A/N: So did anyone else notice that in the first season, the only birthday that was celebrated was Summer's? Yeah, it kind of bugged me. But maybe that was just me cause I'm like that. Oh well. They used Rachel Bilson's real birthday (August 25) so for the birthdays in my story, I'm using all of their real birthdays just cause I can do that. I gotta explain though first: Ryan was born on September 12 and we're going to pretend that he turned seventeen in the first season (even though it was said that he was sixteen) so now, he's eighteen. Marissa was born on the 24 of January so we'll say she turned seventeen about midway through season one. She will be turning eighteen shortly in my story. They never really told us what age Summer was turning in The Model Home (did they?) but we're gonna say it was sixteen. We'll pretend that she was born a year later than her friends because I don't want her older than Seth. So she turned seventeen back in August. Now Seth was born December 15 and we're gonna say he turned seventeen then so this year he's turning eighteen. Aww, my little babies are growing up! Most of them are legal now! (sniffle…)

Necklaces and Nordstrom

Seth's hand slid up her thigh and she could feel his breath by her ear. His tongue licked at her earlobe as she ran one hand up the back of his t-shirt. Tilting her head so he had better access, she moved her other hand to his belt buckle. She got it undone and was just about to move on to his button when she heard Seth curse.

"Shit," he said as he rolled off of her. She sat up immediately and adjusted her shirt as Kirsten Cohen walked through the door.

Either Summer hadn't heard the knock or there wasn't one. The latter was just as likely as the first considering this was the Cohen household and they seemed to have a grudge against knocking. It was either that, or they had very little trust in their kids and figured if they knew their parents would walk in without warning that they were, somehow, less likely to do bad stuff like smoke or weed, or say, have sex. Although, the unexpected appearances of their parents may have stopped the boys from smoking weed, it had never stopped them from having sex in the house. She and Marissa used to sneak over here all the time late at night. Then Marissa would disappear to the pool house and Summer to Seth's bedroom. Times were different now, though.

"Hey guys," Kirsten said, completely unsuspecting. She had armful of clean laundry and Summer wondered if it was just an excuse to barge in on them or if she really just wanted to bring him his laundry. She set it down on the bed before saying, "Seth, please, please put your laundry away. Tonight."

"Yes ma'm," he responded as he actually saluted his mother.

"Seth, I'm serious. I'm sick of bringing you laundry just to find it still sitting here two weeks later."

"Mom, I'll put it away," he said in a tone that clearly meant 'get the hell out of room so me and Summer can get our freak on'. Okay, maybe the part about freaking wasn't exactly evident but the 'get the hell out' part was.

"I'm so glad I give you everything you want. Considering your love for me is so obviously incontestable."

"I love you mom," Seth said sardonically.

"Don't be mean to your mother," Summer said, speaking up for the first time since Kirsten's entrance. "She brought you into this world."

"You're darn right I did," Kirsten said.

"Why don't we all just gang up on me now."

"Summer, make sure he puts that laundry away," Kirsten said, completely ignoring her son.

"I will," Summer responded.

"Thanks," she said as she headed for the door. "Bye guys." The door clicked shut behind her and Seth breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Dude, I was sitting here the entire time with my belt buckle undone!"

Summer laughed. "Thank god she didn't notice."

"Yeah. I mean, how would I even start to explain that to my mother?"

Summer crawled across the bed and straddled Seth's lap. "You know, I'm surprised she isn't suspicious yet. Not about your belt buckle," Summer's face was just a fraction of an inch away from Seth's and she could feel his breath again, "but about the fact that we spend all this time alone," she accented the word with a soft kiss to his lips. "Considering the fact that you're parents think we're just friends. What do they think we do up here?" Summer pushed Seth gently so that he fell back on the bed and she kissed him from her new position.

"I've often wondered that myself," Seth said, slipping a hand under the hem of her shirt.

They continued making out until Summer pulled away abruptly and sat up. "What? What are you doing," Seth asked, exasperated about having his make-out session interrupted for the second time that night.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?"

Seth looked confused before answering. "The last day of Hanukkah?"

"Okay…and…?"

Seth thought a while more before a small smile spread across his face. "My birthday," he said slowly.

"Exactly." Summer leaned back down and kissed him, at the same time finishing the task of unzipping his pants. "I have an early present for you," she said and he smiled against her lips as he felt her hand slip underneath the elastic of his boxers.

"I'm excited," he said, barely concealing a moan while his lips still hardly touched hers.

"I know. I can tell." She giggled before kissing him again.

Seth could feel someone watching him before he had opened his eyes. It was just one of those things. "This is definitely creepy," he said to Summer who was sitting next to him on his bed.

"Morning sunshine."

"Okay, can I ask why you were watching me sleep?" Seth sat up on his elbows.

When he woke up with Summer in his bedroom, it was never a good thing. Unless, of course, she had fallen asleep there the night before. In this case, she had not. The scene around him was strangely familiar and he was reminded of the last time he had woken up to Summer watching him. She had insisted she had a brilliant idea and dragged him all the way to her house, skipping out on school, to watch the entire first season of The Valley on DVD before the season two premiere aired that night. "The boxed set, not the shit they sell on ebay" she had informed him, like it made a difference.

So yeah, Summer and brilliant ideas? Nope, no way.

"Happy birthday," was her only explanation as she leaned down to kiss him. "Now get up!" She jumped up off the bed in a mood way to chipper for seven in the morning.

"Summer, why are you here?"

"Well, it's nice to see you too Seth." Summer walked over to Seth's closet and pulled open the door. Then, she prepared to pick him out an outfit for the day. "Since you're not going to do it, I might as well," she said.

"Who let in you in?" Seth continued with his questioning, ignoring the fact that the way he was asking them might, indeed, be rude. It was just Summer after all.

"Your mother," she said pointedly. She made her way back to the bed with a random dark blue t-shirt with some weird band on it, which she tossed onto the bed. She then proceeded to his dresser where she rummaged freely through the drawers before a pair of suitable brown cords surfaced. Grabbing them, she tossed them unceremoniously on the bed next to the t-shirt. "Get dressed. We have to leave."

"For school?" Seth stripped back his covers and stepped out the bed dressed in boxers and t-shirt.

"Yes," Summer said, flashing him a mischievous smile before heading for the door. "I'll be downstairs."

Seth didn't believe Summer. Not a single word. There was no way they were going to school when she answered like that. And that smile. Nope, she had something planned. Plus, since when did she come to pick him up for school? His house was completely out of the way for her. Birthday or no birthday, she wouldn't drive the extra distance just to pick him up. She didn't like driving. And quite frankly, she wasn't very good. Driving with her, he often wondered how in the hell she got her license in the first place.

Seth dressed and met Summer downstairs like he was commanded. When he walked into the kitchen Ryan was sitting at the island counter eating his cereal out of the box. Sandy was preparing a bagel at the counter and Summer was chatting away with Kirsten like they were lifelong friends. Weird.

"Hey birthday boy," Kirsten said when she noticed the appearance of her son.

"Mom, I'm turning eighteen, not eight," he told her.

"Don't remind me," Kirsten said as she crossed the kitchen to place a kiss on her son's forehead. "Now, both of my boys are all grown up," she said, referring to Ryan's eighteenth birthday that had been celebrated back in September, shortly after he had come home. Kirsten actually looked a little teary as her gaze switched from Seth to Ryan and back again.

"Please do not start crying, mom."

"I'm not crying," Kirsten said, shooting Seth a look. "I'm merely reflecting."

"Yeah, okay."

"Well Seth, we should get going," Summer said. Her tone was subtly urgent, if that was possible. Whatever. Seth knew she meant they were leaving now. "Coming Ryan?"

"Huh?" Ryan looked up from his cereal box for the first time. "Oh no, Lindsay's coming for me. Thanks though."

"Really?" Summer raised her eyebrows at him. He gave her a look and she just turned away. "Thanks for breakfast Kirsten."

"Any time, sweetie." And then Summer actually hugged his mom. Okay, when his mother was leaving for an entire weekend that was acceptable but now, Summer was on her way to school. She would most likely be back here after school anyway. And if not, it would only be a matter of, like, twenty-four hours before she saw her again. The unnecessary hugging was starting to freak him out just a little.

"Bye Sandy," Summer said pleasantly as she passed him on her way to the doorway. "Let's go."

"Well, I guess I'm going," Seth said, wondering how he hadn't even managed to step into the kitchen, let alone eat breakfast.

"Later Seth," Ryan said. "And happy birthday."

"Thanks," Seth mumbled as he was dragged out the door by Summer.

Once they were finally strapped into Summer's silver BMW and on their way down the drive, Seth asked, "Would you please tell me what's really going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She flashed him an innocent smile that was anything but and placed a hand on his thigh.

Seth sighed, giving up on finding out what the hell she had up her sleeve and instead dug into his bookbag for a good CD to listen too. Pulling out Bright Eyes, he popped it into her player. Summer's hand slid a little further up his thigh and she said, "It's a good thing it's your birthday."

"Why?"

"Cause if it weren't, I would make you turn that off." Summer turned her eyes back to the road and Seth wished she would quit taking them off the road. Driving with Summer was always…interesting.

They had definitely passed the school but Seth didn't bother to ask. He had known from the moment he saw her watching him that they were going to school this morning. He was just a little curious as to where they were going but he didn't ask. One, because he didn't want Summer to look at him instead of the road. Two, because she wouldn't have answered him anyway.

He finally found out when they pulled into the parking lot of South Coast Plaza. "Summer, please don't tell me that you kidnapped me from my own home—"

"Oh my god, you totally came willingly," she cut him off.

"—just to take me on a shopping spree with you," he finished. "No offense but I'm not in the mood to carry your shit today."

"First of all, you're never in the mood to carry my shit. And second, calm down. For your information, I will not be shopping." Summer undid her seatbelt and stepped out of the car as Seth did the same. "This is your shopping spree. You get to get whatever you want and I'll pay for everything."

"Summer, I can't do that."

"Why not?" She headed for the entrance leaving Seth to catch up.

"Because, it's, like, too much. I mean, I wasn't even here for your birthday this year," he said, hoping it wasn't the wrong time to remind her of his "vacation" as she liked to refer to it.

She stopped walking and got real quiet as she shrugged and said, "I know. But I just…thought it would be nice, you know?"

"And it is nice. I just don't like taking your money." He put a hand on her shoulder in a gesture he hoped would be comforting.

"But it's a present," she said, her lower lip just barely starting to protrude from her upper one.

And so Seth accepted because she could just do that to him. She smiled at him and grabbed his hand as they walked inside. This surprised Seth considering they weren't touchy-feely when they were out together. They hadn't exactly been touchy-feely when they were dating either, but at least then it was logical. Now, it was just…not logical. But of course, this entire situation lacked a lot of logic anyway.

Strolling through Nordstrom, she was still holding his hand. "You'd wear this, wouldn't you?" She held up a pinkish-looking long sleeved button down.

He shrugged and nodded in response.

"It's pink. Get excited," she told him.

"I am excited," he said in a tone that told her he really wasn't.

Stepping closer so she could see him better, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong Summer. Really."

"Are you sure? You look wrong to me," she said.

"I look wrong? Is that, like, even right?"

"Well, whatever. Are you sure nothing's bothering you?"

"Yes, Summer. I'm sure," he promised.

"Good," she said and turned back to the rack of shirts she had been shuffling through.

Truth be told, nothing was bothering him. Shopping just didn't excite him quite as much as it did Summer. Sure, he liked getting clothes and everything but he couldn't just run around the mall spending money in every store like she did. At least, he couldn't when the money he was spending was someone other than his mother's. He would have been perfectly content with curling up on the couch with her as his present.

"Seth, what colors are your solid polos?"

"Hmm?"

Summer was flipping through a rack of Lacoste polos and looking just a touch exasperated. "Your solid colored polos, what colors do you already have?"

Seth wondered how he was supposed to remember something like that without having his closet in front of him but he tried anyway. "Um, white, and maybe, like, blue?"

She pulled a royal blue one off the rack and held it up. "Like?"

"Summer, I have a blue one," he said.

"No, you have a black one." Apparently, she knew what was in his closet better than he did.

"Okay, then yes I like it."

She reached back into the rack pulling out a green one. "We're getting this one too."

"Whatever you say." It was much easier to let her do the shopping for him. Even if she did buy him some stuff he probably wouldn't wear. Because she still bought him stuff he would wear, like the polos. But he just knew that she was going to drag him into Abercrombie and buy a whole bunch of shit he will never wear.

They passed a rack of Chip and Pepper jeans and Seth could tell Summer was itching to look at them. She would tell him that she couldn't help it, that there was an imaginary string pulling her to it, and so in an effort to stop unnecessary babbling, he walked her over there.

"No, no, no. This is your shopping trip," she said, shaking her head.

"Summer, go ahead and look."

"Fine. But I'm just looking."

Well, "I'm just looking" turned into "I'm just gonna get this one thing" which turned into "I'm just going to get these few things". Then, at every store they went into after that, she was "just looking" which started the whole process over again. By the time they were at the last store, Summer had just as much, if not more, than Seth.

He would never understand girls and their clothes.

"I'm gonna go check out. Wait here, okay?" Summer handed Seth her bags and took the armload of clothes he had, adding it to hers, and headed for the nearest check-out.

The girl at the register rang up the clothes. She was a friendly girl, commenting on how adorable Summer's clothes were. Then she came to the guys clothes at the bottom of the pile. She looked across at where Seth was waiting, and as she scanned the items she asked, "So, are these for you boyfriend?"

Okay, first of all, who asks that? Second, what was she supposed to say? "Oh, no. He's not my boyfriend."

"This seems like an awful lot of money to be spending on a friend." The girl pulled the receipt from the machine and it set it down, along with a pen, on the counter.

Summer decided that this girl definitely talked way too much. "He's a really good friend."

"Oh, I see," the girl said, even though she clearly didn't. "Well, have a nice day."

Summer thanked the girl, grabbed the bags off the counter, and made her way over to where Seth was standing. "Ready?"

He nodded and she took his free hand. More so because she wanted to confuse the salesgirl, whom she knew was watching, as opposed to actually wanting to hold his hand. But holding his hand was still kind of nice.

They passed a few display cases and Summer stopped to look. Her eyes were focused on a tiny sterling silver heart necklace. It was hung on a silver chain with tiny white diamond embedded in the center. She pointed at it and Seth nodded.

"Look at that one," she said.

"Yeah, more importantly, look at the price." Seth pointed to the $395 dollar price tag that was set in front of it.

"Well, it's still nice to look at."

"Three hundred and ninety-five dollars worth of nice," Seth mumbled as they walked out of the store and into the center part.

"Question," Seth said.

"Yes?" For once, Summer didn't take her eyes off the road.

"We have, like, two hours to kill before school gets out."

If Summer noticed that this wasn't actually a question, she didn't say so. She just smiled again and said, "I know."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We could go back to my house and watch the first season of The Valley again."

"Tempting as that offer is, Summer, I'm going to have to pass," he said.

"Well, we could go back to my house and do something else," she said seductively as she leaned across the center console and kissed him. He thanked god that they were stopped at a light but didn't doubt that she would have done that even if they were going. A horn honked and they pulled away to see that the light was green. "Fuck off!" Summer yelled as she flung her middle finger up in the air and hit the gas. Yeah, she had a bad case of road rage.

And Seth couldn't help but smile at her.

A/N: Took me awhile to get that chapter out and I'm still not sure if I like it. Leave me a review!