AN: Thank you all for reading. I'm glad your enjoying it. Hmm I guess just R/R and on to the post...
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Marissa turns around as she hears a knock on her door. She wistfully wipes at the tears that she had been crying as she had been unpacking her stuff and came across a photo album with memories of her old life and significant ones including her mother. She had been admiring her gorgeous new room. The decor her room already done as her father had apparently hired a interior designer to have her room done by the time she arrived to her new home. It was beautiful and extremely well done but she couldn't help but feel as if this life still felt unreal, this home still felt fake, and her mother's death still felt nonexistent.
"Come in" She answers and the repetitive knock comes again. She glances to her doorway again as she sees Seth come in.
"Hey" He begins as he notices her slightly messed up make-up and red eyes but decides to lay off as he doesn't want to make her feel uncomfortable or seem as nosey as he really is seeing as they had just met. "I just came up here to let you know dinner's here"
"Thanks" she replies as she turns back around to pick up another box and keep unpacking as she disregards his invitation, "But I'm not hungry" She politely tells Seth as she reaches into the box to unpack and settle its contents.
"You sure?" Seth questions, he senses there is more reason behind her lack of hunger than she is letting on. He sighs as he sees her nod her head.
He's about to exit the room but suddenly decides there is no time like the present to get acquainted, "Are you okay?" He questions as he turns around to face her and begins to walk over to where she is standing by her bed with her back to him, he continues as he sees she is unresponsive, "Cause, I...mean.. I know...that I'm not exactly your best friend or anything and that you haven't know me for even twenty-four hours but you know you can talk to me anytime." He lets her know through his rambles as he would like to help her feel unburdened and move on.
"Thanks" She continues in her monotone monosyllable responses.
He gives her shoulder a light squeeze as he hears her sniffle and knows she is struggling to keep her emotions in check, "Well, I, we'll be downstairs if you wanna go down and..yeah" Seth lets her know as he begins to turn around.
He suddenly hears a loud sob echo through the room and the next thing he knows Marissa is sobbing on the bed as her head rests in her hands. He doesn't really know what to do but immediately settles himself on the bed and tries to awkwardly sooth her by padding her back and trying to be supportive and understanding.
It seems to have worked as a few minutes have passed by and her sobs have quieted and she has begun to sit up.
"Thanks..." She begins as she wipes at her face, "And I'm sorry. I mean, well, I...I just didn't mean to break down like that. Its just I feel so, I don't know, out of place?" She finishes mending her sentence and apology with a slight question too.
"Like I said, really, its okay. I know that your going through a hard time right now. A really hard time. Trust me I know its difficult but I also know that in order to move on and get better you have to want to do it" Seth replies with his best advice as he feels he could share some of his thoughts with her.
"I do, I really do" Marissa lets him know, "But its just, it's a lot harder than I thought it would be and now here I am in a completely strange new place, with completely new people, getting ready for this summer to end and start school in a month and I've never been more scared in my life." She finishes as she can't let but help some of her pooling tears fall.
"I'm trying to figure out what you must be feeling like and what if I told you I have an idea on how to make it better" Seth lets her know as she sits next to him listening intently.
"Yeah..." She replies giving him the okay to continue.
"Well how bout you go have dinner, we getting the chatting fairly light and then we can go out and show you around town, that way you can at least get familiar this lovely, lovely town." Seth finishes off his suggestion sarcastically trying to lighten the mood.
"You know," Marissa responds, "I'd actually like that, it sounds good. Thanks for the help Seth. All of it." She lets him know she's grateful for his earlier advice as well as his friendliness.
"No problem." He lets her know as they both stand up and off the bed as they make their way out the door and down the stairs.
"Wait," Marissa begins thinking back to his earlier proposal for the night, "Who's we?" She questions.
"What?" Seth responds baffled by her question.
"Well, when you said that tonight you'd take me to see the town you said we, well who's we?" Marissa mends her question as she tries to help him understand where her confusion is coming form.
"Well I figured I'd take you and we could bring along my girl friend..."
"Wait, YOU have a GIRL FRIEND?" Marissa questions teasingly.
"Haha," Seth responds dryly as he continues, "Yeah I do and I will just pretend like you said that in compliment form" He lets her know as he continues to talk. "Yeah I thought you might wanna meet her, and I'm sure she wants to meet you, that way, maybe you can, I don't know make a new friend." He gives her a reassuring glance to let her know that it will be okay. "And I guess Ryan's coming too, considering he wanted to do something tonight and all." Seth finishes answering her question as he looks over at her.
At the knowledge that she'll get to see her blonde haired, blue-eyed dream boy again tonight she can't help but let a large grin take over her face as she suddenly couldn't wait for tonight to come.
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"Oh hey Ryan" Kirsten spoke to him as he walks into the kitchen after just arriving. "Its good to see your home now, I could really use your help and input in some of this birthday stuff for Sandy's fortieth" The lovely blonde haired, slim woman spoke to him with care in her sweet motherly tone.
"Aunt Kirsten" Ryan replies kindly as he hadn't noticed her working ferociously on some papers as he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to retrieve himself a drink, hence he was to busy thinking about the events that had previously occurred in the day, "Hey, sorry I took longer than I said I would to get here. I just, I guess I got busy helping Seth out with some stuff." He calmly elaborates not trying to seem too caught up in the what could likely become his new infatuation in girl form. "You want one?" He lightly directs the question towards Kirsten as he was offering to get her a drink from the fridge as well.
"Oh no thanks," She waves off his offer, "but what you can do for me is sit tight right next to me and help me try and finish off these plans for the party next weekend." She finishes with a curt and pleading smile to not leave her alone and in silence for a moment longer as she senses she will go crazy if he does.
"Oh yeah, no problem." He moves to take a seat next to her at the table as he prepares to get ready to help her out. "So what do you want me to do?" He questions as he moves his face to look up at her to let her know she has his full attention as she is about to begin speaking.
"Well you could go over these papers for me, help me with the final food choices, and you could go over the invitation list too." She finishes as she hands him the papers he is to begin working on.
Not even 15 minutes later Kirsten looks to her nephew, the boy who over the years had become her son and dearly loved one. She looks up, about to talk, "So I was thinking that for the music..." She stops herself mid-sentence as she realizes he has this far away, even dreamy look on his face and hasn't even been listening to a word she has been saying. She smiles at him and she knows what these signs can lead to.
She realizes he has long ago stopped reading over the papers and thinking of something far more important in his life.
"SO?" She questions breaking Ryan out of his dream induced state. "You wanna tell me what's on your mind or you want me to guess which girl it is this time?" She lightly question him in a teasing manner.
Ryan is now red in embarrassment as he has realized he wasn't of much company to Kirsten, or even help for that matter. "Well yeah your right, there actually is a girl, but I mean its no like that, it can't be like that, its just, I think it'd be too complicated, and the timing, well its just all wrong too, I mean not for me but for.."
"Well," Kirsten interrupts him mid ramble, "I think we've got a keeper on our hands" She states knowingly.
"What?" Ryan questions, bewilderment evident in his tone.
"Well, we've already got you talking about her at miles an hour, you can't stop thinking about her for the slightest moment, and you're already turning into putty in her hands." Kirsten tells him confident in the knowledge she has about her son and how he shows interest in girls. "Well," She continues in a squeal, "Are you gonna tell me who she is or do I have to guess.."
"Well if you must know..." he begins but is cut off as his cell phone goes off loudly echoing through the room.
"Go ahead" Kirsten tells him and motions that its okay for him to answer the phone. She sighs dejectedly as she so heavily wonders who mysterious, thought consuming girl is.
"Hey Seth" Ryan answers into the phone as his phone had already told him it was him calling.
"Hey man, what's up?" Seth replies non to cooly into the phone.
"Well, uhh nothing much actually, you?" Ryan redirects his own question back to him as he can't help but wonder if Marissa is with him.
"Well I was actually calling you, to ask, tell, and invite you to go out with me, Summer, and Marissa tonight.." Seth mildly finishes talking as he wonders what Ryan's thoughts are.
"What?" Ryan questions, surprised by the mention of Marissa. Going out. "Where are you, or we going, taking her?" He wonders out loud, his words feeling as if there are coming out jumbled up as he knows he's not even making complete sense.
"Well," Seth begins, "If you must know everything, I got around to talking to her a bit earlier, which before you ask I will tell you about later. But anyways I told her that I'd take her out around the town and help her get to know what its like around here. You know show her some Newport charm, plus I thought making a friend outta Summer wouldn't be a bad idea either. And I just threw your name in cause I knew it'd get her to agree faster." Seth finishes bluntly as he knows he has Ryan's full attention.
"Geez, thanks for that Seth." Ryan sarcastically relplies, "but nah yeah man, I'll be there, what time?"
"Hmm how bout you meet me at my house at say seven-ish.." Seth trails off in thought.
"Yah sounds good." Ryan replies and hangs up before he had a chance to even hear Seth retort.
"Get it together Atwood" He tells himself...you don't even know her yet, "But you want to" the nagging voice reminds him... "Geez, just shut up..." "You only have an hour to get ready" He tells himself already as he rushes to get himself composed and cleaned up as he suddenly couldn't wait for tonight to come.
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Don't forget to R/R
