If You Can't Beat 'Em...(5/?: My Precious)
Angelus [email protected]
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.
~*~
Sometimes, Summer really hated being Marissa Cooper's best friend. Because wherever Coop went lately, Chino seemed to follow. And where Chino went, Cohen went, and where Cohen went, Tinkerbitch went. At least they had had some courtesy this time and invited Luke, so she'd have someone to talk to while everyone else was making out. How had she let Marissa talk her into going to the movies in the first place, she wondered? And how had they been persuaded to sit with Anna on her left and Marissa on the other side of Luke? The exes sitting smack dab in the middle of CouplesLand. It was a for-sure recipe for disaster if Summer had ever seen one.
"How long is this movie anyway?" Luke whispered in her ear. Summer grimaced.
"Too long," she replied. Since Palm Springs, she and Luke had established a tentative friendship. She did it out of a loyalty she rarely felt anymore, so that she could get him out of the others' hair. He did it out of the hopes of getting laid, even though Summer had made it abundantly clear that that was *never* going to happen. Even so, once you got to know him, he wasn't that bad of a guy, and Summer had known him forever. He had apologized profusely to Marissa, and she had accepted, and that part of their history had been officially declared over and done with. And now that it had, Summer genuinely liked hanging out with Luke. She liked seeing that a person could change so completely. It gave her hope.
Summer glanced over to her right. The previews had barely started, and already Ryan and Marissa were going at it. She rolled her eyes. To her left, however, Anna simply had her head on Seth's shoulder. But even that was enough to make Summer's eyes narrow and her fists clench. She didn't know why she was bothering to get jealous. It wasn't like she and Cohen were together, or had ever been. He had made it expressly clear in the weeks since their last little encounter that *Anna* was his girlfriend; every time Summer looked, they were holding hands and making googly eyes at each other. It made her want to hurl.
If there was one thing Summer had learned in life, however, it was to repress and deny. It was her strategy in dealing with her mom's death, her dad's drinking, her barely-legal stepmothers...but for some reason, the strategy never seemed to work when it came to Seth Cohen. Why was that? Why could she not just ignore him and Anna hanging all over each other and pretend like she had never gone and fallen for him in the first place?
No. She didn't really wonder - she knew why. She just didn't want to admit it, to herself or to anyone else. But that didn't change the fact that it was still there, nagging at her, making her want to rip Anna's fingers off her body just so that she would stop touching Seth. With a put-out expression on her face, Summer sank back into her seat. When she felt said seat begin to vibrate from some over-eager child behind her kicking it, Summer spun around to give the little punk a death glare. She was *not* in the mood to be fucked with right now.
"Knock it off or I crush your kneecaps," she warned him. The pre-teen, resplendent in the latest ghetto-fabulous junior high wear, complete with baggy pants, an oversized Dennis Rodman jersey, and several bling-blingy silver necklaces, grinned and gave her seat another kick. Summer's eyes narrowed. She felt Luke put a restraining hand on her arm, but she shook it off. "Look," she told the kid. "We're stuck with each other for the next hour and a half or so, and if you'd like to spend that time with working testicles, I'd suggest that you *stop kicking my seat*." Rodman laughed.
"Hour and a half?" he repeated. "Honey, this movie is three and a half hours long." By the way Summer's eyebrows rose to her hairline, it was quite clear that this was the first she had heard of this. Rodman's grin just grew wider. Beside Summer, Luke saw her fists clench, her knuckled turning white, and decided to intervene.
"Hey, kid, I'd listen to her if I were you," he warned. "She's not exaggerating. She'd rip your balls off without batting an eyelash." Rodman's cocky grin wavered as he looked back at Summer, who was shooting daggers at him with her eyes. "You ever heard of rage blackouts?" Luke added. Rodman shook his head. The pair of them must have looked quite intimidating, because the kid just clammed up and turned to talk to his friend beside him. Satisfied, Summer turned back around in her seat. She shot Luke a grateful look.
"Thanks," she said. He shrugged.
"Not that I wouldn't like to see the little shit castrated," he said. "But how about letting it out on Cohen instead of minors with parents that can sue?" Summer's eyes lit up, and Luke had to let out a chuckle. Only Summer Roberts could get that gleam in her eyes at the prospect of torturing someone. Truth be told, sometimes she scared Luke a little. As hot as she was, Cohen could have her. It amazed him that someone as weak as Seth was able to work Summer up so much by barely doing anything. Their relationship was a strange creature, and Luke had found - and been told, several times, by Ryan and Marissa - that more often than not, it was better to just let the dysfunctional pair sort things out themselves.
Summer poked Seth in the arm. He turned, the look in his eyes a reflexive mixture of fear and apology. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that this movie is three and a half fucking hours long?" she fumed. Seth's mouth flapped open and closed as his brain searched for the answer that would get him in the least trouble.
"It's 'Lord of the Rings', Summer," he began calmly. "We told you that when we invited you along. I guess I figured that you knew how long these things always are."
"Well, sorry, I'm not a comic book geek, I don't know these things," she countered. Okay, so not quite the answer he had been looking for.
"'Lord of the Rings' isn't a comic book," he said helpfully. Summer just glared. Luckily, at that moment, the light in the theater dimmed, and the movie began. Luke put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Too furious to care, Summer let him leave it there, settling in for three and a half hours of daydreaming of various ways to kill Seth. And Anna. And Ryan and Marissa. And the rest of the patrons in the theater, just for the hell of it.
~*~
Something was happening on-screen about Hobbits and a ring and a mountain. Summer really didn't care enough to try and figure out the plot. If she had come some other time, the movie would have been bearable - there were plenty of hot guys and gorgeous sets to keep her from being *completely* bored out of her mind. Tonight, however, she had barely noticed - she had spent the entire time watching Anna's hand caress Seth's kneecap, and his hand slide its way up her thigh. Luke had gotten sucked into the movie, so he hadn't even noticed that Summer wasn't watching. All of the sudden, the movie screen went dark and the house light came back up. Summer glanced down at her watch, and was shocked to find that only about two hours had passed.
"Well," she said, gathering her purse and coat. "That was fun." The rest of the group were all looking at her uncomfortably. "What?" she asked. It was Anna who ventured to speak.
"This is just the intermission," she said, her eyes sparkling. Summer knew the girl lived to make her look bad, but she didn't particularly care. "It's about ten minutes. The movie comes back on after that." Summer closed her eyes and counted to ten. Homicide would not improve the situation, she told herself.
"I'm going to go get something to drink," she announced, once she had calmed herself somewhat. "Luke?" Without waiting for a response, she shoved her way passed Seth and Anna and walked up the aisle towards the concession stand outside. The bright lights and colors bombarded her, and were definitely not helping to calm her frazzled nerves. She chose the shortest line, and moved in behind the large-bottomed woman who was fourth. When she reached the counter, she ordered a cherry slushee from the young, acne-riddled cashier. She hadn't had one since she was, like, six, but she was dying for one right now. She was pulling her wallet out of her purse when she heard a male voice behind her say:
"Make that two, please." Damn. Summer whirled around to find Seth standing beside her.
"Where the hell is Luke?" she asked.
"Listening to Anna explain the plot of the first two movies," he said. "I think we've brought him over to the dark side." Summer rolled her eyes.
"Great," she muttered. "Just what I need - another comic book geek." Seth shook his head ruefully.
"You break my heart every time I hear you call it a comic book," he said. Summer gave him one of her patented 'Whatever' looks, musing on his ironic choice of words. He was the one who had broken her heart, and continued to do so just by standing there. She knew she hid her emotions well, but was he really *that* oblivious when it came to women? They stood in silence as they waited for their drinks. After they had paid and were on their way back to the theater, Seth murmured a quiet
"I'm sorry."
"Right." She kept walking, her eyes straight ahead of her, but Seth caught her by the elbow, almost knocking her drink to the ground as he spun her around to face him.
"Look, I'm serious," he insisted. Summer peered at him.
"Okay, I'm biting," she said. "You're sorry for what? For dragging me to this movie? For not choosing me? For playing head games with me? Or for just being the miserable excuse for a human being that you are?" Seth hung his head.
"Allright, I deserved that," he admitted. Summer snorted.
"Damn right you did," she agreed. Her hand was getting cold from holding her drink, and the sticky red liquid was leaking out from underneath the plastic lid and dripping onto her hand. She considered licking it off, but as she was about to raise it to her lips, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Seth do the same thing. And damn, looking at his tongue was the very
last thing she needed to be doing right now. But when her eyes met his, it was clear that she wasn't the only one having the very wrong thoughts she was having.
Behind them, an usher cleared her throat. "Umm, we're going to be closing the door," she informed the pair. "If you don't come into the theater, you won't be able to get back in until after the movie is over." They regarded one another silently for a moment, before Summer took charge and flounced into the darkened theater, Seth following close at her heels. Once inside, the doors closed behind them as promised. Summer made her way down the aisle towards their seats. Seth was following, head down, when all of the sudden she halted abruptly, sending him crashing into her.
"What's the hold-up?" he asked, only to be shushed by a blue-haired grandma in the next row. He gave her only the briefest of apologetic glances, choosing instead to focus his attention on Summer as she turned slowly around. Her eyes were huge and dark, her lips parted slightly. Seth groaned inwardly. She was trouble with a capital 'T'. But somehow, that just made her even more appealing. Taking her elbow, he led her back a few rows to the farthest, darkest corner. The surrounding rows were empty, because it was universally known what the back row of a movie theater was for, and no one else cared to see that. Seth set his drink in the cupholder, took Summer's from her hand and set it in the next one down. Then he reached for her hand, pulling her forward. He half-expected her to just backhand him, but she let him tug, and fell into his lap without complaint.
Their lips met instantaneously, kisses long and warm and wet. Seth's hands caressed her backside, while she drew her fingernails across his stomach under his shirt, making him quiver and jerk her forward roughly. His hands got more adventurous, reaching up to cup her breast and pinch her nipple between his fingers. She gasped involuntarily, then buried her mouth in his shoulder to stop herself from making anymore sounds - the last thing she wanted right now was for security to come and kick the horny teenagers out. But really, she wanted to sing and shout. That was how good he made her feel - like she had to tell the whole world. Only, she couldn't. Because of Anna. Truth be told, she didn't really care about her peers at school. Summer had always had a 'screw-you' attitude when it came to others. She could deal with the barbs that would get slung at her if she strolled up the front steps hand-in-hand with Seth Cohen. Big deal. But having people accuse her of stealing someone else's boyfriend? No. Summer had morals. Maybe not the highest ones, but she was from Newport after all. That was one thing that had always set Marissa and herself apart from Holly and the others - they weren't into hurting and humiliating people just for kicks. That was why they had become such good friends. They didn't believe in the Harbor politics of 'want, take, have'. The defining moment of their friendship had been when Summer had turned down Luke in the sixth grade because Marissa had seen him first. Fair was fair, after all.
So what the hell was she doing now? She may not have stolen Seth away, but this wasn't much better - clandestine kisses in the dark thirty feet away from his girlfriend, then playing nice with her the next day. It was very un-Summer-like. But maybe that was because in the past, she had never had so much at stake. Seth Cohen was a good guy. There weren't many of those around anymore. But more than that, he made her feel more than she'd ever felt for anyone before. She found herself smiling as soon as he walked in the room, her stomach flip-flopping when he smiled back, her mouth watering remembering the taste of his kisses. She wasn't particularly happy with the way she had handled the situation between him, Anna, and herself - she didn't really want to turn into a typical Harbor Newpsie. But just the feel of his body pressed against hers made it all worthwhile.
If you can't beat 'em...
His hand was creeping up her thigh, and his mouth was working steadily at her collarbone. Summer's blood rushed in all different directions, making it feel like she was in a sauna instead of a movie theater. She scooted closer, rocking her pelvis against hers. Surprised, Seth accidentally bit down on the skin of her neck. Summer jerked away, but too far, because she began to fall backwards. Seth grabbed her arm and hauled her back against him. He stopped her from tumbling out his lap, but as she fell forwards, her hand hit her cup and sent it toppling onto the floor, slushee and all. The drink pooled out beneath the seats, a hunk of rapidly-melting red slush sliding down towards the front of the theater. In the dark, Summer mused, it almost looked like blood, as it dripped off of the back of the seats in front of them where it had splashed. She shot Seth a look, and found that he, too, was on the verge of laughter. Upon their eyes meeting, which he seemed to take as permission, they began to laugh. They got steadily louder, until the same little old lady from before shushed them again. Still grinning, Summer leaned forward, breathing in the spicy scent of the cologne Seth had borrowed from Ryan as she twined her arms around his neck. He slid a hand under her shirt and ran his fingers lightly across the bare skin he found there, tracing the line of her spinal cord. Summer spread her legs a little further apart, sinking down into a much more relaxed position. This was...nice. They didn't do this very often. In the past, she probably never would have let him. And now...
Now, she still shouldn't be letting him. Making out and a little groping on the side - those she could shrug off. But this - tenderness - that was a little harder for her to justify to herself. She didn't want to be feeling this. Because it would make it so much harder when they had to let go.
Silently, Summer slid off of Seth's lap and into the seat beside him. He turned to look at her, obviously not phased by what had just passed between them. He reached out a hand to cup her chin, smiling gently. Summer sucked in a shaky breath. His eyes were so wide and trusting and he was just looking at her as if she were something special; something precious and that much emotion was...well, it was scary. He moved his hand to her neck.
"You might wanna cover that up," he murmured with a wicked smirk and a twinkle in his eye. Summer furrowed her brow, then dug into her purse and retrieved a compact. She flipped it open to reveal a gigantic, purplish hickey front and center. She gasped.
"Cohen!" she hissed indignantly, punching him in the arm.
"Ow!" he replied. "Come on - you love it." And there was that look again. Summer was really beginning to hate that look. She tried to ignore him as she pulled out her tube of concealer from her purse and liberally applied it to her neck. He didn't make it easy, though - he kissed her shoulder and held her hand and gave her those goddamn puppy-dog eyes. When she thought she had sufficiently hidden the evidence of their tryst, Summer turned to face Seth, her face serious.
"This has got to stop," she said. He took a deep breath.
"I know," he agreed. They shared a look before he leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't an agreement or a disagreement, it was just a kiss. It would have been so much easier had he just agreed, because Summer had a feeling that that kiss would be her downfall. They rose at the same time and proceeded down the aisle, Summer leading as always, Seth hovering close behind. They squeezed past legs and people and dropped into their seats without a word. Home free; neutral territory. Anna leaned over to her boyfriend.
"Long lines?" she whispered. Seth only nodded, viciously stabbing his nearly-melted drink with a straw. He sucked it down, hoping the artificial cherry sweetness would erase the even sweeter taste of Summer's watermelon lipgloss from his mouth before he had to give Anna her requisite goodnight kiss.
Angelus [email protected]
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.
~*~
Sometimes, Summer really hated being Marissa Cooper's best friend. Because wherever Coop went lately, Chino seemed to follow. And where Chino went, Cohen went, and where Cohen went, Tinkerbitch went. At least they had had some courtesy this time and invited Luke, so she'd have someone to talk to while everyone else was making out. How had she let Marissa talk her into going to the movies in the first place, she wondered? And how had they been persuaded to sit with Anna on her left and Marissa on the other side of Luke? The exes sitting smack dab in the middle of CouplesLand. It was a for-sure recipe for disaster if Summer had ever seen one.
"How long is this movie anyway?" Luke whispered in her ear. Summer grimaced.
"Too long," she replied. Since Palm Springs, she and Luke had established a tentative friendship. She did it out of a loyalty she rarely felt anymore, so that she could get him out of the others' hair. He did it out of the hopes of getting laid, even though Summer had made it abundantly clear that that was *never* going to happen. Even so, once you got to know him, he wasn't that bad of a guy, and Summer had known him forever. He had apologized profusely to Marissa, and she had accepted, and that part of their history had been officially declared over and done with. And now that it had, Summer genuinely liked hanging out with Luke. She liked seeing that a person could change so completely. It gave her hope.
Summer glanced over to her right. The previews had barely started, and already Ryan and Marissa were going at it. She rolled her eyes. To her left, however, Anna simply had her head on Seth's shoulder. But even that was enough to make Summer's eyes narrow and her fists clench. She didn't know why she was bothering to get jealous. It wasn't like she and Cohen were together, or had ever been. He had made it expressly clear in the weeks since their last little encounter that *Anna* was his girlfriend; every time Summer looked, they were holding hands and making googly eyes at each other. It made her want to hurl.
If there was one thing Summer had learned in life, however, it was to repress and deny. It was her strategy in dealing with her mom's death, her dad's drinking, her barely-legal stepmothers...but for some reason, the strategy never seemed to work when it came to Seth Cohen. Why was that? Why could she not just ignore him and Anna hanging all over each other and pretend like she had never gone and fallen for him in the first place?
No. She didn't really wonder - she knew why. She just didn't want to admit it, to herself or to anyone else. But that didn't change the fact that it was still there, nagging at her, making her want to rip Anna's fingers off her body just so that she would stop touching Seth. With a put-out expression on her face, Summer sank back into her seat. When she felt said seat begin to vibrate from some over-eager child behind her kicking it, Summer spun around to give the little punk a death glare. She was *not* in the mood to be fucked with right now.
"Knock it off or I crush your kneecaps," she warned him. The pre-teen, resplendent in the latest ghetto-fabulous junior high wear, complete with baggy pants, an oversized Dennis Rodman jersey, and several bling-blingy silver necklaces, grinned and gave her seat another kick. Summer's eyes narrowed. She felt Luke put a restraining hand on her arm, but she shook it off. "Look," she told the kid. "We're stuck with each other for the next hour and a half or so, and if you'd like to spend that time with working testicles, I'd suggest that you *stop kicking my seat*." Rodman laughed.
"Hour and a half?" he repeated. "Honey, this movie is three and a half hours long." By the way Summer's eyebrows rose to her hairline, it was quite clear that this was the first she had heard of this. Rodman's grin just grew wider. Beside Summer, Luke saw her fists clench, her knuckled turning white, and decided to intervene.
"Hey, kid, I'd listen to her if I were you," he warned. "She's not exaggerating. She'd rip your balls off without batting an eyelash." Rodman's cocky grin wavered as he looked back at Summer, who was shooting daggers at him with her eyes. "You ever heard of rage blackouts?" Luke added. Rodman shook his head. The pair of them must have looked quite intimidating, because the kid just clammed up and turned to talk to his friend beside him. Satisfied, Summer turned back around in her seat. She shot Luke a grateful look.
"Thanks," she said. He shrugged.
"Not that I wouldn't like to see the little shit castrated," he said. "But how about letting it out on Cohen instead of minors with parents that can sue?" Summer's eyes lit up, and Luke had to let out a chuckle. Only Summer Roberts could get that gleam in her eyes at the prospect of torturing someone. Truth be told, sometimes she scared Luke a little. As hot as she was, Cohen could have her. It amazed him that someone as weak as Seth was able to work Summer up so much by barely doing anything. Their relationship was a strange creature, and Luke had found - and been told, several times, by Ryan and Marissa - that more often than not, it was better to just let the dysfunctional pair sort things out themselves.
Summer poked Seth in the arm. He turned, the look in his eyes a reflexive mixture of fear and apology. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that this movie is three and a half fucking hours long?" she fumed. Seth's mouth flapped open and closed as his brain searched for the answer that would get him in the least trouble.
"It's 'Lord of the Rings', Summer," he began calmly. "We told you that when we invited you along. I guess I figured that you knew how long these things always are."
"Well, sorry, I'm not a comic book geek, I don't know these things," she countered. Okay, so not quite the answer he had been looking for.
"'Lord of the Rings' isn't a comic book," he said helpfully. Summer just glared. Luckily, at that moment, the light in the theater dimmed, and the movie began. Luke put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Too furious to care, Summer let him leave it there, settling in for three and a half hours of daydreaming of various ways to kill Seth. And Anna. And Ryan and Marissa. And the rest of the patrons in the theater, just for the hell of it.
~*~
Something was happening on-screen about Hobbits and a ring and a mountain. Summer really didn't care enough to try and figure out the plot. If she had come some other time, the movie would have been bearable - there were plenty of hot guys and gorgeous sets to keep her from being *completely* bored out of her mind. Tonight, however, she had barely noticed - she had spent the entire time watching Anna's hand caress Seth's kneecap, and his hand slide its way up her thigh. Luke had gotten sucked into the movie, so he hadn't even noticed that Summer wasn't watching. All of the sudden, the movie screen went dark and the house light came back up. Summer glanced down at her watch, and was shocked to find that only about two hours had passed.
"Well," she said, gathering her purse and coat. "That was fun." The rest of the group were all looking at her uncomfortably. "What?" she asked. It was Anna who ventured to speak.
"This is just the intermission," she said, her eyes sparkling. Summer knew the girl lived to make her look bad, but she didn't particularly care. "It's about ten minutes. The movie comes back on after that." Summer closed her eyes and counted to ten. Homicide would not improve the situation, she told herself.
"I'm going to go get something to drink," she announced, once she had calmed herself somewhat. "Luke?" Without waiting for a response, she shoved her way passed Seth and Anna and walked up the aisle towards the concession stand outside. The bright lights and colors bombarded her, and were definitely not helping to calm her frazzled nerves. She chose the shortest line, and moved in behind the large-bottomed woman who was fourth. When she reached the counter, she ordered a cherry slushee from the young, acne-riddled cashier. She hadn't had one since she was, like, six, but she was dying for one right now. She was pulling her wallet out of her purse when she heard a male voice behind her say:
"Make that two, please." Damn. Summer whirled around to find Seth standing beside her.
"Where the hell is Luke?" she asked.
"Listening to Anna explain the plot of the first two movies," he said. "I think we've brought him over to the dark side." Summer rolled her eyes.
"Great," she muttered. "Just what I need - another comic book geek." Seth shook his head ruefully.
"You break my heart every time I hear you call it a comic book," he said. Summer gave him one of her patented 'Whatever' looks, musing on his ironic choice of words. He was the one who had broken her heart, and continued to do so just by standing there. She knew she hid her emotions well, but was he really *that* oblivious when it came to women? They stood in silence as they waited for their drinks. After they had paid and were on their way back to the theater, Seth murmured a quiet
"I'm sorry."
"Right." She kept walking, her eyes straight ahead of her, but Seth caught her by the elbow, almost knocking her drink to the ground as he spun her around to face him.
"Look, I'm serious," he insisted. Summer peered at him.
"Okay, I'm biting," she said. "You're sorry for what? For dragging me to this movie? For not choosing me? For playing head games with me? Or for just being the miserable excuse for a human being that you are?" Seth hung his head.
"Allright, I deserved that," he admitted. Summer snorted.
"Damn right you did," she agreed. Her hand was getting cold from holding her drink, and the sticky red liquid was leaking out from underneath the plastic lid and dripping onto her hand. She considered licking it off, but as she was about to raise it to her lips, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Seth do the same thing. And damn, looking at his tongue was the very
last thing she needed to be doing right now. But when her eyes met his, it was clear that she wasn't the only one having the very wrong thoughts she was having.
Behind them, an usher cleared her throat. "Umm, we're going to be closing the door," she informed the pair. "If you don't come into the theater, you won't be able to get back in until after the movie is over." They regarded one another silently for a moment, before Summer took charge and flounced into the darkened theater, Seth following close at her heels. Once inside, the doors closed behind them as promised. Summer made her way down the aisle towards their seats. Seth was following, head down, when all of the sudden she halted abruptly, sending him crashing into her.
"What's the hold-up?" he asked, only to be shushed by a blue-haired grandma in the next row. He gave her only the briefest of apologetic glances, choosing instead to focus his attention on Summer as she turned slowly around. Her eyes were huge and dark, her lips parted slightly. Seth groaned inwardly. She was trouble with a capital 'T'. But somehow, that just made her even more appealing. Taking her elbow, he led her back a few rows to the farthest, darkest corner. The surrounding rows were empty, because it was universally known what the back row of a movie theater was for, and no one else cared to see that. Seth set his drink in the cupholder, took Summer's from her hand and set it in the next one down. Then he reached for her hand, pulling her forward. He half-expected her to just backhand him, but she let him tug, and fell into his lap without complaint.
Their lips met instantaneously, kisses long and warm and wet. Seth's hands caressed her backside, while she drew her fingernails across his stomach under his shirt, making him quiver and jerk her forward roughly. His hands got more adventurous, reaching up to cup her breast and pinch her nipple between his fingers. She gasped involuntarily, then buried her mouth in his shoulder to stop herself from making anymore sounds - the last thing she wanted right now was for security to come and kick the horny teenagers out. But really, she wanted to sing and shout. That was how good he made her feel - like she had to tell the whole world. Only, she couldn't. Because of Anna. Truth be told, she didn't really care about her peers at school. Summer had always had a 'screw-you' attitude when it came to others. She could deal with the barbs that would get slung at her if she strolled up the front steps hand-in-hand with Seth Cohen. Big deal. But having people accuse her of stealing someone else's boyfriend? No. Summer had morals. Maybe not the highest ones, but she was from Newport after all. That was one thing that had always set Marissa and herself apart from Holly and the others - they weren't into hurting and humiliating people just for kicks. That was why they had become such good friends. They didn't believe in the Harbor politics of 'want, take, have'. The defining moment of their friendship had been when Summer had turned down Luke in the sixth grade because Marissa had seen him first. Fair was fair, after all.
So what the hell was she doing now? She may not have stolen Seth away, but this wasn't much better - clandestine kisses in the dark thirty feet away from his girlfriend, then playing nice with her the next day. It was very un-Summer-like. But maybe that was because in the past, she had never had so much at stake. Seth Cohen was a good guy. There weren't many of those around anymore. But more than that, he made her feel more than she'd ever felt for anyone before. She found herself smiling as soon as he walked in the room, her stomach flip-flopping when he smiled back, her mouth watering remembering the taste of his kisses. She wasn't particularly happy with the way she had handled the situation between him, Anna, and herself - she didn't really want to turn into a typical Harbor Newpsie. But just the feel of his body pressed against hers made it all worthwhile.
If you can't beat 'em...
His hand was creeping up her thigh, and his mouth was working steadily at her collarbone. Summer's blood rushed in all different directions, making it feel like she was in a sauna instead of a movie theater. She scooted closer, rocking her pelvis against hers. Surprised, Seth accidentally bit down on the skin of her neck. Summer jerked away, but too far, because she began to fall backwards. Seth grabbed her arm and hauled her back against him. He stopped her from tumbling out his lap, but as she fell forwards, her hand hit her cup and sent it toppling onto the floor, slushee and all. The drink pooled out beneath the seats, a hunk of rapidly-melting red slush sliding down towards the front of the theater. In the dark, Summer mused, it almost looked like blood, as it dripped off of the back of the seats in front of them where it had splashed. She shot Seth a look, and found that he, too, was on the verge of laughter. Upon their eyes meeting, which he seemed to take as permission, they began to laugh. They got steadily louder, until the same little old lady from before shushed them again. Still grinning, Summer leaned forward, breathing in the spicy scent of the cologne Seth had borrowed from Ryan as she twined her arms around his neck. He slid a hand under her shirt and ran his fingers lightly across the bare skin he found there, tracing the line of her spinal cord. Summer spread her legs a little further apart, sinking down into a much more relaxed position. This was...nice. They didn't do this very often. In the past, she probably never would have let him. And now...
Now, she still shouldn't be letting him. Making out and a little groping on the side - those she could shrug off. But this - tenderness - that was a little harder for her to justify to herself. She didn't want to be feeling this. Because it would make it so much harder when they had to let go.
Silently, Summer slid off of Seth's lap and into the seat beside him. He turned to look at her, obviously not phased by what had just passed between them. He reached out a hand to cup her chin, smiling gently. Summer sucked in a shaky breath. His eyes were so wide and trusting and he was just looking at her as if she were something special; something precious and that much emotion was...well, it was scary. He moved his hand to her neck.
"You might wanna cover that up," he murmured with a wicked smirk and a twinkle in his eye. Summer furrowed her brow, then dug into her purse and retrieved a compact. She flipped it open to reveal a gigantic, purplish hickey front and center. She gasped.
"Cohen!" she hissed indignantly, punching him in the arm.
"Ow!" he replied. "Come on - you love it." And there was that look again. Summer was really beginning to hate that look. She tried to ignore him as she pulled out her tube of concealer from her purse and liberally applied it to her neck. He didn't make it easy, though - he kissed her shoulder and held her hand and gave her those goddamn puppy-dog eyes. When she thought she had sufficiently hidden the evidence of their tryst, Summer turned to face Seth, her face serious.
"This has got to stop," she said. He took a deep breath.
"I know," he agreed. They shared a look before he leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't an agreement or a disagreement, it was just a kiss. It would have been so much easier had he just agreed, because Summer had a feeling that that kiss would be her downfall. They rose at the same time and proceeded down the aisle, Summer leading as always, Seth hovering close behind. They squeezed past legs and people and dropped into their seats without a word. Home free; neutral territory. Anna leaned over to her boyfriend.
"Long lines?" she whispered. Seth only nodded, viciously stabbing his nearly-melted drink with a straw. He sucked it down, hoping the artificial cherry sweetness would erase the even sweeter taste of Summer's watermelon lipgloss from his mouth before he had to give Anna her requisite goodnight kiss.