. So, since I don't know some of you, and some of you don't know me I think we should all get to know each other."
The class began to groan in unison.
"Is it because she didn't have sex with you?" Summer whispered to Wasman.
"No!" He whispered loudly.
"Excuse me. Boy in the Seussical shirt." Mr. Upton said pointing at Wasman, "Why don't you come up and talk to the class instead of the girl next to you."
"What do you want me to talk about?" Wasman asked walking up to the front of the room.
"Tell us about yourself. Tell us what your name is, how long you've lived here, how many people are in your family, if you have a girlfriend..."
As soon as he said 'if you have a girlfriend' the class let out a painful noise and under her breath Summer said, "Not a good question."
"Bad break up?" Mr. Upton said turning to Wasman.
"Well, "Wasman said coughing, "my name is Tyler Wasman, I've lived here in Springfield all of my life, I live with my mom and my little brother, and I work at the mall."
"Where in the mall?"
"Spencer's."
"What do you plan on doing when you graduate?"
"I'm going to UCLA."
"Okay, who do you want to go next?"
"Summer." Wasman said without even thinking.
"Thanks a lot." She said sarcastically as she made her way up to the front.
"Okay Summer, tell us about yourself."
"My name's Summer Roberts, I was born in California..."
"Where in California did you live?"Mr. Upton asked cutting in
"Newport. That's in the O.C."
"I'm sorry but I have to cut in again, the O.C.? What's that?"
"Orange County. Anyway, as I was trying to say, I moved her in June of last year, and I live with my cousin, her husband and daughter, and my daughter Samara."
"How old is your daughter?"
"She'll be five months January eighteenth."

That night Summer sat in her room with Kristi as they both watched Trails of Tears on Lifetime.
"So, I think its official; boys suck." Kristi said flopping back on the bed.
"You're telling me." Summer said throwing her phone down on the bed, "I've called Seth like a million times since I got back and the only Cohen I've gotten to talk to is his mother."
"I'm sure he just needs some time to figure everything out."
"Yeah, I bet that's what Wasman needs too."
"Hey is this a meeting of the broken hearts club?" Becca asked walking into the room.
"Come on in and join the party." Kristi said sitting up.
"So, why do you think you deserve to be a member of the club?" Summer asked
"Jeremy and I broke up this afternoon."
"My god!" Kristi exclaimed, "Did all the guys in the world gather together and decide to go stupid?"
"What happened?" Summer asked sympathetically
"Things just fell apart between us, and now I'm falling apart." Becca explained beginning to cry.
"Oh Becca."
"This isn't supposed to be happening! I'm a punk; I'm not supposed to like people! I'm not supposed to get my heart broken."
"Becca, none of us are supposed to get our hearts broken. It's just something that happens."
"But I don't want it to happen Summer! I want everything to be like it was."
"You and me both." Summer whispered.
In between crying jags Becca looked at the television screen and asked, "Why the hell are we watching Trails of Tears?"

The next morning Summer sat on the big gray couch in the drama room trying to get a hold of Seth.
"Seth, as you can probably guess, this is Summer. Look, we really need to work things out between us. I don't want it to be like this any more. Please call me okay?"
"Still no luck?" Ms. Casey asked walking into the room carrying a large cup of coffee
"No luck at all. All I get is his voice mail." Summer told her putting her phone back in her purse
"Oh my god Counterman! Niki was wearing your hoody yesterday in choir and for the rest of the day she smelt like you. And I was like 'What? You're Niki but you smell like Counterman and I'm so confused!'" Gwen said walking into the room with Counterman and Wasman, "Like this time I was in Georgia and there was this person who smelt like you and I was like 'Counterman!' And I was about to give him a hug and then I realized it wasn't you and I was like 'Oh my god you're a stranger. I'm sorry.' He had on the same cologne or deodorant as you, which kinda scared me." Gwen
"Yeah 'cause Counterman is the only person who wears AXE." Ms. Casey said sitting down at her desk, "Oh, and Wasman, I heard a little rumor that you and Kristi broke up. Is this true?"
"Summer, god!" Wasman exclaimed, "Do you have to get everyone else involved in other people's problems?"
"Hey now, don't be blaming me."
"Why is everyone so interested in my love life?"
"Well, to quote Anne Marie 'The Valley is on hiatus for two more weeks. We need a torrid love affair to keep us busy'."
"I think what you really need is a life."
"So I was watching Dawson's Creek yesterday..." Becca said walking into the room
"It's never a good thing when a story starts off with 'I was watching Dawson's Creek...'"Gwen joked
"Shut up. Anyway, I was watching Dawson's Creek yesterday and Rachel Leigh Cook was on it and I was like 'What? Why is she on Dawson's Creek?'"
"What does this have to do with anything?" Summer asked
"I don't know." Becca said sitting down by Summer
"Becca, you're not sitting by me. You always sit by me." Counterman whined.
"You're sitting by Wasman and I don't sit by guys who break my friend's hearts."
"God, why am I automatically the bad guy now?"
"Because, like I said, you broke my friend's heart."

Everyone went silent waiting for Wasman to come back with a response until Summer's phone broke the tension.

"Sorry." She said pulling it out of her purse.
"Is it him?" Becca asked as Summer check the caller id.
"Yeah. Can I go to the bathroom really fast Casey?"
"Of course."
"Thanks."

Summer got up quickly and hurried out into the hall.
"Hey." She said answering the phone.
"Hi." Seth said on the other end, "I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you."
"It's okay."
"I just needed to think about everything."
"I understand. Really I do."
"So I guess we need to discuss where things stand with us."