Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. Except my box set.

xGoingunderx, you were the main inspiration for this chapter. (that sounds so cheesy but it's true!) Thanks for putting that I'm good at making them friends. My sister who is my biggest critic didn't think I was doing it very well so that means a lot! Thanks!

Raindropsfalling, wow! That is a huge compliment, thanks! I wanted to make them sound as realistic and true to the show as I could so thankyou.

drown-in-fate, another new reviewer, thanks! I will!

EVCLGSB, thanks! I'll try to, you guys have given me a lot to live up to but I'll do my best!

Ok, so this chapter didn't exsist until about 5 hours ago. Then I read all your reviews and decided I couldn't just leap into what happens next. (don't worry, it's probably not what you think) (I'll post it tomorrow.) I felt that I needed something to lead up to it. So here it is. There's a lot of dialogue here and not much really happens but it's just to bridge the gap and to show some more the bond between Ryan and Marissa. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

"Honey?" Julie called up to Marissa the next morning.

"Yeah, what?" Marissa yelled back.

"You haven't forgotten about the party Saturday night have you sweetie?" Julie said coming in to Marissa's room. She didn't knock but Marissa was in a good mood and couldn't be bothered to argue.

"Um, no I hadn't" Marissa lied. Julie could tell she had.

"You know the party we're holding for all the employees of the Newport Group and their famillies. Can't you remember, I told you the other day?" Julie said exasperatedly. Marissa could tell she was annoyed but she wasn't going to let her Mom get to her today.

"Oh, yeah. I remember now." She lied again "Can I bring a date?"

"Scott?" Julie asked hopefully. Marissa nodded, things had gone really well last night with him and she wanted to show him off. "Yeah sure honey." Julie was glad Marissa hadn't mentioned Ryan, she didn't want that boy at her party. "Now, get dressed, you'll be late for school."

"So?" Marissa asked Scott later at school "Will you be my date?" Scott shook his head.

"I'm sorry babe, I'm outta town this weekend." Marissa pouted.

"You didn't tell me."

"Oh, I thought I did. I've got this family thing up in Sacremento. I can't miss it. Sorry."

"Ok," Marissa said quietly. Then, "What sort of family thing?"

"Just a big get together of all the gang, y'know?"

"Ok, if you really can't miss it. I understand." He stood up and kissed her on the cheek.

"I gotta jet, see you later?"

"Yeah, ok. Bye." Marissa said. He had already gone.

"You ok, Coop?" Summer asked coming to sit in Scott's empty chair in the cafeteria a few minutes later. "You look sad."

"No, not sad," Marissa sighed "Just dateless."

"Huh?" Summer asked puzzled. Marissa explained. "That sucks" Summer said when she had finished "And he really has to go?"

"Apparently so."

"Well..." Summer said slowly. "I know someone who would just love to go with you."

"Who?" Marissa said excitedly, not thinking.

"God Coop! Do I have to spell it out?" Marissa suddenly twigged. But before she said anything Summer started "R-Y-A-N! See he's perfect."

"I am?" Ryan asked coming towards the table with a tray of food and startling the two girls. "Gee, Summer I never knew you felt that way." He said laughing, then he whispered into her ear. "Just don't tell Seth, it'll be our little secret!" Summer reached out and whacked him across the chest. "Ow!" She shot him a look.

"Anyway," she said standing up quickly and grabbing her bag. "I'll leave you alone, I'm sure you two have stuff to talk about."

"We do?" Ryan asked when she had gone.

"Nah, not really," Marissa said, "It was just Summer being, Summer."

"Ok." They ate in comfortable silence for a while. Then Ryan remembered something.

"So," he asked smiling "Why did Summer say I was 'perfect'?"

"Oh, I dunno," Marissa lied "I can't remember." Ryan looked at her disbelievingly. "Ok," she conceded "I can remember." Ryan looked at her expectantly. "But I'm not telling you."

"Oh, come on."

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Nope." She giggled surprising herself. Scott had put her in a really awful mood. Admittedly it wasn't his fault he couldn't come to the party but she was still annoyed. But Ryan, as always had managed to put a smile back on her face. Maybe she would ask him to the party, but not here. Not now.

"What if I begged?"

"Still no."

"What even if I got down on my knees in front of the whole cafeteria?"

"Don't you dare." She said warningly.

"Why not?" He said getting off his chair. She laughed.

"Because, get up," She said pushing him back down into his chair. "I'll tell you later."

"You promise?"

"Yeah" She sighed smiling.

"Good, cos I really didn't want to do that."

"I know." She laughed again. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing. You wanna hang out?"

"Yeah sure."

"You should come to mine."

"Ok, why?"

"Home advantage." He said simply "I'm sick of being beaten by a girl."

"It doesn't matter where we are, I'll still beat you, you're still crap."

"Yeah? You will?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we'll just have to see about that. Seven?"

"Yeah ok," Then she remembered, she had said she would meet with Scott later "Oh."

"Problem?"

"Yeah, no, well.. I mean. I was meant to meet up with Scott, but I'll cancel."

"No, you should meet him. We hung out yesterday." Ryan said, but he was disappointed.

"Yeah but I hung out with him too. Anyway, he cancelled on me this weekend. He deserves it." She said frowning.

"Yeah? Wanna talk about it?"

"No, not really. I have to go to class." She said putting her bottle of water in her bag and picking up her tray."See you around seven?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, bye."

"So, I have something to ask you." Marissa said as she walked through the poolhouse doors that evening. She had been debating since lunch whether to invite Ryan to the party as her date. Before she had started dating Scott they had always gone to parties together but now it just seemed a bit weird as if she was cheating on him or something. Which of course she wasn't, she told herself sternly. She had decided to just go for it.

"Yeah, what's that" Ryan asked looking up from the playstation where he had been practising.

"Will you go to the party on Saturday night with me?" She gabbled. She was really nervous, which was stupid.

"Well, you certainly get straight to the point." Ryan said standing up. "What about Scott?" He asked

"What about him?" Marissa asked grumpily. "He has a 'family thing.'" She said putting air quotes around 'family thing'

"Oh, so I'm second choice, huh?" Ryan asked smiling. Marissa looked sheepish. "I'm kidding, you had to ask him, he is your boyfriend." He reminded her.

"Not for much longer." She said quietly, sitting down on the poolhouse bed. Ryan sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"Why, what'd he do?"

"Oh, nothing much. But when I told him that I was coming here tonight he went all stroppy."

"I thought we got over all that." Ryan said

"Me too." She said sulkily. "Anyway, enough about him." She said suddenly stood up dragging him with her. "Will you come with me? Please." She begged.

"I have to consult my secretary" Ryan said, teasing her "But I'll have her get back to you."

"Please." She whined.

"Oh wait." Ryan said "Yeah, I'm sorry I can't" Her face fell, great. Dateless. "I'm washing my hair that night, sorry." he grinned. She whacked him on the arm.

"Not funny. I thought you were serious."

"I know, you should've seen your face."

"So you'll come?"

"I'll think about it." He said, really there was nothing to think about, he was just winding her up.

"What if I begged?" She said. He laughed.

"Go on then."

"What on my knees?"

"Yep!"

"This is so embarassing!"

"Hey, at least we're not in a crowded cafeteria, I'm the only one going to see you make as fool of yourself." Slowly, she got down on her knees and looked up at him.

"Ooh, it's been a while since a girl got on her knees for me." He said as she did so, winking.

"You're gross!" She shrieked reaching up and whacked him in the stomach.

"I know," he said sweetly. "Ok, you can get up now, I'll come." She stood up and threw her arms around him.

"You will?"

"Yeah."

"Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou." She said. "Now," she went over to the PS2 and switched it on. "You're dead."

"Great! Thats the thanks I get!"

"No, the thanks you get is a date with me." She said ruffling his hair and kissing him on the cheek. "Isn't that enough?"

He sighed melodramatically and smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling. "It'll do I suppose." He teased.

The rest of the school week passed slowly and Marissa found herself wishing the weekend would come just so Scott would go to Sacremento and leave her alone. Ever since he had told her he couldn't go to the party on Saturday he had been extra nice and, although he had good intentions he was driving her crazy. On Wednesday after she had got home from Ryan's he had been waiting for her with a bunch of roses and apologies for getting annoyed with her about Ryan. On Thursday he had presented her with another bunch of flowers in front of pretty much of the whole school, highly embarassing, it was much the same story on Friday.

When she woke up on Saturday she felt relieved that Scott had finally gone. He was ok, she decided, but only in small doses. She and Ryan spent most of Saturday at the Cohen's, playing on the PS2 and winding up Seth about Summer's plan to have them wearing matching outfits to that nights party.

The party that night was one of the most boring they had ever attended, no one got into a fight and no one got particularly drunk. The most exciting event of the evening was when Julie had tripped over the mic cable on her way to make a speech. Amusing, yes, but still not exciting.

The unbeatable combination that was Ryan and Marissa spent Sunday challenging Seth to a marathon PS2 tournament. Marissa, of course, won overall with Ryan and Seth finishing second and third respectively. Both were utterly ashamed to have been beaten by a girl.

Late Sunday evening Marissa had a phonecall from Scott asking if he could come over. Marissa was reluctant but she agreed. She had had the best weekend in ages and she didn't want him to ruin it. She was pleased to note as she opened the door that there were no flowers in his hands. She let him in and they went up to her room.

"I won't stay long." Scott said "I just wanted to come over and apologise. I've been a complete ass this last week." She opened her mouth to protest otherwise, out of courtesy really, because he had been a 'complete ass.' She couldn't have put it better herself. But he carried on. "I realise now that the flowers and the endless apologies were a bit over the top, but it was just because I care about you. I don't want you to be mad at me."

She shook her head "I'm not mad," she said truthfully "But maybe the flowers were a bit over the top, nice though." She added.

"I know, and this trip to Sacremento made me realise how much I like you Marissa, you're really special. You mean a lot to me." Marissa was surprised to find that she had tears in her eyes.

"You mean a lot to me too." She said. He gave her a hug and they stayed like that for a few minutes. Marissa was really confused, she had been ready to ditch Scott this morning but now, now she wasn't so sure. All she knew was that she didn't know what she wanted and it scared the hell out of her.