Ryan opened Seth's door, poking his head around the wall.
"Hey, you alright?" he asked.
Seth just looked at him blankly, and then turned his head away.
"Seth…I know what's going on. I kind of walked in at the wrong time…"
"Yeah it's great isn't it?" he interrupted sarcastically.
"I know your Mom drinks a lot, but do you really think that getting smashed to prove a point to her is the best way to do things?"
"Well yeah…at the time Ryan…I did. I couldn't work out how else to get through to her, and that was the first thing that popped into my head. And now, she's probably never going to speak to me again…"
"Of course she'll speak to you again Seth, now your just being stupid."
"No I'm not being stupid. If only you had of seen the look on her face when I let her story slip to Dad. She was so hurt." He said, still slurring his words together.
"You mean…" Ryan paused, thinking over the information in his head. "You mean you knew about the cutting thing?"
Seth nodded, running his hands through his hair.
"Why didn't you tell me man? How long have you known?"
"Not that long. I walked in on her doing it the other day. She had blood everywhere, and she wouldn't even look at me."
Ryan let out a long breath, biting his lip. It was then that he noticed something on Seth's wrist also. A white bandage, with a few blood stains seeping through.
"Oh no Seth. Oh God no. Please tell me you didn't…" he stuttered, pointing to his wrist.
Seth jerked it back, shaking his head.
"It's not what you think…"
"How could you? I thought the drinking was bad, but seriously, that's 10 times worse! Just because she does it doesn't mean you have to."
Seth nodded, his eyes focused on the floor.
"Seth…?"
"Alright. Enough already! I think you should leave" he shouted, his hands on his hips.
Ryan gulped back the lump in his throat, and slowly walked out the door. Seth followed, slamming the door as hard as he could, wanting to be alone.
"Kirsten, where are you going?" Sandy asked, following his wife down the stairs.
"I have to get out of here" she said hurriedly back to him, grabbing a jacket from the couch.
"Why? Please, just stay and talk to me."
"We've done that remember? I told you what you wanted to know."
"Kirsten, don't you think we should talk to the boys? They've been through so much tonight. I can see in their eyes that they're more scared and confused than they've ever been."
Kirsten stopped in her tracks, hanging her head in shame.
"I won't be very long. I just need a few minutes to clear my head ok?"
"Kirsten, please. Don't run away from this" Sandy pleaded.
"I'm not running away from anything!" she said, her voice rising. She scooped up her keys, and headed out the door.
"Argh!" Sandy cursed loudly, as he threw his arms up in frustration.
Kirsten parked her car at the beach, jumping out, and heading for the sand. She took one look at the crashing waves, before collapsing onto the sand beneath her, sobbing uncontrollably. She had made such a mess of everything. When she saw Seth this afternoon, she really had wanted to kill herself. Why had she done such a horrible thing to her own son? The look on Ryan's face didn't help either. The way he spat out "I'm pretty sure he did that because of you Kirsten." was still ringing over and over in her mind. She couldn't get rid of it.
She sat on the beach, crying and shaking uncontrollably. She jumped when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She wiped her eyes, and put on a smile when she saw who it was.
"Kirsten, are you ok?" Marissa asked, Summer standing slightly behind her.
"Hi Marissa, Summer. I'm fine really." She said, trying to put on a fake smile.
"Are you sure? I mean, if you need to talk or something…you know…we'll…wont we Summer?" Marissa said awkwardly.
"Oh yeah, of course Mrs. Cohen. We're here if you need us."
"Thanks girls, that's sweet. But really, I'm fine."
Marissa nodded slowly, watching Kirsten pretend that everything was ok. She could tell that it wasn't though. Kirsten's red eyes, and tear stained cheeks were enough to give it away. That and the fact that she was shaking nervously. But, Marissa could see that she didn't want their help, so she smiled at her, and then kept on walking.
"Kirsten…um…is Seth ok?" Summer asked once Marissa had begun walking.
Kirsten closed her eyes, and ran her hands through her hair.
"I'm not sure Summer."
"What do you mean…?" she asked nervously.
"Seth decided to copy some of his mother's very bad habits today." Kirsten said gravely, looking out at the ocean.
A thousand thoughts went through Summer's head. God she hoped Seth was alright. Something about Kirsten's tone was unnerving her. She'd never seen Seth's Mom act, or talk this way before.
"Summer! Come on!" Marissa shouted when she realized Summer wasn't behind her.
Summer took one last look at the distraught Kirsten, before running after Marissa.
"Coop, we have to go check on the boys. I have a really bad feeling." Summer said seriously.
A/N Hey thanks for all the fantastic reviews! It makes it so much easier to write when you know people actually likewhat your writing! Hope its not too dark or anything...but i promise it will get lighter eventually! please keep reading and reviewing.