Kirsten opened her eyes. Her alarm was going off. She forgot to un-set it. She had the day off. Kirsten knew she'd end up doing some sort of work.
Sandy was already awake, and she just laid in the empty bed. It was the first of the month. A renewal.
She turned off the alarm next to her and tried to get some sleep. She felt tired but every time she closed her eyes, she felt wide awake. Now she had to get up.
Sandy then appeared out of the bathroom. She smiled and stood up and kissed him. He understood her preoccupied face. He knew what day it was.
Kirsten walked into the bathroom and got relatively ready, not fully done, since she didn't have to work. It sounded so nice. She needed a break.
Seth sat in his bedroom, Captain Oats on his stomach. Man, had that horse head a lot of woes about Summer. Everyone had. And everyone was sick of it.
"So what should I do?" Seth asked the horse for the ninth time today, and the day had just started. Captain Oats didn't say a word. "Fine, silent treatment, I see how it is. Well, hope you have fun with no one to complain to about Princess Sparkles with. I'm sick of hearing how great her hooves were," Seth put the horse on his night stand and headed downstairs.
Ryan was already awake and ready. He was in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee. He liked the silence. He would only have a few minutes of it.
"What's up Ry?" Nope. Ryan had actually only had seconds.
"Not much," Ryan took a sip of scalding hot coffee.
"Cool. Now what is the plan for today?" Seth asked, getting a cup of coffee for himself.
"There's supposed to be a plan for today?" Ryan replied.
"Yes man! Operation Win-The-Girls-Back? This plan has been active for like ever," Seth complained.
Kirsten walked in at that moment. She smiled seeing her two sons argue. It was nice to see them together.
It had been two months since the fiasco of everything and the Cohen household was finally getting its footing. Kirsten hoped it would stay this way.
"Yeah, and it hasn't been working at all," Ryan commented.
"So? I have a feeling it'll work today. They'll be on their knees looking for us. They'll forgive us and everything will be perfect," Seth laid out the new plan.
"Except they hate our guts," Ryan didn't want to hear anymore of Seth's ongoing babbles about Summer. They never ceased.
"Minor detail," Seth blew it off. He knew he was losing the battle for Summer, but he didn't care. He wanted her. Sure, he should give up, but why?
"Seth, you really need to give up on this," Ryan said to Seth as Kirsten listen in to their argument.
"I know. But me and Summer, you and Marissa, we are the perfect couples," Seth was giving in to giving up.
"If that's true, then why are the perfect couples broken up?" Ryan pointed out.
"I don't know man! But like last year, before this summer, was awesome. We were all happy," Seth sat down.
"And then you broke Summer's heart," Ryan pointed out.
"Well, you broke Marissa's," Seth shot back.
"Maybe we should find other girls," Ryan sat down next to Seth.
"I don't wanna," Seth continued to whine.
"Are you two still obsessing over Summer and Marissa?" Kirsten wondered, enjoying the usual morning banter. It always lifted her spirits.
"I'm not, but he is," Ryan told his guardian.
"Slowly, I'm getting over her. Very, very, very, very slowly," Seth informed them.
"Son, try dating other women, it might work," Sandy walked in on the conversation and laughed.
"Yeah, that might make her jealous..." Seth began another plan.
"Seth," Kirsten warned, but inside she laughed. Life was finally going their way. There was barely any drama, not since two months ago.
"I know I need to get over her, but it's hard to do that. I've only been obsessed with her for ten years," Seth commented.
"It's been ten years? It seems like just yesterday you came home and started rambling about how you were gonna marry her," Sandy reminisced.
"Yeah, well, as of now, that's not gonna happen. She won't even talk to me," Seth laid his head on the island.
"I wonder why," Sandy joked to his son, who groaned. Seth wanted so badly to either have Summer, or let her go. She was with some asshole from the water polo team. Hadn't she discovered a while ago that they all were idiots? It killed him to see Summer, and she'd ignore him.
"I think the last time she talked to me was when she broke up with me," Seth informed them. He didn't want pity, he wanted Summer.
"You'll find someone else," Kirsten tried to cheer up her sullen son.
"I don't want someone else. I want Summer," Seth spoke to the table.
"Maybe you'll get together again. You guys have a better shot than me and Marissa," Ryan commented.
"That's definitely over?" Kirsten was sad to see both sons dismal, but usually this was in the morning. They got over it by the end of the day.
"Yeah. She's with some other guy. I don't mind. Our relationship was never that good," Ryan said.
"Ha!" Seth yelled and everyone jumped.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryan asked Seth, whose head was still stuck to the island.
"Dude, you dated for five months, then like another three. You two were an awesome couple. Such memorable times. Cotillion, TJ, the Ferris wheel, every party..." Seth rambled.
"Yeah, but do we remember someone named Oliver?" Ryan pointed out.
"Theresa?" Seth argued. "Listen, you guys had moments. Me and Summer? Zip," the only moment they ever had was between just the two of them. No one really knew about them.
"What about Valentine's Day? And the kissing booth?" Ryan couldn't believe he was doing this. For two months, he had tried to get Seth over Summer, and now, he was encouraging it.
"Don't remind me," This was how it usually went in the morning. There was always talk of Summer and Marissa.
"Well, good thing is it's the beginning of the month. You can start new, find new girls, and obsess over them then," Sandy tried to end Seth's moping.
"Whatever," Seth still hadn't lifted his head off the island.
"You guys should be going. You'll be late. Do you need a ride?" Kirsten interrupted.
"Nope, we've got the power of the skateboard and bike," Seth answered and Ryan got up as Seth slowly lifted himself out of the seat.
"Okay bye," Kirsten never could understand why they rode their skateboard and bike.
"Bye," Seth waved back to them as they headed to the garage.
"Be safe," she called after them and heard the door shut.
"Well, I should be going too," Sandy said.
"Stay home. Please," Kirsten hated being in the house all alone.
"I have papers to type up..." Sandy didn't want to go, but he had to.
"Type them here. Just please stay home," she stared up into his eyes, making him melt.
"Fine. I'll type them up, then we can have the rest of the day together. Watch some soaps, I'm a little behind on them," he joked and kissed her.
Seth and Ryan were almost at the school. Seth pretty much had given up on him and Summer. She hated his guts, plain and simple.
It was a new month. He would be an existentialist, forget about the past, especially the last few months.
Yeah, that would never work.
Marissa saw both boys walk in. She looked longingly at Ryan. She really missed him. No, she had to stop thinking like that. They were through, done, over with. She had a new boyfriend. He wasn't Ryan, but he filled the void.
"Ew, Coop, Chino? No way. Those two assfaces caused us enough pain. We are better off without Cohen and Chino," Summer's words echoed in her head. She had said them about a month ago when Marissa wanted to be back with Ryan.
Marissa thought about Ryan every day, but she knew that it would never happen. Something major would have to happen to bring them together.
She wished she could be like Summer, who at the moment, was making out with her boyfriend. Marissa knew Summer never thought about Seth. Every so often Summer would, but she always pushed it out of her mind.
"Hey," Marissa's boyfriend surprised her and kissed her. No, he definitely wasn't Ryan, who began to do the same thing as Seth. Stare at the girls longingly.
"What are the plans for tonight?" Summer asked them. Marissa stopped kissing her boyfriend, and looked for Ryan. He was gone. "Coop? Any ideas?"
Marissa looked over at Summer, who was finally relatively happy, bitchy, and Cohen-less. She was easier to get along with over Seth.
"Um, nope," Marissa answered her best friend, who pouted a bit.
"There's probably a party going on," Summer blew it off, and then the bell rang. The four walked together to homeroom, where Marissa was first to leave. She walked into her classroom and saw around some girls she kind of knew. They unfortunately were friends of Holly's, but as long as Holly wasn't around, Marissa was okay.
She listened in on the discussion of the new Chanel bags. That was her favorite brand. And of course she had the newest style. All the girls were jealous. Marissa was back to being the most popular.
Glancing to the back of the room, she saw Seth either writing or doodling. Marissa wanted to talk to him, but a lot of things had changed between the once close friends.
Seth knew Marissa was looking, so he didn't raise his head. He felt like a sophomore again. Invisible to all.
First period bell, and Seth waited until everyone was gone to get up he headed up to Chemistry, the single most evil class.
A shiver ran through him as he sped past lockers.
Marissa and Seth weren't Chemistry partners, she was with some girl who was smart. Marissa got an easy A.
Seth didn't pay attention to the day, it was passing him by. He saw Summer who was completely ignoring him and flirting with all the other guys. No, they weren't meant to be.
She sighed as she listened to the guys' talk about mindless stuff. It went right through her, none of it mattered.
Seth sat in the back for almost all his classes. No one cared that he was in the class. Not a single soul.
Yeah, he regretted everything that happened, but he couldn't take it back. What's done is done. As much as he wanted Summer, he'd have to let her go. She was the Summer he always hated. The spoiled, bitchy, ignorant one. She was more than that. So why did she stoop so low?
The end of second period. Third he had alone. Ryan was with Summer again. Who cared? Summer didn't talk to him either. She cut those ties a while back. All the Cohen household did was hurt people. They couldn't be trusted.
Third period went by rather quickly, so all the students headed to the fourth class. Separate rooms, separate lives.
Seth enjoyed this class. The teacher rarely ever called him. He sat in the back left corner and would look out the window. It passed the time. The only part of this class that was okay was that he got to write.
He wouldn't brag he was a good writer, but it was just nice to let his emotions out.
Ryan was paying attention in his second floor class, he needed the grades. He was struggling with this class. He understood everything, but it was just that Harbor High put a heavy load on everyone.
Marissa pulled out her math homework. Her teacher was infamous for making them put the work on the board. Her name was called.
"Let's put out work up on the board," Marissa gulped and walked up.
Summer was looking around the library. Definitely some hot guys. She liked where she was sitting. Life was perfect.
A van pulled up in front of the school.
0000000
Seth ran as fast as he could. All he could think about was Summer. Oh God, this was not good. Who would do this? Who would be this evil to reek this havoc on the students of Harbor High?
He kept running and chose a different stairway. The one on the other side of the hall, he had a long way to go. But he had to get out. He had to make sure Summer was okay. If she was hurt, he'd never forgive himself.
He ran past his Chemistry class and by the lockers. His eye caught someone's, someone he never apologized to, and seen every day. This was Seth's mistake.
Seth stopped dead in his tracks. His life came in front of him. Summer. Her face stood out in his mind. One last moment. This was it. The end. He was gone. Just one of 77 bleeding bodies on the ground. And when would they find him? When it was too late.
Invincibility was dead. So was he.
Seth shut his eyes.