At dinner Summer tried to pay attention to their mannerisms so she pretty much sat back and observed how they were acting. Seth noticed she was being quiet but didn't really say anything about it.
When dinner was over they walked out of the diner. Marissa was laughing at something Seth had said. Ryan smiled. "So you guys up to doing something?" Ryan said. "Actually I think I'm just gonna go home it's been a long day" Summer said.
"You sure sum?" Marissa said turning towards Summer. "Yeah Seth could take me so I'll see you tomorrow Ryan and Marissa I'll see you when you get home" She said. "Alright" she said with a little laugh.
"Cool let's go. The car's that way" Ryan said following after Marissa. Seth turned back to Summer. "Okay so what's going on? You're quiet at dinner. You pass up a chance to hang with Ryan and Marissa. What's up with you?" He said.
"You were right Seth" She said staring at them walking further and further away. "Summer your gonna have to elaborate here?" He said. "Something's going on with Ryan and Marissa" She said. He laughed. "Not according to Ryan so how do you know?" He said.
"Because I see it in her face nothing may have happened but Marissa is realizing that she likes Ryan" She said. "And you know this how?" He said. "Well it's not like she told me and I'm kind of upset that she hasn't yet but I could just tell she's my best friend after all" She said.
"Well maybe it's all new to her and she doesn't know if what she's feeling is real?" He said. "Oh it's real alright. Question is it real enough to make something out of it this close to graduation?" Summer said.
"Well however they feel they'll work it out" He said. "And if they can't?" She said. "There's nothing we can do they need to see it for themselves" Seth said. "They deserve to be happy Seth" She said.
"Well they look pretty happy to me" He said turning back to watch Ryan laugh from a far and get into the range rover. Marissa shut her door. "It seems that way" she said. "We just gotta be there for them when they want us to be and that's all we can do" Seth said. "I know your right" She said.
"Well that's what I'm here for" Seth said. "Funny how it was me yesterday talking you out of getting involved in the drama we like to call "Ryan and Marissa and now your talking me out of it" She said.
"Well I am Seth Cohen I'm pretty much right about everything" He said joking. She smiled wickedly. "Keep it up Cohen and you'll be going home early" she said walking towards her car. "He laughed and followed her to the car and they headed back to Summer's.
Seth had actually bailed pretty early on to hang out with Ryan. Marissa had left the Cohen's because she just felt odd about Summer bailing and now that she knew Seth was home she thought it was time to go home and find out what was up.
So she left and when she got home she quietly walked up the stairs threw her purse on the bed and opened the adjoining door and leaned in. "Hey" She said with a smile. Summer hit pause apparently she was in the middle of a Valley Marathon.
"Hey so you left the Cohen's" She said. She came in and sat on the bed while Summer sat on a pillow turned towards her on the floor. "Yeah it was sort of a bust and I wanted to see how you were. What was that before after the diner?" She said waiting for answer.
"Nothing I just kind of wanted to crash and I saw the valley on and suddenly felt like watching" Summer said. "Sum come on what's up?" She said. Summer looked at her not sure she should say anything. "Come on Summer I'm your best friend you can tell me" She said waiting for Summer to open up.
She walked over and sat next to her on the bed. Summer looked at her and opted not to talk to her. Despite her feeling bad about Marissa not being able to talk to her about this she figured she eventually would and the friend in her just didn't want to call her on it just yet.
"It was nothing I was just thinking after we talked about next year and what's it's going to be like and it just sort of bummed me out so I didn't want to ruin the fun so I just decided to go home" Summer said with a little smile. Marissa gave her a half smile. "Summer why didn't you talk to me about it?" She said.
"Why didn't you talk to me about it?" Summer thought to herself. "I dunno I guess I just didn't want to bum you out again. I mean I know you were already in this place and you've obviously accepted that we're all not going to be together next year so I didn't want to ruin that for you" Summer said.
"Sum I'm not okay with it but you know you were right no matter where we go after high school you and I will always be best friends" She said with a smile and she grabbed her right knee and Summer smiled and grabbed her left knee it was sort of a ritual with them.
"You good now?" Marissa said. "Oh yeah totally so since your home how about returning to the valley marathon?" Summer said. "Sure I have to catch up it's been awhile" She said. Summer grabbed the remote and they both laid towards the bottom of the bed with their feet dangling in the air and Summer hit play.
Marissa stared at the TV and Summer turned to look at her and she turned and smiled at her. Summer turned back to the television. "Oh this is like one of my favorite scenes" Summer said excitedly. Marissa laughed and that's how they spent the rest of their night.
That Monday at school Marissa was in the administration office it was her turn to sell prom tickets and it was free period so she offered to help out. It was pretty dull most seniors had rushed here this morning so she just got a few stragglers. "Hey" Seth said coming in she looked up. "Seth what are you doing here?" She said.
"Well buying prom tickets of course. I mean please say you still have some because Summer would kill me and that would be very bad" He said. "Always the late comer aren't you" She said with a laugh and she went towards the box. "I figured as much when I didn't see your name down so I saved you two just in case" She said handing him the tickets.
Seth smiled. "Excellent you just saved Prom for me. Well really for Summer but your saving me from being killed so thank you" He said handing her the money. "Your welcome" She said putting it in the register.
"So Ryan come in here yet?" Seth said. She nodded. "No" She said. "Oh I just thought he would have come already" He said. "Actually he's free next period so maybe he'll stop in then. I mean unless he isn't going to prom or something" She said trying to be subtle. Seth smiled catching on. "No he's definitely going but I hear he might be taking Holly" Seth said.
Marissa snapped her head up. "What?" She said a little too loudly that she shocked herself. Seth was shocked. "Holly" he said. "Holly as in skank who hooked up with Luke who at the time was my Luke?" She said. "The very same" He said. "Why would he want to go with her?" She said.
Seth shrugged. "I don't know I guess she asked so he was being polite or you know Ryan's now into the whole skank idea" He said trying to make a joke out of it. Which from the look of Marissa's face wasn't so funny. She stared off.
"But your okay with that right? I mean you probably have a date anyway" He said. "Even if I didn't it wouldn't matter. Ryan doesn't belong to me. He can do what he wants because we're just friends" She said. "Right so then you don't care if he goes with holly?" He said.
She shrugged. "It sort of sucks because you know she's only gonna use him but that's his business if he wants to go with her then it's none of my business" She said sadly. "Well for the record he's not going with Holly I just wanted to see your expression on your face when I told you that" Seth said breaking into a smile.
She glared at him and then pinched him. "Ow" He said. "You jerk I can't believe you just did that to me" She said. "Alright I'm sorry I thought it would be funny" He said. "Well it's not I totally hate Holly" She said. "You sure you hate Holly? Or is it the fact that you hate that up until two seconds ago you thought she was going to prom with Ryan?" He said.
She looked at him. "Why would you say that? We're just friends Seth and you know that" She said. He nodded.
He looked around. "Look Marissa I've loved Summer from a far pretty much since the third grade so I can pretty much tell when others are doing it to.And I'm not saying you love him. I'm just saying if you ever want to talk about it I'm there. And you know as much as I have a big mouth, whatever you would say would be between us and I totally would not tell Ryan" He said.
She looked at him staying quiet. "So anyway thanks for saving my a$$ and I guess I'll see you later Cooper" Seth said walking away. "Seth" She said. He turned around and looked at her. She looked at him. He nodded and left. Marissa thought about what he said so maybe they had something in common after all.
"Atwood" Summer said catching up to him in the hall. "Hey Summer" He said with a smile. "Hey so do you know if Seth got the prom tickets yet? I haven't seen his scrawny a$$ anywhere" Summer said.
Ryan laughed a little. "No I haven't seen him" He said adjusting his book by his side. "Right of course. So did you get your tickets?" She said. "You mean ticket and no" He said. "Oh you didn't ask anyone to go with you?" She said.
"No, I had originally asked Sadie but now that she's gone I guess I'll just go alone" He said. "You can't" Summer said. "Well no offense Summer but I don't feel like going with Taylor and, since she's pretty much my only option I opt to go alone" He said.
"But you don't know that you know I'm sure there's gotta be some girl who doesn't have an escort yet" Summer said. "Yeah because it's only two weeks until prom and most girls have been fitted and picked out dresses for this one time event but there must be a few who don't have any escorts" He said sarcastically not buying it..
"Well maybe their dates fell out at the last minute or something?" Summer said. Ryan smiled. "Look I just would rather not take some random girl to prom so I figured I'm better off going alone" He said. The bell rang. "But Ryan" The bell interrupted. "Ugh I'll see you later before I'm late" she said. "Okay" he said thinking that the conversation they just had was weird.
He found Seth in the quad. "Hey" He said sitting down at the bench across from him. "Ryan hey" He said. "So what's the deal with Summer and the fact that she finds it extremely important that I not go stag to the prom?" Ryan said.
"I'm sorry you were going to go alone to prom?" Seth said. "Yeah. Why not?" He said. "Ryan we're talking about the senior prom it's the most memorable moment of our high school years and you want to go alone?" He said.
"Well I had asked Sadie but then she left and now it's two weeks until prom and everyone else already have dates" He said. Seth looked behind them and spotted Marissa reading on the steps of the quad. "Not everyone" Seth said drawing attention to her. Ryan turned and looked at her.
"What you want me to go with Marissa?" He said. "Why not?" He said. "She doesn't have a date?" Ryan said actually surprised. "Apparently not so you should ask her" He said. "If this is your way to try and talk me into the idea of me and Marissa as anything more than friends I'm not going to fall for it" He said looking at Seth.
"No of course not I'm over that I just thought you guys could go. We all could share a limo and hang out together. It's like your killing two birds with one stone" He said. Ryan looked at Marissa. "You don't think she'll find it weird?" He said.
"Definitely not you should ask her. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go study for this Chem quiz next period. Good luck man" Seth said tapping him on the back.
He turned to stare at Marissa and thought about what Seth said. "What the hell?" He said getting up to go buy the tickets. He figured he would just ask her later.
What you have to look forward to next time: Ryan asks Marissa to prom. What will she say? Marissa finds herselfopening up to Seth in a new way.