Hey everyone! Sorry i took so long - i was a bit stuck for ideas, but i know exactly what is going to be in the next chapter so hopefully that wont take as long as this one
Here's my replies to reviews:
J: Thankyou!
Ooh La La: I know it doesnt snow in California, but it's fanfic - you can do what you like with it!
OCLver: Thanks, i will!
KJKnights15: Thanks, and yes, i am a major Good Charlotte fan! I luv their lyrics, their so meaningful!
kursk: Yes, Ryan will take revenge but not yet. You'll have to wait a couple of chapters for that!
Allyssa: Thanks, and i will!
caroline: Wow! How much praise could i get! thanks so much, the feeling when someone reviews you and says you're great is just awesome!
Sarah: Wow i don't believe it! I read over my stories and go "oh that was crap" but you go "yay i want more"! Thanks so much!
thetroublew/loveisi'm2lostinU: Thats mad, another aussie! Go the aussies!
Larien Elanessë: Hey, thats so awesome that you love LOTR...as for the confusion, i'm really sorry...i'm not always clear with my writing! Thats so kool that you're faithfully waiting!
welcometotheoc: omg i know! year 9 is the beginning of an overload i'm afraid. oh well...
xGoingUnderx: Thanks heaps!
OCann: Well i'm not going to spoil the story, but Ryan does get revenge...oh and Ryan's ok now, he wakes up in this chappie...as for Marissa im not telling! As for Jake...you'll find out later! Thanks!
emma: Thanks, and i will!
lucase: Thanks, i will update more often!
And as usual, a little song to kickstart the chapter.
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when september ends
Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when september ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when september ends
Wake me up when September Ends - Greenday
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Ryan lay immobile on the floor in front of Seth and Summer.
"What the hell just happened here?" wondered Summer out loud. "He just, like, fainted!" Seth bent down and rolled him over onto his back. Seth frowned as he studied Ryan.
"Looks alright…" he muttered. He prodded Ryan's shoulder. "Ryan. Ryan. RYAN!"
Summer rolled her eyes. "Look, and learn." She slapped Ryan hard across the face. "HEY CHINO! WAKE UP!" Ryan didn't move.
Seth raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so that's how it's done, is it? Let me show you the true extent of the powers of Seth Cohen." He stood up and walked over to the kitchen. Lame ass, thought Summer.
Seth returned a few seconds later with a glass of water. Suddenly he tipped it upside down on Ryan's face, waking him up abruptly. His usual baby blue eyes were dull and empty. Seth smirked at Summer.
"See! I told you!"
Summer ignored him and turned to Ryan. "Hey, you ok?"
"Cold…" whispered Ryan. "I'm cold…"
"Can you stand?" asked Summer concernedly.
"I –I think so…" responded Ryan quietly.
Seth grabbed one of his arms, and Summer grabbed the other and together they helped him onto the couch.
"I'll go get you a blanket – anything else you need?" asked Summer bossily.
"No…no…I'm fine…" muttered Ryan. Summer left the room to go hunt down a blanket or two.
"That was scary, man, don't do that again," said Seth. But Ryan wasn't listening; he was still staring out into the atmosphere, as if in a daze, feeling like he had been broken in two.
"Ryan, you ok?"
"Yeah…yeah I'm fine…" he lied vaguely. The emotion was so overwhelming it felt as if there were none at all; as if he was in a mindless existence, completely oblivious to the entire fiasco. A stranger in a dark world.
He felt someone wrap a thick woollen blanket around him. He appreciated it greatly – his entire body felt like ice. The two figures in front of him were a coloured blur and when they spoke, the sound echoed as if they were in a tunnel.
"Ryan…man, what happened?" asked Seth worriedly.
"I don't want to talk about it" muttered Ryan, firmly. He closed his eyes gently, the emotion engulfing his senses. In any case, the blurry movements of Seth and Summer were making him feel sick.
"Ryan…" said Seth anxiously, thinking he was going to pass out again.
"I'm fine…" replied Ryan. Seth and Summer exchanged a significant glance.
"Ryan. You are not fine," argued Summer sternly. "You just passed out for no apparent reason. That is hardly fine. I think you should go to bed and rest."
Seth gaped at her mothering quality. Too tired to argue back, Ryan let her guide him towards the spare bedroom because, "I'm not letting you get sick again, so you can stay inside!" He pulled off his shoes and plopped down onto the bed, too tired to care that he wasn't under the covers. A few seconds later, he felt someone put a blanket over him and he fell asleep…
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"Aww…he looks so cute when he's asleep!" mentioned Summer, half-smiling.
"Uh, Summer, over here! I'm supposed to be the cute one! I'm your boyfriend, remember!" pointed out Seth.
Summer put on her thinking expression. not really." She put her hands down and smiled cheekily. "You're not cute, you're damn sexy!" Seth smiled.
"Subtlety was never you're strong point," commented Seth, egging her on. Summer gaped in mock horror, but before she could say anything, Seth added, "Hey, hey…I didn't say subtlety was bad! I never said it was bad! In fact, I kinda like it, especially if you're calling me the sexiest man alive!"
"Did I say that?"
"Ouch, keep twisting the knife, feels good!"
"Well, I guess you are kinda cute," Summer replied.
"What! Now I'm just kinda cute!" exclaimed Seth.
"Oh shut up Cohen!" She leaned over to kiss him and he obliged passionately. A few seconds later, Summer broke it off. Seth looked at her questioningly.
"I don't think Ryan would appreciate waking up to see us pashing."
"Hmm…true. But we could always just tiptoe down to the couch."
Summer looked around at Ryan. The poor boy, he'd just seen the love of his life half-dead and was trying to keep the emotion in…I wonder if he cries at night thought Summer…he's got to cry sometime…
"Earth to Summer! I repeat, earth to Summer!" interrupted Seth.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming…" She got off the bed and followed Seth out the door, turning around for one last look at Ryan. A single tear slipped down her cheek before she closed the door quietly behind her.
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Seth and Summer were still kissing on the couch fifteen minutes later. Abruptly, Seth broke off gently.
"I should probably call my mom…tell her about what happened…" murmured Seth. Summer nodded. Just as he was getting up to get the phone, the door banged open. Kirsten and Sandy were home with take-out.
"Hi Seth," said Kirsten brightly. She spotted Summer, "Oh and, sorry sweetie, I didn't see you there! Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Oh thanks, Mrs Cohen."
"No problem! We're always glad to have another at our table…hang on, where's Ryan?" asked Sandy.
Seth sighed. "That is a very long story, so I suggest you sit down." Sandy and Kirsten, worry painted on their faces, sat down.
And then he explained. How Marissa told Summer she was being abused, how Summer couldn't tell Ryan because it would be breaking Marissa's trust, how Summer eventually spilt the beans, how Ryan went off on his rescue mission in nothing but a hoodie and jeans, and how he came back in a pretty crap condition, freezing cold, minus the hoodie. By the end of the tragic tale, both Sandy and Kirsten were gaping.
"Oh my gosh, is she ok?" squealed Kirsten.
"I don't know, all I know is she's at Newport Memorial. And Julie Cooper is there currently," replied Seth informatively.
"We'll go and visit tomorrow – if her condition's bad, we won't be allowed in tonight unless we're family," replied Sandy. "And Ryan would want to go; he'd never forgive us if we went without him." The company nodded silently. Kirsten had a few tears smudging her mascara that she nervously wiped away.
Seth broke the silence. "Well, is anyone hungry?"
"I'll go check on Ryan…you can start without me…" said Kirsten as she journeyed up the stairs.
Summer, Seth, and Sandy loaded the Chinese take-out onto the table and began setting the table. When it was done, Kirsten returned and joined them.
"He's still asleep…" she said quietly.
About five minutes later, however, Ryan came down the staircase, looking extremely pale and still shaking a little. He took a seat next to Seth.
"So, how you feeling?" asked Seth.
"Fine," lied Ryan, coldly. Seth and his fat-ass mouth…isn't it obvious I feel shit!
Ryan served himself a spoonful or two of rice and ate it. He wasn't really hungry, but everyone was watching him – whether obviously or stealthily – so he thought it best to be as calm as possible. There was an awful silence that lasted for another five minutes, and then the phone rang. Kirsten went to answer it.
"Hello? Oh my gosh, Julie! I heard, yeah, is she alright?" said Kirsten, and as the silence continued, Kirsten's expression of worry was growing. "Oh my gosh. We'll come and visit tomorrow, alright? I'll see you there." She sat back down at the table.
"That was Julie," she informed the company. Summer, Seth, and Sandy nodded silently, but Ryan asked the question he was desperate to know the answer to.
"Is she alright?" he asked quietly.
"I honestly can't say…Julie said she's in ICU - in a coma - and she's broken her hip, and she's bruised all over. I'm not sure, but that's the basics," replied Kirsten morbidly.
Oh. ICU, huh? Well then…
"After all that…well, at least she's still alive," said Seth gravely.
Seth's comment sent Ryan's emotion into overdrive. Ryan could feel the blood boiling under his skin, his hand shook slightly and instinctively clenched into a fist. He put his fork down and stood up.
"Yeah, well she looked pretty fucking dead to me," he said viciously. He left the table, shoved the back door open, slammed it behind him and walked out into the freezing cold night towards the pool house. When he reached it, he flopped down on his stomach on his bed and cried into his pillow. Ever since the first day of his life, he had had bad days every day, but this one was definitely one of the worst.
God if you exist, I've got a couple of questions for you. Number 1: Why? Why does she have to suffer? Why not anyone else? Why not ME? Why didn't you put me in that hospital bed fighting for my life? Why her? Tears poured silently down his cheeks as he struggled to comprehend this unfairness. It all ends today.
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Ooooh what will happen next?
NEXT CHAPTER HINT: Ryan visits Marissa and...yes...