Disclaimer: I own nothing, with the exceptions of a few original characters.
Summary: After pining for Summer for entirely all his life, Seth gets a chance when she asks something of him. But will her proposition be exactly what he wants to hear—or worse? SS.
Author's Note: To clarify, svocfanatic, the song at the beginning of Chapter 5 is "Stranger and Beautiful" by Aqualung. Also, thank you for all the reviews!
"You'll be given love
You'll be taken care of
You'll be given love
You have to trust it"
Swift fingers jabbed at the controller's buttons, eyes hardened with determination, sparked with competition. Seth stared hard at the TV screen, Ryan next to him, feeling every bit of the competition his brother was feeling next to him.
"Take that you Jedi-blooded scum!"
Seth released a playful cackle, his hands working to control the character in the game. On screen, Anakin Skywalker battled with Obi-Wan Kenobi, the fiery graphics of the video game drawing Seth and Ryan farther into the game. With a few jabs to the buttons, Seth had Anakin pistol his lightsaber to Obi-Wan, who Ryan had jump back in defense. Throwing back a few somersaults, Ryan maneuvered Obi-Wan to fling his lightsaber at Anakin, who peddled back in reflex.
The melodic blaring of Ryan's cell phone went off, causing him to press 'Pause' and whip it out of his pants pocket.
Ryan flipped open his phone and pressed the cold metal into his ear. "Hello?"
Beside him Seth stretched his back onto the end of the couch, his arms raising themselves to further relax his muscles. He and Ryan had been sitting on the pool house floor for three hours, and Seth was frustrated that he had lost the game exactly twenty-five times. He scoffed when he realized that Ryan had only lost once.
"Yeah, sure, I guess. Do I really need to go? I mean, I've been there so many times already. Well, of course I want to be with you. Fine, no problem. I'll keep you company. Okay, alright. Love you, too. Bye."
Ryan flipped off his phone and turned to Seth, only to find himself rolling his eyes a second later when his amused brother began to make googly, lovestruck faces. Ryan shook his head and chuckled before throwing Seth a playful punch in the arm.
"Whatever, man. You're just jealous because you don't have a girl."
Seth's mouth moved to find a rebuttal to throw back at Ryan, but the movements quickly diminished when he figured Ryan was right. A nod was sent Ryan's way.
"Speaking of girls," Seth began. Ryan heaved a sigh and plopped down on the floor next to Seth. "I want to go to that party with you."
His head snapped in such an instant that Ryan thought he saw stars float among his eyes. Eyes widened, he looked at Seth with curiosity. "You wanna go to the party? Holly's party?"
Seth nodded his head as if he considered the statement to be nothing. "Well, yeah."
Ryan's head shook in disbelief, his golden brown hair swishing in time to his movements. "Well, what happened to your little proclamation," he claimed, "'I, Seth Ezekiel, will never go to another lame Newport party again, in risk of being pummeled by the water polo demons and hideously overrated blonde beach broads.'"
Seth scoffed and swatted his hands. "Okay, my dear brother, that was before I actually had an assignment to attain to. An assignment involving Summer. Who maybe I'll get a chance to talk with tonight. Like, really talk with."
Ryan chuckled. "Seth, she'll be wasted. You won't getting any talking done when she's slurring her words together and throwing up on your shoes."
A roll of the eyes. "Well, at least she'll be there. And she'll want to know more about Devon. So at least I'll be a smidgen reliable."
"Well just be careful. The water polo team'll probably be there and I don't want you coming home with a black eye and a sprained wrist. Again."
Seth sighed and nodded. "You'll be there. So you can kick their ass if they messed with me."
Ryan nodded and pursed his lips together in agreement. "True. But still, be careful."
A smile lit up Seth's face and he stood up before dusting off his clothes. Shutting off the XBOX, he waved a quick goodbye to Ryan, heading into the main house and up the stairs to his room.
"Name it, read it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax - rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start - format it."
The funky beats of Daft Punk reverberated throughout Holly's beachside abode, its rhythms flowing through numerous bodies grinding on a wide dance floor. Seth moved his head from side to side, taking in the people and the atmosphere that the party had to offer him. It had been a while since he had attended a Newport rager and even then he had forgotten what they were like.
Drinks of assortments of colors littered the kitchen counter, lone cups scattered on the hardwood floor. A couple of students he had recognized from school sat on a couch on the left of Seth, fingers closing in one nostril as rolled up twenty dollar bills sucked in lines of cocaine. A bong sat on the glass coffee table in front of them before it was picked up by a giggling blonde female who happily took a shot of the bong before laughing again.
Ryan stood next to Seth by the doorway, his eyes scanning the crowds for his girlfriend. Marissa stood far off to the right, talking to a mutual friend, a cup nestled tightly in her hand. Ryan smiled when he noticed her and turned to Seth.
"Marissa's over there. Wanna come with me?"
Seth gave a smug shake of the head. "Nah, man. It's cool. I'm gonna look for Summer."
Ryan nodded and took off, his strides leading him in the direction of Marissa. Her eyes lit up when she noticed his presence and excused herself from her friend. Arms flew around Ryan's shoulder as she leaned in for a kiss.
Seth walked around the perimeter of the beach house observing the individuals who gathered around him. He searched for Summer but through the mass of blonde hair, he found no petite, raven-haired girl--much to his disappointment.
Throwing himself on a lone couch, he sighed, bringing his fingers to his thighs, which tapped to the beat of the party's music. It felt like forever that he was on the couch, a sign of Summer never appearing before him.
A large, bellyaching laugh sounded from the right of him and Seth snapped his head to look at the commotion. Brad and his water-polo minions charged through dancing bodies, laughing, obviously intoxicated. Seth's eyes doubled in size and he quickly rose from his position of the couch, maneuvering to get away from the jocks. If they had seen him, he reasoned, the night would be over before it had even begun.
He stalked off to the kitchen counter, poured himself a drink and took a swig of it. Another laugh resonated throughout the crowd and raising his eyes, Seth noted that Summer was coming his way, her goal another drink.
Seth felt his heart rate quicken and stood by the kitchen counter, hoping Summer would notice him.
She did. "Cohen!"
Summer stumbled over to Seth, her feet moving in a jumble, the action causing her to erupt in giggles.
Damn, Seth examined, she was drunk.
"What are you doing here?" Summer asked. She clinged to Seth as she straightened her composure.
"It's a party, Sum. I'm partying."
Summer scoffed, her face showing signs of disbelief. "Yeah, but you're here alone. By the kitchen counter. Doesn't seem like too much of a 'party', if you know what I mean."
Before Seth could retort back, Summer's eyes enlarged in size and her mouth formed the shape of an 'o'. "Devon Rockglen! You never told me more about Devon."
Seth nodded his head, masking an inaudible sigh. He had come to the party in hopes that Summer would talk to him, knowing that she would ask about Devon. Nonetheless, gossiping about the guy hurt.
"What else do you wanna know?"
Summer shook her head. "Anything! I--" Before she could continue, her stomach gave a lurching. It happened so fast and before he knew it, Seth was staring down at Summer as she blew chunks right in front of him.
Summer grabbed her stomach in nausea and rushed herself to the bathroom. Seth looked alarmed as he took in what happened before running in the direction Summer had taken off to. He opened the bathroom door to see her crouched in front of the toilet, arms strung out in front of her, her face looking every bit exhausted.
"Cohen?" she asked him in a quiet whisper.
"Yeah?"
"I feel sick." Her words were slurred and she threw back her head into the toilet, the remains of her drinking catching up to her. Seth rushed forward to pull up her hair and rub her back, ignoring the grotesque sounds of Summer's spewing.
She finished and grabbed some toilet paper to the left of her and wiped her mouth. Leaning on the bathroom wall, she closed her eyes. Seth stared at her for a full minute, surprised at how fast she had fallen asleep.
He looked at the time. 1:54 AM. Reaching forward, Seth gathered Summer into his arms, who immediately snuggled against him in her sleep. The party had dwindled down a notch from when he had first arrived and taking note, Seth saw that the water polo jocks were long gone. Eyes spotted Ryan and Marissa nestled together on a nearby couch and almost instantly Ryan looked up. Seth gestured to him of the sleeping Summer in his arms and Ryan made motions with his hands of how he'll get a ride home from Marissa.
Seth walked to the family's black SUV and opening the passenger side door, set Summer in the seat, quietly binding her to the car with a seatbelt. He walked around to the driver's side, turned on the engine, and left for Summer's house.
The ride to her house was quiet, the only sounds to be the voice of Ben Gibbard as Death Cab for Cutie floated through the air. Seth looked to Summer, who's head was thrown back onto the seat, her breathing coming in short billows, eyes closed in content. If Seth had believed months ago that Summer Roberts would in his car with him, he wouldn't have believed it. But she really was next to him, fast asleep, and he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact.
Seth, with Summer still in his arms, walked up to the Roberts doorway. He rang the doorbell, his response nothing. Another ringing and still nothing. His hand locked around the doorknob and giving a light turning, Seth was surprised to find the door unlocked.
"Hello? Anybody here? Mr. Roberts?"
Seth's voice echoed throughout the large house, but no response came again. To think that Summer would have returned to an empty house perturbed him; did she always come home to no father, no mother? His footsteps sounded on the cold, marble floor and he walked upstairs to where he reasoned Summer's room would be.
Many doors were locked, he found, upon trying to open them. The last door in the hallway was unlocked, however, and he entered to find a purple haven, frills and lace adorning the curtains and bed sheets. He settled Summer down on the large, queen-sized bed, gently tucking her in. Seth sighed as he stared at Summer, who lay comfortably nestled between the sheets.
He didn't like the idea of leaving her to be alone in the desolate household. There would be no one to watch over her, no one to take care of her if she threw up once again. But if he did stay, the chances are she would wake up and find him near her. The realization would scare her and send her to think of him as a stalker and she would never talk to him again.
His caring for her overruled his raging thoughts and he walked over to a nearby plush chair. He sat in it, the sleep taking over. His eyelids began to droop and casting one last look in Summer's direction, sleep greeted him in silent welcome.