Disclaimer: The O.C. belongs to Josh Schwartz.
Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! So the Cohens will be featured in this chapter as I've had some questions about when they'd come into it. Thanks to newportz-princess for beta-ing this for me!
"Armani, totally. Don't you think it would suit my bone structure Mom?" asked Seth who was holding the black suit up against himself.
"Sure honey, get it. Oh, hold on a sec." Kirsten began fumbling in her handbag in hopes of finding her now ringing cell phone. "Tony? Oh hi, sure..." and with that she walked off towards a quiet corner of the dressing room.
"Ryan, white or black. White will bring out my tan, but black goes with my hair. C'mon now honest opinion," said Seth, looking from one suit to another.
"Dude, just pick. It's not that hard. We've been here for three hours," said Ryan rolling his eyes, a black Prada suit slung over his arm in a laundry bag.
"Look, okay this is Cotillion. Some girl is going to want to remember this night for the rest of her life. What if her date looks bad? That would just ruin it. I'm thinking of others Ryan. Black definitely," he said passing the suit to the store clerk.
"Some girl? Still not got a date then, huh?" asked Ryan smirking a little.
"I'm just keeping my options open, that's all," said Seth haughtily. "Besides, who are you going with. Wait! Don't tell me. Roberts!"
"Well yeah...but we agreed if we couldn't find anyone else we'd go together," said Ryan as Seth got his laundry bag and they began to walk outdoors to the car.
"Sure you did, whatever dude. Marissa said she's got these two girls who don't have dates. I figured I'd take them," he said unlocking the car and getting into the passenger seat.
"Them? Have you no shame?" asked Ryan who was laughing slightly as he got in the back seat.
"What? I'm helping out a poor defenceless girl or two. Why be ashamed? Jesus Christ, where is my mother?" Seth asked, pushing the horn in a frustrated manner before climbing out the sunroof and shouting "Mom! Come on! I don't have all day."
Kirsten hurried quickly outside and got into the car. "I'm sorry sweetie, work, work, work, you know? Did you pick out a nice suit sweetie?" she asked turning to Ryan as she reversed.
"Yeah I got the Prada one," said Ryan as his phone began to ring. "Just a sec..."
"Hey Roberts," he greeted flicking open his phone.
"Atwood, so Chip just asked me to go with him tonight...I know we said we were going if we couldn't find-"
"Summer, it's fine go with Chip."
"You'll be okay?"
"Sure, yeah, I'll...I dunno. I'll find someone," said Ryan, looking out the car window.
"Right...I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, I've gotta go, so I'll catch you later." With that he closed his cell. He couldn't help but feel a nagging pang of disappointment, but why? He could find someone else to go with.
"Seth, looks like tonight you're a one girl kinda guy, turns out I need a date."
Ryan did up his tie and looked in the mirror. The dressing room was filled with dressmakers, debutantes, parents and white knights. He sighed. He was used to dressing up for these events now, but he still felt stupid in the fancy suits.
"Ryan!" He heard from across the room, he turned to see Marissa. "Hey! Wow you look great," she told him.
"Thanks, you too. So come on then hit me with the worst," he said jokingly.
"Ryan, this..." she started, but momentarily stopped to grab the wrist of a girl behind them, whom up until that point had her back to them. "...Is Anna Stern. She just moved here from Pittsburgh," Marissa introduced.
"Pleased to meet you," said Anna, extending a gloved hand of which Ryan shook.
"You too, you look..."
But he didn't finish his sentence; the door had opened and in walked Summer, her arms draped around Chip. She looked stunning; her hair was clipped back, small curls framing her face. He dress was floor length white silk, with just a hint of cleavage showing and her eyes sparkled. Needless to say, all eyes were on her.
"Ryan!" she yelled as she came across the room, dragging Chip by his wrist. "Hey, wow, you clean up good. Who would of thought it."
Ryan laughed slightly. "Well same to you. You look amazing," he said looking her up and down. "But...pull up your dress a little, we're all getting a free show."
"Yes Dad," she said rolling her eyes. "Don't pretend you don't love it."
"Oh totally, you got me," he said sarcastically.
"Well Atwood, I have to go retouch, so I'll see you later," she said before kissing him on the cheek and fleeing to the other side of the room.
Ryan sighed.
"So you're into her huh?" came Anna's voice, making him jump.
"Huh? I...no. No. It's not like that, we're just friends. Good friends," Ryan stammered.
"Whatever you say," said Anna, a knowing glint in her eye.
Cotillion had gone smoothly, the girls had curtsied, the guys had bowed and then they'd all danced - the usual. Now Ryan was downing a large cup of beer. The after party was at Holly's beach house and Ryan figured he'd make an evening of it. Anna had a curfew and couldn't stay, Summer had disappeared into thin air with Chip, Luke and Marissa were in his truck doing god knows what, and Seth was passed out on the couch.
It was a little after midnight and Ryan lit his eleventh cigarette of the night.
He took a long drag and sipped from the bottle of vodka, which was on the counter in front of him. Most people were still in full swing, bodies moved together all around the room.
He swigged the vodka again be fore feeling his phone vibrate in is pocket.
'Summer Calling.' He flicked the phone open and answered.
"Hello?" he said stubbing out the cigarette.
"Ryan?" He heard what he guess was Summer's voice, though she sounded upset.
"Yeah, hi. What's up? You sound...different."
"I...oh god Ryan I'm an idiot," she said clearly in a state on the other end of the phone.
"Woah, calm down okay? Where are you, I'm gonna come find you."
"Holly's guest room..."
"What are you doing in there?" he asked frowning and sliding off the chair.
"I'll explain it later..." she said vaguely with a sniff as she hung up.
Ryan made his way up the stairs and walked along the hallway until he reached the guest room.
Pushing the door open gently, he called, "Summer?" Ryan looked around the room and saw her sitting on the bed in her underwear, her knees pulled up to her chest.
"Ryan, I'm so stupid." She sobbed into the pillow on her lap.
"Hey, come on, what's wrong?" he asked sitting next to her, putting his arm around her.
"Me, I'm what's wrong. I...I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like I have a complex or something," she said looking up at him with tear stained eyes.
"Complex on what?" he asked reaching for a white robe the hung off the end of the bed.
"Thanks," she said taking it. "Ugh, sorry, I look a mess."
"You know you're gorgeous, okay. Now just tell me what's up," he said rubbing her back softly. Summer didn't cry a lot. She was strong. Tough. So something must be wrong.
"I...well...Chip wanted to you know," she started, biting her lip and pushing a stray stand of hair behind her ear. "And I did...Well I thought I did. But it's like whenever I go to...I just...can't."
"Can't as in...or..." he asked, trailing off.
"Does it matter? The point is it sucks. It sucks Ryan," she said draping the robe over her shoulders.
Ryan wasn't exactly sure what to say to her. This was far more of a Coop/Sum conversation. Then again it wasn't. He didn't feel uncomfortable really. Maybe he and Summer were so used to each other it was impossible to feel uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, you're probably thinking I'm pathetic, sitting here crying to you," she said sniffing and wiping a tear from her eye.
"I don't think you pathetic Summer. Trust me," he reassured, hugging her close to him and kissing the top of her head.
Summer sighed and lied back on the bed, pulling the covers up over her.
"C'mon Atwood, you look tired. And if I have to spend the night alone, I'll seriously blame my suicide on you!" she said patting the bed next to her. It was never a second thought when they slept in the same bed, they always had. Ever since Summer was ten and her mom left. Ryan had come round to hers and listened to her, when no one else would and then she'd fallen asleep next to him.
"Okay, but if you kick me again I will make you sleep on the couch," he said pulling up the sheets and climbing in next to her before wrapping his arms around her, he closed his eyes.
"Night Atwood. Love you..." said Summer, closing her eyes and slowly drifting off to sleep.
"Love you too, Roberts."
Ryan awoke the next morning with his nose pressed into something warm. A few moment passed before he realized he had nuzzled himself into Summer's neck. He breathed in, shifting himself away from her a little.
He soon realized she had rolled over in the night and was therefore facing him. Her robe had fallen off in the night and her chest was pressed into his.
Ryan tried, he honestly did, not to look down and yet, he found his eyes wandering to look at the exposed skin above her bra. A few moments, maybe hours passed up until he heard Summer's voice.
"Ryan?"
Ryan's head quickly snapped up, but he calmed when he saw he eyes were still firmly shut.
"Yeah?"
"Your stiffy is digging into my stomach," she said, trying to sound casual.
Ryan felt himself flushing slightly red and tried to think of something gross, anything...
"It's okay"" she said feeling his tenseness. She then opened her eyes. "Your a guy Ryan...I don't expect just because your my friend that that your not...well you know...any guy would be..."
"Right..." he said cutting her off. "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower."
"A cold one?" she asked teasingly before running her fingers through her hair.
"Ha, god your hilarious," he said sarcastically before getting up, taking off his shirt before grabbing a towel and making his way into the bathroom.
Summer smiled to herself.
"But, Ry-Ry!" Summer said in a whiny voice as they got in her car. "I need a new dress and we always just watch movies! Besides I always need a guys opinion."
"So what? I won't know what looks good!" he said leaning his head back on the headrest.
"Ryan! Look okay, for a guy you have impeccable taste, so much so that until this morning, I had my suspicions about you. Now I guess I don't know, I just taught you well. Anyway, my car! And I say we go to the mall. So the mall it is." she said with a small nod, pulling out of the driveway.
"Just let me in okay!" Summer said attempting to pull at the changing room curtain.
"No! I look stupid," he said holding the curtain firmly in place.
"Ryan, I saw you in your skinny jeans phase okay, trust me, you couldn't look any worse than that," she said finally forcing the curtain open.
"They weren't skinny jeans. They were just a little small," he said rolling his eyes and turning to the mirror.
"Whatever," said Summer standing behind him and looking over his shoulder. "Besides you look hot. You can work a wife beater."
"I really can't, besides I'm not getting it."
"Shut up Atwood, if I didn't know it was you I would totally check you out in this, okay. Shows off all your toned-ness or whatever. You look hot. Now just get changed so I can try on my dress."
Ryan changed his shirt putting the wife beater on the hanger.
"Well then, vaminos Atwood, I need to try this on," she said ushering him away with her hands.
"What the hell? It's nothing I haven't seen before," he said raising an eyebrow.
"Really. Well that shows how much you know about fashion because this has an extremely low v-neck on it and most definitely cannot be worn with a bra. Besides we don't want you too, excited, that could be embarrassing for you."
Ryan reluctantly went out and drew the curtain. He hated waiting outside - it was just boring.
A few minutes passed before he heard a familiar voice.
"3 please."
Ryan turned to see the short blonde hair, which could only be associated with Anna.
"Anna," he greeted, waiting for her to recognize him.
"Ryan wow, hey," she said hugging him. "What a coincidence."
"Yeah. So what're you doing here? I thought you were flying back out to Pittsburgh tomorrow," he said returning the hug.
"Nope, good news actually: I'm staying," she said grinning.
"Really? What about school?"
"I'll be coming to Harbor with you guys. Great huh? Now we could actually get to know each other. The guy I went to Cotillion with won't need to be some random," she said teasingly hitting him on the arm.
"Jee, thanks. So what about kick off carnival, you going? Because I mean...if you're not already going with any one...Maybe we could..." he said trailing off.
"Like a date?" she asked smiling.
"Well...I-"
"Atwood!" came Summer voice before she pulled back the curtain. "Zip me up would you," she said before turning and pulling her hair up. She spotted Anna in the mirror. "Oh hey, Ally."
"Uhh...hey. So Ryan, pick me up at six okay, don't be late. I live in the flower streets, 54. Later." And with that Anna dipped into the nearest changing booth before Ryan could say a word.
"What was that about Friday? We're meant to be going to kick off," said Summer as Ryan finished doing up zip.
"Well yeah, but only if we can't find anyone else-"
"And what about me, huh Atwood? Were you thinking of me when you agreed to get into Ally-Pally pixies pants and totally ditch me!" she said angrily, folding her arms.
"Her name is Anna. And beside you can hang with us. It's not a date," he said defensively.
"Oh great I'll tag along like some sad third wheel? I don't think so," she said turning her back to him. "Unzip me. Now. You've put me in a mood now, congratulations."
Ryan sighed, unzipping her. Why was she so annoyed? She'd done the same to him with Chip.
"Right once I've bought this I'll drop you home. I've gone off the idea of shopping."
Did she just say that?
TBC
