Wow, okay, I know long time no update, really sry! I had all these stupid tests, and the SATs! Ew! My mom was hogging my computer all the time because she's been looking for a job (she was laid off awhile back) but she found a job (thank god! Having your mother in your 1 bedroom apartment 24/7 is not fun) so I should be able to update quicker! On with the show!

Broken Seatbelts

Chapter 8: The Undying Loves and the Charges

Yum, chocolate mousse, chili cheese fries, soda, and a greasy burger. The makings of a perfect lunch. Too bad it'll probably kill me in fifty years. Oh, well, that's not now! Marissa thought as she bit into the overly huge burger in front of her. She loved nothing more than a cholesterol filled meal after an hour of pre-cal. I mean, really! What's the point? I'm going to live off my step daddy's wealth until I croak! No need for extra sleep time.

She was sitting beside Ryan and was vaguely listening to him talk. She thought she probably should listen, how often does the kid even speak? But she knew he was talking about Zach, she'd heard his name interjected when she put her burger down to take a sip of her soda; you know, that split second that you're not enjoying your meal and anticipating the feel of the cool, bubbly liquid flowing down your throat and settling in your stomach; that split second that would might be able to hear a gunshot, just maybe. Well, anyway during that split second she heard 'Zach' and 'kill.' She could only guess what the guy had meant.

"…took my pants off, made sweet monkey love with the… uh, toilet bowl." Marissa turned sharply towards him, gazing at him questioningly, while still enjoying the feel of the straw between her lips and the soda's taste on her tongue. "I've always wanted to see if that would work."

"What? Making sweet monkey love with a toilet?"

"No, the saying something random and, in my case, entirely indecent to catch the listener, well, uh, not listening."

"You're spending too much time with Seth again, Ry. It's hazardous to my health; I need an average dose of normalcy weekly, and Seth is anything but normal. A minute with him is already cutting it close."

"Yeah, I know and now he's back to talking about Summer all the damn time again! I mean, I get it, yeah, she's like the epitome of hot," noticing her look he quickly covered, "Well, you know, aside from you."

"No, no, Sum, is hot."

"So, do you, ah, ever think about her… you know, like that?" Marissa stared at him blankly before shaking the stare out long enough to come up with an answer.

"Yep. All the time. Sometimes, I think about how hot it would be to make out with her right in front of you." Having her beautiful lunch ruined, she quickly stood up and gathered her trash and walked away from the table, bowing her head and laughing.

"Th-that would be hot."

"What would be hot?" Summer arrived at Ryan's table to see him completely lost in thought, staring at a blank paper. "Uh, hello? Ryan?" He finally looked up, with a blush on his face. "What would be hot?"

"Uh… yeah, I gotta go." He quickly got up and headed in the same direction Marissa had.

"Ew, Chino! You forgot your garbage!" Summer called out to him but to no avail. "Ooooh, Chino." She said with delight after seeing the unopened candy bar.

"Hey! Seth!" Ryan called out to his brother, and finally saw his mop of hair turn in his direction. "Have you seen Marissa?"

"Nah, dawg. I ain't seen Coopa'."

"Uh, Seth?"

"I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I mean, most of our generation speaks like that, and I just wanted to see the appeal of it. And I gotta say it's a lot funner than non-ghetto-slanged English."

"Funner isn't a word."

"Yeah, but it should be. Everyone says it."

"No, Seth, they don't."

"Well, then I guess they should. And why are you looking for Marissa? Finally decided to declare your undying love for her… again?"

Yeah, Ryan loved her. Yeah, Ryan wanted more than their newfound friendship; it just wasn't really working for him. But Marissa Cooper was with someone. A girl to be more precise. But nonetheless, taken. And it offered a nice visual, that he was sure Seth used just as often if not more, with all that worked up sexual tension caused by Summer, than he did.

"She's with Alex, you know. And she seems happy."

"Yeah, but would she be happier with you?" Leaving his brother in a daze with his question, Seth nodded to him and proceeded towards the raven haired beauty eating a candy bar at their regular table. Walking up to his love, but non-girlfriend, he reached into his back pocket and handed her a piece of paper.

"Homework, Cohen? Gee, thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"You weren't in English this morning."

"I wasn't feeling well."

"You also missed Calculus."

"I forgot my keys at home."

"You're coming over tonight."

"I need them for going home tomorrow, Seth. Step-monster will probably be passed out, and Daddy is away on 'business', I need some way to get inside."

"Sum, what's wrong?"

She breathed in but faltered to breathe out. She didn't want to tell him what happened earlier causing her to miss her two morning classes. She put her candy bar down and slumped in her seat and finally let out her breath.

Noticing her stalling, Seth sat down beside her with his legs facing her, each knee on both sides of the bench. She was still facing forward and he put his hand on her lower back, encouraging her to tell him what had happened.

"Summer, you know you can tell me."

"I know, Cohen." She smiled brightly, and fake-ly to him. "I just- it's Zach."

"What happened? What did he do?" Summer felt him tense up beside her.

"He just wanted to talk, to tell me how sorry he was that he had gotten us into the accident. But," Summer laughed, airily, "he wasn't sorry about almost killing you. Or Ryan. Or Sandy."

"Are you, uh, okay?"

"Yeah, he just really… pissed me off, you know? Saying shit like, 'Oh, baby, I didn't mean to hurt you,' 'I hope we can go back to the way we were'." She scoffed. "As if I would ever want to get back with him. I mean, he almost killed the people I care about most."

"What'd you say to him?" Seth questioned her, looking down onto the bench.

"What do you think I said to him?" She stared at him incredulously. "What, you think I said 'Okay, let's give it another go around'?"

"No, Sum, I-"

"Or maybe, seeing as I'm such a slut, I jumped him right then and there!" She got up, gathered her things and began to walk away, but turned to back to Seth. "Screw you, Cohen. I told him to fuck off, and that we would never be together again because he hurt you." And with that she walked away leaving a stunned Seth Cohen at a lost for words, something that didn't occur to often.

Walking into his lavishly furnished home, Seth Cohen had a look of utter depression on his face. He was devastated at Summer's reaction earlier that day; he hadn't meant it in an insulting way at all, he just wanted to know what she had said to him.

He would have walked straight upstairs if his mother hadn't called out to him.

"Seth, honey, we have to talk to you." Ever since that night that his mother had come into his room, he didn't want to disappoint her.

"What's going on?" He said, just then noticing the abundance of people scattered in his living room; his father, Ryan, Marissa and her mother, his grandfather, two men in suits he didn't recognize and finally Summer, who was looking anywhere but at him.

"Seth, maybe you should come in and sit down?" Kirsten Cohen ushered her son into the intimidating room. "Are you feeling okay? Was school okay?"

"Mom, I'm fine. Can you just please tell me what's going on here?"

"We've pressed charges against Zachary." It was Sandy telling him this. They had danced around it for a little while; putting it off. But they finally decided it was time; if they didn't do it now, they'd never get around to it.

"Okay." Seth simply shrugged. Why would they be so cautious about telling him? Zach deserves everything he has coming to him and more.

Seth turned around and left the room taking the steps two at a time, leaving everyone confused by his reaction.

Okay, so maybe she reacted a little too strongly to Cohen's question, maybe, most likely, he didn't mean to offend. And, yes, she should apologize and that's what she was planning on doing after he has some time to think about the charges on Zach.

She should really go for a manicure.

Five minutes is enough time to reflect. Excusing herself from the adults in the room who were sorting out the minor details, Summer followed Seth's trail to his bedroom.

Reaching his door she knocked lightly and patiently awaited his response.

"Yeah?"

"It's me, can I come in?"

"When can't you?"

She slowly pushed the door open and cautiously walked in and found him sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Um, look, I'm sorry about this afternoon, I overreacted…"

"Yeah, ya did. But that's okay. I just, you're not like mad anymore are you?"

"Yeah, no I'm not. I don't think I ever was, I was just riled up or something."

He smiled softly and opened his arms to her, to which she let him take her in.

"Sum…" Seth started, nervously. "I... I, um..."

"Cohen, use full sentences to express your thoughts, wants and needs. We learned that in like the third grade, Seth. I think it's time you started-"

"I love you."

"Oh."

Ooh, cliffhanger!