Jalouse

The O.C

Chapter Four: Newport is Not Paris

"How do you like the place so far?" Marissa asked as she, Summer and Sianna traipsed around South Coast Plaza.

"It's no Paris," Sianna admitted, taking a sip of her fruit smoothie. She dipped the straw in and out and gazed around thoughtfully. "But it's not so bad."

"Actually, South Coast Plaza is one of the best shopping centers in California," Summer ranted. "Famous people like come here all the time."

"I'm from Paris," Sianna retorted. "I lived next door to Elle McPherson. And besides, I don't think this place is all that bad it's just that American and European fashions are so different."

"How do you like these?" Marissa interrupted, holding up a pair of espadrilles to Summer. She glanced and Sianna and smiled with a sympathetic roll of the eyes.

"Hmm. Not bad," Summer said, thoughtfully.

"They would go with the denim skirt you bought the other week," Marissa pointed out. "Add some hoop earrings and a nice red top and you're outfit for the Kick-off Carnival is set."

"You'd wear hoop earrings with it?" Sianna asked, looking up from the display of jumpers she was sorting through. She picked one up off the pile and handed it to Summer. "This is the perfect colour for you."

"Thanks, but I don't need your help choosing my colours," Summer smiled sweetly. "Coop and I have been shopping together for years. I think she knows my colours better."

"Coop?" Sianna asked, ignoring Summer's comments. "That's cute."

"Summer over here has been calling me that for years," Marissa said. Summer tried on the shoes and smiled triumphantly.

"I'm going to take them," she said. she picked them up and huffed off towards the register. Sianna gave Marissa a questioning look.

"She doesn't take well to new people," Marissa explained. "She's been hurt a lot. Don't take it personally."

"I won't," Sianna answered. She dragged Marissa over to a display of sunglasses and beamed at her. "These would be perfect for you."

"They're nearly $400," Marissa pointed out. "My Mum would love that."

"Forget about your mum," Sianna said, having heard their sordid history on the way. "Try them on. Trust me."

Summer slipped over to them as Marissa tried the sunglasses on.

"I got a twenty percent discount because my father did the girls nose," she smiled. "Hey, those look really good on you."

"Thanks," Marissa said, looking at her reflection. "Sianna picked them."

"Oh," Summer said, feigning a smile. "Hey, Coop? Are we going to go to the beach after the carnival?"

"Sianna said we could go over to her house," Marissa said. "Her parents are pretty lenient about 'under-age' drinking."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Summer sighed as they walked towards the checkout so Marissa could purchase the sunglasses.

"Why not?" Marissa asked, as Sianna kept a diplomatic distance between the two.

"Umm, maybe because the Cohen's live next door and they aren't okay with under-age drinking. And besides, if we have it there, we'll have to invite Seth and Ryan," Summer complained.

"We would have invited them anyway," Marissa shot-back. "This just means we have a place to stay afterwards. If we don't all fit at the Wattsons, we can go to the Cohen's."

"Fine," Summer huffed. "Have it your way."

Marissa paid for her sunglasses and the three made their way back to the car.

"So, Sum, I'll drop you off first and then take Sianna back to school to pick up her car."

"K," Summer replied in a sulky voice. She was silent most of the way home as Sianna and Marissa chatted about Paris.

"Hello, Summer," Sianna wailed, waving a hand at Summer's face. Summer blinked and turned her attention to the girls. "I was just asking Coop what she thought about the latest Jimmy Choo collection. What do you think?"

"Coop?" Summer asked, a ruffled look on her face. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Sianna. "It's Marissa. I call her Coop."

"Sum, it doesn't matter. It's just a nickname," Marissa butted in.

"Maybe to you it is but to me, it's special," Summer explained. "I call you Coop. Not the new girl, even if she is French and does have a 'good eye' for fashion."

Marissa maneuvered her red convertible up Summer's driveway before Sianna had the time to retort.

"I'll call you later," Marissa called out after her.

"Whatever," Summer replied. "Later, Coop."

"Wow. what was that all about?" Sianna whistled as Marissa drove down the road.

"She suffers from rage blackouts," Marissa said, emotionlessly. "You're lucky she didn't throw something at you."

"I'll remember that," Sianna noted. She wound down the window and let the wind blow her blonde ponytail around. The two talked as Marissa drove to the beach and stopped the ignition. She leant over towards Sianna and placed her hand down the side of her seat. Sianna watched Marissa pull out a glass bottle full of clear liquid as she unlatched her seatbelt.

"Vodka?" Sianna asked, eyeing the bottle off.

"Yeah," Marissa answered. "You don't mind do you?"

"Not if I can have some too."

Ryan sat in the pool-house and listened for Sianna's car. He heard it pull up in the driveway around ten p.m. and he smiled. The shopping trip had been a success. He knew as soon as he met her that Sianna and Marissa would get along. He waited a moment before he picked up his phone and dialed the Cooper's old number.

"Hello, Deidre Wattson speaking," a posh sounding lady's voice came across the phone.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Wattson," Ryan said. "Sorry for calling so late but I was wondering if I could talk to Sianna."

"May I ask who's calling?" Deidre asked, a smile sounding through her voice.

"It's uh, Ryan from next door," he answered. There was a silence before Deidre spoke again. "We met the other day. In the backyard."

"Of course," she answered. They had met briefly the day before, just long enough to learn each other's names and appraise each other. There was another pause as Deidre covered the receiver, presumably to talk to her daughter. "Here she is, Ryan. Hope I see you again soon."

"You too, Mrs. Wattson," he said.

"Please, it's Deidre," she smiled. "Good bye, Ryan."

"Bye, Deidre," he muttered. Sianna came onto the phone and greeted him.

"Hey, Ryan. What's up?" she asked. She sounded a little out of breath and her words were slightly slurred.

"I just thought I'd call and see how things went," he asked, uncertainty showing in his voice.

"Really well," she said, with a smile. "Marissa's really cool. Summer's a little more. How do you put it?"

"Forward?"

"Something like that," Sianna said with a laugh. "Anyway, we dropped Summer off after shopping and went and…"

"Had a drink?" Ryan asked.

"Umm, yeah," Sianna replied, a little sheepishly. "She said I shouldn't tell you."

"She did, did she?" he replied. They talked for a little longer and finally Ryan looked at the time on his alarm clock. Midnight. "Sia, it's getting late. We should go."

"Oh, wow," she exclaimed. "I've got to get some sleep. Pick you up in the morning?"

"Sure," he answered. "Sleep tight."

"You too. Night, Ryan," she said, dropping the phone into the receiver. She sighed and undressed. She walked over to her drawers in her underwear and pulled out pale blue track pants and a white tank top. She sighed and got into bed. She still didn't know where Ryan and Marissa stood. Summer had barely let her get a word in edgewise and it wasn't until after Summer had gone home that Marissa and Sianna had discovered they shared the love of something else and had had time to talk. Over shots of vodka, they had shared their life stories and Sianna had to admit, they were both pretty normal for girls who had been through so much.

She was still a little unsure about what living in Newport was going to be like but if she had a feeling everything was going to be all right. Sianna rolled over and glanced at the framed photo of her and her best friends in Paris that sat on her bedside table. If she squinted, she could almost see Ryan, Marissa, Summer and Seth in place of her friends. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. Living in Newport was going to be fine.