A/N- Thanks for my reviews...please keep them coming. They let me know if I should continue or not! Don't worry, R/M and S/S will soon be reunited...:)

Chapter 2

Ryan had been trying to forget. Trying to forget what happened before the end of his last year of high school. It seemed like a blur now, just looking back on it. Trey strangling him, Marissa coming in, aiming and shooting a gun, Trey falling to the floor, dead. Marissa had saved his life that night. If she wouldn't have come, he probably wouldn't be alive today. It was basically impossible to forget that fateful night.

After the incidents of that night, Sandy had decided to take Ryan and Seth for an extra long vacation to Canada to visit some relatives. He thought it would be a good time for Ryan and Seth to forget about everything that had happened that year. Ryan hadn't talked to Marissa since the shooting. He had promised himself that he wouldn't talk to anyone, except for Seth, Sandy and the Cohen family in Canada, so he wouldn't be reminded about what happened.

Ryan, Seth and Sandy had gotten back from Canada the previous day. Ryan had gone straight to the pool house and hadn't really come out much since then. He was feeling a slight bit depressed, thinking about Marissa and college. He had no idea what college she was going to. She had mentioned once about wanting to apply to the college in LA, but he wasn't sure if she got in or not. That's where he got in, College of Los Angeles, with Seth and Summer. What Ryan didn't know was that he and Marissa were going to the college in LA. Seth and Summer thought it would be fun if they bumped into each other at college, hopefully their broken relationship could rekindle.

Suddenly, Ryan heard a noise and turned towards the door. It was Seth. He was a little upset because he and Summer had decided to take a break. With everything that was happening with Ryan and Marissa as well as the Trey thing and Kirsten being in rehab, they decided it was for the best. However, Seth loved Summer more than anything and he missed her.

"Hey man," Seth said, sitting in a chair across from where Ryan was lying on his bed.

"Hey," Ryan replied, sitting up. "How are you coping with the Summer break up?"

"We didn't break up…not technically," Seth began. "But Ryan, I miss her so much! We never should have suggested taking a break!"

"Seth, calm down. It'll be okay," Ryan said. Hopefully it would be. There was silence as both boys pondered this. Would everything be okay? It seemed not right now. For Seth, things were just going great, then Zach and Reed and the comic book thing came up and Summer and him started drifting apart. Seth had to make his move, so he did that night at prom. He denied his love for her and they got back together. Then the news came about that his grandpa, who may give the impression of strict and powerful, was really a good person, died of a heart attack. As if this was enough pain, when Seth found out his mom was an alcoholic, his heart took the plunge.

For Ryan, things were starting to get better. He and Marissa had gotten back together and were happier than ever before. Things were also good on the Trey front. He had gotten a job at the Bait Shop and he was finally out of trouble…or so Ryan thought. When he and Seth went to Miami with Sandy to visit Nana Cohen, Trey attacked Marissa. Ryan didn't know at first. But after that, things went downhill.

"How are you coping…with you know…"Seth asked, trailing off.

"I'm okay I guess," Ryan said.

"You know, I talked to Summer yesterday. Well you know that, but Marissa she never meant to shoot him. She just wanted to save your life and she-" Seth began to explain, but Ryan interrupted.

"I know. She save my life. I should have known that Trey wouldn't change. Sure he's my brother, but…I mean, he attacked her. And then he lied to me and said that she threw herself at him. He deserved what he got," Ryan said a bit too stubbornly.

"Surely you don't really mean he deserved it?" Seth asked, a little shocked.

"I mean it. Seth, you don't know Trey like I do…did," Ryan said, softening up a bit. "Anyways, we go to college tomorrow." He hoped that changing the subject would help him forget.

"Yeah…college…" Seth replied, sounding very distant.

"Come on Seth. At least Summer's gonna be there," Ryan said. Seth was about to say And so will Marissa but then he remembered what Summer had said: Don't say anything.

"Yeah, I guess," Seth said. There was silence again. "So…you wanna play some PS2?" Ryan thought about this. Brooding and thinking about the past wasn't going to help him. It was the past and right now, he was almost a freshman in college. Thinking about the past wouldn't help him in that.

"Okay," Ryan gave in. Hopefully he would see Marissa soon.