A/N: I'm slow. I'm sorry. I suck.

As always, a huge thank you to 60schic for being the nicest, most tolerant person in the world. Without her, this would be a train wreck!

Part 8

"Summer! Oh God, Summer." Seth's flustered voice pierced her brain, followed by Ryan's quieter,

"Ssh, dude. Let her sleep."

"It's eight in the morning. This is the second night she's spent in the hospital," Seth protested. Something tugged on Summer's arm. "Summer. Wake. Up."

"Fuck Cohen! I'm up," Summer opened eyes.

"What are you even doing here? Have you been here all night?"

"Yeah. Ryan and I were talking. And then I offered to stay with him until he fell asleep, and then apparently I fell asleep," Summer explained.

"Why didn't you wake her and send her home?" Seth turned on Ryan.

"I was asleep," Ryan shot Seth a glare.

"Cohen! Quit yelling and get a grip. Why are you so mad anyway?"

"Because…" Seth stammered "…you should be at home. Sleeping. Or, getting ready for school at this point."

"I think that ship has sailed," Summer stood. "I really am going to go home and go to sleep on a flat surface. Cohen, I won't be at school. Chino, it's been fun. I'll see you later."

"Cool. See you Summer," Ryan flashed a smile at her.

"I'll pick up your homework and bring it over later," Seth informed her.

"Thanks Mom," Summer opened the door. "'Bye boys."

By the time Summer had made the short drive from the hospital to home she was exhausted. Despite falling asleep with Ryan she hadn't really slept, not the way she needed to.

Summer was fantasizing about falling into bed, clothes still on, when she pulled up to her house. Zach's car was at the curb. He was waiting on her doorstep, looking serious.

"Zach…"

"I came to pick you up for school," he explained. "Where you with Seth again?"

"No. Not really. I was hanging out with Ryan last night and I fell asleep."

"Summer."

"I was about to call you," Summer swore. "To tell you that I'm really, really tired and I'm not going to school today."

"Oh. Well then maybe we could hang out today," Summer opened her mouth to repeat that she was exhausted but Zach continued. "Here. Just, you could sleep, we can watch a movie. I want to be with you today."

And as tired as she was, and as much as she just wanted to go to sleep in her own bed, Summer couldn't tell Zach no. He was being so sweet, had been so understanding yesterday, that Summer couldn't turn him away again. She didn't have the energy.

"You can miss school?"

"Um," Zach hesitated, "sure."

"Seth offered to get my homework for me. He said he'd bring it by later," Summer told Zach. "You could call him and ask if he'd mind bringing yours by too."

Zach nodded. "So is it cool if I…?"

"Of course," Summer said lightly even though there was no of course about it. Even though she really just wanted Zach to go away so she could sleep. Zach wasn't going to just go away.

"So…" Zach looked around the Roberts house. "What do you want to do?"

"Sleep," Summer answered honestly. "But I really need to eat. Zach? Will you..?"

"Will I what?"

"There's… um… bagels. In the kitchen. Will you bring them and a knife and cream cheese into the living room?" Summer requested.

"Of course. You want it toasted?" Zach hurried towards the kitchen as Summer walked slowly towards the living room couch.

"No thanks. Bring me a bottle of water too please?"

"Yeah."

Summer had to force herself to consume the bagel. She knew she was starving, that she had to eat, but nothing about her was hungry.

"So, what do you want to watch?" Zach asked surveying the huge variety of DVDs in Summer's collection.

"I don't care."

"X-Men?" Zach suggested.

"Whatever," she snapped back.

"Summer, what's up? You're being… mean."

"Sorry," She yawned. "My best friend was just killed. I've spent the past two days with my ex. I'm tired. I just could not possibly care less what we watch."

"Okay," Zach sat next to her. Pulled her close. Pressed play.

He smelled "off" to Summer. Slightly wrong. And then she realized that she was thinking of Cohen, wishing Zach was him. It pissed her off. Summer finished her bagel in two angry bites, slammed her head onto Zach's shoulder, and promptly fell asleep.

In and out of sleep, Summer was aware of the passage of time, of Zach getting up to change DVDs, to make lunch, to answer the door.

"Hey Seth. Come on in," Summer heard Zach offer from her place on the couch.

"Thanks but I can't. I have to get to the hospital."

"Oh. Right. How is Ryan?"

"Well, still awake, which is good. They're hoping to release him tomorrow I guess."

"Good, good. So he'll be out for…"

"Oh. Yeah. We're both planning on going to the funeral."

"We'll see you there then I guess. Thanks for this."

"No problem. Later Zach."

"Bye." Summer heard the front door shut with a thud and tried not to be hurt that Seth hadn't mentioned her. At all.

She thought they'd shared something in the past few days. He'd seemed so concerned about her at the hospital, begged to kiss her and now, nothing.

Zach returned to the room, noticed Summer was awake.

"So, that was Seth. He brought homework."

"Yay," Summer stated sarcastically. "My two favorite things."

Zach, as usual, ignored the rude comment.

"So should we…?" He indicated the pile of papers in his arms.

"I guess."

Summer threw herself into homework. Using her brain to solve Trig problems was a lot easier than tumbling over the Marissa thing, and the Seth thing and everything else.

"I should probably go," Zach told her, glancing up at the clock. Summer wondered how it had gotten to be six o'clock so fast.

"I bet your mom's probably worried, huh?"

"Yeah, but, are you okay though? I don't want to go if…" Summer stood and kissed her boyfriend's cheek.

"I'm fine. Thanks for today. It was… nice. Really nice."

And it had been. Easy and soft and, well, bland. It had been a day much like Zach himself.

"For me too. See you at school?"

"Yeah."

"Want me to pick you up?" Zach offered.

"I think I'd rather have my own car. You know, just in case?"

"Okay. See you tomorrow," Zach's lips brushed Summer's.

Once Zach had gone, Summer settled in front of the television with a bag of carrots and watched an assortment of home shopping channels, music videos, and game shows. Anything she thought would keep her from thinking of Marissa, and Seth, and how much his rejection stung. Again. Still. Why couldn't she just learn to not let him in?

If all it took was Cohen whispering in her ear to make her hurt like this, why did she let him get close at all?

The Price is Right re-runs clearly weren't working. Summer clicked back to Diamondaire jewelry.

Her father and stepmother returned a few hours later.

"Summer! You're home! Feels like I haven't seen you in awhile!" Her dad said jovially. He plopped down next to Summer and took the remote and a handful of carrots.

"Dad." He was far too casual for a father whose daughter's best friend had just been killed. "You know about Marissa?"

"No. What now?" He turned, eager for gossip.

"She's dead."

"What? No. When?"

"Sunday night. She got into a car accident with Ch- with Ryan. He's still in the hospital, but he'll be okay. Marissa's just… gone."

"I'm so sorry sweetheart."

"It's fine Dad."

"It..? Do you know when the service is?" her father inquired

"Saturday at 11. Graveside at Seaview Heights."

"We'll be there."

"You don't have to go. Zach will be there. And I can drive myself. It's fine if you have other plans," Summer assured him standing. "If you'll excuse me."

Summer stood in the middle of her perfectly painted pink bedroom, surrounded by memories of her best friend, and screamed.

It felt good. Really, really fucking good. Summer wasn't the kind of chick who cried. And, yeah, your best friend's death is a pretty goodexcuse to cry your eyes out, but she didn't enjoy it. She didn't find crying freeing or soothing or therapeutic or refreshing or anything.

Screaming though? Felt good. She wasn't some shrinking violet, trying not to let her emotions disturb others. She wanted her dad and stepmother and neighbors to know she was upset. Mad and hurt and pissed off.

Also? Screaming didn't make her eyes itch and her face feel tight. It didn't make her nose run or give her the hiccups. It didn't hurt her head or her jaws or anything else. Summer could wear all the makeup she wanted and scream for as long as she liked and she wouldn't smear a thing.