Seth opened his eyes and looked over at the clock on his bed-side table. 7:45 A.M. He closed his eyes tightly before opening them again. His fingers slowly moved towards his eyes and he rubbed them hard. A million thoughts were running through his head, and he was trying to sort reality from the dreams he had while sleeping. Although he wished more than anything that last night's events hadn't been real, he knew they were. It just hadn't sunk in yet, but sooner or later, he knew it would hit him. Marissa was dead. Right now, however, his main priority was making sure Ryan was okay. Seth yawned, exhausted from the small amount of sleep he had received, as he got out of bed and walked out of his bedroom. Seth quickly made his way down the hall to his parents' room, and gentle opened the door, peering in. He saw that both his parents were fast asleep, so he entered the room.

Kirsten opened her eyes when she heard her name being whispered. The first image she saw was Seth leaning over her, gently pushing her arm to wake her up. "Hi sweetie."

"Do you think we could go to the hospital? Ryan's probably going to be awake soon."

Kirsten looked over at the clock and then gave Seth a smile. "Sure, we can. Let me just go get dressed," she got out of bed. "Wake your father," Kirsten walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Seth paused and looked around the room. Everything was completely silent, except for the faint noise of his father breathing in his sleep. Seth glanced over at a picture standing up on Sandy's bedside table. It was a picture of Ryan and Seth smiling, all dressed up at Cotillion. A slight smile appeared across Seth's face. "Dad," he finally called out. "Wake up."

Sandy grumbled as he turned over and opened his eyes. "Seth."

"Get up, we're going to see Ryan soon," Seth said as he turned and left the room.

Sandy shot up immediately, as the previous night's events rushed back to him. He quickly got out of bed and went to his closet to grab some clothes.
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Kaitlin stretched in her bed with a big smile on her face as the sun from outside shone in through the windows. She jumped out of bed, feeling good about the way things were shaping up. Kaitlin walked out of her room and down the hall. "Mom," she called out, but got no answer. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, looking forward to breakfast as her stomach grumbled. She smiled when she saw Neil standing in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Morning Step-father."

Neil froze immediate when he heard Kaitlin's voice. Oh god, he thought to himself. They hadn't woken up Kaitlin last night. She was completely oblivious to everything. "Kaitlin," he looked up as she walked across the kitchen to grab some cereal.

"Where's my mom?" Kaitlin wondered aloud.

Neil's cup of coffee slipped out of his hand and hit the ground, shattering everywhere. "Damnit," he quickly stepped out of the way to avoid the hot coffee that was slowly spreading on the floor.

"Whoa, relax buddy," Kaitlin laughed as she poured the milk into her cereal at the kitchen counter.

"Sorry," Neil looked down, trying to think of what to say to her. "Kaitlin, there's something I need to let you know. I understand that this probably shouldn't come from me, but it wouldn't be fair to have you wait any longer before telling you."

"Oh god, what did I do now?" Kaitlin crossed the kitchen and placed her bowl on the table.

"Kaitlin, this is a serious matter," Neil walked across the kitchen and stopped in front of the table.

Kaitlin immediately knew by his tone that he was being completely serious. She looked up at him, anxious to hear what he was going to say. "What is it?"

"Marissa and Ryan were involved in a car accident last night," Neil looked down to the ground.

Kaitlin's heart started beating faster and faster as she thought of the different possible outcomes. "What? Are they okay?"

Neil closed his eyes for a moment before facing Kaitlin. "I'm so sorry. Your sister didn't make it."

The image of her sister's corpse flashed before her eyes before she pushed back her chair as fast as she could. "I have to go," Kaitlin turned around and ran out of the kitchen, down the hall, and out the front door.
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Summer stared out at the vast ocean, her eyes wide open, as she leaned against the lifeguard tower that was formerly occupied by Marissa. Marissa used to come here to think about things, but it wasn't making Summer feel any better. Her eyes were wide open, and had been wide open all night. She hadn't even thought about sleeping. All she could think about was Marissa. Her best friend since they started school together. Dead. Gone. Forever. Summer just stared out at the ocean and recounted every single memory of Marissa, and she still couldn't comprehend the fact that Marissa was gone. It didn't make any sense to her. She couldn't be dead. She was perfectly fine only 12 hours ago as they swam and laughed together at the model home. It couldn't be real. It couldn't.
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Ryan carefully opened his eyes, moaning from the pain that his body was feeling. He was uncomfortable, and unaware of his surroundings. Ryan sat up and looked around the room, noticing all the different items found in a hospital. Finally, he knew where he was. Now all he needed to do was figure out why. Ryan looked down and saw the bruises that went up his arms. Immediately, the feeling of being inside the car as it rolled down the hill came back to him. Marissa. Ryan tried hard to remember her condition when he last saw her, but he couldn't. The last thing he could remember was lying by the side of the road, Marissa wrapped in his arms. Was she okay? She had to be okay. He had to find out. Ryan threw the covers off him and got off the bed. His entire body slightly ached, but he could easily manage walking through the hospital. Ryan looked around the room and saw his jeans and shirt folded on the chair by the bed. He grabbed them, went into the bathroom, and quickly changed. The first thing he noticed was the blood on his jeans. Ryan walked out of the room and looked down the hospital hall. It was almost empty, except for one nurse walking away from him. Ryan walked the other direction and headed for the main lobby of the hospital. Finally, he found the place he was looking for, and walked up to the information desk. "Hi, I'm looking for a patient. Marissa Cooper."

The woman looked up with a smile, which quickly disappeared when she saw the blood on Ryan's clothes, and the bruises on his face. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Marissa Cooper," Ryan repeated. "What room is she in? I need to see her immediately."

"Sir, I really think I should call someone in to see you," the woman insisted. "You look like you've had a pretty rough night, and you should probably get checked out."

"Look," Ryan leaned closer to her. "I woke up this morning in a hospital bed, and the last image I can remember is lying at the side of the highway with my girlfriend after our car exploded. I just need to know if she's okay."

The woman paused, surprised by Ryan's forwardness, and nodded before looking down. Marissa Cooper, she typed into the computer. She scanned down the list of all the Coopers that popped up until she saw Marissa's name, and pushed enter. The clerk quickly read the file before pausing, afraid to look up at Ryan.

"What room is she in?" Ryan asked once again, getting impatient.

She bit her bottom lip before looking up at Ryan. "I'm so, so sorry, Sir. It appears that she had already passed away last night when she arrived."

Ryan stared at the woman as all the life in his face quickly faded away. "What do you mean?" he asked, although he knew exactly what she meant. Ryan turned away immediately before she had time to answer. All of the rage inside of him began to rise as he tried to block the information from his mind. Ryan fiercely headed for the exit of the hospital, just as Seth, Sandy and Kirsten were walking in.

"Ryan!" Kirsten ran forward. "Thank God you're okay."

Ryan walked right past her without even acknowledging her presence. He stormed right out the door, past Seth and Sandy. Kirsten turned around and looked at Sandy.

Seth looked at both of his parents. "Maybe he didn't see us." Seth turned around and ran out the hospital doors. "Ryan," he called out as he crossed the parking lot.

Ryan kept walking, faster and faster, completely ignoring the outside world.

"Ryan," Seth started to run until he finally caught up to Ryan. Seth put his hand on Ryan's shoulder to stop him, but Ryan turned around and shoved Seth as hard as he could. Seth stumbled back, almost falling to the ground. "What the hell, Ryan. Stop walking."

"Shut up Seth," Ryan said as he continued to walk.

"Talk to me," Seth called out as he ran up to Ryan. "We can get through this. We all need to help each other."

"I don't need your help," Ryan continued to cross the parking lot.

Seth turned around and saw his parents getting closer. "Ryan, please," he grabbed Ryan's shoulder once more.

Ryan spun around, grabbed Seth by the collar, and raised his fist. Seth noticed the fury in Ryan's eyes, and looked away, genuinely scared by what Ryan might do to him. Ryan saw the fear in Seth's eyes and pushed him away.

Sandy and Kirsten started running when they saw Seth hit the ground. Kirsten kneeled beside Seth when she reached him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Seth said as he grabbed Sandy's hand, which helped pull him up.

All three of them turned and watched Ryan in the distance, getting smaller and smaller as he started to run.

Seth wiped the blood off his elbow and onto his jeans. "Should we go after him?"

"I don't know," Kirsten ran her fingers through her hair. "I wish we had gotten here before he woke up. I don't know what he's going to do."

"He looked dangerous," Sandy said as he pulled out his cell phone and started dialing a number. "We need to try and calm him down before he does something he's going to regret." Sandy waited a moment before getting Ryan's answering machine. "Ryan, it's me. I know you're upset, but give me a call when you get this. We're all upset, and it's best if we're all together."

"I can't believe this," Kirsten shook her head, as the reality of the situation was starting to sink in. "Oh my god," she closed her eyes and pictured Marissa. "I should call Julie. I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through," she pulled out her cell phone and dialed.
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Julie pushed the empty bottle of vodka away from her as her cell phone started to vibrate on the bed-side table. She looked around the motel room that she hadn't gotten any sleep in, before reaching for her cell phone. She looked at the call display. Kirsten. Julie closed her eyes as she flipped open the phone and put it to her ear.

Kirsten heard the click when Julie answered, but everything remained silent. Julie didn't speak. "Julie?" Kirsten hesitated. "Are you there?"

"Hi," Julie said faintly.

"If you need to be alone let me know immediately," Kirsten said right away. "I just thought maybe you'd like to talk to someone."

Julie tried to contain her tears. She sniffed before responding. "Kiki, can you come to me?"

"Of course I can," Kirsten said in the hospital parking lot. "Are you at home?"

"The Mermaid Inn," Julie told her quickly. "Room 18."
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Ryan slowed turned the Cohen's front door open. He walked into the house, looking around him, making sure no one was there. Ryan had one thing on his mind, and only one thing. He walked fiercely into the kitchen, and opened the drawer that held the cutlery. Ryan ruffled through the drawer until he found what he was looking for. Slowly, he pulled out a large butcher's knife and stared at the shining steel. After a moment, he slammed the drawer shut and stormed out of the house.
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Kaitlin lit the joint in her hand before putting it to her lips and carefully inhaling. She took a long hit, and then another, and then another. Exhale. She looked down as she felt the cold ocean's water brush up against her flip flops every few seconds. Inhale, exhale. Kaitlin looked up at the pier above her and saw various people in the distance, walking, holding hands, eating ice cream, enjoying the California morning. If only she could be like them. Less than twelve hours ago, she was one of them. But the news she had just heard changed everything. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Inhale, exhale. Marissa couldn't be gone. Her big sister? The girl who she envied her entire life? No, it wasn't true. Marissa was going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay. Life doesn't change that fast. It's impossible. Neil must have been mistaken. Marissa was probably landing safely in Hawaii right now, about to meet up with their father. Kaitlin took another hit, desperately trying to calm herself down. It wasn't working. A million thoughts were running through her mind as she began to panic. It couldn't be true. If it was true, Julie would've woken her up last night. Right?
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Summer picked up a handful of sand and then watched the grains slowly fall through the cracks between her fingers. Something about the sand felt calming, it kept her at ease. She picked up another handful, watched it fall. Her eyes hadn't been dry since the middle of the night. She was still trying to understand how it happened. She had no idea. One minute, she was saying goodbye to Marissa, wishing her the best of luck in the future. The next minute, she was standing in a hospital, crying in Seth's arms. How did it happen? Why did they crash? Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her cell phone ringing. Summer reached into her purse and pulled it out, looking at the call display. Seth. She paused before flipping open the phone. "Hi."

"Hey," Seth sat on his bed. "Are you okay?"

Summer remained silent as she watched the sand fall through her fingers. "Where are you?"

"I'm at home," he told her. "We just got back from the hospital."

"How's Ryan?" Summer wondered.

Seth looked down, thinking about what happened in the parking lot. "Not good. He went off on me in the parking lot. We don't know where he is."

"He probably needs to be alone," Summer stared out at the ocean.

"Yeah," Seth paused. "What about you? Do you need to be alone? Or do you want me to come see you."

Summer closed her eyes and thought about it for a second. At first, she thought she'd rather be alone, but after sitting alone on the beach all night and all morning, maybe it would be good to talk to someone. "Yeah, that would be good. I'm at the beach. Marissa's life-guard tower."

Seth went silent when he heard her location. He looked down and thought about Marissa. It was starting to sink in that she was really gone. "Okay. I'll be there soon."
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Kirsten stopped in front of room 18. She took a deep breath before knocking. Although Julie was her closest friend, she knew this was going to be a tough conversation. As she closed her eyes, she raised her hand and knocked twice.

Julie looked up at the door when she heard the knocking. "Kiki?" she called out.

Kirsten turned the door knob and walked in. "Oh my god," Kirsten quickly walked to Julie and opened her arms.

Julie stood up from the bed and hugged her friend tightly. "It's so good to see you," Julie said as she held onto Kirsten. After a couple seconds, Julie stopped trying to hide her emotions, and broke down in Kirsten's arms.

"I'm so sorry," Kirsten rubbed Julie's back as she cried into her shoulder. "I can't even imagine how you feel," Kirsten eyes filled with water as she thought about Marissa, and the pain that Julie was going through.

"I just can't believe it," Julie pulled away and grabbed the bottle of vodka from the bedside table. "After everything we've been through, every fight we've had, every moment where I've felt like she loves me. It's all gone. It's all over," Julie raised the bottle to her lips and took a sip. Julie closed her eyes as the strong liquor went down her throat. When she was finished, she offered the bottle to Kirsten.

Kirsten gave Julie a look. "Uh, Julie…"

"Oh my god, Kirsten," Julie put the bottle down on the table. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. I'm so disoriented, I can't even think straight."

"That's completely understandable," Kirsten sat down on the bed.

"Well, I hope you don't mind that I'm drinking in front of you," Julie took another sip. "Because this bottle right here is pretty much the only thing that's keeping me from killing someone."

As Kirsten watched Julie speak, she tried to imagine what it would be like to lose Seth. It would be completely devastating to lose Ryan too, but it wouldn't be the same. Seth was completely hers, and had been his entire life. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how she would cope if Seth was ever taken from her.

"Oh god," Julie paused. "I just realized something."

"What," Kirsten looked up after getting lost in her own thoughts.

"Kaitlin," Julie looked horrified. "I haven't told Kaitlin. I completely forgot about her. I didn't even wake her up last night when we left for the hospital."
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"Summer," Seth called out as he approached the famous life-guard tower.

Summer was sitting on the sand beside it. She turned her head when she heard her name and gave Seth a weak smile. "Hi."

He jogged towards her and sat down on the beach next to her. Seth didn't know how to act around her. He had never been in a situation like this. "How are you doing?"

"I don't know," Summer watched the sand fall through her fingers once more. "I can't even tell if it's already hit me or not. I feel numb inside, but I feel like something bigger is coming."

Seth took her head in his. "I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine how much this is affecting you. Do you want to talk about it, or do you want some distractions?"

Summer picked up some more sand and sprinkled it in front of her as she looked up at the sun. "I don't want anything right now. Just silence. Can we just sit here, together, but alone?"

Seth looked into Summer's eyes and nodded before her eyes drifted back towards the sea. Seth watched Summer repetitively pick up the sand and slowly release it, and eventually he found himself doing the same.
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Ryan walked down the dirty, familiar hallway that led to a half open door. The butcher's knife was safely wrapped in his fingers, and his clothing was still bloody. Ryan looked like a complete mess, like he had just walked out of a deadly bar fight. The fury inside of him was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Ryan pushed open the door completely and barged into the trashy apartment. In his mind, he flashbacks to his previous experiences in this place. The fight that triggered his memories of Trey, and almost led to him killing someone. Unfortunately that day, he didn't end up killing Volchok. Now, he wished he had, and he was ready to finish it. Ryan gripped the knife harder as he walked around the place.

"Where the hell are you," he yelled out. "Come out you bastard, I'll kill you, I swear," the anger in Ryan grew stronger. He raised the knife and stabbed through the translucent red and blue sheets that hung from the ceiling. Ryan quickly moved through the place, picking things up and breaking them as he passed various objects. Volchok was nowhere to be found. The place looked rather empty. He had definitely come and gone since the accident. Volchok was fully aware what he had done, and now he was trying to get away. Ryan flung the butcher's knife across the room, causing a window to shatter. Ryan wasn't prepared to let him get away.