The New Beginning
Chapter Four: The Zoo
Light was filtering through the closed blinds of the hotel room when Ryan woke up, bathing the bed in subtle light. He was curled up next to Marissa, one arm around her waist and the other beneath her neck. Somewhat dressed again, they seemed to be connected in every way possible beneath the sheets. In her sleep Marissa had twined her ankles with Ryan's, and he could feel her fingers laced with his next to her face. A quick glance at the bedside clock told him it was almost ten in the morning.
"You awake?" Marissa whispered, her voice barely loud enough to be heard.
"Yeah." Ryan said, yawning. "How long have you been up?"
"An hour or so." She replied leaning over and kissing his hand.
"You could have let me know."
He could feel her shrug against him, and Ryan adjusted his position to make her more comfortable. They had fallen asleep in each others arms, unlike their first night in Paradise. The only similarity was how they had woken up. After a long pause, Marissa spoke again.
"I was just thinking. There can't be too many… hospitals in San Diego. If my mom had sent me down here after I ran to Chino…"
Ryan knew immediately what she was trying to say. She would have been placed in the same institution as Oliver, where it would have been impossible to avoid him. The thought sent chills down Ryan's spine.
"I won't let that happen."
Marissa hesitated for a moment before rolling over to face him. She slid somehow closer still, burying her face in Ryan's bare chest and wrapping both arms around his sides. Ryan grasped the back of her head gently, planting a kiss in her hair.
"We should get up. No doubt Summer and Seth have already planned out our whole day."
Marissa nodded against his torso, before untangling herself from him. They kissed chastely, trying to avoid the onset of morning breath, and she rolled to her feet. She was wearing a pair of cotton shorts and one of his wife beaters, and Ryan couldn't help but stare after her as she walked to the bathroom.
He remained in bed for a few more minutes, finally sliding off the bed. He pulled on a pair of jeans with his white v neck shirt, trying to restore some semblance of order to his hair. Giving up on it, he walked over to the other room, unlocked the door, and knocked.
"Come in." He heard, between what sounded like another Seth/Summer argument.
Ryan stepped inside to see Seth standing on his tiptoes, holding what appeared to be a blue toy horse of some kind out of reach, as Summer struggled to take it from him. Ryan raised both eyebrows, confused as to the nature of this horse.
"Hey Ryan." Seth said, leaning back and holding the horse away from his girlfriend.
"Give it back Cohen!"
"Hell no." He said, grinning. "After all the static you gave me about bringing Captain Oats, you snuck your horse here."
"You brought Captain Oats?" Ryan inquired.
"Not the time man."
"Cohen, if you don't gimme Princess Sparkle right now, I swear you'll never be able to have kids."
"Princess Sparkle?" Ryan asked, noting that it seemed the pair were perfect each other, if their love for inanimate horses was any indication.
Seth immediately covered his crotch with his free hand, struggling to get away from Summer.
"What's going on in here?" Marissa asked, smoothing out her hair as she walked in to stand next to Ryan.
"I really don't know." Ryan said, shaking his head.
"Well, it gives me an idea." Marissa said smiling. "Why don't we go to the zoo?"
"That sounds like a novel idea Marissa." Seth said, his voice strained. "Maybe I'll find a predator for Princess Sparkle here."
"Cohen!"
Ryan turned to his girlfriend, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he frowned.
"You didn't bring Share Bear, did you?"
"Of course not."
"Okay good." He said, smirking. "Because I left my Tommy the Troll Doll in Chino, and I would feel out of place."
"Ryan, I honestly can't tell if you're joking about that or not." Seth said, before he was finally taken to the floor by Summer.
The group had just entered the Zoo when Seth's cell phone rang, and he extracted it from his pocket. He stared at the phone for a moment, before glancing at Ryan.
"I left a message for him last night asking him to call. Maybe you should explain the situation."
Ryan took the phone from his friend, clearing his throat as he opened it up. Summer continued walking on, and Seth motioned to him that he was going to follow her. So the two of them separated from Ryan and Marissa then. Marissa slid up next to him, taking his arm in hers.
"Hey Sandy."
"Ryan, Seth said to call?"
"Yeah."
"Is everything okay?"
Ryan glanced over at Marissa, who was staring at the map they had picked up after buying the tickets.
"Not sure."
"Well, what happened."
"We ran into Oliver."
"Oh." Sandy said, accenting that one word in such a way that it seemed to ask a dozen different questions.
"Don't worry, I didn't do anything. Took the high road."
"That's good to know. But just what was he doing down there?"
"Apparently he's seeing a doctor here. We happened to end up in a hotel his parents owned."
"Well, that's great. Are you coming back?"
"No, we decided to stay. We're just going to avoid him. We're at the San Diego Zoo right now."
"Oh yeah, it's really cool. I've been there a couple times myself."
"I'll keep you updated on the situation."
"Thanks Ryan."
Terminating the call, Ryan tucked the phone into his pocket. Summer still had her phone, so Seth could reach him if he needed to. He was glad to have some alone time with Marissa, and he felt that it was good that Seth and Summer go off on their own too. There seemed to be some palpatable tension between them, going a little deeper than casual banter.
"Where to first?" Ryan asked, leaning over to look at the map.
"I was thinking of checking out the reptile exhibit." Marissa said. "Maybe we'll see Oliver there, too."
Ryan laughed, furrowing his eyebrows questioningly. Marissa wasn't the type to take shots at people, but he took comfort in the fact that she didn't trust Oliver. Her animosity toward him was completely justified in Ryan's eyes.
"To the creepy crawlies then."
"No, Cohen, I don't want to see the reptiles."
"Why not Summer? I think it'd be a good place to start."
"You only say that because you'd fit in so well."
"Ouch, your words cut me deep, my lady."
Seth and Summer walked in awkward silence, as Seth poured over the zoo map and Summer messed with her fingernails. There was something going on with her, Seth had caught that much, though he couldn't put a finger on what. She had seemed more argument prone than usual, and was being unusually harsh in her words, even for Summer.
As they reached the ape area, Seth finally stopped, turning in front of Summer to force her to a halt as well. He glanced over into the nearest pen and saw, to his surprise, orangutans. He decided to leave the topic alone at the moment, instead opting to confront Summer.
"What's been up with you lately?" He asked, leaning on the railing of the pen.
"What are you talking about?" Summer asked, making a face.
"You've been almost rude to me this entire weekend. And for the life of me, I can't figure out why."
"I have not."
Seth blinked twice, his face making it plain that she was lying right to him. She scoffed a little, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It's nothing." She said finally.
"Obviously it's something. You're acting like you don't even want me here."
"That's not true." She said, her face softening a little. "It's just…"
"Just what Summer?"
"I was talking to Sarah Marks yesterday, you know Sarah, right?"
"Only by name Summer. Remember, I wasn't a part of that crowd."
"She told me I've… changed. That I'm not really the same girl as before."
"Of course you're not Summer. People change all the time. It's part of growing up."
"But not all change is good, Cohen."
"Look, before you wouldn't even talk to a guy like me. Now you're dating someone who you wouldn't give the time of day to before. I'd say that's a good change, for me, at least."
Summer bit her lip, eyes searching Seth's face as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. For a long moment she didn't say anything, just stared at him.
"I'm sorry. I just… I don't like change."
Seth wasn't sure, but it almost looked as though tears had welled up in Summer's eyes. She looked away, taking a shallow breath.
"I've gotta go." She said suddenly, turning and walking away before Seth could even think to stop her.
"Summer, wait." He called, only to be ignored.
Exasperated, Seth threw both hands into the air, turning to rest his elbows on the railing outside of the orangutan habitat. The brown/orange apes stared at him impassively, munching absently on some plant or another.
"Orangutan." He said, resting his forehead on his forearms.
"Maloo, a male Koala from Queensland Australia." Marissa said, reading the animals description from the plaque on its pen.
"I guess he's a little cuddly, for a bear." Ryan said, leaning forward to get a better look at Maloo.
The Koala sat on a low hanging tree branch, munching absently on a long stalk of bamboo. He stared right back at Ryan, seeming to size him up.
"It says here Koala's aren't bears at all, but marsupials."
"What, you mean like a Kangaroo?"
"Yes. And it also says they spend seventy-five percent of the day asleep." Marissa said, finally looking up. "So I'd say we're pretty lucky he's awake for us."
"Should have brought a camera, huh?" Ryan said, smiling at his girlfriend.
"Doesn't Seth's phone have one?"
"I think so." Ryan went digging into his pocket for it as he spoke.
Once it was out, Marissa reached over and snatched it out of his hand with a smile. She flipped the phone open and found the camera icon quickly. She took a picture of the Koala, the flash causing Maloo to tilt his head in curiousity before turning the camera on herself.
"Come here." She said, pulling Ryan close to her.
She snapped a picture of the two of them, her smile offsetting Ryan's lack of one. After looking the picture over for a moment, she nodded her approval. She closed the phone, tucking it back into his pocket and kissing Ryan on the cheek.
Seth wandered the zoo, alone, for maybe an hour before he finally gave up on hunting Summer down. The girl had the properties of a chameleon when she didn't want to be located, and he'd have better luck trying to find a needle in an entire hay field.
So Seth had been reduced to shuffling around, hoping to stumble across Ryan and Marissa. Three heads were better than one if he wanted to find Summer, and he was beginning to get annoyed that she had run off in the first place. He was more worried than annoyed, because it seemed as though something was really wrong with her, and Seth couldn't help her if he couldn't find her.
Rounding a bend, Seth finally saw them dining on animal shaped ice cream bars and sitting down.
"Finally." He said as he approached, exasperated. "Have you guys seen Summer?"
"Yeah." Marissa replied. "Maybe twenty minutes ago, why?"
"She ran off on me, and I've been looking for her ever since."
"She didn't say anything about it." Ryan said, shrugging.
"Right, well, which way did she go?"
"Off that way." Ryan gestured in the right direction.
Seth strode off without another word, leaving both Ryan and Marissa mildly confused, trying to keep their melting ice cream in line.
"You notice there has been tension between them all weekend?" Ryan asked before taking another bite of his bar.
"I did. Didn't pay much attention to it though."
"It's probably nothing anyway." Ryan said with a shrug. "So, where to now?"
"They got lions here, right?"
"It's a world famous zoo, lions are pretty much a necessity."
"Along with tigers and bears."
"Oh my."
Marissa smiled, silently glad Ryan was able to open up more, and joke. It wasn't something she had seen often, but he was beginning to show that side of him more and more as time went on. It was a pleasant change from brooding, moody Ryan.
Practically dragging Ryan and his ice cream off of the bench, Marissa took the lead in the search for the lions. It didn't take long to find them, right near the bears. Leaning against the railing near the lion pen, Ryan and Marissa simply stared at the majestic beasts, who were majestically napping.
"Boring, aren't they?"
Glancing at the sound of the voice, Ryan saw a guy who couldn't be much older than him, wearing a shirt that identified him as a worker at the zoo. He was Hispanic and a little shorter than Ryan was, and he came and stood next to Marissa.
"They pretty much sleep all day." He said, shrugging. "Active at night sometimes. By the way, I'm Marco."
He reached past Marissa for Ryan's hand. Frowning, Ryan shook it, and then watched as he shook hands with Marissa as well. Marco turned his attention back to the cats, running a hand through slicked back black hair.
"More often than not they don't get up for more than a couple hours. Lazy." He said, turning to them again. "You live in San Diego?"
"Uh, no." Ryan replied. "Newport Beach."
"Orange County kids, huh? That's cool."
"So are there any animals in your zoo that are active?" Marissa inquired, more interested in the wildlife than Ryan was.
"Maybe. Been to Tiger River yet?"
Ryan and Marissa both shook their heads, not even sure where that was.
"Well c'mon, I'll show you. I got nothing better to do."
Marissa glanced at Ryan, smiling and shrugging, before following Marco. Ryan glanced at the still sleeping lions, before following suit. Marco seemed friendly enough, and he hadn't set off Ryan's creep radar yet.
"So what brings you all the way down here?" Marco inquired as they walked.
"We just needed to get away for a little while." Marissa replied, smiling sideways at Ryan as she took his hand. "Family issues."
"You like it?" He asked, the question aimed more at Ryan.
"It's cool I guess." Ryan responded, shrugging.
"I've only been here for a year. Moved from Riverside to go to school."
"Riverside?" Ryan asked, his interest peaked. "I'm originally from Chino."
"No shit? Not too far from me then." Marco said, smirking. "You from Chino too?"
"Um, no, I was raised in Newport." Marissa said nervously, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear.
"Nobody can fault you for things you have no choice in."
"Hey, Newport isn't so bad! It's… nice."
"If by nice you mean way too superficial, then yes. Probably live in a big fancy house?"
"No, I live in an apartment with my dad." Marissa shot back, not bothering to mention that she had lived in an expensive house.
"What about you Chino?"
"I live in a pool house."
Marco laughed, and it was infectious enough to get a chuckle out of Ryan and Marissa as well. They had covered most of the distance to the Tiger area already.
"That's cool. For Orange County kids, you seem alright. I haven't even gotten your names yet."
"Ryan."
"Marissa."
"Ryan Chino and Marissa Newport. Got it."
They had arrived at the exhibit, and true to Marco's word, the Tigers were much more active. Two of them were actually play fighting, and another was halfway attempting to scale a tree.
"Definitely more active." Marissa said, leaning forward for a closer look.
"I told you. Didn't I tell her?"
"He did tell you." Ryan said, mocking Marissa's excitement playfully.
"I want one."
"I'm not sure your dad would approve. That's another mouth to feed."
"I'd keep him with my mom. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll get mauled."
"Should I steal you one?" Marco asked. "Make myself an accessory to animalistic manslaughter."
"The way my luck is going, he'd probably attack me instead." Marissa, said, twining her fingers with Ryan's again.
"Uh oh, here comes the boss." Marco said, making a face. "Hey, there's a party tonight. I'm going with a few of my boys."
He took a small piece of paper out of his pocket, and quickly jotted something on it.
"Here's my cell number. If you guys wanna go, just gimme a call and I'll give you directions."
"Thanks man." Ryan said, shaking his hand again.
"Gotta go though. Can't get caught ducking out of work."
He handed the paper to Ryan, who glanced down at it before shrugging and turning his attention to Marissa.
"Could be fun."
"We'll figure it out at the hotel." She said, tugging on his hand. "Let's go find some hippos."
Author's Note: A trip to the zoo. This chapter almost felt like filler, but it also focused a little more on Summer and Seth, as will the next chapter. I promise you the next couple chapters are going to show some of The O.C. regulars in a different light, for Season One at least. How was Marco? Enjoy.