Just a quick note for the reviewers there's definitely not going to be a Seth and Marissa hook up just keep in mind that isn't where I'm going to go in this story for those of you who commented about that. Also thanks for reviewing I'm really glad you like what you're reading!
Later was pretty soon actually Ryan had just purchased his tickets and ran smack dab into her on the way out of the office. Knocking Marissa's book to the floor and with that the tickets. "Sorry" He said.
She laughed. "Don't worry about it" She said bending to pick up her notebook that had sprawled across the floor and then she noticed the tickets which she grabbed and she looked at him. "I think these are yours" She said standing up. He took them.
He nodded. "So you're going" She said. "Yeah I am" He said. She nodded. "Well that's good it looks like every senior from Harbor will be in attendance" She said following him out to the hallway. "You?" He said. "Part of social committee. Yeah it's pretty much a given but you knew that so" she said with a little laugh.
He was nervous and he didn't know why." Right of course" he said. She looked at him strangely. "Are you okay?" She said. "Yeah" he said. "Are you sure because your acting like your trying to talk to me about something but sort of don't know how to tell me" She said.
He laughed forgetting just how well she knew him. "Okay so I was supposed to go to prom with Sadie" He said. "Right" she said listening. "But now she's gone" He said. "Okay" She said. "So I had planned on going alone to the prom but according to Seth and Summer it's supposed to be a memorable event and I can't go to it by myself" He said.
"You were going to go stag? I'm sure there are like a zillion girls who would go with you" She said joking. "I'm only interested in one in particular" He said hoping she would get the point. She was intrigued. "So who is she?" She said with a shrug definitely curious. "Well seeing as how I really don't want to go to this thing with some random girl you see Seth sort of mentioned he paused.
Suddenly it clicked. She laughed. "Ryan are you trying to ask me to go with you to the prom?" She said. "Sort of. Kind of badly but yeah" He said. She smiled. "Did it work? I mean was Seth right?" He said.
"Well yeah I sort of turned down a few people just because of the random thing so I get it" she said. "So what do you say? Will you go to prom with me? As friends of course you know we can hang with Seth and Summer share a limo" He said looking at her.
" Sure. Sounds like fun" She said. He smiled and he didn't know he was so happy. "Okay so you just saved me from going with Taylor Townsend" He said. "Taylor asked you to the prom?" She said.
"Yeah although I would never want to go with her I just didn't have the heart to lie to her so now I have a legitimate reason" He said. She grinned. "Well that's what I'm good for" she said.
The bell rang signaling the end of the period. "So I have to go to AP physics" he said. "Have fun" She said sarcastically. "Alright I'll see you later" He said walking away. She didn't know if she wanted to kill Seth or hug him for now she opted to go to class.
After school Marissa had let herself into the Cohen house. She figured she could find him here. She went up the stairs and headed for his room. She knocked. "Come in" Seth said. "Hey" she said coming in.
He turned from his computer. "Marissa hey you know Ryan's actually working today" He said. "You said if I wanted to talk" She said reminding him. "Right of course Have a seat" He said patting the bed and she sat .
This seemed weird that here she was in the Cohen house and she was discussing something with Seth it was certainly a change. "So?" He said. "So Ryan asked me to go to the prom" She said. He nodded. "And you said?" He said. "Yes" She said. "Okay" He said.
"And for a minute I was happy and then poof he reminded me that we were going as friends" She said. "It bummed you out didn't it?" He said. She nodded. "I figured" He said. "Thank you for trying though" She said. He nodded.
"Well so did you ever think of telling him?" Seth said. She laughed. "Yeah there's a conversation that I'd like to have "Hey Ryan what's up? Oh by the way I love you and I forgot to tell you that"" she said saying it out loud for the first time.
Seth didn't seem surprised. "Please don't say anything" She said sadly staring at him. "I won't say a word. I understand where you're coming from" He said. "It's funny I usually go to Summer with stuff like this but I just couldn't talk to her about it. I don't know why?" She said.
"And you feel like you can talk to me?" He said. "Well to be honest this seemed a little weird but now that we're talking it doesn't feel like that" She said. "So for the record you were pretty pissed when I told you Ryan was taking Holly to the prom?" He said.
She glared at him. "Let's put it this way that would have been like me telling you that Zack was taking Summer to the prom" She said. "Yeah that would be bad" He said. "You're telling me" She said with a laugh. "So is this a new revelation?" He said.
"I think it's been there for awhile and I'm finding it really hard to keep it hidden" She said. "So why don't you be open with him?" He said. "Okay and if I do that what if he tells me he doesn't love me? Or he doesn't even like me like that? What then? I'm just not ready to deal with that" She said.
"I'm sure going away to College isn't helping either. I mean a few weeks we graduate and few months after that the life as we know it is over" Seth said. She laughed and nodded. "I might have a solution to that" She said. "Really found a way to move NYU to California" Seth said with a laugh.
She laughed. "No but you can not say anything to anyone because I'm not even sure I'm going to do this. I applied to a school on the west coast in California actually" She said. "But I thought you said" He said. "I haven't told anyone not even Summer" She said. "Okay" He said.
"I applied to Berkeley and actually got in" She said. "You applied to Berkeley for Ryan?" Seth said surprised.
"Well you applied to USC for Summer. Besides yes it has to do with Ryan but I did it on the safe side just in case I wasn't ready to leave my life behind. I mean if I decided to go I would be a few hours from New Port and I could still see my mom, the Cohen's, you guys frequently and if I went to NYU well I see you all at Christmas break and in the spring. I just wasn't sure if I was ready to let go just yet" She said.
"I could understand that but look I know this thing with Ryan is a little weird but I think you should talk to Summer about Berkeley at least you know because if there's anyone who could help you decide it's her" Seth said. She smiled. "You know I never thought we'd have this much in common before" She said.
"Yeah who would have thought" Seth said. "Thanks Seth" She said. "Not a problem and my door always open" He said. She nodded. "Thanks and your right I think it's about time I finally talked to Summer" she said getting up to go. "Good luck" He said and she left.
Marissa got home a little later then expected because after the Cohen's she decided to take a walk by the beach before going home.
She peaked in to see Summer on her bed at work on her laptop. "Is this a bad time?" Marissa said. Summer looked up. "No of course not come sit" she said patting a space for her a setting the laptop on a nearby stand.
"What's up?" She said. "I've been hiding this for awhile. No one knows not even Ryan and I've been wanting to tell you but I just couldn't. I don't know why" She said. "You got in didn't you?" She said.
Marissa looked at her a little surprised. "How did you?" She said. "The day we went to the diner I had left my sweater in your room that afternoon and the maid must have put it in your dresser so I found it and knocked over a few papers and when I went and picked them up I noticed the Berkeley symbol so I just figured that you had applied" Summer said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She said. "Because as bummed as I was that you didn't tell me I figured it was deeper and that you just needed time to figure things out. So I was just gonna wait until you felt ready to talk about it" Summer said. Marissa nodded understanding where she was coming from.
"So anyways I got in" Marissa said. Summer smiled. "I figured" She said. "I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to go. I just wanted to have the option you know. I guess I sort of did it for security and I mean I wouldn't be alone there, you and Seth would be a few hours away, and I could come home often. I just wasn't sure if I could live my life without you guys" Marissa said. Summer smiled sadly.
"Well for the record I don't know if I'm ready to live my life without you" Summer said. She smiled. "So Seth tricked Ryan into asking me to the prom" she said. "So you guys are going together" She said.
"Yeah it'll be fun at least" She said. Summer nodded. "I'm afraid to tell him" she said looking at Summer. "You're afraid to tell Ryan that you like him?" She said. "I'm afraid of what he might say" She said looking at her.
"You don't think he might feel the same way?" Summer said. "Well he doesn't act like he does or at least to me anyway" She said. "Okay so maybe you should wait until you go to the prom. Maybe things will be different maybe you'll find out where you stand" Summer said.
"And if I don't?" She said. "Well you'll always have me Coop" she said giving her a hug. "Thanks Sum" she said. "What are best friends for" she said with a smile. "So for the Record I think you should go to Berkeley" Summer said.
"And this has nothing to do with the fact that will be in the same state?" she said with a laugh. "Well duh Coop that's like the most important fact to begin with.
So are you going to think about?" She said. "Yeah and this definitely helped Seth was right" She said. "Wait you talked to Seth" She said. "I made him promise not to say anything" Marissa said. Summer smiled.
"Okay but next time just talk to me Coop" Summer said. "I promise Sum. Still best friends?" She said. Summer smiled. "Still best friends" Summer said hugging Marissa. Marissa smiled feeling better since she had talked to Summer
In the next chapter: Kirsten finds about Marissa and Ryan going to Prom together. Thegang hang at the bait shop. And Marissa once again is reminded that her relationship with Ryan is strictly platonic which makes her feel like it will never happen for them.