Sandy had dropped off Kirsten, Ryan, Seth, and Jamie and gone to park the car in the parking garage around the corner from the pier. The four walked slowly towards the diner, Jamie amazed at the different culture she had entered. It felt like she was in a different world, not merely a few miles away from what used to be home.
"There was surprisingly loads of parking out there," Sandy said, approaching the foursome as a rather speedy walk. "I thought I was going to be searching for ages."
"Well, it is a little hot, so everyone is probably at home, or gone down to the beach," Kirsten said.
"Everyone looks so different," Jamie stated. "I mean, everyone looks like cutouts from those teen magazines. It doesn't feel real."
"It is, but I can promise you that not everyone is a cut-out, Newport has it's secrets," Seth said.
HR
"Well, Ryan hasn't been picking up his phone, my guess is he's a little busy right now, getting ready for school. He has a tough course schedule, but it's just weird that he didn't pick up his phone and at least tell me he was busy," Marissa said to her best friend summer as they walked along the pier.
"His phone is probably off, or he just forgot to charge it," Summer said reassuringly, trying to comfort her friends worries. The next thing she knew, she felt like her arm was being pulled out of it's socket as Marissa dragged her behind the nearest building. "What was that for!" Summer yelled as she straightened out her hair. "You can at least warn me before you – "
Marissa cut her. "Shhh! Isn't that the Cohen's?" Marissa whispered as she pointed in the direction the were just walking. "And Ryan, and who is that girl walking with them?"
"I don't know, probably just a neighbor or a family member." Summer said, not completely sure of her conclusion, but not wanting her friend to come to other conclusions.
"I'm going to call him," Marissa said pulling out her phone and dialing Ryan's number.
HR
Ryan pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw his girlfriend's name on his caller ID. "Hey Marissa… Oh, I'm at the pier with the Cohen's… but I wanted to talk to you about something… Ya, It's kind of important, but I don't want to do it over the phone… Where are you?... Well, maybe you can come down to the pier when you and Summer are done…Okay, just call me when you get close… Bye." He hung up the phone and placed it back into his pocket. "It was just Marissa, se and Summer were hang out at Summer's house and looking for something to do, so they're going to come down to the pier." Ryan explained as he was receiving inquisitive looks from his four acquaintances.
"Who are they?" Jamie questioned.
"Uh, they're just friends of Seth's and mine, Marissa used to be out neighbor, but has since moved to a different house. Summer is her best friend," Ryan explained. Simple, but let's not complicate things for Jamie just yet. Ryan thought to himself.
HR
"Just friends?" Marissa asked Summer, as the two stumbled from their hiding spot next to the diner. Ryan had been passing right by them when had told Jamie who he was on the phone with. "What conclusions do you expect me to come to now Summer? Being Ryan and I are JUST FRIENDS!"
"Calm down, what do you expect Ryan to say, you two have such a complicated history, he can't explain that in just a few word to some girl," Summer said back.
"I don't know, he could say that I'm his girlfriend or something."
"Are you?"
"I don't know, we haven't really talked about it."
"Well if you can't tell me now, if you two are an item, - me being your best friend – how is he going to tell this girl that you are his girlfriend. He doesn't know, just like you don't."
"Whatever. Let's just go back to the car."
"But you told him we would be meeting him here."
"I don't feel like meeting him here. Plus I also told him we were at your house, so we wouldn't be here for another ten minutes anyway."
"Fine, but I'm not leaving. We can wait in the car for a while, but I want to talk t Seth about something."
"Fine, but hurry up, before they turn around and our cover is busted." The two briskly walked towards the parking garage to await their meeting with Ryan, Seth, and the mystery girl.
HR
"Well, since Summer and Marissa are coming, maybe Kirsten and I can go get some groceries and head back to the house. You can introduce Jamie to them, and you kids can have fun."
"Umm, I don't want to get in the way of you and your friends," Jamie stuttered. "Maybe I should go with the Cohen's."
"Don't be crazy Jamie," Ryan said. "You're going to meet them sometime. Why not now?"
Jamie smiled at him and reluctantly agreed, and Sandy and Kirsten went off towards the parking lot. Kirsten not all that upset as she really didn't want to be out at the pier.
"This is going to be fun to explain," Jamie said. "I mean, my guess is that if you didn't tell the Cohen's about your sister, you didn't tell any of you friends either." A little resentment was heard in Jamie's voice.
"But now, everyone is going to now," Ryan said reassuringly. "And I could be more proud to finally let the cat out of the bag." HE smiled and embraced his sister in a hug, Seth on the sidelines, looking in on Ryan's new sibling.
