Hi people! This chapter came about very effortlessly, which is always good. Now, I am not one of those writers that feel the nostalgic need to bring back every character in the existence of the show into my story. But, in this case, I felt a little revisiting would be totally believable and further the plot in a positive way. Don't worry! It's not Oliver or Johnny. I would love to get some reviews…hopefully y'all are still reading even though the show is almost done I plan to keep going no matter what, so I hope I have at least a few with me.

Chapter X: The Orientation

Gazing around the beautiful Rhode Island campus that would soon be her home, Summer couldn't help but feel alone in a sea of new faces. Normally, she would view this as a challenge for her to see how many friends she could make, but no matter what she did, she just couldn't get herself psyched up to start mingling and enjoying her pre-college experience. She knew the reason that all of her old cheer-up tactics weren't working. This just didn't feel right without Seth. After all, it had been his dream in the first place.

"Excuse me…sorry …I think he's waiting on you."

Snapping quickly out of her thoughts, Summer realized that the whole group was staring at her, impatiently waiting for her to rejoin them. Knowing that there was little she could do to cover this up, she began to slightly blush.

"I'm sorry… I..uh..was just distracted by the beautiful…uh…"

"Scenery?" a strangely familiar female voice in the crowd offered.

"Yeah…" Summer added, hoping that the tour guide wouldn't give her too hard of a time over this. Tim, the guide whose immediate goal was to get this tour over with as soon as possible so that he could catch up on his post-hangover sleep, mumbled slightly under his breath and continued ushering the assemblage of students and parents along. Not wanting to be singled out again, Summer faked attentiveness for as long as she could. However, as his drone, uninterested voice went on with the informative exploration, Summer let the wave of nostalgia wash over her again. These trees, the school, the life. It wasn't Summer's lifelong dream to be here. And now, without the thought of Seth starting RISD in the spring, was she still sure this was where she wanted to be? She knew that she didn't want to be one of those women that couldn't survive without a man by her side. But, at the same time, this path that she was on, while seeming very prestigious and exciting, looked to be a lonely one.

"Summer?" the same female voice whispered, careful not to bring the awareness of the guide, who was now otherwise engaged in a discussion with one of the more inquisitive parents regarding the rigorous exam schedules.

Again brought out of her private musings, Summer was beginning to get irritated. Why couldn't people just let her sulk? Looking to see who had called her name, she found herself face to face with someone who she had known she would eventually have to encounter.

"Anna…hey," she said half-heartedly, not wanting to sound rude but still remembering what had occurred between her and Seth not that long ago.

Anna immediately noticed that Summer was not her usual perky, excited self. Having been involved in the "Get Seth into RISD" campaign, she knew that there must be something up with Seth to make Summer act this way. The Summer she had known, while not the most enthusiastic student in regards to academics, had always been very eager to socialize and make new friends. But, the girl in front of her looked reclusive and downtrodden, like she couldn't care less about her appearance. Yes, something was definantly not right with Summer Roberts.

"Listen, I know we can't really talk right now," Anna whispered, motioning to rest of the group, "but, can we meet up after this? I need to talk to you…" Noticing that the other participant in this conversation was still lackadaisically paying attention to her, Anna knew she was going to have to name-drop. "It's about Seth."

Just as she had suspected, the mention of his name broke Summer from her thoughts. Her brows furrowed as she remembered the last time the two of them had clashed over him, and she hoped that Anna wasn't gearing up for a repeat performance. Because, to be completely honest, Summer wasn't sure if she had the energy to fight for him anymore. Lately, it seemed like all she had done was try to find some way, any way to convince her stubborn boyfriend that he was making a mistake by letting her go to Rhode Island by herself. She used all the tools in her arsenal: bribery, guilt, tickling, flattery, threats, nagging, violence, and tears. Nothing worked this time. Something stronger than his love for her was driving Seth to stay in California. But what that was, she didn't know. And, she had tried every viable path to get to the reason, but nothing had worked. She had even forgone trying to weasel it out of Seth, and headed straight for the source.

Flashback

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in California. As Summer drove her new Black BMW convertible to the Cohen's house, she internally mapped out her game plan. Although she had been pleasantly surprised when her father had revealed his "My baby girl is all grown up and going to college halfway across the country" gift, she still couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at the thought of leaving behind everything she had ever known for a new life. The life that she hadn't planned on leaving until this life just found her.

As she parked in the driveway, she took a long look at the house that had become like a second home to her over the last few years. There were so many memories in this house…endless hours of weird Japanese anime, lazy summer lounging by the pool, countless parties with the Newpsie elite, the graphic novel, the Spiderman kiss, Marissa and Ryan. The thought that this might be her last chapter here in Newport really scared her. She exited her car, clicking her automatic lock although the top was still down. Although she knew that Seth was still grocery shopping with his father, Summer still couldn't help but glance up at his room as she let herself in the front door. As she headed towards the back kitchen door heading to the pool house, she thought she smelled the faint smell of marijuana lingering in the air. Brushing the thought off, she knocked loudly on the pool house door.

"GO AWAY SETH….I'M NOT IN THE MOOD FOR ANOTHER THREE HOUR MOPING SESSION ABOUT SUMMER!"

Summer smiled sadly as she realized that this break-up must be hurting Seth as much as it was hurting her. But, if it was so hard for him to live without her, why was he doing this? She had to know the truth, once and for all.

"Chino? Hey….it's me….Summer. Open up, will ya?" she asked, although it came out as more of a command than a query. She could faintly hear Ryan grumbling something under his breath as he shuffled towards the door. As it opened abruptly, Summer could immediately notice that she wasn't the only one who hadn't been sleeping well lately. Entering into his dimly lit, dusty room, Summer remembered a time not too long ago when this room had been filled with the love that Ryan had for Marissa. A love that, to her, seemed doomed from the start. But, then again, what authority did she really have on the love department? Here she was, sneaking into her ex boyfriend's house to ask his best friend what was really going on with him.

"So, Summer, what can I do for you?"

As she scanned the unkempt room for a place to sit, she suddenly noticed a towel on the floor covered in what looked to be blood. Her inquisitive nature took over as she picked the item up off the floor to get a closer look. Then, glancing at Ryan, she noticed the remnants of bruises and cuts that had long ago been a "Kid Chino" staple. Maybe this had something to do why Seth had been acting more bizarre than usual these past few days. Ryan gingerly sat down on his bed, hoping that she had not seen his slight grimace from the pain that engulfed his entire abdomen.

"Well, as you obviously know, Seth has decided to dump me a week before I head to Rhode Island," she said, seeking to cover up the damage she was feeling with bitterness, "and, instead he has decided that he wants to follow you to Berkeley. So, either there is something more going on between you two, which if there is, frankly, I don't care to know about."

Ryan cracked a small smile at this thought. He knew Summer didn't believe that there could ever possibly be anything of THAT nature going on with he and Seth. She was just trying to get in any dig that she possibly could to cover up her true feelings. He let it slide off, and hoped she would spill out her real intentions for visiting him soon. His ribs were starting to hurt again, and the only relief he had found for this was taking extended, blistering showers.

"Or, there is something that neither of you are telling me. Now, judging by this blood-stained towel here," she accented, holding the towel in full view, " and the array of decorations all over your usually-handsome face…something tells me I don't have to worry about you two going all Luke's dad on me."

Ryan shot her a confirmation look, and Summer tried to scan his eyes for some sort of clue to what may be going on. She was going to have to lay all her cards on the line, and see if hopefully Ryan could clear some of this up.

"The truth is," she started, choking up a little at the words, "I really miss him. And, I don't know what's going on, but I really don't want to leave for Rhode Island with things like this. Now, obviously, from your earlier statement, Seth is not doing too well with this whole situation either. And, when I told Marissa what was going on, about how you had decided to defer Berkeley for a year, before Seth changed your mind by deciding to enroll with you…"

At the mention of her name, Ryan's interest peaked. He wondered what had been said between the two girls, and if, just maybe, Marissa was worried about him. Knowing that any reaction he had could be mentioned during a future conversation between the two girls, he tried to play it cool. But, on the inside, he wasn't really too far-off from feeling Summer's desperation for hints into what his true love was doing.

"She insisted that there must be something more going on…that you would never just decide to delay an opportunity that you had worked so hard for….not even because of the way things ended with the two of you."

Ryan was continually amazed with how well she knew him. Even from halfway across the planet, she could see right through him.

"How…" he cleared his throat," how, is she?"

She had known this would come up eventually. This may be the only leverage that could get him to spill Seth's secret. Standing up and slowly moving towards the bed, where he had had shifted positions and pulled the mangled covers over his legs, she sat on the edge. Still holding the blood-adorned towel tightly in her hand, she picked nervously at the outer edge of it. She really hoped that her next move would convince him to tell her what was really going on.

"I want to tell you…but, unless you let me in on the real reason Seth isn't going to RISD…the real reason that you look like you got jumped in some dark alley…I'm afraid my lips are sealed. You know, I didn't want to resort to this. But, you both have given me no choice. And, if I leave for Brown without him at least giving me the courtesy of the truth, that'll be the end of any chance for us. The real question is…could you live with the guilt of knowing that you were the reason your brother lost his soul mate?"

Standing up from the bed, she tossed him the towel. Hanging her head, she slowly mulled toward the pool house door. Normally, she would internally count the steps she would take before the other party would give into her demands, but this time, she knew the chances of her getting what she wanted were slim to none. Ryan must be in some serious trouble for him to agree to let Seth transfer to Berkeley.

"I will say this," she turned around, her hands still clutching tight to the door, "You should call her. She still loves you, and I'm pretty sure my phone call worried her. Just apologize. That way at least two of us will be fantastic again."

Present Day

Summer looked back into Anna's eyes, struggling not to break down. Anna could see that the vivacious, confident Summer of the past was still in there, but that she was fighting and slowly losing a battle with the new jilted, suspicious Summer. She nodded silently in understanding, and re-focused her attention on the tour.

After another twenty minutes of walking around the seemingly endless campus and stopping for explanations and questions, the tour came to it's conclusion, the guide eagerly releasing the participants before jetting off as quickly as he could back to his dorm. As the crowd quickly dissipated, some students seeking more information heading to the admissions office while others united in their much-needed quest for a cup of coffee, Summer and Anna were left standing alone in the scenic Brown courtyard. Motioning for her to follow, Anna led them to a nearby park bench, where they both sat down.

"So…how are you?" Anna posited, hoping Summer would open up to her about how she's feeling. When she got no reply back, she decided to openly address the looming elephant in the room. "Look, I know that the last time that we saw each other wasn't exactly on the best of terms. But, I was hoping that since we're both here at Brown…and, far away from anyone we know, that we could bury the hatchet and be friends."

Anna tried to gauge Summer's reaction to this proposition. She didn't seem to be running away or gaping in horror at the thought, but she was still silent.

"And, as a friend…I have to say that you don't look good. I thought whenever I left Newport that you and Seth were on your way back to each other. What happened? Correction: What did he do and do I need to kick his ass?"

This was the first thing Anna had said that got some kind of emotion out of her. She couldn't contain her smile as she imagined Anna pinning Seth down and beating the truth out of him. Maybe desperate times did call for desperate measures. Taking a deep breath, Summer realized she didn't have to be this self-assured, secure person in front of Anna. This realization released the floodgates, and before she knew it, Summer was openly crying.

"I…I don't know. Everything was…fine," she cracked, breathing heavily in between words, "and then, out of nowhere, he just decides…that…he's not going to RISD. He's gonna transfer to Berkeley. I just, I can't understand what's going on…"

Anna scrunched her face, utterly bewildered as to what would push Seth to abandon the school he had fought so hard to get into. As she pondered over this, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for the girl that she had once despised.

"Wait a minute…isn't Ryan going to Berkeley?" she asked.

Summer nodded her head, unsure if it was a wise decision to fill Anna in on all the details. But, at this time, the last person she was worried about hurting was Ryan. After all, he had to be the reason Seth was staying in California, didn't he? The thought that he might not be the reason made Summer's devastation slowly develop into rage. What if there was no reason for him to quit RISD and stay in California? What if she just wasn't the girl for him anymore? Surely there couldn't be anyone…

"That BASTARD!" Summer muttered to herself. Standing up, she hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed her purse. "Sorry Anna…I have to go. We'll talk later."

Before Anna could even manage to question what had so drastically changed Summer's mood, she was alone. Shaking her head in somewhat disbelief, Anna just grinned to herself and sat back down on the bench.

"The drama never ends."