Ryan Atwood still couldn't believe what was happening to him; he was standing in a pool house, looking out over the Pacific Ocean, wearing a suit. This wasn't exactly how his day started out. Only a few hours before, he'd been at the juvenile center in Chino meeting his lawyer, Sandy Cohen, but after his mom had kicked him out of her house, he didn't know what else to do.
Sandy had picked him up at the local convenience store and driven him to Sandy's house in Newport Beach. Ryan had never seen a house so nice, or anyone so willing to take a chance on someone he met in jail. Regardless of the beginning of the day, he wasn't sure what to expect at this party. The Cohens, Sandy, his wife, Kirsten, and his son, Seth, were already going to a charity function that night, and he was forced to join them. Ryan, along with Sandy, had decided that he should tell everyone at the party that he was a cousin from the New York and to said that he was staying with the Cohens for awhile because of some family issues. As they arrived at the party, though, Ryan thought people would see through his story and really wonder what he was doing in Newport. He had no idea how right he was.
At this same party, Summer Roberts, had been scoping out the boys that decided to attend this particular charity event. So far, she wasn't too impressed. While talking to her friend Marissa Cooper, Summer complained that all of the Newport boys were all the same when she spotted someone she'd never seen before standing by Seth Cohen.
"Who's that guy by Seth?" she asked Marissa, who was the social queen of Newport's high school crowd.
"I have no idea, but if he's standing by Seth then he's probably some relative."
"Hm. You're probably right, Coop. I think I'm going to go and find out for myself."
"Good luck with that," Marissa said as she went to find her boyfriend Luke.
It took Summer a few minutes to make her way over to Seth and Ryan, but she was happy to talk to her other friends along the way. When she saw Seth, she turned on her usual charm.
"Hey Seth!"
"Oh, hey, Summer. I didn't see that you were here tonight."
"Well, considering my height, I'm not surprised. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Right. I'm not used to being social, remember. Summer, this is my cousin, Ryan Atwood."
"Hi Ryan! My name is Summer Roberts, and I've been going to school with Seth since we were five; he used to eat paste in class.
Ryan chimed in, "Really. I never heard that story."
Seth shot Ryan an evil look, and ignored the rest of Summer's story.
"So Ryan, how do you like Newport so far?" Summer inquired.
"Well, all I've seen is the Cohens' pool house and this party."
"Is that true? Then, please let me show you around," she said with a determined, but not obvious tone in her voice.
Ryan didn't know what to do, so he accepted her proposal and wandered the party with her. Instead of showing Ryan off to all of her friends, she kept staring at Ryan trying to figure him out as they walked the perimeter of the country club. From the moment she looked in Seth's direction, she noticed that Ryan wasn't a typical Newport guy, and she was intrigued.
While Summer was leading Ryan around the party, he also couldn't help but notice her small frame with dark eyes, especially when the party consisted of tall blondes who looked like they needed to eat more. Something about Summer reminded him of home, and he felt slightly comforted by that.
Awkwardly Ryan asked, "So what's going to happen after we've walked around the club for the fifth time?"
"Well, after the party is over, my friend Holly is throwing a better party for all of the kids. We find a beach house and spend the night there."
"Oh. I've never been to something like that."
"What? Don't you go to all of these charity events in New York?"
"Not really. My mom isn't into giving back to the community; she's sort of a recluse."
"A what? Sorry, I don't know what that means."
Ryan laughed silently, and then proceeded to say something less offensive. "Sorry, she's not really into the social scene, sort of like Seth."
"Oh, I get it! Well, with or without Seth, I'd love for you to come."
Ryan wondered what it was like to be to see an after-party. Most of the parties he'd been to in Chino were kickbacks with some beer, which usually led to some brawl. He hoped this party would be different. He walked over to Seth after he and Summer had finished talking, and suggested that they go to this party.
Seth responded surprisingly "What? A Newport party? Do you know what happens at these? It's just all of the popular people at school getting drunk and high at the beach."
"Well, it's better than any party I've been to in Chino, so why don't we give it a shot?"
"Did I forget to mention that these kids hate me? If not, they do. I'm a total loser at school; all of the guys pee in my shoes and stuff me in lockers on a regular basis."
"Well, why don't we try to change that? Plus, I feel obligated to go since Summer invited me."
"What? Summer Roberts invited you?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I've only been in love with her since 5th grade. We're so going to be there!"
Considering that Summer spent her time with Ryan talking about everyone else at the party, he wasn't sure that this was a really good idea, but he couldn't say no.
On the other side of the party, Summer was talking to Marissa about Ryan.
Marissa asked who the new guy was, and Summer responded, "Oh, he's some cousin of Seth's from New York. He's totally clueless about Newport society, but it's sort of funny."
"What? You're taking on a charity case? That's so unlike you Sum!"
"I know, Coop, but there's something about this guy that I want to figure out."