Disclaimer: Absolutely not and probably never will it be mine.

A/N: Well, the uplifting confidence boost from all my reviewers was greatly appreciated. You guys make me want to write faster – no lie. So thanks.

Secondly, since this chapter is basically a rather short filler, I decided I'd let you guys in on something good (or at least I hope you'll think of it that way) – I'm hoping to finish up this entire story just in time for the season premiere on November 2nd. So, in terms for all my readers, that means I'll be updating at least once a week – probably every five or so days, actually. Hopefully that brings a smile to your face. :)

Alright, well… as always, read, enjoy, & review please!

And look for another update probably on Saturday!

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Summer struggled, trying to open the door to the apartment building, and was thankful when someone came along, holding it open for her.

She smiled as she looked up and as soon as her eyes came in contact with the other person's, her smiled faded and turned into an icy glare.

"Why, hey there Summer! Going on a vacation or something?" Bethany beamed.

"Not really," Summer tugged her suitcase out the door as Bethany decided to follow.

"Oh no?"

Summer rolled her eyes as Bethany trailed her towards the curb. "No."

"You and Seth didn't have another argument, did you?"

Summer began to mumble incoherent sentences about Bethany being the biggest bitch she had ever met – which was saying something since she was from Newport Beach and Julie Cooper-Nichol-Cooper-Roberts was her stepmother.

"Aw, you're moving out? I knew that you and Seth weren't working out anymore. It just wasn't meant to be. You'll find someone to be happier with. As, I'm sure, Seth will also."

Summer turned around suddenly to a smirking Bethany. "Were you always this evil?"

"Excuse me?"

"Were you always this uptight little California bitch who thrived on seeing other people in pain?"

Bethany rolled her eyes. "Just because your relationship didn't work out doesn't mean you can blame me for it, Summer. You can't use me as the scapegoat."

"I'm not using you as the scapegoat – I'm just using you as the evil bitch," Summer snarled as she turned around again, waving down a taxi.

Bethany smiled, ignoring Summer's comment. "I'll make sure Seth has a shoulder to cry on."

"Great. You do that."

"Have a great life, Summer."

Summer ignored Bethany as she reentered the apartment building and Summer stood waiting for a cab to not only take her away from her apartment, but to take her away from the next door neighbor from hell.

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"So where were you actually planning on going, man?" Ryan asked as they reached Seth's car, this time allowing Seth to drive.

"The pier."

"No, really," Ryan laughed. "Kirsten and Sandy aren't around right now so you can tell me the truth."

"I wasn't lying. I wanna go down to the pier," Seth replied as he buckled himself in and started the car.

"You actually want to go down to the pier?" Seth nodded to Ryan's question. "What for?"

Seth shrugged. "Something to do, I guess."

"That's all we did in high school. And it's all Summer avoided after the accident."

Seth sighed. Ryan never said 'Marissa's death' or 'after Marissa died' or any other type of sentence relation. Just like Summer had avoided the pier after Marissa's sudden death, Ryan avoided saying the name Marissa.

"I know," Seth let his voice soften. "I think that's why I wanna go. You sure you still wanna come?"

Ryan nodded. "If that's what you wanna do, then let's go."

"You don't have to come, you know. I'm not going to drive off the pier or do something irrational like that."

"I want to come. Put the car in drive, Seth."

Seth smiled and put the car into reverse and drove down the driveway.

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Summer trudged up Chad's few flights of stairs, tugging her suitcase behind her. A man, probably a few years older than Summer, holding a sleeping toddler, spoke up behind Summer, startling her.

"You need any help with that?"

Summer stopped mid-stairwell and turned abruptly around, "Ah, thanks but you look like you have your hands full enough," Summer responded, nodding towards the sleeping girl.

The man smiled and started to hand over the child, "Take her."

Summer's face scrunched up. "Umm… what?"

"Just take her for a second. I swear she doesn't bite."

Summer smiled uncomfortably but took the child that was being handed to her. As she did this, he took the suitcase and began carrying it up as Summer followed carrying the child.

"What floor are you on?" the man asked, striking up conversation after a few uncomfortable moments of silence.

"Fifth. Apartment E."

"Ah, yeah, I don't think there was anyway you could make it up three more flights with this thing," the man smiled. "By the way, I'm Rex. And I'd shake your hand to make the introductions proper but I'm afraid this suitcase would fall back down to the ground floor."

Summer smiled. "I'm Summer."

Rex smiled back. "Nice to meet you, Summer. And that sleepy girl you're holding right there is Marissa. And I'm sure if she was awake and could speak proper sentences she'd say it's nice to meet you too."

Summer's smile faltered for a second at the name, but she quickly resumed her composure. "How old is she?"

"Almost two," Rex replied. "Marissa and her mom and I all live on the fourth floor. Apartment C." Rex put the suitcase down in front of Chad's door. "So if you ever need anything or are carrying any more heavy suitcases up five flights of stairs, you know where to find me."

Summer handed baby Marissa back to Rex as she started to stir. Her wide blue eyes opened, peering between her father and Summer with a questionable look before resting her head on her father's shoulder again.

And even though it was only a second, baby Marissa's blue eyes peered into Summer's brown ones and Summer thought she was seeing her best friend again for the first time in two years.

"Thanks," Summer replied as Rex and baby Marissa began to walk back down the stairs. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Summer opened the apartment door and heard giggling coming from the bedroom, knowing Chad and Stephen were in there together. Summer winced only so slightly as she fell onto the couch, turning the TV on to drown out the voices.

She didn't have a problem with things like that – in fact, she was completely in favor of gay rights – but the sounds only brought her reminders of Seth.

And she was already on emotional overload due to moving out of her apartment, coming across the candid photo album, recalling her feelings over Marissa's death, and then finally, meeting a little girl named Marissa with her Marissa's blue eyes. All to top it off with realizing she had just broken up with the man she had dreamt spending her life with, all so he could go date some whore like Bethany and live happily ever after with her.

Summer immediately got up and raced into bathroom.

Suddenly she wasn't feeling so good.

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"So this is what the pier looks like," Seth got out from the car and shut the door. "You know, I know this is gonna sound stupid but I couldn't even remember what it looked like."

Ryan sent him a sideways glance in question as Seth made his way over towards Ryan.

"I mean, it's just been so long since we've been down here. Almost two years. Can you believe that, man? It's been two years, Ryan."

Ryan merely nodded as both he and Seth looked out onto the pier.

"What do you say about the diner? Maybe we can try and get that same booth we always got senior year when we went in. Granted, the mathematical probability of that happening isn't high, but then again it worked for us in high school," Seth smirked.

Ryan smiled in response as he started walking towards the diner. "Come on, man. I'm getting a craving for a Newport burger."

The entire afternoon, Ryan and Seth spent time on the pier and down by the beach. They went to the diner for lunch – and not so shockingly got their old booth when they asked for it -, went over to the Crab Shack for dessert, and then headed over to the Bait Shop to find that it was now a hip place for young junior highers whose overdramatic, girly hair flips and manly 'Dude' sayings were far too annoying for either Seth or Ryan to handle. Then they made their way down to the beach, grabbing a hotdog off a vendor because they were already hungry again, and lastly making their way into a surf shop where Seth decidedly said he was finally going to learn how to surf and Ryan crashed those dreams by saying he couldn't learn in a month and that Providence didn't have the best surf tracking record.

"Plus," Ryan added in, "If you start up with surfing, it's for sure Sandy's genetic make-up has been completely instilled in you. Are you really looking forward to getting those eyebrows?"

Seth had shut up immediately about surfing.

All in all it was a pretty decent Seth-Ryan time afternoon. No more mentions of high school, Marissa, or Summer were had.

The latter of the subjects being the one thing that had Ryan worrying all afternoon.

Ryan had tried to bring up the topic of conversation to Seth but he had always managed to rear the conversation elsewhere. As far as Ryan could tell, Seth was doing perfectly fine. If he hadn't known better, he would never have thought that Summer and Seth had been arguing lately and that Summer had decidedly broken up with him, moving her stuff out of their apartment as they spoke.

But Ryan did know better. And he definitely knew Seth. And there was no way Seth was okay knowing Summer was no longer in his life.

"Hey," Seth jolted Ryan out of his concerns. "It's almost four. I think we should head back and help out a bit. And by help out I mean play a couple of video games before Dr. Roberts and Julie come over."

Ryan smirked. "I knew you weren't really sincere during breakfast about saying you'd help out."

Seth laughed. "Dude, when am I ever sincere?"

"When you talk about Summer," Ryan let slip while laughing, not going unnoticed by Seth's sudden quietness.

"Yeah, well, let's head back." Seth pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Ryan hopped in as well as Seth put on the radio and didn't speak for the rest of the ride, as Ryan wished he could have taken back his comment.

He didn't want to be responsible for sending Seth into a panic spiral before dinner.

He was waiting for the four adults to do that unconsciously during the dinner.