Chapter Seven: A Poisoned Apple
Summary: He told himself it was the polite thing to do. That's all it was, right? Seth/Marissa
Disclaimer: My bank statement says . . . no. Not mine.
Author's Note-
Back again, back again . . . for another chapter of mayhem. For those of you who mentioned that it was short last chap- you were right. I hadn't even noticed that. This time we're reconciling Summer and Ryan to the idea of the new couple, and I fear the result will be plenty of disgusted noises and just a smidgen of silent brooding. Sigh- I must be in a slump. Hopefully, a good turkey sandwich and a cup of hot coffee will break me out of this rut I'm in. This story should wrap up very soon, so be prepared to part ways- at least for a little while. New fics are already on the way! In the meantime, you might as well read the end of this story and attempt to boost my ego with a few reviews. Of course, I adore everybody who's written me so far with positive feedback. You hold up your end of the deal and I'll hold up mine . . .
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Warm light filtering through the partially covered windows crept artfully about the room, silent sunbeams touching and inspecting everything before finally settling on Marissa Cooper's sleeping features. The rays continued to intensify in brilliance until she stretched and opened her eyes, marveling at the feeling of waking up without a hangover for the first time in months.
Things were, of course, different today. She'd expected that last night's events would seem nonsensical and quixotic to her this morning, and had prepared for the inevitable disbelief with uncanny foresight. Reaching one hand languidly above her head, Marissa felt for the confirmation of Seth's affections and smiled blissfully when she found what she was looking for.
A metaphorical 'string around the finger'. A literal necktie around the bedpost.
Flipping onto her stomach she took a moment to toy with the fabric that hung down towards the pillows before gathering herself up and sashaying into the bathroom. Despite how far behind she'd fallen in her schoolwork she was determined to see him again as soon as possible, and knew that his presence in homeroom was practically guaranteed today.
After all, he was in excellent health when I last saw him . . .
Knowing that her time until the first bell rang was limited she hastened to complete her morning routine, and upon finishing made a dash out the door without stopping to pick up any breakfast. Her mother watched as she backed out of the driveway and sped off down the road.
"I haven't seen her in such a hurry to get to school since they started serving cheeseburgers on the lunch menu." She said to her uninterested husband. "You know Cal, I really think I got through to her last night. There was just such a genuine . . . connection between us."
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Peeling his face off the top of his desk Seth sat up and rubbed at the soreness in his neck, grimacing as he did so.
Trying to jump to the ground from that kind of height was definitely one of the less reasonable ideas I've had.
Keeping his thoughts from wandering back to last night lest he become completely occupied with the memories he propped his head up with a fist and stared absently at the blackboard. Sudden movement in the doorway caught his attention, and the fleeting glimpses of Marissa he saw were enough to snap his neck in her direction in spite of the considerable pain the maneuver caused him.
Her entrance into any room typically created waves of turning heads, but this morning all eyes went directly to her- and stayed there. Every guy there was busy examining her legs with the focus of a scientist in the laboratory, and meanwhile all the girls desperately tried to identify what new accessory might be responsible for the change.
In short, she was radiant.
And she is coming to sit next to me.
Seth sent the heavens a quick prayer of thanks for blessing him with the geeky aura that kept all the chairs around him empty as she slid into the seat on his right. Looking purposefully at him she winked and sent a decidedly sexy smile his way before turning to concentrate on the teacher at the front of the class.
"People!" The middle-aged bozo standing in front of the board attempted to get everybody's attention. "Pop quiz on the weekend's reading! Hope you all have your minds on history and history only!"
This was unfair. He couldn't possibly be expected to focus on history when she was sitting right freakin' next to him. Then she leaned over to him and whispered softly in his ear.
"Seth, do you have a pencil I could borrow?"
Her fingernails gently traced patterns on his wrist while the scent of her shampoo assaulted his senses like a horde of restless Vikings looting a fledgling village. Although the Vikings probably didn't smell quite as sweet as she did.
This is flat out fighting dirty.
It occurred to him that they were in all the same classes together, and he was willing to bet that he'd be called on to provide writing utensils a few more times before the day was over.
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Navigating the hallways of Harbor High was usually like playing a game of dodgeball- trying to make it from class to class without getting hit, shoved, or trampled on. Today, however, walking next to Seth, Marissa chose to view the situation more as a game of bumper pool.
Bump shoulders with this random guy, knock into Seth. Turn suddenly to avoid hitting the humongous jock, crash into Seth. Bounce off a few passing geeks, grab Seth's shoulder to steady myself.
Not that she needed an excuse to touch him now, but she knew that the payoff from a day of fleeting contact would be well worth any wait.
Like they say, you need to fan the flames in order to build the fire.
Seth himself was dealing with her touch-and-go flirting admirably; if only in the sense that he hadn't initiated a huge makeout session in the middle of the hall. Judging from the looks he was sending her, however, there were no promises to be made.
Her happy thoughts of such broken promises were interrupted when she was rudely broadsided by two passing students. She careened easily into Seth, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her to keep them both from hitting the floor. Still snickering lightly she turned to offer a quick apology to the people she'd hit, but was stopped with sudden fear and shyness when she saw who it was.
Ryan and Summer, for their part, could not figure out why Seth's hand remained on her hip.
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Seth could practically feel the questions rolling off his brother and his ex in waves as he awkwardly shifted his feet. They had both known that these complications would eventually arise, but had made no plans for how to handle it. Now unexpectedly faced with the predicament the options looked to be few and futile efforts at reconciliation with their friends.
"Sooo . . . hi."
Always good with words, that Ryan was.
He greeted each with a bob of his head, ignoring the snort and disgusted glare he got from got from Summer in return. Marissa was also noticeably uncomfortable as she avoided Ryan's eyes and didn't seem to hear the other's attempts at conversation.
Probably the most effective thing I can do right now is to beat them over the head with my chem book and run like a bat outta hell.
Moving as discreetly as possible he started to get the book into the proper position. He was ready to deliver the blow and make a break for it when a loud, obnoxious, undoubtedly jock-owned voice came rolling down the hall.
"Duuuuuuude!"
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Jason Evers strolled easily up to the surprised foursome and casually began talking to a rather shell-shocked Seth.
"So dude, what is up with you and Marissa Cooper today?"
Marissa suddenly had visions of Jason crouching behind trees in her backyard last night, taping them and recording everything they said. Judging by the horrified look on Seth's face she guessed that he was thinking something along the same lines.
We're both extremely paranoid. Add yet another similarity to the list . . .
The water polo player, meanwhile, continued with his line of questioning.
"I mean, you were like all over each other! If you weren't giving her looks gooey enough to double as Twinkie filling then she was sending you looks hot enough to light every burner in the labs! Everybody's talking about it man! Next time you guys wanna get frisky it probably shouldn't be in homeroom!"
On that note he gave Seth a friendly punch that may have reshaped every bone in his shoulder before sauntering away and out of sight.
Turning back to Ryan and Summer it was clear that they'd gotten the gist of the speech. While neither was known for their remarkable intellect the tension that had formed among them could only mean that they'd figured things out- and they didn't seem happy about it.
She distantly heard one of the guys clear their throat and wondered who it was, but a second later it didn't matter. Lindsay swept in from one side, Zach from the other, and in a flash they had all departed and left just her and Seth standing alone by the lockers.
"That really went pretty well, don't you think?"
She shot him a quick glare.
"They looked totally pissed off. Summer's tan visibly drained away, and Ryan was looking at you like he was Rocky and you were Clubber Lang. You know, right before he kicks your ass in the final round?"
"Still, they know what's going on. The information was presented to them in frank, candid terms, and we didn't even have to say a single word. I personally think we got a great deal!"
Needless to say she wasn't fully convinced.
"They may never speak to us again." She warned him.
"Eh." He shrugged it off. "Their loss."
"You're acting like it isn't even important to you what they do. I thought Ryan was your best friend. Don't you want him to be okay with all of this?"
He studied her closely, brow furrowed and concern showing in his eyes.
"What's happening here?" He asked her. "Is this our first fight?"
She stopped short in her ranting, taken aback.
"Wh- no! This isn't a fight! It's a minor . . . misunderstanding."
They regarded each other quietly for a moment before reaching a silent agreement to put it aside for the time being.
"I'll try talking to him again when I get home, okay? Why don't we go get some lunch right now and just hang out a little?" He slipped an arm around her shoulders as they walked outside together.
We're only just starting out and the married-couple bickering has begun. Is that good or bad?
"Hey Seth?" She said softly.
"Hmmm?"
"Nobody else is gonna break us up, right?"
He paused to grin confidently at her as they stepped out into the bright sun.
"I pity the fool who tries to."