Sandy was currently trying to teach me how to play golf. I wasn't sure why I needed this. I guess because Seth wasn't interested at all.
"Come on, nice and easy, nice and easy, nice and easy." I looked up and stared at him. "I'll stop now. I swung the club aiming for the coffee mug, but instead hit it into the pool where Seth retrieved it.
"I got it." He explained. By now it was apparent that I was not the next Tiger Woods. That was the third ball that he had retrieved. This was pretty hopeless. I wondered if my arms were too short. Is that a thing?
"One more." Sandy urged.
"No more, I suck." I countered. "I don't play golf."
"Not true, you just don't play it well." Seth piped in.
"Well there's plenty more in Palm Springs than just golf. You can spa." Sandy suggested.
"I don't like the idea of someone that I don't know touching my naked body." I declared.
"Have you ever played tennis?" Sandy questioned.
"No but it looks like it would be easier than this." I declared. I also knew that tennis had a certain sense of style to it.
"So what do you do?" Seth asked with a weird voice.
"She's very good with the ladies." Sandy answered.
"Yes she is very good with the ladies, unlike me." Seth agreed.
"She's standing right here with a putter in her hands." I remarked in annoyance.
"Yeah, but you don't know how to use it." He pointed out as he took it from me.
"That's why I don't want to go to Palm Springs." I stated. I wondered if Kaitlin could sell it better than these two clowns.
"Well you're going because you did something nice for Oliver and he wants to repay you by taking us to his mansion in Palm Springs." Seth explained. "Without you there is no deal. Why are you being so selfish?"
"I didn't say that I wasn't going." I remarked.
"This kid has a mansion on a golf course?" Sandy asked in disbelief before he swung the golf club and hit it directly into the cup. Well if I was related to him, I definitely wouldn't have gotten those jeans. I probably would have taken after Kirsten.
"Well let's hope that he's not still into Marissa because I told him that she was gay." I said.
"Well you're not so bad yourself." Seth replied. "You've got a pool house with ocean views."
"Take another shot." Sandy instructed. "So Oliver's parents are going to be there? Have you met them?"
"No." Seth replied. "But if they're anywhere near as cool as Oliver is…"
I took my shot and ended up breaking a window.
"I'm telling Kirsten this is your fault." I told Sandy. "I think I'll stick to tennis."
There was one downside to staying someone else's house. I knew that Kaitlin and I would get our own room, but we probably would not be able to have sex. I don't think it's cool to have sex in someone else's house.
I went down to the Cooper house to meet Kaitlin in the driveway.
"So your grandpa and my mom are coming back today." She declared.
"I wonder if that means that Hailey will be gone when we get back from Palm Springs." I stated. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go to your room right now because I don't know if we'll be able to do anything when we get there."
About 20 minutes later, I was wrapped in a blanket as I looked around her room. It was actually the first time we'd done it in there.
"So do you know how to play tennis?" I questioned.
"I've taken some lessons." She explained.
"Kaitlin, are you packed…" Marissa declared as she and Summer walked in before walking back out.
"At least this time we finished." I replied. "We should probably put clothes on. What do you got?"
"Are you sure my clothes will fit you?" She questioned.
"Well your legs are longer, but we're about the same size torso." I pointed out as I grabbed a light blue tank top with red and yellow stripes and a pair of ripped jeans.
Once we were dressed, we went to the living room.
"So have you two ever thought about dating?" I questioned. "I mean you have been friends forever and that's how the movies go."
"No." Summer replied. "That would never work."
"You still want to be with Anna, don't you?" I questioned.
"Yes, she does." Marissa replied.
"You don't have to go." I responded.
"I can't sabotage the trip if I'm not there." Summer declared. "What do you think about laxatives in Seth's coffee?"
"I don't think that's a very good idea." Kaitlin replied. "Anna won't like you more if she finds out."
"I've lost my mind haven't I?" She inquired.
"Well I should probably pack." I declared as Kaitlin started to follow me. I stopped her at the door. "This'll probably go quicker if I do it myself."
In the pool house, I found Seth and Anna were together.
"So do you have enough comics for the trip?" I questioned.
"Between the two of us we do." Anna replied. "We also have manga."
"So apparently Summer has some issues with this weekend." I declared. "I was wondering if you two could not make out in front of her."
"That might be hard." Seth commented. I glared at him. "So you don't seem like you like Oliver that much."
"He's kind of lurky and always around." I replied. "It's weird."
"Well you two are kind of alike." Seth pointed out. "You both have complimented family issues."
"You can go now." I told my brother. He left, but Anna stayed behind.
"So I have a secret that I don't want Seth to know." She told me. Why was she telling me then? "The other night, I kind of sort of slept with Summer."
"I don't believe this." I muttered. "You can't have this both. Have you learned nothing from Seth's mistake?"
"I don't know who I want though." She argued.
"You really just like Seth." I stated. "Look you know how bad it felt when he was two-timing you. You need to pick one and stay with them."
"This is different." She declared.
"Pretty soon it's going to be Summer who can't choose between you and Seth." I replied. "You have to end this cycle."
"I will, just not this weekend." She promised. This was not going to end well. I hate love triangles.
We then walked out front to see that Holly had several cases of beer.
"Did you rob a liquor store?" I questioned.
"You can't play golf without a buzz." Holly stated.
"I'm sticking to tennis." I responded. "Something tells me I shouldn't be buzzed while playing that."
I put my bags in the bed of her dad's truck. He wasn't going to be needing it for a while. I gave Kaitlin a kiss before I noticed Oliver looking down. Apparently Natalie wasn't going to be there. I wasn't going to say anything about him having a fight with his imaginary girlfriend because he seemed really upset.
"You need to get out of town." Marissa told him. "I think we could all use a break from Newport right now."
As long as this vacation went better than the last one, I would be fine. At least we weren't going to be in an RV. I have to say that JoJo is the sexiest hippie I've ever seen though.
So from the way it sounded, Marissa would be with Oliver, I would be with Kaitlin, Seth, and Anna, and Summer would be with Holly. I also noted that Summer didn't want to be with Holly either.
I was glad that I had a GPS because I obviously had no idea how to get there. The map said it was just outside of San Bernadino.
"So we should play a driving game." Seth suggested.
"No, because I need to be able to hear the GPS." I declared. "I already have to turn the stereo down so I can barely hear my Avril CD. I need you two to be quiet so we don't wind up with a broken axle again."
"When did this happen?" Anna asked curiously. I forgot that we was sailing when we went to Tijuana. I then pulled onto the interstate.
"How is this better than Death Cab?" Seth questioned as he listened to the music.
"Avril actually sounds like she wants to sing." I replied. "Death Cab just sounds tired and bored. I think I remember someone once said that the driver picks the music."
"You're using my own words against me." He replied.
"Can you shut him up?" I requested of Anna before she started to kiss him.
"So it sounds like your house will be fun this weekend." Kaitlin told me. "It'll be just Thanksgiving except with Hailey instead of your dad's blonde coworker.
Palm Springs looked more pretentious than Newport. There were mansions upon mansions. I couldn't help but notice that Holly and Summer were having trouble with the cooler.
"Seth, put yourself to good use." I instructed. When he's the strongest guy you know, well that's kind of sad. It turned out that he needed my help. Fortunately, Oliver showed him the fridge. Kaitlin and I then went over to Marissa.
"So how was the ride with Oliver?" I questioned.
"It was okay." She remarked. "We talked. Well he talked mostly. I think he just wanted something to listen."
"How is he?" I questioned.
"He's a little fragile but I think getting out of town will help." I declared.
"I hope you weren't talking about me while I was gone." Oliver stated as he walked back in.
At that point, Seth's phone began to ring.
"Hey Dad." He greeted. That was the sixth time he called. "We're still fine. We just got here. I'll talk to you at every hole. Bye."
"So where are your parents?" I asked curiously.
"I don't think they're gonna make it." He declared. Well, there are more people that I'm not sure exist. "So let's get everyone settled before we hit the links."
"Is that some kind of golf slang?" I questioned. "I was thinking about tennis."
Oliver then began to show everyone to their rooms with me and Kaitlin last.
"I forgot this is the one with the two twins." He replied. Right. "You can push them together if you want."
"I think we'll manage." Kaitlin stated.
"So I really appreciate you being so cool about Marissa and I being friends." He said to her.
"Well as long as that's all you are, I'm fine with it." Kaitlin explained. "You can go now."
He walked out and we closed the door.
"I hate this guy." She seethed.
"Don't you think that's going a little too far?" I questioned.
"He's the stereotypical guy that doesn't know that a girl being gay means that she's not interested." She continued. "I need to play some tennis. It'll help me with some aggression. I brought an extra outfit for you to wear."
We headed to the tennis court and she was hitting it hard.
"Are you imagine that as Oliver's head?" I questioned. "Look I know. I used to picture the goal as my dad's face, but you have to learn to control your anger."
"I'll be fine after I get this out of my system." She told me.
"Well anger also leads to sloppy play." I reminded her. "I'm up three games on you. We should give him a bit of a break."
At that point, I got a text from Seth saying that Summer was killing him. I couldn't help but wonder if she found out that Anna was also sleeping with him.
"Let's finish up the set and then I need to rescue my brother." I explained. "Apparently Summer is killing him."
"I wonder how Marissa is doing with Holly." Kaitlin replied. "They haven't hung out a lot since well Tijuana."
At that point, I got a call from Holly.
"I'm kind of busy." I told her. "Is this about Marissa?"
"No it's about Oliver. I hate that dick." She explained. "I'm getting my ball back and he's not only a prick, but he also keeps hitting on Marissa. I wanna take my club to his nuts. Also I'm pretty sure that Anna's fucking both Summer and Seth."
"I know that." I replied. "I'll be there soon. I just need to finish."
I then hung up.
"So Holly doesn't like Oliver either." I explained. "I'll serve."
We met them at the edge of the golf course. I guess that they were done. I couldn't believe that they had played 18 holes already.
"You two-timing bitch." Summer yelled at Anna. "I didn't expect this from you of all people."
"And that secret is out." I told Kaitlin. "They're going to have an interesting night."
"Look, Anna, I think if you went back to Summer after you slept with Seth means that you want her more. Sorry, Seth, but you're out." Kaitlin stepped in. She then looked at Oliver. "And you stop hitting on my sister."
"I'm gonna go back to the house." Oliver announced.
"What is your problem?" Marissa asked her sister. "He was just playing around. He wasn't hitting on me."
Marissa then walked away before Seth, Summer and Anna also left.
"He was hitting on her." Holly stated. "It was like she was with you all over again."
I didn't know what to think. I had two reliable sources saying that he was bad news, one which I loved, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed harmless.
Kaitlin decided that she wanted to cool down by watching The Valley. I had seen it a few times and it was actually addicting.
"So did you I have a class with the girl whose dad created this show?" She asked me.
"Well that sounds interesting." I replied. "That girl is terrible at covering up her Australian accent."
"Well she probably had the best audition." Kaitlin explained. "I'm sorry that I've been acting up so much lately. I always get bitchy around this time. I don't suppose you brought any Midol with you by any chance?"
"No, I didn't, but can drive to the store and get some." I declared.
After dinner, the two of us were doing dishes, because Kaitlin said that it helped calm her down. I guess whatever works.
"You know you girls don't have to do this." Oliver stated.
"I want to." Kaitlin remarked.
"Then you should let me help. I'm the host after all." He reminded us. "I wanna start over."
Kaitlin looked like she was going to snap at him again.
"I feel like we got off on the wrong foot and I want to make this right." He continued. "What can I do?"
"Next time you wanna be alone with my sister, let me know so I can stay home." She told him icily. Well at least she didn't yell at him.
At that point, Oliver broke a plate and I jumped.
"This always happens." He seethed. "With Natalie, my friends at Pacific and now you."
He then began to hit himself. Okay, something was seriously wrong with him.
"Everyone who ends knowing me for more than five minutes ends up hating my guts." He vented.
"No one hates your guts." I tried to tell him. I'd never seen anything like this before.
"What's going on?" Marissa asked as she showed up in a bikini. "Are you okay?"
"I'm gonna go get some fresh air and some stuff for breakfast." Oliver replied.
"I'll go with you." Marissa volunteered. I actually didn't think that was a bad idea, but he wasn't having it. She then looked at us accusingly. "I can't believe you two drove him out of his own house."
"He just wigged out," I explained. "We were just talking and then he wasn't okay."
"What were you talking about that upset him so much?" Marissa questioned.
"You." Kaitlin answered. "You and him and how he always wants to be with you."
"Okay, now I'm thinking that you're paranoid." Marissa replied. Now it seemed like everyone was yelling at each other.
"No, you just don't think that he's into you." Kaitlin argued. I decided to grab Kaitlin and drag her away. "I want to go home. I don't care if Caleb's going to be here. I want to be anywhere but here."
"You're just moody right now." I told her. "You know I'm really concerned about Oliver. I may not like the guy, but I don't want him to kill himself."
"You think he's going to try that?" She asked in surprise.
"I don't know. He had that look in his eyes." I pointed out.
"I need a ride to Newport." Marissa declared. "Oliver just called me and said that he took a bunch of pills and he doesn't want to see a doctor. He asked for me."
I began to drive with Marissa in the front and Kaitlin in the back. He wasn't answering when she called him. This is a probably a good reason why therapy isn't the best place for a person to make friends. She was freaking out and I was doing my best not to freak out.
When we got there, he seemed completely fine. Apparently he was in the shower when she was calling him. What the fuck happened? I was confused to say the least. Kaitlin just looked at me shock in Marissa doted over him.
"Maybe you should go the emergency room." Kaitlin suggested. "There's no reason to take any chances."
"If we go to the emergency room, they'll put me under suicide watch." He told us. "They'll call the cops and my parents."
"Maybe that's not such a bad idea." I declared.
"I'm fine. I just want to sleep." Oliver responded.
We stayed the night with him. In the morning, I headed out to the living room and found Kaitlin was up. She was on the floor with an empty bottle.
"What are you looking for?" Marissa asked as she walked in.
"Is he alright?" I questioned.
"I think so but I told him I'd stay with him tonight." Marissa replied.
"That is a bad idea." Kaitlin declared.
"Well I'm not leaving him alone." Marissa argued.
"I don't know if he even tried it the first time." Kaitlin muttered.
"What?" I asked.
"Think about it. He didn't want us to take him to the hospital." She pointed out.
"He didn't want his parents to find out." Marissa stated. "He didn't want to be institutionalized."
"Well maybe he belongs there." Kaitlin argued. I wondered if she realized what she said.
"You two should go." Marissa replied.
"I'm sorry, Marissa, but he's bad news." Kaitlin replied before the two of us walked out.
So I figured it made more sense for Kaitlin to be suspicious of Oliver than Sammie. Also the triangle imploded yet again. Please don't forget to review.