Chapter 4
"Ryan Atwood, good to see you, too." They broke apart and Ryan moved to the side.
"Come in." They walked inside and Ryan closed the door behind him. "So what brings you to Newport?" They made their way to the living room couches and sat down.
"Just visiting some family. Guess I got a little homesick after awhile." Ryan nodded.
"I know what you mean. I kinda miss Los Angeles. You still go to school there?" Ryan got up and went to the kitchen and returned with two sodas before Alex continued.
"Yea, I just chose not to take summer classes this year, so that's why I'm here." She smiled gratefully for the soda and took it from him.
"Cool. Where are you staying anyway?"
"With my dad and my sister."
"You have a sister?" Alex nodded and then shrugged.
"Yea, we don't look alike that much, though."
"How come you never told me? And when do I get to meet her?"
"You never asked. And if you want to meet her, I'm going with her and her friends to some place called the Bait Shop later tonight." Ryan titled his head a bit and looked at Alex.
"The Bait Shop? I'm going there later with my girlfriend." Alex opened her mouth up in shock.
"You have a girlfriend? Gasp! Ryan Atwood, settling down? Wow, you've changed." Ryan chuckled and smiled as he replied.
"I know. It's just this girl, she's amazing." Ryan had a goofy grin on his face and Alex raised an eyebrow at him.
"Does this "amazing" girl have a name?" His grin turned into a smirk.
"You'll just have to wait until tonight to find out." Alex rolled her eyes at him and then put a hand to her heart and mocked being hurt.
"I see how it is. Not telling your best friend details of your life like that."
"You're the one to talk. You kept out the "minor" detail that you were gay for the longest time." Alex laughed before replying.
"Hey, it's not my fault that you kept trying to hit on me." Ryan glared at her. "While Jodie was there with me." The glare faded off of his face and gained a sheepish grin.
"Hey, girls are always on each other, even if they aren't gay. So can you really blame me?"
"No, I guess not." They both laughed for a bit and then Ryan became serious again.
"So how are you and Jodie?" Alex looked away from Ryan and stared at ground. Her voice was quiet.
"We're friends now…We don't see each other as much as we used to but we still talk once in awhile." Ryan nodded and kept silent and Alex returned her gaze to him. "Hey, do you wanna call her? It would be like, so last year!" Ryan broke into another grin.
"Sure! Just don't try to make out as much in front of me as you guys did last year…" Alex gave him a funny look.
"You're gay aren't you?"
"What? No! I just -" Alex smacked him in the arm.
"Gee, Atwood, you're still as easy as ever." She rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. "And you know you enjoyed the girl on girl action." Ryan smirked as he watched Alex dial Jodie's number.
Summer and Marissa were in Marissa's room with the clothes they just bought sprawled out onto Marissa's bed.
"Hey, do you think Alex would wear this?" Summer lifted up one of the shirts up and put it in front of her figure. Marissa just shrugged.
"I guess. Why?" Summer looked at her confused.
"It's her birthday next week. Duh! Gosh, Coop, how could you forget?" Marissa smacked herself on the forehead.
"I totally forgot, and I was looking at pictures from her 18th birthday this morning." Summer laughed and put the shirt back into it's bag.
"I remember that day…" Then Summer's eyes narrowed. "You chased me around with the cake knife because I took the picture without making sure you guys were ready." Marissa chuckled nervously and rubbed her neck.
"Oh yea, I kinda forgot about that part…" Summer picked up a pillow and threw it at Marissa.
"You're such a horrible best friend." Marissa blocked the pillow and then collapsed onto her bed.
"Anyway, what are we doing later?"
"The Bait Shop, remember? We're all gonna go because we haven't all hung out in awhile. Is Ryan still going?"
"Crap. I forgot to call him."
"Then call him now." Summer grabbed Marissa's cell phone off of the counter and handed it to her. Marissa sat up to take the phone "And Alex is gonna go with us." She dropped the phone in shock. "What?"
"Alex is gonna go with us. You know, just like old times." Summer looked at Marissa strangely again. "What is with you? Ever since Alex came back, you've been like, really out of it." Marissa waved it off.
"I'm fine, it's just that, it's nothing. Never mind. What time are we going, again?" Summer raised an eyebrow at Marissa but then lowered it.
"Around eightish." Summer looked at her watch, it read five o'clock. "I better get home and get ready now. Alex said she'd be home at seven." She then began putting the clothes that they bought back into their bags and looked back at Marissa. "So I'll see you there?" Marissa nodded. She watched Summer leave and then looked down at the clothes that she bought.
"What am I going to wear?" Marissa noticed the phone on the bed. "And why does Ryan have to go?"
Alex and Ryan were walking along the water and chatting.
"I can't believe Jodie is gonna drive down here. It's gonna be so great."
"I know! We used to have so much fun together, the three of us." Alex nodded as they continued walking.
"Do you remember that one time we were at the grocery store and Jodie-" Before Alex could even finish, Ryan interrupted, knowing what Alex was talking about.
"Yea! That was so great! I don't think I ever looked at a chicken the same way ever again." They sat down on the sand as they waited for their laughter to subside.
"Man…Those were the days…" Alex started drawing patterns into the sand.
"Yea…" They sat in silence as they watched water. Alex stopped with her drawing and then looked at Ryan, but before she could say anything, Ryan's phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and then looked at the caller id. He turned to Alex before smiling. "The girlfriend." Alex smiled and rolled her eyes before Ryan answered.
"You dork." Ryan ignored her comment as he greeted the caller.
"Hey, babe. What's up?"
"I was just calling to make sure we're on for tonight at the Bait Shop."
"Yea, of course." Ryan glanced at Alex. "Also, I want you to meet a really good friend of mine, she just got into town, so yea."
"Oh, sure. I'd love to meet her. But hey, I gotta finish getting ready, so I'll see tonight?"
"Yea, later. Love ya." Ryan noticed the slight hesitation in Marissa's voice.
"..Love you, too." He closed the phone and looked back at Alex.
"She was just making sure that I was going to the Bait Shop tonight. And she can't wait to meet you." Alex smiled but then became serious.
"Oh yea, so, remember, when you meet my sister, don't make any comments about me being gay. She doesn't know and neither does anyone else in Newport." Ryan smiled and nodded.
"Well, besides me." Alex suppressed another eye roll and smiled at how cocky Ryan sounded when he said it.
"Yea. So just stay quiet, alright?" Ryan nodded again and gave her another smile.
"Got it." He looked down at his watch. "What time did you say you have to go?"
"I told my sister I'd be home by seven, why?"
"It's seven now."
"Crap." She stood up and then dusted off the sand. "I'll see you later?"
"Yea, call me when you get there?" Alex nodded and waved before running off to her car.
Summer was driving Alex's car with Alex in the passenger seat. It was now eight and they were on their way to the Bait Shop. Alex got out her cell and dialed Ryan's number.
"Hello?"
"Hey, we're almost there, I think. Where are you?"
"Oh, that's cool. I'm already inside. I'll head out in a few to see you, alright?"
"Yea, okay. Bye." She closed her phone and looked back at the road.
"Who was that?"
"A friend. You'll get to meet him later."
"Ooh, is he your boyfriend?" Alex shook her head and laughed.
"Nah, just a friend from L.A. he moved here to Newport like a few months back." Summer thought for a moment, but before she could word her thoughts, Alex pointed. "Is that the place?" Summer shook herself out of it, and nodded.
"Yea, you can get out, I'll park the car." Alex nodded and got out of the car and walked toward the entrance. Before she could reach the door, Ryan came out.
"Hey, you're here!" He pulled her into another hug not noticing the girls that had come up from behind each of them, until they heard the two other girls clear their throats.
They broke apart and then each grabbed the girl that was behind them and moved them next to them.
"This is my sister."
"This is my girlfriend." Both of them spoke at the same time, and then stopped, when noticing who the mystery girls were.