I'm quite pleased with this chapter; it was fun to write. Please let me know what you think.
Chapter six
"I've really missed the beach." Marissa sighed as she lay in a sun chair with sun glasses, smiling towards the warm sun.
"Yeah, it sure is something. I could never do cold, or not for long at least." Summer replied as she lay next to Marissa. Isabelle and Paige had gone to the water a long time ago and Casey had found a friend from his football team. It was just the four of them; Seth, Summer, Ryan and Marissa.
It had been a while; they hadn't been together like this for years. And now it felt good, almost like high school. No worries; just the sun and good company.
"Yeah, Summer would never do winter." Seth said from under the umbrella, where he and Ryan sat, protecting themselves from the sun. Seth had gotten burned too many times; he figured that sunbathing wasn't his thing. Ryan was the same though Summer and Marissa were entirely different. They grew up by the pool, literally.
"Cohen, remember when we were in New York? I didn't even complain! I can totally take winter." She assured them very decisively.
"You so complained, like all the time we were outside. But Sum, you know that we all like you anyway. And you do have a reason not to like winter; you are Summer." They all laughed at Seth's rambling, he didn't make any sense.
"Okay Cohen, what do you say if we'll go buy some ice cream? It's getting kind of hot here." Summer rose from her chair and pulled a sarong round her lower waist. Seth just looked at her for a second but then rose. She took her purse and led him away with her hand in his.
"It's so weird that Summer and Seth actually are together after all these years. When they first started to date, I never thought it would last." Marissa said as she made her way to the blanket under the umbrella where Ryan sat.
"Me either. They are as different as two people can get. Have I told you about when Seth first told me about Summer?"
"Actually you haven't which is weird too since I used to know all about them back in high school. When was that?"
"It was the first morning after I got here. Seth showed me his boat; the Summer Breeze. He told me he was going to sail to Tahiti with this girl and I was like 'she must be really happy about it'. That's when he told me that she didn't know about him. I had thought that she was his girlfriend. I mean, who makes up this whole plan with a person he doesn't even know?"
"I know; Seth's always been a little weird." Marissa laughed. It felt surprisingly good to speak with Ryan; he was actually speaking. That had changed over the years.
"Never would I have thought that they would end up together. But they're right for each other and happy."
"Yeah, Summer with a guy like Seth. Who knew? Though they are pretty cute together." A silence fallowed; Seth and Summer had always been a thing they could talk about without any awkwardness.
"So…" Ryan said as the silence started to become really awkward.
"Seth and Summer should be back soon." Marissa quickly replied.
"Yeah."
They both tried their hardest to come up with something to say though before the silence got even more awkward, if that was possible, Isabelle and Paige came running towards them. They both had these really cute bikinis and they were soaking wet.
"Hey you two, up already?" Ryan asked clearly surprised that they'd come up from the water so soon; they usually stayed as long as they could. The smile he had on his face disappeared fast though, as soon as he saw that Isabelle was crying.
"Hey, Belle, what's wrong?" The little girl just stood there crying. Her long hair lay in wet stripes down her back and shoulders. She sniffled as Paige went closer to her father. Ryan got up and grabbed a towel which he wrapped around Isabelle.
"Where are mom and dad?" She was able to get out through her sobs as she coughed a little.
"They're…" Ryan started but was interrupted.
"Isabelle, sweetie." Summer and Seth were back. Seth dumped the ice cream to Marissa as they both went to their daughter. She immediately began to cry harder as she was wrapped into a hug by both of her parents. Seth sat down on the blanket and brought Isabelle to his lap. Summer sat next to them with her arm round the six year old.
"What happened?" She asked concerned, not just to Isabelle but to everyone.
"I don't know. She just came up here crying. Paige?" Ryan brought his girl to his lap; she looked a little upset as well.
"She got a mouthful of water I think." Paige carefully said as she sat in her father's lap.
"I got water in my nose and mouth. It felt scary." Isabelle had now stopped crying and was resting her head against Seth's chest as Summer played with her hair.
"It's okay now sweetie. You want some ice cream?" She turned towards Marissa who was holding the ice cream. She looked very out of place and the smile from before was now gone. Though she did gave Summer a tiny smile as she handed over the ice cream but Summer could see that it wasn't real.
"Thanks Coop." Marissa just nodded and turned her gaze out to the ocean. Was this really where she belonged?
oooooooooooooooooooo
"Marissa?" Summer called as she knocked on the door to the guestroom later that day. They'd all come home from the beach and her friend had been very quiet.
"Come in." Summer opened the door and went into the room. Marissa sat on the bed with a magazine in her hand but she put it down as Summer sat down in the armchair in front of her.
"So, how are you? Is the room okay?" They hadn't gotten a change to talk just the two of them; there were always someone else with them.
"Yes, it's great Sum. Thanks for letting me stay here." Marissa nervously fumbled with the end of her shirt. It felt weird to talk again; to the best friend you hadn't spoken to for four years, the friend you had abandoned.
"No problem. I'm just glad that you're back. I've missed you." She said a little unsure but continued. "You've been my best friend for my whole life and you still are. We definitely need to catch up; it's been too long." They shared a smile and Marissa finally looked up from the carpet. She was clearly touched by Summer's words. No one had ever been a greater friend and no one ever would be.
"I've missed you too." She whispered as tears filled her eyes. She'd always been a crier; it was her way to express her feelings and it made things better most of the time. At least when someone was there to comfort, but no one had for such a long time.
"Coop?" Marissa made an attempt to wipe the tears but it didn't work. She started to sob quietly. Summer got up from the armchair and went to sit next to Marissa on the bed. They were used to this; they'd done it too many times to forget how to; how to be there for each other.
So much had happened, so many things had changed. Though they were still Summer and Marissa. They were still best friends. Summer wrapped an arm round Marissa and she leaned in. They quickly flung their arms round each other and hugged tight; Marissa crying silently and Summer crying on the inside.
"Best friends forever, right?" Summer said after a while laughing a little. They pulled away and Marissa managed to smile back. It felt good to be able to smile again.
"Best friends forever." It was a thing they used to say at rough times. It meant that no matter what happened and no matter how bad things got they would still have each other.
Flashback
It was a normal Monday at school. Everyone was there, the kids had been dropped off by their parents and school was about to begin. To everyone this was a normal day; just like every other. It was the first day after Christmas break but still a usual Monday.
Though one girl, a very small girl, felt like nothing would ever be the same again. To her this wasn't a normal Monday. To her this Monday was far from normal. The little girl's name was Summer Roberts and she was six years old and very small for her age. Today she was afraid, sad and hurt.
Summer had a best friend. Her name was Marissa Cooper. Summer envied Marissa. She was everything Summer wasn't and had everything Summer didn't have. Marissa was tall, she had blue eyes and everyone thought she was older than she was and that for she was cool. Summer wasn't cool; she was small and shy.
Marissa had a mother and a father plus a baby sister. She even had a dog. Summer had a father. Last time she was at school she had had a mother too though Summer's mother didn't want her anymore. Summer's mother had left.
The little girl stood on the school yard, looking at all the kids running around. She saw some boys kick a football and some girls show each other their new dresses. Life seemed so easy for them all. No one had left them.
Suddenly Summer felt a tap on her shoulder and the tall girl showed up; her best friend. She had a new dress, a beautiful dress. Summer had too though now nothing seemed to matter; not even a new dress.
"Hi Summer!" Marissa took Summer's hand and led her to a bench where they sat down together. Summer hadn't met Marissa for the whole vacation; she hadn't met anyone.
"Are you sad?" The question was innocent and Marissa looked at her friend with those big blue eyes.
"Yes." The small girl shortly answered.
"Why?"
"I don't have a mother any more."
"Why not?"
"She left."
"What do you mean?"
"She left us, me and daddy."
"Mother's don't leave Summer."
"Mine did."
"Who took you to school then?"
"My daddy."
"But…Who's going to go shopping with you then? Daddy's don't shop dresses."
"I don't know."
"You can come with me and my mother; we'll help you shop."
"Thanks. Can I tell you a secret?"
"Sure."
"I miss my mother; I cried."
"I won't tell anyone. Best friends forever, right?"
"Best friends forever."
End of flashback
Summer and Marissa had known each other for whole their lives. They'd been though everything together; they knew every part of each other. They'd had their birthday parties together, taken riding classes together, discovered boys together. All their lives they'd told each other everything.
Though now they barely knew each other, yet they did. They had a past, their whole childhood, their high school experience; even college. They had a rare friendship, one that would always be there. Even now, when years had passes without them talking to each other. Years where they had grown; changed.
"I'm sorry Summer." Marissa let the words come out in a whisper. She still had her head resting on Summer's shoulder though the tears had stopped falling.
"It's okay."
"No, it's not. I was your best friend and I just left you. I promised you that I would never leave after Seth and Ryan left that summer. Still I did."
"I'm sure you had a reason to. Though I kind of wonder why."
"I don't know Sum. Everything with Anton; I couldn't face everybody after that."
"But we didn't even know. I had to practically threat him to tell me what happened."
"I was so ashamed; I still am."
"Marissa, Anton was an ass. He didn't deserve you. Not after what he did. We would have understood."
"Maybe you would have though I still would have left Summer. I had to sort out my life; I had to do something that I couldn't do here."
"So, were you happy?"
"No, I feel like something's seriously wrong with me Sum. Nothing I do works anymore; I can't be happy."
"Sure you can sweetie. Maybe it just takes time. But please stay here and let us help you."
"I've missed you so much Summer." Marissa began to cry again and Summer really felt sympathy for her. She thought that Marissa had been happy out there and that was the reason she didn't come back. Though she hadn't been. Why did Marissa have such a hard time to find peace?
To be continued...
Please review!