Seth sighed collapsing onto his king size bed. Like he did every afternoon, he came home from class, sniffed a line... and fell back into bed, to think about how boring and sad his life had become.
After graduation Ryan and Marissa had moved in together, and he had taken over the pool house. Summer had long before broken up with him, they were weird at first, but slowly had developed a close friendship.
They had all decided to attend Berkley. But now Seth wished he hadn't. He felt alone, completley and udderly alone, and to top it all off, his father had moved out, and his mother had hired a lawyer.
Finally the drugs had kicked in, and he stopped thinking, and for those few minutes, he was relaxed, and didn't feel so empty, atleast he had something.
Ryan walked in to see his brother completley out of it. He had some suspicions the past few months but had never actually seen Seth in possession or under the influence. But there it was, a small bag of coke ... which was now half empty sat on night stand next to his bed.
"What the hell is this Seth?"
"Fuck..." Seth said still very calm.
"So this has been what's going on with you?" He said angrily, almost panicking, his nose was red and dry, his eyes bloodshot, he had been loosing weight and skipping class... why hadn't he seen it sooner.
"Damn it Seth say something"
"I'm fine, go home to Marissa and forget you saw anything" Seth yelled. Not knowing what else to do Ryan stormed out of the pool house. His high ruined, Seth groaned sitting up in bed, he glanced around the room, a framed picture of Summer catching his eye. He starred at it for a moment, before tearing his eyes away. It still hurt to think that they were only friends.
Ryan sighed pacing back and forth in his apartment. He had called Summer in a panic and asked her to meet him there. He wasn't sure it had been the best idea, but when it came to Seth, she was the only one that had ever been able to get through to him. She knocked and he swung the door open letting her in.
"Ryan what's going on your scaring me, is Marissa ok?"
"Yea, its not Marissa" Ryan sighed, knowing she was going to freak.
"Spill it Chino..."
"When's the last time you talked to Seth?"
"We went to lunch a few weeks ago I guess..." Summer said, getting even more scared.
"Summer, Seth's in trouble" Ryan said and told her the display he had witnessed in the pool house earlier that afternoon.
Summers mind was in a spin as she ran to her car. She had to do something. She loved him, she always had and always would... and all this time she had been waiting, waiting for him to come to her, and make some grand gesture, so that she could let her guard down to him again. But he hadn't, and now she knew why, and she felt awful... and even worse she felt selfish. She pulled into the Cohens driveway and quickly ran back to the poolhouse. She knocked her hands shaking nervously. He didnt answer, and she walked in to find him passed out on his bed, an empty bag next to his night stand. Ryan had been right...
She glanced around the room and saw several pictures of her, and some of them both. It surprised her that he had kept them up all this time, that he even still cared. She sat on the edge of the bed starring down at him. He looked pale and skinnier then usual. He was sweating and began to flinch, she quickly realized he must be having a nightmare and reached out and touched his face gently.
"Cohen wake up... your dreaming"
"Summer?" he said slowly waking up. She had been in his dream... the same one he had every night... he was chasing her down the beach at sunset, and she just laughed... and no matter how fast or how far he ran... he couldnt reach her.
"Hi...you hungry?" She asked quite randomly, not ready to address his new habits.
"Yea" He sighed, he'd say anything to make her stay. "I called you last week, but that dickhead picked up the phone"
"What?" Summer asked. She and Colin had been having problems, when it came to her friendship with Seth he just didn't understand. "He never told me you called Seth I swear..."
"I figured... I just didn't want to cause you and him problems so I let it go" he sighed deppressingly.
"Well, I don't think you have to worry about that anymore" Summer sighed. This had been the last straw, she hadn't liked him that much anyway, he just wasn't seth-like. "I'm dumping him"
"Ahh...another one bites the dust" Seth said watching her pull things out of his kitchen cabinents and start to cook.
"So how have you been Cohen?" She said nervously.
"Oh... great" He lied. And she knew he was lieing... and he knew she knew he was lieing. Without her, it just wasn't the same... He wasn't the same... she should have seen it sooner. It had been so long since she heard him ramble, or give one of his monologues that never quite made sense, as annoying as they had been, she missed them now. In place of his wit, was a sarcastic bitter drug addict... and it was all her fault.
"Ryan called me Cohen..." Summer whispered.
"Damn it." Seth said under his breath "Guess I should have known you wouldn't have come over here just to see me"
"Cohen, that's not true"Summer said tears springing to her eyes, she had never seen him with so much hurt and anger in his eyes. "Why are you hurting yourself like this"
"Summer!" Seth yelled angrily "Why the hell wouldn't I? Whens the last time you came over to say hi let alone make me dinner?"
"Cohen...stop yelling..."
"I have nothing!" He screamed "Ryans not around, my parents are getting a divorce, and...we barley even talk Summer"
"Cohen your scaring me" She yelled. And for a moment, he stopped and looked at her, and realized how hard she had been crying, and that he was screaming at the one person that had ever heard him perfectly fine to begin with.
He stood from his seat and crossed the room. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed.
"I'm sorry Sum.." He whispered.
"Cohen...You can't do this... that stuff will kill you, besides its gross..." She sighed resting her head on his chest.
"It's not a big deal, I don't even do it a lot" Seth lied.
"Well, don't do it at all... assface" Summer said deciding to let it go for the night. "Wanna watch a movie?"
"Yea sure, but I mean... what about Collin?" Seth asked
"He'll live" Summer said dismissing the thought of him, still holding onto Seth. He was wearing the cologne she bought him last christmas... that was almost a year ago now, right before they had broken up.
The movie had ended over an hour ago. But neither Sethor Summer had moved. She was sleeping her head resting on his chest, a smile on her face. Then suddenly her phone went off and she jumped up answering it quickly.
"Hello" She said in a hoarse whisper.
"Summer where the fuck are you its 3 am!" Collin screamed. His screaming woke Seth up and he watched her as she listened to him tear into her. "Your not with Marissa, I called her first, what the fuck are you doing Summer... If your where I think you are I swear to god I'll..."
Before he could finish his sentence Seth grabbed the phone from her and hung it up. She looked at him shocked and snatched her phone back.
"Summer who the hell does he think he is talking to you like that?" Seth said angrily. This wasn't his Summer. This wasn't the Summer that he loved so dearly. Normally she would have screamed back, she would have been angry. But when it came to Collin she always seemed sad... even scared at times.
"Seth ... please dont"
"No Summer!" Seth yelled taking the phone so she wouldn't call him back. "Why are you so scared of him?" As soon as he said it, he almost wished he hadn't. He knew by the look on her face that he had given her a reason to be scared.
"I should go Seth" Summer said weakly avoiding his eyes. Seth grabbed her arm to stop her from standing up. "Seth please its late"
"Stay with me Summer... please don't go back to him" Seth nearly begged. She looked in his eyes, immediatley realizing it had been a mistake. She wanted to scream yes and stay there with him forever, but she couldn't. She had to go back home... back to him and the hell she had been wasting away in for six months now. She had stayed too long, and now it was too late to get out.
"I can't" She said tears running down her pink cheeks. She tore her arm away and ran out the door before he could stop her. She heard his footsteps behind her and as she climbed in her car she saw him starring at her and wished more then anything that she didn't have to leave him.
It had been almost a week since he heard from her. He called her cell phone but she never answered, He had sat outside her apartment for hours waiting for Collin to leave, when he finally did he ran up stairs and pounded on the door, he could hear her inside crying, but she wouldn't open up no matter what he said.
He had gone to his father, asking if there was something he could do to get her away from him legally. But there wasn't, especially since Collin was the son of a wealthy and powerful businessman.
Ryan had been around more often since discovering his best friends drug habbit. Often he and Luke would come over and drag Cohen out of bed to attend another lame kegger on the beach. They all sat in the pool house drinking a few beers, watching the fight.
"So hows Anna?" Ryan asked Luke in a suggestive manor. He smiled and started to blush nervoulsy.
"What are you talking about Chino?" Luke laughed.
"She likes you" Seth laughed.
"She does?" Luke sat up suddenly interested in the conversation.
"Yea I talked to her a few days ago..." Seth said cut off by his cell phone ringing. He glanced down at the caller ID and sucked in a harsh breath knowing imediately something must be wrong. He answered it nervously.
"Summer"
"Cohen..." Her voice was hoarse, and he could tell she was crying.
"Summ talk to me what's wrong" Seth said pacing the floor of the pool house. Ryan sat up in concern, knowing by the look on Seth's face something was terribly wrong. He turned off the tv and could hear her sobs from where Seth stood across the room.
"I need your help, please Cohen... he'll be back soon" She said becoming hysterical.
"Summer what did he do to you" Seth panicked.
"Seth please come get me"
"Summer I'm coming just hold on ok?" Seth said sweetly hanging up. He grabbed his keys and ran out of the pool house, Ryan and Luke close behind.
Summer sat huddled in the corner, her knees to her chest. She cried harder wincing in pain. She held her phone tightly and closed her eyes clinging to the memory of Cohen's soothing voice. He was coming... he would be here any minute she kept telling herself.
She heard footsteps and stopped breathing in nervous anticipation.
"Summer!" Collin yelled laughing. "Stop hiding baby, come out... im sorry I want to make up"
He began tearing through the apartment, throwing things as he came closer to the bathroom. She was in the linen closet... praying he was too drunk to think to look there. But his footsteps were coming closer and closer.
"Summer I'm done playing these games... stop being such a little bitch and come out already" He yelled his voice now full of anger.
Suddenly she could hear knocking at the door, and a voice yelling her name... Seth.
She ran out of the bathroom toward the door.
"Cohen! Help!" She screamed running down the hallway. Collin grabbed her pulling her away from the door. He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, he pushed her inside and locked the door.
"If I were you I would shut your mouth" He laughed.
Seth heard silence and wasn't willing to wait any longer. He took a step back and kicked the door as hard as he could, and it flew open.
"Cohen!" Summer screamed. He ran into the room and threw Collin off of her. She was crying, dried blood ran down her face. She had bruises all over her body and she was sobbing hysterically. And while Ryan and Luke took care of Collin he wrapped his arms around her ... grabbed princess sparkles and some of her favorite clothes threw them in her favorite bag that his mother had bought her and led her out of the apartment.
Ryan asked Seth for the keys. Summer was clinging to him, and she had finally calmed down a bit, he couldn't bear to tear them apart just yet. He arrived back at the Cohens and gave Seth his keys back after helping her inside.
"I'll be right back ok?" Seth whispered to her. She nodded.
"Hurry ok" She whispered.
Seth kissed her forehead and followed Ryan and Luke outside.
"Guys I really appreciate.."
"No, Summers our friend to Seth..." Luke began.
"Anytime... if he bothers her again Seth ... just call me" Ryan sighed. Glancing back in at Summer. He was used to seeing her so strong... but looking at her now made him glad Marissa was home safe and sound asleep, if his fiancé saw her best friend like this... it would be bad for the baby at the very least.
"I'm gonna talk to my mom tomorrow, see if I can take her up to the beach house for a few weeks" Seth sighed. He had to keep her safe from him this time.
They said good night and Seth went back inside. She was curled up in a ball on his bed tears running down her cheeks, and rocking back and forth. He sat down next to her and she quickly moved into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheeks lightly.
"Its ok baby... your with me now"