Summary: Yet another unplanned, random, moment where Seth and Marissa meet up with each other. This is about two weeks after the last act.
Story Notes: Continuing on in the early parts of senior year. Thanksgiving is fast approaching.
Title of the act comes from the song "Disappear" by Blue Rodeo. I recommend checking out the song and searching out the lyrics. It greatly inspired this act.
Disclaimer: Witty disclaimer on hold until "Glass Slippers" is updated.
Feedback Notes:
Shout outs!…
Lindsay I swear you feedback to every chapter twice. I always get comments from you on here and on Fan Forum. "Damn it make out already." You may want to save this one for your dreams because it likely will be a little while before they swap spit. Emphasis on swap spit!
Music4mysoul Go back a number of chapters and get reacquainted to the falling hard part. But do realize patience is virtue and if you choose to have it you will one day be rewarded.
Marianne-Larsen Didn't anyone ever tell you quality over quantity? If not, then I am. Some will be long, other's will be short, the chapters that is. : )
Laugh-a-Lot Bear Baby bonding is cute, especially when it's with Seth and Marissa. Why, because one day they'll make cute babies together and lots of them. They will damm it! Sorry, didn't mean to get off the track there.
I know I didn't shout back to everyone. But I appreciate everyone's comments. Please continue bring them in.
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"Hey, Seth."
"Marissa," Seth said while nodding as a sign of recognition.
"You seem a little shaken up."
"Me, what? I'm cool as Mr. Freeze filming Death March of the Penguins."
"Seth," Marissa replied again knowing he wasn't revealing the whole truth.
"I've seen things Marissa. Seen things no boy, man or child should ever see."
Seth bowed his head in shame. His now shuttering body prompted Marissa to give him her jacket.
"You cold?"
Seth timidly accepted her jacket as she brought it over his shoulders.
"I've got the heeby jebees. I'm all wiled and riled-up. Marissa, I'm just plain creeped out."
"Ohh poor baby," Marissa said as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and neck.
Seth eyes watchfully wandered like a curious little child. They took note of her movements and the placement of her hands.
"So what happen? You can give it to me straight," Marissa said.
"There was a moment between finding dads cell-phone recharger and going to the kitchen to warm up some old pancakes. The moment in between kind of counteracted the other moments from ever happening."
"And…"
"And I walked in on my parents having sex ok. You happy now? My childhood, scratch that, my entire existence on this earth is scarred, for life! For life Marissa," Seth said, his voice speeding up.
Marissa started to smile. She did her best not to laugh but Seth could clearly see she was holding it all in and was not amused.
"Ok, so you walked in on you're parents…"
"Marissa please. It was, it had to be some form of, exaggerated forms of foreplay. That's it."
"I once walked in on Caleb and mom…"
"LALALALA," Seth said as he plugged his ears.
"I walked in on them kissing, on the couch."
"That's totally of equal measure."
"To me it was."
"No, you're right. That's a frightening visual."
"Well I don't know I find it kind of sweet"
"Sweet? You sick, sick, sick child."
Marissa smiled.
"No, I mean your parents are having a healthy sexual lifestyle at their age. It gives me hope. I mean it's nice to see two loving adults…"
"That's it! Maybe that should have been my plan of action all along. Sex between tweens, kids, teenagers masquerading as mature elders, it just muddles everything up. Because, because no matter how mature we think we are we're not equipped to handle it. And it just screws up the natural dynamic we should really be having with the opposite sex at our age."
"Are you swearing off sex before marriage now or something?"
"I'd have to run that by Captain Oats, but, but I'm thinking of at least keeping my friend unexposed until senior year of college maybe. By then I'll have the opposite sex figured out. I'll have found a nice marrying woman who's also part Christian, part Jew, and who will proudly carry on the Chrismukkah tradition with me and…"
"Hey, I don't know what religion I am. You looking for converts?"
Seth nervously laughed as he started to position his body away from Marissa leaving her grasp around his upper body to release.
"You know this has to be the first time in weeks that we've hanged out. Despite the awkward pretense I'm going to relish in this moment," Marissa said.
"Relish in this moment? Who talks like that?"
Marissa playfully ran her right hand up against Seth's head and pushed it in.
"I had an insatiable need for greasy fried food. And you just happened to be wandering the docks alone. You've been kind of scaring me."
"Scaring you hey," Seth added in.
"Well you're just so distant and things just don't seem the same. But we can pass each other in the hallways at Harbor so that's good right?"
"I guess. Yeah, sure."
Marissa reached out and grabbed for Seth's arm.
"Come on," Marissa eagerly spoke.
"Come where?"
"Down to the waters. Unless you're afraid to get you're feet wet."
"I purr like a kitten and kitten's hate water."
"You're resisting the calming shorelines of Newport?"
"It's the only thing calming in Newport."
"The only thing?"
"You got something else besides a man named Ben, I mean Jack."
"I've got you. You calm me when I'm all nerved up or just going crazy from my mother. Well you used to anyway. Having not seen you too much lately kind of changed all that," Marissa replied.
"Right. Sorry about that."
"So those fried clams were not enough. I say we get pancakes at the diner."
"I thought we were heading to the water."
Seth followed Marissa down the gritty sands.
"You know Ryan's been talking, well saying a few words, and he told me you've been alone a lot of the time, just hanging out in your bedroom," Marissa said.
"I do my best work in my bedroom. I mean alone."
Seth's nervous pacing over took him and he started to tremble under the processing of his words.
"Ok," Marissa said as she gave a half smile. "That weekend with Ryan's kid, did I bite you in the middle of the night or something?"
"How I wish you did," Seth said under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"So I'm a little bummed that I lost the position for social chair. I've got all this extra time on my hands."
Marissa looked up at Seth and tried to smile. Seth retained a nervous grin and barely spoke. He tried to muster words but they came out jumbled and unfinished.
"You seem to be at a loss for words? Really, Taylor Townsend can create some kick ass Newport parties," Marissa said.
Seth rolled his eyes and then brought them down to the sand. Marissa shrieked as the cold water hit her feet. Her hair got caught in the light breeze. Seth watched cautiously as the wind took command of her hair and scattered it across her face. He paused, taking a moment to put his hands in his pants.
Marissa's feet pranced through the mix of wet sand, cold water and tiny pebbles. She traveled through with a beautiful ease. This caught Seth's attention. Her tinny toes danced closer and closer to Seth. His eyes were clued to the bottom of the sandy floors of the beach. Slowly his eyes and face moved upward, trailing the frame of her body as it inched closer and closer to his. He swallowed down a bit of salvia and then, without much thought or reasoning, his hands eased out of his pants pocket.
Marissa was hushed by the calming sounds of the waves crashing, but she still tried to speak over it. Before a full word could come from her mouth Seth's face met with hers. Whatever thoughts weighed him down, whatever excuses he had been creating to shorten their time together, were freely flowing out of his mind.
His left hand followed up her lightly tanned, soft, face. Marissa was instantly silenced. Her feet were now warming, for no logical reason, just because Seth was mere inches away from her. Slowly her eyes followed the movement of his hand and how it gently brushed aside hair that had fallen in front of her eyes.
"Can you see, ok. The wind just glided and pushed and …," Seth said, his voice trailing.
"And… Yeah, cool, thanks," Marissa replied back.
Seth paused almost indefinitely until the cold waters came up over his canvas-clad feet.
"Great, water in my shoes."
Marissa smiled and broke the trance that been created.
"Why don't you just take your shoes off? Kick back for a while," Marissa said as she took a few steps back and prepared a spot in the sand to sit down on.
Her eyes watched Seth stand still and stay fixed to the view of the ocean.
"You gonna site down," Marissa asked.
Seth turned his head back to Marissa and simply nodded. Leisurely he walked over to Marissa and positioned himself beside her. His eyes still wandered away and fixed themselves on the ocean.
Marissa traced her fingers in the sand and looked out to the small waves crashing ashore. Her fingers continued to pace in the sands until she felt a smooth, flat object.
"Found a sand-dollar. You think I should make a wish?"
"Wishes are for guys who rub lamps and then suddenly find a fat, Turkish looking guy in their view."
"Why don't you make a wish."
Marissa smiled as she brushed her shoulder against Seth's. Her gentle nudge pushed Seth to his side and caused his hand to burry into the sand.
"Come on, just one little wish. You never know it could come true." "Where's all that hopefulness you had during Comic-Con? You've become all cynical. Kind of like the day I met you on the docks."
The words processed in Seth's head and he started to reflect on that special day that sparked a summer he would never want to forget. Each passing day over the last number of weeks Seth grew more cold, distant and alone. He knew little of how to fix it. He suspected a few more comforting nudges from Marissa might help a little. But he wondered if it would take more to completely absolve him of his solitude.
Seth's face moved to his left and took a brief notice of Marissa playing with the sand-dollar. She brought it back and forth between her fingers. After only a few seconds Seth reached over and took it from her hands.
Seth moved up from the sandy indent his butt had made. He stood over Marissa and glanced down. She looked up and met with his eyes only for a brief second. Shuddering out of his once locked glance he moved back and turned to face the waters.
"So what did you wish for," Marissa curiously asked.
Seth turned his body half back and looked down at Marissa.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
Seth turned again, once again facing the ocean. He traced the sand-dollar through his fingers, his eyes locking in on the delicate details it possessed. Then suddenly he released his grip, brought his arm over, and tossed it far into the salty waters.
"Maybe I'll let you know someday," Seth said as he started to walk back up the beach and away from Marissa.
"You're leaving?"
"I'll see you around Marissa."
Marissa turned her head back and watched as Seth trekked up the sandy beach. The strands of hair Seth so carefully brushed aside and behind her ear had been thrown back into to her view. The wind was relentless. Her view was obstructed and her attentions brought to clearing the hair out her eyes. She had paused for a moment wondering if she should try to get up and make a heartfelt plea for him to stay. Or perhaps she could simply ask why he was once again running away from her.
When she finally brushed them away from her face, and her view was cleared, she turned her head back. Seth was already past the lighter colored sands and making his way to the landing of the docks. She sighed silently in her mind. She barely reflected on her emotions as she watched him fade from her site. She turned her head back and faced the now towering waves that crashed against the shoreline. They no longer protected her from her questions and fears. They no longer calmed her. That was when trickles of light rain started to fall from the sky. She briefly looked up to the skies before bringing her insensible face back down, letting the light waters come down over her body. She was left there now feeling alone and lifeless. And she wondered why.