A/N: This is my longest chapter yet, and actually considered the second part of a chapter. I did this since I wanted to keep the timeline consistent, with each chapter representing each week, as it usually is for both the O.C. and GG. I've tried to incorporate many classic Dair and even Seth Cohen lines, with some paraphrasing and change of circumstances, into the story overall, so I hope some diehard fans can catch them and will appreciate the little shoutouts :)

All in all, thanks for the continued support so far, and those of you who've left reviews. Get ready for a little angst between Blair and Seth in the upcoming chapters!

Added A/N: I know it's been two days since I've updated, but school's started for me again, and it's going to be quite hard for me to update as regularly. Thanks to whoever Rf is, for reviewing so often though, cuz it really keeps me going! :))) I promise I will update tomorrow, and I appreciate all the follows and favs so far. Hope I can give you guys a really good one tomorrow to make up for it!

Seth wrung his hands nervously, unable to concentrate on the screen. He was watching The Goonies for the 97th time in order to take his mind of things – in particular, to take his mind off of Summer, and perhaps, a little bit of Blair Waldorf as well. He wasn't sure why whenever he started to feel excited about the progress he had made with Summer, a mental picture of Blair looking hurt and disappointed last night flashed into his mind, preventing him from basking in the joy of finally getting Summer Roberts to dance with him. It was all Ryan's fault. He wasn't using Blair. At most, they used each other, and who could be put to blame for that? He frowned as he rewound the DVD again, realizing that he had missed all of his favorite parts of the movie, his time lost in thinking about the two brunettes.

Suddenly, Seth heard a loud knock on his bedroom door, and his dad's voice talking to him.

"Seth? Can you hear me? I said someone's here for you," Sandy Cohen's voice broke through Seth's jumbled thoughts.

"Blair?" Seth asked involuntarily, getting up to see. But it wasn't Blair. Of course it wasn't. Blair hadn't spoken to him since last night. It was Summer. Seth did a double-take. Summer raised an eyebrow at his mistake, and turned to leave.

"No – Summer! Wait! Just wait!" Seth called out, grabbing her arm. Summer flung it away, but proceeded merely to cross her arms, not moving another inch. At this point, Seth's father excused himself, hoping that his son knew what he was doing. Seth was never much good at talking to girls, and he knew that this Summer who was standing in Seth's bedroom door was the girl that Seth had been babbling about since grade school. Seth took Summer's response as a positive indication that she was willing to give him a chance, and he gestured to his bed, inviting her to take a seat. Summer hesitated, but sat down anyway, at last.

"So?" she said finally, arms still out across her chest. Seth was too afraid to open his mouth the entire time, for fear of saying the wrong things.

"Uhh…I believe you came here," he ventured slowly. Summer looked confused for a minute, then shook her head and recovered.

"Yeah. Marissa told me you were asking about me," Summer replied, trying to look disinterested.

"Me?" Seth immediately did a mental victory cheer, but forced himself to calm down, remembering Blair's advice, and acted as detached as possible. "Um…no, Summer. I did not ask about you. It was probably Ryan," he replied slowly.

"Yeah. Marissa told me you asked Ryan to ask her about me. So you can cut the crap, Cohen, and get to the point," Summer spat out.

"Uh…okay. Except I don't have a point," Seth answered curtly.

Summer gawked at him. "You mean, you have nothing you want to say to me? Nothing you want to ask me about…anything at all?"

Seth shook his head casually. "Nope. Nothing at all. Is there anything you would like to say to me, Summer?" Seth asked tauntingly, with a secret smile of satisfaction. Damn, that Blair Waldorf knew what she was doing.

"What is up with you Cohen? One day you're like, professing your love for me in the school halls and pouring over me at the dance, and the next you act like I'm invisible. What's this little game you're playing?" Summer whined, rising from her seat, unable to keep her cool. She stood there, staring daggers at him.

Stay focused, Seth. Seth told himself. You've got her now. "Well, you know. You didn't seem to be that interested, so I thought maybe we would be better off as friends. Just hang out. Nothing serious," he said, wrinkling his nose. He was living up this moment to the max. If only Ryan and Blair could see this, he thought.

"Oh, screw you, Cohen!" Summer balled up her tiny fists and suddenly marched angrily towards him. Just as Seth was about to grab his pillow for protection against the impending attack, Summer roughly grabbed his face, then kissed him full and hard, on the lips. Seth froze, in shock, unable to respond. After what seemed like an eternity, Summer finally asked, "Well, are you going to just sit there, Cohen?"

Without another word, Seth grabbed Summer by the waist and threw her down on the bed, returning the kiss eagerly. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, this being his first kiss and all, but Summer didn't look like she was complaining. After a good five minutes, they finally separated from each other and Summer reached up to wipe a string of saliva that had been attached to her mouth. "Ew," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. They both sat back against the bed.

"Soooo," Seth finally joked, "I guess that means you don't want to be friends?"

"Shut up, Cohen," Summer answered, throwing a pillow violently at him. Summer was so abusive, but Seth was enjoying every moment of it. It really did seem like he finally had the upper hand. Summer stayed silent and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Well Summer, I guess if you're free next week we could always hang out or something. Get to know one another," Seth offered, watching her reaction.

"Is this your extremely douchey way of asking me out on a date?" Summer asked in disbelief.

"Are you saying yes?"

Summer finally looked back at him, considering. She chewed her bottom lip for a moment, then got back up from the bed. "Friday. And don't you dare tell anyone about this." She paused, then turned her heel sharply, walking directly out of his room without another glimpse at Seth.

Wow, Seth thought, leaning deeper into the headboard of his bed and pumping his fists. Looks like the universe was finally starting to work in favor of Seth Cohen. He smiled to himself, and almost all former thoughts of Blair and their squabble were gone.

Almost a second later, another loud knock sounded on Seth's door. Figuring it must be Summer back for more, Seth dashed to the door, swinging it open and exclaiming with a huge smile on his face, "Summer!"

It was Blair. She looked as beautiful as ever, peeking into his bedroom. Seth was so relieved to see her that he immediately swept her up in a full embrace, picking her up off her feet. When he finally let her go again, Blair looked completely frazzled and out of her element.

"The name's Blair, by the way, and I know you're happy that I'm speaking to you again, but that reaction was a little uncalled for," Blair said lightly, inviting herself into his room. She was a little upset at his mix-up, but was lost in the moment, observing her surroundings. She stopped at his bedside table, and picked up a toy horse.

"I'm guessing this is Captain Oats?" Blair asked with a raised eyebrow. Great, she thought to herself, I'm about to spill my feelings to a seven year-old. This is going to work out well. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say.

"Wait, Blair," Seth interrupted, stepping up to her and taking her by her wrists. "Before you say anything at all, I have something to tell you." He led her to sit on his bed, then got down on his knees in front of her, still holding her hands the entire time.

Is this it? Blair thought frantically to herself. Is this really happening? Had he realized what has been going on between us? Is he going to tell me, right now, how he feels? She wanted to raise her hands to straighten her hair, but he held her gaze so strongly that she was afraid to move another inch. Seth continued to pause dramatically with a serious look on his face, and Blair swallowed hard, her face turning pink. She wasn't sure whether this was what she really wanted. Everything was happening so fast, and she still needed time to process her feelings. But she couldn't move. Not at all. Blair held her breath as she waited for Seth to start speaking.

"We kissed!" Seth finally said, his face breaking into a silly grin and then falling into her lap out of disbelief and excitement.

"What?" Blair asked, thoroughly confused. "Who kissed? What are you talking about?" Blair's brain didn't seem to be working at its proper speed as she struggled to keep up with what was happening.

"Summer! Me and Summer – Summer and I…we kissed! Well, technically, she kissed me, and it was amazing – no, not amazing – it was a 'world-stopped-turning, birds-stopped-chirping' kind of kiss. It was that awesome. It was everything I dreamt it would be and more. And," Seth finally stopped jabbering like a little girl at Christmas and looked deeply into her eyes. "It was all thanks to you, Blair."

Blair's heart sank. She wasn't sure whether to laugh, or cry, or to just rip his head clean off his neck. She stared down at his immature-looking bedsheets that reminded her of just how stupid her so-called feelings for this pathetic Newport loser was. "And why's that," Blair finally managed to ask weakly.

"I did just what you taught me to," Seth explained, getting up to sit beside Blair on the bed. He didn't notice that she had shifted further away from him, and avoided his glance. "I played it cool, and I acted like I didn't care, and the next thing I knew – BAM! She just threw herself on me, quite literally too, I think I actually hit my head against the wall a few times there," he rambled on, rubbing the back of his head a little.

Blair shot up from her seat. Funny, Seth thought to himself. He was experiencing a bit of déjà vu. She just stood there, looking at him, not saying a single word. But Seth was too excited to notice what was really going on, and he continued to chatter breathlessly. "And that's not all! You didn't hear the best part! She agreed to go on a date with me! This Friday! You've got to help me figure out where to take her. I'm so in above my head right now," he said, getting up himself. He gestured to his laptop. "Look at me! A second ago I was watching Goonies by myself, and now, I'm taking out the hottest girl in Newport this Friday!"

Blair glanced at his laptop, unable to even fully work out what – or who – the Goonies was. She felt a wave of nausea hitting her, and was ready to make an excuse and make a run for his door. She was interrupted by Seth's elated voice again.

"I know it's still a long shot from us becoming like, a couple couple, considering she pretty much threatened me into keeping all of this a secret, but –"

It was all that Blair could take. It was all she could do to keep her composure in light of Seth's moving sharing, but that was the last straw. She whirled around to face him.

"Are you stupid?" Blair spat at him, still struggling to contain herself.

"Okay, I know that was a little bit out of the playbook, letting her boss me around like that. But I found it kind of hot, you know. The whole underground love thing, keeping it low-key. Very nuanced. Almost like we're two tortured artists, desperately in love and trying to fight the judging looks of our com – OWWWW!" Seth screamed, as Blair reached out and grabbed his curly hair by the fistful. "What are you doing?"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" Blair screamed at him, tossing him onto his bed by his hair. Seth was genuinely scared for his life. He didn't know how he got to be so close to two very violent young women, and how they both ended up in his room, at separate times, that night.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You're like a freakin' psychopath! One minute you're all warm and fuzzy and the next you're like Medusa!" Seth whined, rubbing his head, this time much harder to recover from the pain that his roots were suffering. "Look, I'm not your punching bag, and you can't just use me to take out all your anger every time your period comes or something."

Blair stood still and stared at him in disbelief. She was a feminist at heart, and had anyone else said that to her at any other point, she would have given them a piece of her mind and a lesson of a lifetime. But she was in no mood to speak to him at the moment, or ever again, for that matter. She felt her shreds of her dignity escaping her for every second longer that she chose to stay in Seth Cohen's bedroom, waiting for him to notice her. Without a word, she turned to leave.

Seth realized the mistake he had made, and started after her. "Blair, I'm sorry -"

But Blair spun around and held out her hand, taking a step back, refusing to look at him. "Don't – just don't." She turned again and stormed out of his room, then out of his house, leaving the door wide open. Seth wanted to go after her and try to explain, but he was so confused about the fight that he wasn't sure what he would even say if he did go after her. He sat back on his bed, dejected, and combed through Captain Oats' mane. His excitement about the episode with Summer had dissipated and he felt as restless as ever.

Just then, he caught Ryan and his father peeking from the side of the door to see what had happened.

"I can see you, you know," Seth called out, as they both stepped into his room.

"So, I'm guessing that was Blair?" Sandy asked, his thick eyebrows arching.

"Yup. The one and only Blair Waldorf," Ryan replied for Seth, who was still in a daze over the events that had just passed.

"And then before, you and Summer –" Sandy trailed off and looked at Ryan for support.

"Yeah, they're kind of a thing now," Ryan explained.

"We kissed."

"Oh." Ryan and Sandy said in unison.

"So, are you and Blair -" Sandy began to ask.

"What? No!" Seth protested, wrinkling his nose at the thought. Why was everyone asking him that lately?

Sandy shook his head. "This is getting too complicated. I'm going to leave you boys alone. But son," he paused, looking meaningfully at Seth. "Just be careful with those hearts, okay?" He took one more look at Seth, then walked out his room.

Ryan walked up to Seth and sat next to him on the bed. He didn't exactly enjoy pep talks, especially not with Seth, who was prone to go on about his girl drama for hours. But he could tell that Seth needed someone to talk to, after the eventful night that he had just had.

"So, are you gonna try and talk to her?" Ryan finally asked.

"Who, Blair or Summer?"

"Well, it depends. Who's on your mind right now?" Ryan asked matter-of-factly. It seemed rather obvious to him what was going on, though of course Seth would be completely oblivious to the fact that he had feelings for both girls, and now both for him.

"Now that's not a fair question, Ryan. Blair's on my mind, but only because she practically ripped my hair off with that manic attack she just had," Seth remarked, unable to process Ryan's hint.

"Maybe you're thinking about her because you like her, Seth," Ryan pointed out to him. He was sick of this game, and thought that both girls deserved more respect than what Seth was giving them.

"Me? Like Blair?" Seth laughed, a little too loudly. "Look, she's pretty, and smart, and I guess some people would find her mildly attractive," Seth added as a dramatic emphasis, "but no. Just – no." Seth shook his head repeatedly, as if literally trying to shake the thought from his head. "Besides, I have Summer. You know Summer Roberts, the girl I've had my heart set on, ever since I could crawl on my hands and knees? This – even talking about this is ridiculous right now, Ryan."

"So you don't like her. And you don't think she likes you?"

"Blair? I think she wants to kill me right now."

"Ya think maybe, she wants to kill you because she likes you, but then basically had you tell her to her face that you want Summer?" Ryan continued, trying to make it as clear to Seth as he possibly could.

"No, I don't think she likes me, and even if she does, it doesn't matter, because we are just friends," Seth rambled, as if trying to convince himself. He continued to shift restlessly on his bed. "Except now we're not even friends, since we've been fighting like, every single day. Which is ridiculous and just her being completely unreasonable, considering we're just friends," he repeated.

"You know, I think she'd be okay if you just talk to her and apologize," Ryan counseled. He was really getting good at this after so much practice talking with Seth.

"I don't want to talk to her. What makes you think I want to talk to her after that fit she just threw? And even if I did want to talk to her, it would only be to let her know how much I don't want to talk to her, like – ever," Seth said defensively.

"Do you think maybe all this is just, you know, your way of running away from your feelings?" Ryan suggested, hoping this conversation would be over soon so he could get on with his life.

"Me? Running away? No Ryan, I don't run away. I just kind of curl up in a corner and mope. But that's not what I'm doing right now. You know why? I'll tell you why, it's because I have no feelings for Blair Waldorf. My heart belongs to Summer. My destiny. And I need you to not talk to me about Blair right now, and just to focus on being happy for me, okay?" Seth explained meaningfully, getting slightly annoyed.

"Okay."

Seth felt relieved, albeit unsettled at Ryan's aloof reply. "Okay. Okay…though I have to just say…even if in the off chance that I were maybe, slightly, a little teensy bit interested in pursuing this…thing with Blair, which by the way, I'm not, but just hypothetically speaking – it wouldn't work out anyway, so, I'm confident that I've made the right choice," he finished, crossing his arms in a satisfied manner.

"Why not? You both have periodic delusions of grandeur paired with neurotic self-doubt. Not to mention that you two are completely self-absorbed and narcissistic, aaaand you have matching dimples. Do you need me to go on?" Ryan asked, without a hint of a smile on his face.

Seth made a face at him. "Yeah she's also argumentative, difficult and bossy."

"Yeah, that's your type."

Seth blinked twice rapidly. "Is it? Haven't noticed." He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "Either way, what's done is done. And it is what it is. Me and Summer."

"Yes, you and Summer," Ryan answered, with a false tone of excitement.

"Finally," Seth said, in a tone that matched his.

"Finally." Ryan knew that Seth was just going to continue going about this business in the completely wrong way, and that there was nothing he could say or do that would be able to change his mind. Warped logic was a specialty of Seth's. He just hoped that he didn't have to be there to pick up the pieces after the whole thing blows up in his face.

"Good talk," Seth said, nodding at him.

"Yeah, you too." They both paused for a moment more, then Ryan gestured downstairs, and slipped out of Seth's room to give him some time to think. Seth sat on his bed alone for a moment more, then, drumming his fingers on Captain Oat's body, grabbed his keys and headed out the door, not bothering to let Ryan know where he was going.

He arrived at Blair's house ten minutes later. He had just approached the door when Dorota swung it open, as if she had been expecting him, motioning for him to come inside.

"Ah, Mr. Seth. Ms. Blair not very pleased," Dorota said to him softly, as soon as he walked through the door.

"Uhh…I know. That's kind of what I'm here for," Seth replied, a little afraid of what the protective housekeeper might do to him.

"She's in her room, but I would be careful if I'm you. Ms. Blair not so nice when she's angry," Dorota said, using her hand to mimic the slitting of a throat. Seth gulped and continued cautiously up the stairs. He wasn't looking forward to this confrontation, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep well until they spoke.

Blair could sense his presence without even having to turn around. She was brushing her thick, silky hair by her vanity table and her eyes glistened in the soft light of her room. He felt even more nervous and started to regret coming to see her. "Why are you here?" she asked softly.

"Because I care about you, Blair. You're my friend, and I don't want to see you upset," Seth replied gently. Blair closed her eyes as if wanting to shut out Seth's voice. She was sick of hearing that word over and over again – friends. Her eyes opened again. She would not be a coward.

"We were never meant to be friends. You and me – we're different. We belong to two different worlds," she replied firmly, turning around to face him. She thought about standing, but thought that sitting down would give her more support. She willed herself to finish what she was saying. "It just wasn't meant to happen."

Seth paused, looking shocked. "Wait…are you breaking up with me?" Seth finally managed to utter.

"Yeah, I guess if you want to call it that," Blair said simply. There was a long, awkward silence, and the two of them remained as they were in Blair's room, looking at each other. Don't show your weakness, Blair, she told herself. Don't look away. She feared that he would be able to see through her and know what she was thinking that very moment, but it seemed that the many years she had spent in the Upper East Side had given her the upper hand in concealing her feelings. To both her relief and dismay, Seth finally gave up.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked in a way that was half-dejected, half-threatening.

"Yes," was her simple reply.

"Well, then it was nice not being friends with you," Seth said, a little angrily. He didn't understand why she was acting so erratically, even though he had made such a sincere effort to come all the way to her house just to apologize.

"Let's not do it again sometime," Blair replied right on cue, and just as icily. She wasn't about to give in. Blair Waldorf will not longer settle for second best. Not in Orange County.

"Don't talk to me when you see me at school on Monday," Seth couldn't help but cut in.

"Not a word." She turned her back on him and continued brushing her hair, looking like the Queen Bee that she had spent years rehearsing for. Seth stared at her back for another full minute, and, when he realized that it was a lost cause, let himself out of the house, nodding to Dorota in thanks on the way out.

Seth drove silently, turning off the CD-player on his ride home, which he only did when he had a lot of things on his mind. He did tonight, though no matter how hard he tried, not one of them was about Summer, the love of his life, who had finally agreed to go out with him.