Chapter Ten

"So when's the next fight Ryan?" Jimmy Cooper smiled as he slapped his daughter long time boyfriend on the back.

"Don't know. No time soon I hope, I'm not really in fighting shape right now." Ryan joked to Jimmy.

"Oh dad don't let him lie to you, he's still up every morning by five running, and still does a thousand crunches every night before we go to bed, even though he only fights maybe twice a year now."

"Yeah well I have to keep my workaholic nature somehow babe." Ryan laughed. The three of them were so caught up in their own conversation that Ryan was completely caught off guard.

"What the hell?" Jimmy called out.

"Ryan!" Marissa's voice followed behind.

One moment Ryan was laughing with Jimmy, the next he felt a hard fist collide with his jaw. His head flew to the side, throwing his whole body off balance as spit flew from his mouth. Ryan was so blindsided that rather than take a defensive stance, he jerked up and grabbed his jaw before flinging around to see who punched him. He stood to find an enraged Seth.

"Keep your fucking ex-con brother away from my girlfriend!" Seth spit out in blind emotion. He moved forward to kick at Ryan, only to have Sandy grab him and pull him back.

"I don't know what your problem is son but this is not the place."

"Get him out of here Sandy," Ryan point with his free hand, the other still grasping his jaw, as he spit out a bit of blood.

"Here Ryan," Kirsten pulled out a chair. "I'll go get you some ice."

"Are you okay?" Marissa crouched down to Ryan's level

"Yeah, I'm fine I've taken much worse hits than that one."

"Yeah but the other guy's usually wearing gloves."

"Trust me honey, the gloves don't provide that much padding." Ryan tried to joke through his winces of pain.

"Here's some ice," Kirsten handed him a towel full of crushed ice.

"Thanks," Ryan took the towel and held it too his jaw.

"What was that about?" Kirsten's eyes full of concern.

Ryan shrugged, he had no clue except that it had something to do with Summer and Trey. "Honestly other than him screaming for me to keep my brother away from his girlfriend, I have no clue."

As Summer and Trey made their way back up to party, they saw the commotion and a crowd around one of the table. "I wonder what's going on." Summer quizzically remarked.

"Don't tell me we miss all the action," Trey started jogging towards the party.

"Oh my God Ryan! What happened?" Summer stood shocked to see Ryan sitting in a chair with a bloodied ice filled towel to his mouth.

Marissa cut her eyes at Summer trying to tell her this wasn't a good time, only to have Ryan put his hand on her shoulder calming her. Ryan pulled the towel away from his mouth and spit before addressing them, "Seth punched me."

"Cohen? What was he doing here…" Summer felt herself take a few steps back. "And what do you mean he punched you?"

"Exactly what I said, Seth punched, a sucker punch nonetheless but still a punch…" Ryan pursed his lips together and cut his eyes from Summer to Trey, then back to Summer. "I don't know what happened, and I'm not sure I want to know what happened… But whatever it was Seth saw, and punched me for it."

Trey threw his head back then, dropped it back forward rubbing his eyes. He rested his fingers on the bridge on his nose. Fuck, he thought to himself. He was reinforced that his life had been a series of bad decisions that had done nothing but hurt his brother.

"What…" Summer whispered her voice foreign to herself. "I… have to go talk to him… Coop can you guys…" She looked to Trey apologetically.

"Go, don't worry about me," Trey told her.

She didn't wait for a response for Marissa or Ryan, she took off as fast as she could, completely unsure about what was about to happen.

"Ry I'm sorry are you okay?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah I've taken worse punches, it wouldn't have hurt so bad if I'd see it coming." He tried to smile and turned to Marissa, "Are you ready to go? We gotta take Trey back to his place."

"Yeah, I'll go get the car." She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before grabbing her purse and walking away.

"Look Ry, I'm…"

A hand went up to cut Trey off, "Don't man, this time I'm not the one you owe the apology too."

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"I told you dad no I don't want to talk about it and yes I'm fine just leave me alone!" Seth called back to the knock on the pool house door. After his words rang through the air, the knock came again, only this time softer. Seth harshly raised his body off the bed, and flung the door open to find Summer standing before him. "What are you doing here." Emotionless he greeted her before turning his back and walking back to the bed.

"Can I come in?" She watched as Seth lay back on the bed and shrugged at her.

"Do whatever you want, I obviously don't matter."

"Cohen don't…" she whispered as she walked cautiously into the room.

"Don't what… Finish your sentence I mean you're here, I might as well listen to whatever excuse, or story or whatever you're about to give me."

"Cohen it's not what you think, Trey and I are just friends, I know you don't believe that but we are."

"Friends! Friends! That's the best you can come up with because you sure as fuck didn't look like 'just friends' when you were kissing him." Seth stood from the bed and threw his fists into the air.

"I don't know why I kissed him… I missed you and he's been there since you left and…"

"I've been gone a week! A fucking week Summer, and you're already out looking for someone to fill your loneliness! And a fucking ex-con at that! Fuck Summer next time you're lonely how about you just fucking call me alright… Or better yet don't call me anymore. Just be happy with your convict, let's see what kind of future you get out of that." His voice got louder with each sentence he finished. Seth could feel the red in his face.

"The only reason I was there with Trey, is because your fucking job was more important than me," she felt herself getting angry at Seth's inability to reason.

"Yeah, it was!"

Seth reached over to the bedside table. Summer ducked as she saw his arm reach back, the object he grabbed crashed into the wall and made several loud clunks as it hit the wall and bounced to the floor flooring a few feet away from her.

"If only you knew," Seth spit out as Summer bent down to retrieve the object. "Go ahead, pick it up, open it. It obviously doesn't mea anything to you." His anger welling up and turning into to hurt.

Summer slowly stood up, holding the box in her hands. As soon as she got a good look at it she knew what it was. But unable to bring herself to open it, she turned pained eyes to Seth, "Cohen is this…"

"Yeah it was, I was going to surprise you, and if you don't' believe that ask Ryan I've had it planned out for weeks."

"Cohen," tears fell from her eyes as she walked a few steps closer to him.

"Don't," he put his arm out and stepped away from her. "Put it down, and get the fuck out. I don't want to fucking look at you anymore… You've never known what you wanted for as long as I've known you, for as long as listened to you talk and dream… You've never known what you wanted… And I was a fool to ever think I'd be enough for you… So just put my box on the table and get the fuck out, this has been painful enough and… Right now, I'm numb even to you." Seth turned his back to her, she was crying he could hear it but his words had been sincere he didn't feel anything for her at that moment, his whole world had gone numb.

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Trey didn't know if he'd ever get used to having a door that people could actually knock on, instead of a barred cell. However he knew he'd never get used to have people knock on his door at one in the morning. The knock was frantic, it reminded him of the kind of knock police officers used right before they busted your door down. A part of him panicked, but he also knew he had done nothing to have the police show up at his door.

"Summer," Trey hid himself behind the door, he hadn't expected it to be her or he would have put a shirt on. She had been crying, her make up had run down her face, and her dress was rumpled. "Are you okay?" His sleepy eyes widen.

Summer shook her head, but no words came from her mouth, only soft sobs. Without warning she reached out and grabbed him by the face pulling him down to her, forcing him to kiss her. He could taste the saline of her tears, but he could also taste the bitterness of pain as she pressed him harder into the kiss. Trey put his hands on her shoulders and forced her away from him.

"Summer, wait," He tried to catch his breath to speak.

"No," she shook her head at him and pressed into him again. as she kicked the door closed behind her and this time Trey didn't try to fight her.