Disclaimer: Right… like the ownership of "The OC" was turned over to me in a matter of four days since I last said I didn't own it. Please.

A/N: So I'm pretty proud of myself for getting this finished so quick. I didn't think I'd have time and then I did and here you go! But don't expect another chapter anytime this week – it's sorority recruitment week which means I'm basically a slave to my organization. Awesome. (Note the sarcasm.) So yeah, enjoy this chapter.

Also, there's a little foreshadowing here from Sandy and Kirsten. Because, you know, I'm not that evil. Even though the whole story up to now might seem like I am.

Read. Enjoy. And review! (Because, let's face it, that DOES make me want to write faster - when I eventually do have time again.)

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Seth had decided, after soaking the random shirt he grabbed off of the floor of tears that now ran his eyes dry, that as soon as Ryan got there he was going to tell him he was over the break up, that he wasn't going to wallow because he had too much work to do, and that he was heading to Newport that day instead of the next.

He hoped Ryan would come with him because he didn't think he'd make the entire ride down there without running his car over a cliff.

His future was basically void – why bother living anymore?

Ryan smartly decided to go down with him. Taking the keys from Seth's hand, he plopped himself in Seth's Toyota 2007 Camry's (a regular, non-Newpsie car – but that's the only type of car Seth would allow himself to own) driver seat, despite arguments from Seth about him being the only one allowed to drive his car.

"No way. You'd drive us off the road. And I've had enough deadly car accidents to last a lifetime," Ryan had stated.

Seth stood silently, before nodding and getting into the passenger's seat. He didn't want Ryan to start getting all broody on the drive down, reliving Marissa's death once again, so he gave up the fight and obliged by Ryan's wishes.

Ryan knew that this was probably the closest Seth had ever come to knowing how Ryan had felt when Marissa died. Even though Ryan and Marissa hadn't been together when she passed, they had been through hell and came back stronger as friends. Ryan had been looking forward to a future including Marissa in it – good or bad, friends or more. And in that one night, everything had changed so drastically that for the longest two months to follow, he couldn't even contemplate his future. Feeling that it had just suddenly been ripped away from him, everything seemed like a dead end. And his life had seemed like it had peaked at eighteen, falling quickly to its demise before his half birthday.

Ryan took a glance to his right to see Seth's face leaning against the window, staring solemnly out onto the road. Seth's face wore the same expression Ryan's did the entire two, excruciatingly long months following Marissa's death.

Ryan was sure Seth thought his future looked like an empty black hole.

"Seth, man, you'll get past it, you know? Like, eventually… things just kind of turn out okay."

Seth didn't respond, he just continued staring out the window.

"I mean it. Dude, I know it sucks right now. Believe me, I do," Ryan chose his words carefully, "But, you know… it's not like she's dead... or anything."

Seth gradually lifted his head from the glass and peered over at Ryan, "I know she's not. And I'm not wallowing, Ryan. I'm thinking about stuff. Like, should I get a new roommate? Or, you know what? Maybe I'll just move back to Rhode Island earlier. I gotta find another place to live out there anyway – or at least another roommate – seeing as I doubt Summer will stop being neurotic as soon as she touches Rhode Island soil."

"It's okay if you want to wallow, you know."

"I'm not wallowing. And I'm not agonizing. Summer's done screwing with my life. I just need to refigure everything."

Ryan slowly nodded as Seth returned his head back to the window, leaning harder on the glass than he intended, but enjoying the pain it gave him.

Ryan and Seth spent the rest of the ride back to Newport Beach in silence.

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"So should we knock?" Seth asked as both he and Ryan stood with their gym bags for their overnight stay in their hands.

"Well, we don't really live here anymore so I guess…?"

Seth shrugged. "I know, it's just it doesn't feel like a knocking thing. I mean, man, we've never had to knock before."

"Yeah, but we've never not lived here."

"This is true." Seth nodded his head in thought.

Ryan lifted his hand up, about to knock but Seth spoke up again. "Can we just go over a few things before we knock?"

"Umm," Ryan looked at him puzzled but retrieved his hand, "Sure."

"Okay, so this whole break up thing – can we not mention it to the parental units? I mean, I'd rather not have to hash up everything and start crying again – not that I was crying before."

Ryan smirked. "Right, your face was just red when I got there because of what again?"

"The heat," Seth replied sternly.

"The heat?" Ryan chuckled. "You've lived in Southern California your whole life. How is the heat affecting you now?"

"I've lived in Rhode Island for practically the past two years. The cold weather is starting to affect my physical attributes."

Ryan laughed again. "Attributes? Apparently Rhode Island has affected your vocabulary."

"Whatever, man, just don't -"

Just then, the door swung open to reveal an ecstatic Kirsten and a beaming Sandy.

"Boys! You're early!" Kirsten flung her arms around both of the boys' shoulders as Sandy laughed.

"We heard you two chatting outside for the past two minutes. Trying to decide who's gonna knock?" Sandy quipped.

Kirsten let them go, "Oh boys, you don't have to knock!"

Seth and Ryan smiled. "We know mom," Seth said as he started into the house, followed closely by Ryan. "We just thought it would be a selfless gesture. Showing we respect that it's your house and we're just merely guests now."

"We definitely don't expect to hold that to you, Seth," Sandy laughed. "When were you ever really selfless?"

Ryan grunted, smirking. "Yeah, when, man?"

"Yeah," Kirsten, still beaming added in, "Was it when you sailed off, letting us all worry or was it when you spent your entire high school years pining over Summer, hurting anyone else who got in the way?"

Seth and Ryan smiled awkwardly.

Sandy immediately spoke up, curiosity taking over. "Speaking of Summer – where is she? We thought she was coming too."

"Oh," Seth replied quickly. "She had a lot of work to do. You know, deadlines and stuff."

Kirsten and Sandy nodded.

"Of course. Summer's a working girl now," Kirsten smiled. "Well, we invited Dr. Roberts and Julie over for dinner tomorrow thinking she was coming. But whichever, I'm sure they'll be excited to see you both as it is."

"Yes, because Dr. Roberts has always been a fan of mine," Seth muttered sarcastically.

Kirsten put her arm affectionately on Seth's arm. "He enjoys your company now, Seth. He says he even misses your witty remarks around the house. I even heard him talking to Julie about how he hopes you and Summer's children have your sense of humor."

Seth smiled uncomfortably again but Ryan spoke up. "So, where do you want us to put our stuff?"

Both Sandy and Kirsten noticed the sudden shift in conversation but went along with it nonetheless, "Your old rooms are fine."

Seth and Ryan nodded and silently walked up to Seth's old room and the pool house, respectively.

"Did you notice that?" Kirsten asked Sandy, indicating the obviously awkward subject change, as Sandy nodded. "What do you think that means?"

"That Summer doesn't really have a lot of work back in LA but that Seth did something to upset her so she decided not to come until Seth came up with some grand gesture to convince her he's sorry."

Kirsten raised her eyebrows. "You got all that from the subject change?"

"No, I heard Seth telling Ryan not to tell us about the break up. They were talking about it before we opened the door. So I'm assuming Summer broke up with him. Again." Sandy smiled and kissed Kirsten. "Don't worry, they'll work it out."

Kirsten smiled into Sandy's kiss. "They always do."

"They learn from the best," Sandy mumbled as he continued kissing his wife.

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Later that night after dinner, sounds of Seth's ring tone flooded his childhood room. Seth reached into his pocket and looked at the caller ID on his duct-taped phone (due to his temper tantrum of flinging it across the room earlier that morning) before answering.

It was Summer.

Seth flipped the phone open and answered hesitantly, "Summer?"

A man's voice came through instead. "No, actually it's Chad. Summer's friend from work? Remember?"

Seth sighed. "Oh, umm… hi, Chad."

"Hi, I just wanted to let you know Summer's staying with me. She didn't want to call you but I felt that you should at least know where she was."

"Well, thank you. That's… umm… that's good to know."

"But Summy doesn't want you to come chasing after her. I think she just needs a little time, you know?"

"Not really," Seth retorted. "Tell me Chad – why does she feel the need to break up with me – even thought she says she loves me -, saying that apparently I need some time to figure shit out, and then decide she needs time for herself. Tell me Chad, what the fuck happened. And let me just preface this by saying if you had any part in this I cannot be held accountable for my actions once I come back to LA."

"I didn't tell her to do it. I swear. In fact, I told her not to do it. She just… you know, actually, Seth I shouldn't be talking to you about this. Like, it's totally not my place."

"You called me. I asked you. It sure fucking is your place."

"She wants you to see other people."

"Why the fuck would she want that?" Seth spat. "Why would she want me to date other people if she's in love with me? Or is she not anymore? Did she just not have the guts to tell me to my face that she doesn't want a future with me anymore? God, I knew this living together thing was going to blow up in my face – I should have just listened to the guys back on campus when they told me moving in with a girlfriend wasn't a smart idea," Seth rambled.

"Seth, she's in love with you. That's why she thinks she has to do this."

Seth shook his head without realizing Chad couldn't see the gesture, "Uh uh. Nope. Doesn't make sense."

"She wants you to be happy."

"I am happy – was happy – whatever! What have I done to show her that I'm miserable!" Seth yelled into the phone as Ryan entered his room, sending Seth a questionable look.

"There's other girls…"

"No there aren't! There are no other girls! There is only Summer! Where is she? I want to talk to her!"

On Chad's end, Summer had entered seeing Chad on her phone, and she, clad in her pajamas, knew instantly that the yelling coming through her phone was from Seth. "I'm sorry, Seth. I have to go."

"No! I want to fucking talk to Summer!"

"Bye," Chad hung up the phone.

"Shit!" Seth yelled as he threw the phone on his bed.

Ryan, who was now leaning up against Seth's wall chewing an apple, looked over to him. "Over it, huh?"

Seth grunted as he pulled out his briefcase. "I have to get this research done."

Ryan simply nodded and headed back out the door.

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"I'm sorry," Chad said as he shut Summer's phone and handed it back to Summer.

"I know. You probably did the right thing. I don't want him to worry."

"He's worrying a lot, sweetie."

Summer swiped some hair away from her face that had fallen out of her messy ponytail. "Yeah, well…"

"Summy, maybe this isn't as great of an idea as you thought. He loves you. You could hear his heart breaking over the phone. His voice says it all."

"His actions say otherwise," Summer scoffed.

Chad walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "I don't think he wants to be with other girls."

"You don't know that."

"You don't know that he does."

Summer released herself from his grip. "I'm going to bed. Or to the couch. Whatever. Thanks for the blankets."

Chad sighed as Summer walked out the doorway as Stephen appeared. "She's not rethinking anything, huh?" Stephen whispered.

"She's determined to make him date other people. But, from talking to him on the phone – or actually him yelling at me on the phone –he doesn't sound like he wants to date anyone else. Ever. Again."

"So Summer's gonna be waiting awhile?"

Chad sighed again. "Yeah… I wish she wouldn't be so stubborn." Chad fell onto the bed as Stephen followed his action.

"Stubborn?"

Chad nodded. "I know I haven't known her that long but I think it's pretty easy to see she's now realizing she might have made a mistake but she's too determined to prove herself right. Even if she is ruining her relationship – which just happens to coincide with her future."

Summer stood outside the door, a little further down the hallway listening to Chad and Stephen's conversation. She wasn't being stubborn. She was looking out for what was best for both her and Seth in the long run. This would probably help them both be able to stay friends later in life when Seth married the girl he was meant to be with and she… well… when she watched from the sidelines.

Summer slinked over to the couch and covered the sheet up around her, trying to fall asleep.

She wasn't being stubborn. She wasn't ruining her future.

She was just ruining her relationship with the only guy who ever gave a damn about her.

But that was the intention.

Right?