I own nothing. Sequel to Empty Space.

A/N: Seth and Summer are back together.

Marissa pulled into a parking space and looked at her residence hall in the distance. She laid her head on the steering wheel. She didn't want to be here. Well, she had mixed feelings about being there. The dorm was small, she didn't know her roommate, she didn't really know anyone except Summer, but she was staying in the hall next to Marissa's.

There was one glimmer of hope. She knew Alex went to the same school. It made her feel better to know that Alex was at least somewhere on campus. The surf competition schedule was posted on the school website, which Marissa already knew it by heart, plus she was sure that if she really wanted to she could find out the surf team's practice dates. Summer told her the last part started to border on stalking, so Marissa was going to lay off the practices unless things got really bad.

"Coop?" Summer asked. Apparently she'd walked up to Marissa's car and opened the car door while Marissa was deep in thought.

"Oh sorry," Marissa shook her head and got out.

Seth looked around, "This place looks a lot smaller on the brochure."

Marissa grabbed one of her bags out of the back of her car and walked with Seth and Summer toward the halls.

"I'm this way," Seth told the girls.

Summer kissed him, "Okay, call me when you get settled in and we'll go get something to eat or something."

Seth smiled and walked off, "Have fun."

Marissa let out a long breath. She secretly hoped her mystery roommate turned out to be Alex. It would be awkward for a while, but Alex would be close. Sleeping in the same room close.

"I'm going to go to my room now," Summer told Marissa.

Marissa nodded, "Me too."

They parted ways and Marissa's phone rang a second after she stepped into her hall. "Hey."

"Hey," Summer said, "Does your hall smell like old popcorn?"

Marissa chuckled, "No. Does yours?"

"Yeah," Summer answered.

Marissa merged into the traffic getting onto the stairs and made her way to the second floor. "Are you in your room yet?"

"Yeah," Summer stated, "My roommate's not here yet."

Marissa got off on the second floor and scanned the doors for her number. She found it a second later and opened it. There was nothing in the room except for two beds, two desks, and two dressers.

"My roommate's not here either," Marissa told Summer.

"If I look out my window and lean to the side, I can almost see a tree," Summer added, "And I have a great view of…you!"

Marissa looked out her window and saw Summer looking back in the building next to her. Marissa smiled, "That's cool."

"Yeah, we can tie two tin cans together and not have to use our cell phones," Summer waved.

Marissa laughed and put her bag down on the bed to her right.

"Hey, I think you're roommate's there," Summer pointed to behind Marissa.

Marissa turned around and saw a girl with long dark hair and deep dark eyes. She was a little shorter than Marissa and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Hey," Marissa smiled at her, "I'm Marissa."

The girl put down her bags on the bed Marissa's stuff wasn't on and smiled back, "I'm Caden."

"Interesting names," Marissa shook the girl's hand.

Caden smiled, "Is that a good thing?"

Marissa nodded. "Oh, this is my best friend Summer." Marissa pointed to the window.

Caden peered out and saw Summer wave. Caden chuckled, "Tell her I said hi."

"She said hi," Marissa relayed.

"What that planned or did it just happen?" Caden asked pointing toward Summer's window.

"It just happened," Marissa shrugged.

"I'm putting you on speaker," Summer told Marissa, "I want to claim my territory before my roommate get's here."

Marissa smirked, "Alright."

Summer put her phone on speaker and set it on the top of the dresser. As she was getting her stuff out, she heard a knock on the door.

"And you must be my new…" Summer trailed off seeing her roommate.

"Summer?" Alex asked with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Alex," Summer stated.

"What?!" Marissa looked out the window over Summer's shoulder and saw the blonde haired, blue eyes beauty who had turned her down a few months earlier.

Caden looked past Summer and Marissa to Alex, then to Summer, and finally Marissa, "Hmmm, awkward?"

"I'll call you back," Summer told Marissa and hung up.

Marissa looked at her phone and then back over to Summer's room where the blinds were now down.

Marissa sat on the bed and couldn't really figure out if she was happy or angry or scared out of her mind. She just sat there staring at her phone.

"This is weird," Alex set her bag down.

Summer nodded, "A little….well, a lot."

Alex sat on her bed and bit her lip. She looked up at Summer, "Is this going to be too weird?"

After a long, deep breath, Summer shook her head, "I think it'll be okay. As long as it's okay that Marissa comes over every once and a while. I'd rather keep you as a roommate than get someone I don't know and thinks Princess Sparkle is weird."

"Me too," Alex nodded, "It's fine with me if Marissa's comes over. I usually have surf practice when I'm not in class anyway. I won't be here that much."

"Alright," Summer nodded.

Caden quietly started unpacking her things, wondering what was going on. She glanced questioningly over at Marissa when she finally looked up from the floor.

"She's my ex," Marissa explained.

"Your best friend?" Caden sat on her bed across from Marissa.

"No," Marissa shook her head, "The blonde one."

Caden smiled, "Oh. And she's now roommates with your best friend?"

Marissa nodded.

Caden smiled brighter, "This is going to be an interesting semester."

Marissa's phone rang in her hand and she immediately answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey," Summer said on the other end of the line.

"What happened?" Marissa asked.

"She said she's fine being my roommate," Summer opened the blinds again, "She also said it's okay for you to come over and she won't be here that much because of surf practice."

Marissa looked through Summer's room, "Where'd she go?"

"She went to get the rest of her stuff," Summer answered, "And you can't be looking through our room all the time. It's kinda creepy."

"Okay," Marissa looked around, "Do you wanna go get something to eat now?"

"Yeah," Summer answered, "Seth already called, wondering when we were going."

Marissa's eyes caught Caden, "Do you wanna go with me and Summer and her boyfriend to get something to eat?"

"Sure," Caden shrugged.

"Cool," Marissa answered, "I'm bringing my roommate."

"There's no way I'm bringing mine," Summer replied, "That would be really awkward."

"Of course," Marissa grabbed her purse and led Caden out the door.

"So where are you from?" Summer asked Caden over burgers at a little café down the street.

"LA," Caden answered, "Where are you guys from?"

"Newport Beach," Summer answered.

"Oh," Caden nodded.

"Yeah, that's what I think too," Seth rolled his eyes.

Caden chuckled.

"Is Alex really your roommate?" Seth asked Summer.

Summer nodded, "You can come over sometime and I'll prove it."

"Alex is your ex?" Caden asked Marissa.

Marissa nodded.

"And mine," Seth added.

"But now you two are together?" Caden raised an eyebrow, gesturing between Seth and Summer, "Interesting."

When they got back to the campus, Caden went back to their room and Summer, Marissa, and Seth went to Summer's room with armfuls of clothes and other essentials.

"Did you really have to bring all your seasons of The Valley?" Seth asked.

"Of course," Summer answered matter-of-factly.

"That'll drive Alex insane," Marissa smiled wistfully to herself.

"She said she was going out with some of her teammates," Summer unlocked the door, "I don't think she's here." Summer opened the door and found no one inside.

Seth and Marissa stayed to help Summer unpack and decorate. Marissa was standing on the bed hanging Summer's posters while Seth unpacked Summer's seasons of The Valley.

"Do you want these color coded or chronological?" Seth asked Summer.

Summer raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's a legitimate question," Seth told her, "They were always different when I saw them."

"Chronological," Summer answered.

Marissa reached up and pinned a poster to the wall, "Does that look okay?"

Summer looked over at it while putting clothes in her dresser, "Yeah." She went back to unpacking clothes and added, "It might be better if I get a roommate I don't know. Then I wouldn't feel back about taking up most of the closet."

The door opened a few seconds later and Alex stepped in. She looked up at the group on one side of the room and froze.

"Hey Alex," Seth smiled.

Alex looked down at him, "Hey." She started moving again and surveyed Summer's side of the room, "Wow. It looks like home already."

"It'll be better when Marissa finishes with the posters," Summer made sure that Alex knew Marissa was there, but knew there was no way Alex missed that Marissa was standing on the bed.

Alex nodded and went to her bed, "Yeah…" Alex pulled a box from under her bed and started doing her own decorating.

"My roommate's on the water polo team," Seth sighed.

The three girls in the room smiled.

"No way," Marissa smiled as she pinned up the last poster.

"Yeah," Seth nodded, "The universe hates me."

"I liked your roommate," Summer told Marissa.

"Yeah Caden's nice," Marissa nodded, jumping off of the bed.

"What's your major again?" Seth asked Marissa.

"Fashion Merchandising," Marissa answered, "What was yours?"

"Art," Seth smiled.

"And you're pre-law?" Marissa asked Summer.

Summer nodded.

"What about you Alex?" Seth looked over at Alex who was sitting on her bed reading.

She looked up from her book, "Huh?"

"What's your major?" Seth asked. Summer and Marissa both looked at Alex in anticipation for an answer.

"Undecided," Alex answered.

Seth nodded, "Cool." He stood, "As much as I love hanging out with you ladies, I'm going to go make sure my roommate didn't eat all my stuff."

"Bye," Summer kissed him.

"Bye," Alex added.

Marissa just waved.

Seth waved to them all and walked out.

"I should probably get back too," Marissa told the ground, talking to Summer and a little to Alex.

"Okay," Summer walked with Marissa to the door, "How about I walk you back?"

Marissa nodded, glancing at Alex who was back to reading. She sighed and followed Summer out the door.

When the door closed, Alex sighed and fell back on her bed. She'd read the same line at least twenty times and still didn't remember what it said. She was listening to Seth, Summer, and Marissa's conversation the whole time and hated that she couldn't stop herself.

Summer crossed her arms as they walked. "What's the plan?"

"What plan?" Marissa asked.

"C'mon, I know you," Summer answered, "There's always a plan."

Marissa shrugged, "My only plan failed four months ago…. Maybe she really moved on."

Summer walked with Marissa up the door of the hall, "So you're going to give up?"

"I never said that," Marissa told Summer, "I just don't have a plan. I guess I'm just going to have to wing it."

Summer nodded and hugged Marissa, "I'm glad you know what you're doing."

Marissa smiled, "Goodnight."

"Night," Summer told Marissa and started walking back to her dorm.