A/N: Aaaaand I'm back! Thanks for the patience!
It was the first day of school after the long weekend, and Seth was nervously drumming his fingers on top of his desk before his drama lesson. He had been dreading this moment all weekend, since it would be his first time seeing Blair again after they had decided not to be friends. Which, was totally ridiculous, in Seth's opinion. But whatever – he had already come to a conclusion a long time ago that all girls were certified insane, and from his own experience, their level of attractiveness and their propensity for insanity seemed to be positively correlated to one another.
Just when he thought that Blair might have purposely skipped the class in order to avoid him, he heard the unmistakable sound of her heels clicking through the hallways and into the classroom. Leave it to Blair Waldorf to be overdressed for every single minute of high school, even when she was already trying to underdress in order to blend in – except she wasn't. Seth realized in horror that she was back to her headband and patterned dress ensemble, with a matching smirk on her bright-red lips. She walked right past Seth as if he were invisible, and, just as Seth was about to confront her about her wrong choice of clothing, proceeded to sit beside none other than Luke Ward, Seth's archenemy at Harbor.
Except maybe it wasn't quite right to refer to Luke as his archenemy, since he probably didn't even know Seth was alive. The more proper analogy to explain their relationship would be that if Seth were the superhero in Harbor, Luke would be the ultimate villain. He represented everything about the OC that Seth hated – Luke was a loud, obnoxious, disgustingly rich, water-polo-playing moron. And of course, being the prince that he was, his favorite pastime was also to bully everyone and anyone who was remotely different from he and his crew. Luke was Marissa's boyfriend before Ryan came into the scene, and ever since, Luke had taken every chance possible to pick on Seth even more so than before. Seth gawked in horror as he watched Blair link her arm around his, smiling sweetly up at him. Luke threw a smug look in Seth's direction, then bent down to whisper something in Blair's ear, which made her giggle like a five year-old.
It was everything Seth could do not to approach them and confront Blair on the spot, but he really wasn't in the mood for a detention, or a black eye, for that matter. Seth gritted his teeth as he watched them, canoodling and cooing at each other, with Blair laughing hysterically like Luke had said something hilarious at a regular 5 second interval, except Luke was pretty much the least funny guy Seth has ever met. When the bell rang, Seth instantly shot out of his seat and did his best ninja imitation, stalking Blair and Luke into the hallways. He obviously wasn't very good at it, considering Blair whipped around and caught him sneaking up behind her locker just moments later.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Blair snarled brusquely, arms crossed over her chest. It was a side of Blair that Seth had never seen before, except when she was talking to her minions.
"Blair, I know we said that we wouldn't talk, but -" Seth started to explain.
"But-but…" Blair chanted mockingly, raising her voice so that others could hear. "Speak up, Cohen? What did you say? You're so lonely and you have no friends except for your toy horse?" A group of girls snickered loudly nearby, eating up the performance that Blair was giving. "Ooooh," she continued, cooing at him, "and is that reindeer sweater from your grandma? It's very pretty!"
Just as Seth was about to protest and bring up Blair's questionable choice of clothing, a group of girls appeared behind her, each sporting a flashy headband in different colors. Holy Moses, Seth thought. It was as if Blair had built herself a meaner, stronger army of Blair Waldorf lookalikes overnight, with their own trademark bitch-glare and matching hair accessories. Leave it to Blair to decide to change the entire school trend instead of fitting in. Seth could feel his knees getting weak.
"Look Blair," Seth attempted, pulling Blair aside. Blair quickly flung his hand away with a disgusted look, but stepped to the side regardless, rolling her eyes in contempt as Seth spoke. He kept his hands to himself as soon as he saw Luke look over with a menacing stare. "Okay. I see where this is going, and I get that you're still angry at me."
"Angry? Why would I be angry?" Blair asked with an innocent expression.
"Uh…okay, fine. Let's say you're not angry. Either way, you cannot tell me you're dating Luke. He's like, the Galactus of Harbor," Seth said, gagging openly as he spoke the words. "Come on, Blair. You want to get to me, fine. Anyone but that guy."
Blair flashed a victorious smile, and Seth felt as if he were looking into the eyes of the devil himself. "Oh? You think being Luke's girlfriend is a move to get to you?" she laughed loudly and cruelly, sending shivers down Seth's spine. "And what makes you think that?" Blair looked at him coldly, waiting for his response.
"Well I-I-I…." Seth stammered. He didn't realize he had it in him to be speechless.
"Luke is perfect for me. He's rich, popular, mature, and doesn't spend his free time with plastic horses. Try not to make it all about you, okay?" Blair replied curtly. "Now, if you'll excuse me," Blair said, turning her back on him, "my boyfriend's waiting for me to get back to him. You shouldn't be talking to me anyway. I hear desperation is contagious." With that, Blair returned to Luke's side, taking his open hand and disappearing down the halls with him, her minions following close behind.
Seth sighed. This was going to be a long week.
Summer waited impatiently by her door and glanced at her watch. It was 7:10pm, and Seth was ten minutes late for their first date. Whatever Seth was doing to get under her skin sure was working, considering he's been driving her nuts with his mixed signals. Up until about a week ago, Seth Cohen had been drooling over her and worshipping the ground she walked on. This week, every time she happened to see him during school, she would catch him lurking in the corner, watching Blair Waldorf and Luke Ward's every move as they paraded down the halls, showing off their new romance. It was like a bizarre love rectangle – Summer watching Seth watching Blair, attached to Luke. This was not what Summer had planned. She was usually thinking of ways to avoid Seth Cohen, not ways to get his attention.
At 7:15, Seth finally showed up at Summer's door. Summer face fell in disappointment as soon as she saw him. She had made a special effort to look pretty tonight, looking fresh in a flirty pink dress and 4-inch stilettos, while Seth was still in the same t-shirt and jeans that he had worn to school.
"What the hell, Cohen?" Summer cursed when she saw him.
"Hello, Summer," Seth replied, taking it as the standard greeting from Summer Roberts. He hadn't even noticed the effort she had made for the date, and simply waved at her in reply. Truth was, Seth didn't have the slightest idea where he would be taking her tonight, considering he had managed to completely forget about their date until ten minutes ago, when Ryan asked him what he was doing moping around at home and stalking Blair's Facebook account. He couldn't believe he had let this stupid thing with Blair get in the way of what was supposed to be the single best night of his life. He gulped as he prepared for what was next. It wasn't going to be pretty, judging by the dissatisfied look on Summer's face. "So, listen. I know you probably had like, really crazy expectations for tonight, and thought that I would take you out to some fancy restaurant, but I was thinking, hey, you know, you've probably been on enough mediocre dates by now where you'd just sit and pick at your food and pretend to be interested in the conversation…"
"And? Get to the point, Cohen." Seth could literally feel the burn of her glare, and prayed silently to whoever was listening that he would be able to finish his sentence with his body still intact.
"Sooooo, I decided to, you know, try something new with you, and just, you know, hang. Whaddya say?" Seth asked, punching her lightly on the arm. The truth was, by the time he had realized that tonight was the night of the big date, all the nice places in town were already fully booked. Friday nights in Newport were notorious for their jam-packed restaurants.
Summer tapped her foot, hands on her hips, unimpressed. "And what did you have in mind?"
"Ummm I was thinking like, real low-key, something casual, say – " Seth paused for a dramatic effect, and also for fear of what may happen once he got the words out. "Eh, the diner maybe."
"WHAT?!" Summer exclaimed, eyes about to pop out of its sockets. "You're taking me to the diner on our first date?" She spun around, ready to walk back into her house.
"No, c'mon Summer! Wait!" Seth caught her arm and pleaded with her. "Look, it won't be what you think. We're gonna have fun, and it won't matter where we are, or what we eat," Seth spun her around to face him. "It'll be just you and me, and I promise if you're not having a good time by the end of tonight, I will never bother you again. It will be a night you'll never forget!" He gave her a puppy-eyed look. "Pleeeease?"
"Argh!" Summer sighed, exasperated. The truth was, she had been looking forward to tonight all week, and truly wanted to give it a go. She gritted her teeth and gave him her most threatening stare. "You'd better spend the whole night making it up to me," she snarled.
Seth smiled in relief, and flung his arm around Summer, guiding her to his car. It looked like he had been let off pretty easy. Focus, Seth, he told himself. He couldn't afford to make another mistake, or things would really be over with Summer before they'd even began.
Still, nothing Seth said to himself could have prepared him for what was in store for him at the diner. As soon as he walked in, he spotted Blair and Luke, sitting together in the booth directly in front of the door. Blair was looking bored and picking at her food, until she saw Seth walk in with Summer. Almost immediately, Blair flung herself across the booth to embrace Luke passionately, surprising him. Luke responded right on cue, and pulled Blair closer into his body. Even Summer was unsure about how to respond to the scene in front of them. Finally, Summer decided to make an executive decision and tried to pull Seth out of the diner.
"I think I've lost my appetite. Let's just skip dinner and go to the beach, okay?" Summer offered, feeling as if she deserved the prize for most considerate date of the year. But Seth wouldn't budge. His eyes were still locked onto the pair, who were now whispering in each other's ears and flirting ferociously.
"No, I think I like it here just fine, Summer," Seth responded in a loud and clear voice. He deliberately took a seat at the table right next to their booth, just to spite them. He knew what Blair was trying to do, and he wasn't about to let it get to him. He casually draped an arm around Summer, who had admitted defeat and taken a seat next to Seth, hoping to finally get some food in her stomach.
"Menu, Cohen?" Summer asked, shoving the menu in his face as to cover his sightline to Blair.
Seth turned around purposefully to face Summer, taking her hands in his. "Summer, baby, why don't you choose something for the both of us? Anything you want, on me, okay?" He threw Blair a knowing look and nodded at her, trying to catch her attention, but Blair and Luke were too busy with each other to pay him any notice. He finally gave up and turned back to Summer, looking as if he had been left with a bad taste in his mouth.
"Are you finally ready to pay some attention to me, Cohen?" Summer asked impatiently. She was ready to get up and leave any minute now.
Seth tried genuinely to focus on Summer and forced himself to sit still and examine the menu, but he couldn't help but notice what was going on in the corner of his eye. He couldn't concentrate on anything else but the two of them, giggling and leaning on each other. Seth pouted in silence while Summer returned to drumming her fingers, bored as ever. He wanted desperately to be able to come up with something original to say to Summer to amuse her and catch Blair's attention, but was too upset to think straight. Finally, the food came, just as Luke and Blair were asking for the check.
Seeing that this may have been his last chance to catch Blair's attention and get a rise out of her, Seth suddenly opened his mouth wide and asked Summer to feed him a spoonful of her soup. "C'mon, Summer. Give me some of that loooove," Seth purred, hoping that Blair was watching.
"You want me to feed you?!" Summer asked in a shrill voice, alarmed. "Ew, what is wrong with you?" Seth quickly grabbed her hand regardless, and shoved a spoonful in his mouth. "Mmmm…thanks, babycakes," Seth cooed loudly.
"Babycakes?" Summer asked in disbelief. Seth quickly glanced in Blair's direction, and for a moment, it seemed to have worked. He watched as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clearly vexed. After a few seconds of careful observation, however, he realized what was actually making her feel uncomfortable. Luke's hand was slipping lower and lower down her spine, until it had begun making contact with Blair's butt. Seth seethed in anger as he watched the water polo player groping Blair openly while she squirmed in her seat. He stood up suddenly, surprising both Blair and Summer, and marched directly to their table.
"Get your hands off her," Seth declared with all the courage he could muster. He was hoping that Luke did not happen to possess the abilities of a shark, who could smell the fear off of their prey. He tried his best to look brave and stood his ground, waiting for Luke to retreat.
"Or you'll do what," Luke asked, standing up, towering over Seth. Seth gulped. He wasn't really sure what he was getting himself into.
"Walk away, Cohen. I don't need you to defend my honor," Blair added, struggling to keep calm. Truth be told, she wasn't quite sure how to react. On one hand, it excited her to watch Seth become protective of her, but on the other, she was Blair Waldorf, and there was nothing that she needed to be protected of. Surely a girl who had dealt so closely with Chuck Bass would be able to handle a Luke Ward or two without some dumb flailing loser trying to play the knight in shining armor. She decided to sit back and enjoy the show.
"Look, Blair. You hate me right now – I get that. And you may think this guy is the one for you," he shot a tentative glance at Luke, who looked ready to pounce on him any minute. "But this isn't the kind of guy you want. You deserve a guy who knows how to respect you, and how to treat you well. Not some douche who's only thinking about when he's gonna get laid," Seth implored, looking directly into Blair's eyes. Blair's heart thumped against her chest as she told herself to keep it cool. The only reply she gave him was an icy stare, refusing to give any indication that she had registered his touching words.
Luke grabbed Seth by his t-shirt, and held up his fist. "You little -" he started, just as he was interrupted by Blair's fingers on his arm.
"He's not worth it," she said to him, gently pulling Luke away. Her eyes lingered on Seth for just a moment more, then returned to Luke. "Come on, let's go."
With that, Luke and Blair walked out of the diner, Luke's eyes all the while never leaving Seth as they both disappeared through the door. Seth sank into the seat where Blair and Luke had been, relieved and exhausted and confused, all at the same time. He caught sight of Summer, who was looking at him with a tremendously sad look on her face, and suddenly remembered why he had come here in the first place.
"Summer!" he exclaimed, shooting up from his seat. "I'm so, so sorry, Summer. I don't know what got into me just then. Let's just forget it, okay? Your food must be cold," he said, sitting down across from her and ready to resume their date. "Let me get you a new order, okay?" he asked, waving to the waitstaff to get their attention.
"Yes, we should just forget it," Summer replied, throwing down her napkin. She had given him way too many chances for the night. It had become blatantly clear what has gotten into Seth – and it was Blair Waldorf. She got up from her seat to leave. Seth didn't have the guts to go after her, knowing what a first-class jerk he'd been the entire night.
"Oh – and by the way – you were right," she started, just as she was about to slip out the door. Seth looked up questioningly. "This was a night that I will never, ever forget." Then, she walked off, leaving Seth utterly alone and feeling completely dejected – twice that night. He tried to finish off the rest of his meal, but had completely lost his appetite, wondering whether either of the two girls would ever talk to him again after tonight.