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missmara13No spiel, click tag...
Chapter Twenty
The two slowly parted, and Ryan licked his lips. "What... what now?"
"You ask me out on a first date," Summer suggested.
"I think we have been dating for a couple of weeks," Ryan said, smiling slightly.
"An official first date, then. Something genuinely couple-y."
"What do I know about couple-y, Summer?" Ryan said.
"Flowers or candy, dinner at a nice restraunt, and a movie or something. Keep that in mind and you'll be fine."
Ryan considered for a minute. "The Lighthouse opening is tomorrow night?" he finally asked.
"Sounds great," Summer said. "Why don't we meet there, so that you can arrive with your family?"
"Okay," Ryan replied, smiling a little nervously. "Summer?"
"Yeah?"
"If... I want this... us... to work, but if it doesn't... promise we'll at least try to go back to being friends? I don't want to lose you."
Summer smiled and rubbed her thumb along his jaw. "Don't worry, Chino. You're stuck with me for life."
"Good."
~~~~
"How was your afternoon at the pier?" Sandy asked as the family sat down to diner that night.
"Good until Anna invited herself to join us," Seth said. "Then Summer showed up..."
"It was a mess," Ryan added.
"They almost got in a catfight but Ryan got Summer out of there," Seth continued. "Anna caused it though." He shook his head. "Was she like that before?"
Ryan shook his head. "Nope. She was cool before."
"What exactly happened?" Kirsten asked.
"She said she thought Summer was using me to get back with Seth," Ryan explained. "Summer got defensive, they started fighting, I convinced Summer to leave before it got worse."
"A rage blackout in the middle of the Crab Shack would have been bad," Seth agreed. "How'd you clam her down, anyway?"
"Told her I knew it was a load of bull," Ryan said, shrugging.
"At least a fight was avoided," Sandy said.
"Yeah, but now I'm as pathetically single as Ryan," Seth said with a sigh.
Ryan flinched slightly. "I'm not," he said quietly.
"What?" Seth asked. "Who?"
"Summer's coming to The Lighthouse opening tomorrow night. As my date."
"So you are dating her?" Seth asked.
"As of tonight, yeah," Ryan said, chancing a glance at his 'brother' and relaxing when he saw Seth didn't look mad. "Sorry, I didn't mean for..."
"It's cool," Seth said quickly. "Don't expect a double date anytime soon, but... it's cool."
Ryan smiled. "Good."
~~~~
The next night, Ryan was trying to talk Seth out of switching a few of the CDs of classical music to Death Cab, when Jimmy walked in, Marissa on his arm. "She's back," Ryan said quietly.
"Huh?" Seth said, following his friend's gaze. "Oh boy. This could be bad."
"You think?" Ryan replied. He let out a relieved breath as the pair headed towards the kitchen and away from them. "Great," he muttered.
"What's wrong?" Summer asked as she came up to them from behind.
Ryan turned and smiled when he saw her there in a nice, somewhat slinky black dress. "Hey," he said.
"Hey, Chino," Summer replied. She glanced over at Seth. "Cohen."
"Hey, Summer," Seth said. "I'm just gonna... go... somewhere else," he added pointing randomly out a window and then walking in the opposite direction.
"So, what made you sound so worried?" Summer asked, reaching out and straightening Ryan's tie.
"Marissa's here."
Summer froze for a minute, then took a deep breath and smoothed his shirt. "It's okay," she said. "Coop has an idea, of us. She's okay with it."
"She is?"
"We talked about it last week. She picked up on the clues in your letters that you were falling for me, and I admitted the feeling might be mutual... and then I told her about us kissing. She was okay with it. Not like jumping for joy, but okay."
"Oh, good. That's good."
"Don't look so scared, Chino," Summer said. "What about Cohen? He seemed..."
"Same as Marissa. Not thrilled, but... he's not throwing a tantrum or anything."
"Good," Summer said. "So, our first date."
"Yeah," Ryan replied, smiling. "You want something to drink?"
"Water or something else non-alchoholic," Summer said. "I'm gonna be good from now on."
"Yeah, sure," Ryan said skeptically.
"Hey!" Summer protested, smacking his arm. "I mean, you can't drink because of your meds, Coop can't because it could cause a backwards slide, so I won't drink. At least not in front of you guys."
"Thanks," Ryan said, grabbing her hand and threading his fingers through hers.
"Your worth giving up puking and hangovers," Summer replied with a smile.
To Be Continued... Right Now!
and
Chapter Twenty One
Marissa looked over at the table where Ryan and Summer were sitting and eating. She hadn't neccesarily been avoiding the pair, but she wasn't sure she was ready to go over and say hello. She had hurt Ryan, and had more than deserved to lose him. But despite what she had said to Summer on the phone, she couldn't help feeling a little jealous of the scene in front of her.
"How are you?" Seth asked as he came up beside her.
Marissa turned and smiled slightly. "Pretty good," she said before looking back across the room. "They look happy."
"They are, I guess."
"Are you jealous?"
"Only that they're happy and I'm miserable. I never realized Anna could be as cruel as she was last night."
"What happened?"
"She accused Summer of using Ryan to get back with me."
"That's idiotic!"
"I know. So I think me and Anna are over," Seth said. "But at least Ryan and Summer are happy," he added, watching the pair.
~~~~
"Okay, who would have thought meatloaf was good?" Summer said, shrugging.
"Sandy would," Ryan replied, laughing. "You should have heard him going on and on about it." He paused and snorted. "On second thought, it's a good thing you didn't have to hear him."
Summer laughed. "Was he enthusiastic?" she asked.
"That's an understatement," Ryan replied. "Enthusiastic was when he realized how high my SAT 1's were. This was... borderline pyschosis."
Summer laughed again and took a sip of her diet Pepsi. "You're lucky to have him though. My dad doesn't even know where I am most of the time. Let alone what my grades are, or stuff like that."
"Trust me, I know how lucky I am to have the Cohens," Ryan said, looking over at Kirsten and Sandy, who were talking to investors.
Summer followed his gaze. "So..."
"So..." Ryan echoed, teasing her.
"So if you mock me again I'm gonna kick your ass, Chino."
"I'm scared," Ryan replied dryly.
"Already threatening him?"
Ryan turned in his seat and let out an annoyed breath. "Anna, just... go away."
"I'm just trying to look out for you, Ryan. This is Summer Roberts, the queen of bitches."
"Hmm..." Summer said, pretending to consider. "Look who's talking."
"Summer, why don't we go over and say hi to... someone," Ryan suggested, standing and holding out his hand to help her up.
Summer put her hand in his and stood, slipping her arm through his. "Sounds good, Ryan," She said, shooting a smug look at Anna.
~~~~
"Anna's glaring our way," Summer said later as she and Ryan stood near the bar, unable to keep the glee out of her voice.
"You don't have to gloat about pissing her off," Ryan replied, trying hard not to grin.
"Why not? She'd gloat if she was in my place."
"True, but you're the better woman."
Summer beamed at his words. "Good point, Chino."
"Hey."
The pair turned and saw a nervous looking Marissa. "Hey," Ryan replied.
"Hey," Summer said, echoing them both. "Welcome home."
"Thanks," Marissa said.
"How're you doing?" Ryan asked.
"Good. Mr. Nichols took back the deal he made with me. My dad still gets the money, but I get to live with my dad most of the time."
"That's great, Coop," Summer said, giving her friend a hug.
"How about you guys?" Marissa asked. "How's your side, Ryan?"
"Better," Ryan said. "I occasionally need pain meds, but... I'm good."
"Good," Marissa replied.
There was a long, awkward silence that followed, then Summer spoke up. "Are you okay with us, Coop? I mean really? Now that you've..."
"Like I said, not jumping for joy, but... I'm not going to cause any trouble or hate either of you or anything stupid like that."
"Yeah, Anna's the hatemonger around here," Seth said as he joined them too.
The group laughed, and for a moment it was like it had been the previous fall, before everything had started going wrong. And it felt really good.
To Be Continued...
Chapter Twenty
The two slowly parted, and Ryan licked his lips. "What... what now?"
"You ask me out on a first date," Summer suggested.
"I think we have been dating for a couple of weeks," Ryan said, smiling slightly.
"An official first date, then. Something genuinely couple-y."
"What do I know about couple-y, Summer?" Ryan said.
"Flowers or candy, dinner at a nice restraunt, and a movie or something. Keep that in mind and you'll be fine."
Ryan considered for a minute. "The Lighthouse opening is tomorrow night?" he finally asked.
"Sounds great," Summer said. "Why don't we meet there, so that you can arrive with your family?"
"Okay," Ryan replied, smiling a little nervously. "Summer?"
"Yeah?"
"If... I want this... us... to work, but if it doesn't... promise we'll at least try to go back to being friends? I don't want to lose you."
Summer smiled and rubbed her thumb along his jaw. "Don't worry, Chino. You're stuck with me for life."
"Good."
~~~~
"How was your afternoon at the pier?" Sandy asked as the family sat down to diner that night.
"Good until Anna invited herself to join us," Seth said. "Then Summer showed up..."
"It was a mess," Ryan added.
"They almost got in a catfight but Ryan got Summer out of there," Seth continued. "Anna caused it though." He shook his head. "Was she like that before?"
Ryan shook his head. "Nope. She was cool before."
"What exactly happened?" Kirsten asked.
"She said she thought Summer was using me to get back with Seth," Ryan explained. "Summer got defensive, they started fighting, I convinced Summer to leave before it got worse."
"A rage blackout in the middle of the Crab Shack would have been bad," Seth agreed. "How'd you clam her down, anyway?"
"Told her I knew it was a load of bull," Ryan said, shrugging.
"At least a fight was avoided," Sandy said.
"Yeah, but now I'm as pathetically single as Ryan," Seth said with a sigh.
Ryan flinched slightly. "I'm not," he said quietly.
"What?" Seth asked. "Who?"
"Summer's coming to The Lighthouse opening tomorrow night. As my date."
"So you are dating her?" Seth asked.
"As of tonight, yeah," Ryan said, chancing a glance at his 'brother' and relaxing when he saw Seth didn't look mad. "Sorry, I didn't mean for..."
"It's cool," Seth said quickly. "Don't expect a double date anytime soon, but... it's cool."
Ryan smiled. "Good."
~~~~
The next night, Ryan was trying to talk Seth out of switching a few of the CDs of classical music to Death Cab, when Jimmy walked in, Marissa on his arm. "She's back," Ryan said quietly.
"Huh?" Seth said, following his friend's gaze. "Oh boy. This could be bad."
"You think?" Ryan replied. He let out a relieved breath as the pair headed towards the kitchen and away from them. "Great," he muttered.
"What's wrong?" Summer asked as she came up to them from behind.
Ryan turned and smiled when he saw her there in a nice, somewhat slinky black dress. "Hey," he said.
"Hey, Chino," Summer replied. She glanced over at Seth. "Cohen."
"Hey, Summer," Seth said. "I'm just gonna... go... somewhere else," he added pointing randomly out a window and then walking in the opposite direction.
"So, what made you sound so worried?" Summer asked, reaching out and straightening Ryan's tie.
"Marissa's here."
Summer froze for a minute, then took a deep breath and smoothed his shirt. "It's okay," she said. "Coop has an idea, of us. She's okay with it."
"She is?"
"We talked about it last week. She picked up on the clues in your letters that you were falling for me, and I admitted the feeling might be mutual... and then I told her about us kissing. She was okay with it. Not like jumping for joy, but okay."
"Oh, good. That's good."
"Don't look so scared, Chino," Summer said. "What about Cohen? He seemed..."
"Same as Marissa. Not thrilled, but... he's not throwing a tantrum or anything."
"Good," Summer said. "So, our first date."
"Yeah," Ryan replied, smiling. "You want something to drink?"
"Water or something else non-alchoholic," Summer said. "I'm gonna be good from now on."
"Yeah, sure," Ryan said skeptically.
"Hey!" Summer protested, smacking his arm. "I mean, you can't drink because of your meds, Coop can't because it could cause a backwards slide, so I won't drink. At least not in front of you guys."
"Thanks," Ryan said, grabbing her hand and threading his fingers through hers.
"Your worth giving up puking and hangovers," Summer replied with a smile.
To Be Continued... Right Now!
and
Chapter Twenty One
Marissa looked over at the table where Ryan and Summer were sitting and eating. She hadn't neccesarily been avoiding the pair, but she wasn't sure she was ready to go over and say hello. She had hurt Ryan, and had more than deserved to lose him. But despite what she had said to Summer on the phone, she couldn't help feeling a little jealous of the scene in front of her.
"How are you?" Seth asked as he came up beside her.
Marissa turned and smiled slightly. "Pretty good," she said before looking back across the room. "They look happy."
"They are, I guess."
"Are you jealous?"
"Only that they're happy and I'm miserable. I never realized Anna could be as cruel as she was last night."
"What happened?"
"She accused Summer of using Ryan to get back with me."
"That's idiotic!"
"I know. So I think me and Anna are over," Seth said. "But at least Ryan and Summer are happy," he added, watching the pair.
~~~~
"Okay, who would have thought meatloaf was good?" Summer said, shrugging.
"Sandy would," Ryan replied, laughing. "You should have heard him going on and on about it." He paused and snorted. "On second thought, it's a good thing you didn't have to hear him."
Summer laughed. "Was he enthusiastic?" she asked.
"That's an understatement," Ryan replied. "Enthusiastic was when he realized how high my SAT 1's were. This was... borderline pyschosis."
Summer laughed again and took a sip of her diet Pepsi. "You're lucky to have him though. My dad doesn't even know where I am most of the time. Let alone what my grades are, or stuff like that."
"Trust me, I know how lucky I am to have the Cohens," Ryan said, looking over at Kirsten and Sandy, who were talking to investors.
Summer followed his gaze. "So..."
"So..." Ryan echoed, teasing her.
"So if you mock me again I'm gonna kick your ass, Chino."
"I'm scared," Ryan replied dryly.
"Already threatening him?"
Ryan turned in his seat and let out an annoyed breath. "Anna, just... go away."
"I'm just trying to look out for you, Ryan. This is Summer Roberts, the queen of bitches."
"Hmm..." Summer said, pretending to consider. "Look who's talking."
"Summer, why don't we go over and say hi to... someone," Ryan suggested, standing and holding out his hand to help her up.
Summer put her hand in his and stood, slipping her arm through his. "Sounds good, Ryan," She said, shooting a smug look at Anna.
~~~~
"Anna's glaring our way," Summer said later as she and Ryan stood near the bar, unable to keep the glee out of her voice.
"You don't have to gloat about pissing her off," Ryan replied, trying hard not to grin.
"Why not? She'd gloat if she was in my place."
"True, but you're the better woman."
Summer beamed at his words. "Good point, Chino."
"Hey."
The pair turned and saw a nervous looking Marissa. "Hey," Ryan replied.
"Hey," Summer said, echoing them both. "Welcome home."
"Thanks," Marissa said.
"How're you doing?" Ryan asked.
"Good. Mr. Nichols took back the deal he made with me. My dad still gets the money, but I get to live with my dad most of the time."
"That's great, Coop," Summer said, giving her friend a hug.
"How about you guys?" Marissa asked. "How's your side, Ryan?"
"Better," Ryan said. "I occasionally need pain meds, but... I'm good."
"Good," Marissa replied.
There was a long, awkward silence that followed, then Summer spoke up. "Are you okay with us, Coop? I mean really? Now that you've..."
"Like I said, not jumping for joy, but... I'm not going to cause any trouble or hate either of you or anything stupid like that."
"Yeah, Anna's the hatemonger around here," Seth said as he joined them too.
The group laughed, and for a moment it was like it had been the previous fall, before everything had started going wrong. And it felt really good.
To Be Continued...
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Date: 2007-07-25 06:21 am (UTC)And Anna is a bitch.
Those were great posts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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