Chapter 8 - The Bait Shop
The ride to the Bait Shop was long and awkward. Seth made comments to break the silence every couple of minutes but it failed to spark a conversation amongst the group. Ryan kept his eyes on the road, ignoring the way that Marissa was staring at him from the back seat. Summer noticed it and crossed her arms, staring out the window.
The car finally pulled into the parking lot of the Bait Shop and Ryan cut the engine. Everyone hopped out and headed towards the entrance of the club in silence and the music washed over them, cutting down on the obvious tension in the air. Some local band that no body knew the name of were rocking out on stage and the four teens all stood in the crowd, watching them perform.
After a couple songs Seth was successful in starting up a conversation with Summer and Marissa joined in as much as she could. Ryan stood around in his usual silence, trying hard to distract himself from staring at Summer. It was hard though, she looked really good tonight, in her mini skirt and... ugh, get ahold of yourself, Ryan.
"I'm going to get a drink." Ryan informed as soon as there was a moment of silence to cut through. Seth nodded and turned his attention back to Summer, who was smiling and laughing at everything he said.
"I'll come." Marissa said as Ryan started to walk towards the bar and peeled away from the group to follow him. She gave him a smile and ordered her drink.
They quietly sat at a table, sipping away at their beverages. Marissa was shifting uncomfortably in her seat and fiddling with the straw in her drink.
"So, how have you been?" Marissa asked, not being able to stand the quiet anymore.
"Good." Ryan replied in his classic mono-syllabic way and she nodded, obviously disappointed at his lack of an answer.
"Uh... what about you?" He offered, trying to continue the conversation and make her happy.
"I've been alright. A little lonely, though." She hinted and he nodded, taking a sip of his drink. He understood what she wanted but he didn't exactly want the same thing.
"I've really missed you, Ryan." Marissa replied, getting the feeling that she had to be more obvious about what she was getting at. She covered his hand with hers and smiled, making him swallow nervously, preparing to turn her down.
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Summer had laughed loudly at whatever Cohen had said to her, touching his arm and bumping against him whenever she could. He had this big, goofy grin on his face and she knew he thought he was winning her over, her flirtatious gestures would definitely give off that effect. She glanced over at Marissa and Ryan, who looked to her like they were enjoying themselves as well. Or at least Marissa was, and Summer couldn't help but feel a little jelous because of it.
"You know, Summer," Seth began and the girl pulled her attention back to him, trying hard to distract herself. "I can't believe that Zach would do something like that to you, but I think that it's best that you found out because he really doesn't deserve you."
Summer nodded, not wanting to do this. This night sucked. It was supposed to be awesome, she was supposed to be having the time of her life right now. Instead, Cohen, of all people was pitying her and she kept glancing at Ryan Atwood and getting disappointed when he wasn't looking back at her. She watched as Marissa's hand found it's way over Ryan's and she pulled her eyes away, staring hard at Cohen. No more peeking, Ryan wasn't good for her anyway.
"So, if you're ever feeling lonely or upset or something like that, I just want you to know that I'm here. And I won't try anything, well, unless you want me to, but thats a whole different topic and we really don't have to get into that right now and..." Summer stopped paying attention to him as she let her eyes wonder back up to the place she kept telling herself not to look, just in time to see Marissa lean in and kiss Ryan.
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Ryan automatically closed his eyes and remained still, not kissing back, but not pulling away. He sat there for a minute, letting her lean in and cup his face in an attempt to deepen the kiss. His mind caught up with him slowly and he pushed away, standing up from his chair and taking in the confused look on Marissa's face.
"I-I can't do this." He admitted, trying to catch his breath and make his way towards the exit of the crowded room.
"But... But I thought..." Marissa said quietly, obviously not understanding his reaction, holding onto his arm so that he wouldn't walk away without giving an explaination.
"I-I'm sorry, I just... I don't want to be with you, I'm sorry." He stuttered, pulling his arm free and breaking for the door.
The surprisingly cold air of the night hit him hard and he relaxed a little. He slowly dragged his feet toward the railing of the pier and leaned against it, letting out a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes and mulled over what had just happened in his mind, feeling light-headed, almost like he was going to be sick. It wasn't that he was appaled at the idea of being with Marissa, he sort of still wanted her. But he wanted Summer more, a lot more.
Marissa was great but he couldn't stand being around her anymore, nontheless, even attempt a relationship with her. He'd been so happy with Lindsay and it wasn't that he was trying to find a girl exactly like her, but he was trying to find a girl that wasn't Marissa, things worked better for him that way.
He wasn't sure why that girl had to be Summer though, it would definitely complicate things. When he had first come to Newport, he had been warned that she was off limits and he had no problem with that, seeing as she came across as a bitch back then. But a few nights ago, he'd seen a different side of her and he wanted to make her stop being so upset. That night he'd realized that he never really payed attention to her before, and if he did, he would have realized that she wasn't as bad as he first thought her to be and he wanted to know more about her. He also realized that she was hot, really hot.
He let out another sigh, this time it was more out of frustration. He brought his hands up and rested his head in them, tensing his jaw and shifting, listening to the sounds around him. The ocean sliding in and out onto the shore, the faint sound of music that was leaking through the entrance of the Bait Shop, the distant laughter of two men having a smoke by that entrance.
"Chino?" Ryan jumped at the voice and his breath caught in his throat. He brought his hands back down by his side and turned to look at the girl who had been causing him so much trouble tonight, and she did it all without having to lift a finger. Summer was standing there, looking almost like she was nervous. She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest and he swallowed, attepmting to get the air circulating in and out of his lungs again.
"Summer? What are you doing out here?" He questioned, thankful that he'd been able to form words. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and he was positive that she could make him do absolutely anything she wanted if she asked.
"I was looking for you." She answered, stepping closer to him and leaning against the railing, staring at his face curiously. She waited for him to say something, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to give her anything. "I... uh... saw you and Marissa..." She trailed off, hoping that he'd get the point.
"Oh." He said, feeling like getting sick again. It was like he was guilty wanting her, but he was guilty being with anyone else. Ryan leaned against the railing, allowing it to cut into his back and he refused to meet Summer's eyes.
"I wanted to see if you were okay." Summer stated, shyly. She wasn't feeling like herself and she definitley wasn't acting like it, either. Summer Roberts wasn't shy, Summer Roberts didn't get nervous and most of all, Summer Roberts didn't fall for Ryan Atwood. It didn't work.
A confused look crossed Ryan's face and he remained silent, still focusing on the ocean in front of him and not the beautiful girl that had ditched the party because she was concerned for him. He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it a few seconds later. He repeated those actions a few times before bringing his eyes down to his feet and letting out a long breath of air, feeling stupid.
"Chino? You still with me?" Summer asked, raising her eyebrow and waving her hand around to grab his attention, not that she didn't have it already or anything like that.
"Yeah. I'm fine. You can go." Ryan said, awkwardly, tensing up as he turned to look at her.
"Who said I was going anywhere?" She questioned in a confident tone, placing a hand on her hip.
Ryan wasn't expecting that. He swore that she was doing this to torture him. He reached up and scratched the back of his head and she let out a frustrated sigh, rolling her eyes at him.
"You're way too complicated sometimes, Chino. It was just a kiss, whats the big deal? It's not like you and Coop haven't done it before." Summer asked, stating the obvious.
Her words reminded Ryan that she wasn't here for him, but for her best friend, Marissa. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed about the realization. "I-It's just that... I don't think that me and Marissa are working. I want someone else." It wasn't a lie, he wasn't lying. He just wasn't saying everything.
Summer seemed surprised at the announcement and it brought back memories of the car ride home with Seth and his reaction when he'd said he was done with Marissa. "Well... who do you want?" She hesitated, slowly letting the words roll of her tougne as she tilted her head to the side, watching him closely.
You. I want you. A lot. "I don't know, just not her."
"Oh." Summer replied, nodding, hoping that she hadn't sounded too hopeful when asking her question and that she didn't appear too disappointed with the answer.
"You should get back inside, Seth's probably waiting." Ryan said, trying hard not to sound too bitter. He just wanted this night to end.
Summer straightened up at the comment, getting angry almost instantly. "And why would I care if Cohen was waiting for me?"
Ryan turned his head to look at her, confused. She was definitley as pissed off as she had sounded. "Because you like him. Because you were all over him about twenty minutes ago."
"I so do not like Cohen! Maybe I was just trying to make someone jelous." Summer said, adopting a sly tone.
"Who would you possibly be trying to make jelous?" Ryan asked back, focusing on her eyes.
She paused, biting her lip as she stared at him staring at her. She opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted.
"Summer?" Zach's voice sounded from behind her, causing her to jump and reel around to face him.
"Oh god, not you." Summer said, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms, clearly not amused.
"I was looking for you inside, Cohen said you were out here. Look, I know you don't want to give me another chance but I really think that you'd reconsider if you'd let me explain what really happened." Zach pleaded, hoping to change her mind.
"I really don't want to hear it, Zach. We're over, that's it, you don't have to explain anything." Summer responded boldly, standing her ground. Ryan watched in silence, wishing this guy would leave them alone. Ryan liked being alone with Summer, a lot more than he should have.
"I've been so miserable without you lately," Zach stepped forward and grabbed her hand, looking straight into her eyes. "Just give me a couple minutes alone with you to straighten things out, please." Zach asked, giving Ryan a glance before turning his attention back to Summer.
Summer got ready to reject him but paused when she looked at his face. He did seem really sad and it wasn't like she'd change her mind about the break up, it didn't matter what he said. "Fine." Ryan tensed and began to push off of the railing to give them some privacy, but stopped upon hearing Summer's next words. "But Chino's not going anywhere."
Zach and Ryan both shot her a similar look of confusion. "It really isn't any of his buisness." Zach stated, releasing Summer's hand.
"Yeah, I should leave, I really don't mind..." Ryan said.
"I want you here, you're staying." Summer ordered, turning to give him a glare. Ryan relaxed against the pole once again, leaving them to their conversation.
"Uh... Okay." Zach said, complying to her request. "I never cheated on you. The girl was an ex-girlfriend of mine. She moved to Newport a few weeks ago and my parents wanted me to see her again in hopes that we'd start dating, I don't want her though, I want you. I'm really sorry that it looked like something else." Zach explained, watching as the expression on Summer's face changed from angry to confused.
"Oh." Summer said, quietly. She had no clue how to respond to everything. Zach didn't cheat on her after all. She'd been wrong the whole time. But for some reason, she didn't want Zach back. She was sick of having to deal with his family always being against her.
"So... can we be together again? It was all just a big misunderstanding and I forgive you for it." Zach asked, hopefully, a small smile spreading across his face that made Ryan ball up his fists. Great, now he wasn't going to have a chance with Summer at all, She'd be with Zach and he'd get to watch while they hooked up, not being able to do anything about it.
But when Ryan glanced at her, his hopes shot up again. She was looking at the ground, uncomfortably shifting, searching for the right words and he knew it wasn't what she wanted. "Zach, You're great. But I...I..." She trailed off, looking at him helplessly.
"She found someone else." Ryan said as he stepped up beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. Summer glanced up at him, shocked by his actions.
"What?" Zach asked, confused. The smile had quickly faded off his face and he appeared to be angry.
"She's with me. So, give it up and leave us alone." Ryan said, firmly, staring him down hard. Summer smiled at Zach, playing along with the game, secretly wishing that it was more than that.
Zach returned his look for a few seconds before nodding and heading towards the parking lot, defeated for the second time that day. Ryan waited until he was out of sight, savoring the feeling of having Summer in his arms before slowly letting his hand fall away from her hip and back down by his side.
"Ryan, that was... wow... thank you." Summer said, greatfully. She stared up at Ryan and gave him a smile. He had this look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place.
"It was no problem." Ryan replied, gulping nervously before continuing. "But, I think... I think that you should know that.. You..." He paused, trying to come up with words to explain that he wanted her. After almost losing her to Zach, he was sure that he couldn't let her go now. He had a chance, so he was going to use it, he had to try.
"What?" Summer asked, raising her eyebrow, waiting for him to finish. She watched him shift and struggle to maintain eye contact with her.
"I... Summer, I think that you should know that-"
"Hey, Ryan!" Seth called from the door, smiling as he made his way towards the pair with Marissa following him, looking a lot less excited, as she kept her eyes to the ground and her arms crossed tightly across her chest in an almost protective fashion.
"Seth, hi." Ryan greeted, quietly. He glanced at Summer, who was still staring at him, now looking desperate and it killed him. Great Job, Ryan, you blew it.
"Hey, man, did Zach come out here?" Seth asked, not catching the tension in the air as he glanced at Summer, who's eyes were glued to Ryan's face.
"Yeah, he left." Ryan informed, his voice low.
"Great, we should probably get going though, I promised the parents we'd be there ten minutes ago." Seth said, obliviously. Ryan gave Summer one last look before he turned around and started towards the direction in which he had parked the car.
Summer let out a frustrated sigh, taking a spot walking beside Marissa. She was a terrible, terrible best friend for even thinking about Ryan the way she was.
"Everything okay?" Seth asked, finally noticing how annoyed she was.
"Peachy." Summer replied, climbing into the back seat of the rover. Ryan prepared for another long, awkward ride home.
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Ryan fell back on his bed, happy to finally be home. His hands covered his face and he barely had time to think about what had happened earlier that night when he heard the pool house door open.
"Hey, buddy. How was your night?" Seth greeted, closing the door and walking into the room, making himself comfortable and taking a set beside Ryan on his bed.
"Terrible." Ryan replied, sitting up.
"Yeah, Marissa filled me in on what happened. She was alone, so I went over and talked to her after Summer took off in the middle of my story. Like, she didn't give me a warning or let me know where she was going or anything, she just left. I didn't know you guys were that close." Seth said.
"We're not." Ryan replied, recieving a look from Seth.
"She didn't even go over and say anything to Marissa though, dude. Is there something going on between you guys?" Seth asked.
"What would be going on between me and Summer? I don't even talk to her." Ryan answered, trying to stay calm. Seth would kill him if he knew the truth.
"I don't know, you just seem different when she's around. And it would make sense considering that she didn't even stop and check on her best friend after she got rejected by the guy of her dreams. Oh yeah, and there was that freak out you had on the drive home after school..." Seth poked, almost accusingly.
"I didn't say anything about Summer after school, I just said that I didn't want Marissa." Ryan pointed out, defensively.
"Well why did she go oustide to see you instead of Marissa?" Seth pressed on persistantly.
"I don't know, ask Summer." Ryan suggested, getting annoyed.
"Well... even if nothing happened... do you like her?" Seth asked, hesitating.
"No! Why would I like Summer?" Ryan shot back, raising his voice a little bit. It was hard convincing Seth of something that wasn't true, even harder lying to him in the first place.
"Relax, man, I was just wondering. I mean, whenever Summer's around you talk less... like... even for you. And if I remember correctly, you smiled when she walked over today at lunch. Ryan Atwood doesn't smile." Seth said, hoping not to piss Ryan off too much.
"I don't like her, okay? Besides, what difference would it make if I did? It's not like I'd take her from you." Ryan asked carefully, more calmly than his last comment. He knew that he was risking giving himself away, but maybe Seth's reaction would be different than he'd expected.
"I don't know, I don't really want to find out though, man. I think we were really hitting it off at the Bait Shop... well, before she went after you." Seth said, the hope evident in his voice.
I so do not like Cohen! Maybe I was just trying to make someone jelous."Sorry."The guilt crept back into Ryan's stomach as he recalled Summer's words earlier that night. He knew that whatever he was feeling for her had to stop, he couldn't do that to Seth.
"Whatever. I should probably go though, it's late and we have another uneventful day of highschool ahead of us tomorrow. Night, bro." Seth said, getting up off of the bed and giving a small wave to his brother before exiting the pool house.
Ryan lay back down on his bed, his hands covering his face yet again. God, the world was definitely against him.
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