By: MaroonAgain

The Alternate Universe

Chapter Two: The Previous Year

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The OC or the characters. Also, I will answer a few of the questions left in the reviews at the end of the story. Thanks and, enjoy!


The blazing sun had slowly started to dip beneath the clouds over the Pacific Ocean, casting a beautiful array of colors out over Newport Beach. As both Ryan and Seth had promised to behave themselves and keep to the house, seven o'clock found both boys lulling about in the pool.

"You know, I have to admit to myself," began Seth, who was drifting about on a large inflatable tube.

"This is not a bad way to spend a Sunday evening.

Ryan did not say anything. He merely nodded his agreement.

"Shame to be stuck at the house though on my last night, you know." said Seth, his brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" asked Ryan as he floated past.

"I was just thinking that, if we were not confined to the house, we could always go get tattoos to camembert my time here. That, or, get this, we could just go pick up a couple of hookers and show them a nice time. That or get matching tattoos with them."

At these words Ryan actually burst out laughing.

"Well would you look at that!" smiled Seth.

"Actually, why don't we just hangout here. We can play some PlayStation after dinner or something." mused Ryan as his mother approached them from the patio.

"Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Out of the pool, and please get washed up." she said, turning on her heels and making her way back inside and into the kitchen.

Five minutes later found both Seth and Ryan standing in the kitchen as Kirsten busied herself with packing up a few things she had brought home from work.

"How was your swim?" she asked, looking over at Seth who was busying himself with looking through her work.

"It was great, actually. First time I've ever been in a salt water pool." said Seth.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to a drawing.

Kirsten looks over at what the boy is looking at and raises her eyebrows.

"Oh, that is a drawing of a model home we are putting together. I build them." he said walking over to him and looking down at the illustration.

"I build the real ones." said Kirsten.

Seth nods.

"Wanna build me one while you're at it?" he asked, jokingly.

Kirsten pauses, giving Seth a confused look.

"Sorry. Bad joke." said Seth, following Ryan into the dining room where Sandy had already seated himself and was pouring himself a measurable glass of wine.

Seth and Ryan both took the two empty chair across from Sandy as Kirsten walked in and took a seat next to her husband.

"So, last supper." said Sandy, flashing a grin over at both Seth and Ryan before catching the glare from his wife next to him.

"Sorry. Bad joke."

Ryan smiled as Seth began to load his plate up with green beans and mashed potatoes.

"This all looks wonderful, Kirsten." said Seth as Sandy adds pork chops to his plate.

"Thanks, Sandy!" said Seth, hungrily, picking up the pork chops and tearing off a piece with his teeth.

"It sucks that you're leaving tomorrow, man. We never eat like this. It's usually take out a few times a week if mom gets stuck at the office." explained Ryan.

"That is not true." began Kirsten, turning her attention to Seth, who's mouth was packed with mashed potatoes.

She turns her attention back to her husband and only son before stating clearly, "I cook all the time."

At these words Ryan actually dropped his fork and spoon with a loud clatter. He looked over at his father for a response.

"Dad."

"I am very sorry sweetie." laughed Sandy.

All Kirsten could do was glare at her husband and son.

Seth merely watched the family before him interact with each other. He had to admit to himself that it was a wonderful change of pace. Nobody was yelling at him across the dinner table, or popping pain medication in the kitchen while he tried to microwave leftovers. Seth had never had a family like the one sitting before him. Before his brush with the law it had always just been him and his mother. Most of the time she wasn't even home. Either at work or out getting a fix. He smiled to himself before realizing that his time with the Cohen's was drawing to a close. All of a sudden he didn't feel remotely hungry anymore. The realization that he would be leaving tomorrow was crashing down around him.

"Hey, Seth."

Sandy's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Sorry, got lost in thought. What's up?" he asked, giving himself a shake of the head.

"We will need to go over your forms before we all turn in for the night. Don't worry, as your attorney I will co-sign all of the forms for you. They basically just state that you don't have any legal parent or guardian available." We will meet with your social worker in the morning and she will be the one to take you to the group home." explained Sandy, taking a sip from his wine glass.

"Ah, so I'm the property of the government. I simple cannot wait for that." said Seth who began stabbing moodily as his green beans.

"Hey, they do find foster homes for kids your age." said Sandy, though his tone suggested otherwise.

"Yeah, because everyone wants a new teenager these days." retorted Seth.

Everyone fell silent at these words.

Over her glass of wine, Kirsten looked guiltily out over the table. She got to her feet and made her way into the kitchen to uncork another bottle of wine.

Seth looks down on his half eaten pork shops. At Sandy's words it felt as though a lead weight had dropped down into his, Seth's, stomach. He got to his feet and after waving to Ryan and saying good night to Sandy he left the dining room. He met Kirsten in the kitchen as he disposed of the food on his plate in the trash and then proceeded to wash the dish and place it on the rack to dry.

Kirsten did not say anything.

Seth walked the full distance to the backdoor then turned to look at her.

"Look, I just wanted to say thanks, again, for everything you and your husband have done for me. I don't know what I would have done had Sandy not brought me along. I know I haven't been the best of house guests, what with the trouble I got myself and Ryan in. It really does mean a lot." said Seth in a genuine sort of voice.

Still, Kirsten said nothing.

Seth looked down at the drawings of the model home that are still cast out over the kitchen table.

"Good luck with the house. It looks perfect." said Seth with a weak smile.

"G-goodnight." said Kirsten, now feeling guiltier than ever.


Neil Roberts looked over at the clock on his desk. It was now reading 8:37 PM. He let out a low moan as he ran his hands through his greying hair. The past week had been a nightmare. He looked down at the documents on his desk. He had read through them three or four times already since he had opened them a few days prior. Each time he read them he would hope that the documents would read out differently. He picked up the documents again, looked down at them and then threw them back down on the table in apparent anger.

"Plastic surgery negligence." he said to himself.

It was suppose to be a routine procedure. A woman had come in for breast reduction surgery. Neil could only assume that she no longer wanted the implants that she has received when she was in her twenties. It was not the first time and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. Woman came into his office all the time with just that such problem. He had preformed procedures like this over a hundred times. But this, malpractice?

Neil got up from his office chair and walked over to a glass tumbler perched on a bookshelf. He poured himself a glass of scotch and took a gulp.

During the operation he had failed to consider the blood supply that would remain during the surgery. The result had been destruction and loss of both of he woman's breast due to lack of blood flow. The woman would now require total breast reconstruction and he, Neil, was being sued.

Neil collapsed back into his desk chair.

There was a sudden knock at the door.

"Yes?" he called in a horse voice.

"Hey, daddy. I'm all packed and ready." said Summer Roberts.

At first Neil did not know what his only daughter was talking about. Then it clicked.

"Ah yes! Heading over to the Fischer's, right?" he asked, trying to compose himself.

"Yeah, Holly's dad said we could use the beach house to celebrate my birthday a little early, remember?" exclaimed Summer, a touch of annoyance in her voice.

"Yes, yes, I remember. Well have fun sweetie." said Neil as he got to his feet and walked around to give her a kiss on the forehead.


Seth looked over at the clock on the bedside table.

"Nine o'clock, really?"

He rolled over in bed. He just couldn't fall asleep. The upcoming events seemed to be hanging over him like a heat haze, preventing him from seeing anything beyond. He always knew he wouldn't be able to stay with the Cohen's. Still, it had been a very wonderful weekend. Well, except for the ass kicking he had received at the hands of Luke and Zach, but he could gloss over those unpleasant details.

Seth kicked back the sheets and got to his feet, pulling on his jeans and socks as he did so. He just could not bare the thought of going to live in a group home. He would pack his bag, grab is skateboard and just disappear into the night. He knew the Cohen's would be upset at his sudden departure but he hoped they would understand in the long haul. Even though he knew nobody would hear him, he still did his best to close the door to the pool house as quietly as he could, only to turn around and walk headlong into Ryan.

"Dude you scared the sh- um, what are you doing?" asked Seth as he tried to hide his skateboard behind him.

"I should be asking you the same thing. Um, are you running away?" asked Ryan, sounding surprised.

"What, this? No. I was just planning on getting some night skating in. It worked out so well the night I got here." said Seth.

"Seth, you can't just run away. What are you thinking? What about child protective services, you know, or my dad?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah, because the group home life sounds so fitting." said Seth, sarcastically.

At Ryan's glare he changed tack.

"You got a better idea?"

Ryan paused for a brief moment before replying.

"Yeah, I do, actually. Meet me out front at the end of the driveway in about ten minutes." said Ryan.

Ryan ran back upstairs to his bedroom and began to pack items he felt would be necessary before changing into some a little more appropriate for sneaking around undetected. As he pulled a dark long sleeved shirt on over his head there was a sudden knock at the door.

"Ryan?"

Ryan could hear his dad knocking on the door to his bedroom and knew that he only had a couple of seconds before his father would give on up waiting for him to answer and enter anyway. Ryan hastily stuffed a few more items into his duffle bag before shoving it under his bed, turning out his desk lamp, and throwing the bed sheets over himself.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" asked Sandy, sleepy. He was already in his bath robe and slippers.

Sandy reached out and flicked on the bedroom light.

"Dad, is it morning?" said Ryan, shielding his eyes as though he had been sleeping.

"You're asleep?" asked Sandy, flabbergasted.

"Well, you know, early morning tomorrow. I want to be well rested so I can say goodbye to Seth in the morning." said Ryan.

"Since when do you use sarcasm?"

"I don't." said Ryan, his eyebrows raised.

"Oh, sorry. Seth does and it makes it very hard to tell the difference sometimes. Can't you just talk to me? I know you're upset. Your mother and I are upset, you know." explained Sandy.

"Dad it's okay, I understand." said Ryan before rolling over and pulling the bed covers up over his head, pretending to fall back asleep.

"Well, I am here if you ever want to talk." said Sandy as he turned the light back off and closed the bedroom door behind him.

The second the door clicked shut Ryan kicked back the sheets and walked over to his bedroom window.

Ryan dropped down into the bushes and after making sure that the coast was clear made his way down the driveway towards the cul-da-sac.

"Seth?" he whispered.

No reply.

"Seth!" he said in a slightly louder tone.

"Dude, I am right behind you!" came a voice from a clump of bushes.

Seth emerged wearing a jet black turtleneck and dark jeans.

"What in the hell are you wearing? It's August for crying out loud!" asked Ryan perplexed.

"Dude, I was going for stealth. and also, it's slimming." said Seth, rolling his eyes.

None of them noticed a tall, thin, brown haired girl walking down the driveway adjacent to theirs.

"Okay, I got it. I'll be there in like thirty minutes."

Both Ryan and Seth spin around to see Marissa Copper walking up to her car.

She stopped head in her tracks at the sight of both Ryan, and Seth.

"Hey." said Seth.

"Hey." said Marissa in a startled voice.

Seth merely waved.

"Didn't think I would be seeing you again." said Marissa to Seth.

"Well, after the way your boyfriend and his cronies treated me last night I can understand why." said Seth.

"Yeah, well he's not usually like that." said Marissa.

Ryan snorted.

Marissa glared at him.

"You're one to talk, Cohen." she said, her lips thinning.

There was silence for a brief moment before Marissa spoke.

"What are the two of you doing out this late?" she asked.

"Maybe I should be asking you the same thing." said Marissa.

"Dude, we cannot tell her anything." Seth whispered into Ryan's ear.

"You're running away." said Marissa. It was a comment, not a question.

"What gave you that idea?" asked Seth before realizing that his attire had blown his cover.

"We really should be going." chipped in Ryan, more to Seth than Marissa.

Ryan turned to look at Marissa.

"We don't want to keep you. The Newport social scene awaits." said Ryan.

"Oh, yeah?" said Marissa, one eyebrow cocked.

Ten minutes later found Seth, Ryan, and Marissa speeding down the highway.

"So, you mind telling me where we are going, Cohen?" she asked.

"We're going to one of my mother's housing developments. It's built, for the most part. The company the contracted to finish it for the open house just disappeared so it's empty." said Ryan.

"Is that the same development as the model home drawings your mom had in the kitchen?" asked Seth from the backseat.

Ryan nodded.

The trio rode in silence for awhile before Seth spoke.

"What kind of music are we listening to?" he asked.

"It's Journey. Ryan got me to listen — what do you have against Journey?" said Marissa, turning slightly pink.

Seth looks from Ryan to Marissa.

"Ryan, you like Journey? That is kinda minty, don't you think?" asked Seth with a laugh.

"Do not insult Journey." said Ryan turning back to face Seth.

Deciding to broker a little peace between both boys Marissa looks at Seth through the rear view mirror and asks, "So, what kind of music do you listen to, Seth?"

"Oh you know, a bit of The Ramones, The Clash, Sex Pistols. I do listen to some new age stuff too though. Death Cab, The Shins, and Bright Eyes, just to name a few.

"Are those bands?" asks Ryan.

"Sacrilege!"

"Hey, I like a few of them. I'm into the whole punk rock thing right now." said Marissa. At Seth's incredulous look she replies, "What? I'm angry."

This is it here." said Ryan pointing off to the left. Marissa pulled up to a large mansion, somewhat similar in size to the Cohen's house. There were construction equipment littered about the place, and the grass had not yet been laid. The empty house had a kinda of neglect about the place.

"Dude, it looks dark in there. Did anyone bring a flashlight?" asked Seth as he climbed out of the vehicle and closed the door.

Ryan rummaged around in his duffle bag and pulled out two flashlights, tossing one of them to Seth.

"Like I said, the place has been empty for awhile so we should be able to keep you here." said Ryan as he pushed the front doors open.


"How do contractors just disappear?" yelled Kirsten Cohen.

She had been on her cellphone for the past twenty minutes.

"If we don't have a model home, we don't have a new development. It has been over a month, I am not waiting for you guys anymore." said Kirsten, angrily hanging up the phone as her husband walked into the kitchen.

"No luck with the contractors, I take it?" asked Sandy, planting a kiss on his wife's cheek.

"Vanished. My father's never going to let me hear the end of it, mark my words. Did you — did you talk to Ryan?" she asked, her tone of voice now more motherly.

"Yeah, I think so. Don't blame yourself."

"I am not blaming myself!" complained Kirsten, firing up again. "How can I allow a strange boy to live in this house? Ryan needs to understand that it is what any mother would do!"

"Honey, I was talking about the contractors." said Sandy with a smile.

Reluctantly, Kirsten smiled back.


"So you expect Seth to stay here?" asked Marisa skeptically, looking around the place.

"I have to say it's a much better place than some group home." said Seth as he began to walk around the place while Ryan and Marissa awkwardly stood by the front door.

"So what happened with the contractors?" asked Marissa.

"Who knows. All my mother said is that they had to put the development on hiatus until they could either find them or hire new ones. I figured this place would work out until we make further plans." explained Ryan.

"Hey, you guys! Come check this out!" yelled Seth from the backyard.

Both Ryan and Marissa hurried to catch up to him.

"This is amazing!" said Seth, his face shining with glee.

He was standing in the middle of the empty pool.

"What are you so excited about? It's just an empty pool." said Marissa, unimpressed.

At her words Seth flashed a toothy grin her way.

"To some people, Cooper. To those who look outside the box, it is so much more."

Seth grabbed his skateboard and dropped into the pool. Both Ryan and Marissa watched him for a moment before Marissa pulled three bags of fast food burgers out of her large purse. She handed one to Ryan, who accepted with the a smile and a nod, and took one for herself, leaving Seth's to the side. For a few moments they ate in silence. The only noise, that of Seth's skateboard wheels carving up the inside of the pool.

"So, what is the deal with the two of you?" he asked as he sped by.

"Deal, what deal?" asked Marissa, looking confused.

"Look, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that there is something between the two of you. Some checkered past." said Seth, coming to a halt and taking a seat next to Marissa. He reached into the remaining bag and pulled out a burger and some fries and began to eat.

Marissa looked over at Ryan.

"I take it you told him everything, didn't you?" she said in an offended tone of voice.

"Actually —"

"Actually, Ryan did not tell me anything. It's just the kinda vibe I get from the two of you. I asked him about something that I can only assume involves you and maybe a few of your friends, but he refused to tell me." said Seth, dipping his fries in some ketchup before transferring them to his mouth.

"Look, if you must know, Marissa and I use to date awhile back." began Ryan.

"Yeah, I pretty much figured that out for myself." said Seth.

"Her father got into a bit of legal trouble last year. Something that they are still dealing with at the moment but it put a lot of strain on our relationship."

"So did you guy's break up or something?" asked Seth.

"We went on a break." said Marissa is a quiet voice.

Ryan did not speak for a few moments so Marissa continued.

"Ryan saw Luke leaving my parents place late one night about a week after we —"

"Broke up." interjected Ryan.

"We did not break up. Well not then anyway." said Marissa coldly.

"He saw Luke leaving one night and assumed that he had been spending some alone time with me." said Marissa.

"Alone time? Oh." said Seth finally catching on.

"Luke had just stopped by to let my mom know that he would be taking her car into the shop to have it looked at. Luke's father owns several dealerships in Newport. Ryan was waiting out in the drive way and misread the hug I had given Luke to mean something a little more than it actually did." she said.

"Man, and I thought my life had drama in it. I am pretty sure I can tell what happened next." said Seth.

"The cops arrived, it got messy. Thankfully, my father being who he is, I was able to skate by." said Ryan, crumbling up the remains of his burger and throwing them into a bin by the back door.

"Yeah, I can only assume that an assault charge with not look good on your record." said Seth.

All of a sudden Marissa's cell phone starts to ring causing all three teens to jump. She scoops her phone up from the depths of her purse and answers it.

"Hello?"

"Where you at girl? It's time for you to get your buzz on. You know it's not a very fun party without you here."

They could hear Luke's voice through the phone.

Ryan busied himself with finishing off his soda as loudly as possible.

"What's the deal, you were suppose to be here an hour ago."

"Sorry, something came up while I was at home. I'll be there soon." said Marissa.

"I love you." came Likes voice again.

Marissa's face turned scarlet as she caught the looks on both Seth's and Ryan's face.

"Love you too." she said in an embarrassed sort of voice.

Marissa throws one of her fries at Seth to stop him from laughing. It hits him in the face.

"I should go. I need to meet up with my friends — my other friends." she says as she gets to her feet.

"Yeah, I should probably go with you and protect my cover. You have to promise not to tell anyone about this place, okay. Not Summer, or anyone else when you get to Holly's." explained Ryan.

"I won't, I promise. I can keep a secret." said Marissa

"Alright, I suppose I will just see you tomorrow then?" asked Seth looking over at Ryan.

"Yes."

Both boys eyes turned to Marissa.

"What? I want to help." she replied.


Seth awoke the next morning and stretched. A sleeping bad on the hard floor was not as comfortable as he would have liked but, on the upside, he wasn't being shipped off to group home.

"Hey you awake?" came a voice from downstairs.

"Yeah, I'm upstairs." called Seth.

Both Ryan and Marissa entered the unfinished bedroom.

"We come bearing supplies." said Marissa cheerfully.

"So bad news, man. My mom called the cops this morning when you didn't turn up for breakfast. Not to mention I overheard her talking on the phone on my way out. It looks like they have hired some new contractors. They start in four days." said Ryan, sadly.

"Great. Now I am officially on the run. What a wonderful way to start the day. What did you tell them?" asked Seth sounding worried.

"Not much. I think my parents are use to me not saying much these days." explained Ryan with a shrug.

"Did you bring anything with you guys?" asked Seth.

Marissa pulls out a loofa and some lotion.

Seth looked down at her dumbfounded.

"I meant like survival gear such as rope, or muskets." said Seth.

At these words Marissa rolls her eyes.

"Did you at least pack some food?" asked Seth, massaging his stomach.

Both Marissa and Ryan look at each other with a guilty laugh.

"Looks like we are on a mission." said Seth as he left the bedroom and began his way downstairs.

Both Marissa and Ryan followed him down the stairs and out of the house.


After a lengthily time spent in the diner bathroom, Seth slid into the corner booth followed shortly by Marissa and Ryan.

"I feel so much better now, and I haven't even eaten yet!" exclaimed Seth, jovially.

"Gross." said Marissa as she looked through the diner menu.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Ryan once the waitress had stopped by and placed their order.

"Look, you've done more than enough for me already. I've always wanted to do the pancake tour of North America. Plus, the hobo thing seems to be making a comeback, again. I am sure I can find odd work here and there to get by." said Seth.

"Well, then if its a bus ticket or something that you need, I am sure I can pool some money together for you." said Ryan.

"Dude, come on. I cannot ask you to do that. I already feel bad having you buy my lunch today." said Seth.

"Look man, you get to start fresh somewhere new, where nobody even knows you. To be honest that's not all that bad." said Ryan.

Marissa gave him a disappointed look that he did not notice.

"Shame I won't get to see Summer again. Sad to think that the last thing she will remember of me is me getting my ass kicked by Zach." moaned Seth.

"They usually don't act like that. They can just be a bit —" began Marissa.

"A bunch of privileged assholes?" asked Ryan in a hard voice.

Marissa looked down at her half eaten plate of eggs and toast.

"I was going to say protective." she said softly.

"Yeah, if you say so." said Seth.

Marissa glared at him.

"I don't even get what Zach's deal was in the first place. He and Summer are not together. She can talk to whoever she wants to." said Seth heatedly.

"Look, Summer and Zach had been dating since, like the fifth grade. People change over time, but feelings linger —" Marissa broke off and her eyes turned towards Ryan.

"Okay, okay, let's not make this thing between you and Ryan anymore awkward." interjected Seth.

The door of the diner chimed as four boys entered, Luke, closely followed by Zach, Chip and, Norland. All four boys were laughing at a joke Zach had just told. It must have been quite amusing because the rest of the boys were roaring with laughter.

"Hey why do you think it takes to get a menu around here?" one of them called out.

"Sneak out the back, okay. I will distract them." said Marissa at once getting up and walking the long way around the diner towards Luke and Zach.

"Good idea." said Seth, grabbing his skateboard and getting quickly to his feet.

Ryan threw some cash down on the table as both boys made their way towards the back door.

"Hey!" yelled a large woman from the kitchen.

"Front door!" she ordered pointing her finger back down the hallway.

Both boys locked eyes then, having no other alternative they slowly made their way back up to the front of the restaurant.

"So what have the four of you been up to?" asked Marissa, who was now doing her best to keep all four boys faces turned to her.

"Oh you know, just been getting stuff ready for another party over at Holly's beach house." said Luke with a wink at both Chip and Norland.

Both boys snickered.

"What, the party we had last night wasn't good enough." said Marissa.

"Well, seeing as you were over an hour late." said Zach.

"Well would you look who still has yet to hit the road." said Luke as he spotted both Ryan and Seth.

"Oh look my fan club." said Seth.

"Think you're being funny do you?" asked Zach getting to his feet.

"Zach, stop!" demanded Marissa.

"What are you, like spokesperson for queers of America, or something?" he asked.

The other three boys laugh

"Yeah, well at least I don't shave my chest." said Seth, more to himself than to the group at large.

"Think you're being funny do you?" asked Zach in a menacing voice.

Luke got to his feet.

"Do you want us to break you kid?" he asked.

"Luke, seriously."

"I think it's best that you both leave." began Zach.

Other people in the restaurant were all staring. Ryan knew that the boys were not fool enough to try anything with so many watching eyes. That was not how they operated.

"And if I see you trying to make anymore passes at my girlfriend, I will break you in half myself, dork." said Zach as Ryan grabbed ahold of Seth's jacket and pulled him out of the restaurant.


The rest of the afternoon, for Marissa anyway, was spent entirely in the company of Luke and Zach. While Summer did join up while they were on their way to Holly's, Marissa had to admit that it had not been all that fun. Marissa filled Summer in on seeing Seth again, accidentally letting his known whereabouts slip out.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone, okay!" she stammered as Luke pulled up into the driveway of Holly's beach house.

"You got it Coop." said Summer placing her fingers to her lips.

"I was kinda hoping to see him before he left, you know. He's cute, in his own loser-ish kind of way." she said with a giggle.

"What have you two been talking about?" asked Zach.

"Oh you know, girl stuff." said Marissa.


"You know, I really thought you were going to punch him." chortled Seth, who was busying himself in a lawn chair playing on Ryan's GameBoy.

"Yeah, well I thought it would be smart not to draw attention to us, you know." said Ryan who had just finished setting up a tent for Seth.

"Thanks man, that looks great. It's a shame I will only be able to use it for a couple more days." said Seth.

"Take it with you."

"I couldn't do that man, it's your tent." said Seth.

"Do I look like the camping type?" asked Ryan.

"Point taken." replied Seth.


"So, what's up?" asked Zach.

Both he and Summer were standing alone in the kitchen. It was now a few hours into the party. Chip was already passed out on the couch with both Luke and Norland standing over him drawing crude drawings onto his face. Marissa had already passed out in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

"You've been kinda weird ever since you and Marissa spent all that time in the back of Luke's truck gossiping to each other. Everything alright?" he asked kindly.

"I don't know." said Summer.

Zach frowned.

"Do you ever wonder what your life looks like through someone else's eyes?"

This sentence seemed to be too much for Zach to comprehend.

"See this is what I am talking about." he said.

"Fresh margs!" called Holly, prancing over to the kitchen island in a red two piece bathing suit.

Both Luke and Norland got up from the couch and made their way over to where everyone else was standing.

"I say we find that punk son-of-a-bitch and burn his trailer park to the ground." said Norland.

"Who?" asked Holly, as she passed two glasses to Luke and Norland.

"That little bitch from Moreno Valley?" asked Zach.

"I heard the kid is a total psycho. I heard he got caught will high on OxyContin." said Holly.

"Look, he's just a stupid, punk bitch. If I see him or that loser, Cohen around, I am going to beat both of their asses." said Zach, with nods from Luke and Chip.

"Run his ass out of Newport for sure!" yelled Chip.

"I gotta go." said Summer at once.

"Hey, wait up? Where are you going babe?" asked Zach, as he reached out to grab Summer's arm.

"You don't know him. You don't know anything about him!" she yelled, wrenching her arm free of Zach's and storming out the front door leaving a stunned Zach and Luke.


"That should do the trick." said Seth to himself as he finished lighting the candles Marissa had brought earlier in the day.

He had to admit it to himself that they added a nice touch to the room. At least now he did not have to strictly reply on the flashlight that Ryan had left him.

"Hello?" came a female voice from downstairs.

Seth poked his head out of the tent.

It couldn't be who he thought it was. How could she have found out?

"Seth?" the voice called again.

"Summer, is that you?"

"Were you expecting someone else?" she asked sounding annoyed, standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here? How did you find out where I was — Marissa told you didn't she?" he asked.

"Look, don't be upset with her alright. She mentioned that you would be leaving for good soon and I just had to see you before you left." said Summer.

"You wanted to see me?" asked Seth sounding a little confused.

"Look, I don't know what it is about you but, I had to see you before you left for good. I had to say goodbye." said Summer softly.

Seth gulped.

"Maybe I could stay the night — just to hangout, that is." she asked innocently.

"Stay the night? I don't think that would be a good idea. If you stayed the night, I don't know if I could leave." said Seth.

It felt as though there was a lump in his throat.

Summer had started to draw closer to him and yet he soon rooted to the spot. He was paralyzed. He did not know what to do having never been in a situation like this before.

"So don't leave." said Summer in what sounded like a pleading voice.

"And I'll do what, Summer? Hide out here like some ghost, while you go back to school in the fall? The cops find me and I have to disappear again? Girl's like you don't end up with guys like me, Summer. We're from two very different worlds. This would never work out." said Seth harshly.

He didn't want to say it, but he knew he would only hurt her more by having her stay the night.

"That's not true." said Summer as her eyes started to well up with tears.

"Go, please." said Seth turning his back on her.

Her footsteps faded and died as she descended the stairs and ran out the front door.

How could she have been so stupid, Summer thought to herself as she ran towards her vehicle and climbed in. She wiped away tears as she started up her car and backed out of the unfinished driveway. In her hurry to get to her car she failed to notice a large black pickup truck parked behind some of the construction equipment that had been left behind. Inside were four boys.

"What do you think she was doing?" asked Norland from the back seat.

"Who knows. Just shut up for a minute!" demanded Luke glancing over at Zach who was stony faced.

"Look!" said Norland, pointing a finger.

A figure had charged out of the model home.

Even by the light of the moon above, all three boys could tell who it was that had chased Summer out of the model home.

"That son-of-a-bitch." said Zach angrily as they watched Seth hang his head and walk back inside.

It was as Seth walked into the bedroom he had been occupying for the past day that he heard a noise from downstairs.

"Ryan? I'm upstairs!" he called out as he unrolled his sleeping bag for the night.

No reply.

"Did you get the bus ticket?"

"Bus ticket? What bus ticket? I'm afraid you wont be going anywhere anytime soon." said a very familiar, unfriendly voice from the doorway.

Seth's heart seemed to skip a beat. He froze, got to his feet slowly and turned around to see the last two people on earth that would would want to be alone in a room with.

"How did you guys find me?" Seth whimpered.

There was nobody else around to protect him. Ryan was not here to have his back this time.

"What do you think you were doing with my girlfriend?" asked Zach in a threatening tone.

"I didn't do anything, man." stammered Seth backing away into the corner of the room.

Seth had no time to react as Zach lunged forward shoving Seth up against the wall where he collided with several buckets of paint. They fell to the floor with a crash sending paint everywhere including onto one of the lit candles. All of a sudden the room is full of bright light caused by the cascade of of fire that engulfs half of the bedroom wall. Zach grabs ahold of Seth and throws him onto the other side of the room where Luke rugby tackles him to the floor.

"Dude, we gotta go! This place is on fire!" yelled Luke.

Black smoke was filling the room.

Luke pulled his shirt up over his mouth and began to drag Zach off of Seth who looked to be unconscious.

"Come on! Let's go, man! Run!" yelled Luke as he shoved and pushed Zach out of the room.

They were at the staircase when Luke turned back to look into the bedroom. Seth still lay on the ground unmoving as the firelight danced sinisterly behind him. Luke paused for a moment. Hesitation flooding through his body. Zach had already bolted down the stairs and vanished out the front door.

"Damn it!" Luke yelled to himself as he ran back into the burning room and grabbed Seth, throwing him over his shoulder.

By the time he made it downstairs fire and smoke had completely filled the second story. As Luke ran outside of the burning building he saw his black pickup truck pull around the side. Luke threw Seth off him where he landed in a heap and ran towards the truck, jumping into the bed as it sped away.

"That kid looked pretty messed up, man." said Norland, as Luke climbed into the back seat.

"Was he breathing?" asked Zach who now sounded somewhat worried.

"Yeah, pretty sure." said Luke breathing heavy.

"Look we keep our mouths shut. They may never know it was us. That kid's already got a track record against him. Cops might just think it was him." said Zach as both he and Norland got out of the truck.

"Where are you going?" he asked as Luke hopped in the front seat.

"Nowhere, I'll be back shortly." said Luke who quickly sped away before either of the other two boys could reply back.


"Wait, what? What do you mean it burned down!" yelled Kirsten.

Both her and her husband were standing outside in their driveway talking to the police who had just pulled up.

"From the information we got from the fire department it appears as though someone had been living in there." said one of the officers.

"Living in it?" exploded Kirsten.

"It's my fault." said Ryan, but at that moment Luke's pickup truck pulled up into the driveway.

All eyes were on the two boys that climbed out of the truck.

"Actually, it's my fault." said Seth in an ashamed voice. He certainly looked the worse for wear. He was sporting a brilliantly black and blue eye and smelled strongly of smoke.

He couldn't bare to meet Kirsten's or Sandy's eyes.

"Well then we have a few questions for you then." said a second officer who quickly placed Seth in handcuffs.

At once, Sandy stepped forward.

"Sir, I am Mr. Schnaittacher's attorney. Please do not ask him any questions unless I am present." said Sandy in a business like voice.

"It was an accident." blurted out Luke, who was looking very uncomfortable.

"You were there too?" asked the first officer.

"Yeah." replied Luke.

"Well, then it looks like we will have some questions for you too." said the second officer.

The first officer passed him a pair of handcuffs which the second officer put on Luke before placing him in the squad car along with Seth.

"You two keep your mouth shut until I get there, you hear me." said Sandy as the officers closed the squad car doors and, slowly backed out of the driveway.

:END:

Author's Notes:

I hope you will all be pleased with the subtle changes that I made to this chapter. Thought we would take a different approach to who's family would start to fall apart. The Cooper family will still be dealing with Jimmy's past misdeeds, I just felt that for this chapter, I needed to explain why Neil had been crying in the bathroom. Also, to answer a questions that was asked, Taylor will not be making an appearance as of yet. Marissa's little sister might here and there but as she is around eleven or twelve I do not really see a point in including her. I managed to get this chapter done in a hurry since it was my day off. Chapter three could take a little bit to get finished since I will be very busy with work this coming week. I am sure I have spotted most of the spelling and grammar mistakes that popped up while writing this chapter. I will go over it once more tomorrow just to be sure. As always I would love to hear what you thought so please leave a review.