Disclaimer: You know it's not mine.

A/N: So I wasn't going to put this up today. I had no plans on posting this next chapter at all. But due to a mishap in the city (a small plane crashing into an apartment building – not terrorism, thank God, but rather a baseball player who apparently didn't know how to fly a plane all that well) and basically all roads are closed off and subways are late and crowded, I had nothing to do except stay in my dorm room and watch the news and write. So yeah…

Anyway, this weekend is my birthday weekend and I'll be partying continually – yeah, I'm one of those people who thinks their birthday is the greatest holiday of the year (even if it isn't really an actual holiday) – so I probably won't get a lot of writing done. So another chapter in 5 days…? Probably unlikely. However, the more reviews I get, the more I'm eager to start writing so who knows when the next chapter will be up by.

Back to the story though – Read, enjoy, and review. (It would make an awful great birthday present for me, don't you think? Haha.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The remaining weeks left in July (which only really amounted to about two and a half) went by at a snail's pace for both Seth and Summer. Seth had tried numerous times to get in touch with Summer – calling her, texting her, emailing her, going over to Chad's apartment, trying to catch her at work, even sending over bouquets of flowers with notes that read, "Please call me. I love you," only changing slightly in variation with each new note. Summer wouldn't have any of it. And even when Chad and Stephen tried to convince her to at least talk to him, she would shake her head fiercely and tell them that Seth was just going through a bit of a withdrawal period. That within a few weeks, he'd realize that what she had done was the right choice and he'd back off.

That still didn't stop Summer from letting a few tears slip every time she heard his voice through surprise visits or her voicemail, saw a message from him, or read the notes that were attached to the flowers.

Which were always White Lilies. Her all-time favorite.

Once August arrived, Ryan had finally convinced Seth to stop contacting Summer. He knew that if Summer was able to hold out this long from communicating in the slightest with Seth, then she really meant the break up. Seth had then decided to occupy his time finishing up his duties at Tankley & Sons, and quickly found he was no longer needed there after the first week in August.

So since nothing was keeping Seth back in L.A., he decided he'd just move back to Rhode Island early – hoping to find a year-long internship before all the other college students in the area came back for school and took them all.

Plus, Bethany was starting to hound Seth every day after she found out he and Summer had broken up. She had even tried to corner him in the laundry room where she accidentally stumbled into Seth with her lips somehow landing on his. Seth let her kiss her that time, but after the small and short laundry room make-out session was over, he instantly knew it was a mistake he wished he could take back. He thought he only did it out of revenge towards Summer, trying to give her what she wanted when she said she was breaking up with him so he could be happy with other girls. Seth soon realized, however, that he only kissed Bethany to try and pretend she was actually Summer and that everything was okay once again. Instead, everything was not okay when he opened his eyes and saw Bethany's determined blue eyes instead of Summer's warm, loving brown ones. Seth made a quick escape after this realization and ever since Bethany had been flirtatiously asking Seth for a date.

Seth was getting tired of refusing her and hiding around his apartment building and ignoring the knocks on his door so moving back to Providence early became an even more appealing idea.

Ryan thought this was a terrific idea too. He was in complete support of it and he even helped Seth move out of the apartment on August 12th and brought Seth to the Los Angeles International Airport on August 13th, which also happened to coincide with Summer's 20th birthday.

Ironically, Ryan got a call from Summer on August 14th.

Since Seth and Summer's break up almost a month earlier, Ryan had not spoken to Summer and neither had his girlfriend, Lana. He knew that with their break up would come awkward hang outs, but while Summer never tried to get a hold of him, he never tried to get a hold of Summer so their friendship immediately faded in that passing month's time.

Turns out Summer wasn't too keen on that, and so she called Ryan to go out to dinner the following night.

Ryan was preparing for awkward and uncomfortable silences and kept on making the mental note not to mention anything about Seth, or high school, or comic books, or video games, or dating, or… well, pretty much any subject that could possibly remind her of Seth. Which, as it turned out, only left the weather and politics.

He did not prepare, however, for the entire night to be filled with questions about Seth.

"So how is he?" "He's already moved out to Providence?" "Does he like the apartment there?" "Is he getting a job?" "Is he seeing anyone?"

Ryan's answers were simple and truthful - "Good." "Yes." "Loves it." "Trying to." "Absolutely not because he's still obsessed with you as much as you are still clearly obsessed with him."

Summer tried to rebuff that last statement but it was no use. It was clear to even a stranger that Summer Roberts was still in love with Seth Cohen.

Summer tried to explain herself. She tried to tell Ryan all the reasons she had had for breaking up with Seth, but she quickly found that all the reasons she thought she had seemed mindless and stupid now.

But she still wasn't ready to admit that to anyone. Even Ryan – the easiest person on the planet to talk to because he hardly ever interrupts and when he does it's worthwhile.

No wonder Seth always insisted on those Seth-Ryan times.

The dinner ended after a few hours of just sitting around, chatting – mostly about Seth – and reminiscing – mostly about Marissa. Even though Ryan would never say her name, he still talked of her warmly and Summer quickly realized what a good idea asking Ryan out to dinner was. Summer was glad she didn't let one of her few good friends go.

Ryan got her a cab and told her they should get together again sometime. Summer nodded in response and then asked for Lana's number so that maybe she could go out to dinner with her too. Although Ryan was slightly surprised, he gave her Lana's number and waved as Summer's cab drove down the busy street.

Ryan didn't let the diamond earrings he knew Seth had bought for her birthday, dropping them off at her workplace when she refused to see him, go unnoticed that night either.

Ryan decided not to tell Seth about his dinner outing with Summer because the very next day Seth called saying he found a very appealing and welcoming law firm only a block from his apartment and a fantastic comic book and video game store right next door.

He was hugely ecstatic stating that he had already met a couple of the guys working in the store and was going out to a bar that night.

Ryan didn't want to ruin Seth's night by bringing up Summer. So he didn't.

While Seth was out at the bar with some newfound friends, Summer had invited Lana out for some ice cream.

Summer easily found something in Lana that she had been lacking lately – female companionship. Sure there were a number of girls she knew from Brown but over the summer months she hardly ever kept in touch with them. Plus, if she was to call them and tell them that she and Seth had broken up and that he was already back in Providence, they'd for sure send out a search crew to find him and try to convince him to date each of them.

They were immensely fun people, but not so great on the friend aspect of things.

Summer also spilled to Lana that she was having a difficult time living with Chad and Stephen. Mostly because the couch was only comfortable for a number of days before it got old, but partly because it was hard living with guys who didn't fully understand a female's needs and "times of the month." Lana instantly smiled brightly when Summer mentioned this and asked if Summer would move in with her for the last three weeks before she had to go back to Brown.

As it turned out Lana was getting a little lonely too in her apartment ever since her former roommate moved out to Chicago a few weeks before.

So Summer moved out of Chad's apartment (while Rex helped with her suitcases again, asking if she could still baby-sit baby Marissa for the remainder of the summer – which Summer had started doing the day after she moved into Chad's – because Rex and his wife, Melody, had no other prospects available – to which Summer enthusiastically nodded in response) the very next day and into Lana's, much to the shock of Ryan when he arrived to pick up his girlfriend and came in on a cucumber-melon masked face Summer in her pajamas sitting on the couch.

"Hey, Ryan! I don't know if Lana told you yet but I'm living here until I head back East! Isn't that awesome?"

Ryan didn't really respond because a body can only handle so many surprises and changes in one week.

Things slowly turned into routine but as Lana noticed from living with Summer and as Ryan continued to receive at least two phone calls a day from Seth, both Seth and Summer were missing the other way too much for either Ryan or Lana to handle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you going out with Ryan tonight?" Summer asked Lana as she stepped out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, towel-drying her hair.

"Yeah. Why? Do you want to come?"

"No, no. I was just wondering. I mean, I'm heading back to Providence tomorrow and I just thought maybe we could hang out before I have to leave."

Lana smiled. "Well, Ryan and I are only going to see a movie and then I'll be back here around ten so we can go out to a club or something."

"Yeah," Summer smiled back, taking the towel from her hair and flinging it into the laundry basket. "I have to go see Chad anyway to say goodbye to him so I'll meet you back here at ten."

"Sounds good," Lana replied, grabbing her purse and a light jacket, "Have fun!"

"You too. Tell Ryan I said hi!" Summer yelled as Lana closed the door and Summer resumed getting ready amongst all the already-packed suitcases flooding Lana's apartment.

Summer had spent the past few days packing up all of her stuff, getting ready to go back to Rhode Island. She had just had the last day of work at Ceverely and even though she felt sad to be leaving such a great job and work experience, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed about the summer finally coming to an end. She hadn't been this happy to leave California since the summer after she graduated from high school. But that was for a whole different reason. That was so she could rid her memories of Marissa Cooper and start a new life.

This time she just wanted to get back into the same time zone as Seth.

Even if she knew she shouldn't want that at all.

Summer finished getting ready and decided to walk to Chad's apartment. It was a nice early September evening and it was her last night in Los Angeles. She wasn't going to waste it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Summy!" Chad wrapped his arms around Summer's petite frame as soon as he opened his door. "I can't believe you're leaving me tomorrow! You're coming back here next summer, yes?"

Summer laughed. "I don't know yet. It depends what happens in Rhode Island this year."

"You mean if you and Seth get back together so that you'll have someone to share the rent with here because it's so expensive," Chad scoffed.

"No," Summer slid into the apartment. "I mean it depends upon what job opportunities are available here as opposed to there next summer."

Chad grunted shutting the door.

"Where's Stephen?" Summer asked innocently, trying to avoid any talk of Seth.

"He went to visit his mummy in San Fran for the weekend," Chad answered and then suddenly clasped his hands together. "Oh! We should go out tonight! Celebrate your last night on the town!"

"I'm going out with Lana at ten. You want to come? We're going to a club to get completely shit-faced and dance like idiots."

"Totally up my alley," Chad laughed. "Can't wait. In the meantime, do you want to pre-game it?"

Summer smirked. "You know what pre-game means?"

Chad pulled out a bottle of vodka and some cranberry juice. "I know it's a sports metaphor and that people use it to mean 'drink before the party,'" Chad used air-quotes. "You want some?"

"I'm not a girl to turn down a drink," Summer giggled as Chad poured a bit of vodka into a shot glass of cranberry juice and handed it to her.

"Drink up! I still have another bottle in here to dispose of. A toast! To Summer going back to Rhode Island!" Chad held up his drink.

"To me!" Summer squealed.

"May all her wishes and fantasies come true in the smallest state in the country!"

"I'll drink to that!" Summer and Chad clinked their glasses together and knocked back the shot.

Summer was determined to have an unforgettable last night in Los Angeles.