Note, I changed the rating, because I don't think I could keep up with an R. Also, now this story can be more available to more people.

Summer hated this. She actually loathed the entire experience. She'd never really liked skiing even though she wasn't horrible at it; she didn't like having to share a room with two other girls that were so...Newport; she liked hearing Holly giggle next door even less. And it's what she should've expected. Just because Seth was being decent to her didn't mean he was going to be talking to her when the rest of the school was around.

Marissa and some girl named Janie took one bed, leaving Summer alone in the other. Marissa was never really good at the friend thing, no matter her parents' marital status. Summer didn't even remember why they decided to room together.

She lay on her back, ready to go home where at least she could avoid the people that didn't want to talk to her. Marissa and Janie were at the hot tub, parading for the drooling boys in white bikinis. There was a book beside her on the bed, but it had taken a turn for the worse and Ryan Adams on her iPod seemed like a much more appealing alternative. She heard a knock against the wall, but she had gotten used to that with three boys next door. They never seemed to sleep. When another knock came, she exhaled, turning up the volume.

"Laughing with your pretty mouth, laughing with your broken eyes, laughing with your lover's tongue, in..."

Suddenly, the wall beside her head clicked. Summer sat up, pulling out her earphones. There was a door next to her bed, but she had taken it as a linen closet or something. She twisted the doorknob to reveal another open door and Seth Cohen lying on his bed in the same spot hers was.

"You figured it out." He laughed, letting his feet hit the floor.

"That's why you were attacking the wall for the past..."

"Ten minutes. I actually just gave up."

"Oh. Sorry."

She looked around the empty room, raising her eyebrows. Seth shrugged. "Jacuzzi. They just have to watch the girls in bikinis because we don't get enough of that at home."

"Oh, no of course not."

He smiled, slipping off of the bed completely, and settling himself in front of the open doors. Summer was still on her side, refusing to step into the room.

"So, what do you want?" She slowly mimicked his position, crossing her legs.

Seth shrugged and scratched his head. "I was bored and I heard music."

"You could hear through the wall?"

He nodded slowly. "Having a party over there, Summer?"

"I guess you could call it that."

"Where are Marissa and Jane?"

"The boys have to be watching something, don't they?"

"Well that makes sense. So what were you doing there all alone?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I like it quiet. Told Ryan and Tim to go without me. It's too loud over here usually."

Summer giggled. "You're complaining?"

"Between them going on and on about all the girls they've...achieved and Holly going on about how degrading they are to women, the silence is preferable."

"You don't join in?"

"Nah, I think it's degrading to women." He grinned, but Summer didn't return it.

She was suddenly silent. Seth looked concerned, but just changed the subject. "So how's Jane treating you?"

Summer shrugged. "She doesn't."

"Lucky. Pathetic excuse for a human being. Excellent in bed, though, according to Tim."

Summer tried to hide it, but the corners of her mouth curled again.

"A smile, ladies and gentlemen." Seth's smile was softer, his eyes big. "Do you..." All of a sudden, he slammed the door shut in her face. Summer sat still, slightly dazed, but heard the high pitched voice that she had gotten used to from the room next door. She stood up and went back to listening to Ryan Adams, a tear in the corner of her eye.

"Where do you go when you're lonely? Where do you go when you're blue? Where do you go when you're lonely; I'll follow you. When the stars go blue."

The door opened, and Seth walked into her room with his arms crossed. "Sorry about that. Holly. She just...she would've exploded if she saw I was talking to you."

"Mm-hmm."

"Summer, she'd have you taken out."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Jesus, Roberts, you know how she is."

Summer's face turned colder and she nodded slightly. "You shouldn't be in here. Dr. Kim finds you and she'll take off your head."

"Roberts, I said I was sorry. I got rid of her, though."

"What for? Why didn't you just go for a fuck?"

His annoyed eyes turned soft again at her harsh but even tone, and he sat with his legs tucked in beside her bed. "Summer."

She looked at him with one eye, and he pulled in his lips. "I'm sorry."

"What do you want?" She asked in less than a whisper.

"I just want to talk to you."

"You could talk to anyone. Why choose someone who your girlfriend hates?"

"Because I think you're interesting." He smiled gently at her, resting his head against the comforter.

Summer thought about it for a second, and her voice returning back to its usual volume, she said. "I'm not going to have sex with you."

He laughed. "Fair deal."

"Okay."

He nodded and picked up the book next to her. He placed it on the floor and sat on the bed. "So what were you listening to?"

"Ryan Adams."

"Didn't he remake some Oasis song?"

She nodded, but he shook his head. "Why are all these people messing with a good thing?"

"A good thing like Oasis?"

He nodded. "Well, he remade Wonderwall, right? That's all people remember Oasis for."

"You like Oasis?"

"I love them."

"I wouldn't have guessed."

"You can't guess a lot about me."

Summer nodded, turning off the music in a final decision. "What did Holly want?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "She wanted to know why I wasn't with Ryan and Tim. Because she has to know where I am every second."

"Isn't that a good thing? She cares." Summer said bitingly.

"I guess. She's just so incessant. It seems like she wants to get me on a leash."

"Maybe she loves you."

"She doesn't understand."

"Understand what?"

"How to care about someone else. It's because she's so spoiled."

Summer laughed. "You're a Nichol. Your grandfather owns Newport and everyone in it and you're calling someone spoiled?"

"I'm not spoiled. I can just get certain things if I want them."

"So you can understand how to care about someone else even though you can get anything you want."

"I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Can't get anything I want."

"That's a lie." Summed pulled down the pillows and leaned back against them.

Seth shook his head. "No."

Summer looked up to see him watching her. "I said I wasn't going to have sex with you. No matter how much you stare at me."

"See? What if I wanted you?"

"Well, if Holly wanted me, she wouldn't get to have me either."

"Holly doesn't want things she needs. That's her problem."

"So Holly needs me?" Summer grinned, trying to break the moment.

Seth shook his head silently. "She needs someone different from everyone she's known. Everyone she's used to."

Summer's grin faded and her voice dropped again as she repeated her previous question. "What do you want?" She murmured it like a statement, a question used just for the formality.

Seth stayed still for a second, and leaned down to place a kiss her forehead. "I gotta go."

And then he wasn't there anymore. The door closed and Summer was alone in hell again. She exhaled and pressed play on her iPod after switching the song to two British boys.

"Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you. By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do. I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now."

Seth lay on his stomach, one hand underneath his pillow. His eyes were nearly shut when Ryan and Tim burst through the door, mumbling incoherently.

"Hey, Cohen!" Tim bounced onto the bed, landing on Seth's arm. "Did you finish that project?"

Seth sat up, a tiny grin slipping onto his mouth. "Uh, no, actually. I'm probably going to have to work on it again tomorrow."

"Sweet deal, man, Tamara was looking fine tonight, though."

Ryan laughed sitting on Seth's other side. "It's a good time to be single, Seth."

Seth smiled, nearly laughing at Ryan. He nodded. "I bet so, man."

"But dude, Cohen, Holly was lookin hot too, so I wouldn't complain about being in your situation either, dude."

"Good to know, Tim."

"She was looking for you." Ryan fell backwards onto the bed.

"Yeah, I know, she came by."

"She came by?" Tim laughed brashly.

Seth and Ryan both laughed at the look on Tim's face. Seth turned to look at Ryan. "How many beers in him?"

"I stopped counting."

"Me too, man!" Tim laughed again, slipping off the bed. As soon as he hit the floor, his voice dropped and his eyes closed. He clutched a pillow on the floor, mumbling, "Night, dudes...twas a good day..."

Seth raised an eyebrow, slipping down in the bed again, his head hitting the pillow. Ryan followed him, and shoved his own arm underneath his head. Ryan fell asleep almost immediately, leaving Seth to stare at the ceiling again, finally slipping off with a smile on his face.

"So, what, Sum, you're not eating now?" Marissa grabbed her purse and kicked the end of Summer's bed.

"What time is it?" Summer pushed herself up, bleary-eyed.

"Like 9. Partying last night?" Jane asked, a deeply sarcastic tone in her voice.

Marissa shot her a look that was half irritated, half amused. "Summer, do you want to eat or not?"

"Um..." Summer glanced at Jane, and shrugged. "Fine. Just let me get dressed."

"Be quick," Jane deadpanned, leaning against the open doorway.

Summer glared at her for less than a second, then grabbed her bag, and exited into the bathroom.

As soon as the door was shut, Jane went off. Marissa caught some of it, but twirling her hair seemed a lot more interesting. "Don't even know why we're rooming with her, y'all were never that close to begin with. And she's such a bitch, don't you think? So catty and it's always like she's mocking you behind your back, you know? Such a bitch. Seriously, Coop, I don't know what you see in her. If you feel bad for her, or whatever. Maybe you guys have just been friends for too long. I can't take it, though. She just sits here and does nothing, who does that, you know? Ew, I just...hate her."

"She's all right, Jane. You won't have to deal with her for that long anyway." Marissa was used to the bitching, especially from Jane.

"You know she's talking about us, though. I have no idea to who, though. Who would talk to her, you know? Well, besides you, because you're just too nice, Coop. Seriously."

Marissa shrugged, too tired to defend Summer.

"And what she did to Holly. I have no idea what's wrong with Cohen. He has to be on drugs, or blind, or something. To have something as good as Holly and just be willing to risk it, you know? She's not even that pretty."

"Summer's not ugly. He doesn't have to be blind." Marissa's hate for Holly was strong enough to come in.

"I guess. I mean, she's no Holly, though."

Marissa snorted underneath her breath and checked her watch.

"Coop, you cannot seriously think she deserves a second glance from someone like Cohen. I mean, he's just...gorgeous. And he and Holly are so...perfect, don't you think? I mean, you and Luke are sweet together, and everyone knows that, but Cohen and Holly are just...like Brad and Jen, don't you think?"

Marissa raised her eyebrows, nodding absently, and started pushing back her cuticles.

Jane sat on the bed, crossing her legs and staring at the ceiling. "I wish I had a guy like that. I mean, Luke adores you, and everyone knows that. And Seth's just...perfect. He's just...intriguing, no?"

"He is that."

Jane nodded, satisfied. "It just makes you wonder, no? How someone like Seth Cohen would think he had to, like, boost his self confidence or something."

"Because he doesn't have enough of that."

Jane giggled. "Coop, you're so bad. But I mean, that's why he keeps Roberts along, isn't it? I mean, what else could it be?"

Marissa opened her mouth, but Jane put up a hand. "Don't try, Coop. You don't have to lie for her anymore."

Summer opened the door abruptly, her head down, and grabbed her purse off her bed.

"Finally." Jane rolled her eyes, jumped up, and walked towards the dining hall. Marissa waited a few seconds for Summer to get to the door, and she looked amusedly at Jane stomp off.

"I'm sorry I made you guys wait," Summer mumbled.

Marissa laughed. "Jane's just got a stick up her ass."

Summer wondered for a second whether or not that comment was supposed to make her feel better. She decided to pretend it did as she quickened her pace to keep up with Marissa's strides.

"She doesn't like me," Summer muttered.

"Did you just hear her?" Marissa stopped suddenly, a hand on her hip.

"Hear her? What are you talking about? Did she say something about me?" Summer stammered, her head sliding back down.

Marissa pondered on whether or not to believe her, but just shrugged.

Most of the boys in the hall were just wearing boxers and tee shirts. The teachers ignored it, because most of them were half asleep too. The girls were dressed, because it was just another fashion show. Summer touched a hand to her barely straightened hair. Jane had ditched her and Marissa, and Marissa looked like she wanted to leave next. She eyed Summer for a second, put on a smile, and grabbed her hand.

"Come on."

She pulled her over to the table where Luke was. Marissa sat down next to her boyfriend, leaning over to kiss him good morning. Summer eyed the table, now vacant of empty seats. She nodded silently and started to walk off.

Marissa pulled away from Luke. "Hey, you guys, can you make some room?"

People started to shuffle, but Summer shook her head. "No, it's cool. I have to go see...him anyway." She pointed randomly and walked off before Marissa could stop her.

Summer thought for a second and glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching her. Then, she just grabbed a bagel and tried to leave without anyone noticing.

Summer hesitated outside the door, realizing she didn't really have anywhere to go. She thought for a second about Ryan, but he would probably be with Seth, and she knew he didn't want to see her when he was around the rest of them. Unless he pulled a complete character change, and really meant what he said. There was always the chance that he really was as perfect as she thought he was. It wasn't a thick chance, but Summer liked the idea of fairy tales. And he was every much the prince charming.

Summer exhaled slowly, and sunk to sit on the stairs. She couldn't keep thinking like this. Just because a few of her fantasies had come true, it didn't mean any of her life was perfect. Summer stood up, rather being in her room than in the middle of the hall where everyone could see her, so she started to head up the stairs and ran right into Seth Cohen.

His face was questioning, but he found his voice to say, "Hey..."

Summer looked up at his face, felt a tear fall, and threw herself into his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Seth didn't move, but he awkwardly murmured into her hair.

"Hey, it's okay. What-what's wrong?"

"Seth?" Her voice was nearly silent, muffled further from going directly into his chest. "Do you think I'm ugly?"

Gently, he pulled her face up to look at him and shook his head. Carefully, he kissed her forehead and looked up at the sounds from the hall, then back at her.

"I have to go, but I'll talk to you later?"

Summer nodded, feeling his fingers against hers, and watched Seth run towards the doors. As soon as the door shut, he thumped Brad on his back and laughed with his entire face and chest.

"When the Stars Go Blue" written by Ryan Adams.